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truevillain

Listed below are comments made by truevillain between Sunday, 15th June 2008 and Thursday, 12th February 2009.

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Let's celebrate Moore and Beckham 11:37pm on 12 Feb 2009 There's a surprising number of people on here dismissing Beckham as an 'average' player. I can only assume these people are new to the game of football and don't understand what they're watching or they have allowed a dislike of his 'celebrity lifestyle' to overshadow their neautrality.

Beckham is the finest and most consistent England player of his generation. In his 108 games there are probably less than 20 in which he wasn't one of our best two or three performers, if not THE best, even in games where the team as a whole was average. He was England's best player at France '98, as good as anyone else in '02 and, again, our best player in '06, though admittedly that doesn't say much as we were mediocre and would've been eliminated in the first round if we hadn't been given such a weak group to negotiate. His crosses, set-pieces and occasional goals have been invaluable and his work-rate, commitment and considerable skill have been a wonderful asset to his country.

Yes, Scholes is more gifted but he seemed to lack the drive or personality to impose himself in international games, which Beckham has always done.

Yes, Gerrard is more dynamic but his clearly fragile ego suffers in the rarified atmosphere of big international matches, whereas Beckham thrives.

Yes, Lampard scores more goals but his fairly weak technique and sloppy control means he gives the ball away too much, which Beckham rarely does.

Coming on as a sub against Spain Beckham produced the only two genuine moments of class England showed, though I grant the absence of Rooney and others was partly to blame for that. Still, not bad for a guy that's been written off time and time again.

Rather than takes cheap shots at him because he's handsome, or because he'll never win the Nobel Prize for Physics why don't these people acknowledge the debt we owe the man.

Forza Beckham!!
Incey Whingey 03:06am on 09 Dec 2008 As usual the Robbo blog is poorly written drivel. It's interesting though that one or two people commenting seem to feel that the stick Ince is getting is related to the colour of his skin. Oliver Holt, argubaly Britain's weakest football journalist, suggested as much on the telly this weekend. The fact is that Roy Keane was, more or less, left alone by the Sunderland fans because they KNEW they'd be in a relegation battle, even allowing for the over-priced "stars" they brought in. The same goes for West Brom. It was always going to be tough for their attractive but rather toothless side to make an impression in the Premier League. However, Blackburn fans saw their side on the fringes of the UEFA places last season and wanted more of the same; instead they've witnessed a rather lack-lustre side capitulate in game after game thus far. The fact that Ince is black is irrelevant, he simply hasn't done a very good job so far.
The boy from Bolivia shows Colombia the way 10:08am on 14 Oct 2008 I absolutely LOVED Carlos Valderamma! I remember watching Colombia play England at Wembley in a friendly prior to the '90 World Cup.

The game is remembered now for the famous "scorpion kick" save made by their eccentric goalie Rene Higuita (although the ref's whistle had already blown, if memory serves, for offside).

It was Valderamma who stuck in MY mind though. For all England's huff and puff in midfield, and we had fine players in that team too, they just couldn't get NEAR him, even though he rarely even broke into a anything more than a stroll.

I don't think he wasted a single pass and he often took just two touches; perfect control and then a simple pass. He had that rare ability, though, to pass the ball just ten yards or so BUT, in the process, take three defenders out of the game.

Very few players nowadays have that skill. Riquleme, Pirlo, Arshavin perhaps. Not many around.

Great article, Tim.
Capello will keep England grounded 10:22pm on 08 Oct 2008 Although I think post 171 oversteps the mark a little I do agree with the basic sentiment. Michael Owen has not played consistently well or been fully fit for a number of years.

His ability to score goals cannot be questioned but Fabio Capello has NEVER included players in ANY of his teams, Milan, Roma, Juve or Real Madrid, that are JUST goalscorers. He has always wanted and selected players that work defenders off the ball, that can put in a tackle, that can handle themselves physically against a centre-back, that can bring others into play.

