Liverpool 0-0 Fulham
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N'Gog has scored one more premier league goal than Sturridge in three fewer appearances. Sturridge hasn't scored in the league at all this season despite twelve appearances, N'Gog has scored 4 goals in 16 appearances.
Both are very talented young players and I've no doubt both will have decent careers. My money is on N'Gog being a better all round player (shades of the Henry about him) but anyone who's daft enough to say that either player is clearly miles better than the other at the moment needs to lay off the glue.
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edit: Themadsheep - spot on. I think an average of a goal every four games for N'Gog is a very encouraging sign for the lad this past season. He's getting into the right places at the moment but lacks that clinical finish and sometimes he seems in awe of his big name team mates and passes when he should shoot. He'll improve.
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I was talking about shearer and owen
That's why I chose Shearer as a comparison mate, could have done the same with Henry - some types of player mature at a slower pace than others. N'Gog is one of those types of players - he's not an Owen or a Rooney (and you don't usually pick them up for 1.5 million at that age - 30 million would be nearer to the mark) but more like an Henry or an Anelka. N'Gog (like Sturridge) is a promising talent, and 1.5 million was a bargain for him. He's not Torres, I doubt he'll ever be to be honest, but if he can become a good, useful squad player or better then that's fine by me.
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That's spot on Zebedee but is it worth the wasted chances in such important games at the moment for the club? I mean, I am not saying N'gog is doing anything wrong. Although I often rip into him out of frustration, he misses a lot of chances that someone more experienced, e.g. Kuyt would more likely put away.
What other options have we got at the moment Ben?
Kuyt was only going to play for 30 minutes today (which is always a sign that tiredness is creeping into the team - that bloke's engine is first class). The sports scientists reckon that injuries are much more likely if players are tired, so do you risk Kuyt getting injured by playing him from the start? Rafa obviously decided not to - presumably because we do still have a chance of some silverware this season.
Our owners took at least 20 million quid out of the transfer kitty this season to pay off their debt so we had to pick up a couple of players just to maintain last season's squad depth by trading future transfer income for immediate purchases (Johnson with the Crouch money from Portsmouth, Aquilani with the Riise money from Roma) and grabbing Soto on the cheap to give us a fourth choice centreback. So a new striker of the level required was out of the question - heck, we couldn't even afford to take Jones out on a loan this January because the money raised by player sales then vanished too (and we did ask about that - just couldn't afford the fee Sunderland wanted and his wages).
Nemeth is talent but his career has stalled badly because of his injuries and that's about as deep as our squad currently is for players ready for the first team.
So we've got a 21 year old lad up front who's putting goals in at a rate of one every four or five games. It's not good but that said the Mancs with their vaunted squad depth couldn't score in the absence of Rooney and despite having a 30 million quid striker on the pitch.
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Nemeth has reportedly agreed with the AEK management that he wants to move their permanently in the summer, cant remember where i read it, and fair enough, i didnt know you were talking about development, i thought you were implying owen was more clinical than shearer
Yeah, I read it again and maybe the tongue in cheek humour about Shearer's career didn't come across as clearly as I'd hoped. Obviously from the very slow start to it as a youngster at Southampton, he produced several seasons of consistent and quality finishing to have scored as many as he did. Another interesting one (from before the Premier League) is Ian Rush's career - he'd been at the club for a year and was nearly 20 before he scored his first goal for us. He went into Paisley's office at the end of the first season with us and demanded a transfer, Paisley told him that he could have one but he'd like to see Rush try and be a bit more selfish in front of goal before letting him go. Rush went out in a tantrum and then started to put them away for fun.
Hopefully something like that will happen with Nemeth
Although, if true about him wanting to leave Liverpool, it would be sad to see such a talent go without him featuring for our first team. But at 21 I can understand him wanting to get regular first team football and wanting to move to get it.
