FanNation - The Republic of Sport

Suarez is a fantastic football player, and he's the right age given what the Glazer family has said about acquiring new talent (22 years old) so I'd follow this one as a potential deal. He's essentially Carlos Tevez with extreme finishing skills.

Must be a slow day.

Caption: This is my ball. I love my ball. But if you threaten me, I will throw this ball at you. I will even aim for head unless it is too tiny. If that is so, then I will call you names, like "pinhead."

"if you can dodge traffic, you can dodge a ball"

Why does ManUtd sign South American players (except Brazilians) that end up being sold in a couple years? (Tevez, Forlan, Veron come to mind). I'm pretty sure there's more.

QUOTE(#1):

Originally posted 10:32 AM ET  11.03 by dynamo818

Suarez is a fantastic football player, and he's the right age given what the Glazer family has said about acquiring new talent (22 years old) so I'd follow this one as a potential deal. He's essentially Carlos Tevez with extreme finishing skills.

...sounds like a good fit to their direct counter attack style of play. which reminds me, when are they going to sell off Berbatov?

QUOTE(#4):

Originally posted 10:39 AM ET  11.03 by Big Chaco

Why does ManUtd sign South American players (except Brazilians) that end up being sold in a couple years? (Tevez, Forlan, Veron come to mind). I'm pretty sure there's more.

I'm wondering what Forlan told Suarez about SAF: I'm sure it was rather colorful given the public bust-up Forlan had at Old Trafford over the size of his cleats. Suarez, I bet, is somebody that could fetch them something in re-sale value given his age. That seems to be the new thread with the big clubs looking to balance their books.

This would certainly fit the mold of highly over paying for an offensive player from the Dutch League. I always wonder why the Dutch league players fetch such a price when they rarely live up to expectation. By these standards, Stefan Kiessling of Bayer Leverkusen must be worth 40 million.

QUOTE(#7):

Originally posted 11:19 AM ET  11.03 by Bayern4Life (redux)

This would certainly fit the mold of highly over paying for an offensive player from the Dutch League. I always wonder why the Dutch league players fetch such a price when they rarely live up to expectation. By these standards, Stefan Kiessling of Bayer Leverkusen must be worth 40 million.

Kiessling is absolutely terrific with Leverkusen. Why doesn't Joachim Loew just pair him up together with Mario Gomez for the national team and call it a day?

QUOTE(#8):

Originally posted 11:31 AM ET  11.03 by dynamo818

Kiessling is absolutely terrific with Leverkusen. Why doesn't Joachim Loew just pair him up together with Mario Gomez for the national team and call it a day?

Maybe because Mario Gomez sucks on the international stage...? (Does Euro 2008 ring a bell?)

QUOTE(#8):

Originally posted 11:31 AM ET  11.03 by dynamo818

Kiessling is absolutely terrific with Leverkusen. Why doesn't Joachim Loew just pair him up together with Mario Gomez for the national team and call it a day?

Well, I've been emailing Loew about Kiessling all year. Why that moron feels it necessary to call up strikers like Cacau, but pass Kiessling over every single time, is beyond me. To get called up as a striker in Germany all you have to do is score some goals in the Bundesliga; unless your Stefan Kiessling. I don't know where the hate stems from. Even if Kiessling didn't start for Germany, he would be a hell of a player of have on the bench. At least call the kid up!

QUOTE(#9):

Originally posted 11:58 AM ET  11.03 by Nicco

Maybe because Mario Gomez sucks on the international stage...? (Does Euro 2008 ring a bell?)

Right now he sucks for Bayern, although he isn't playing much currently.

why are there 2 names in the caption...does he give his ball a name?

QUOTE(#12):

Originally posted 12:33 PM ET  11.03 by kennybabs

why are there 2 names in the caption...does he give his ball a name?

Second name is probably the photographer.

