the soccer thread

[Jay]

I heard on yesterdays Guardian Football Weekly podcast that Bolton still have the big four left to play. I hope they don't go down but it sounds like it won't be an easy road.

[Calexico]

Derby are definitely fucked and so are Fulham I think....then the third spot is a free for all.

[Jay]

If Newcastle continue on their current form they may take that spot.

[Calexico]

If Newcastle continue on their current form they may take that spot.

 

 

That would be sweet indeed. That club has fucked itself over so many time, they deserve to be relegated for just screwing over the fanbase so much.

[Bubs101]

Cisse was not a good player. He playes like a dog chasing a balloon most of the time.

 

As for Megson, I don't see how anyone could claim selling Anelka was a positive move but I do think he's a good manager to keep teams up. Great result for my team yesterday. Not everytime can put 4 Green

[Calexico]

Anelka is the type of player that does what he wants to, no matter what a manager says to him. He left every club he was with, grumbling and bitching. We made a killing on him when we flogged him to Real Madrid. Having said that, I would have him back at Goonerland in a pinch.

[Bubs101]

Anelka is the type of player that does what he wants to, no matter what a manager says to him. He left every club he was with, grumbling and bitching. We made a killing on him when we flogged him to Real Madrid. Having said that, I would have him back at Goonerland in a pinch.

I'm pretty sure he had 2 and a half years left on his contract. and to sell a player of his standard screams that the club have no ambition. Everton or Blackburn never would have sold a player of his standard

[Calexico]

I am sure he has broken contracts before with other clubs. As for Everton, they flogged McFadden didn't they and he was an important player for them.

[Bubs101]

I am sure he has broken contracts before with other clubs. As for Everton, they flogged McFadden didn't they and he was an important player for them.

 

You can't just break a contract but you can force yourself to be sold ala Van Hoojidonk but Anelka wasn't near doing that and he hasn't for a while. As for Everton selling Mcfadden, a man who would never get past Johnson and Yakubu up front and Cahill, Arteta and Pienaar in attacking midfield and then moves to Birmingham is not an important player. He just scored one cracker against france

[m_thomp]

I'm pretty sure he had 2 and a half years left on his contract. and to sell a player of his standard screams that the club have no ambition. Everton or Blackburn never would have sold a player of his standard

 

Everton or Blackburn are not fighting relegation.

 

Also, if Chelsea came knocking on Everton or Blackburn's doors for Andy Johnson or Benni McCarthy, waving their billionaire's chequebook around, they'd soon find an amicable selling price. I think you're confusing ambition with the economics of the game: every player has their price.

 

And if we hadn't have sold him, what would that have done? We'd have a player who resents the club, doesn't try, isn't motivated, the kind of thing that spreads throughout the team, destroys morale, etc, etc. Basically a Van Hoojidonk on our hands. Hardly an approach to help stave off relegation?!

 

We had no choice, otherwise we'd have been left exactly the same as Arsenal where, they probably didn't want to sell Anelka first time round, but his brothers engineered a move for him, so they made the best of a bad situation and got what they could. The only reason that he signed a new contract with us at the beginning of the season was so when the envitable came, and Chelsea decided throwing money at the problem of being without Drogba for the African Nations would solve their problems (a move which backfired spectacularly in the Carling Cup final), then he wouldn't get transferred for nothing, or next to nothing.

 

Nobody has claimed it was a good move for Bolton. It was inevitable move.

 

PS: Rich I'll be going to one of the ATPs, not sure which yet.

[Bubs101]

Everton or Blackburn are not fighting relegation.

If you are fighting relegation then surely you should keep your best players

Also, if Chelsea came knocking on Everton or Blackburn's doors for Andy Johnson or Benni McCarthy, waving their billionaire's chequebook around, they'd soon find an amicable selling price. I think you're confusing ambition with the economics of the game: every player has their price.

But you don't have to sell in January, the ball is entirely in Bolton's court and he was essential to the team. You have only scored 28 goals so far. He got 11 before he left.

And if we hadn't have sold him, what would that have done? We'd have a player who resents the club, doesn't try, isn't motivated, the kind of thing that spreads throughout the team, destroys morale, etc, etc. Basically a Van Hoojidonk on our hands. Hardly an approach to help stave off relegation?!

Anelka never demanded to go, he did the same as Berbatov. Said he was happy where he was but if the right team came in for him he'd listen to what they had to say. There are no indications he was unhappy and keeping your top scorer is definitely a better way to stave of relegation than selling him

We had no choice, otherwise we'd have been left exactly the same as Arsenal where, they probably didn't want to sell Anelka first time round, but his brothers engineered a move for him, so they made the best of a bad situation and got what they could. The only reason that he signed a new contract with us at the beginning of the season was so when the envitable came, and Chelsea decided throwing money at the problem of being without Drogba for the African Nations would solve their problems (a move which backfired spectacularly in the Carling Cup final), then he wouldn't get transferred for nothing, or next to nothing.

Completely different situation. He was young, told the press he wanted to go and Wenger needed the money for Bergkamp or Overmars or someone .And players don't sign new contracts so there clubs can sell them, especially if he wanted to leave to Chelsea as much as you claim. He signed because he was happy

Nobody has claimed it was a good move for Bolton. It was inevitable move.

Then why not wait till the Summer. Anelka couldn't risk being a cock because Domenech would have had none of it and he would have lost his place in the national team he worked so hard to regain

[m_thomp]

If you are fighting relegation then surely you should keep your best players

 

But you don't have to sell in January, the ball is entirely in Bolton's court and he was essential to the team. You have only scored 28 goals so far. He got 11 before he left.

