Philip Lahm?

[Beeks]

I think we should go all out for him in January..

What do you think Antti?

[Moonchesteri]

Can I voice my opinion even though my name is not Antti?

[Beeks]

Can I voice my opinion even though my name is not Antti?

of course!

[Moonchesteri]

No. Definitely not all out. I would definitely pay even £15mil for him.
You reckon it's a surprise there's not too many rumours flying in with BIG British/european clubs trying to sign him?
There's a reason for it. The big clubs thinks he's not good enough. He's good enough to be Bayern's first choice right back but what is that league? The 4th best in Europe?

I'm gonna be honest here. I've only seen him once or twice for Bayern/season and he has looked very average.
Also in the WC/EC tournaments where he has been great in couple of games and again average in others.

[failsworthblue]

No Thanks

We have enough defenders who concentrate on going forward and cannot do the basics of their job.

[Ted Hughes]

I think we should go all out for him in January..

What do you think Antti?

You absolute cad!

[avoidconfusion]

Oh my god what have you done...

[simon12]

You`ll be Lahmbasted for this IBH.

[halnone]

I hope this doesn't get locked... :-)

[DoomMerchant]

signing anyone in January who can cross a ball would seem to be one of the highest orders of business for our little football club.

apparently, spending hundreds of millions on players doesn't get you someone, anyone, who can cross a fuclin ball.

cheers

[bluelogic32]

signing anyone in January who can cross a ball would seem to be one of the highest orders of business for our little football club.

apparently, spending hundreds of millions on players doesn't get you someone, anyone, who can cross a fuclin ball.

cheers

thats not our gameplan, we have tevez let him do his thing right..oh wait he`s injured

[ant london]

signing anyone in January who can cross a ball would seem to be one of the highest orders of business for our little football club.

apparently, spending hundreds of millions on players doesn't get you someone, anyone, who can cross a fuclin ball.

cheers

after the opening 25 minutes or so we were so fucking piss poor at delivering anything useful into the box it was bordering on farcical.

I felt sorry for David Silva yesterday he was magic in that opening spell but it was like he was one of the only players who remembered how to play the bloody game.

[CityGer]

I'm still optimistic about Boateng, he can't have performed as well as he did in SA and be no good. The thing that's puzzling me is how awkward and cumbersome he looks as he appeared very quick and athletic in the summer. Let's hope he's a player that needs to be tip top match fit to show his best and that he's not quite there yet.

[avoidconfusion]

Boateng is a top player, he will come good I am certain.

Our problems are really elsewhere, especially up front with Tevez being our only good striker really and Balotelli obviously still needing time.

[Phillipe Lahm]

Yes, another thread about me. I fucking rule.

[DoomMerchant]

signing anyone in January who can cross a ball would seem to be one of the highest orders of business for our little football club.

apparently, spending hundreds of millions on players doesn't get you someone, anyone, who can cross a fuclin ball.

cheers

after the opening 25 minutes or so we were so fucking piss poor at delivering anything useful into the box it was bordering on farcical.

I felt sorry for David Silva yesterday he was magic in that opening spell but it was like he was one of the only players who remembered how to play the bloody game.

what i don't fuclin get, and excuse me since i didn't play this game growing up to have the background, is how does a player get to this level and isn't able to deliver a ball? i mean...i don't really give two fucls what position you play, should you not HAVE to have the basic skillset to be able to deliver some sort of ball into a forward players head or feet? i just don't really get it.

i mean, the fundamentals of this game are...kick the ball with your feet. WTF?

Is this indicative of the showboat/stepover culture or something where these kids want to learn a bag of tricks but can't be arsed to stand around and kick 100 balls to learn their trade? i just don't get it. Can't only be City suffering with this, but i honestly don't watch enough of other teams to note a trend beyond the fact that the rags and chelsea don't seem to have a problem with it.

what's the story?

cheers

[brite blu sky]

signing anyone in January who can cross a ball would seem to be one of the highest orders of business for our little football club.

apparently, spending hundreds of millions on players doesn't get you someone, anyone, who can cross a fuclin ball.

cheers

after the opening 25 minutes or so we were so fucking piss poor at delivering anything useful into the box it was bordering on farcical.

