French players at Anfield

[Scally Bob]

A lad at work is a City fan but every year a few of them pick a match and have a weekend away. Last weekend they went to Lille v Auxerre, third plays fourth in the French League.

 

About 7,000 turned up and according to my mate-who is a good lad-the football was absolute gash. He said there was no physical contact, the defending was Newcastle quality and the pace of the game was mind-numbing. The game finished 1-1 but what he did say was that both goals were fantastic. He said the overall quality was lower reaches of the Championship.

 

Confirms my view on the French players we've had. Can't step up. Scoring blinders in the Sunday League doesn't make you good enough for LFC.

[Rimbeux]

Good player is a good player, completely depends on how they are scouted, coached and used, not where they come from, or whether they are based in North London or Liverpool

[Scally Bob]

Good player is a good player, completely depends on how they are scouted, coached and used, not where they come from, or whether they are based in North London or Liverpool

Name one who came direct from the French League and has been an unqualified success.

 

It's such a weak league, it's like buying Scottish players.

[Kenny_]

Cheyrou is a good example I reckon.

 

Loads of ability which I don't think anyone doubte he had but struggled with adapating to the English football, a league that's far better than the French. A much more physical league.

[Ombudsam]

agree with rimbeux. Zidane, Henry, Petit, Trezeguet, Traore, Thuram and Desailly all came from there

[Bailo]

1 game = conclusion on standard of football?

 

You'll do well here.

[Scally Bob]

agree with rimbeux. Zidane, Henry, Petit, Trezeguet, Traore, Thuram and Desailly all came from there

I know you're joking when you put Traore and Zidane in the same sentence.

 

All of the others you mention left France early and developed away from there. The league is pants-paying top dollar for the likes of Cisse/Cheyrou/Diao et al was madness. And the young ones we picked up (Le Tallec, Pongolle and others) haven't done it either

[TFU]

Name one who came direct from the French League and has been an unqualified success.

 

 

Robert Pires?

[Scally Bob]

1 game = conclusion on standard of football?

 

You'll do well here.

 

Weak attempt.

 

When people were calling Cisse "Carnage" before he signed I was spouting then about the mediocrity of French football. It's on Channel 5 every weekend, try watching it.

 

 

Robert Pires?

 

I'll give you that. Any more?

[Rimbeux]

Name one who came direct from the French League and has been an unqualified success.

 

It's such a weak league, it's like buying Scottish players.

 

Gallas and Pires spring to mind, and I'm sure there are others, both French and otherwise who've been bought from French clubs

Edited April 5, 2006 by Rimbeux

[Ombudsam]

I'll give you that. Any more?

 

Petit was mid 20s

[Bailo]

I'll give you that. Any more?

Ronaldinho?

[Scally Bob]

Ronaldinho?

So Brazil is part of France now is it? And Barcelona's in England?

 

You'll do well here.

[Mondavi]

agree with rimbeux. Zidane, Henry, Petit, Trezeguet, Traore, Thuram and Desailly all came from there

 

 

You could have named more than that, but only enough to make a National Squad at any one time and that's about it. The majority of the National Squad at any given time are plying their trade outside France, the rest left behind are utter gash, just like Scotland, Belgium, Portugal etc.

 

There is England, Spain, and Italy - not necessarily in that order. And then there is a poor German League. Sorry but nothing else exists - yes there are players coming through, and clubs with enough cash to put together a reasonable squad (not totally local based), but in general the other leagues are very poor in terms of quality. The vast, vast majority of real quality players feturing at this years world cup, will be from clubs at the main 3/4 leagues.

 

French football is ridiculously poor standard, and the fact they produce a handful of world class players every couple of years will never change that.

[fyds]

Ronaldinho?

Riise? George Weah? Sylvain Wiltord?

[George Costanza]

Gallas?

 

Heinze also came from the French league.

Edited April 5, 2006 by coltmanaman

[Spike]

Zidane is Algerian by birth and Traore is Malian by choice.

[fyds]

So Brazil is part of France now is it? And Barcelona's in England?

 

You'll do well here.

He made his name in French Football - which is the point you were making wasn't it? Players who were bought from the French League?

[Spike]

You could have named more than that, but only enough to make a National Squad at any one time and that's about it. The majority of the National Squad at any given time are plying their trade outside France, the rest left behind are utter gash, just like Scotland, Belgium, Portugal etc.

