Getting shirty with Cristiano Ronaldo
After a couple of weeks in the treatment room with the humiliation of a biscuit tin on my backside and being run ragged by the physios, I've been back on the training pitch this week. What a relief!
It's brilliant to be back in training and winding up the rest of the lads - I'm sure they've missed me. Not that all of the lads need winding up, some of them can't help humiliating themselves. So imagine my delight when a ball flew from nowhere to flatten Darren Potter's nose across his face!
We were all pretty worried for a while because the blood poured out of his nose and across his top lip. There was real concern amongst the lads that there could be permanent damage to the tache. Thankfully, Potts has recovered and after careful surgery all of the dried blood was removed from his prize tache. He's hoping to have the Freddie Mercury look perfected by the new year.
Anyway, I gave you the first half of the team of the best players I've played against last week so here is the midfield and attack...
Right wing - Cristiano Ronaldo
Well, where do you start? He's just got everything. I played against him a few times and he's just like a steam train when he's running at you. What do you do? He's done about 15 step-overs before he gets to you so you don't know if he's going left or right. Whichever side he does go, he's equally as strong on both feet so you are totally up against it. You just have to do the best you can because he's a full-back's ultimate nightmare. He's basically got everything and that's why he's the World Player of the Year. He's an amazing player and it was a pleasure to grace the same turf as him - he's that good. I ended up getting his shirt from one of the games I played against him in and I have to say it's one of my prized possessions. When Ronaldo first came over there were a few questions about whether he was play-acting to the referees but he lost that quickly and his talent soon took over. To score as many goals as he did from a wide area is just incredible. He's a special talent and I think he and Lionel Messi are the two stand-out players in the world right now.
Centre midfield - Roy Keane
The total midfielder for me: just unbelievable. Did he ever give the ball away? Not that I can remember. He was an incredible leader and his passing, his energy and his tackling were outstanding. Anybody would have wanted Roy Keane as a player when he was at Manchester United - the ultimate midfielder and a nightmare if you were on the opposition. He struck fear into the opposition and you could see that when players went into tackles with him. He has moved into management now and I took keen notice when he went to Sunderland, being a Sunderland fan myself. He did an incredible job for the city and despite not winning in his first few games he soon built a stable side and got promotion from the Championship in his first season. He put Sunderland on the map again and he deserves a lot of credit for getting some of the players he did to that club. His situation probably looks a bit more difficult at Ipswich now but they won their first game recently and I am sure we will have a tough test when we go down there next week. Roy was a natural-born winner on the pitch and that has not left him. He wants to win just as much as his players do and I'm sure they'll be a million miles away from going down at the end of this season.
Centre midfield: Steven Gerrard
Mr Liverpool. When he doesn't play for Liverpool their results seem to dip. He is an amazing player and has scored so many important goals for Liverpool in the Premier League and the Champions League. He's hungry to win and what put him on the map as one of the best midfielders in the world was when he won the Champions League. He was absolutely outstanding throughout that whole competition and took his team by the scruff of its neck in the final to come back from 3-0 down against AC Milan to win - incredible. He is first class and another player you'd love to have in your team but hate to see on the opposition's team sheet. He is an adaptable player and can play at right-back, up front or out on the right but for me he is a centre midfielder all day long.
Left wing: Ryan Giggs
Any youngster coming into the game should look at Giggsy as a perfect role model. To play more than 800 games for the biggest club in the world is just phenomenal, especially when you consider the trophies he's won. He's still, at 36 years old, hungry to go and win trophies and that is testament to him. He's a great lad and one of, if not the best player in Premier League history. I played at United for two years when I was a kid and was a left-back at the time. We had a tournament in France one year and every time I got the ball I just looked for Giggsy. Whether he was 50 yards away or two yards away. I'd give him the ball and he'd dribble it around about seven players before setting up somebody else for a goal or scoring himself. At the time he was called Ryan Wilson but he'd obviously changed his name by the time he got into the first team. I knew it wouldn't be long until he made his debut for Manchester United because everyone was talking about him. Once he made his debut he never looked back.
Striker - Wayne Rooney
Just a first-class player and another who people were talking about when he was 14 or 15-years-old. I was at Sunderland then and Peter Reid, with his Everton connections, was saying we should look out for his debut. When people are talking like that you know they are talking about a special player. He's never disappointed and for Manchester United to pay £27m for him at such a young age was unheard of. Rooney is a great talent, he's so strong and an all-round centre forward who's going to be around for years.
Striker - Thierry Henry
Without question the best foreigner to play in the Premier League (alongside Ronaldo). He had about five or six years where he was just untouchable. He really was special. You'd think you were doing OK in a game against him and then in an instant he'd pop up on the left wing and within five seconds he'd have had a shot on goal. I think Andy Gray once said 'take a bow son' talking about Henry and that sums up how special he was for Arsenal. We were playing Arsenal at Blackburn one year and thought we were doing pretty well at 0-0 and then Henry just turned it on and we lost 2-0 in the blink of an eye.
