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*Official* English Football Season 2013-14

Ikki

Hall of Fame Member
It's ironic how the transfers are being perceived.

On one hand, you have United as failures because of their deadline day troubles. When in reality they picked up a kind of player they probably needed to get, or didn't have before. People clamoured for a creative midfielder but their problem wasn't that they didn't have one, but that they weren't using him (#FreeShinji). Even if they paid 4m more...who cares? It looks bad because it was a ****-up, but in terms of the simple football considerations it's fine. Not perfect, but definitely nothing to mourn about. They've improved on a championship winning team.

On the other hand, Arsenal somehow have had a brilliant deadline day. Why? Because they picked up a world-class player, and showed they've got the dosh to up the ante in the future. Did it really improve them footballing-wise? Well, it's debatable. Ozil will certainly improve the team but possibly in an area which didn't need as much improving as other areas.

You never know though, the positive/negative energy can create the kind of momentum which may belie the tactical considerations. If United don't take maximum points from the Crystal Palace match the pressure is going to go up several notches for Moyes. If Ozil has a good game and Arsenal win; Arsene is a genius and they're title contenders.

You couldn't plan this kind of drama. It gets over-advertised as the best league, but this is why I ****ing love the premier league.
 
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Cevno

Hall of Fame Member
Fellaini is a good signing and can play a number of different positions in midfield, but i think Moyes also wanted a upgrade on Cleverley/Anderson in that creative/more advanced CM role. Kagawa is more a Support striker or a AM rather than a Creative CM.

Plus United were also looking at a top LB for whatever reason.

But yeah agree with you that the whole bungling of the transfer window and the comedy show aside, the net result isn't hat bad considering both Rooney and Nani have also been kept and we have Vidic fit from the start this season. Lots of people overdoing the doom and gloom.
 

sledger

Spanish_Vicente
At least he (sort of) identified the fact that training at grassroots level could do with a revamp. Never mind the fact that this has been common knowledge for the best part of a decade.
 

flibbertyjibber

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New FA chairman spouting absolute bull**** in his press conference.
Can hardly say the aim is to just qualify and hope to get out of the group though can he?

Can't wait for the press to start calling Wilshere, Barkley, Sturridge, Sterling and Caulker the new golden generation though. :laugh:
 
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sledger

Spanish_Vicente
I love how the BBC page is being flooded by comments about how there should be an introduction of an "English player" quota. Most of the authors conveniently ignoring the fact that such a thing would be totally illegal.
 

Furball

Evil Scotsman
It's as if the lack of English players in the top English sides is something new.

Liverpool won an FA Cup in 1986 without a single English player in their starting XI, and Manchester United got gubbed in Europe in the early 90s because they could only field 3 of the 7 non-English players who regularly started for them (although ironically the likes of Scholes and Beckham were beneficiaries of the 3 foreigner rule).

The biggest load of bull**** is that the number of foreigners somehow adversely impacts the national side. Nonsense. England's national side was absolute **** in the 1970s and 1980s. The difference was back then that the top club sides were packed with Scotsmen.
 

Furball

Evil Scotsman
I love how the BBC page is being flooded by comments about how there should be an introduction of an "English player" quota. Most of the authors conveniently ignoring the fact that such a thing would be totally illegal.
What the Premier League could possibly look to do is adopt a similar system to the ECB in County Cricket, whereby part of the TV pot is set aside and clubs are rewarded for fielding England qualified players.

edit: would a quota being completely illegal matter much? Football manages to get away with the "football creditors" rule...
 
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fredfertang

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
The biggest load of bull**** is that the number of foreigners somehow adversely impacts the national side. Nonsense. England's national side was absolute **** in the 1970s and 1980s. The difference was back then that the top club sides were packed with Scotsmen.
This is true, but they were still crap when they pulled on the dark blue jerseys
 

sledger

Spanish_Vicente
What the Premier League could possibly look to do is adopt a similar system to the ECB in County Cricket, whereby part of the TV pot is set aside and clubs are rewarded for fielding England qualified players.
Yeah, that might work. I doubt the Premier League would be at all interested in introducing such a scheme, however.
 

BoyBrumby

Englishman
It's as if the lack of English players in the top English sides is something new.

Liverpool won an FA Cup in 1986 without a single English player in their starting XI, and Manchester United got gubbed in Europe in the early 90s because they could only field 3 of the 7 non-English players who regularly started for them (although ironically the likes of Scholes and Beckham were beneficiaries of the 3 foreigner rule).

The biggest load of bull**** is that the number of foreigners somehow adversely impacts the national side. Nonsense. England's national side was absolute **** in the 1970s and 1980s. The difference was back then that the top club sides were packed with Scotsmen.
Only technically.

The King of Camp was born in Preston, but qualified for Eire on the grandparent thang.

Meaning he's as Irish as me; i.e. not very.
 

Uppercut

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What the Premier League could possibly look to do is adopt a similar system to the ECB in County Cricket, whereby part of the TV pot is set aside and clubs are rewarded for fielding England qualified players.

edit: would a quota being completely illegal matter much? Football manages to get away with the "football creditors" rule...
Well they couldn't enforce it in law but I'd imagine all of the clubs could have a gentlemen's agreement to follow something along those lines. They won't of course because it's a ****ing terrible idea but I think that's how they get away with the CL rule about homegrown players in the squad.
 

Furball

Evil Scotsman
The CL rule doesn't discriminate against nationality though. Bendtner for example counts toward's Arsenal's quota.
 

sledger

Spanish_Vicente
Well they couldn't enforce it in law but I'd imagine all of the clubs could have a gentlemen's agreement to follow something along those lines. They won't of course because it's a ****ing terrible idea but I think that's how they get away with the CL rule about homegrown players in the squad.
Nah, it definitely wouldn't fly.

The homegrown rule is worded so that it doesn't make any reference to nationality, if it did it'd contravene a host of EU laws. Similar things would happen if club owners made a gentleman's agreement whereby they had some quota for English players. If such a thing existed and was made public they'd be sued.
 
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Furball

Evil Scotsman
They could have a foreigner rule as long as foreigners are defined as non-EU citizens. It wouldn't stop Newcastle loading up on Frenchmen.
 

sledger

Spanish_Vicente
They could have a foreigner rule as long as foreigners are defined as non-EU citizens. It wouldn't stop Newcastle loading up on Frenchmen.
Yeah, this would be fine. It's basically what they have in Spain already isn't it? IIRC Spanish clubs are only allowed to sign 2 or 3 players from outside the EU every season.
 

Furball

Evil Scotsman
Yeah, this would be fine. It's basically what they have in Spain already isn't it? IIRC Spanish clubs are only allowed to sign 2 or 3 players from outside the EU every season.
You're only allowed 3 non-EU players in your squad of 25. However, because of Spain's right of return laws for citizens of ex-Spanish colonies, Latin Americans only need to live in Spain for 2 years to qualify for Spanish nationality, so you could actually end up with a team full of South Americans without falling foul of the rules.
 

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