QUOTE(#1):

Originally posted 08:58 AM ET  07.02 by 718

I might just be bitter but would I be wrong if I told Cristiano to shut up?Anyway, good luck to him at Madrid and here's hoping that Sir Alex finds a suitable replacement with all that money. Valencia is a decent start but we need someone who can fill up a score sheet.

Ronaldo was that guy at your workplace, where everyone hates him, but he gets the job done so you have to keep him around. When he was with Man U., I tolerated the schtick, but now that he is gone, I am looking forward to hitting the bleep out of him in Champions League. I wish him luck the rest of the time, but I hope he chokes in Champions League.

Wimp.

Wussy.



Nancy.



Lillypussy.



Quweef.

I can't believe he just said that. I know the Premier League is physical, but "feared for his safety" is just too much for me...

He does have small ankles. I am sure he saw the Eduardo injury as something that could happen to him pretty easily. I'm not defending the guy, but something like that ends careers.

I'm not a fan either of this prima donna, but I agree the EPL is more violent than finesse. Remember Arsenal's Eduardo's compound fractured leg? That just doesn't happen in La Liga nor Serie A. Interesting no world-class strikers/midfielders have went to EPL, despite the demand and $'s. Rooney's recent claim of he "picking up the slack" for the losses of CR and Tevez is ridiculous. Sir Alex is screwed.

I can see why he feared for his safety. He often acted like such an ass on the field that somebody was bound to go after him.

i have a hard time believing goal.com didnt exaggerate this, he probably said he feared for his safety in one particular game (probably when joey barton was on the other side) or something like that

My wife saw a girls leg broken in a game 20 years ago from a kick nontheless.
So to say it just doesn't happen should be it hasn't happened.

Seriously, go where the money is.
Your career can be short.

WT F...Cristin in every match took some light dives early in matches to avoid the heavier tackles later in the games. He set the ref up warn opponents early on with numerous fouls on anyone player. Cristin wasn't dumb on his being "light on his feet." So, based on how he set up the refs, Premiership wasn't too rough for him. Man up Cristin, man up.

QUOTE(#7):

Originally posted 09:41 AM ET  07.02 by brazilliant

I'm not a fan either of this prima donna, but I agree the EPL is more violent than finesse. Remember Arsenal's Eduardo's compound fractured leg? That just doesn't happen in La Liga nor Serie A. Interesting no world-class strikers/midfielders have went to EPL, despite the demand and $'s. Rooney's recent claim of he "picking up the slack" for the losses of CR and Tevez is ridiculous. Sir Alex is screwed.

Are you kidding me? Seriously.

Ummm - I remember a fairly decent player called Diego Maradona that had his ankle snapped by the Butcher of Bilbao...don't tell me brutal tackles don't happen in La Liga. Or how about Pepe last year? Come on now.

QUOTE(#10):

Originally posted 10:01 AM ET  07.02 by Keeper: Gerrard for Captain

That's why all the **** are heading south for Real Madrid. If you want to play football, play it the right way.

The right way meaning getting blown out in the round of 16? The wrong way seemed to work well for the top 4 English teams

QUOTE(#16):

Originally posted 11:14 AM ET  07.02 by zgr322

The right way meaning getting blown out in the round of 16? The wrong way seemed to work well for the top 4 English teams

I'm sorry. I thought the point was to walk away with the trophy, not have the most teams come closest without winning it.

For all the talk of EPL dominance this decade, the EPL only has two Champions League trophies, the same amount as Italy and two less than Spain. But I'm sure those four runner up positions are real comforting.

He probably hated the weather more like. It rains a lot in Manchester.

QUOTE(#17):

Originally posted 11:34 AM ET  07.02 by j11forbes: LCMD Playa

I'm sorry. I thought the point was to walk away with the trophy, not have the most teams come closest without winning it.For all the talk of EPL dominance this decade, the EPL only has two Champions League trophies, the same amount as Italy and two less than Spain. But I'm sure those four runner up positions are real comforting.

That's like saying the ACC is a better conference than the Big East because they won the national title this year.

Of course the point is to win which is what they're trying to do. But if you say he's heading south because they play football the wrong way in EPL, I have to contradict that based on the performance of their 4 qualifying teams. One championship winner does not nullify what 4 teams did from another league.

QUOTE(#19):

Originally posted 12:26 PM ET  07.02 by zgr322

they play football the wrong way in EPL

They don't play football "wrong" in the EPL, but they do play two very different styles in Spain and England.

I think anyone who watched the final between Barca and Man. U. would agree that Man. U. was simply not prepared to face Barca's possession based attack. A similar situation happened when Milan faced Man. U. and Liverpool two years ago.

I think at some point you have to look at the talent level of all these EPL teams who consistently come up short in Champions League final and wonder to what extent the style of play in the EPL hurts them in Europe. So long as they face teams of a lower talent level, they play fine. But when someone can match their talent level, they fare poorly. At some point that has to reflect on the league itself. At the end of the day, EPL teams spend far more than most their European counterparts (the exception being the new Galacticos), but they don't have the European hardware to show for it.