Comments on: Capello On England Lookout – Why He Watched United Not Arsenal

By: Scott the Red

Scott the Red — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 01:09:05 +0000

You think Capello was there “just as much” to see Gareth Barry as he was Wayne Rooney? Honestly?

By: Carl

Carl — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 00:24:47 +0000

Yes, fergy is a good manager, but i’ve always thought he’s not too canny in the transfer market. He pays huge amounts for great players, unlike wenger who plays virtually nothing for players that he then makes great.

I’m a villa fan myself, so don’t blast me for my opinions on that. Villa ar a team nurturing talent, doesn’t seem like manchester united are really. I also like how you completely breezed over the fact that Capello would have been there as much to see Barry, Young and Gabby as he was to see wayne.

By: Salford Red.

Salford Red. — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 15:58:52 +0000

Dear Eddy,
As you know in the near distant past United nutured a collection of great English players. An example of which will probably never be seen again. But recently we have relied on buying English talent at exorbitant prices. There is no denying this, but this wasn’t my point. Fergie has, rightly or wrongly, gone on record stating that we plan to buy domestic players. This is exactly what we’ve done and the clubs concerned have been greatly renumerated. The underlying philosophy is still the big fish eating the little one’s (witness the current Anelka and Berbatov situation) and it must p**s off the match going fans of such clubs greatly, but at least these clubs have a hefty transfer fee to plough in their relative acadamies, transfer budgets ground improvements etc… This is what i meant by nuturing the domestic game. Unlike Arsenal who sweep the globe looking for talent at smaller clubs in less-developed countires, turn the head of the player, and pay the selling club little or no transfer fee. Come on Ed i thought you Islington intellectuals would be well versed in fair-trade arguments. To answer your return point before you make it -coz you gooners are so predictable- Yes United have done this in the past. But we have not done this in the near recent future, and according to Fergie do not plan to.

By: Tom F

Tom F — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 19:38:01 +0000

Eddy Weddy, I argued a point. You believe he stayed at United for the money? Not because he has always been passionate to play for Manchester United? Not because he is now imbedded in their history? Not because he has worked under the one of the all time greats? Nuturing young talent is what Manchester United are known for over the years, ever since the Busby days. it’d be too easy to Pick out the likes of Neville, Scholes, Beckham, Butt etc. With the youth systems in this country in such a state it’s still quite refreshing to see young players like Gibson, Evans, Simpson, Cathcart, Lee, Campbell coming through our very own ranks and doing well. Manchester United do bring a lot of good players through, admittidly Manchester United is a club challenging on the world stage, so some of these great talents may not always see out many years at Old Trafford, but we are doing it, that’s no fault of our youth system just the fact that we are a massive club. You do have to over-pay for English players, but to be fair Theo Walcott was a bargain!

As for:

Rooney £28 million(once a Blue always a Blue)
Ferdinand £28 million
Hargreaves £20 million

Well, those prices may look high but the three players right there are the three BEST English players in their respective positions, their talent and input on the field will pay off their transfer fees no problem at all.

So stop getting Arsey Warsey.

By: Scott the Red

Scott the Red — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 18:06:21 +0000

Eddy – you conveniently ignored the fact that he’s snubbed Inter Milan to earn larger sums of money on several occasions. Is that how you debate football? Take on the points you feel you can answer, then ignore the ones that fault your argument?

By: Eddy

Eddy — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 17:30:20 +0000

Gigsy Wigsy took a pay cut at the age of 33….wow,no doubt there are huge list of clubs waiting top pay a 33 year old £50 k a week!
According to the last deluded writer Salford Red seems to believe “that you are nurturing English talent”….once again at the risk of sounding boring which players are Manchester United nurturing that didn’t cost them an absolute fortune ie
Rooney £28 million(once a Blue always a Blue)
Ferdinand £28 million
Hargreaves £20 million
Carrick £20 million
that my deluded is not nurturing …..it’s overpaying.

By: Salford Red.

