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Forget The Owen Nonsense
Right, can we all please come to an agreement on one important issue regarding Michael Owen and the World Cup:
The argument put forth by Dave in this morning's mailbox (as well as by moronic journalists like Henry Winter) that goes 'I'd back him ahead of Defoe to score against Brazil in the last minute' is the most mindlessly stupid one imaginable. Firstly, all available statistics would indicate that only an idiot would choose the Owen of 09/10 ahead of the Defoe of 09/10. Secondly, who chooses a World Cup squad on a ridiculously unlikely hypothetical scenario that occurs in the 90th minute against Brazil? England probably won't even play Brazil, let alone get a game-deciding chance against them in the last minute.
Stop living in some fantasy world, where decisions are based on magical events possibly, maybe, potentially happening. Defoe scores goals now. Owen doesn't. It's just a hunch but I strongly suspect we might be better off if we start basing decisions on facts, rather than fantasy.
Ciaran Walsh
...This is the second time I am writing something similar, so sorry there. But this is for Dave (no I have nothing better to do...)
Many ManUnited fans (and others too) tend to mention that they would like Owen in the World Cup because they will 'back him to score against Brazil in the last minute' (and not, say, Defoe). That reminds me that an injury-ravaged, slowed down old goal-poacher (indeed, arguably the best goal-poacher the world seen in the last 10-20 years, possibly ever) is banging them in for fun at Corinthians in Brazil (something Owen isn't doing, incidentally; not yet at least)...And he does not have a whiff of a chance for a place in the World Cup for Brazil.
Lesson - Form and fitness over luck. So many makeshifts fitted into the team, just to ensure the last-minute thing against Brazil? Think of it, you have Argentina in the second round, and Messi is running at Barry/ Lescott...You can lose it all there. And carrying Owen to the finals for that last-minute miracle might come up three rounds short.
Jaxx [{()}] B
...Dave in this morning's mailbox really ground my gears; why do people keep looking for a way to crowbar Owen into the England squad?!
As a diehard Manchester United supporter, I would like to state that, City goal aside, he has been absolute toilet for us. It's nearly December now, and he's stayed relatively injury free, so I don't want to hear 'unfit' bleatings. His goal record isn't great so far, and he has offered little to suggest that his prowess in front of goal will ever truly return. Then we come to the link-up play....Good lord, it's abysmal. The amount of times an attack broke down at the weekend because he miscontrolled it/misplaced his pass/dummied it to no one was unreal. We are a much better side when Berba plays instead of him, and it's hardly like Berba is setting the world on fire with his performances.
I said it when we bought him, and I stick by it now; He's a spent force, a washed up has been of a one-trick pony who has subsequently lost most of the 'trick' (i.e. his pace!).
Lewis, Busby Way
...I know that we all like to pen our own England squads in our head but Dave (no I have nothing better to do....)'s has to be one of the most ridiculous I have seen. Six strikers!! We all know Rooney is guaranteed a starting place to that leaves five strikers for one position in the team which is simply not a viable option. If you take Michael Owen out of that squad in return for a midfielder/defender then it makes some sort of sense but with Defore, Crouchy and even Carlton Cole scoring goals he is simply not needed.
I think this obsession with Owen needs to end. The fact that David N'Gog has scored has a better goals-to-minutes ratio which I think says it all. We always hear the argument of Owen's 'great movement' but if he's not scoring goals in a free scoring United team then there is no reason to take him. Defoe is the better poacher/finisher/fox in the box and this should not even be up for debate.
Yes Michael Owen was a great finisher in his day, but that was a decade ago. If he goes to South Africa then why not bring back Gazza, Lineker and Shearer? The past is the past and Owen's career in an England shirt is over.
Efe (keep an eye out for the Glory Hornet Boys this Year), Watford
No Place In Chelsea Midfield For Ribery
Given constant speculation and the reporte failed 70m bid last summer, where exactly would the undoubtedly brilliant Ribery fit in to Chelsea's midfield diamond? There is no way it could be argued that he could fit into the roles currently performed by Essien, Lampard or Ballack. Though there is license in this system for a position with more attacking license, the current choices (Malouda and Joe Cole) are hardly touchline-hugging wingers as Ribery undoubtedly is.
Hence, the only conclusion I can think to draw is thank Mr. Abramovich is perhaps demanding a 'marquee' signing of this sort. Ancelotti being manager famed for sticking to his preferred system would surely not be happy with such intrusion.
Though it all seems rosy 'down the Bridge' at the mo, was this not exactly the case before a certain Special One finally had enough of a certain Russian's meddling??
Pete (MUFC but poking his nose in for no apparent reason) Wilton
Hart Out? Not This Season
Regarding Jack Griff's regrettful call for Hart to be sacked I have to disagree. If this had have been last season I would have agreed due to his negative tactics at home forcing me to watch us play three defensive midfielders. However this season I have to say I think he has done a decent job considering the circumstances.
Forced to sell all our best players and unable to replace them with anyone until the last couple of days of the transfer window; even then only shopping in the bargain bin. Two takeovers in the space of about six weeks. Uncertainty over his job situation. Players saying they want to leave and staff not getting paid.
