I also believe in Liverpool this season. Their squad looks stronger than ever. We will see if they can be consistent and produce good results week after week.
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[ENG] Premiership 2007/2008 (8 Viewers)
- Thread starter ReBeL
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No more quality despite record spending
With the news that this summer's spending spree by English clubs has smashed the previous record by some distance, eurosport.yahoo.com points out where the money has gone.
Whilst over £500 million was spent during the last transfer window - an increase of £200m on last year's figures - the record £30m paid by Chelsea for Andriy Shevchenko a year ago remains unrivalled.
Indeed, only Liverpool's signing of Fernando Torres got close to that figure and at £20m the Spaniard was by far the most expensive player brought to these shores over the summer.
So if big money is not being spent on big name players, how can such a monstrous amount of cash have changed hands since the end of last season?
The answer is two-fold. First, the game has seen an overall increase in the number of transactions made, as player loyalty dwindles and their desire to cash in while they can becomes all consuming.
Secondly, with top players costing no more than this time last year, most of the money spent this summer seems to have gone on average players who are increasingly being sold for grossly inflated prices.
There are a number of main culprits for this worrying trend, most, if not all, coming from the top flight.
Fulham, and their manager Lawrie Sanchez, are to be found at the top of the list after a £23.5m shopping spree that failed to bring a single big name to Craven Cottage.
Many Fulham fans have raised eyebrows at the £6m spent on Diomansy Kamara, a striker who has yet to prove himself in the top flight, and the combined £8m paid for Championship players Chris Baird, David Healy and Lee Cook.
But the Cottagers are not the only ones raising the stakes; Sunderland paid £6m and £5.5m for another pair of Championship-standard strikers, Kenwyne Jones and Michael Chopra.
And the £5m Black Cats boss Roy Keane spent on Kieran Richardson must have had Manchester United laughing all the way to the bank, while Greg Halford's displays so far this season have done nothing to suggest he is worth the £3.5m the Wearsiders paid for him.
Portsmouth, under the guidance of Harry Redknapp, are usually very astute in the transfer market, but £6m for former Preston ace David Nugent? Even Redknapp began to doubt the wisdom of that particular purchase as the transfer window shut last week.
It seems even average players can go for silly money these days - just look at Alan Smith, Mido and Kieron Dyer, all of whom changed clubs for the princely sum of £6m this summer. Correct us if we are wrong, but did those players not spend the majority of last season sitting on the sidelines? What have they done of late to justify such hefty price tags?
Tottenham also seem to have lost their sense of the value of money, paying £10m for Gareth Bale, £8m for Younes Kaboul and £5.4m for Kevin-Prince Boateng. At least they have brought in young players who could become stars of the future, although judging on Spurs' performance so far this season, they will be waiting a long time to see the fruits of Martin Jol's spending.
And as usual, Manchester United have splashed the cash like it is going out of fashion. Only time will tell if the likes of Nani and Anderson are able to justify the reported £35m spent on them by the Premier League champions.
Where will it all stop? They say all good things must come to an end, and so surely it will be with English football. The bubble which currently envelopes the beautiful game will soon burst and only then will a sense of the real value of money be regained.
In the meantime, expect yet even more silly money to be spent on ever more average players.
eurosport
With the news that this summer's spending spree by English clubs has smashed the previous record by some distance, eurosport.yahoo.com points out where the money has gone.
Whilst over £500 million was spent during the last transfer window - an increase of £200m on last year's figures - the record £30m paid by Chelsea for Andriy Shevchenko a year ago remains unrivalled.
Indeed, only Liverpool's signing of Fernando Torres got close to that figure and at £20m the Spaniard was by far the most expensive player brought to these shores over the summer.
So if big money is not being spent on big name players, how can such a monstrous amount of cash have changed hands since the end of last season?
The answer is two-fold. First, the game has seen an overall increase in the number of transactions made, as player loyalty dwindles and their desire to cash in while they can becomes all consuming.
Secondly, with top players costing no more than this time last year, most of the money spent this summer seems to have gone on average players who are increasingly being sold for grossly inflated prices.
