And that's why having a Worldy in your side...

[Red Mullet]

There are several 'Worldys' in Chelsea, Man City, Man Utd, Arsenal. What happened to them?
Can't quite see the 'Worldy' in Leicester so your whole theory is shaky.

 

[Whirly]

It wasn't a squad full of arguably average players at all. How did I guess the crux of your point would be to (once again) play down Rodgers' role in that title challenge? Can you make any fucking point without getting a dig in at Rodgers?

It was a team that contained:

Coutinho
Sturridge
Suarez
Sterling
Henderson (fit and at his best)
Gerrard

That's more than half the team who were anything but average. And the rest weren't exactly plodders either (Johnson, Toure, Skrtel & Agger, were all much sought after players at various stages of their careers). We had a poor defense but it wasn't a terrible/average side. Joe Allen has been one of the best players at the Euro's and he played his part that season, Flanagan was in brilliant form too before that terrible injury.

But yeah, Suarez carried us.

I have to say, we'd be a rather shit team (for how much money we bring in) if our squad didn't mostly contain players who were "much sought after at various stages of their careers". The only really acceptable exceptions would be young players on the back-end of the squad and maybe some random backup keeper.

Not a dig, just an observation.

 

[6TimesaRed]

There are several 'Worldys' in Chelsea, Man City, Man Utd, Arsenal. What happened to them?
Can't quite see the 'Worldy' in Leicester so your whole theory is shaky.

Mahrez probably for Leicester with The Goals of Vardy.. others raised their game, their performances instilled belief right through the side..

UTD haven't had any Worldy's in their squad for years, Certainly not a player who can change the game on his own..

As for Chelsea last season.. We all know what happened there..

 

[Red Mullet]

Mahrez probably for Leicester with The Goals of Vardy.. others raised their game..

UTD haven't had any World Class players in their squad for years, Certainly not a player who can change the game on his own..

As for Chelsea last season.. We all know what happened there..

So your definition of 'Worldy' is not really a world class renowned player but someone that's just a bit influential that can make the team play a bit better but not necessarily win anything?

In that case - yes, I agree.

 

[jexykrodic]

I think we should wait until Wales win something before we get carried away.

After all Belgium had a 'worldy' in Hazard et al and flopped like England.

Take some deep breaths.

 

[Squiggles]

I hope Portugal batter them.

 

[6TimesaRed]

So your definition of 'Worldy' is not really a world class renowned player but someone that's just a bit influential that can make the team play a bit better but not necessarily win anything?

In that case - yes, I agree.

Yes.. Someone who can take the game by the scruff of its neck, capable of a moment of brilliance, influential both on and off the pitch, to a point when even if that player is not necessarily having the best of games, his mere presence alone in the side helps others to raise their game..

Gerrard in his prime is probably the perfect example of this type of player..

 

[tony]

Ramsey has been man of the tournament from the little I have seen, they are going to miss him really really badly against Portugal. Wouldn't be surpised if a big bid from one of the Superclubs came in for him.

 

[Windom Earle]

It wasn't a squad full of arguably average players at all. How did I guess the crux of your point would be to (once again) play down Rodgers' role in that title challenge? Can you make any fucking point without getting a dig in at Rodgers?

It was a team that contained:

Coutinho
Sturridge
Suarez
Sterling
Henderson (fit and at his best)
Gerrard

That's more than half the team who were anything but average. And the rest weren't exactly plodders either (Johnson, Toure, Skrtel & Agger, were all much sought after players at various stages of their careers). We had a poor defense but it wasn't a terrible/average side. Joe Allen has been one of the best players at the Euro's and he played his part that season, Flanagan was in brilliant form too before that terrible injury.

But yeah, Suarez carried us.

I probably shouldn't answer on RN's behalf (and in fact I can see he has responded already) and I haven't read the rest of the thread so please excuse me if I am repeating others' comments.


Suarez did carry that team. Fine. He didn't score every goal. He didn't make every save. The team benefitted from no European football also. But Suarez' drive, determination and sheer ability made all the difference to the side that year. He was the reason that so many players in the side raised their games to previously unseen levels of consistency and a large part of the reason they all fell away from that level after Suarez left.

His ability is unquestionable (he's gone up another level at Barcelona and is now undoubtedly on that same level that Ronaldo and Messi operate) and so is the effect he had on the Liverpool team when he was here.

RN's point is a very valid one. A world class player makes all the difference - Cantona, Ronaldo, Gerrard, Suarez, Henry, Lampard (at his goal-scoring best) and even Bale pre-Madrid, all had huge influence on their club sides that was lost when they moved on or age got the better of them. They can elevate a good side to one capable of going all the way. And that's where your point comes in (and is equally valid) - Bale is a world class player that has been added to a well-drilled and well-prepared side and the team plus Bale's ability are two halves of the whole, one won't succeed without the other.

This has nothing to do with Rodgers.

 

[hmmmmm1]

Having a decent manager helps.

