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Jimmyhoov

Listed below are comments made by Jimmyhoov between Friday, 7th August 2009 and Wednesday, 2nd December 2009.

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Ferguson's kids are all right 3:09pm on 02 Dec 2009 37. At 10:07am on 02 Dec 2009, PrincePaolo wrote:

Phil, should SAF be a tad concerned that his current team and his crop of new hopefuls seem to be lacking in leaders? The Da Silvas, Brown, O'Shea, Gibson, Fletcher, Carrick, Obertan, Berbatov, Foster, Park, I could go on.

It seems to me that despite the wonderous talents of some of the young foreigners who arrive on our shores, they sometimes (understandably) lack the integration and leadership skills of their native colleagues.

Anyone else have any thoughts on this?

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Yep, I do!

United haven't had a truly inspirational leader since Keane left and, perhaps, the same could be said for Arsenal and Vieira/Adams. Looking at the current Manchester United squad, I would only pick out the following players as leaders, albeit to a point:

Neville, Vidic, Ferdinand & Rooney. Giggsy is a leader in example only - the ultimate one-club pro, you could say. Fletcher, as he gains more confidence at club & international level, might also have captaincy potential.

Regarding the youngsters, though, you're probably right. However, I can see Jonny Evans being a United & NI captain of the future. He's got wonderful composure and has an air of authority about him & his game, too. Only time will tell, I guess...

If I'm not mistaken, I think both Rafael & Fabio have captained Brazil at youth level - so perhaps one or both could be more influential as their careers progress.

As for all the posters criticising United's young players & their perceived lack of potential, don't forget we have some serious prospects coming up behind them in our youth teams. The likes of Cleverley, Amos, Petrucci, Ljajic, Morrison, McGinty, Pogba & Fornasier all look like the 'real deal'. Again, only time & fate will tell how far they actually progress...

I also agree that Arsenal & United have, by far, the best youth/academy set-ups in the land and the most consistently productive ones at that. A gracious nod should also go out to West Ham. In the lower tiers, the likes of Middlesbrough, Southampton, Charlton, Leeds and Derby can also be proud of their youth work (if I've missed any others out, I apologise!)
My trip to Wayne's world 11:53pm on 26 Nov 2009 Loving the Paul Parker panning comment, Dan - what a sight that must've been for the viewers!

Reminds me of working in Newmarket and the comedy moments I shared with some of the Irish stable lads who live & work there... All 5ft-nothing of them. "Be-jeesus, wouldya look at the soiz of dat big man dere! Hey, big fella, can oi take a picture with yas?"

Classic stuff.
My trip to Wayne's world 4:47pm on 26 Nov 2009 My last post was removed for being potentially libellous :(

In this age of American-led 'sue this/sue that', I can't blame the Beeb to be honest. Therefore, I'll just post the watered-down version and hope it's allowed:

A friend at work used to be a PR lass at a Midlands club. When talking about who she's met in the football world, it was interesting to hear her comments. For example, Fergie is meant to be very approachable, funny and he loves his banter, whereas Wenger is a bit more reserved although incredibly knowledgeable about the game.

I met Glenn Roeder, Marcel Desailly and Matt Holland during my chauffeuring days - all of whom came across as top lads (and Desailly's lass at the time was absolutely stunning!) My boss back then used to drive Thierry Henry, Ian Wright and a few other London-based players about - most of whom were decent lads. In addition, Arjan de Zeeuw was a proper gent, he said.

Way back when, I also bumped into the Manchester United squad at one of their Charity Race Days at Haydock Park. The guys who came across as instantly likeable were: Solskjær, Giggs, Scholes, Irwin and Phil Neville.

My most memorable experience with a top footballer, however, would have to be when I met Tony Adams. This was back in the mid-nineties, when he was Arsenal's towering captain. I had a cool chat with Tony and one of the things we talked about was Cantona's sending-off against Arsenal a few weeks before. Tony remonstrated with the ref at the time, telling him Eric tried his best to avoid him. Top gesture from a top man.
My trip to Wayne's world 11:18am on 26 Nov 2009 Great blog, Dan and I must also congratulate you on your Football Focus skills - you're one of the best 'sofa hosts' in quite some time.

Interesting point on Rooney's interview nervousness. I've watched several over the years where he's been the sole focus of attention - including on the in-house MUTV channel - and he often appears fidgety and uncomfortable. However, the other day I watched a Dirty Sanchez-meets-Rooney clip on YouTube for the first time. It was just him wellying a football at the three Welsh Wonders + one Mad Englishman, with the occasional little chat.

