And he's young and fiesty, they'll prod him and try and make him cut his own throat whenever he's on the pitch.and he's much stronger.
And he's young and fiesty, they'll prod him and try and make him cut his own throat whenever he's on the pitch.and he's much stronger.
Sure. He's an extreme hot head. I was just trying to point out that he is pretty far towards the right side of the bell physically.Originally Posted by westofyou
4009
Yes he is, he's a feisty guy and very important to England (IIRC Owen is out now and I don't know where that stands) but from the games I've seen over the past 2 years he's always hovering outside a scrum or having a talk with the Ref... so he's gonna be poked... it is after all a chess match game .... hence the popularity wane here in the states.Originally Posted by ochre
Rooney is a powerful and pacy player, as is Ronaldo. Rooney is just more powerful, more technically gifted, has more pace, plays more consistently and most importantly WORKS HARDER both in practice and in competition.Originally Posted by Red Heeler
And its less important how fast you are in football rather at what speed you can apply your technical skills. The higher the technical skills and the higher the speed at which they can be used is how players are statofied.
I believe that Owen is supposed to be back well in time for the WC. Despite his still relative youth, injuries have hampered a bit what was his greatest asset, his speed. Not sure if he'll ever be the player he was a couple years ago, but he's still a hell of a striker and a good pair with Rooney up top for the Brits.
On a sidenote: Has anyone seen much of Steven Gerrard? WOW. Talk about a beast. That guy is amazing. Plays his club ball for Liverpool.
EDIT: Ack, thx BR.
His name is Steven Gerrard and he's about as vital to England as Rooney is. He's not a bad guy to pick for your team.Originally Posted by WilyMoROCKS
Rooney is unquestionably more powerful than C. Ronaldo, but I don't think Rooney can hold a candle to C. Ronaldo's technical ability and I would call their relative speeds a wash with the edge to C. Ronaldo because I think he can operate with better technical abilities at full speed than Rooney (your 2nd point, which I agree with).Originally Posted by Betterread
They're just different players. C. Ronaldo is a wing player who excels at moving the ball, crossing, and facilitating play. Rooney is the bull in the china shop who busts through a defender but who can also make a couple moves at speed if need be.
I saw a Ronaldo take a really nicely positioned 25 yard free kick last week versus Fulham and put it over the top of the goal by about 20 yards - just a terrible kick. Then a few minutes later, Man U had a free kick from 35-40 yards and he struck the ball so that it swerved right, then left, then took a "hop" past the keeper who didn't even dive. Think about that description, it was like a breaking pitch that broke one way, then the next, then sailed up. It was an unbelievable strike. That's what you get with Ronaldo. What happens if the game ends and you only have the one free kick - will you get the sublime skill or the lazy, crappy effort?
That's the issue I have with him and he is only 21 so it would be normal for him to have room to mature. He is a great talent and is very fun to watch. I just happen to like Rooney better.
I think he just turned 21 the other day... Rooney is very young too, but I think that the type of game he has typically takes longer to develop than the hard-charging striker role that Rooney fills.
Of course you're right that they have different styles. However, they are both attacking players and these players are paid to score goals. This year, Ronald has 5 goals, while Rooney has 10 goals.Originally Posted by WilyMoROCKS
LOL, well they are on the same team, after all. I wonder how many of Rooney's goals have come off of Ronaldo assists??
As much as we all have a soft spot for England (aside from our respective teams) I don't think they have the defensive ability to lift the WC. The WC is unlke most of the premier club championships as its less about attractive football as each game is essentially and do or die final.
The teams who do go well are Germany, Brazil and Italy. And I would pick one of those three. The outsider is Argentina. Brazil have a much underestimated defence and really does complement their attacking creativity. The Germans are great at protecting their net and building to taking that one chance to score.
The English really have put too much into their attacking gifts this time around. Rooney, Owen, Beckham, Lampard and Gerrard are five guys any team would want. But if I had to take one guy from the England squad it would be Jamie Carragher - will never let you down at the back.
I don't honestly think Italy and Germany have much a chance at all. Germany has some hope being the host, but they both have subpar teams right now. Right now it's Brazil and then the rest. My top three possible winners would beOriginally Posted by Nugget
1. Brazil
2. Argentina
3. France
I think Spain is gonna break the drought somehow. And a slight sleeper pick would be the Netherlands to win it all. Yeah they are ranked 3rd, but they have a really inexperienced squad. I'll root for them to repeat 88 in Germany.
I guess Germany could make it. They got a pure luck draw... AGAIN
This is the time. The real Reds organization is back.
I tend to only catch the premier league games on Fox Soccer world or whatever. Not sure why, but when I flip over to there those tend to be what's on. I've seen Rooney and Ronaldo a few times this year therefore. I'm not necessarily an England fan, just that's what I've seen more of.
4009
I've always been a fan of teams like Brazil, Spain and the Netherlands, where they not only want to win, they want to play a superior style as well. To England's credit, it's gotten away from the dreadful kick-'em-in-the-shins soccer it was playing in previous decades. The absolute hell final for me would be Italy vs. Sweden.
Sleepers I'll be rooting for: Cote D"Ivoire (stuck in the group of death with Argentina, Serbia and the Netherlands) and Trinidad (coached by Leo Beenhakker).
If the tournament plays to form Brazil and Spain will collide in the round of 8 and that's a shame.
I'm not a system player. I am a system.
Board Moderators may, at their discretion and judgment, delete and/or edit any messages that violate any of the following guidelines: 1. Explicit references to alleged illegal or unlawful acts. 2. Graphic sexual descriptions. 3. Racial or ethnic slurs. 4. Use of edgy language (including masked profanity). 5. Direct personal attacks, flames, fights, trolling, baiting, name-calling, general nuisance, excessive player criticism or anything along those lines. 6. Posting spam. 7. Each person may have only one user account. It is fine to be critical here - that's what this board is for. But let's not beat a subject or a player to death, please. |