There are a number of main culprits for this worrying trend, most, if not all, coming from the top flight.
Fulham, and their manager Lawrie Sanchez, are to be found at the top of the list after a £23.5m shopping spree that failed to bring a single big name to Craven Cottage.
Many Fulham fans have raised eyebrows at the £6m spent on Diomansy Kamara, a striker who has yet to prove himself in the top flight, and the combined £8m paid for Championship players Chris Baird, David Healy and Lee Cook.
But the Cottagers are not the only ones raising the stakes; Sunderland paid £6m and £5.5m for another pair of Championship-standard strikers, Kenwyne Jones and Michael Chopra.
And the £5m Black Cats boss Roy Keane spent on Kieran Richardson must have had Manchester United laughing all the way to the bank, while Greg Halford's displays so far this season have done nothing to suggest he is worth the £3.5m the Wearsiders paid for him.
Portsmouth, under the guidance of Harry Redknapp, are usually very astute in the transfer market, but £6m for former Preston ace David Nugent? Even Redknapp began to doubt the wisdom of that particular purchase as the transfer window shut last week.
It seems even average players can go for silly money these days - just look at Alan Smith, Mido and Kieron Dyer, all of whom changed clubs for the princely sum of £6m this summer. Correct us if we are wrong, but did those players not spend the majority of last season sitting on the sidelines? What have they done of late to justify such hefty price tags?
Tottenham also seem to have lost their sense of the value of money, paying £10m for Gareth Bale, £8m for Younes Kaboul and £5.4m for Kevin-Prince Boateng. At least they have brought in young players who could become stars of the future, although judging on Spurs' performance so far this season, they will be waiting a long time to see the fruits of Martin Jol's spending.
And as usual, Manchester United have splashed the cash like it is going out of fashion. Only time will tell if the likes of Nani and Anderson are able to justify the reported £35m spent on them by the Premier League champions.
Where will it all stop? They say all good things must come to an end, and so surely it will be with English football. The bubble which currently envelopes the beautiful game will soon burst and only then will a sense of the real value of money be regained.
In the meantime, expect yet even more silly money to be spent on ever more average players.
eurosport
Chelsea didnt deserve to win the Portsmouth match IMO..They barely beat Birmingham too..As for Arsenal i'm yet to be convinced that we can challenge for the title..Our problems of last year are still quite evidently there..we have no quality depth..all it needs is an injury to Rosicky or Van Persie and we're doomed..we're still vulnerable in defending set pieces..we still concede silly goals and we still miss easy chances...Man City IMO for the way they defended and played on the counter attack would have got a point against us in any other day.
i think that was the case in most matches last season too..if by being the better team you mean..having more possesion and more shots on goal..then Arsenal deserved to win most of the matches they drew and lost last season..except maybe against Liverpool and Bolton.
But what i meant by this
is that Arsenals problems are still there especially conceding silly goals and missing easy chances..and on another day they wouldnt have beaten Man City even though they were "the better team"
But what i meant by this
is that Arsenals problems are still there especially conceding silly goals and missing easy chances..and on another day they wouldnt have beaten Man City even though they were "the better team"
http://www.sundaytimes.co.za/Sport/Article.aspx?id=557001
He might have went a little over the top..but its a nice read anyways.
He might have went a little over the top..but its a nice read anyways.
'Andriy Shevchenko dropped a depth charge under Jose Mourinho last night...' screeches Martin Lipton's latest nonsensical rant in The Daily Mirror, claiming that the revelation will mean the start of a 'new power struggle' at Chelski.
Actual quotes from Sheva: "I don't know why the manager doesn't make me play. I don't understand it. But I'm not worried. I will just wait for my chance to come."
Headline from The Daily Star : 'Pat: Gunners Are Harming Game'
Actual quotes from Sheva: "I don't know why the manager doesn't make me play. I don't understand it. But I'm not worried. I will just wait for my chance to come."
Headline from The Daily Star : 'Pat: Gunners Are Harming Game'
Fred, what do you think of Eduardo so far? Had a good game against Sparta in the CL qualifiers, playing on the wing though he's much more effective in the attack. RVP is untouchable but Adebyor is not anything special from what I've seen from him during the years and Eduardo is. I hope Wenger starts integrating him in the first team more often, he just needs playing time, when he starts scoring he doesn't stop.
