Do You Have A 'Guilty Pleasure' Player?

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Super Sunday League
I'd like to share the story of controversy that's rocked the Gainsborough & District Sunday football league.

My team, Marshalls Sports, are having a good season, standing at 3rd in Division One 6 points off the leaders with 2 games in hand. Our local rivals, Maltings FC, sit in 5th, just 3 points behind us.

On Sunday, the 2 sides met in the 4th round of the prestigious Presidents Cup for a place in the quarter finals. Marshalls raced into a 2-0 lead, and midway through the 2nd half should've been 3-0 and a man up when a Maltings defender hauled down our striker as the last man. After some pretty strong protests, the game continued, and Maltings came back to 2-2 and with minutes left, the defender who 20 minutes earlier should've been shown red, scored the winner and we were out of the cup.

At last night's league meeting however, Maltings were accused of playing an ineligible player, and have therefore been kicked out of the cup, with Marshalls re-instated. An appeal against the decision is being made by the Maltings management, but for now Marshalls Sports will line up in the quarter finals.

In the words of Sir Alex "Football, bloody hell what a game".
Joe (MSFC & MUFC)


Annoying Chants
Generic chant,
Geneeeric chaaaant,
Is anyone else sick of,
That generic chant?
Swappster


More 'Guilty Pleasure' Players
Oh how I wish my guilty pleasure player was Chicharito! I am also a Liverpool fan and have always endured a ridiculous joy from watching none other than Paul Scholes play.

Is it his quiet manner which reminds me of Liverpool past? Is it the fact that he was England and Man Utd's most significant player in the past twenty years to not also be a self-obsessed, half footballer/half model twunt (I'm looking at you Becks/Ronaldo)...Is it his loveable little face when he gets up and looks innocent and confused as the referee brandishes a red card for the worst challenge ever? Maybe it's just his silly hair, is it ginger? Is it yellow? If you had to describe the colour - I'd settle on "the inside of a crunchie bar".

He lit up the premier league for the better part of 15 years and was simply wonderful, exactly what I want a footballer to be - press shy, passionate and capable of delivering a blistering defence splitting pass or walloping the life out of a bloody ball from about 35yards. Big game/small game, it didn't matter, he just loves to play the game.

When I heard he was coming out of retirement I had to go into a secret place and celebrate. I had a shower afterwards it felt dirty.
Minty, LFC (I just wish he was scouse)


...Yes, indeed I do have a much loved rival player as a United fan, and that man is Didier Drogba.

Superficially, his main attraction is similar to that of the villains (or "heels" in the great sport's parlance) in wrestling - a charismatic maverick. However on a deeper level he's one of the few players out there who manage to be a great character in the game whilst avoiding being either:

a) A "company man", beloved of your more unimaginative type of neutral, who effectively would be the HR department's dream always-on-message wet blanket, who if you met them would be utterly worthless company (see Messi, Eduardo at Arsenal)

b) Clearly a bit of a tosser (Terry, Fabregas, Tevez)

So in that way he's very similar to dear Cristiano Ronaldo. Real rock stars of the game who deliver for their team and don't care whose noses they put out of joint whilst they do it.
Alex


... I must admit that even being a Utd fan, I have always enjoyed had a fondness for a certain Fernando Torres.

I remember being pleased that the Premier League (Liverpool) had pulled off somewhat of a coup by reversing the trend of players leaving the PL for La Liga, and was exactly what was needed to bring the PL up a level. His time at Liverpool was obviously, amazing for him, and I do actually feel sorry for him now at Chelsea and wish he would start scoring, although not enough that he starts doing so against Utd on Sunday.

The poor guy has to put up with such despicable people as Drogba, Cole and Terry, whereas he seems like a genuinely nice guy, and as Mark mentioned about Chicha, you don't seem to hear about night club episodes etc. which I think probably has a lot to do with liking a rivlas player.

I also want him to start scoring as I fear that otherwise, other talented La Liga players may think there is no point in trying out English football as they will not be able to adapt. So perhaps my fondness has some selfishness in there as well, but none the less, it's still not easy to admit it!
Andrew, (Manc in excile, Oslo, Norway)


... I support Spurs. I therefore dislike Arsenal.

I like RvP.
Jon (Shamed, disowned, dirty) Lincoln


... Even though he's the symbol of the transformation of Arsenal to the team that somehow people actually like I have to say I have a huge admiration for the resolutely earthbound Dennis Bergkamp.

Brilliant goals for Holland (his v, Argentina is probably my favourite ever by anyone not wearing a Spurs shirt) some more than decent, if less than welcome moments at club level, grace, skill, snide elbows - he had the lot.

