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**Cort Haus** · February 4, 2007, 19:56

Good title. Bye-bye fat Ronaldo, hello fake Ronaldo.

I would be going to see Brazil vs Portugal at my beloved local football stadium on Tuesday were it not for the fact that I'm playing a gig that night. Hopefully I'll get to see Brazil playing there sometime with Gilberto, Baptista and the new Denilson all playing together. Perhaps with Silvhino too for old time's sake. Denilson is the new Fabregas.

**Maquiladora** · February 4, 2007, 20:22

Originally posted by Cort Haus

Arsenal are probably just as Jewish as Spurs in terms of fanbase and ownership, but most Spurs fans I know who go to games are not Jewish but call themselves 'Yids'. No matter. :shrug:

Perhaps also, as ive said before, its because im not a local i dont see myself as the same. I dont think any Arsenal fan around here has ever used it either.

**Thedrin** · February 5, 2007, 04:42

Iskallin
Oh buhoo.. Ronaldo may or may not have dived today but that only brings his total dives up to two this season (Boro). He has improved heaps since last year and the fact is that he is the most fouled and definitely most kicked player in the premiership. Now he is just one of the best players in the world ATM. Fact.

The modern game is in a sad state if that's the case.

I don't doubt that he has the potential to be one of the best - that he has the skill and sufficient pace to go with it - but yesterday's game alone threw up enough examples of why he is not currently a world class player.

His off the ball running in particular was shocking. On two occassions in the first half he ran from the right wing into the center forward position when Utd were moving forward. This is a good move to make when the center forward position is empty. On both occassions said position was already occupied by two Utd players resulting in a crowded center and no one on the right wing. The action was made even worse by the fact that he positioned himself between the two other players on both occassions meaning that if the ball found its way to the right wing a striker, and not Ronaldo, would have had to move out to that position.

Secondly, tricks. You never ever ever ever do something complicated if you can get the same end result by doing something simple. Someone needs to beat this into him because after 3 (or 4) years playing in the top flight he still hasn't picked up on it and, consequently, gives the ball away far more than any player should.

Yesterday's match also showed why he could be a great player. His assist for Scholes's goal his an excellent example of what he does best - running on the outside and creating a goal. The same could arguably be said about the penalty (one camera angle - Ronaldo running towards the camera - shows it to be a clear dive).

It's unlikely that any significant initiative to eradicate diving from the Premiership will ever take place - it could only be really achieved by giving a board the power to punish players after the match without reference to whether or not the referee has noticed the incident but I believe FIFA frowns on such things. If one were to be enacted Ronaldo would suffer greatly.

**Maquiladora** · February 5, 2007, 06:22

BBC SPORT | Football | My Club | Man Utd | Scolari cool on Ronaldo rumours

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/m/man_utd/6330839.stm

BBC, Sport, BBC Sport, bbc.co.uk, world, uk, international, foreign, british, online, service

Scolari thinks he should go to Barca, and i agree.

1. its warm, as Scolari says, hes weak and doesnt like the cold
2. they consider diving a skill in spain
3. he would get a lot more time and space to pull his useless tricks and the crowd over there would eat it up, like they do with Goofy the trick pony

**Cort Haus** · February 5, 2007, 10:09

Originally posted by Thedrin
Secondly, tricks. You never ever ever ever do something complicated if you can get the same end result by doing something simple.

All those multiple stepovers are infuriating. How much energy does he waste on them, when any decent opponent just watches the ball, not his feet?

**Imran Siddiqui** · February 5, 2007, 10:41

Originally posted by Cort Haus
All those multiple stepovers are infuriating. How much energy does he waste on them, when any decent opponent just watches the ball, not his feet?

Most players seem to grow out of the multiple stepovers phase. Maybe every once in a while, but not all the freaking time!!

**ískallin** · February 5, 2007, 15:46

To be fair on him he has cut down a lot of the tricks, he does them a lot when Man Utd are 2 goals up at Old Trafford to waste time late in the game. But he is a different player from last year in that respect. It used to infuriate me last year and I said in the summer that United should sell Ronaldo and Nistelrooy. Now I am glad they did not. I am still happy they sold Nistelrooy because United were soooo one dimensional with Nistelrooy playing.

