Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie
Hi all! We have been experiencing an issue on site where threads have been missing the latest postings. The platform host Vanilla are working on this issue. A workaround that has been used by some is to navigate back from 1 to 10+ pages to re-sync the thread and this will then show the latest posts. Thanks, Mike.
Hi there,
There is an issue with role permissions that is being worked on at the moment.
If you are having trouble with access or permissions on regional forums please post here to get access: https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058365403/you-do-not-have-permission-for-that#latest
There is an issue with role permissions that is being worked on at the moment.
If you are having trouble with access or permissions on regional forums please post here to get access: https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058365403/you-do-not-have-permission-for-that#latest
Mr. Nice Guy vs.NekkidBibleman
-
02-03-2009 7:47pm#1Mr.Nice Guy wrote: »I'm very pleased to be able to introduce to you fine people of the soccer forum my Premiership draft write-up. Firstly I'd like to say I enjoyed the game as well as the spirit of the contest so credit to Lloyd for overseeing everything. Hopefully the good nature of the game will continue. OK then without further ado may I present to you F.C. (First Class) Athletic, a team I hope you'll agree is the classiest, most stylish team of the draft.
Team Formation:
Defoe
Bergkamp
Zenden
Petit
Carrick
Robben
Heinze----Ferdinand (c)----Brown
Geremi----
Van Der Sar
Right folks I'll break down my argument on why I feel my team is a worthy winner of the contest in three parts. Firstly, I'll explain my overall strategy and line of thinking, secondly I'll give a brief final explanation on why I picked the guys I did, and lastly, I'll give my overall assessment on the strengths and weaknesses of my team. By doing so I hope you'll be impressed with my efforts.
My strategy:
I enjoy good, attacking football as I'm sure you all do and I set out from the outset to mould a team that would have great passing and movement. I believed from the beginning that the core areas of all teams would be up front, central defence, central midfield and to a lesser extent on the wings. These are the areas where I feel more often than not games are won and lost.
I'll be brutally honest here - I think those people in the game who picked full backs and goalkeepers early on made a mistake. I don't see the benefit in choosing an outstanding full back or goalkeeper when, with a bit of patience, you could have gotten very good players in these areas later on. I felt confident I would get a good goalkeeper if I was patient. This turned out to be the case. I also feel I ended up with solid full-backs despite me picking them in the latter half of the draw.
I was keen to get myself a great, versatile winger early on who could play either flank as I believed this would give me greater scope later on when picking my second winger. For example, if you choose someone who works solely as a left winger you're forced later on choose a right-winger. However if like I did you go for a player like Robben who can work either flank (Duff was in my thoughts too some of you may recall), by adopting this strategy you are free to choose from a wider range of wingers from both flanks later on and you're not leaving yourself limited. I feel that was a smart strategy.
I think stategy-wise it was important to plan out the importance of not just the players you're thinking of, but also the positions themselves. I would argue I did well in this regard and I hope you'll agree!
Some final thoughts on my picks...
Pick 1: Dennis Bergkamp
I was fortunate in that I was given a fairly early pick in the first round. I can honestly say the only guy I would have wanted ahead of Bergkamp would have been Roy Keane. Bergkamp as I've said before on this board is one of my favourite players of the nineties and is a genuinely world-class player and a legend. I was delighted to get him and I feel he is a magical player that would grace any team.
Pick 2: Rio Ferdinand
Ferdinand in truth was a pretty easy pick for me for the second round. I felt I needed to pick a great defender as I planned on prioritising other areas in the next rounds. In Rio I got one of the most praised defenders in the Premiership. As I recall I was going to go with him or Carragher and would have been happy with either as both are leaders. I plumped for Ferdinand as I felt he was a classier option. He will be my team's captain.
Pick 3: Arjen Robben
Robben as I touched on above was the versatile winger I felt I needed and I'm very happy to have him. I'd say one of the most explosive, impactful wingers the Premiership has seen.
Pick 4: Emmanuel Petit
At this point I turned my attention towards central midfield and felt I needed a defensive-minded player who was also a good passer of the ball. Manu Petit certainly fit the bill as he provided a combatative presence in the middle and yet meant I didn't have to compromise class for brawn.
Pick 5: Michael Carrick
I'd decided on the type of midfield I wanted - one that would be built on good passing. I didn't feel I needed an 'attacking midfielder' as I believed in Bergkamp I had the best playmaker around. This pick, as I kind of expected, got a bit of criticism as Carrick is someone that seems to divide people. Personally I believe he does an underrated job at Man United and I think alongside Petit, Carrick would have a great partnership. I reckon they'd compliment each other well. The only other guy I had in my thoughts for this role was Alonso but I felt his dip in form last season for Liverpool meant Carrick was the better overall draft choice.
Pick 6: Edwin Van Der Sar
As I mentioned above I felt a bit of patience would lead to a good goalkeeper pick and I feel relative to the rounds, Edwin Van Der Sar was one of my better picks. To get a guy I consider a man for the big occasion at round 6 was very pleasing. I'd acknowledge he's had his shaky moments at times but I think overall he's been an outstanding success at United and the best goalkeeper since Schmeichel.
