[DaBigManOnCampus]

Originally Posted by PremierLeague.com

SANCHEZ HANDED CHANCE BY COLEMAN EXIT

Lawrie Sanchez has taken a shock step into Barclays Premiership management following his appointment as Chris Coleman's successor at Fulham.



The Northern Ireland boss was announced as the new caretaker manager at Craven Cottage and charged with salvaging a season that threatens to descend into relegation misery.
Under Coleman, who was followed out of the Barclays Premiership strugglers by assistant Steve Kean, Fulham had failed to win a league match in seven attempts and had sunk from a position of seeming safety to just four points above the drop-zone.
After Easter Monday’s home defeat by Manchester City, which was followed by calls for Coleman’s head from sections of the Craven Cottage faithful, the London club’s hierarchy decided they had to act.
FULHAM 1-3 MANCHESTER CITY
A statement released on the club’s official website www.fulhamfc.com said: “Chris Coleman has provided a fantastic service during his 10 years at the club and it is disappointing that the club has no alternative but to part company.
“As a team and organisation, Fulham Football Club has goals to attain and success to achieve and by no means can this be compromised.”
Former Wales international Coleman took charge of Fulham in April 2003 following the departure of Jean Tigana.
He first joined the Cottagers as a player in 1997 in a £2million move from Blackburn Rovers, but injuries suffered in an horrific car crash in 2001 led to his retirement less then two years later.
Coleman guided the London club to 12th place in the Barclays Premiership last year and was frequently praised during his tenure for merely keeping Fulham in the top flight.
But his departure has paved the way for Sanchez, frequently charged with creating miracles as Northern Ireland manager, to step into the big time.
During his three years at the helm the province have defeated the likes of Spain, Sweden and, most famously, England at Windsor Park in September 2005.
In December that year the Irish FA gave permission for Sanchez to talk to Portsmouth following the departure of Alain Perrin, but the job eventually went to Harry Redknapp.
In 2006, the former Wycombe manager - who famously scored the winner for Wimbledon in their FA Cup final win over Liverpool in 1988 - hinted he may be willing to step down from his role as national team manager due to “the level and ferocity of the criticism from certain sections of the media” in Northern Ireland.
However, since then Sanchez has guided the traditional minnows to the top of their Euro 2008 qualifying group, ahead of Spain, Sweden and Denmark, among others.
He has been given the blessing of the Irish FA to take on his dual role, with Fulham admitting his appointment followed consultation with president Jim Boyce.
And the IFA admitted they are looking at their long-term options even though Sanchez intends to see out his contract with the national team.
IFA chief executive Howard Wells said: “Lawrie wants to make it absolutely clear he remains committed to Northern Ireland.
“We do not have any contingency plans in place but any self-respecting organisation is going to be looking at what may or may not happen.
“We are thinking about our options were Lawrie to stay or go, assuming there may be offers for him.
“You would be foolish to think he would resign one day and you would find somebody the next.”
Sanchez’s contract expires at the end of the campaign and his stock is rising.
Wells said: “People are getting hot under the collar about the whole thing (with Fulham).
“The reality of life is he has an opportunity. This sort of thing was going to come at some stage or another.
“You have to deal with it and that is what we are doing. Those people who thought this was not going to happen are naive ”
Sanchez might consider managing both club and country if his short spell at Fulham is successful and they avoid relegation.
He is clear of international commitments until August when Northern Ireland restart their Euro 2008 qualifying campaign at home against Liechtenstein.
Wells said: “We will be talking to Fulham again at the end of the season to see where we are.
“While this situation came out of the blue, they approached us properly.
“All you can do is respond. It would have been churlish not to agree to allow him to do it.”
Sanchez is due to meet the Fulham players for the first time on Thursday when he will take training.
Then he will finalise preparations for his first match in charge, against Reading, on Saturday.

So this is a intresting hire, Do you think that this will change the hopes of Fulham fans for now and the year to come.

[Gotham Dark Knight]

Originally Posted by alex83

no becuase i stand by my opinion, i believe that Campbell was a good player but not a great one and all the statistics in the world wont change that fact, plain and simple Campbell was a good player but will never ve classed as a great one im sorry but he wont

\
Ah, the simple logic of it all...one man's opinion against a sea of statistics...see, it would hold more water if it's backed up by more than a statement that amounts to an opinion...at least, at the very least, I used statistics to back up my case for the man...

