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Archive SPTM/0001/REC/HPOO

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mobbdeeprob

I'm not too excited. If I want to see pumped-up drug fiends running around - I can take a trip to the inner city. A lot cheaper, and the competitors are really in it for the joie de vivre.

How sinister, sounds like my mate who thinks that every athlete that does well, whatever sport it is in has been taking drugs...
I would prefer to use innocent until proven guilty mentality, as it is only a few people that have given the sport a bad reputation.
W.

Reply 2421

mobbdeeprob

wonderboy

...Yes quite. Would you care to name the 27(?) top US athletes currently embroiled in yet another doping scandal? I'm yet to catch up on the full news concerning the Marion Jones affair, but it doesn't exactly paint athletics in glory, does it?

Reply 2422

goldenbarnes

...................Cudicini
Neville* Ferdinand Campbell Queudrue
.......Gerrard...Vieira..Lampard
.....................Reyes
...............Henry....Shearer

* = Neville is pants, but the lack of top class right backs in this league astonishes me.

Reply 2423

wonderboy

mobbdeeprob

Why would I care to name them? :confused:

Doping scandals can be just from simple cough medicine, or as we have seen recently in tennis from the supplied protein drinks and medication.

The olympics is a great sporting event, classed as the biggest in the world, so I get annoyed when people shrug off these athletes hard work and endevour in favour of being critical of the few 'genuine' rotten apples.

W.

Reply 2424

goldenbarnes

Well, if we're doing ever:

................Yashin

....Baresi Beckenbauer Moore

Jairzinho Platini Socrates Cruyff

...............Maradona

..........Puskas........Pele

Reply 2425

ravs

eng have played the 8th best side in the world twice in a matter of 5 months, and theyve played a second string kiwi side

on the other hand india played the champions in their own backyard and drew against them, and beat a side rated 3rd before the series started (pak) in their own backyard

wait until eng play south africa, india and australia, which is due to happen this next season, south africa in the winter away, australia in summer at home and india away the following winter

that will see wat ur made of

Reply 2426

pkonline

Here are my predictions :biggrin:

. My predictions for last year went horribly wrong so these will never happen :biggrin:

:

Premiership - Arsenal
Championship - Leicester City :wink:

League 1 - Bristol City
League 2 - Northampton Town
Champions League - Real Madrid
FA Cup - Chelsea
League Cup - Liverpool

Reply 2427

Zapsta

Premiership - Chelsea
Championship - West Ham
League 1 - Hull
League 2 - with Gazza on board, it's Boston United.
Champions League - Barcelona
FA Cup - Spurs
League Cup - Boro

Reply 2428

mc_watson87

Premiership - Manchester United
Championship - Sheffield United
League 1 - Hull
League 2 - Still thinking at the moment will edit later
Champions League - Barcelona
FA Cup - Manchester United
League Cup - Not Sure, will edit later

Reply 2429

ravs

this boy really is a find for indian cricket!

This guy is sensational. Another economical bowling display of bowling from this guy. Every time this guy came up and bowled there were appeals for LBWs in each of his overs. Luckily for Sri Lankan batsmen they managed to get some inside edges.
Some people say Indias bowling is weak but what do you call a guy who has an bowling average of around 23 and strike rate of around 27 in ODIs at the age of 19?????

I'd call it world-class, well not quite but its getting there.

He was expensive when he first started out in that Australian tour, but since then he has been India's most economical bowler and wicket taker (since that australian tour this year)

On top of that, this guy can bat and has an average of what around 30 in ODIs???

I think its all looking good for this guy and remember at only 19 yrs of age.

Reply 2430

Sahir

ravs

No offence or anything, i think it's great that you really appreciate a great sport.. and it's healthy to admire sportsmen/women, but doesn't it bother you in the slightest that the sport is highly corrupt? I find it difficult to be overly bothered about it, because at the end of the day who wins the matches comes down to politics. Don't get me wrong, i love the sport.. but, yeah, there's my opinion :tongue:

Reply 2431

james101

the premiership is indeed being invaded by foreigners, every year we seem to bring more and more of foreign players from clubs in other countries into english ones etc. how many english players do you see going abroad?

im not happy about it.