He looked far, far more comfortable in front of the camera acting like a kid, which, I think, he still is deep-down (from a personality sense). Long may this continue, as the sight of Rooney haring round the pitch, arguing with refs and trying stuff usually reserved for the playground is fine with me as a United & Rooney fan (my favourite player since Keano).

As for your choice of snacks, fair dos; they sound lush. For future long journeys, might I also recommend Maynard's classic Wine Gums and Hob-Nobs flapjacks (plain or milk choc-coated) - mmmmmmmmm, delicious.

I remember taking a Virgin train to Manchester a few years back, when my Grandpa died bless him, and my mum & I were heading back to our homeland to look after her mum/my nan. There was the usual jostling for seat position, but I also bumped into Paul Parker, our right-back at the time. Me being me, I tried to strike-up a convo with the lad. You should've seen his face - he looked scared out of his wits, bless him! Whether that was down to his shyness or my 6'7" height, I'll never know...

As for (#18) James' comment; the 'Phonics are great, but nowhere near the best band live (although it's subjective, of course). Oasis, U2, The Charlatans, Prodigy, Verve & Kings of Leon are all a class apart when playing live, fair dos.

Keep up the great work, Dan!
Benitez under spotlight after Champions League exit 2:35pm on 25 Nov 2009 Whilst seeing Liverpool exit the Champions League at the group stage should be a good thing for a Manchester United fan, part of me would love to have drawn them in the latter stages. Oh well, hopefully next year.

After reading through a variety of the posted comments, it got me thinking about how many truly top-class players the infamous 'big four' actually possess. Using the Beeb's wee Squad Selector gadget, and my own mix of the objective & subjective, I've come up with the following answer:

Arsenal = 5
Chelsea = 7
Liverpool = 5
Manchester United = 7

Oh OK, I'll name them (if only to prevent people having a pop):

Arsenal = Clichy, Gallas, Fabregas, Arshavin, van Persie
Chelsea = Cech, Terry, Carvalho, A Cole, Essien, Lampard, Drogba
Liverpool = Reina, Carragher, Mascherano, Gerrard, Torres
Man Utd = Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Hargreaves, Fletcher, Giggs, Rooney

No doubt people will think the likes of Walcott, Rosicky, Nasri, Sagna & Eduardo at Arsenal; Bosingwa, Mikel, Ballack, Deco, Anelka, Zhirkov, J Cole & Malouda at Chelsea; Johnson, Agger, Aquilani, Benayoun, Kuyt & Riera at Liverpool and van der Sar, Carrick, Scholes, Owen and Berbatov at United are also 'class'. But hey, that's football fans & their opinions for you.

So, based on the assumptions shown above, Liverpool's loss of 2-out-of-5 of their top players would surely have a greater detrimental effect than, say, Chelsea or United losing Lampard & Drogba or Fletcher & Rooney.

The squad depth of Liverpool has been questioned on countless occasions this season and rightly so. Until Benitez can call on the Owens, Mikels, Eduardos, Scholes' & Ballacks of this world, then I can see their current struggles continuing.

I agree with those who've already said the only hope is for a Middle East owner to buy the club; wiping the debt and then purchasing some top-class additions to the squad in the process. Would they be wise to keep Rafa at the helm, though? His European record - with the exception of 09/10 - speaks for itself and he pushed us mightily close last season in the League. So... he deserves more time, I reckon.

If Liverpool use this knock-back to rebuild & rebuild successfully, then a lot of today's critics will be silent in a few years time. My cousin and several mates, bless them, will hope this is the case...
Premier League & England Q&A 10:02pm on 24 Sep 2009 Great answers to most questions, Phil.

Most top teams around the world would suffer if they lost their key players, though perhaps Barcelona might fare better than most. If they lost Messi, Xavi, Touré AND Iniesta at the same time, then maybe they'd be in trouble. Ibrahimovic & Henry are good, but not that good.

God help my beloved Red Devils if Rooney gets a mid-to-long term injury, although, based on our youngsters' Reserve & League Cup performances, we will still be OK against the Prem's lesser lights (no offence intended).