 

There is England, Spain, and Italy - not necessarily in that order. And then there is a poor German League. Sorry but nothing else exists - yes there are players coming through, and clubs with enough cash to put together a reasonable squad (not totally local based), but in general the other leagues are very poor in terms of quality. The vast, vast majority of real quality players feturing at this years world cup, will be from clubs at the main 3/4 leagues.

 

French football is ridiculously poor standard, and the fact they produce a handful of world class players every couple of years will never change that.

 

Perhaps their league is that much poorer due to the fact that most of their quality players play abroad. Compare that to England and their relative national successes.

[Bailo]

So Brazil is part of France now is it? And Barcelona's in England?

 

You'll do well here.

 

About 7,000 turned up and according to my mate-who is a good lad-the football was absolute gash. He said there was no physical contact, the defending was Newcastle quality and the pace of the game was mind-numbing. The game finished 1-1 but what he did say was that both goals were fantastic. He said the overall quality was lower reaches of the Championship.

 

So all that above is only French-born players-specific?

 

Name one who came direct from the French League and has been an unqualified success.

 

It's such a weak league, it's like buying Scottish players.

I didn't notice anything specifying French-born players, you were commenting on the strength of the league, rather than French players. And I think it's kinda stupid slagging off a league which produced a World Cup and European Championship winning team more recently than the Premiership has.

 

And if you're going to get really pedantic, Cantona.

[Ombudsam]

You could have named more than that, but only enough to make a National Squad at any one time and that's about it. The majority of the National Squad at any given time are plying their trade outside France, the rest left behind are utter gash, just like Scotland, Belgium, Portugal etc.

 

There is England, Spain, and Italy - not necessarily in that order. And then there is a poor German League. Sorry but nothing else exists - yes there are players coming through, and clubs with enough cash to put together a reasonable squad (not totally local based), but in general the other leagues are very poor in terms of quality. The vast, vast majority of real quality players feturing at this years world cup, will be from clubs at the main 3/4 leagues.

 

French football is ridiculously poor standard, and the fact they produce a handful of world class players every couple of years will never change that.

 

the only point i was making was that a good player is a good player regardless of the league. Those blokes were worth the money when they were bought from that league

[Rimbeux]

You could have named more than that, but only enough to make a National Squad at any one time and that's about it. The majority of the National Squad at any given time are plying their trade outside France, the rest left behind are utter gash, just like Scotland, Belgium, Portugal etc.

 

There is England, Spain, and Italy - not necessarily in that order. And then there is a poor German League. Sorry but nothing else exists - yes there are players coming through, and clubs with enough cash to put together a reasonable squad (not totally local based), but in general the other leagues are very poor in terms of quality. The vast, vast majority of real quality players feturing at this years world cup, will be from clubs at the main 3/4 leagues.

 

French football is ridiculously poor standard, and the fact they produce a handful of world class players every couple of years will never change that.

 

To be honest, Brazil and Argentina aside, you could make a similar argument for practically any nation around, including Italy, Spain, and England, not the quality of the league, but the actual number of top quality players of a single nationality. It's only really the two South American giants who produce more than a national squad of top quality players continually

[fyds]

To be honest, Brazil and Argentina aside, you could make a similar argument for practically any nation around, including Italy, Spain, and England, not the quality of the league, but the actual number of top quality players of a single nationality. It's only really the two South American giants who produce more than a national squad of top quality players continually

Fair point.

[Scally Bob]

Cantona was a flat track bully who couldn't get in the national side and did nothing in Europe.

 

Ronaldinho played for PSG but he's not French. What I'm saying is that the quality of the French League is so low that their domestic players don't have to be that good to shine in it. Cisse is the perfect example: he was outstanding for Auxerre but in England he's decidedly average. We have paid big money for French players and not one has been worth it.

 

And to say that the League produced international-winning sides is innacurate. They were French but the majority had left France and plied their trade in better leagues.

 

We've been mugged.

[Bailo]

Cantona was a flat track bully who couldn't get in the national side and did nothing in Europe.

 

Ronaldinho played for PSG but he's not French. What I'm saying is that the quality of the French League is so low that their domestic players don't have to be that good to shine in it. Cisse is the perfect example: he was outstanding for Auxerre but in England he's decidedly average. We have paid big money for French players and not one has been worth it.

 

And to say that the League produced international-winning sides is innacurate. They were French but the majority had left France and plied their trade in better leagues.

 

We've been mugged.

Disagree on Cantona but anyway....I'm not disagreeing with you about the general quality of our french players (though I personally think Cheyrou, Cisse and FSP have something about them) but surely on your highlighted arguement, players like Ronaldinho have shone in it AND been great players. To write people off as they came from France is silly IMHO.