Owen's strength is pouncing on loose balls in the area and for that to happen you need to play in a very direct (if you like, English) way with lots of high balls forward and lots of emphasis on knock-downs. That's why Heskey and Owen was a good combination.

However, Rooney and Defoe are better footballers and THAT'S what Capello is concerned with. He wants England to CREATE chances, not just rely on the opposition to gift them to us or on the luck of a bounce.

The OLD Michael Owen, the Liverpool Michael Owen, was also brilliant at chasing balls threaded through the defence because he was so darned fast it was unreal. THAT Michael Owen doesn't exist anymore; his clear lack of fitness and the damage to his knees have seen to that, sadly.

I'd LOVE to be proved wrong. I'd love to see Michael Owen recapture that gorgeous pace, confidence and effortless finishing he had with Liverpool and England in his early days. However, rest assured that if that DOES happen then Capello will reconsider because a 100% Owen, not the 50% currently at Newcastle, would be a great weapon to have in the squad.

Agree with other posters too that Gerrard should not just walk back in the team. It would send the wrong message. Gerrard's form for England has been erratic over the last few years. I don't think leaving him out would do him any harm. Can you imagine how fired up he'd be the next time he DID pull on the shirt, knowing his place is up for grabs if he doesn't perform? It's not as though we don't have valid options in midfield. Barry, Hargreaves, Lampard, Carrick, Joe Cole......
Riquelme - one of a dying breed 4:46pm on 06 Oct 2008 The original article is very well written but hardly accurate. To describe Riquelme as one of the last of a dying breed is somewhat overstating the case.
Most top international sides have a player that can fairly be described as a "playmaker." A player that relies on intelligent movement, a great first touch and a thoughtful range of passes.

Spain deservedly won Euro 2008 with Senna dictating their game. Italy have Pirlo, Croatia have Modric, France have Ribery, Portugal have Deco, Russia have Arshavin etc.

The issue with Riquelme is his inconsistency. Pirlo generally plays pretty well and sometimes brilliantly. Deco generally contributes a decent amount and is sometimes unstoppable. Riquelme is sometimes fantastic but far too often a passenger and his clear dislike of the physical side of the game gets exposed too often, unfortunately.

I LOVE watching him. Just as I loved watching Valderamma, who was similar (though an even more talented player) and just as I loved watching slow, skilled players like Hoddle, Valeron, Giannini, Platini etc.

However, I can see why Argentina might want to start looking elsewhere.....
Time for Capello to deliver 2:16pm on 04 Sep 2008 I'm afraid that this article sums up exactly what is wrong with English football; the vastly over-inflated opinion it has of itself.

Look at England's record since winning in 1966. One WC semi final and one EC semi (with home advantage) in 21 tournaments, many of which we failed to even qualify for. We are NOT a genuine power so why all the hype?

Croatia are one of Europe's top sides. Their record since becoming an independent country is very impressive and they are particularly strong at home. However, McNulty glosses over that and ludicrously states that anything other than at least a draw would be a failure on Capello's behalf. His lack of respect for the Croatians and his jingoistic, blokey patriotism betray a fundamental lack of football knowledge.

There would be no disgrace in losing to Croatia, provided it's not some 4-0 drubbing. The issue becomes that if we DO lose then we have extra pressure on subsequent matches NOT to lose. I'm thinking of the potentially tricky trip to Ukraine, in particular. We would also almost certainly HAVE to win all our home games and goal difference could also then become a deciding factor.

Michael Owen hasn't been 100% fit for three years or so and relying on him is not a sensible ploy. Bullard is clearly a stop-gap to cover injuries. Yes, Lampard needs to step it up a level and Rooney needs to now start moving on from being a promising international striker into a consistently threatening one.

Ahhh, I feel better now!
Italy will provide Spain's real test 00:36am on 19 Jun 2008 In response to post 84....