I felt sorry for David Silva yesterday he was magic in that opening spell but it was like he was one of the only players who remembered how to play the bloody game.

what i don't fuclin get, and excuse me since i didn't play this game growing up to have the background, is how does a player get to this level and isn't able to deliver a ball? i mean...i don't really give two fucls what position you play, should you not HAVE to have the basic skillset to be able to deliver some sort of ball into a forward players head or feet? i just don't really get it.

i mean, the fundamentals of this game are...kick the ball with your feet. WTF?

Is this indicative of the showboat/stepover culture or something where these kids want to learn a bag of tricks but can't be arsed to stand around and kick 100 balls to learn their trade? i just don't get it. Can't only be City suffering with this, but i honestly don't watch enough of other teams to note a trend beyond the fact that the rags and chelsea don't seem to have a problem with it.

what's the story?

cheers

Not sure about the whole story, but for some very strange and unidentifiable reason a lot of supposedly good players who can run and skin defenders simply cant contain themselves enough to concentrate at the right time to make sure they get a delivery.

This is nothing new either, in fact it has been a persistent problem for as long as i can remember, so much so that any player who actually can deliver the ball becomes identified as head and shoulders above the rest. Beckham could deliver a ball and at the mo Gareth Bale can, almost every other winger cant and there are a hell of a lot of them, people go on about them as brilliant and not one can consistently even get a cross in never mind hit a target.

while we are on the subject, Bale i have been watching over the last year or so and he virtually never fails to get the ball in the box one way or another, and more times than not in the right kind of place, compared with the norm he is phenominal.

[Niall Quinns Discopants]

I think we should go all out for him in January..

What do you think Antti?

Looking at how weak we were on defending in that right hand side, last thing we need is another fullback who can't defend. Micah were taken in a ride and at least he stayed in the back. Imagine if Jarvis had had free space to roam with no one even TRYING to defend.

[Ted Hughes]

signing anyone in January who can cross a ball would seem to be one of the highest orders of business for our little football club.

apparently, spending hundreds of millions on players doesn't get you someone, anyone, who can cross a fuclin ball.

cheers

after the opening 25 minutes or so we were so fucking piss poor at delivering anything useful into the box it was bordering on farcical.

I felt sorry for David Silva yesterday he was magic in that opening spell but it was like he was one of the only players who remembered how to play the bloody game.

what i don't fuclin get, and excuse me since i didn't play this game growing up to have the background, is how does a player get to this level and isn't able to deliver a ball? i mean...i don't really give two fucls what position you play, should you not HAVE to have the basic skillset to be able to deliver some sort of ball into a forward players head or feet? i just don't really get it.

i mean, the fundamentals of this game are...kick the ball with your feet. WTF?

Is this indicative of the showboat/stepover culture or something where these kids want to learn a bag of tricks but can't be arsed to stand around and kick 100 balls to learn their trade? i just don't get it. Can't only be City suffering with this, but i honestly don't watch enough of other teams to note a trend beyond the fact that the rags and chelsea don't seem to have a problem with it.

what's the story?

cheers

Not sure about the whole story, but for some very strange and unidentifiable reason a lot of supposedly good players who can run and skin defenders simply cant contain themselves enough to concentrate at the right time to make sure they get a delivery.

This is nothing new either, in fact it has been a persistent problem for as long as i can remember, so much so that any player who actually can deliver the ball becomes identified as head and shoulders above the rest. Beckham could deliver a ball and at the mo Gareth Bale can, almost every other winger cant and there are a hell of a lot of them, people go on about them as brilliant and not one can consistently even get a cross in never mind hit a target.

while we are on the subject, Bale i have been watching over the last year or so and he virtually never fails to get the ball in the box one way or another, and more times than not in the right kind of place, compared with the norm he is phenominal.

