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johnlindie

Listed below are comments made by johnlindie between Thursday, 21st May 2009 and Thursday, 16th July 2009.

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Arsenal will not miss Adebayor 4:21pm on 16 Jul 2009 I don't know who first came up with the phrase, but Adebayor is the epitome of "A scorer or great goals, but not a great goalscorer".

I'd be tempted to put my faith in RVP, Eduardo (a good pre-season should see the niggles disappear), Vela & Bendtner, with Arshavin, Nasri, Walcott, Wilshire and (whisper it) Rosicky supporting from wide or just in behind.

Money would be best spent on a good ball-winning midfielder in the mould of Vieira or Gilberto in their prime, another commanding centre-half, and a good goalie to give Alumnia and Fabianski some decent competition wouldn't go amiss either.

It might be wishful thinking but I don't think we are far off a championship winning squad...
Owen worth Man Utd gamble 10:25am on 03 Jul 2009 As an Arsenal fan, all I can say is B*gger! I wish Wenger had snapped him up.

How is it a risk to pick up a player for no fee whatsoever, and relatively low wages compared to his would be colleagues, and has a proven track record of scoring at the highest level as long as the supply is right (and I think even Ronoldoless it will be right at Man Utd)?

Yes his fitness is questioned but Utd have a good record of looking after and managing players (if you ignore Hargreaves), and he won't be a starter every week which will help maintain the dodgy hamstrings from wear and tear. I reckon Man Utd have found themselves the ideal guy to finish off lower PL clubs that they often overcomplicate against, and a fantastic option to pull off the bench in big tight games.

As I said at the top...b*gger!
What do you think of the fixtures list? 2:08pm on 17 Jun 2009 Like my fellow Gooners above, my gaze was instantly drawn to the run of 4 games in Jan/Feb against Villa, Man Utd, Chelsea and Liverpool. Daunting to say the least but I'm actually happy about this. It shouldn't collide greatly with any Champions League games, and the only possible collision would be the FA Cup, which I'm happy to give the youngsters a run out in if we can come through this period with 7-9 points, particularly given our run-in which is as close to a gimmie as we'll ever get!
What do you think of the fixtures list? 2:06pm on 17 Jun 2009 Like my fellow Gooners above, my gaze was instantly drawn to the run of 4 games in Jan/Feb against Villa, Man Utd, Chelsea and Liverpool. Daunting to say the least but I'm actually happy about this. It shouldn't collide greatly with any Champions League games, and the only possible collision would be the FA Cup, which I'm happy to give the youngsters a run out if we can come through this perios with 7-9 points, particulaly given our run-in which is as close to a gimmie as we'll get!
Why Ronaldo is leaving Manchester for Madrid 08:59am on 12 Jun 2009
I don't know what I'm more shocked at. The £80m fee or the 2nd good blog in a row from Mr Bose. Keep up the good work!

As a non Man Utd fan I can only say this is a stonking deal. £80m for a moaning diving egomaniac, and you get to spend the lot on new players - Tevez, Benzema, a decent attacking midfielder? That has to be the biggest no-brainer in football history!
Success of Sky was never a model for Setanta 11:55am on 10 Jun 2009 Good article Mr Bose. I'm quick to criticise when your articles merely state the obvious, but you offered genuine insight to the story.

Sad to see Setanta's demise, as at least they offered an option other than Sky, but the flip side of this was an extra £10 a month on top of the sky subscription, and as the other posters have commented, bottom of the barrel EPL games, 2nd rate boxers, US golf tournaments with red-neck golfers, and a 6-week twenty20 tourney wasn't enough to justify it for the majority of folk.

The only thing that kept me interested (and what I thought would save the day for Setanta) was the SPL deal i.e. Old Firm coverage. i thought the sheer number of Rangers and Celtic fans in the UK would boost the average but the ease of watching games in pubs and the quality on offer from the Old Firm probably dented this theory.
Back in the Real world 3:01pm on 04 Jun 2009
Not extactly on the point of this blog but I don't think Real will be the Caviller team we remember from Perez stint during 2000-06 if Pellegrini's set-up at Villareal is anything to go by. They will be a fantastic passing side who are hard to a) get past and b) get the ball from with kaka taking up the role once held by Riquelme.

I'm not sure Diarra is quite the same class as Senna so we might see him or someone of his pedigree (but a bit younger) turn up to play alongside with Huntelaar/raul/Van Nistelrooy fighting it it out for that one spot up front with two wide men & Kaka furnishing the bullets for them to fire.

I'd get my money on Real doing a damn sight better in the Champs Lge this year...
Goal reached over political football 11:49pm on 31 May 2009
I honestly don't know where to begin with this article? Your opening comment "a very British clash of fear versus ambition." What extactly does this mean.