 

Anelka never demanded to go, he did the same as Berbatov. Said he was happy where he was but if the right team came in for him he'd listen to what they had to say. There are no indications he was unhappy and keeping your top scorer is definitely a better way to stave of relegation than selling him

 

Completely different situation. He was young, told the press he wanted to go and Wenger needed the money for Bergkamp or Overmars or someone .And players don't sign new contracts so there clubs can sell them, especially if he wanted to leave to Chelsea as much as you claim. He signed because he was happy

 

Then why not wait till the Summer. Anelka couldn't risk being a cock because Domenech would have had none of it and he would have lost his place in the national team he worked so hard to regain

 

Again. No, we didn't have to sell, but he wanted to leave. Do you think he's now playing at Chelsea thinking, "Aw sh*t, this playing in Cup Finals and Champions League, alongside some of the best players in the world is lame, I'd sooner be a Bolton"? If you do then that's an incredibly naive view. Of course he doesn't, he's ambitious and therefore like 99.9% of players these days are more loyal to themselves and their agent than their club.

 

You've got to be realistic in these situations, which for someone who supports Chelsea - who just seem to think money is the answer to greatness - might have a different perspective on what reality actually is.

 

Anelka signed a contract to improve his conditions and for us to protect our investment. Before the August window closed, and before he signed a contract, rumours were rife that Anelka was going to go to Man Utd. They didn't make a move we protected our investment by offering him a better contract. Simple security. So when, inevitably, the big guns actually did make a move, we didn't have hand him over for tuppence. A big move was inevitable. So why would we have kept a player who would hold a grudge against the club for not letting him fulfil his ambition? Yes, it probably has helped our goalscoring, and we've not done a lot to plug the gap (which is the club/management's fault), but he was always going to go, and preventing him from doing so would have been more detrimental than selling him.

[Bubs101]

I'm not denying a big move was inevitable but why not wait till the summer. Anelka couldn't act like a brat until after Euro 2008 and I doubt you would have got relegated if you kept him but now I'd say you have a 1 in 4 chance of going

[m_thomp]

I'm not denying a big move was inevitable but why not wait till the summer. Anelka couldn't act like a brat until after Euro 2008 and I doubt you would have got relegated if you kept him but now I'd say you have a 1 in 4 chance of going

 

Preventing him leaving he would have tunred into Le Sulk. He would not have performed as he can. He would have turned the dressing room against him. He would have demotivated the team even further. All of which ain't good for relegation. The bottom line is, as soon as noises are being made and the player, rather than the club, has been approached, his mind will be made, "I'm going to play for Chelsea". There's not much we could do.

 

Now I will admit that we've done eff all to replace him, that is simply down to bad chairmanship/management. And one that could possibly come back to haunt us.

[Bubs101]

I don't think he was making those noises though. He seemed to be fine with staying with Bolton til the end of the year and with characters such as Diouf the locker room is hardly gonna be the best. I also think that the "Le Sulk" argument is defeated by his dersire to play for the national team. He is effectively directly competing with trezeguet and Benzema for the last 2 places so if he didn't get his transfer there's not much he could have done

[Twisted Acres]

on pins and needles watching this Arsenal/Milan match

[Jay]

What a great match. I DVR'd it and couldn't start watching until about when the match was actually ending, which was killing me. I was praying the game wouldn't go to extra time as the DVR would have stopped taping before the end. But as time went on I felt more and more confident that Arsenal would win, though the Fabregas goal took me by surprise. I am glad Van Persie wasn't used so that he could get just a few more days rest. And I've had enough of Eboue. I was glad when he was taken off.

[Welsh Rich]

Where's edwar591 this morning?!? What a great match!

[Doug C]

Wow1 That Gunners/Milan match was gripping. Excellent performance by Arsenal. That strike by Fabregas was all individual effort. A cracker. I am a Bolton supporter through and through but I certainly enjoy watching Arsenal play. Congratulations to the Gunners supporters. Now come on the Trotters Thursday against Sporting. Quarterfinals for us too1

[Twisted Acres]

What a great match. I DVR'd it and couldn't start watching until about when the match was actually ending, which was killing me. I was praying the game wouldn't go to extra time as the DVR would have stopped taping before the end. But as time went on I felt more and more confident that Arsenal would win, though the Fabregas goal took me by surprise. I am glad Van Persie wasn't used so that he could get just a few more days rest. And I've had enough of Eboue. I was glad when he was taken off.

 

The hustle to get the ball by Walcott, and then his terrific cross to Adebayor, who finished of course, was such a thing of beauty!

[Doug C]

Yes. Walcott's squaring up was a thing of beauty. I was dubious at first but it seems as though he may live up to his Wenger and Sven Goran generated hype.

[m_thomp]

Apart from the goals, the moment of the match was Hleb's ball to Walcott for the chance he missed just before the opening goal. That was footballing vision to die for.

[Panther]

forza roma, great match

[Welsh Rich]

Walcott is coming along nicely I think - just needs to play more games. He's got outrageous pace.

[Bubs101]

Walcott is doing much better now that the media limelight has calmed down but why Wenger paid so much for him i will never know.

 

As fot the Champions League, couldn't have gone better. Chelsea and Totti both got through, made money on my Sevilla Chelsea double and there's a 25% chance we'll get a free run to the semis