United's title win shows Rooney is key...

[Karl]

United's title win shows Rooney is key, Mancini is Mr Average and Hodgson is talking nonsense... And as for Suarez, it's time Liverpool let him walk (alone)!


By Adrian Durham
PUBLISHED: 02:25 EST, 23 April 2013 | UPDATED: 04:51 EST, 23 April 2013

Here are five things I can conclude from seeing Manchester United win the title this season:

1) Roy Hodgson moaning about there not being enough English players is laughable. In an injury-hit season, Phil Jones will make more than 20 appearances for the champions – when he’s fit he plays.

The same applies to Ashley Young; over 20 appearances as well for Chris Smalling; over 40 appearances for Carrick; more than 30 games and over 15 goals for Rooney, despite van Persie being the main striker.


Tom Cleverley has played over 30 times for United this season, Danny Welbeck has played nearly 40 United games, and if you dismiss him because he hasn’t scored goals you’re dismissing a contribution Sir Alex Ferguson has continued to acknowledge in this title-winning season.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/foo...#ixzz2RINc79Gx

[Assasin]

Karl is not that there is not enough english players but enough at playing pivot position like like centerback, Center mid and forward.

The two best English Centerbacks are in their mid 30s Rio and Terry and we know the story. Lescott is not even getting games, after that we go to Ashley Williams, Phil Jones, Smallings etc who are alway injured and pulled from international.

Same thing goes for center mid, decent players but not yet consistent. As for the forward, even with the presence of Rooney you have no consistent goal scorer for England and a lot of players been pulled by their clubs.

[Lazie]

Strange watching the game yesterday I saw Carrick down as if he was injuried and I was wondering along the same lines as the writer. How come Carrick is the main midfielder in a Manchester United team, yet cannot get picked ahead of Cleverly for England? I hope he retires from int'l football and focus on the bigger team.

There is an English midfielder who has won five title medals in the last seven seasons, played in three Champions League finals and won one of them, and has been a regular for a team second only in the last five years to a Barcelona team who may well go down as the greatest club side ever seen. He has been trusted by Sir Alex Ferguson in this, the most prolific and successful period in Manchester United’s rich history.
Yet at the age of 31 this player has made less than 20 starts for England, and played in only one match at a World Cup, despite going to two tournaments where we struggled to hold on to the ball. Scott Parker and Gareth Barry have tried and failed for England, while the Steven Gerrard/Frank Lampard conundrum was never satisfactorily resolved.

Meantime, England managers kept failing and kept ignoring Michael Carrick, a player who keeps the ball - exactly what England have been desperate to find for years and years. Incidentally that World Cup finals match he played in was the only knockout game we have won in the last two tournaments.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/foo...#ixzz2RIQ71Gw9
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

[Rockman]

Well Lazie when Carrick came to Man U I thought he was overrated.He has made a strong case that he is authentic.This was a excellent season for the baller,remember now Carrick mastered playing as a defensive midfielder as a viable attacking midfielder.He was even fielded on a few occasions as a central defender.Bringing to every position his superb mastery of the transition game(from defensive to offensive),and his prowess as a passer.

[Lazie]

Well Lazie when Carrick came to Man U I thought he was overrated.He has made a strong case that he is authentic.This was a excellent season for the baller,remember now Carrick mastered playing as a defensive midfielder as a viable attacking midfielder.He was even fielded on a few occasions as a central defender.Bringing to every position his superb mastery of the transition game(from defensive to offensive),and his prowess as a passer.

Xavi of Barca respect his play alot. Oh the best midfielder in the world can respect Carrick but England managers prefer Scott PArker? Friggin joke.

[Karl]

Strange?
Not really...it is the same bug that lives on our forum...fan-a-tics curse. Many like the players with a few pony tricks and fail to spot the consummate artist who seemingly goes quietly about his job with greatest of skill and highest of efficiency.

It took a long time for the defensive midfielder position to be embraced by technical experts and for the fans to give them their due. Look at Claude Mekelele he was under appreciated at Real Madrid...when he left it was suddenly realized that he was worth his weight in gold.