Pick 7: Jermain Defoe
At this point I felt I needed to act fast to ensure I had a true goal machine up front. Defoe was the logical choice. His stats speak for themselves and alongside Bergkamp I felt the two of them would pose a frightening threat.
Pick 8: Wes Brown
I regarded Brown as a really important pick. I was surprised he was left at round 8 as he can do a fine job in two positions. My only concern really was where I would play him but because as mentioned above I don't really rate the full-back positions as that significant, I felt more confident having him play alongside Rio.
Pick 9: Gabriel Heinze
Again, relative to the rounds this was probably one of my better picks. To get such a talented guy in the third-last round was a great bonus.
Pick 10: Boudewijn Zenden
Initially I had gone for Stewart Downing not realising the guy had been picked beforehand but I'm happy to end up with my second choice of Zenden. I think Downing would have provided a better crossing ability for me but I think in my team that's not really going to be that important. With my team I think wingers who can run at defenders and link up with the front men matters more so I think my two Dutch wingers provide a good threat for me.
Pick 11: Geremi
Right-back was the last slot I needed and other than Geremi I considered Abel Xavier and a few others but I felt Geremi was the smartest choice available to me as he is strong and a good distributor, plus he can provide some set-piece competition with Bergkamp. I also felt the Robben/Geremi partnership on the right was a nice Chelsea-style combination.
My overall thoughts:
Funnily enough when I look at this team I think this is the kind of team Giovanni Trapattoni would give his right arm to have. It strikes me as a formation and style similar to the current Irish one. The central midfielders in my team won't be asked to do anything too elaborate. Just keep things tight and distribute to the wings and forwards. I feel my defence and goalkeeper are as solid as any in the game. I also feel I have wingers who can cause problems, a legend in Bergkamp who can pull the strings and in Defoe, a goal machine who can take chances that come his way.
I see this team's major strength being in its passing play. I have players comfortable on the ball whose job would be to try and get it to the quicker, pacier players. I feel this is a team that won't leak many goals but will create many chances. I think that's a fair assessment when you look at the talent on show.
I also feel I have created a team of winners, something I spoke of often when making my picks. My back four and goalkeeper for example have all won the Premiership. In fact only two players in my team haven't won the league, Defoe and Zenden. Five of my eleven have won the Champions League. One of them has won a World Cup. So this is not a team that is going to panic if it encounters some difficulty.
What are my team's weaknesses? Well I think my main concern would probably be the defensive nature of my wingers. I'd be concerned that Zenden and Robben whilst good up front, wouldn't be thorough enough in getting back and helping out. I would hope that the full-backs behind them would be able to cover in such instances and that my deep-sitting central midfield would be able to deputise too. I believe they would.
Overall I think this is a team with enough class, resilience, tenacity and ingenuity to be able to provide a tough match-up for any team. I feel my team strikes the best balance in attack and defence. I feel it's able to cause problems for opposition back fours and yet able enough to fend off and deal with attacking threats. I guess that's up to others to determine though.
Well that about sums up my case and assuming you've read this far I thank you for your time and hope you've been suitably impressed. Cheers. :cool:
vs.NekkidBibleMan wrote: »Team name: Naked Bible Men
Manager: NekkidBibleMan
Formation
Sullivan
Carr-LeBouef-Scales-Bjornebye
----McAllister-Mascherano
--LeTissier-Juninho-Rosicky
Hasselbaink
Selection strategy:
For me, the crucial positions in the early rounds were at the business end of the pitch. The Premiership has been awash with solid keepers, defenders and midfield bruisers, but for creativity and the spectacular, there is a small group of top class players, followed by a sharp drop to the next level. I decided I'd sort my full-backs out last, as their impact pales in significance to other positions, and also because of the relative wealth of quality in these positions.
I also decided on a formation before any picks were made. Most in the draft have gone for a 4-4-2, but I chose not to for a variety of reasons. A 4-2-3-1 demands only on striker (two top quality strikers were going to be difficult to secure), while the midfield is a flexible unit capable of accommodating players of various style and skill. By freeing my attacking three midfielders of defensive duties (and vice versa), I have been able to nullify potential drawbacks in picking certain players. Finally, I believe that a 4-2-3-1 is, with the right players, a much more effective formation when lining up against other teams of high-quality, as in this draft.
My picks, in order:
Round 1: Matt Le Tissier
One of the best players I've seen in my lifetime. He had astounding technique, a fantastic footballing brain and was a fantastic creative force. Any question marks over his defensive nous or workrate are nullified, as he is purely being deployed as an attacker.
Round 2: Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink
Given my formation, a strong, mobile target man was an obvious requirement. For me, there was no better player for the job than Hasselbaink. One of the all-time leading scorers in the Premiership, he regularly broke the 20-goals-a-season barrier, and did so in weaker teams than most. He was strong, quick and a great finisher. He was capable of scoring every kind of goal.
