England v France

[Parmo]

Rooney is a midfielder and never has been an out and out goal scorer, as mentioned before we need a shearer/Doyle type of target man to play with a pacey striker like we did when Heskey played, we play out best as a 4-4-2 with target man, its just a shame we are short of them as Crouch doesnt fit the bill.

 

[toonarmy]

I would rather a chance fall to crouch than Owen. Rooney isn't looking in great nick at the moment either.

I think that Rooney's statistics are flattered by the fact that he is playing in such a strong side. I think in an average side he would not do half as much.

You're right about Rooney. Stacks of talent but little application of it usually. Frustrating.

But as for Crouch over Owen - have you been sniffing the exhausts again Jon?

Lineker, Romario, Muller, Di Stefano - all short with no pace and all deadly international strikers that any team wanted with and feared against. Owen is in that class. For the same reason you say that Rooney would struggle in a weaker team, that is exactly what Owen is doing. 4 in 8 since returning from injury in a team that can't hit a cow's arse with a banjo. Like I said, nothing better in England at the moment.

 

[StuartD]

I think that Rooney's statistics are flattered by the fact that he is playing in such a strong side. I think in an average side he would not do half as much.

Like England

Have to agree with Parmo that a target man with someone to feed off the scraps alongside always works.

Not so sure that J Cole through the middle though. He may be the best available but i think playing at international level in a role you hardly play for your club usually ends up in a poor performance.

Scotland can give you Darren Fletcher. He is popular with the Tartan Army, but he gives the ball away far to easily in my opinion.

Good start for Burley last night. Stood at the dugout in the pouring rain arms WITHOUT a brolly

 

[Parmo]

Like I said, nothing better in England at the moment.

Defoe 6 in 6 and the best shot to target average in the Premiership.

Scotland can give you Darren Fletcher. He is popular with the Tartan Army, but he gives the ball away far to easily in my opinion.

Scott brown or Gordon please

 

[medwayjon]

I rate defoe highly, why oh why did spurs offload him and keep bent?

Toonarmy, I have to disagree about Owen, I think he would struggle in a decent side...... if he could get in a decent side. Nobody wants him, thats why (no disrepect intended) he is at Newcastle as the decent sides don't want him.

Owen went to newcastle for money, plain and simple.

I think that crouch is very underrated, people don't like him becuase he looks awkward. I can't understand why Benitez doesn't fancy him, him and torres would work well together.

 

[toonarmy]

I rate defoe highly, why oh why did spurs offload him and keep bent?

Toonarmy, I have to disagree about Owen, I think he would struggle in a decent side...... if he could get in a decent side. Nobody wants him, thats why (no disrepect intended) he is at Newcastle as the decent sides don't want him.

Owen went to newcastle for money, plain and simple.

I think that crouch is very underrated, people don't like him becuase he looks awkward. I can't understand why Benitez doesn't fancy him, him and torres would work well together.

Don't get me wrong, I like Crouch as an all round player. I also thought Defoe (when he was at the Irons) would go on to be the natural successor to Owen, but he looks like he went all billy-big-balls at Spurs. I still think he could become a top-class striker but he needs regular play.

Owen would score goals in any team, anywhere at any level. And the idea that no side wanted him is just guff. He wanted to play for Liverpool, Benitez wanted a spaniard (for a change) instead, Man U wanted him but didn't want to pay for it and Arsenal also wouldn't pay the rate. We (thanks to Shepherd) were stupid enough to pay the rate.

If you asked any manager in the Prem 'Owen will remain fit for the season, do you want him?', they would all say yes.

 

[theeaglehunter]

I rate defoe highly, why oh why did spurs offload him and keep bent?

I agree entirely, Defoe is a great player and a natural goal scorer. Bent is a poor footballer who uses an occasional blink of pace to get himself into a good posistion before wasting a good opportunity.

I think that crouch is very underrated, people don't like him becuase he looks awkward. I can't understand why Benitez doesn't fancy him, him and torres would work well together.

I agree with this as well, he gets on people nerves because he encourages teams to play long ball football quite often, but he is surprsingly good with the ball into his feet as well. Also he is the only player in the England team last night that actually worried the French, even if it is because of his size, he was a genuine threat and the French new it.

 

[madandra]

The problem for Owen is that he played to many games when his body had not developed. When he was just bursting onto the scene and in the 98 WC I said then he would be plaigued by hamstring injuries and he has spent more time in the last five years on the treatment table than on the field and that is why I think Arsene Wenger is protecting Walcott, so his body will gorw and his muscles will not be damages prematurely.

Owen is using Newcastle as a sponsor for his horse racing and the Toon fans are once again being taken for a ride.

 

[birdieman]

Beckham, a living legend in my eyes. He is a great footballer in my eyes, excellent delivery and the ability still to change a game in a flash. Also, years ago I met him and what a lovely bloke, really nice, his wife however was an arrogant bitch and I was glad to see her leave my shop.

Don't beat around the bush jon Questions -
Did she walk round with that permanent trout-pout in case of a passing Papparazzi?
Did she walk behind David with her head bowed?
Is here nose really upturned like Edward and Tubbs's from the League of gentlemen?
Is a garage selling cars really known as a shop?