Chelsea also got rid of him too soon.

Aside:
1. Not saying Michael Carrick and Claude Mekelele were carbon copies of each other they were...and are not!

2.

At Real, Makélelé substantially added to his medal tally, winning two Spanish La Liga championships, the UEFA Champions League, the Spanish Super Cup, the European Super Cup, and the Intercontinental Cup (now replaced by the FIFA World Club Championship). As an ever-present in Vicente del Bosque's Real Madrid side, Makélelé also established himself as one of the best holding midfielders in the world.

However, despite his value to the team, Makélelé was one of its most (relatively) under-paid members, earning a fraction of that paid to teammates like Zinédine Zidane, Luís Figo, Raúl, Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos, Steve McManaman, and Guti. In the summer of 2003, feeling that his position at the club was insecure after the shock sacking of del Bosque and the arrival of David Beckham, and encouraged by teammates Zidane, Raúl, McManaman and Fernando Morientes, Makélelé decided to ask for an improved contract. The Real management flatly refused to consider his request. Upset, Makélelé handed in a transfer request, whereupon he was signed by Chelsea.

Club president Florentino Pérez infamously poured scorn on Makélelé's footballing abilities and proclaimed that Makélelé would not be missed:

“We will not miss Makélelé. His technique is average, he lacks the speed and skill to take the ball past opponents, and ninety percent of his distribution either goes backwards or sideways. He wasn't a header of the ball and he rarely passed the ball more than three metres. Younger players will arrive who will cause Makélelé to be forgotten.

”
His opinion differed from that of players like Zidane, who remarked the following after Makélelé was sold and Beckham was bought:

“Why put another layer of gold paint on the Bentley when you are losing the entire engine?”

In his autobiography, published in 2006, McManaman described Makélelé as the most important and yet least appreciated midfielder at Real.

Retired former Real Madrid player and captain Fernando Hierro also criticised Pérez for both Makélélé's departure and the manner of his departure, saying:

“I think Claude has this kind of gift – he's been the best player in the team for years but people just don't notice him, don't notice what he does. But you ask anyone at Real Madrid during the years we were talking about and they will tell you he was the best player at Real. We all knew, the players all knew he was the most important. The loss of Makélelé was the beginning of the end for Los Galacticos… You can see that it was also the beginning of a new dawn for Chelsea. He was the base, the key and I think he is the same to Chelsea now.

Source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_Mak%C3%A9l%C3%A9l%C3%A9

As mi seh di real tru artist dem mek ebryting look he-asy!!! Man a kill-hup demself an dem jus a guh bout dem business...lacka seh, CHO???!!!...a wah unnuh a fus bout???

[Jangle]

Mr. President low the people dem and dem team. As you said, he is playing for a bigger and more important team. Come next season, he will add another CL medal to his glittering array of medals.

[Karl]

Karl is not that there is not enough english players but enough at playing pivot position like like centerback, Center mid and forward.

The two best English Centerbacks are in their mid 30s Rio and Terry and we know the story. Lescott is not even getting games, after that we go to Ashley Williams, Phil Jones, Smallings etc who are alway injured and pulled from international.

Same thing goes for center mid, decent players but not yet consistent. As for the forward, even with the presence of Rooney you have no consistent goal scorer for England and a lot of players been pulled by their clubs.

No Sass, you got it wrong.
...it is really not about England not having TOP OF THE WORLD quality players...it is about not appointing top quality coaches.

...on another note as comparison...not exactly like for like...but it is the same problem we have in Jamaica the coaches at our NPL clubs are **** poor. The administrators and technical managers at our clubs do not know it as they just haven't a clue on how a quality player should perform...or even the ability to recognize what component parts are needed to make a team/what makes a quality team.

If it were not so, why do we still have a lousy NPL...do not have NPL standards of play worthy of our ISSA and national age-group teams to ape and then to reproduce thereby 'creating waves' on the international scene?