QUOTE(#5):

Originally posted 10:40 AM ET  11.03 by kennybabs

...sounds like a good fit to their direct counter attack style of play. which reminds me, when are they going to sell off Berbatov?

Umm, did ya see the goal he scored at the weekend? Berbatov isn't going anywhere. United haven't had a player like him since Eric Cantona. There. I said it. It needed to be said.

QUOTE(#12):

Originally posted 12:33 PM ET  11.03 by kennybabs

why are there 2 names in the caption...does he give his ball a name?

No, that's his boyfriends name.

QUOTE(#14):

Originally posted 01:18 PM ET  11.03 by The Las Vegas Genius

Umm, did ya see the goal he scored at the weekend? Berbatov isn't going anywhere. United haven't had a player like him since Eric Cantona. There. I said it. It needed to be said.

Kind of confirms what I said for a while, Berbatov looks like he a lazy MF but he is one of the most talented players/strikers in the world. 43 more goals and he's tied with Cantona for his career...

QUOTE(#16):

Originally posted 01:32 PM ET  11.03 by D-Wreck

Kind of confirms what I said for a while, Berbatov looks like he a lazy MF but he is one of the most talented players/strikers in the world. 43 more goals and he's tied with Cantona for his career...

The thing is, he's a better all-around player compared to Cantona. It's almost like he's too skilled for England. In a derby match or against a physical team that lacks a lot of skilled players, Berbatov has a hard time putting his stamp on a match. Cantona could play in a physical game because he was pretty strong and he could play at a breakneck pace without losing much in the way of skill. Cantona's problem was that his class never translated to European football, for whatever reason. Berbatov has his moments in England, but he is a continental player, through and through. I think that was one of the biggest issues I had with Fergie's squad selection in the Final against Barca. Berbatov should have started. If he ever left England, he would be an absolute joy to watch in Serie A.

QUOTE(#17):

Originally posted 01:50 PM ET  11.03 by The Las Vegas Genius

The thing is, he's a better all-around player compared to Cantona. It's almost like he's too skilled for England. In a derby match or against a physical team that lacks a lot of skilled players, Berbatov has a hard time putting his stamp on a match. Cantona could play in a physical game because he was pretty strong and he could play at a breakneck pace without losing much in the way of skill. Cantona's problem was that his class never translated to European football, for whatever reason. Berbatov has his moments in England, but he is a continental player, through and through. I think that was one of the biggest issues I had with Fergie's squad selection in the Final against Barca. Berbatov should have started. If he ever left England, he would be an absolute joy to watch in Serie A.

Not sure I see him as a better all-around player than Cantona, who was absolutely magnificent. But I agree with everything else you say. And while he would shine in Serie A, I love seeing him in the Premiere League because he's such a different type of player. He brings such a sublime, intellectual approach to the game.

Here's a blast from the past for you, D-Wreck: Berbatov really reminds me of Vladislav Bogicevic, although Berbatov obviously scores more. Both so smart and economical in how they play, and both apparently harmless until they stick in the knife.

QUOTE(#17):

Originally posted 01:50 PM ET  11.03 by The Las Vegas Genius

The thing is, he's a better all-around player compared to Cantona.

I'm bracing for the possible outrage... ;)

Did you ever get a chance to watch Berbs when he was in the Bundesliga? Good stuff.... Not sure why it took until 2006 for a Premier league club to snatch him up. It compares to my outrage (long before the Russians finally started playing in the EPL) regarding teams not going balls-out to sign Arshavin. To me, it was just so obvious how talented he was.... Yet, someone in England is working for a big club, getting paid big bucks, to scout out these players and NO ONE would recommend Arshavin as a must buy! Amazes me.... It was obvious by 2003-2004 how great of a player he was...

QUOTE(#18):

Originally posted 02:00 PM ET  11.03 by kopper

Vladislav Bogicevic

The fact that Bogie came to the Cosmos when he was still relatively young and could have played for other teams is a tribute to the respect players across the world had for the NY Cosmos in 1978.