But if he is not one of the best players in the world at the moment who is? Kaka certainly is a contender, he has been holding Milan up this season. Although he has had a dip in form recently.
Lampard has been scoring a lot of very very important goals for Mafioski FC recently.
Didier Drogba the same as above.
Ronaldinho has not been near his best this season.
Henry has been plagued by injury.

Player of the season though= Scholes

**Cort Haus** · February 5, 2007, 15:50

Fabregas must be one of the best young players in Europe.

**Lawrence of Arabia** · February 5, 2007, 16:17

arsenal has almost all of the best young players in europe.

**Thedrin** · February 5, 2007, 16:48

I'm not suggesting that he's not the one of the best in the world at the moment (I don't watch enough football to be able to make any such claim). I am saying that it's bad for football if he is because he is not world class. After a quick reread I notice that my first paragraph/sentence was fine but my second should have begun 'I don't doubt that he has the potential to be world class'.

By tricks I wasn't actually refering to step overs. I'm sure someone took him aside after the World Cup. He has cut that down a lot. I meant more than that. One particular instance in the first half at the weekend saw him try to run through two opposition players near the half way line when a pass to a nearby player could have allowed him to run unhindered down the flank - same best result, more quickly achieved, by the application of a simple pass and move. That he failed to get past both players is irrelevant. My criticism is that he didn't try for the much simpler one-two that was available. Never do something complicated when you can get the same result from doing something simple.

However, since you ask, Drogba has been great this season - much better than Ronaldo. And, yes, Scholes is far and away the best player in the Premiership this season. Giggs, Rooney, Van der Saar and Neville are also much better than Ronaldo this term.

To be fair on him he has cut down a lot of the tricks, he does them a lot when Man Utd are 2 goals up at Old Trafford to waste time late in the game.

Tricks are a form of indulgent football. They are not an effective time wasting technique - not an effective way of protecting a lead. I'll assume you misused the term time wasting. A player trying fancy footwork when time wasting is required is beyond careless.

As for letting players indulge themselves when victory is secure. It depends on the amount of time left but a 4 goal lead in a one-leg tie is the minimum before I forgive players for showing off.

**ískallin** · February 5, 2007, 17:57

Fabregas is class, he is without doubt one of the best midfielders operating today and he is what? 19 years old.

What I dont like about him is all the whining he does (I am wearing my rose tinted glasses so Man U probably are just as bad

)

Anyway I think it depends on taste, I like seeing skillfull players terrorize fullbacks time and again, it is just good entertainment to watch.
Would you rather watch Pennant or Ronaldo? Pennant does the simple things not the complicated things. He had most crosses in the division last year with Birmingham and in the Liverpool games I have watched this season (only about 5-6) he has put in a lot of crosses.

When it all comes down to it, football is entertainment and Ronaldo is a good entertainer.

Van der Saar has been nothing special, just his usual consistent self. Giggs started the season very very well and has been quite avarage since. Neville is his usual reliable self. Vidic has been a rock, best defender since Stam.
Rooney has not been near his best form, he was rubbish in december and has only come good in the last 4 games (he went 13 games without scoring) although his game is not based solely on scoring but creating chances he has not been upto it. His first touch was at times betraying him and everything seemed to go against him.
Evra bombards forwards but has been cought out of position a couple of times which has resulted in goals.
Saha's movement, pace and power has been great to watch and makes the attacking play much more fluid. But he is such a bad finisher and when things start to go agains him he just turns into cabbage.
Scholes as I said before has been magnificent. Carrick is becoming better and better every match.

**Frozzy** · February 5, 2007, 19:07

Reading in 6th position in the Premiership

"We're all going on a European tour..."

**Colon™** · February 5, 2007, 19:26

Does anyone care about the German league these days?

**Cort Haus** · February 5, 2007, 20:54

Originally posted by Colon™
Does anyone care about the German league these days?

I did hear a rumour about Mourinho and Bayern Munich ...

Announcement

World Football Thread XVI - The demise of one Ronaldo and the rise of another

World Football Thread XVI - The demise of one Ronaldo and the rise of another

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