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English strikers - why not as good now?

Page 7 of 15

posted on 8/1/13

I love how people bring up Carroll being £35 million as a way to slate British players being overpriced but bloody Torres went for £50 million and he has had a worse first touch than any top striker I know, Rooney included over the past 2 years.

posted on 8/1/13

We actually have some good young prospects coming through, ones better fitted to the modern 433 (sterling, zaha and welbeck).

My response to all those saying that the best players in the EPL are foreign emphasises the poor quality of English players would be to ask who the best three players in the Spanish league are right now? Messi, Romaldo and Falcao (none Spanish). Top two players in the bundlesliga (Robben and ribery) aren't German either

posted on 8/1/13

Jones
Smalling
Rio
Evans
Carrick
Scholes
Cleverley
Young
Rooney
Welbeck

-----

Yet RVP is the main man

posted on 8/1/13

dunc, I'm sorry, I'll never buy this passion and desire rubbish. It's a thing that's been churned out about English football for years as it can be quantified by running around loads making crunching tackles.

Top foreign teams do not play like that so it is not possible to quantify by using the British model of passion.

Passion and commitment hasn't got English football very far. Maybe we should become a little less passionate and try and master playing the game instead?

posted on 8/1/13

Wayne and Robin

Well English players in general lack the technical ability that foreign players have.




Nonsense


Dixie Dean, Jimmy Greaves, Brian Clough, Roger Hunt, Ian Rush, Kenny Dalgleish, Alan Shearer, etc, etc all scored oddles of goals and they were all British.

posted on 8/1/13

Rooney, Defoe and maybe even Walcott wil get 20+ goals.

So could Sturridge.

Admittedly, i haven't and will not read all the comments.

The problem is not strikers - traditionally we have often produced defenders. Midfielders and strikers on the other hand...

Spain won the Euros with no 'top striker'!

comment by Chronic (U3423)

posted on 8/1/13

aaron lennon has an absolutely superb first touch.. and its just taken for granted.. because the prem is full of high class players who generally all have a superb first touch.

this is a total non issue.

infact it looks so bad when a player takes a bad first touch it looks terrible and sticks out like a saw thumb, that it just shows how good the touches are for the whole prem

posted on 8/1/13

Its good to have a British spine, but all the top teams are doing so well because of thier foreign players.

------------------------------------
United have

Jones
Smalling
Rio
Evans
Carrick
Scholes
Cleverley
Young
Rooney
Welbeck

All British players

------------------

bang on macca.

i wonder where we would be without the likes of scholes, rio, carrick, keane, becks, butt, cole, sheringham over the years.

something tells me we wouldnt of won half as much without those players over the years.

there are too many players nowadays who have absolutely no passion for the clubs they play for.

comment by Chronic (U3423)

posted on 8/1/13

*sore thumb

posted on 8/1/13

Yep agree with Darren. You dont need to run around like headless chicken to win games. Maybe you do in the PL but then you go outside of the PL, in the CL and international tournaments and this 90mph style of play wont work.

I admire Berbatov and his technical ability. He's got bags of it. He's genuinely a joy to watch

comment by Spurtle (U1608)

posted on 8/1/13

I love how people bring up Carroll being £35 million as a way to slate British players being overpriced but bloody Torres went for £50 million and he has had a worse first touch than any top striker I know, Rooney included over the past 2 years.

-----------

The difference being that Torres was genuine top class material for a few years at Liverpool before he left and Carroll was bought on nothing more than a hunch after half a season where he was nothing more than fairly decent.

posted on 8/1/13

dunc, I'm sorry, I'll never buy this passion and desire rubbish. It's a thing that's been churned out about English football for years as it can be quantified by running around loads making crunching tackles.

Top foreign teams do not play like that so it is not possible to quantify by using the British model of passion.

Passion and commitment hasn't got English football very far. Maybe we should become a little less passionate and try and master playing the game instead?
----

im not saying you need a team full of them, but you do need players in your team who do have that drive and commitment.

posted on 8/1/13

I'll join this discussion after dinner. Will be right back.
The anglophiles better think up with excuses to defend british players.

posted on 8/1/13

I'm questioning your definition. It's a lazy cliche that's been levelled at foreign players for years.

Iniesta's head hardly dropped when he scored the winner in the world cup final.

If there's one thing I'd accuse English players the most of it's that their heads drop in international tournaments. We are the worst for it.

We then run around to make up for it by which time it's too late.

posted on 8/1/13

I tell you something, people rave about this German team but had they had more heart and passion they may well have done better than they have done.

Their predecessors had a lot of that but it seems to have deserted this current generation and may well be their achilles heel in future tournaments.

posted on 8/1/13

Rob, no they needed a better mentality. Don't confuse mentality with heart and passion.


The German's have historically had amazing mentality, this is what has appeared to have deserted them not heart and passion.

posted on 8/1/13

The anglophiles better think up with excuses to defend british players.

------------------------------------------------------------------

As an Indian guy supporting a British team i'd have thought there must be a good reason you support United over a Spanish or German team?

If being 'British' is such a bad thing why don't you pick a country you admire and support their teams.

I'm Australian but very much admire the British qualities that some people are saying are old fashioned and irrelevant.

posted on 8/1/13

Chellinis is not even the best defender in Italy.

posted on 8/1/13

Yet RVP is the main man
----------------------------
So far this season, of course.

A fit Rooney is just as important though. He outshone RVP in The Derby for example

Having a core of British players has been the cornerstone of United's successes for me - mix in a little foreign flare here and there (Cantona, Kanchelsis, Djemba Djemba) and you end up with the right mix



posted on 8/1/13

Did Rooney really outshine RVP in the derby? I know he got the 2 goals but I though RVP did a steller job dropping back and linking play up.

posted on 8/1/13

If there's one thing I'd accuse English players the most of it's that their heads drop in international tournaments. We are the worst for it.

--

i wouldnt disagree their mate, but im talking at club level.

i just think going out and buying a whole squad of foreign players wouldnt work, there needs to be some british grit and passion in the team too.

posted on 8/1/13

That may be, but my point was that it's false to say English players have more heart and passion.

It's an analogy used in this country to justify the lack of skill and emphasis on physicality.

While the England team are busy being passionate and running around like headless chickens, the less passionate foreign players are busy ring clever and moving into the space left and moving the ball around.

It's an overrated attribute that is impossible to measure.

posted on 8/1/13

comment by Mr Chelsea ✪ . (U3579) posted 4 minutes ago

Did Rooney really outshine RVP in the derby? I know he got the 2 goals but I though RVP did a steller job dropping back and linking play up.
----------------
Rooney was outstanding

He was everywhere that day. His will to win that game oozed out of him. remember that 70 yard sprint to cover Evra?

posted on 8/1/13

Rooney is the quintessence of 'unfulfilled talent'. United fans know i am one of his harshest critics and one of his biggest fans.

Admittedly, with all his limitations he is still in the top 5 strikers on the planet however when compared with RVP, the difference is clear: there is a RIVER NILE length of difference between the two.

posted on 8/1/13

That may be, but my point was that it's false to say English players have more heart and passion.

--------

i never said that though mate, i said certain players do.

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