Substitutes
It was hard to get it down to 11 players and here are my subs:
David Beckham - very close to making my first XI, he never gave you a moment on the ball, his energy levels were unbelievable and his array of passes were second to none. Probably the best passer of a ball I've ever seen.
Robert Pires - an amazing left winger who, I think, still holds the record for the number of assists in one season. A special player who knew how to get behind the back four and put in the perfect pass - a centre forward's dream.
Didier Drogba - Probably playing as well as he ever has and he was just like that when he first came over - unstoppable and a nightmare to play against
Steve McManaman - someone with unbelievable energy but great skill to go with it as well. An amazing player with great pace and ability.
Patrick Vieira - Very Roy Keane-like in a lot of ways and very close to being in my team but Keane just pipped him.
Next week look out for my team of great players sporting moustaches with none other than Darren Potter as the play maker!
~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~29~RS~)
Hi, I'm Michael Gray. I've played more than 500 league games for Sunderland, Celtic, Blackburn, Leeds, Wolves and Sheffield Wednesday over the past 17 seasons. I'm currently enjoying life at ambitious Sheffield Wednesday and the aim of my blog is to provide an insight into the life of a footballer.
Comments
That is a great side!... can you imagine it???
No place in the squad for Zola, Cantona, Bergkamp....
Is there one player of your era that you haven't played against that you would like to or feel that you have "missed out on"?... e.g. Zidane, Ronaldo, Figo, etc
and what about an all-time favourite player - whose shirt you would have liked to have got!...Pele, Maradona, Cruyff, Eusebio, Beckenbaur, Charlton, etc
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Haha, good blog Michael, im especially loving the flack that Darren Potter is taking!!! I bet he dreads your blog coming out every week. haha. Can you tell the World something embarrassing about any other player you have played with - im a Leeds fan, so if you have any funny memories from your time there i would love to hear them. Keep up the good work mate!
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Surprised Big Drogba made it in there before Dennis Bergkamp.. What a team though.
I like how you have included a photo of you effectively looking like you are chopping Ronaldo down..
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Great stuff Michael. You mentioned you came through the ranks at Man Utd with Ryan Giggs. Do you remain in touch with him or any of the other lads from that great youth team like Neville, Scholes or Beckham or even Fergie himself.
I'm a red living in Sheffield now and would love to see you get promotion with Wednesday. It's far too long since the Red Army visited Hillsborough. For a city of Sheffield's size not to be hosting top flight football is a real travesty and in Wednesday's case shows some shocking stuff from behind the scenes in the years following relegation. Hopefully with the present chairman in place things will start to look up. Not too late for a play off charge!
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here ya go mick, who are the hardest players you've ever played against or with? Gary flitcroft is a bit of a case isn't he?
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Good stuff Michael, the Defense last week looked pretty good, though I might have changed one or two from that, but cant argue with the attack, looks spot on. Was suprised no Bergkamp, Shearer or Cantona at first, but then its not easy picking from such a star studded list.
Are you back in contention for the Ipswich game?
Keep up the good work
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Great blog Michael
Agree with Thierry Henry that man was from another planet loved watching him play.
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Michael, top blog again.
Great to read about the banter in the team, keep it up.
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"it was a pleasure to grace the same turf as him"
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A bit presumptuous of you to say that YOU graced the turf, don't you think?
Did you mean that you shared the turf he graced?
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Thierry Henry ... "best foreigner", not very PC Michael! Surely you mean best 'overseas player'. Tut tut.
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No. 4. I'm a red living in Sheffield! You are surely a Sheffield United fan then!? There more than just one team in this country that plays in the colour red!
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No. 9. well said mate!
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Yeah you ran about on the same turf! Joking aside good blog I enjoyed the read, now I must get on with some work!
Thanks.
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Nice team! Massive admiration for Giggs, I think thats the only name everyone would have in their team. You can debate over the others but say to someone who would you have on the left wing? 99 times out of 100 you will hear Ryan Giggs!
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You don't have to worry about your visit to Portman Road. Mr keane may have been a decent enough footballer, but as a Manager he still has a lot to learn!
I am hoping that you are right regarding us not getting relegated, but we are going to have major improvements all over the pitch for us to survive!
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No 10 I'll return the compliment
masterbertieblade wrote:
No. 4. I'm a red living in Sheffield! You are surely a Sheffield United fan then!? There more than just one team in this country that plays in the colour red!
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The arrogance of the fans of the "big" clubs knows no bounds.
Of course, now there are only TWO big clubs who play in red, Man U. and Arsenal, so it narrows it down.
"There's only one United"? Yes there is. In my case it's West Ham and in your case Sheffield.
No others spring to mind.
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Haha great blog, loving all the United players in there, it's amazing how many great players this league has had, like others have mentioned, Bergkamp, Cantona, Zola, Shearer, Scholes etc... it's just impossible to make an all time 11.
A Ronaldo shirt, i'm well jealous, personally would've gone for Giggs but still!!