[alex83]

but the statistics dont count for anything! you can rattle off a bunch of statistics like he was the only player in the premiership to walk onto the field with his left foot first every game but that doesnt make him a good player but since you want statistics so badly ill show you some lesser players with better stats than him:
Tony Adams, had 3 less caps than Campbell but won more medals and appeared in more competitions than him
Ian Butcher, played 8 more games than Campbell over the same amount of years
Gary Neville, played 16 more games than Campbell and has appeared in more competitions and won more medals and is still in the England squad despite being older than Campbell
Kenny Sampson, played 17 more games and played for a year less than Campbell

all of those players are concidered great, Campbell is considered a good solid defender who MAY have 69 caps and MAY have appeared in 6 straight major competitions but their stats dont make them better players, is Theo Walcott now a great player becuase he was in the England squad at 17? no becuase he has not proved he is a great player on the field. is David James considered great becuase he has been a starting keeper for almost his entire career and played with top teams as well as having been the england number one for many years? no becuase he hasnt proved to be a good player on the field. is Francis Jeffers considered great becuase he won a premiership medal having only played a few games and got selected for the England squad on several occasions? no because he hasnt proved it on the field...seeing a pattern here, stats can show you one side of the picture but it doesnt show greatness, that is only measured by how you play on the field

[Gotham Dark Knight]

Originally Posted by alex83

but the statistics dont count for anything! you can rattle off a bunch of statistics like he was the only player in the premiership to walk onto the field with his left foot first every game but that doesnt make him a good player but since you want statistics so badly ill show you some lesser players with better stats than him:
Tony Adams, had 3 less caps than Campbell but won more medals and appeared in more competitions than him
Ian Butcher, played 8 more games than Campbell over the same amount of years
Gary Neville, played 16 more games than Campbell and has appeared in more competitions and won more medals and is still in the England squad despite being older than Campbell
Kenny Sampson, played 17 more games and played for a year less than Campbell

all of those players are concidered great, Campbell is considered a good solid defender who MAY have 69 caps and MAY have appeared in 6 straight major competitions but their stats dont make them better players, is Theo Walcott now a great player becuase he was in the England squad at 17? no becuase he has not proved he is a great player on the field. is David James considered great becuase he has been a starting keeper for almost his entire career and played with top teams as well as having been the england number one for many years? no becuase he hasnt proved to be a good player on the field. is Francis Jeffers considered great becuase he won a premiership medal having only played a few games and got selected for the England squad on several occasions? no because he hasnt proved it on the field...seeing a pattern here, stats can show you one side of the picture but it doesnt show greatness, that is only measured by how you play on the field

"Ah, "proven it on the field"...there is a measurable standard... ...pray tell, how does one measure "Proven it on the field?"...that is totally subjective...you say he ain't and a lot of other people say he is...

Dude, if you haven't "proven it on the field" you do not get to represent England on the world pitch all that often,certainly not +60 times...and you certainly don't get to captain the team...

Might as well say what you really are saying...which is..."I really don't think much of Sol Campbell"...proven it on the field...LOL...good luck with that as a measurable standard...

[DaBigManOnCampus]

From Premier League.com
LITA CHARGED OVER CHARLTON INCIDENT

Reading striker Leroy Lita has been charged with violent conduct by the Football Association.



The charge relates to an incident in the Royals’ match at Charlton Athletic on April 9 involving Addicks defender Talal El Karkouri.
CHARLTON ATHLETIC 0-0 READING
A statement from the FA read: “The FA sought clarification from match referee Graham Poll, who has confirmed that he did not see the incident but, having reviewed video footage, expressed his view that the incident warranted a red card.
“Lita has until 6pm on April 12 to admit or deny the charge. A disciplinary commission will hear the case on April 13.”

From the game yesterday got click the links above...

[alex83]

Originally Posted by Gotham Dark Knight

"Ah, "proven it on the field"...there is a measurable standard... ...pray tell, how does one measure "Proven it on the field?"...that is totally subjective...you say he ain't and a lot of other people say he is...