The reason Beckham for example, could deliver a ball is that he realised the importance of it & spent hours & hours of his own time practicing it. Most of the 2nd rate wide players like Lennon & SWP had all the talent to do things Beckham can't but were either too stupid or too lazy to spend the same time Bekham did perfecting the bits that matter. That came from watching C****a out practicing when everyone else had gone home & changed the mentality of the club. Bergkamp had a similar effect at Arsenal.

AJ is a player with the world at his feet who looks as if it's his ambition to emulate Lennon & SWP & David Bentley rather than Beckham & so long as he gets praised for beating three men & kicking the ball into the stand or fall over then it's could be difficult to change it.

Half the people on here seem to think delivering a ball into the box is old fashioned anyway so perhaps we shouldn't worry.

[brite blu sky]

signing anyone in January who can cross a ball would seem to be one of the highest orders of business for our little football club.

apparently, spending hundreds of millions on players doesn't get you someone, anyone, who can cross a fuclin ball.

cheers

after the opening 25 minutes or so we were so fucking piss poor at delivering anything useful into the box it was bordering on farcical.

I felt sorry for David Silva yesterday he was magic in that opening spell but it was like he was one of the only players who remembered how to play the bloody game.

what i don't fuclin get, and excuse me since i didn't play this game growing up to have the background, is how does a player get to this level and isn't able to deliver a ball? i mean...i don't really give two fucls what position you play, should you not HAVE to have the basic skillset to be able to deliver some sort of ball into a forward players head or feet? i just don't really get it.

i mean, the fundamentals of this game are...kick the ball with your feet. WTF?

Is this indicative of the showboat/stepover culture or something where these kids want to learn a bag of tricks but can't be arsed to stand around and kick 100 balls to learn their trade? i just don't get it. Can't only be City suffering with this, but i honestly don't watch enough of other teams to note a trend beyond the fact that the rags and chelsea don't seem to have a problem with it.

what's the story?

cheers

Not sure about the whole story, but for some very strange and unidentifiable reason a lot of supposedly good players who can run and skin defenders simply cant contain themselves enough to concentrate at the right time to make sure they get a delivery.

This is nothing new either, in fact it has been a persistent problem for as long as i can remember, so much so that any player who actually can deliver the ball becomes identified as head and shoulders above the rest. Beckham could deliver a ball and at the mo Gareth Bale can, almost every other winger cant and there are a hell of a lot of them, people go on about them as brilliant and not one can consistently even get a cross in never mind hit a target.

while we are on the subject, Bale i have been watching over the last year or so and he virtually never fails to get the ball in the box one way or another, and more times than not in the right kind of place, compared with the norm he is phenominal.

The reason Beckham for example, could deliver a ball is that he realised the importance of it & spent hours & hours of his own time practicing it. Most of the 2nd rate wide players like Lennon & SWP had all the talent to do things Beckham can't but were either too stupid or too lazy to spend the same time Bekham did perfecting the bits that matter. That came from watching C****a out practicing when everyone else had gone home & changed the mentality of the club. Bergkamp had a similar effect at Arsenal.

AJ is a player with the world at his feet who looks as if it's his ambition to emulate Lennon & SWP & David Bentley rather than Beckham & so long as he gets praised for beating three men & kicking the ball into the stand or fall over then it's could be difficult to change it.

Half the people on here seem to think delivering a ball into the box is old fashioned anyway so perhaps we shouldn't worry.

I dont really think that people think good crosses etc into the box is out of date, maybe just that there are other ways as well. Anyway thats not the issue.. Your point about practicing till you drop is a good one and i wonder how much and how many players have done that over the years.. also your key point about players showing they can skin someone and then suddenly they are god.. that then encourages them to think that is it, they are there.. footballl idol.

I would be interested to find out what Bale does in terms of practice, because he has both improved and now very very rarely fails to get the ball into the box in a dangerous position.. even when he is at full pelt he can make sure he gets the ball right across the goal mouth and split the keeper / defence. At the moment the guy is 100% unique.

Beckham could never skin players but learnt to place the ball from anywhere so making himself dangerous just from that ability.

Take any other winger and it is the same old story. Walcott, Downing, Lennon, Bentley.. they are so inconsistent it beggars belief.