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@ 11. I've never heard of Sheffield United referred to as the reds and I work with plenty of them. It's United or Blades (or pigs according to the Wednesdayites).
Stop being such a pedant.
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Another good blog Michael
Any other shirts you cherish or players you have tried to get a shirt from but were unable to. What is the best way to get a players shirt? Do you have to make sure you are closest when the final whistle goes or is it pre-planned before or during the game?
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How is this blog an insight into the life of a footballer? Tell us something most people don't know about the game.
I know the players listed above are brilliant, what's new?
Stories about bloody moustaches doesn't really cut the mustard. Think it was one of those moments that you had to witness to really join in the mirth.
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Great blog.
Glad to see that Ronaldo is given credit.
Great player.
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Great blog, i'm enjoying your insight Michael.
Loads of Man Utd players understandably, I would miss out Neville though (surely there must've been a better right back?)but its not my blog! Who would you say was hugely overrated or underrated during your career?
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Great stuff Michael!
Always look forward to your blogs!
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Nice one Michael and thanks for that insight. Another nice stat to confirm one man Liverpool - Gerrard. I look back over the last 10 years and remember some fantatic Manchester United players, Cantona, Palister, Bruce, Kanchelskis, Ruud - too many to mention.
I don't you can look back over 10 years of Liverpool's players and pick out a large array of fantastic players. There have been SOME good players but the majority always been nearly good enough players.
This is not due to the success of Mancehster United. I can name many other fantatic players from Chelsea, Arsenal and other teans - Zola, Bergkamp, Overmars, Adams, Keown, Juninho - many many fantastic players.
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Agree with #20. I could tell you that Ronaldo and Gerrard are very good players. Can I have a blog please?
This blog must have taken what, 3 minutes to write? Must do better.
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Hi Mickey,
a great blog.
Poor Darren, he seems to have been growing it a while now.. Did you never flirt with a bit of facial hair in the past??
You can keep your Ronaldo's and Beckhams on the wing... the partnership you had with Allan 'Magic' Johnston was the greatest pleasure any fan could watch! shame it came to an end in its prime.
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As with post no.5, would be interested to hear about the 'hard men' of the game, whether in your team or playing against them. Not sure if you would agree, but from Sunderland, surely Kevin Ball and John Kay are worth a mention. Both of them were not malicious at all and loved a full blooded tackle and could be seen to enjoy it even when they got the same 'rough stuff' treatment from the opposing team.
In the current SAFC squad, look out for Cana !!!
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Surprised you put in Dropba instead of Bergkamp..and even Torres! I'm just glad you didn't put it fat frank.
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20 SergyPie + 25.Mandy_Turner,
How is this not an insight into his footballing career? He is notably telling great players he played against. If they are great player, we will obviously know about them..but he is describing his personal experience and thoughts on these players. You both are just bitter and utterly jealous that he's had the opportunity.
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24. meista101,
Ask Vidic and Ferdinand about Torres, I'm sure they'll remember him.
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I thought the Andy Gray "Take a bow son" was when Gerrard scored in the 3-1 win against Olympiakos in 2004?
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Zell182,
the Andy Gray "Take a bow son" was actually first heard on EA sports Fifa 2001.
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Good blog mate. Sometimes i wonder why people even bother to come post stuff if it holds no merit to anyone
30. At 6:14pm on 12 Nov 2009, thehonorarytitle wrote:
24. meista101,
Ask Vidic and Ferdinand about Torres, I'm sure they'll remember him.
I take it ur a Liverpool fan so please remember Ferdinand was still injured and Vidic did match up to him.
Kudos for you though for putting those other guys in their place
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FRVk4EhYrQ&feature=related
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30. At 6:14pm on 12 Nov 2009, thehonorarytitle wrote:
24. meista101,
Ask Vidic and Ferdinand about Torres, I'm sure they'll remember him.
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Hi Mate - I did say there are not a large amount of Liverpool players you can look back down the years at. This massively compliments Gerrard and Torres, two great players, the only real legends of Liverpool in the last decade. But without them what are Liverpool?
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Alright Michael,
Do you think any of those players would get in the current Wednesday team?
Also, have you ever played against Sunderland & if so what's it like playing against the team you support? I always imagine if I was employed by another team & playing against Wednesday, it's the final minute & the score's 0-0, i'd be well tempted to lob one over my own keeper- I'd probably even run to the Wednesday fans & celebrate it.... or is that just me?
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Hi Michael,
Slightly odd question but on Football Manager you have the option of asking players to recommend other players or staff, I was wondering how realistic this is? Obviously (using Wednesday as an example) Lawsy isn't going to come up to you and ask you who we should sign today (if we had any money!) but do Mangers ever discuss with players who they think would benefit the team or anything? Obviously the manager makes the signings and picks the team but as one of the 11 on the pitch most weeks surely you must think occasionally that certain (obtainable) players would be helpful?
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Great banter about the mustaches and darren potter, Love it!!!
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