Most tackles won by an English PL midfielder..

[hogesar 9,606]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/35811647

Johnny Howson is 4th, and only 5 interceptions behind Drinkwater who is obviously being touted for England. Take into account Howson has played a multitude of different roles this season too, and that''s pretty impressive.

[TCCANARY 263]

Did he run around a lot as well?

How many crosses did he manage to stop?

Will he manage to take more attacking throw-ins than Jesus Navas?

What will it take to increase is ranking on ChampionPremierFIFAship 2017?

[Gainer the Gopher 0]

Which Norwegian midfielders have the 5 most interceptions? Is # of interceptions the main deciding factor in selections for the national team? How do English midfielders stack up against nonEnglish ones? I''m not all that impressed. But I do like Howson. Thanks for nothing.

[Crabbycanary3 994]

There was a clue in the title

[Gainer the Gopher 0]

I think you imagined it.

[hogesar 9,606]

I personally felt the title made it quite clear what the post would more than likely entail.

[GJP 79]

Probably would be top if it wasn''t for those games when he was wasted on the right.

[hogesar 9,606]

Problem is GJP if Howson was top I doubt this article would have existed...

[Gainer the Gopher 0]

The title makes it obvious what the thread is about. It doesn''t hint at what the answers to the corresponding questions are, which Crabby''s comment seemed to indicate. Granted, both sets were condescending but that''s because we were making fun of the pointlessness of the thread. You people obsessing over pointless minutae! Just enjoy the ride for once.

[Guest]

Also see in that article that a certain Andrew Surman has the most successful passes by an English PL midfielder.  If only we had someone who could help us keep the ball like that...

[Katie Borkins 1]

Howson is thriving back in the middle of our midfield and hopefully he can be the catalyst for some of the attacking spark we have been lacking.  The statistic here shows how quietly effective he is, and how under-appreciated his all round game is.  He is probably our most complete midfielder in the sense of passing, positional play, tackling and getting up and down the pitch.

[morty 0]

Re Surman, when he left us not many people were particularly bothered. He has obviously developed pretty well since, but at the time he was definitely on the lightweight / fragile side.

Though I fully expect someone now to swoop in and say "I told you he was quality, and should have kept him"!

[westcoastcanary 0]

A few years ago there was an item about Vidic making fewer tackles than any other CB in the EPL. As was pointed out at the time, a CB having to make a tackle is more a sign of his own and his team mates'' failure than something to be lauded. Having to make a tackle is just a legal version of having to foul an opponent because he''s got the better of you. I remember a CL game between Arsenal and Barcelona at the Emirates a

couple of seasons ago when there was hardly a tackle made in the entire

match. Possession was won and lost by crowding the player with the ball,

closing the space available for the pass, or just nicking the ball away

without touching the man. It was exhilarating to watch, play being

almost continuous rather than constantly interrupted by fouls or

injuries.

[Katie Borkins 1]

[quote user="westcoastcanary"]Having to make a tackle is just a legal version of having to foul an opponent because he''s got the better of you. [/quote]

That is in the top ten daft statements of Pink Un history.

Tackling is a skill, an art - if you prefer - and fundamental to the game.  It is not a "legal foul".

[hogesar 9,606]

[quote user="Gainer the Gopher"]The title makes it obvious what the thread is about. It doesn''t hint at what the answers to the corresponding questions are, which Crabby''s comment seemed to indicate. Granted, both sets were condescending but that''s because we were making fun of the pointlessness of the thread. You people obsessing over pointless minutae! Just enjoy the ride for once.[/quote]

[IMG]https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR0gc_WsXy2b5xStBtKbmTVk4sMO4pFQvCrDObBPBoE6W3mUGttOQ[/IMG]

[westcoastcanary 0]

[quote user="morty"]Re Surman, when he left us not many people were particularly bothered. He has obviously developed pretty well since, but at the time he was definitely on the lightweight / fragile side.

Though I fully expect someone now to swoop in and say "I told you he was quality, and should have kept him"![/quote]This is just an example of how an unexceptional individual can thrive in the right set up. Surman is no Gerrard, Carrick or for that matter Ian Crook. His job is to recycle the ball with simple passes to players in space. He is the player to whom his team mates seek constantly to give the ball (hence his high number of passes every game) and to whom they are drilled to offer an easy passing opportunity (hence his high pass success rate). As an attacking force he is negligible (2 assists this season).