Despite this I think only someone who hasn't seen us play could say we deserve to be bottom of the league. Although not scoring many goals we are still creating some chances and look half decent at the back (seven of our defeats have been by only one goal). I realise we have some tough games ahead however I am yet to give up all hope of us staying up as I think there are several other bad teams (Burnley, Bolton, Hull, WHU, Wigan, Wolves) who are also struggling to get points on the board, how on earth do are we able to lose our first seven games and still only be four points from safety? I can see us picking up another seven pts before Christmas. Also if we sack Hart, who will come into replace him? Who would want to? I say give him a chance to strengthen in January (unless we get battered in every game up 'til then) and see how he does.
Dom (Boateng was always going to miss as I had him to score first), Pompey
Babel And Nani To Find Home Together?
I'm sure Babel has taken notes from Nani before making his outburst. They both draw parallels as ineffective wingers with the occasional flash of brilliance. That alone, as they should both find out, will never be enough and I'm putting my money on both playing for the same club in the immediate future. What club you ask???
Babel knows a sunken ship when he sees one and for that I applaud him. Nani, however, is the most misguided missile you'll ever see in this world and he'll get what his limited talent deserves, a transfer to Everton (no offence but tongue in cheek). Babel, just to p*** off Liverpool, should move across too and then he'll get to wear his blue Nike boots...problem solved.
Louis (It really isn't rocket science) Msindo
Is Kuyt A Hanger-On?
Do you get the feeling from Ryan Babel talking about divisions and how Dirk Kuyt hung around with the Spanish lot that Dirky is the lad from school who hung around on the edge of your group, didn't really say anything and grinned a lot? You wouldn't invite him to things because, well, you never said anything to him, but he would hang around nonetheless?
Mike Coxon, N4 via Northwich
Spurs Tales Of Woe
I've tried a couple of times to get published in the mailbox but all to no avail. However, picking up on Ross 'hardcore' Pursey (Defoe was also on the bench for my dream team)'s theme of 'freak Spurs games' and 'missing them' being in the same sentence, I'd like to tell you about a trip up to that London I made with my mate Rob when we first got wheels.
Having no 'big' teams where we live (a town outside Bristol) and thus watching all of our footie on the telly, my brother chose to support Man U (cos a mate at school did) and I chose Spurs (cos my cousin supported them) way back in the mid 80s. Looking at the trophy count since then he may have made a luckier (plastic) choice but I digress. Having been to WHL once as a kid (Clive Allen hat-trick vs Norwich if I recall), Rob suggested we get in his new car and go to a Premier League game in London.
Looking at our Sun guide to the season we could chose either QPR v Man City at Loftus road, or Spurs v Southampton at the lane. Despite Rob's assertion that he thought Loftus Road would hold the much more entertaining match (and in those days I couldn't really argue...) I told him there was no chance I would go all that way and not go to see Spurs.
As we walked through Tottenham thinking the streets were a bit quiet for a match day, we got to the stadium to find that the match had been put back to the Sunday (aargh!!!), and a sudden dash across London saw us spending all our beer money on a rotten 1-1 draw at Loftus Road. The next day I listened to the Spurs match on the radio and it only turned out to be the one where we were 1-0 down at half time (a regular occurrence), only to score four second-half goals in less than five minutes (still some kind of record I think). Cue me calling Rob a tool for thinking Spurs would not produce an entertaining match, and him calling me likewise for getting the fixtures so spectacularly wrong. Unsurprisingly we lost touch quite soon after that...
Oh, and the reason I'm telling you this is cos on Sunday I listened to the first half of Spurs-Wigan on the radio, and then had to go round the folks for Sunday lunch at half time...
Rich (brackets - think I've used too many looking back at what I've written), Brizzle
...Slightly delayed mail after Spurs win on Sunday where I wanted to share my tale of woe from the day...
To start with, me and my mate are season ticket holders and usually take it in turns to drive to the games. This weekend was supposed to be my turn to drive, but thanks to a dodgy sensor in the car's exhaust it failed it's MOT so my mate said he would drive us both down in his van. We almost didn't go, and also considered the train instead, but then headed onto the M11...
So a few minutes later, with the van planted firmly in the back or an Astra and nothing moving for a while thanks to the accidents ahead (apparently we were in the third separate bump behind an accident that closed the motorway at junction 6) and we're sitting on the central reservation. This is about 1:45 ish and my mate turns to me says "looks like we won't be getting to the game then, sorry" to which I replied..."don't worry mate, we're alright at least, I'll only be annoyed if Spurs get 5!"
So I then get home at six, after receiving texts from a couple of people about the great game I've 'seen' where in reality all we done was listen on the radio in the hard shoulder of a motorway waiting for a recovery truck, with (luckily only) bruised ribs and a sore neck having missed quite probably the game of the season, if not the decade at WHL...
Bet if we got there we would've lost too...
Dave (Still hurting, and will remember the day for a different reason to most Spurs fans...), Harlow
