Views On Gerrards Comments Regarding Jack Wilshere.

[JBizzle]

Oh, on the Wilshere note? He's has the potential to be truly outstanding the amount of responsibility he has on his shoulders at Arsenal will either make him or break him.

 

[Common as Mook]

Gerrard is a better footballer than Beckham

*dons tin hat*

 

[Commander]

Gerrard is a better footballer than Beckham

*dons tin hat*

I don't think anyone would disagree with that, would they?

 

[CHAPPERS]

Man City reserves. Went for the money.

f***ing Man f***ing City. Did he not see what happened to Adam Johnson there?

 

[Mellotron]

Gerrard is a better footballer than Beckham

*dons tin hat*

He's certainly had more to his game over the years. Beckham was a PHENOMENAL free kick taker/crosser of the ball in his day, but not actually that much else. Didn't score from open play, quite slow, but could put in a cracking cross.

Swap David Beckham and Paul Scholes faces' and you swap their career trajectories.

 

[edna krabappel]

I'm no Beckham worshipper, by the way. I just think Gerrard used to try too hard to try and pass it like Beckham did, when he was always better at the short game, driving the play forward with his energy.

In all seriousness, don't you get frustrated watching England? They give the ball away more than the Albion do. Perhaps Poyet's style has made me a tad snobbish about it, but these days, I find myself wondering why any team would whack long balls up from the back, as in terms of possession percentages, you nearly always lose it. Joe Hart nearly always hoofs it long, and then the defenders and midfielders follow suit. If Adam El Abd can learn to keep the ball and pass it short, then surely, surely an England international should be able to cope with that concept.

 

[Mellotron]

In all seriousness, don't you get frustrated watching England? They give the ball away more than the Albion do. Perhaps Poyet's style has made me a tad snobbish about it, but these days, I find myself wondering why any team would whack long balls up from the back, as in terms of possession percentages, you nearly always lose it. Joe Hart nearly always hoofs it long, and then the defenders and midfielders follow suit. If Adam El Abd can learn to keep the ball and pass it short, then surely, surely an England international should be able to cope with that concept.

Depends whether Carroll is up top or not. He can win the ball and hold it up very, very well. If he's not playing/playing well, it's completely pointless.

 

[gazingdown]

If Adam El Abd can learn to keep the ball and pass it short, then surely, surely an England international should be able to cope with that concept.

I'm sure they CAN but told to hit it long. They're just doing what the manager wants them to.

I've seen Hart in MC games for example and it's not all hoof it up.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Me, I have heard it all before.

 

[Hiney]

Oh, on the Wilshere note? He's has the potential to be truly outstanding the amount of responsibility he has on his shoulders at Arsenal will either make him or break him.

This.

I thought he was UNBELIEVABLE when he came on against us. He did more work, created more space, made more telling passes and influenced the game more than all the other midfielders in the Arsenal team put together.

 

[Common as Mook]

This.

I thought he was UNBELIEVABLE when he came on against us. He did more work, created more space, made more telling passes and influenced the game more than all the other midfielders in the Arsenal team put together.

Yep - agreed.

Considering he has come back from a career threatening injury as well, his progress has been staggering. Needs to stamp out the horror tackle that he is partial to though...

 

[larus]

Maybe I'm just cynical after all this 'Golden Generation' crap we had for years. Hope I'm proved wrong and we get some players who want to play for the national team and are also truely world class.

World class teams aren't full of world class players though. There tends to still be a number of just 'very good' players as well as the exceptional. I want to see an England team play stylish football and show that they care. For example, you could see how much pride someone like Stuart Pearce had in playing for his country; he made up for his 'limited' ability by sheer will power. Harness that with extra ability please.

 

[edna krabappel]

Yep - agreed.

Considering he has come back from a career threatening injury as well, his progress has been staggering. Needs to stamp out the horror tackle that he is partial to though...

Apparently he used to have a right temper on him when he was a kid- can't remember who it was who said, some Arsenal coach or other, but in the youth teams he used to get sent off a lot. You can still see that he has that fire about him, but hopefully from an England point of view it's something he more or less has under control now.

I thought he completely changed the game when he came on against us, injected pace and dynamism into a previously sluggish Arsenal XI.

 

[KZNSeagull]

Ashley Barnes is a better footballer than Beckham

*dons tin hat*

I have made the above slightly more controversial for you.

 

[Simon Morgan]

I don't think Gerrard's a crap player, far from it, it just disappoints me that (1) he's rarely shown the same quality for England as he used to do regularly for Liverpool, (2) he's somehow always seemed to escape the flak that Lampard gets, and I'm not sure why as neither have exactly lit up the world stage in white shirts, and (3) I just find it frustrating how many long balls he hits- perhaps it's not just him, it's an old fashioned English mentality, but if he concentrated on what used to make him such a presence in a Liverpool shirt and less on trying to emulate David Beckham, he could have done so much more.

You remember those passes in the Euros because they were the exception, and were rare moments of finesse amongst the general mediocrity (of which Gerrard was as much a part as most of them).

Pretty sure I read somewhere that he tops the long pass-completion rate in the PL.

 

[Brightonia]

Potential, yes - why not?

In reality? Hodgson will probably play him on the left wing in a couple of years and he'll go the same way as Paul Scholes.

Nothing wrong with going the same way as Paul Scholes! IMO one of the greatest English players over the last 20 years!! Shame he gave up playing for England so early though! Zinedine Zidane said he was the best player he ever played against!

 

[Sam-]

Yes. He has the potential to be the best central midfielder in the world, certainly.

He has the brilliant balance between tenacity and ability. He's basically a terrier. I imagine he's horrible to play against.

I think people wont value how good Gerrard and Lampard were until they are both gone. Luckily Wilshire will step up but I'm not quite sure who else will be in there alongside him. Maybe Tom Cleverly? Jack Rodwell seems to have disappeared from earth.
However, I'm very happy that we have a natural line of succession at left back now. Cole to be replaced by Baines to be replaced by Luke Shaw eventually.

Walker will be our right back for a long time and then we have the likes of Ince, Oxlade Chamberlain and Zaha as wingers.

We have some good potential there.

I largely agree, with the exception of the full backs. Kieren Gibbs is better than Shaw and will be ahead of him. And I'm not convinced by Kyle walker at the moment. We must also throw Bertrand and Naughton in the mix. Too hard to see who will become top dogs in my opinion.

 

[Common as Mook]

Nothing wrong with going the same way as Paul Scholes! IMO one of the greatest English players over the last 20 years!! Shame he gave up playing for England so early though! Zinedine Zidane said he was the best player he ever played against!

Completely agree. The point I was making wa sthat he'll inevitably be played out of position and lose all interest in playing for his country.

 

[Brightonia]

Completely agree. The point I was making wa sthat he'll inevitably be played out of position and lose all interest in playing for his country.

Yeah what a waste having scholes on the wing! I know he can't tackle but never seen a player control a game like he does from CM!

 

[Kumquat]

Oh, on the Wilshere note? He's has the potential to be truly outstanding the amount of responsibility he has on his shoulders at Arsenal will either make him or break him.

I get the impression he thrives on the responsibility. He's an absolute joy to watch. As were the U21s last night. I think our future is quite bright if the likes of Adam Smith, Tom Ince and the others show that sort of confidence and ability consistently.