May 24, 201115 yr You can't judge a league only on the number of plausible contenders, but it's certainly the first criteria on the list. Both La Liga and SPL are two-horse races, so they're tied in this criteria. The difference is that the "two horses" in La Liga are two amazing teams, while in SPL they are two crappy teams. You just can't compare SPL to La Liga, but that doesn't mean La Liga is great. La Liga is boring; overall, its quality is low, with two amazing teams, a few good teams and the rest being a pile of shit. Are you actually kidding?! Apart from the fact that La Liga houses the majority of the Spain euro and world cup winning squad as well as housing the two top ranked footballers in the world but it's a poor league. Please! A side that finished 12th in La Liga would beat the side that finishes 12th in the English Premier League.
May 24, 201115 yr La Liga houses the majority of the Spain euro Euro Cup is an absolutely worthless competition. So is Copa América. The ONLY competition for national teams that matters is the World Cup. and world cup winning squad With only one starting player that doesn't play at either Real Madrid or Barcelona. [sarcasm]What a league full of great players![/sarcasm] as well as housing the two top ranked footballers in the world but it's a poor league. PLEASE, tell me you're talking about Messi and Xavi. If you're talking about them, like I've been saying, they play for Barça: two amazing teams, a few good teams and dozens of crappy teams. A side that finished 12th in La Liga would beat the side that finishes 12th in the English Premier League. I can't imagine Racing Santander beating Newcastle. I just can't.
May 24, 201115 yr I prefer Crouch as a striker over Darren Bent. Any day of the week. Bent is a consistent goalscorer but unlike Crouch he hasn't proven himself in an England shirt and I have no confidence that he will ever do so. Well Bent has only been capped seven times so far, and has scored in his last three matches. Not only does he have a good instinct for goal, he also has great pace, something Crouch will never have. Like I said, he's not a good player. But yeah, he's a handy asset in some situations. So's a stepladder.:P Also, in terms of "aerial threat" and height, I'd much rather see Andy Carroll in the side than Crouch any day, as he's much more robust and powerful. Plus he's far more potent in front of goal.
May 24, 201115 yr i cannot believe we are even debating the quality of Ronaldo as a footballer. i'm not even going to bother entering this debate because the numbers speak for themselves. but i will say this. Ronaldo is one of the most complete footballers the world has ever seen. (yes i know i'm biased) re Crouch. he is a hard worker so i admire him for that. and it's always a surprise to see someone play well for england and i agree with everything said about hargreaves.
May 24, 201115 yr I can't imagine Racing Santander beating Newcastle. I just can't. I reckon in terms of "quality" teams, you can probably go down as far as Everton in seventh in the EPL. The rest are all much of a muchness, as proven by how tight it was in the lower half of the table this season.;)
May 24, 201115 yr the numbers speak for themselves. Yeah, they sure do: a lot of goals, most of them against crappy teams. Ronaldo is one of the most complete footballers the world has ever seen. (yes i know i'm biased) I already said that CR doesn't come close to Messi, I don't need to say anything about Pelé, Maradona, Cruyff and alikes. Trying to, even remotely, comparing CR to these names I've said is a crime against fooball. I'm sorry if that offends some of you, but I just don't see Ronaldo being as good as you guys think he is. And trust me, I wish I did, 'cause life is harder when you're the minority.
May 24, 201115 yr I think it would be intresting if 2 teams from the top leauges went to play in another countries leauge for a season. For example you could have Barca and Madrid play in the EPL for a season, and say you could have Man Utd and Chelsea for example play in the La liga and visa versa with the italian leauge. Personally I think they would finish in the the top 2 when the exchange takes place.. EPL like this Barca Madrid Man City Liverpool or Arsenal La Liga Man Utd Chelsea Valencia and someone else.. maybe they could do it in that season when we all have the season cut short or its played in the summer as the world cup may still be in quatar
May 24, 201115 yr Yeah, they sure do: a lot of goals, most of them against crappy teams. . against the top 6 in the la liga. ronaldo has scored 15 goals to messi's 6. against the rest ronaldo has scored 24 goals to messi's 24. i think i might have missed a goal or two somewhere but i think you get the point. messi has in support 6 players who were nominated for world player of the year (including the two other finalists) whereas ronaldo only has 3.
May 24, 201115 yr i really liked this article Ancelotti falls victim to Abramovich firing squad Date: May 24 2011 Rory Smith CARLO ANCELOTTI wore black. Black tie, black shirt, black suit. It was Roman Abramovich, though, who was wearing the black cap. Wherever he was watching, Chelsea's owner was certain this would not be Survival Sunday for his manager. Judgment Day was long since over. Dressed in mourning suit, Ancelotti awaited his sentence. An hour after he left Goodison Park, it was passed. Like Claudio Ranieri, Jose Mourinho, Avram Grant and Luiz Felipe Scolari before him, he paid the price for failing to win either the Champions League or the Premier League, Abramovich's twin obsessions. But Ancelotti, a fundamentally decent man, deserved better than this. Even after a limp surrender to Everton, his team - clad in black, too, witnesses to their manager's demise - guilty of making Jermaine Beckford look like George Weah as he scored a remarkable winning goal, he deserved better. He did not deserve to be paraded in front of the press as the gun was being loaded. ''I do not have to explain anything to the club about my job,'' he said after the game. Click. ''Now the season is over, the club can judge my job over the last two years and then make a decision.'' Click. ''I have to wait and see what happens. I am on holiday now. I just do not know how long it will last.'' Bang. They were his last words as Chelsea manager. They were delivered in the resigned, detached, laconic style he has adopted in the past few weeks. He seems a world away from the garrulous figure he once was in his homeland. Long before the final blow came, he seemed a ghost, one more spectre in Stamford Bridge's haunted house. Chelsea has seemed a phantom club for weeks. Little wonder Everton breezed past their guests with such ease here. Even with nothing to play for, David Moyes's side had more fight, more spirit, more courage. Phil Jagielka might have given the hosts the lead inside 10 minutes, his header from Mikel Arteta's corner clipping the bar. Seamus Coleman stumbled after Beckford put him through, Leon Osman might have had a penalty. Chelsea, missing Didier Drogba with a thigh injury, were insubstantial, ineffective. Everton even granted them a man advantage for much of the second half, Coleman being dismissed for a second bookable offence. Still they toiled. John Terry hit the post from distance, but it was Everton - through Beckford and Arteta - who threatened more. Their goal was warranted, even predictable, but its nature was unforeseeable. Beckford picked up the ball in his own penalty area and hared off, seemingly racing down the sort of blind alley he has found all too frequently in the rarefied air of the Premier League. Somehow, as five Chelsea defenders placed him in their crosshairs on the halfway line, he broke clear. The dead end led straight to Petr Cech's goal. He chipped the goalkeeper, Goodison holding its breath to see if his effort would bounce in or out. The former. ''Roy of the Rovers lives,'' quipped Moyes. ''It was the sort of thing you read in magazines.'' Chelsea had no answer. For that, Ancelotti was blamed. And yet sacking him will not solve Chelsea's problems. It will not stop Frank Lampard, Terry, Michael Essien and the rest ageing into obscurity. It will not make this side young and hungry. It will not bring Fernando Torres out of the shadows. Chelsea's fans sang Ancelotti's name, expressing their support. They know his dismissal is folly. They know they will miss their man in black. Telegraph, London shame on Abramovich!!!
May 24, 201115 yr I think it would be intresting if 2 teams from the top leauges went to play in another countries leauge for a season. For example you could have Barca and Madrid play in the EPL for a season, and say you could have Man Utd and Chelsea for example play in the La liga and visa versa with the italian leauge. Personally I think they would finish in the the top 2 when the exchange takes place.. EPL like this Barca Madrid Man City Liverpool or Arsenal La Liga Man Utd Chelsea Valencia and someone else.. maybe they could do it in that season when we all have the season cut short or its played in the summer as the world cup may still be in quatar Or they could just scrap the CL and create a European "super league" of all the top teams instead.;)
May 24, 201115 yr against the top 6 in the la liga. ronaldo has scored 15 goals to messi's 6. against the rest ronaldo has scored 24 goals to messi's 24. i think i might have missed a goal or two somewhere but i think you get the point. Like I said, Cristiano Ronaldo only scores against Getafe and Almería. I didn't see him scoring against Barça at the UCL draw. Messi, on the other hand, scored against Real Madrid. One single goal against Real at the UCL is more important than 3 goals against Almería when you can't win the league anymore. And scoring is not the most important thing. Messi is waaaaaaaay better than Cristiano Ronaldo, you simply can't compare them. messi has in support 6 players who were nominated for world player of the year (including the two other finalists) whereas ronaldo only has 3. Well, your best argument so far. But Messi is more important for Barça than Ronaldo is for Real. Barça plays like shit when they don't play with Messi, and that's 'cause you can't replace Messi. He is the one, the best, way ahead everybody else.
May 24, 201115 yr Like I said, Cristiano Ronaldo only scores against Getafe and Almería. That's the point I was making about Crouch. He only seems to score against "lesser" teams, or when it doesn't really matter. I can't really comment on Ronaldo's Spanish career, but although I think the guy's a bit of a tw*t, during his time at Man U, he was fantastic.;) He certainly gave many more great performances than Rooney has to date.
May 24, 201115 yr Like I said, Cristiano Ronaldo only scores against Getafe and Almería. I didn't see him scoring against Barça at the UCL draw. Messi, on the other hand, scored against Real Madrid. One single goal against Real at the UCL is more important than 3 goals against Almería when you can't win the league anymore. And scoring is not the most important thing. Messi is waaaaaaaay better than Cristiano Ronaldo, you simply can't compare them. Well, your best argument so far. But Messi is more important for Barça than Ronaldo is for Real. Barça plays like shit when they don't play with Messi, and that's 'cause you can't replace Messi. He is the one, the best, way ahead everybody else. Ronaldo scored 4 against Hercules and Almeria (two bottom teams) while Messi scored 7 against them. both Messi goals in UCL were against 10 man Real. Ronaldo scored the winning goal in the Copa Del Rey against 11 man Barca. Barca have won every game this season that did not feature Messi. but nevertheless i agree that Ronaldo isn't as important for Real, simply because he is a true individual on the field. When he plays the rest of the team must play around him, when he doesn't play they play more naturally and as a team. This is clear from the way Man Utd has changed since his departure. And scoring is not the most important thing. Messi is waaaaaaaay better than Cristiano Ronaldo, you simply can't compare them. thats your subjective opinion. if i wanted to i could say Ryan Shawcross is one of the all time greats and there's nothing you can do about that cos thats why personal opinion. but when you compare the hard facts, Ronaldo is very much comparable to Messi. not just for the goals but for what he has achieved across two leagues.
May 24, 201115 yr Barca have won every game this season that did not feature Messi. but nevertheless i agree that Ronaldo isn't as important for Real, simply because he is a true individual on the field. When he plays the rest of the team must play around him, when he doesn't play they play more naturally and as a team. This is clear from the way Man Utd has changed since his departure. Yes - for the worse. Man U were arguably the best team in the world with Ronaldo. That's all changed since his departure. They're still a very good team, of course, but nowhere near as unbeatable.
May 24, 201115 yr Yes - for the worse. Man U were arguably the best team in the world with Ronaldo. That's all changed since his departure. They're still a very good team, of course, but nowhere near as unbeatable. no doubt about that. but i think they play much better as a team now rather than depending on one player.
May 24, 201115 yr no doubt about that. but i think they play much better as a team now rather than depending on one player. I don't think it's fair to say they totally depended on Ronaldo. It's just that they don't have a player of that caliber any more, and it's a player like him (or Messi) that makes all the difference to a team. It was the same with Cantona, and Arsenal when they had Henry. Arsenal haven't been anywhere near as good since he left, either.;)
May 24, 201115 yr I don't think it's fair to say they totally depended on Ronaldo. It's just that they don't have a player of that caliber any more, and it's a player like him (or Messi) that makes all the difference to a team. It was the same with Cantona, and Arsenal when they had Henry. Arsenal haven't been anywhere near as good since he left, either.;) Arsenal had Bergkamp as well. actually that whole team was bloody amazing!
May 24, 201115 yr Arsenal had Bergkamp as well. actually that whole team was bloody amazing! That's true, but Henry was the jewel in the crown, and arguably the world's best player at his peak.
May 24, 201115 yr Or they could just scrap the CL and create a European "super league" of all the top teams instead.;) Yes and for fans to afford 18 trips across Europe over the course of a season they'll need to be earning as much as the footballers. But that wasn't as insane as Barts idea. Daryl what are you smoking now?!
May 24, 201115 yr Arsenal had Bergkamp as well. actually that whole team was bloody amazing! Agreed! Can't remember a more classy, talented side in the Premier League than Arsenal from 7 years ago. Could and maybe should have won the CL in 04 but they got a bit too cocky in the quarters against Chelsea!
May 24, 201115 yr [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljaAHHYe9IY]YouTube - Fergie 'bans' journalist who asked Giggs question[/ame]
May 24, 201115 yr Looks so weird to see Beckham in a Utd shirt at Old Trafford again for Gary Neville's testimonial.
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