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Eat cheese and be merry

Listed below are comments made by Eat cheese and be merry between Monday, 17th August 2009 and Thursday, 17th December 2009.

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No white flag for Burnley's Coyle 11:29am on 17 Dec 2009 I think at 65, Jack makes a good point.
Since the age of substitutes and multiple cups as well as Europe to contend with, I think that, barring all but the weakest teams, there isn't really such a thing as a 'strongest 11' any more.
Sir Alex Ferguson has certainly proved that to be successful on multiple fronts, you need a big, talented squad.
Also, this argument is, as Jack states, made more complicated by big clubs resting players against supposedly 'weaker' teams. I'm a United fan, but why should big teams be allowed to play squad players against weaker teams because of more important games in the near future, but smaller teams can't also prioritise accordingly?
Ferguson's kids are all right 5:28pm on 02 Dec 2009 wassup,

I agree with your comment about the best players rarely having to make last-ditch tackles. I think people used to joke about Boobby Moore's shorts always being white because he never had to make any last ditch tackles, and up until his injuries, I think Rio Ferdinand was similar; it was a rare occasion on which you'd see him on the floor, or scrambling for possession, whereas the likes of Carragher, Terry, and even Vidic make big challenges and seem to get more praise for it.

I think England as a nation seem to appreciate the more 'rough and tumble' players who take the game by the scruff of the neck, such as Gerrard, but that perhaps highlights our frailties in the national game. These players are inevitably undone by moments of class, or sustained pressure, as you rightly point out about Barca last season.

And Jamie, I don't normally pick on grammar, but its difficult to read your warped, unfounded criticism if there's no full stops!
Ferguson's kids are all right 4:59pm on 02 Dec 2009 wassup,

do you think that Jack Rodwell could be developed into this player, albeit with more of an attacking emphasis?
I agree that there's not necessarily many developing, but I think the most important thing for the English game would be to teach youngsters how to control a ball from a young age, and not be afraid to run and pass with it.
I think that we should look to be developing players in a similar way to the French and Spanish, by putting kids in a smaller area of play, and encouraging them to look around and actually play the ball, rather than hoof it.
They play on small courts in groups of 4-6, and it's no suprise that this method produces players like Xavi, Iniesta, Fabregas etc. Which English player would you say can play like they can, or even in the style that they play? I'd struggle to name any at the moment.

I'm 21, but I remember playing under-14's football, and it was a case of playing on a rainy, muddy pitch, and letting the defenders hoof the ball to a quick striker, who would normally score 5 or 6 in a game, against a tiny keeper in a massive goal, and against small defenders who couldn't head it, and didn't really know how to play the offside trap yet.

All this did was help the striker, and even then, it was only allowing him to do something he could already do; by the time they reach 17 or 18, even the strikers who were good were up against stronger defenders, and found out they couldn't just 'do a Torres'.
By the time they'd realised this, their vision, hold-up play and passing weren't necessarily developed enough to adapt to these new demands.

While I understand your desire to see more holding midfielders, as we certainly need them in order to facilitate the style of Spanish football that we should be looking to teach the young players. It's just a shame that people still don't really realise that by the time kids are 16 or 17, a lot of them don't have the necessary skills to help England progress from where we are now, which is effectively a quarter-final team.
Ferguson's kids are all right 2:53pm on 02 Dec 2009 Phil,

that's fair enough about Nani. It's just frustrating as a fan to have seen some of the things he can do, such as his long-range shooting, and a few displays of real quality, and then find that he seems to have regressed, even beyond the player he was when he originally arrived at Old Trafford.

I'm not going to alleviate Nani of blame, but I do think that the departure of Carlos Queiroz, Ronaldo, and to an extent, Valter di Salvo, have played a part in Nani and Anderson's short-term development.

The Portugese-speaking core of the team has been uprooted in the last couple of years, and we can only speculate over the ramifications.

Queiroz was credited with almost running the team on a day-by-day basis, and with Ronaldo describing him as a father figure, it's tempting to suggest that when he went, so did a lot of the guidance and instruction that Nani and anderson were receiving.
When Ronaldo went, it's possible that Nani felt more alone, and while Anderson's form is starting to recover from the relative disappointment of last season, I fear that Nani's may never do.
However, when Nani goes on international duty, he normally plays for Queiroz, and looks good; he nabbed a goal a couple of games back, so maybe it is all to do with where he feels comfortable.