Why is it so impotant that GB have a team in the 2012 games, other than the fact that it might be a bit strange that the home country doesn't have a participant? It is an under 21 tournament that NO-ONE cares about. Even the most ardant fan would struggle to tell you the last 5 winners.

And to say the Scottish, Welsh and Irish decision not to take part lacks ambition is the definition of stupidity in my view Mr Bose. Ambition to win a tournament that ranks somewher above the Johnstone Paint Trophy?

Also, it doesn't matter what Sepp Blatter says now, it's what the future FIFA president says! They could forever beat us with this stick when coming under pressure from other nations for spaces at major tournaments etc. espicially if that joke and ALLEGED criminal Jack warner gets in.

So for the reasons above, why would we jepordise our status for a meaningless trophy? If "down South" requires its normal two weeks of frantic flag waving to make themselves feel proud of being British, then fire in. Just don't accuse us of being party poopers when we are the only ones being sensible and reasoned over what we are actually talking about...
Brilliant Barcelona outclass Man Utd 12:23pm on 28 May 2009
As a "neutral" living abroad (in Scotland), I think there has to be an acceptance that Utd haven't suddenly become a bad team overnight as the largely English media would have us believe. They just had the bad luck to run up against what we will maybe look back on in years to come as THE team of this generation.

In saying that, I do believe a Hargreaves and/or Fletcher on the pitch would have seen a massive difference in the flow of the match, but hopefully not the result. I don't say that with malice as an Arsenal fan, simply that it was a joy to watch Xavi and Iniesta in full flow. THAT is how football should be played. Hargreaves and Fletcher would have been simply destructive (but possibly extremely effective) against this pairing.

Can I also throw my own tuppence into the arguement of best player in the world. I suppose it depends on how you define this player, is it goals scored, assists, a bit of everything? Well if it's the last category, then Xavi and Iniesta both fall into this category and a bit more.

Rarely have I seen two players with better vision for a pass than these two guys, and who are happy to play second fiddle to the "stars" of the team in Messi, Henry and Eto. There is no doubting the quality of Barca's front 3, but there is also no doubting the quality of Man Utd's front 3 despite what some are saying this morning. They only thrive on service though and these two guys are the best in the world right now.

What odds Spain winning the World Cup next year with Torres and Villa continuing to finish the chances created by these two?
Europa League has its merits 10:25am on 21 May 2009
The Champions League is like the popular kids party when we were back at school or uni. The "Dweebs" (for the purposes of this point will be Werder Bremen, Rangers, Shaktar, Everton etc.) might occassionally get an invite, but then find out that they are really there to be the whipping boys and entertainment for the "Cool kids" (Man Utd, Barca, Bayern, Inter), who ritually humiliate the dweebs before they get down to the serious business of scoring with the hot chicks (I may have gone too far with this analogy).

The lesser teams will then take solace in their own party (i.e. the Europa League), and you know what, that's cool. Everyone finds their level and enjoys themselves in their own way. The only ones complaining are likes of Tottenham, Villa and Valencia who haven't quite realised that they are "dweebs" and viewed as such by everyone else, but are still desperate to be one of the cool kids.

Of course we all like the Champions League, not to enjoy the players on display would be churlish to say the least, and if you hate it because your team is being left behind then you are hiding behind yet another delusion like the one above. The teams who dominate the Champions League do so because they are the biggest teams in their respective league. They will always get the best players irrespective of the Champions League. All the CL has done is raise the stakes in terms of the wages being paid. Look at Milan, they haven't made the Champs Lge this year (or Juve previously who were relegated). They just spend a ridiculous amount of money and get themselves back into it.

Of course it isn't fair that these minority of teams get the majority of money, but why should football be any different from normal society? You can romanticise all you like about some utopian football paradise where all clubs are equal but it will never happen.

We don't choose our teams because they are the richest in the world. Most of the time they are chosen for us before we have graduated out of short pants, and for that reason I'm happy to just sit back and enjoy the quality of football on offer regardless of who is serving it up.

So, to get to the point [believe it or not there is one], I think the Europa League is a decent attempt as creating a platform for these teams who will never dominate (or qualify for) the Champs Lge, to attain some success and spread the money a little more evenly. I'd rather see my team do well in the Europa League and get to the quarters / semis (or god forbid even win it!) than see qualification for the groups stages or last 16 as success on it's own because of the financial rewards.

That way we're just falling for the rich kids hype. Sure, we all want to have their clothes and hang out in the cool bars, but really aren't we better just enjoying ourselves in our own skin? The Europa league gives us our own party to enjoy, and we can always still peer through the window of the cool kids party...

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