sheded 0 Posted January 7, 2006 There`s been a lot of verbals on this forum about players being prem class or champ class , as though there`s a sudden sharp distinction in skill level between any player in the prem and champ . A distinction I have never bought into ! Today we have the opportunity to see whether this distintion has any substance , the part-time minnows , like Burton Albion against the plutocrats like Manu for instance ! On the face of it , that match should end in something like 15 -nil to Manu ... should be fascinating to watch .... I hope the brewers rub their noses in it ! Burton Albion has , without doubt , a team who play FOR each other , no prima donna`s in their squad ! Realistically , nobody will expect Burton to win , but it will be the style they lose in that will tell the tale ..... and they do have Clough`s son managing them ! [;)] Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sheded 0 Posted January 9, 2006 Thought I`d resurrect this thread , if only to register my admiration of the Burton battlers ! that match had everything , pure entertainment from start to finish , with plenty of drama thrown in ! Granted that in the first 70 minutes Manu didn`t risk their big guns , even so they fielded all their prem players , and , IMO were very lucky not to be one down in the first half , I know a penalty when I see one ... Burton started a bit defensive in the second half , but they certainly knew HOW to defend ! Fergie paid them the ultimate accolade on the 70th minute by bringing on Rooney and Ronaldo , but even those two proved ineffective ! This result [ and others ] sort of proves the point I tried to make in this thread , which is that all this yak about " prem class " doesn`t bear close examination ! what the top prem clubs have is just a few really gifted players , the Rooneys, Ronaldos , Lampards , etc the rest could be just competant , without being outstanding .... the bottom six of the prem , and the top six of the fizz are interchangeable ... easily ! Bottom line ? a good TEAM will have the beating of a bunch of prima donnas posing as a team !! Nigel ! forget the droppings of the fizzy league , look at the lower leagues [ inc the conference ! ] for REAL genuine hungry players ! the talent IS there , Albion had it in spades !!!!!!!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ruddy Good 0 Posted January 9, 2006 I agree with you Sheded. Football is a funny game at times!!! However rich the club is, however much the players cost, the richer side can never guarentee themselves a win. I don''t think it bodes well for England if Rooney seemed ineffective against Burton Albion when he has got the World Cup in 6 months....... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
YankeeCanary 0 Posted January 9, 2006 Another example was the Clyde team that beat Celtic yesterday. Clyde''s manager, Graham Roberts, has had a questionable career ( lower level success and disputes ) but he recruited the Clyde team this past July as basically young drop-outs from other clubs and built a team that is playing reasonably well. Their ages span from 18 with the oldest at 22. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lucky green trainers 0 Posted January 9, 2006 [quote user="YankeeCanary"]Another example was the Clyde team that beat Celtic yesterday. Clyde''s manager, Graham Roberts, has had a questionable career ( lower level success and disputes ) but he recruited the Clyde team this past July as basically young drop-outs from other clubs and built a team that is playing reasonably well. Their ages span from 18 with the oldest at 22.[/quote]every dog has his day! celtic played very poorly - could be trouble behind the scenes there with keano & strachan dynamic. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ken Aries 0 Posted January 9, 2006 What a tremendous performance by the Burton battlers. Fergie was guilty of showing a lack of respect for the opposition though, by playing virtually a reserve side.You would have thought he had learnt his lesson last season when Exeter City held United''s second string to a draw in the initial FA Cup encounter. It''s pretty much a certainty he won''t make the same mistake in the replay at Old Trafford Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sheded 0 Posted January 9, 2006 Yeah , Fergie certainly got a bit of an an eye opener on Sunday ! if Manu had any chance of overtaking Chelsea I doubt whether he would bother sending out his big guns , but the cup is now his only chance of silver in the UK , so out they`ll come in the replay! I don`t think this`ll phase Burton ... they`ve already achieved the impossible , and earned the big payday , so they`ll be more relaxed than the prima donnas in the replay , one to watch !!! Hope our team watched that match , they could learn so much ! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites