Angry Fans
He casts his eye over your comments and gives his own critical analysis of the goings on throughout the world of football. You may agree with him or then again you may not. This week World Cup exposed the flaws in Premiership; United don’t need the Arabs; Tevez wants to go back home; Thank God Pool game was off; Blackburn decision totally ridiculous; Arsenal get their just desserts; Arsenal written off against Barca; You have to hand it to Gomes; Spurs fans need to get real; Messi is a phenomenon; Pool trampled on by Ashley’s crew; Sky get all emotional.
The Letter of the Week goes to Mad4City, Munster. Get in touch with your postal address and our magnificent prize will be winging its way to you before you know it.
LOOKING back at the year, I think criticism of the World Cup was over the top. Any tournament that rewards the kind of attacking play we saw from Germany and the brilliant possession game of Spain can't have been all bad and unlike the Premiership it exposed the flaws in English football. The reason their players can not perform at international level is because they have no foreigners along side them to cover over the cracks. For example Gerrard, like most English midfielders is unable to control a game. That flaw was hidden when he was playing along side Alonso.
Mike from Cork, by email
: Spot on, sir!
HI LIAM, What's all of this giddy excitement amongst Manchester United fans regarding tabloid reports that a Qatari consortium are about to take over their precious club? United don't need that sort of thing! United are super-duper and have the bestest youth academy in the whole wide world. Granted there was not a single product of the United academy on show amongst the 32 teams at the last World Cup (City — who are ruining football, you know — their academy provided seven players). Sir Alex Ferguson never needed to spend big to achieve success. Mega-money deals for Veron, Rooney, Berbatov, Ferdinand, van Nistelrooy as well as British transfer records for Keane, Pallister and Cole are all just figments of our imaginations. Why would United want to go down the road that's absolutely destroying City (just look at the table, City are doomed, I tell you. Doooomed!)? Why sign a recognised German international like say, 20-year-old, Jerome Boateng when you can snap up twenty-year old, "prospect" Chris Smalling for the same money? Anyone would think that Ferguson can't have any player he bats his eyelashes at and had recently been snubbed by Ozil, Schweinsteiger, Benzema, Sneijder, Silva and Tevez. No, no, no . . . this Arab investment isn't the United way, at all. It's not good for the game — and that's all United care about, you know, the good of the game! Those daring rebels in green and yellow have the right idea: go on a march and dress like you want Delia Smith to come rescue your sorry whatsits. Other than that, just thank God that you're the Glazers' only cash cow and they'll never be able to afford to sell you out to some jumped up bunch of Johnny foreigners. Happy Christmas!
Mad4City, Munster, by email
: Foe services to ironic invective, have our Letter of the Month prize. (It might offer some modest consolation when CT phones home). Speaking of whom...
THE definition of irony: Carlos Tevez asks to be taken back at Old Trafford. This traitor who lent his image to a campaign which ridiculed United now expects the club he shunned to come to his recue? Please Fergie, don’t do it! This Judas doesn’t deserve a second chance, and if he misses his homeland so much he can always sign for Arsenal. Arsenal de Sarandí, that is.
Red Devil, Limerick, by email
: Ah, the old cry of 'Judas'. Have a red card Red Devil for a woeful lack of originality.
YOU know that Liverpool are in really deep in trouble when a lame duck such as Alan Pardew can use us as trampoline. The depths which Liverpool have fallen show why people such as Newcastle owner Mike Ashley should be banned from owning football clubs. Far too many people's happiness is being played around with by playboy millionaires who haven't got a clue about what the club they own represents.
Pat Hennessey, Tipperary, by email
IT’S the measure of where Liverpool are at that when the game against Fulham was called off this weekend I wasn’t in the least disappointed. In fact, all I felt was a brief burst of relief that further humiliation wouldn’t be taking place this weekend, followed by horror at the prospect of having to see this game at a later date. What have you done to me Mr Hodgson?
Limerick Red, by email
: Always nice to hear from Steven Gerrard.
OH, what emotion there was, on Sky last week, when famously reluctant interviewee, Sir Alex Ferguson stayed on for second helpings, just to rail against the sacking of his good chum, Sam Allardyce! With eyes reminiscent of Bambi watching the last five minutes of It's A Wonderful Life, he pleaded the case for the defence. "I've never heard anything so ridiculous in my life" said the old man who, himself, has gone through more number two's than the elephant keeper at Dublin Zoo. But hey, why shouldn't he be upset? As evidenced only last month, nobody's teams roll over for Sir Alex in quite the same way that Fat Sam's teams can roll over.
Tangled Up In Blue, Limerick, by email
WELL done Arsenal for drawing Barcelona in the Champions League while Chelsea and United get easy trips to Copenhagen and Marseille. That’s what happens when you don’t play your strongest team and generally behave like serial winners rather than a club without a whiff if silverware for five years.
Disgruntled Gooner, Cork, by email
PEOPLE have already written Arsenal off in the Champions League after we drew Barcelona for a second year in a row. I beg to differ. Granted, Barcelona are currently the strongest club side on the planet. But this is knock out football, and there have been bigger surprises in football before.
Dave the Gunner, Kerry, by email
: Er, good luck with that one, Dave.
I HAVEN’T stopped fuming about the unpredictability of Heurelho Gomes, but you have to hand to him. Just when you have written him off as an absolute disaster and someone who you would never, ever, want in goal for your team and would prefer to see playing for Arsenal every week, he'll do something fantastic to redeem himself. Case in point: he gifts a goal to Chelsea (handball in the build up to that, by the way), then he clumsily gifts them a penalty, then he saves that penalty. Say what you like, but the man is utter showbiz.
David Norris, Waterford, by email
CAN Spurs fans just stop talking about how they’ve got a chance to win the Champions League? Group stage matches are one thing. The knockout round is something else. They’ve got the second hardest draw after Arsenal and will find AC Milan a difficult proposition.
Niall Whelan, Youghal, by email
: Thanks for the tip, Niall.
WATCHING the Barcelona v Real Sociedad game in the pub just over a week ago I had to turn round and ask the good people gathered there whether they had ever seen a phenomenon of nature such as Lionel Messi play the game of football. This got the veterans talking about legends such as Maradona, Pele, Di Stefano and Cruyff. But both Messi's goals, and his entire style of play remind me much more of George Best. The way Messi runs with the ball, his body language and his spectacular effectiveness bring back the awe I felt as a kid watching Georgie play.
Steve Callaghan, Dublin, by email
: Yep, it's Messi's world right now and we're all just lucky to be living in it.
Can someone please tell me how did that ridiculous football on ice game at Portman Road between Ipswich and Leicester ever get the go ahead, never mind being stopped and restarted? Utter madness.
The Slider, by email.
: Ah, a simple answer here. The rival managers were Mr Royston Keane of Cork and Mr Sven-Goran Eriksson of Sweden. In the middle was referee Mr Stuart Attwell. This is what is known, I believe, as being stuck between a rock and a soft place.
LIAM, many thanks for another year of witty banter and insight. What will you be asking Santa Clause to put in your stocking for Saturday?
Cork Blue, by email
: Many thanks, Cork Blue. Just the usual request from me, this year as every year. Peace and love throughout the world, an end to poverty, a cure for all illness and, if none of those things is possible, one of those cool Kinect yokes would more than compensate.. Meantime, a Happy Christmas to one and all.