Round 3: Juninho
I think Juninho represents great value for the third round, considering his unquestionable impact on the Premiership. He'll slot in alongside Le Tissier, playing the typical Brazilian No. 10 role. Again, with no defensive responsibilities, the weak side of his game does not impact on my team.
Round 4: Gary McAllister (Captain)[/b]
Having gone for a lot of flair with my opening picks, I needed someone who was capable of steadying the boat and setting the tempo for my team. Combining a great engine with a vast array of passing, he
will be looked on to hold fort, and start my attacks from deep.
Round 5: Javier Mascherano
In my system, a player like Mascherano is a necessity. Unspectacular going forward, but crucial in winning the ball and breaking down attacks, his tireless industry will compliment McAllister's passing well in providing my midfield platform. On his day, he has shown he can keep even Kaka quiet, and with the quality of the opposition teams, his experience at the top level could be crucial.
Round 6: Frank LeBouef
By this stage, a lot of you had (surprisingly, to me) concentrated on building from the back, and so I was keen to get in somebody to keep me steady at the back. Frank LeBouef will lead by defense, and his no-nonsense approach to defending coupled with his comfort on the ball is a solid, if unspectacular, addition.
Round 7: Tomas Rosicky
A controversial one, but a necessity. Leaving left-wing to so late in the draw was, on hindsight, a mistake. There was a real lack of quality after the first few founds had gone, and the demands of my formation further limited me. There's no doubting Rosicky's ability, but there are obvious question marks over his fitness. Ironically, my alternative for the role was Patrick Berger, another Czech with a patchy fitness history!
Round 8: Neil Sullivan
With my attack and midfield complete, attention turned to my defense. It was a toss-up between choosing a central defender or a goalkeeper, but I think I chose wisely in Sullivan. A solid keeper with a wealth of experience, he won't cost a team points. He's also quite vocal, and will help marshall the defense.
Round 9: John Scales
I was keen for 'footballing' centre-halves, and John Scales is one. His record speaks for itself, and I think he was good value for the 9th round.
Round 10: Stephen Carr
In choosing to pick my full-backs in rounds 10 and 11, I wasn't expecting a player of Carr's ability to be available. My formation requires full-backs who aren't afraid to get forward, and Carr demonstrated at Spurs and Newcastle his ability to do just that.
Round 11: Stig Inge Bjornebye
My final pick was left-back, and again I chose a full-back who could get forward. Sometimes deployed as a wing-back by Liverpool, he was a fine crosser of the ball from deep. He also played alongside Scales in on the meanest defenses of the Premiership era.
Captain: Gary McAllister
Free-kicks: Juninho/Le Tiss/Gary Mc
Penalties: Le Tissier (obviously!)
Summary: I'm very happy with my team. In prioritizing my team's attack, I believe I have one of the strongest in the draft. Shrewd picks like LeBouef and Sullivan meant I secured a solid, if unspectacular, defense. Still, football is won by scoring goals, and my team is certainly set up to do that.
Strengths
- Creativity in attack
- Three attacking midfielders capable of the spectacular
- Solid defensive midfield unit
Weaknesses
- Unspectacular defense
- Fitness concerns with Rosicky and CarrMNG vs. NBM 17 votes
MNG0%NBM100%
17 votes
0
Comments
-
Why would my team do better over the course of a season than the right honorable MrNiceGuy's team?
Here's why:
Defence
Between the posts, we both have hugely experienced keepers. On his day, VDS is a better keeper. However, crucially, Sullivan epitomises consistency. And over the course of a 38 game season, I think that difference will prove telling.
Looking at MrNiceGuy's back four, I fear he has sacrificed quality for flexibility. Wes Brown is, for me, a jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none. Geremi too, is not the out-and-out right-back on which to build a title-winning team. In contrast, my back four is stubbornly inflexible - they all play their own position, and play it well. I will concede that Carr will do well to get through a season unscathed - though he has done it before, you know!
Midfield
Fitness concerns come into play for both our teams, here. I've got Rosicky, who is unlikely to make it through a full season, and MrNiceGuy has the fragile talents of Robben and Zenden on the wings. I am fortunate that Juninho and Le Tissier can easily shoulder the creative burden when Rosicky is on the treatment table, though looking at MrNiceGuy's team, I'm not sure where he will turn to if Robben or Zenden are crocked!
Also, while Carrick and Petit are both excellent distributers, they are perhaps too similar to effectively play together. In Macherano and McAllister, I have both an excellent destructive midfielder, and a fanstastic passer. These chalk-and-cheese qualities will better enable my team to adapt to the various challenges that present itself over a 38 game season.
Attack
Both teams are playing with a main striker in Defoe and Jimmy Floyd. If it's a question of who'll score more in a season, the answer is undoubtedly Hasselbaink. Of course, Defoe has Bergkamp behind him, and the dutchman is always capable of the spectacular. He is undoubtedly the driving force of MrNiceGuy's team, and will get you goals. However, building the team around a single player may render the team slightly one-dimensional and predictable. My team, on the other hand, has an incredibly versatile front-man who can is strong, quick and capable of scoring all types of goals.
So, clearly, my team would walk the league!
0 -
Advertisement