SC Soccer Forums SCSoccer.com Forums College, Pro & International Soccer What A Year For British Football

Here we are with April looming and with usually only Man U{recently} alive at this time of year in Europe--5 British teams still survive.
Regardless of the outcome of the ties to be played in a couple of weeks,congratulations to Arsenal,Liverpool,Chelsea,Newcastle United and Celtic.Arsenal and the Magpies certainly look favored to progress.Good luck to all.

Anthony, I couldn't agree more -- well done UK!!!

On the EPL front, Arsenal (21-0-7, 70 PTS) now leads Chelsea (19-5-4) by nine points and Manchester United (18-5-5) by 12 with only 10 matches remaining in the Baryclay Card Premiership. Amazingly, the Gunners have also more than doubled the points total of 11 EPL clubs (Tottenham, Middlesbrough, Bolton, Southampton, Everton, Blackburn, Manchester City, Leicester, Portsmouth, Wolverhampton, and Leeds).

Arsenal FC is also in the quarterfinals of the Champions League where the boys from Highbury will face London rivals Chelsea.

The Gunners are also involved with the FA Cup as the two-time defending champions of England's oldest trophy will square off against Manchester United at Villa Park in the semifinals.

Go Gunners!

Before singing the praises of "British Football" - have a closer look at the managers and players on said teams - not exactly predominantly British now are they??

Eyebrows were raised in the UK a few weeks ago when they realised that Steve McLaren (Boro) was the first English manager to lift a trophy since Brian Little (Aston Villa) back in the early/mid '90s (ha hah hah)!!!

Out of the teams named by Mr.Pelton only Newcastle are managed by an Englishman - all the rest are foreign (Northern Irish, Scottish, French x2 and Italian).

We'll see how well they do at the Euros.

Af

And yes, I am still bitter that Ireland didn't qualify...but that was Mick McCarthys fault not Brian Kerr.

Sadly,some of what Mr.Foley says is true.But such is the state of the game today.Lucrative contracts in many cases fueled by TV money have lured many countryman abroad.
Celtic's 67 European Cup championship team was dominated by Scots,followed by Man.U.in 68{either English,Scottish or Irish}.I don't know if we will ever see that again.
Too bad about Ireland,they defend very well,but attack ineffectivly.

Thats a bit unfair about Ireland - McCarthy stitched Roy Keane and the rest of the country up two years ago - but thats another story. We've got a lot of VERY young and VERY TALENTED players - Damien Duff, Robbie Keane, Clinton Morrison, Liam Miller, Shay Given, John O'Shea and Andy O'Brien!!!

Germany 2006 watch out!!!

Plus England will never play us cos they know we'll kill them - like we were doing the last time til they tore our stadium up (literally).

Af

Anthony, one other thing - maybe in 1990 that "defend well but attack ineffectively" comment would be merited, but not anymore - we actually play football now and are attractive to watch!!

Plus, the contract thing - what is making the English twitchy is that they are being managed by a Swede, their top domestic managers are all foreign (excl. Bobby) and there is no English manager doing well anywhere else of any note!! Poor old England - my heart goes out to them......ha hahahahhaah!!! Hope France hockey them in the Euro opening game - Henry hat-trick and Zizou to get two!!

Af

a.foley....I will try and get my head out of the encyclopedia if you promise not to throw any more stones while living in your glass house!

"Before singing the praises of "British Football" - have a closer look at the managers and players on said teams - not exactly predominantly British now are they??"

What an amzing quote to come from a man who is from the Emerald Isle! Your most succesfull ever national team was managed by an Englishman (Jack Charlton) Full of English born players like Townsend (maidstone, thats next to dublin right!!!?) now your team is full of 'stars' Such as Clinton Morrison (wheres his charming Irish brouge? oh thats right he was born in tooting!) and Matty Holland, who was in fact born in the rolling hills of Bury!

Alas, i am not afraid to admit that the Irish are always a tough and formidable test for anyone (see the result against Brazil when they should have won)but where do you think the likes of Duff and O'Shea learnt their trade? the answer is at British clubs! Roy keane was 19 when he came to Forest, was he the finished article? Maybe the success of the Irish national team has more to do with British clubs than you give them credit for.

Roll on the Euros!

Must admit I have not seen them play in awhile.I know Duff and Miller are players and would certainly help your attack.
Was at the 94 World Cup match up with Holland in Orlando.Jackie Charlton was obviously well thought of and his team was exceptionally organized when the ball was turned over,but they only seemed to probe at the Dutch defense and upon losing the ball were determined to get 10 men behind it.
Patty Bonner cost you dearly that day and after a Dutch second the Irish had no choice but to push up to get back in it.Looked hesitant and uncomfortable on the attack,but then they didn't have the players you have spoken of.
I wish the Irish luck and for that matter any of the teams on the two islands I generally pull for when the U.S. has been eliminated from play.It would be nice to see the Welsh do well in a big competition--they have pieced together a nice team.

No you didn't!!!

Jimmy, whilst sitting in Lansdowne Rd during Ireland recent 3-0 victory over Canada I was reading the match program - and you know what I noticed?? All of our crap players are born in England - Gary Breen, Matt Holland, Clinton Morisson etc.(I included him in the "good players" only b/c he played well vs Brazil, I still hate him tho).

Now, the 1990 world cup, Jack Charlton has gone from being loved, to hated here, Keano took him (and a few others) down in his book. He played a "style" of football that bypassed all of our most gifted players (Whelan, Sheedy, Houghton) and went against the way most of them played the game at club level. Lumping the ball forward to the big men up front was a sad sad way to play football when there's players such as those mentioned, plus Paul McGrath, Kevin Moran and Terry Phelan who were all very good on the deck.

PLUS - on this subject, where's Michael Owen from again?? Oh yeah, Wales isn't it. Where was Owne Hargreaves born??? Canada. Wayne Rooney qualified to play for us. Go back to singing your "two world wars and one world cup" song. England, gifted individual players, but it NEVER comes together for them!! hahahahah....thats what I love, and of course, the Jackeens always have somebody else to blame (Waddle '90, Southgate '96,Becks '98, Seaman '02) - I was scratching my head about 1994, and then I remembered that ye didn't qualify!!! hahahah!!

Af

France 5-0 England
Henry 3 Beckham missed pen (35,46)
Zizou 2

a.foley, last time i checked Chester was still in England:

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/player?id=7930&cc=5739

Terry Phealen-good on the deck??!?!? The 'whippet'couldnt pass gas let alone a soccer ball

Kevin Moran-Good on the deck!?!?!?!
are you suggesting the big man was cultured?

God McGrath-Good on the deck?
Yes God could play

Doesnt it say something about your national team that "all our crap players" as you so eloquently put it are form England, yet they all get a game?! Oh and your right about Morrison, he couldnt hit a barn door with a shovel.

Like it or not (and im sure you will go with not) your most succesfull manager was an Englishman...Wheres your gratitude!!

How dare you say that we all chant anti german/french/irish/scots/welsh songs!
It's "Two world wars and TWO world cups".....Remember Johhny Wilkinson!!

As for 94, seems a long way off now that the Euros are nearly here!!

The only way Clinton Morrison and his other "Irish" team mates will be there is if he jets off to the algarve for his summer holidays!