That being said, as a professional, his stunted progress is alarming, and he's not young enough to necessarily justify the 'transition between countries' argument any more.
Maybe it'd be best for both United and Nani parted ways. I still believe that, given the right surroundings, he could be a good player, but that looks most likely to happen in Italy or Spain now.
Ferguson's kids are all right 2:07pm on 02 Dec 2009 Jeff Jarnot... Valencia has shown recently that as well as his pace and strength, he knows where the goal is, and where his team-mates are.

If you watched him against Portsmouth, he showed that he can play extremey well in a counter-attacking style, and also has the enrgy and commitment to help out defensively.
For all the talk about him having a poor scoring record and being unable to replicate Ronaldo, he wasn't bought to play as Ronaldo did, effectively as an inside forward who had a free role to do whatever he wanted.
Valencia is more of a traditional winger, and he's got four goals this season, which is already as many as the whole of his last season at Wigan. He's stepping up to the task with each passing game, and I'm pleased with him, but more importantly, Ferguson seems to be as well.

As for Nani, he has bundles of potential, but until he tries to be Nani, rather than Ronaldo mk.II, then he will struggle at Old Trafford.
When he starts playing with his head up and looks for his team-mates, then he might make it.
For now, he's in the same bracket as Park, Obertan, and Tosic, in that they're all competing for spaces on the wings, and it'll be up to one of them to make that spot their own, otherwise Ferguson will look elsewhere.
My money's on one of Park, Tosic and Nani leaving at the end of the season, with another winger being brought in unless one of these players really steps up.

And Phil, I responded earlier to the 'water carrier' comment about Fletcher from earlier on from the DJ fella, and your comments about Makelele are pertinent, considering the way in which Real have defended in recent seasons. As a United fan, I'll gladly stand up for Fletcher, as he's now become our best central midfielder.
Ferguson's kids are all right 11:59am on 02 Dec 2009 FootyDJ,

Fletcher may have been a 'nuisance' player over the past few years, but this season he's developed his technique, passing, heading, and finishiing. He's one of the most improved players in world football, and he's now our first-choice central midfielder.
Do 'water-carriers' grab a brace against Man City, or volley goals such as the one against Everton?
New dad Rooney born to star 2:25pm on 04 Nov 2009 davidgilmourthe3rd,

go away and watch some football. Better yet, play it. Then come back and comment, because from the sounds of it, you don't seem to know which sport we're talking about on this discussion.
New dad Rooney born to star 11:23am on 04 Nov 2009 MrBlueBurns makes an interesting point about positioning; Foster has been caught out numerous times due to his poor positioning for crosses and shots, and while nobody would deny that, like Kuszczak, he has fantastic reflexes, there are big question marks over his ability to get himself in the right positions consistently.
It is the same with every position; in defence, it is not necessarily the defneder that makes last-ditch tackles who is necessarily better, but perhaps the player that gets himself in a position whereby he doesn't need to commit a last-ditch challenge.
Fans used to say that Bobby Moore never got his kit dirty, and while Ferdinand has gone off the boil somewhat this season, for the past 3 seasons (06/07, 07/08, 08/09) he has been a calm, composed force. Compare his style compared to Carragher's, and while Carragher does have some merits, ask any manager who'd they rather have - a seemingly no-nonsense defender who reads the game, or a more haphazard one that can make diving tackles?
It's the same with forwards; van Nistelrooy and Owen make it look easy because they always know where to be. People have criticised Owen's finishing, but he gets himself into 4 or 5 great positions every game. Who else can do that consistently?
When a player positions themselves correctly, it often goes unnoticed because they're doing things properly.
New dad Rooney born to star 10:34am on 04 Nov 2009 davidgilmourthe3rd,

so you're mad because we scored a deflected goal, and scored in the 92nd minute?
When we should have had a cast-iron penalty, and the CSKA players were time-wasting?

Congratulations, you've just won the prize for bitterest-poster-of-the-day!!!
Stuttering start for Benitez 12:37pm on 17 Aug 2009 Although my view as a United fan could be considered as being biased, I thought that Spurs made Liverpool look distinctly average yesterday. Aside from Reina, Gerrard, and Torres, I'd say that the Spurs squad gives Liverpool's a run for it's money. Obviously Liverpool's players can't play much worse than they did yesterday, and they will surely improve, but unless Aquilani slots in almost seamlessly, Benitez will have to work to adapt his system in order to ensure that Torres and Gerrard get the ball to do the damage.
Without Alonso, the basis of the 4-2-3-1 collapses; it needs a combative midfielder (Mascherano), and a supremely creative player that will almost never lose the ball (previously Alonso). With Aquilani, Liverpool may need to be more direct, or, as a previous poster stated, possibly drop Gerrard back into midfield, and play Babel, Benayoun, Kuyt and Torres going forward.

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Eat cheese and be merry