Thanks

 

[medwayjon]

BM, this was years ago when I was a concession manager in House of Fraser.

Yes she did trout-pout the whole time, she only suspended the pout to moan and criticise.

No she didn't have her head bowed, she just mooched around, bitching and moaning to her mother.

Yes she does have a funny nose in my eyes, infact she aint all that as far as I am concerned.

As for becks though, what a gentleman, he was polite courteous, and he gave me a £50 tip. Rio ferdinand was the same when I met him in the same place.

 

[MVP]

Back to michael owen, Without a doubt owen is past itif these better teams didnt think the same then they would off put there money on him. Just as well they didnt because 1. has been injured
2. has just been crap when hes fit!

for a striker to play for your country i expect him to be at the top of the goalscorers list in the league they play for!

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/football/premier-league/2007-2008/league-tables/top-goalscorers.html

Look who the first english striker is on that list!!!!

 

[toonarmy]

for a striker to play for your country i expect him to be at the top of the goalscorers list in the league they play for!

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/football/premier-league/2007-2008/league-tables/top-goalscorers.html

Look who the first english striker is on that list!!!!

Great evidence MVP.

Shame it fails to take into consideration the fact that Owen has missed the vast majority of that period due to spanking his knee for England. And playing for a crap team.

The same England who were always so desperate to get him in the side as they know he is the best finisher we have, that they more or less begged the club into letting him turn up despite not being ready.

But you and everyone else can go on and make out he's rubbish in the same way everyone wanted Shearer out of the national team despite him still being the best finisher we had at the time. It's fashionable to knock the main goalscorer.

For what it's worth, I think we should give Owen and Crouch a decent run out up top.

 

[MVP]

put owen back in liverpool! he couldnt replace torres
put owen in Man utd ! He couldnt replace tevez
put owen in spurs! He could never ever replace keane or berbatov
put owen in arsenal.! ....Adebayor
chelsea.........Drogba....


It doesnt mean other england strikers could, it just means owen cant and hes not a fraction of what he was!

 

[John_Findlay]

Anyway,

When ARE you guys gonna beat France on their home pitch...

... or not lose at home to Croatia?

Timescales please, gentlemen.

Sorry, couldn't resist

 

[DCB]

Rumour has it that McFaddens great great grannie was from Grimsby........there's your way out!

At least he was willing to hit and hope!

Too many prima donnas in the current England set up. In my eyes they wouldn't have had a look in to some of the England teams of years gone by.

 

[toonarmy]

put owen back in liverpool! he couldnt replace torres
put owen in Man utd ! He couldnt replace tevez
put owen in spurs! He could never ever replace keane or berbatov
put owen in arsenal.! ....Adebayor
chelsea.........Drogba....


It doesnt mean other england strikers could, it just means owen cant and hes not a fraction of what he was!

No Owen would not replace Torres but he certainly would Kuyt.
Yes Owen would score more goals than Tevez.
Yes Owen could replace Keane.
Yes Owen could...

I could go on, but like buttholes, we've all got opinions.

No Owen is not the player he was in 2003 (when he was not the player he was in 1998). But he is still a bloody good goalscorer and still probably the best English goalscorer we have.

Still, what does it really matter? With Captain Fat in the middle, Stevie Me headless, Rt Hon JT zimmer-framing his way round the pitch and a selection of custard-handed goalkeepers, we could have Van Basten and Muller up top and it would maek no difference!

 

[medwayjon]

Owen could NEVER replace Robbie Keane. "Keano, theres only one Keano, theres only one Keano, theres only one Keano"

Keane is an absolute legend, I think he would be a greater loss to the mighty spurs than Berbatov and that is a big statement to make as a paid up Spurs fan.

As for Dirk Kuyt, my nan could replace him.

 

[theeaglehunter]

I have to disagree about Keane being a greater loss than Berbatov, however I do accept that Berbatov would be less of a player if he wasn't alongside Keane. I think he'd struggle playing alongside many other strikers, even the top names in the world, Keano helps make him the player he is.

 

[TonyN]

Micheal Owen is shat! He really is, he misses chance after chance after chance after chance after chance after chance... then scores a tap in from 4 yards and apparently, he's world class. There is no way he would replace Tevez. Tevez keeps Saha out when they both fit and Saha is a better alround striker now than Owen is.

Owen made his name by scoring that goal against the argies. But he just isnt world class any more. He struggles against medioka(spelling?) Defences at the best of times.

Rooney, Defoe, Crouch and Johnson... Our best hope for the time being. Ben Foster in the Sticks!

 

[toonarmy]

Rooney, Defoe, Crouch and Johnson... Our best hope for the time being...

...of not qualifying for anything again.

21 of Owen's 40 goals are against good/great international teams, including 2 hat-tricks. If you seriously believe he has nothing to offer, it's a good job you (and the other Owen-bashers) enjoy golf.

Only in this depressingly-downhill country would someone of Owen's calibre be dismissed.

And it's mediocre btw