04/23/24
July 16, 2005
Liverpool consider deal to bring unhappy Owen home : The EPL is only a month away (if it ever really went away) and there's quite a bit of movement on the transfer front. Liverpool fans, would you welcome Owen back? Is Peter Crouch the answer? (IMO, only if the question is who is the most overrated, one-season wonder currently playing?) Surely no one would be silly enough to blow bucks on Luis Figo? I thought the Premiership had moved on from the days when it was a pension-fund for over the hill continental stars. By the way, no one has mentioned the departure of Vieira from Arsenal, do you think Arsene knows what he's doing? Is PV a spent force? Wasn't he Tony Adamson's appointed successor? What's gone wrong? Is Jermaine Jenas really being considered as his replacement? Say it ain't so!
Despite the annual speculation about Vieira, I was still surprised at his transfer. It's not everyday that a club sells its captain. I'm not really sure how this will affect Arsenal. I'm sure Paddy's leadership will be missed, but he certainly wasn't the same player last year as he had been for Arsenal. He used to be simply imperious in the midfield. No one could say that about him last season. Arsene knows. I can't think of a single player that he has sold that went on to better years than he had with Arsenal (maybe Anelka, but Overmars, Petit anyone?). Maybe Vieira needed a new challenge. As for Jenas, I doubt that Wenger will buy a player in the same mold, especially an overpriced English player whose name doesn't include Wright as part of it. Fabregas is a prodigious talent and I'm looking forward to him play this season. And Flamini proved that he isn't a liability either. It's still a bit of a shock. But this Arsenal fan thanks Paddy and wishes him luck in Turin. Go Gunners!
posted by trox at 11:50 AM on July 16, 2005
I don't think we need Owen. With Baros, Cisse, Morientes, le Tallec, and possibly Figo on a free, it'll be fine. Looks like Benitez might consider a loan move, but Madrid won't. And Benitez sure as heck ain't gonna shell out money like the 8m he got for Owen. I've always wondered about that Crouch deal, but maybe he's just good cover, a good tall target man to draw attention from the other strikers, or, hey, the go-to guy when we have to play the wallop-it-down-the-park match in the EPL. Vieira was definitely a surprise. And so quietly done, too. Anyway, looks like Arsenal ain't putting that much stock in Jenas. They're going hot and heavy for Brazil midfielder and Sevilla striker Julio Baptista with the money they got for Paddy.
posted by worldcup2002 at 07:34 PM on July 16, 2005
Owen can come home but not if we have to pay much of a fee. I don't see him as really more useful than Baros but if Baros is determined to leave than I'd use his fee to get #10 back. BBC Sunday Gossip says Sir Alex is the one itching to sign him anyway. Viera leaving was a bit of a surprise though I guess between Flamini, Fabregas and Helb he thought better to take the huge chunk of change now while it's on the table. Question: Is Van der Sar the answer at Old Trafford? Personally, I don't seem him as a huge improvement over Howard.
posted by billsaysthis at 05:36 PM on July 17, 2005
Is Van der Sar the answer at Old Trafford? Personally, I don't seem him as a huge improvement over Howard. I was surprised Timmy did as well as he did his first season with United. He was a very good 'keeper in MLS but IMO not the best at the time...I thought Zach Thornton was better. I think Timmy was on such an adrenalin rush just from being signed in England that he performed well above his abilities...and then Rio went out on the drug test fiasco and I think that really effected Howard. A 'keeper has to have confidence in the players in front of him as well as himself and even though he held it together well until the end of his first season, the cracks started to show at the beginning of last year. Timmy lost belief in his defense and then himself, and he hasn't been the same since. I think van der Sar can make a difference with his experience and belief. Howard's only 26...a young pup in 'keeper years...and I still think he'll be really good. But for now, for this United team, I think van der Sar is a good signing. One more thing: there's a reason Timmy only has 12 caps.
posted by Texan_lost_in_NY at 07:02 PM on July 17, 2005
Yeah, let's get Owen back. While we're about it, we should re-sign Fowler and McMannaman too. David James would probably come back - and let's not foget to scoop up Patrick Berger. Then we can get back to the good old days when the highlight of our season was to beat Newcastle 4-3 at Anfield each year and to hell with winning trophies. Owen and Crouch are both over-rated. The former always has been, the latter probably always will be (in a Nail Quinn kind of way).
posted by JJ at 04:09 AM on July 18, 2005
I'm not a 'pool fan but would think Owen back in the team would be a major boost. Crouch might be suitable for a team in the bottom half but I don't see that he has the talent to be anything more than a novelty act. And...I can't seem to get this image out of my head. Has a footballer ever struck such an awkward pose? The Viera saga has been just that for 5 summers now and I think once he finally agreed to leave arse for the old lady many people thought it was about time. Who knows what's in Wenger's head. I agree with Lee Dixon's comment that "for the last two seasons I think Patrick has dipped below his own standards." Wenger is a great manager though and I don't know of another who is as astute at bringing in unknowns and turning them into very useful players. That being said, I still have no idea why Arsenal would let him leave, especially since Viera himself will pocket 6m pounds of the transfer fee.