Hopefully something like that will happen with Nemeth
Although, if true about him wanting to leave Liverpool, it would be sad to see such a talent go without him featuring for our first team. But at 21 I can understand him wanting to get regular first team football and wanting to move to get it.The possibility of giving Babel a go up front, starting Benayoun and giving N'gog 25 minutes at the end but yeah you have a good point we really don't have many if any options. Suppose we're just gonna have to hope for the Europa League and see what the end of the season brings for us. By the way Zebedee am not too clued up on this, does winning the Europa League take you into the Champions League?
Winning the Europa League means that you qualify for the Europa League the next season. Mind you, 5th, 6th and 7th will qualify for the Europa League regardless (Portsmouth aren't allowed to compete in Europe because of their finances so their FA Cup slot - because Chelsea will qualify for CL - will go to the league) so that rule would only really benefit Fulham, or us if we finish 8th.
Babel wants to play up front on his own, but he's totally useless at holding the ball up, so unless we're playing on the counter, then it's a waste of time playing him there - if we're lumping it long and don't expect anyone to get up to support him, it doesn't really matter that his first and only instinct is to hit from 30 yards out. |) Wish it were otherwise, but got to say that I don't think that's ever going to change. He's barely capable of playing at left wing at the moment.
I'm frankly disgusted at the amount of abuse certain players cop from "supporters". Lucas, Insua, N'Gog and Kuyt all come to mind. Every single one of those players give 100% on the pitch (Kuyt gives 110%) and the three young ones have even admitted that they have a long way to go and are continually learning and striving to improve. Some supporters just aren't aware of out financial situation and how dire it really is. We will be in a worse financial position than Man U in a few seasons if we don't sort it out soon.
As much as I dislike Man U and their plethora of part-time, ****-riding, bandwagon-hopping glory hunting "fans", it would be a sad day to see a club go under because of financial mismanagement. Man U can thank their lucky stars they have a very talented manager in charge in Fergie. I also seem to remember the days when Fergie was a mediocre manager and no doubt fans back then would have called for his blood, but it didn't happen and now look at Man U. Doing very well for themselves, the most successful English club of the past 20 years. When Rafa exceeds all expectations every season and one season doesn't live up to them, you call for his blood? If it's instant gratification you seek, Real Madrid is the club for you.
Rafa has made our world class superstars stick by him for many years to come despite a poor showing this season (running the club at a profit for 3 years will inevitably lead to this happening sooner or later) and has admitted the one season he could have afforded the least mistakes, he made his biggest. Torres, Masch, Reina could all be at pretty much any club in the world but they obviously see something that our alleged supporters don't.
Get behind your team, give them your full support and try to understand the situation they're in.
Also Ben, no winning Europa doesn't guarantee us a CL spot
As much as I dislike Man U and their plethora of part-time, ****-riding, bandwagon-hopping glory hunting "fans", it would be a sad day to see a club go under because of financial mismanagement. Man U can thank their lucky stars they have a very talented manager in charge in Fergie. I also seem to remember the days when Fergie was a mediocre manager and no doubt fans back then would have called for his blood, but it didn't happen and now look at Man U. Doing very well for themselves, the most successful English club of the past 20 years. When Rafa exceeds all expectations every season and one season doesn't live up to them, you call for his blood? If it's instant gratification you seek, Real Madrid is the club for you.
Rafa has made our world class superstars stick by him for many years to come despite a poor showing this season (running the club at a profit for 3 years will inevitably lead to this happening sooner or later) and has admitted the one season he could have afforded the least mistakes, he made his biggest. Torres, Masch, Reina could all be at pretty much any club in the world but they obviously see something that our alleged supporters don't.
Get behind your team, give them your full support and try to understand the situation they're in.
Also Ben, no winning Europa doesn't guarantee us a CL spot
them stats are hiding the truth thought, arent they really.
Shearer was leading the line and playing with players inferior to him. he was a one man team, as they say.
Whilst Owen was playing for a top side in england, with players who would put him in. who would be ahead of him in terms of qualty.
Rooney wasnt to profolic in his first season. whilst Darren Bent was for Charlton in the same season. Did Bent show more promise then Rooney. No he didnt.