He hasnt really adapted to the league just yet..but he's showing a lot of promise..i like the way he isnt intimidated by northern teams like Blackburn..he's obviously ready to get stuck in if neccessary which is a good thing when your playing in the EPL..I wish Wenger starts playing him more often too..as he adds things to our team we were seriously lacking last season...like intelligent off the ball movement and clinical finishing..its still too early to make a judgement on him..as he hasnt played much and we're still in round 5 of the season..but the signs are good..and it looks like another shrewd signing from Le Boss.
Yep, those are his main traits, clinical finishing and off the ball movement, though he's no stranger to taking on duels and is pretty effective in dribbling. I was thrilled when I saw Arsenal sign him because you have lots of creativity coming from the middle and you were really in a need for a good finisher for quite a long time. Eduardo is just that, you give him chances and he'll score. It's too soon for him now and that's why Wenger is still sparing him, though I hope he earns his place soon as I believe him upfront and RVP just behind him could prove to be a very effective combination.
Good article Dule, I enjoyed reading it.
Nore money doesnt necessarily equate to more quality. Well, in EPL's case, I reckon their money is going to strangle every single young kid, looking for an opportunity to play at highest competition. As I have said before numerous times, what is the point of giving West-Ham United millions and millions, only to see them spend on mediocre imports at the expense of local kids. Although not by design, I actually believe past financial crisis of Italian clubs have helped current generation of youngsters, as now most Italian teams, especially bottom feeders, rely on developing youngsters to stay competitive and earn profit through co-ownership with Milan, Juve, Inter, and Roma etc. The fruit is evident with Azzurrini producing unparelled quality of youngsters since Nesta, Del Piero, and Totti days, which surprise surprise, was a era of 3 foreigners. Rosina, Aquilani, Montolivo, Pazzini, Chiellini, Criscito, Giovinco, Motta, Nocerino, the quality youngsters in Italia is ridiculous. I doubt England can boast such quality and quantity of youngsters coming through the ranks.
Nore money doesnt necessarily equate to more quality. Well, in EPL's case, I reckon their money is going to strangle every single young kid, looking for an opportunity to play at highest competition. As I have said before numerous times, what is the point of giving West-Ham United millions and millions, only to see them spend on mediocre imports at the expense of local kids. Although not by design, I actually believe past financial crisis of Italian clubs have helped current generation of youngsters, as now most Italian teams, especially bottom feeders, rely on developing youngsters to stay competitive and earn profit through co-ownership with Milan, Juve, Inter, and Roma etc. The fruit is evident with Azzurrini producing unparelled quality of youngsters since Nesta, Del Piero, and Totti days, which surprise surprise, was a era of 3 foreigners. Rosina, Aquilani, Montolivo, Pazzini, Chiellini, Criscito, Giovinco, Motta, Nocerino, the quality youngsters in Italia is ridiculous. I doubt England can boast such quality and quantity of youngsters coming through the ranks.
thats a very interesting point of view...And i agree,Italy does boast a lot of quality talent. Rosina,Montolivo,Chiellini,Pazzini,Aquilani and even G.Rossi are one of the brightest talents in world football.But i think the English also have some decent talent that shouldnt be underestimated coming up.I'm impressed by S.Taylor,Young,Agbonlahor and especially Micah Richards.Not as good as their italian counterparts no doubt...But with the right guidance i think those too could turn out to be very good players.
I love seeing Liverpool at the top of the table! never had that experience before. I don't think we'll win it this year, but it should be much closer than years before. and Voronin looks to be an excellent aquisition. Torres has lots of promise, although his finishing isn't exactly clinical.
arsenal are looking good, and if it wasn't for lehman...They have such a high-scoring midfield it's ridiculous! and I think with a bit more time eduardo will become more and more effective.
arsenal are looking good, and if it wasn't for lehman...They have such a high-scoring midfield it's ridiculous! and I think with a bit more time eduardo will become more and more effective.
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