August 6, 2003

Veron set for Chelsea Medical. : Man U lets another player go. This time with a little less fanfare. I recall some "whipers" that Ferguson didn't much like Beckham getting as much credit as he did for the club's success. Sans Beckham and Veron will Ferguson get his "due"? Or does this change anything at all?

read story | posted by lilnemo to Soccer at 1:53 PM CDT (16 comments total)

I'm a Soccer newbie...
be gentle....

posted by lilnemo at 1:58 PM CDT on August 6

Beckham shouldn't have gotten ANY credit...

I am sorry to see Veron leave Man U...i don't like Man U, but i fucking HATE Chelsea...

posted by StarFucker at 2:05 PM CDT on August 6

Veron is a very good signing for Chelsea, in my opinion. I'm willing to put my e-reputation where my mouth is, and I've picked him for my fantasy team. (I picked him on the assumption he would move, since I figured he wouldn't get enough games at Man Utd.) I don't expect Chelsea to win the league this year. They've brought in too many faces for that.

lilnemo, I think there's something to what you say about Lord Fergie and his distain for "superstar" players. That's not why he's got rid of Veron though. He just thought Veron hadn't played well enough.

posted by salmacis at 2:14 PM CDT on August 6

You are too unkind to Beckham, old chap, the guy has heatt and soul, never gives up. He has rescued many a lost cause for Manure and England, by example and attitude as much as skill.

Uniteds midfield is looking a bit prosaic, and today was the last chance to buy if a player is to be available for the champions league.

Fergie is a pillock, so I hope he gets his comeuppance this year, but none of the rivals look brilliant, including Chelsea. All this buying by Ranieri puts me in mind of a chimp hammering madly away at a typewriter and hoping to produce a masterpiece.

Blues to finish in the top ten, mark my words.

lilnemo, will you be posting on every sport, if so I might attempt a cricket link.

posted by Fat Buddha at 2:20 PM CDT on August 6

lilnemo: what's a whiper?

FB: heatt?

hee hee. i like this thread. it rokcs!

Man U certainly has not made a big splash this offseason. two big names out, a couple of smaller names in. Liverpool signs a big name, Chelsea signs several big names but loses a couple, Newcastle adds a big name (Bowyer, though whether that was a good addition or not is up for debate). Well, Arsenal haven't really made a splash either so maybe things are just fine at Old Trafford.

Should be interesting to see what happens. Storylines have alreayd been set up.

(what a jrek, picking on spelling)

posted by gspm at 2:37 PM CDT on August 6

I was gonna post something about this earlier. But I'm glad you did. So, good job, lilnemo!

Anyway, Chelski will have spent 75 million pounds by the time they wrap up the Veron purchase. They've filled four outside positions already with Johnson and Bridge in defence, Geremi and Duff in midfield. Now they've got Joe Cole as an attacking midfielder and Veron as the midfield lynchpin.

Is Chelski done? Who else will they buy?

I can't wait to see what happens in their first match of the season, against Liverpool no less. Whoa! Liverpool just asked 11 million pounds for Heskey but were rejected by Lyons.

I also thought you were gonna ask about how this affects Man U's midfield with Becks and Seba gone, but it Ferguson believes he has an embarrassment of riches in that department. He still has Keane, Giggs, Scholes and Djemba-Djemba (and maybe Kleberson?). All he needs is Keane to get hurt and Man U will be in trouble. We shall see.

posted by worldcup2002 at 2:40 PM CDT on August 6

btw, FB I'm all for Blues in the top 10.

But, the Reds (that's Liverpool, and not the Devils) are, and shall be, no. 1.

posted by worldcup2002 at 2:43 PM CDT on August 6

wc2002 Djemba Djemba is a defensive midfielder and is no replacement for Beckham nor Veron. Giggs would play anyway, so again, is no replacement for the pair.
I think Fergie has cocked up.

gspm, heatt is a quaint old English term for heart of fire, I thought everyone knew that?

posted by Fat Buddha at 2:46 PM CDT on August 6

Just happened upon this, by Rod Liddle, in the Guardian:

Why support Man United?

The football season is upon us once more and one is again forced to ask the question: what on earth is the point of supporting Manchester United, aside from the boring certitude that they will win everything?

This is a club which feels no compunction about robbing its "supporters" blind. It will fix the prices of club merchandise (and suffer a record fine for doing so) and cheerfully take you, the fan, for every penny you've got. And that's because you are not seen as a "supporter", but as a "consumer".

It's a club which also feels perfectly at liberty to flog its most popular player, in humiliating circumstances - not for reasons of economy but because of the manager's consuming hubris. You think he, or the club, gives a toss what you want?

If you doubt me, listen to your best remaining player, Roy Keane, raging against the thousands of corporately entertained monkeys chewing their prawn sandwiches, wholly indifferent to the game. Maybe they're buying into the agreeable concept of success, the ability to live one's life vicariously through the glittering achievements of big business, but that's not supporting a football team, as most people understand the concept.

So rip up your membership card. And support your local team, wherever it may be. If you live in London, come down to the New Den and pledge your soul to Millwall. The shirts are cheaper and the outcome of each match is not pre-ordained. This year we're going up. Maybe. Who knows? That's the point, not really knowing, isn't it?

And for Man Utd, by the way, read Chelsea and a whole bunch of others.

posted by Fat Buddha at 3:11 PM CDT on August 6

"Whats a whiper?"

Blast!

posted by lilnemo at 3:26 PM CDT on August 6

FATBUDDHA-
This one's for you. It's OT, but I shouldn't be hogging the FP.

posted by lilnemo at 3:32 PM CDT on August 6

That's not why he's got rid of Veron though. He just thought Veron hadn't played well enough.

Didn't Veron sit nursing injuries?
Once he was well, he wasn't played much either IIRC.
If not someone correct me.

posted by lilnemo at 3:42 PM CDT on August 6

The plot thickens.

Mighty big of Fergie to help out old Chelski eh?

posted by lilnemo at 3:53 PM CDT on August 6

The perceived problem with Veron is that he goes missing in big matches. Centre midfield is possibly the most important position on the field. Boss that, and you dictate the rest of the play. Veron was fine in games where Man Utd where expected to win, but the great players are supposed to play better when it matters.

For what it's worth, I still think Veron is a great player, and Man Utd's style just didn't suit him. If he's good enough for Argentina and Lazio, he's good enough for Chelsea.

He'd better be, or he won't be my fantasy team long..

posted by salmacis at 3:56 PM CDT on August 6

Pick your Chelsea XI (BBC rules!) Nice interface with some cool surprises: After you've picked your team, you can shuffle the players around by (1) switching formations or (2) either dragging and dropping player X to Y intra-team or dragging substitute Z to team player X (they will automatically switch places).

Of course, if the game would then automatically play matches and spit out scores, my life would be complete.

posted by worldcup2002 at 11:35 AM CDT on August 7

Dang! They should do this for all teams!

posted by worldcup2002 at 11:36 AM CDT on August 7

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