Salford Red. — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 15:34:43 +0000

Strange how Arsenal fans have all morphed into commited internationalists keen to disavow any notions of thickheaded nationalism. I remember Mary Ridell of the Observer writing that arsenal were the epitome of what modern Brtain should aspire to be: tolerant, progressive, sophisticated. I always remember that when arsenal fans hiss at spurs supporters. As will be the practice tonight. In many ways arsenal do epitomize modern britain. Specifically in an economic sense: refusal to trade in, or utilize, domestic products or services. A refusal to acknowledge the effect this has on the wider community; and a tendency to buy cheap foreign imports to achieve short-term results rather than invest time and money in nuturing domestic talent. The irony being that arsenal spin this policy as a noble cause: using intelligence and thrift to overcome teams who ,far exceed in them in resources. In reality Wegner buys young players from smaller clubs who, to utilize a clumsy phrase, have “done all the hard work” and then, this next point not being in doubt, turns them into in many cases world class players. The smaller clubs who having enstilled the habits and techniques which stay with a player the rest of their playing life, receive little to no compensation via a transfer fee. It is for this reason that a footballing icon called Platini chose to go on record and slate arsenal transfer philosophy and practices. Top level football is an uncomfortable dirty dirty game. And arsenal hands are dirtier than most. And it must be weird having no english players in your team. As much as match-going reds like to challenge the concept there is a sense of englishness that, regardless of race or creed, bounds the majority of people in this country together. Shared communalities and experience which are specific to english citizens alone. These factors are now more diverse than the warm beer, gin in tea cups, cricket on the village green cliches which a tedious succession of cockney bands celebrated, and encompass a wide variey of cultures . But running through them is a core of englishness, that english citizens, whether indigenously born or emigrated here, can emphasize with. That’s why you took that garden wall bothering Adams and Ian Wright to your heart. By the way i work with the homeless and do you know were currently running a poster campaign to actively warn them of the dangers of Alan Davies.

By: Arselicked

Arselicked — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 08:47:32 +0000

The truth is the truth but the way this fact is repeatedly being mentioned everytime the England (Not UK) team is considered, you would think;

1) England is failing because Arsenal has got less English players than other teams,

2) Arsenal is turning away English players and embracing foreign players

Guys beware what you wish for, it might happen. Wenger is doing a great job for Arsenal FC. Everytime this so-called foreign team is playing at the Emirates the stadium is full. In September 2007 AFC was stated as the 2nd club with the largest revenue turnover, at +200m pounds. Obviously the club is still paying off the debt of building the new stadium but ones that is achieved, the possibilities for the club will be limitless.

Now if i may ask, where is Leeds United? Isn’t it possible that what happened to Leeds can happen to Man-U? If Alex was faced with the same situation wouldn’t you appreciate if he could sell all the highest paid players and bring in quality lower paid players?

Before you answer, don’t forget that QUALITY ENGLISH PLAYERS ARE EXPENSIVE , just look at how much we paid for potential, 12m pounds at 16years old!!!!!!!!!!!!

By: Tom F

Tom F — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 23:12:24 +0000

Well, one of Manchester Uniteds true legends who has remmained loyal to United since the day he arrived was once offered a huge payrise and transfer fee by Tottenham Hotspur. A Team with far less financial backing, a player who spent most of his match days starting on the bench. He has now retired due to injury and will remain at United for a while yet, because he loves the club, yes he is foreign, yes he is Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. LEGEND.

The way Patrice Evra has talked about feeling ‘Mancunian’ and as though he wants to soak up the Manchester United history, reading about the past and ingraining it into him just shows that it isn’t always about money.

We are a big club with great financial resources that a lot of clubs could only dream of, but our money has been earnt over the years.

It is a fact that Arsenal are full of foreign players and Manchester United have a great core of British players, Arsenal fans get very defensive over the sentence which is just stating fact. Nobody has said Arsenal are shit for it. Also, There is no excuse for England and their under performing, it isn’t because Arsenal have team full of foreigners, it’s because Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool as well as the other teams contributing players to the England squad cannot play as a team, we have such a great team on paper but there is no motivation.

Good point about the “yid” chants Scott, it is always okay when they’re giving but as soon as it is aimed at them everybody is a racist.

By the way, Giggsy Wigsy has played at the highest level for years, he will become that most played star in MUFC history and to say he has never had his loyalty tested is quite amusing. He has kept the ability to perform week in, week out by giving up the booze and chicks high rolling lifestyle and now look at him. He has outclassed every player to ever play in the Premier League, that’s my opinion but his professionalism has paid him well, that is loyalty.

By: Scott the Red

Scott the Red — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 22:57:27 +0000

Eddy – Giggs took a cut in salary so that he could get a two year deal, instead of the usual one year deal we offer to players over 30, a couple of seasons ago.

Inter Milan have tried to sign him several times during his career, undoubtedly offering him larger wages than we would pay. He turned them down every time.

So when you say Giggs’ loyalty hasn’t been tested, what exactly are you talking about?? And stop it with the Giggsy wigsy, makes me feel uncomfortable.