Reply 2432

Expression

Not meaning to go off topic or anything here, but thats the 3rd thread on Indian cricket you've posted today, can you try and keep it a bit tighter, rather than posting each and every little thought about the side in indvidual threads.

Reply 2433

MrIceKool

England played the Saffers last summer! and they got a credible drawn series from that even when their bowling attack wasn't half as good as it is now! So India challenged the Aussies, so what there are 8 other teams they have to challenge, and India's record away from Asia is pathetic, until they improve on this they won'r rise. Also the way the ranking works is that you get more points for beating the higher ranked teams and less points for beating the lower ranked teams, as a results England won't even gain any points unless they beat the Windies by a margin of 2 clear tests. Also if you check the points England, S Africa, Pakistan, India, New Zealand are separated by a few points with Englnad just on top which i think is a fair reflection of how the teams are at the moment.

Reply 2434

Xenon

Real madrid are closing in on Viera. That's so unfair! Arsenal need him. Real madrid are saying that Viera's an important player for them. Well, he's not half as important for them as he is for Arsenal.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/a/arsenal/3931181.stm

Reply 2435

mc_watson87

Xenon

It's looking increasingly likely he will join the galacticos next season! :smile:

Reply 2436

hihihihi

i'd lose Roberto Carlos in any kind of dream team- he's a crap free kcik taker too. gotta have Zico somewhere

Reply 2437

85ah11

Zapsta

League 2 - with Gazza on board, it's Boston United.

There are better sides in this division than us mate, but we should be targetting a place in the play-offs.

Reply 2438

mobbdeeprob

Blame the English media, as all the frenzied hype that surrounds the English game means that it is virtually impossible for top clubs to buy the best English talent. £38m+ for Gerrard, is quite frankly a joke. Were it not for the intrusive nature of the UK media system, Beckham would never have been sold for £25m.

English + Youthful + Relatively promising = Ridiculous price tag

The top English clubs also guard their players much too strenously, compared to on the Continent - a Vieri/Seedorf/Davids scenario (top players, seemingly in a never-ending transit between Continental Europe's top clubs, season on season) simply would not happen here.

I reject the assertion that Premiership manager's don't want English players in their team. Mourinho, Ferguson, Wenger et al would all like to invest in English players. Similarly, it is the ambition (declared or undeclared) of most Premiership managers to build their team around a predominantly English fulcrum. Economics simply doesn't allow this. Buying the best English produce comes at a hefty premium, and is often simply not attainable - see Mourinho's latest comments.

As for youth investment, look to the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool and every major club. They spend millions on training facilities and coaches to promote the next generation of football. With the explosion of television revenues, clubs have more income at their disposal than ever to invest in prodigous, English talent. English youth development is at its highest point for years, the next World Cup should witness an all-singing, all-dancing England XI, complete with a host of talented under-25-year-olds.

Regarding Sven taking the top job - he was, and in my opinion still is, one of the best placed managers to take the job. If we exclude Bobby Robson (who is too old), there is a dearth of English managers of world-class competence.

Lastly, the game of football is becoming a lot more globalized - it is a business, like any other. Complaining about an influx of foreign players in the Premiership is pointless - economics demands that it happens. When 'playing an Englishman' means that you have to pay an extra £10m in fees for the privilege (if other clubs are willing to do business), or alternatively, having to play an untried youngster - most managers, reasonably, think "stuff it".

Would people like a quota system to be implemented in English football? To "preserve and promote" English talent and identity? This was tried and has been contracted in cricket i.e. it failed. Foreign players can bring a level of invention, flair and technical competence, not oft seen in English players.

I would sooner see a promising Argentine youngster playing, than a Carlton Palmer.