I'm not sure you're being fair on the Italy '98 team; they weren't bad at all. They only lost to France in the QF on penalties and came closest to winning the game in normal and extra time.

The point is though that Italian players, for whatever complex reason or reasons, simply know how to respond to high-pressure situations. The Germans are similar in that regard.

There are people on here insisting the Italians and Germans have NO chance against the Spanish and the Portugese. Have these people NEVER watched an international football tournament?

I wouldn't be at all surprised if Portugal's nerve fails them against the Germans and even LESS surprised (looking at their track record) to see Spain fall to the Italians, even without Cannavaro, Gattuso and Pirlo.

I'm not saying they WILL win but to write Germany and Italy off as "no-hopers" is rather foolish.

As a side note I thought Russia's demolition job on Sweden was mightily impressive. Their game against Holland could be a classic!
You Are The Ref #7 6:11pm on 18 Jun 2008 We're getting a little bit silly now, aren't we? Whatever the answer is there should be a yellow card for the person who selected this question.

The ball being thrown on to the pitch is fine but the idea that Christiano Ronaldo could beat FIVE players in an INTERNATIONAL match is ludicrous beyond belief. When would THAT ever happen?!?!

:-)
Italy will provide Spain's real test 1:04pm on 18 Jun 2008 I'm glad Italy got through. A lot of people wanted Romania to progress and that says something about the English love of supporting the underdog, which is fine.

However, Romania rarely ventured out of their half against France, were lucky to draw with Italy and played a defensive game against Holland (presumably hoping Italy-France would be a draw).

Italy at least went forward in their matches. Yes, they were picked off on the break by Holland (playing in what used to be the "Italian" way) and yes the finishing has been wayward (Luca Toni is all over the place) but Donadoni, though he lacks Lippi's experience and tactical nous, has managed to keep the more attack-minded game.

NO Italian team is ever going to play all-out attack. Few teams do; even Brazil these days play a much more balanced game, based as much on defensive strength as flair coming forward.

I think Italy have learned lessons from the past. They went out of Euro 2004 having played too cautiously against Denmark and Sweden (both of whom they could and should have beaten) and although it's fair to say that poor refereeing didn't help against South Korea in 2002 the overly-defensive tactics Italy employed having gone ahead certainly impress either.

I'm not saying Italy will win. The evidence thus far points to the Dutch, with their fast and incisive attacking players. It will be fascinating to see how the quarter finals pan out though.

After a slow start it's proving to be a very dramatic and thought-provoking tournament. Let's just hope that England don't miss out in two year's time. Mr Capello; over to you!
Spain are the complete package 1:03pm on 15 Jun 2008 Gavin Peacock is right to be impressed by Spain. They DO look good. However, they almost always look good in the early stages and then fizzle out once the pressure is really on in the latter stages. Think about how they destroyed a good Ukraine team in their first match at the 2006 world cup but then ended up being eliminated in the 2nd round.

People on here saying that Italy are pathetic need to watch a little more football and appreciate the finer points of the game before making such sweeping statements. Italy were good in the second half against Holland but were denied by excellent goalkeeping and poor finishing, before being hit with a lovely counter-attack goal. They played well and positively against Romania without much luck; disallowed goal, rebounds favouring defenders, unlucky attempts on goal etc.

I think Van Basten would be daft to make too many changes against Romania; he risks losing the wonderful rhythm they've found. On that basis either Italy or France will make it to the QF and I wouldn't be surprised to see them go further.

Some teams, Italy and Germany included, have a knack of playing well (or well enough. at least) when it matters most.

Having read a lot of the BBC's website it's clear there are a lot of very bitter England-could-do-better-than-that fans out there. NO YOU COULDN'T. England talk the talk but never walk the walk and sniping at other big teams doesn't show football knowledge, just that there's a big chip on your shoulder.

Watch, learn and appreciate WHY at least 10 of the 16 qualified nations are better than England.

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