maestro_za
Expert Member
- Joined
- Nov 6, 2007
- Messages
- 1,650
Luck? Are you serious?
Dead serious!
You hammer the opposition with 20 shots at goal and you get a goalless or score draw ... its down to a lack of luck.
Luck? Are you serious?
Dead serious!
You hammer the opposition with 20 shots at goal and you get a goalless or score draw ... its down to a lack of luck.
mmm to bad we're in the CL finals and on track to win an 18th league title![]()
Waahaaaaahaaaaaaaa Shame it must be eina!Manure are crap![]()
Xabi Alonso (Liverpool)
Has never been a player to steal headlines, but his orchestration in the middle of the park all season long for Liverpool has been the main reason for their improved consistency and quality of play. The more his influence takes centre-stage at Anfield, the better the Reds tend to fare. Maybe not so many goals, or even assists, but the Basque has brought out the best in almost all of his team-mates from the season's beginning to its end.
Steven Gerrard (Liverpool)
We have seen a more settled and composed Steven Gerrard than usual this season, as he has played in just one position for the entire season and done much more than just make flying tackles and score stoppage-time screamers. The freedom he has been offered in the hole has enabled him to terrorise opposition defences with his running, passing, and yes, shooting. He has a record goal tally for the season, albeit with many coming from the penalty spot, but a progressive, high-quality season nevertheless.
Frank Lampard (Chelsea)
If one man continued to get it right throughout the turmoil at Stamford Bridge this season, it was Frank Lampard. Both on and off the pitch, the former West Ham man seemed to get all the little things spot on, and popped up in the right places at the right times to score some big goals - breaking 20 for the fifth consecutive season - and gain a fair amount of recognition from his peers.
Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
His very style of play and uncontainable ability to succeed makes him a contender for almost any award. He got plenty of goals - big, spectacular ones - and played all across the front line with equal amounts of quality. He was, for much of the season, United's most threatening forward player - it's little coincidence that the Red Devils' slow start coincided with his injury. Played his part in bagging the League Cup, Club World Cup and Premier League and was the closest thing United had to a shining light in their Champions League final capitulation at the hands of Barcelona.
Nemanja Vidic (Manchester United)
This is a man whose season was probably as close to perfection as you could expect from a defender until Fernando Torres, ably supported by Steven Gerrard, decimated him at Old Trafford towards the end of the season. From then on, despite the resulting loss not proving decisive, he never quite hit top gear again and paid the dearest of prices for just that when, in Rome, he was turned by Samuel Eto'o in the tenth minute for the goal that changed the game and handed all the initiative to Barcelona.
Goal.com Premier League Player of the Year: Xabi Alonso
Last summer’s transfer activity:
Robbie Keane - from Tottenham Hotspur, £20.3m
Andrea Dossena - from Udinese, £7m
Diego Cavalieri - from Palmeiras, £3m
David N’Gog - from Paris St Germain, £1.5m
Philipp Degen - from Borussia Dortmund, Free
Albert Riera - from Espanyol, £8m
Total Spend = £39.8m
Peter Crouch - to Portsmouth, £11m
John Arne Riise - to Roma, £4.5m
Scott Carson - to West Brom, £3.75m
Anthony Le Tallec - to Le Mans, £1.1m
Harry Kewell - to Galatasaray, Free
Danny Guthrie - to Newcastle, £2.25m
Steve Finnan - to Espanyol, £1m
Total Received = £23.6m
Last summer there was a total net spend of £16.2m, which has now been wiped out by the sale of Robbie Keane. In reality, we never spent a penny last summer. The fact that non of last summer’s signings made an impact this season or could be named as first choice players highlights last summer was a poor one; yet we’ve still managed to improve hugely on the field. Mistakes were made last summer, some of which have been corrected, and others that will be corrected this summer providing we can find buyers.
This summer is absolutely massive, and providing we strengthen with at least two quality additions then we’re pretty certain to progress again. Last summer we made our mistakes, this summer is hopefully where we learn from them. It’s just a sad state of affairs that we’re having to consider the sale of one of our best players in Xabi Alonso in order to fund our summer activities; especially when you consider we didn’t spend a penny last summer!
So much for Benitez being backed with the big money.
Total gross spend: £192.609m
Total recouped: £109.51m
Total net spend: £83.099m
Players signed: 70
Liverpool have confirmed that Glen Johnson has joined them today from Portsmouth, in a deal reportedly worth £18.5 million, though there has apparently been some negotiation around the fee due to Pompey still owing the Merseysiders money from the deal that took Peter Crouch to the South Coast.
Reds manager Rafa Benitez was clearly pleased with the signing, telling the club's official website, "He was important at Chelsea and in the last year at Portsmouth he has improved and is much better. One of the main things is his mentality - it's really good. He is a winner. I was impressed with the conversations I had with him. He wants to improve."
Scarlett Johansson