 

[Red Bird]

Wales has arguably been the better than Portugal so expect it to get into the final, and it's not about passion but rather ability and having a way of playing into which the players buy. It'll finally putting paid to the shambles that is the FA (who the bloody hell is Dan Ashworth?)

 

[mark1975]

I probably shouldn't answer on RN's behalf (and in fact I can see he has responded already) and I haven't read the rest of the thread so please excuse me if I am repeating others' comments.


Suarez did carry that team. Fine. He didn't score every goal. He didn't make every save. The team benefitted from no European football also. But Suarez' drive, determination and sheer ability made all the difference to the side that year. He was the reason that so many players in the side raised their games to previously unseen levels of consistency and a large part of the reason they all fell away from that level after Suarez left.

His ability is unquestionable (he's gone up another level at Barcelona and is now undoubtedly on that same level that Ronaldo and Messi operate) and so is the effect he had on the Liverpool team when he was here.

RN's point is a very valid one. A world class player makes all the difference - Cantona, Ronaldo, Gerrard, Suarez, Henry, Lampard (at his goal-scoring best) and even Bale pre-Madrid, all had huge influence on their club sides that was lost when they moved on or age got the better of them. They can elevate a good side to one capable of going all the way. And that's where your point comes in (and is equally valid) - Bale is a world class player that has been added to a well-drilled and well-prepared side and the team plus Bale's ability are two halves of the whole, one won't succeed without the other.

This has nothing to do with Rodgers.

I just think (as your last point says) that the Wales team function well as a unit. They're not exactly plodders either, WIlliams is vastly underrated, Kanu has done brilliantly, Ramsey we know all about and "wee" Joe Allen has had a tremendous 2016. Good luck to them, I've got alot of time for Chris Coleman, he's a good guy and a decent manager.

 

[Windom Earle]

I just think (as your last point says) that the Wales team function well as a unit. They're not exactly plodders either, WIlliams is vastly underrated, Kanu has done brilliantly, Ramsey we know all about and "wee" Joe Allen has had a tremendous 2016. Good luck to them, I've got alot of time for Chris Coleman, he's a good guy and a decent manager.

I don't disagree. In fact quite the opposite, you are bang on. They are a good team (not a bunch of individuals meeting for the first time as in England's case) and they've reached this stage on merit. Coleman and the whole of the Welsh set-up deserve a lot of credit for the way they have built on the work that Gary Speed started - it would have been easy to let it all slip following the tragedy of his loss in 2011.

I think when the point was steered towards Suarez though, the difference between Liverpool with him (2nd 101 goals) and Liverpool without (6th 52 goals) was massive - consider even just the contrasting style in play between those two seasons, I personally found that quite bizarre. He wasn't the only thing missing in 2014/15 but you can't argue that his loss had a massive and detrimental effect on performances (even if you only look at the amount players having to settle - they were bought with the Suarez money and some/most wouldn't have been if he had stayed).

 

[Frogfish]

I have no love for Wales (despite parents living there for the past 25 years - or maybe because of) .......

Just to clarify that. I've had nothing but lovely experiences with the South Welsh (particularly from Cardiff) but those from North Wales are an entirely different species.

 

[Dave G]

The difference between Wales with Bale, and Portugal with Ronaldo, is that Wales will look for Bale, but if not in a decent position, they will look elsewhere going forward. Portugal will look for Ronaldo, and tryt o give him the ball regardless of decent position or not because they are shit scared of not giving him the ball and getting bollocked for it. I will quite happily back Wales to win this semi as they clearly show more desire as a team than Portugal.

 

[Judge Jules]

Froggy: my dad was a Ministry of Agriculture vet and, together with a fair few others, was sent to help when there was an outbreak of Foot-and-Mouth disease in the English/Welsh border country in the 1960s. These guys were out till all hours in all weathers battling to save Welsh livestock and livelihoods. The further North they went, the more they got "the treatment" if they popped into a pub at the end of a typically long day for a drink - sudden silence or an equally sudden switch to speaking Welsh. I'm not going to hold that against the whole of the Welsh people, but it left a nasty taste in the mouth all right and I'm deffo not holding a candle for Wales in this competition.

 

[Frogfish]

Froggy: my dad was a Ministry of Agriculture vet and, together with a fair few others, was sent to help when there was an outbreak of Foot-and-Mouth disease in the English/Welsh border country in the 1960s. These guys were out till all hours in all weathers battling to save Welsh livestock and livelihoods. The further North they went, the more they got "the treatment" if they popped into a pub at the end of a typically long day for a drink - sudden silence or an equally sudden switch to speaking Welsh. I'm not going to hold that against the whole of the Welsh people, but it left a nasty taste in the mouth all right and I'm deffo not holding a candle for Wales in this competition.

That's exactly my experience. Living in Bromborough I'd often ride my motorbike (and later car) all over N.Wales. I'd walk into a shop and the people talking in English would suddenly switch to Welsh. Ask for something in English and they'd give it to you but answer in Welsh. My father especially got very rough treatment at the local golf club when he took early retirement and they moved down there, it took him about 10 years before he was 'accepted'. Things may have changed since those days but the bitter taste still lingers.