Chelsea have a very good playing squad, with two Premier League-standard XIs to pick from. Even with African Nations commitments (and the odd injury to key players), they seem, sadly, the most well-equipped to win the League. In terms of their commitment to win the League, I guess a lot depends on how desperate Abramovich is to win the European Cup...

The mighty(young) Gooners are still my dark horses for the 09-10 season. Wenger's attacking principles, combined with some outstanding forward players, will make for interesting results and viewing, methinks.

My beloved Scousers (sarcasm, moi?) will also be up there, challenging for all the major trophies. I agree with your point about Mascherano, Phil - when he switches back into Liverpool mode, the side will benefit greatly. I know little about Aquilani, but he's a top player on my Football Manager game, which is, to a great extent, based on real supporters' opinions & ratings [of players]. So, if he settles and starts dictating the play (a la Alonso, who was superb last season), then the Reds will be in safe hands.

My tip for the placings directly below the behemoth four, would have to be Man City, Everton, Spurs & The Villa - no surprises there. Fulham lack the defensive resilience (Hangeland dreaming of The Emirates, perhaps?) and confidence of last season & West Ham have yet to click into gear (much to my Essex mates' despair). I really can't see anyone else performing consistently enough to get into the top half. But hey, this is football, after all, so you never know...

Stoke for Europe?!

As for relegation... Portsmouth, Hull & Birmingham are my tips. Wolves, though, will cut it fine.

Last, but not least... Mr Rooney. My favourite player since Keane retired and easily the best English talent since Gazza. On his day, he's simply unplayable and there are only 10-or-so players in the world who can meet those kind of standards.

Football - god bless its soul!
Carl Baker and Stockport - an example to us all 8:50pm on 14 Sep 2009 Wonderful blog - thanks for bringing this moving story to our attention, Paul!

Years ago, as a youngun, I used to watch all manner of football (both live & televised). Sadly, the only matches I watch now are those featuring my team (Manchester United) or my country (England). Now & again I'll watch an FA Cup game featuring a lower league club, hoping for an upset, and of course any summer tourney that might be on (across all age levels).

The main reason for my increasing disinterest, I reckon, is the over-hyping of the modern game and the antics of those paid to play it (& sometimes manage it, too). For an example close to home: as much as I loved Ronaldo for his skill and determination, his unsportsmanlike behaviour used to really get my goat. There are a stack of others in the top leagues of the world who suffer from the same disease, annoyingly.

However, an honest pro, late to the game, has just shown them the way forward. Karl Baker's brave appearance and subsequent man-of-the-match performance made for such wonderful reading. Bless you, Karl and bless Michael's memory & your bereaved family (thinking of your younger bro, too).

Here's also wishing Stockport County, near neighbours of my club, a safe future and one that allows them to continue their great work in the community & beyond.

Peace
Comments 8:04pm on 08 Sep 2009 The man is a legend - saw him live for the first time at the Empire in Shepherds Bush and will be doing so again in Swansea, October time.

Keep up the greatness, Newton!
Transfer deadline day Q&A 6:15pm on 02 Sep 2009 oncearedalways54 wrote:

"Under the Glaziers ownership Man Utd has won 3 PL titles on the trot - please tell under whose ownership have they ever done that before?"

Erm, how about 98/99, 99/00 & 00/01? We were by far the dominant Premier League team during the latter of those three title-winning seasons. However, things such as winning in football seem to be cyclical and I agree that this probably won't be Manchester United's year.

Having said that, Sir Alex does have a very capable and constantly-improving squad at his disposal. It's obvious to most United fans (and neutral observers) that a replacement for Scholes is desperately needed. Anderson has most of the attributes, but has always had an air of 'chillax' about him - something not really suited to central midfield in the Premier League (Spain/Italy, perhaps, but not here).

We are more than capable of challenging for the British cup comps and, perhaps, the League title. However, the Champs League is out of our reach until world-class creativity is added to the squad. Watch out for Macheda again this season, though (providing he isn't loaned to Accrington Stanley, of course)...

Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham and Man City will be the other clubs challenging for the top echelons of the League. Villa... I just can't see it and the same goes for the Toffees. But hey, it's purely down to personal opinion and us Brits all think we're managers anyway.

Boring transfer window in comparison to others, but most PL managers will be happy with their lot.
Weekly Bonus Question 10:45am on 07 Aug 2009 Jeremy Clarkson: "So... What, after putting the new Lada Diabolique through its paces on the track and off, do you think our verdict is?"

Very predictable, sorry

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