Anyway i am off out
Not really, Shearer wasn't the top-class striker he became until he filled out. Southampton were a top flight team when Shearer was there. And I guess when you then make the comparison back to say Sturridge, he's actually not scored in a far better team than the Manchester City one he played for. [edit: in the league that is, he's scored against lower division opposition in cup competetions]
Owen was an amazing talent from a young age and it was obvious to all that his raw pace would cause problems to any team. But then that's what his game was all about.
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your last line line about owen is why im so sceptical about walcott, so far there i feel there isnt enough to the rest of his game,
Well you think you/someone else could do better. Win the league? We have as much chance as Birmingham, maybe even less next season. The support from fans like you and our **** owners is appaling. We don't get the money from sales and we have to sell every summer to buy.
The 20 year old was Sturridge and the two £30m ones were Drogba and Anelka (obviously).
*Like*I'm frankly disgusted at the amount of abuse certain players cop from "supporters". Lucas, Insua, N'Gog and Kuyt all come to mind. Every single one of those players give 100% on the pitch (Kuyt gives 110%) and the three young ones have even admitted that they have a long way to go and are continually learning and striving to improve. Some supporters just aren't aware of out financial situation and how dire it really is. We will be in a worse financial position than Man U in a few seasons if we don't sort it out soon.
As much as I dislike Man U and their plethora of part-time, ****-riding, bandwagon-hopping glory hunting "fans", it would be a sad day to see a club go under because of financial mismanagement. Man U can thank their lucky stars they have a very talented manager in charge in Fergie. I also seem to remember the days when Fergie was a mediocre manager and no doubt fans back then would have called for his blood, but it didn't happen and now look at Man U. Doing very well for themselves, the most successful English club of the past 20 years. When Rafa exceeds all expectations every season and one season doesn't live up to them, you call for his blood? If it's instant gratification you seek, Real Madrid is the club for you.
Rafa has made our world class superstars stick by him for many years to come despite a poor showing this season (running the club at a profit for 3 years will inevitably lead to this happening sooner or later) and has admitted the one season he could have afforded the least mistakes, he made his biggest. Torres, Masch, Reina could all be at pretty much any club in the world but they obviously see something that our alleged supporters don't.
Get behind your team, give them your full support and try to understand the situation they're in.
Also Ben, no winning Europa doesn't guarantee us a CL spot
You can't compare Rooney with Bent, Bent is completely different (well, maybe not completely) as he is a Poacher whereas Rooney is really a Target Man because of his strength and quite good heading. This is when he is lone striker, he doesn't need support but Bent is not made to play as a lone striker, he needs a target man like Jones to shine. Also, Bent is 2 years older than Rooney, it's like comparing Pachedo to N'Gog, you shouldn't really do that.
I think Rafa has been doing Brilliantly, yes brilliantly in the given circumstances. I know United are in bigger debt but they actually give their manager money to spend and have better depth and quality than us. I am also shocked with the abuse we give to our players and manager, Gerrard is not awful, he's just not exceptional any more. Are you saying that Henry was absolute awful when he moved to Barca, just because he wasn't as good as he was at Arsenal? No. And some of you call yourself Liverpool fans....................
(Not directed at Ben, Zebedee, Lee, Aannddyy and Coach Carter)
Some of the criticisms Chris Waddle has made of him go along the same lines - essentially that he hasn't shown the level of development in understanding the game that you'd hope to see in genuine world class talent and that could be because he's over-reliant on his pace. You actually see it in his performances too - he'll have a dog awful first half and then he'll get detailed instructions to do something different at half time and then have a good ten minutes until the opposition adjusts again. Got to be honest and say that I think a similar thing holds true with Babel - he has pace, sublime technical ability but that little bit of game understanding isn't present. He's improved since January though, so maybe there's hope.
There's some amusing interviews with Owen where he goes on about managers trying to change his game but there's no need for him to do that because he's got so much pace. Said it all for me that Shearer didn't play him in a Newcastle team that was desperate for goals to stay up.