[westcoastcanary 0]

[quote user="Jeremy Borbyn"][quote user="westcoastcanary"]Having to make a tackle is just a legal version of having to foul an opponent because he''s got the better of you. [/quote]

That is in the top ten daft statements of Pink Un history.

Tackling is a skill, an art - if you prefer - and fundamental to the game.  It is not a "legal foul".

[/quote] I didn''t say a tackle is a legal foul. I was drawing an analogy between having to make a tackle and having to foul an opponent, both being last resort actions when the opposition has got the better of you. Tackling is indeed "fundamental to the game" for sides sadly lacking in the more sublime skills which make it "the beautiful game".

[Katie Borkins 1]

Tackling is not a last resort! 

I don''t know any other way to put it.

Sometimes in football, the other team will have the ball and you will have to win it back.

The last resort is a professional foul, or letting them have a shot on goal, or get in a cross.

The tackle is the legitimate and skillful way to avoid the last resort.

It has nothing to do with sides "lacking in sublime skills".  Every team has, or needs, a Deschamps to go alongside a Zidane.

[Gainer the Gopher 0]

Hogesar, by posting that last weak comeback that has nothing to do with the topic you generated, you''ve proven how stupid you are. Stupid response, boring topic typical of you and your desperately pathetic drips.

You''re about as interesting and exciting as a Tuesday in February.

[Katie Borkins 1]

[quote user="Gainer the Gopher"]Hogesar, by posting that last weak comeback that has nothing to do with the topic you generated, you''ve proven how stupid you are. Stupid response, boring topic typical of you and your desperately pathetic drips.

You''re about as interesting and exciting as a Tuesday in February.[/quote]

He''s right though: you are a massive weapons-grade bellend of, frankly, Satanic proportions.

[hogesar 9,606]

[quote user="Jeremy Borbyn"][quote user="Gainer the Gopher"]Hogesar, by posting that last weak comeback that has nothing to do with the topic you generated, you''ve proven how stupid you are. Stupid response, boring topic typical of you and your desperately pathetic drips.

You''re about as interesting and exciting as a Tuesday in February.[/quote]

He''s right though: you are a massive weapons-grade bellend of, frankly, Satanic proportions.

[/quote]

[:D]

[It's Character Forming 1,160]

When I watch Barca and they lose the ball, they do seem to swarm over the opposition and dare I say it, often tackle them.

[westcoastcanary 0]

I like hyperbole. [:)]. Of course tackling -- dispossessing a player in

possession of the ball by foot contact with the ball -- is an essential

part of the game. But it can and should be done without cleaning out the

player in the process. There''s still too much relish in this country

for the euphemistically-described "hard" player. Physical assault, even

when un-penalised, is generally speaking the resort of the out-skilled

and out-played. "We can''t out-play them, so let''s kick them out of the

game". Relatedly, how often do you hear commentators and pundits in this

country bemoaning what they see as the rule-makers trying to make

football a "contact-less" sport, or "outlawing tackling" when in fact

what they are doing is trying to provide conditions in which true skill

flourishes and thuggery does not.

[Gainer the Gopher 0]

Aaaawwww, name calling. That''s your way of saying you''ve lost the debate to a better informed, superior American intellect. We''ll see you on the moon..........if you ever get there.

America rules!

[hogesar 9,606]

[quote user="Gainer the Gopher"]Aaaawwww, name calling. That''s your way of saying you''ve lost the debate to a better informed, superior American intellect. We''ll see you on the moon..........if you ever get there.

America rules![/quote]

[IMG]http://orig13.deviantart.net/480f/f/2012/330/2/4/american_flag_shotgun_guy_we_aren_t_stupid_meme__by_matteonl97-d5m7ue0.jpg[/IMG]

[Crabbycanary3 994]

Won''t be long until they celebrate the Golden Anniversary of the Moon landing.............

[Gainer the Gopher 0]

Enjoy all your America-popularized products with a large side of hypocrisy. Is there a Union Jack on the moon yet?

[STFU 0]

Isn''t it time for another American crazy to go on a killing spree at his high school? Must be at least a day since the last one. Thankfully that''s one American tradition that won''t catch on over here.

[nutty nigel 7,506]

Yes Gainer, yes there is! It was put there by the police patrol in 1979. Not Tilly though...

[Gainer the Gopher 0]

Good one, STF.

That''s Obama for you.

$8 gallons of gas and long waits for standard health services save lives!

Nutty, it took a while, but I got it! HAH! I love that tune.