He'd also top my list of 'players that played for the wrong club' as he should have been filling out the Hoddle, Gazza, Ginola, Sheringham, Berbatov, van der Vaart list if there was any respect for tradition.
Audrey S. Thackeray (bloomin' foreigners coming over here making us eat croissants and having Arsenal play football), N17


The Worst Trainer
Re: Mike, Auckland Blue. A few weeks ago, at the height of Carroll's malaise for Liverpool, Pepe Reina was invited onto Soccer AM to answer questions on his teammates, as they do. Normally, Soccer AM and its terrible attempt at entertainment would be of no interest to me, but there was an answer which caught my attention. In response to the question of who the worst trainer at Liverpool is, Pepe actually said, in all seriousness, Andy Carroll!

I have no sympathy for someone trying to justify his still-barely-believable pricetag who does f*ck-all work on the training ground which is why I'll still happily laugh at him for being awful.
Alex G, THFC


The Board Need To Give Wenger An Ultimatum
One point gained for 2012 for the gooners.

I'm worried, very very worried. I was looking at the fixture list for Arsenal yesterday prior to the Bolton game and thinking that the next few matches (Bolton, Blackburn etc) were relative bankers and that we would be able to make up ground on Chelsea after their own disappointing draw against Swansea. Then reality bites this morning to find us 7th, 5 points behind Chelsea with an inferior goal difference. Not insurmountable you might say, however...

Of the four league games this year Arsenal should have really been looking at nine points. Granted, the three games against "inferior" opposition were away from home and Swansea are clearly no mugs, but the Arsenal of old I don't think would have had a problem. Also, a draw at Bolton wouldn't ordinarily be a bad result.

The trouble is that we aren't taking points off the teams above us either. In the seven games against the top six, we've picked up just 4 points out of a possible 21. There's no way we're going to catch Spurs and so realistically we're chasing down Chelsea, alongside Liverpool and Newcastle. Keep on dropping points needlessly and it's game over for champions league and maybe even Europa. Frankly, I think Sunderland have got a better chance on current form.

What needs to change? Deadwood needs to go (the usual suspects); Wenger needs to stop wasting money on "prospects" (eisfeld(the new bischoff?), park(will he ever play?)) and the board need to grow some balls and give Wenger an ultimatum and/or finances to pay asking prices and salaries. Otherwise we're screwed.
Andy Smith (Scunthorpe)


The Grass Isn't Always Greener
To start, i am not an Arsenal fan. I don't care if they slip into oblivion to be honest. But what i do say to all Arsenal supporters calling for Wenger's head, or to similar "supporters" of clubs who deem their clubs not to be performing to their potential and often demand the impossible - be careful what you wish for, it might just come true.

Martin O Neill at Villa, Benitez at Pool (with Hodgson to follow), Pardew at West Ham - the list is endless. For those calling for his head, do you honestly think that anyone better than Wenger is going to be clamouring to manage your club once you finish 7th and RVP leaves? Would you prefer millions to be thrown away for a short term gain? Only for it not to work? Or to finish 5th? And for your club to settle into a relegation fight year in year out, and when a top 10 becomes an achievement? I am aware supporting your club is an emotional attachment but better the devil you know! History has a way of repeating itself.
Ryan


Better Than Counting Sheep
While there are many gooners that would regard our glorious leader as the greatest manager in the club's history, I sometimes like to assemble my all-time worst Arsenal XI when I can't sleep - it's better than counting sheep.

Here's mine: Almunia, Djourou, Lydersen, Cygan, Caesar, Malz, Bischoff, Crowe, Walcott, Carter, Park.

Granted, some of them played under Graham but quite a few of them were/are Wenger boys. Conclusive proof that Arsene Wenger is not the messiah - he's a sh*t manager.
Graham Simons, Gooner, Norf London


Optimism
Spurs confirm signing of the captain of the ONLY undefeated team at the last World Cup.

Good signing....(ahem...)
Richard (glass half full), Spurs Supporter.


Just You
Does anyone else find it annoying when during a highlights package of a game they insist on putting "Second Half" on the screen?

It's bloody obvious it's the second-half, the teams are playing in opposite directions. Are football fans really that thick?
The Tubbster (maybe we should have "First Half" displayed as well?)


Not So Mental
Re. Transfer Window Review - 'No "big-signing" to boost Spurs' first title challenge in years', I'll say two words: Faustino Asprilla!

I actually think the Saha and Ryan Nelsen deals are not as strange as they appear. Pavlyuchenko wanted to leave and as we got a good bid for him it was time to let him go. I think Spurs have an excellent first 11 and due to there being very little movement in this transfer window we had limited options with which to replace him.

Saha - whoever we brought in is only there to play second fiddle to Adebayor and needed to be able to play with Defoe and VDV. He also needed to be someone who is not likely to disrupt the harmony of the team plus he will have to prove himself in order to earn a longer contract.

Regarding Nelson, Spurs have Gallas, Dawson, Kaboul and King and we just needed a bit of experience and cover thus allowing us to send Bassong to Wolves. None of these moves are particularly inspiring and I doubt either player will play much (if at all). Of course I may be completely wrong and Ledley might just want someone to play battleships with in the treatment room.
Chris, (Looking forward to St Arsenal's Day) London