Dude, if you haven't "proven it on the field" you do not get to represent England on the world pitch all that often,certainly not +60 times...and you certainly don't get to captain the team...

Might as well say what you really are saying...which is..."I really don't think much of Sol Campbell"...proven it on the field...LOL...good luck with that as a measurable standard...

captaining England doesnt mean anything becuase he was never assigned the captain, he captained the team for a few games and if your focusing that on how good he is you are well of becuase players with 2 caps have captained the team and people who know the game wouldnt say that he is a great player so you cant make a sweeping comment like many people say he is, what you dont seem to get is that i like Campbell and i think he was a GOOD player im not taking anything away from the guy, your just trying to justify how good he is based on statistics that dont mean anything, ive watched him his entire career and i know that he has only ever been a good player not a GREAT one

and before making a comment like "proven it on the field lol" try watching a game or 2 of soccer and not just looking for stats on the web or maybe speak to some british fans and ask them if you define a player by the ridiculous stats you can drum up like 'how young he was when he captained england a few times' and try and justify his ability by how good he is on the field. oh and on saying that when you watch soccer you will notice people saying 'he had a good game' 'he did well' not 'he got in 3 tackles and completed 73% of his passes and now his stats are amazing, oh and just to add to that this is the 3rd competition in a row he is playing' this isnt like the NFL or the NBA where people look at 3 pointers made or touchdowns thrown, they judge a player by the way he plays week in week out on the field not by the stats he has at the end of his career, if you made that comment to somene they would laugh at you for thinking you can justify how great a player is by the stats you can find about him on the internet

[Gotham Dark Knight]

Originally Posted by alex83

captaining England doesnt mean anything becuase he was never assigned the captain, he captained the team for a few games and if your focusing that on how good he is you are well of becuase players with 2 caps have captained the team and people who know the game wouldnt say that he is a great player so you cant make a sweeping comment like many people say he is, what you dont seem to get is that i like Campbell and i think he was a GOOD player im not taking anything away from the guy, your just trying to justify how good he is based on statistics that dont mean anything, ive watched him his entire career and i know that he has only ever been a good player not a GREAT one

and before making a comment like "proven it on the field lol" try watching a game or 2 of soccer and not just looking for stats on the web or maybe speak to some british fans and ask them if you define a player by the ridiculous stats you can drum up like 'how young he was when he captained england a few times' and try and justify his ability by how good he is on the field. oh and on saying that when you watch soccer you will notice people saying 'he had a good game' 'he did well' not 'he got in 3 tackles and completed 73% of his passes and now his stats are amazing, oh and just to add to that this is the 3rd competition in a row he is playing' this isnt like the NFL or the NBA where people look at 3 pointers made or touchdowns thrown, they judge a player by the way he plays week in week out on the field not by the stats he has at the end of his career, if you made that comment to somene they would laugh at you for thinking you can justify how great a player is by the stats you can find about him on the internet

I guess all of England must have been terribly short of "great" players for all those 69 games he played on the National Team huh?...

You crack me up...so you've watch him his whole career...you still have what?...an opinion at best?...one obviously not shared with whomever keeps selecting him for the National Team...

So, Soccer lacks the stats that the NFL has etc...so what?...pray tell how he got on the National Team for that long?...

AH and this power of observation you have can tell you how much soccer I have watched?...LOL... ...dude, I have watched plenty...I also can dig up stats on the net to back up a claim...what does one have to do with the other?

Obviously I have to repeat myself again...slowly for you this time...you have an opinion on your side backed up by little else...on my side I have stated how often the man has been picked for his National Team (in a country unliked the states where the competition is weak), He has captain the squad even when players like Shearer have been on it (didn't you mention him as a great one?)...he Captained at a very early age...He has feats on his side un equal by any other Brit...and again, what have you come up with?...oh, wait let me list them...

1) You have watched him play...which along with the years you have as a professional soccer player or coach makes you an expert, no?...what's that?...you have watched him play just like anyone else?...huh?...Silly me for thinking that if you are going to base it on "observation" alone, you would be at least an expert on the matter...my bad...

2) You have made the incorrect and laughable assumption that I do not watch soccer, and/or the Premier league...shame on you for making assumptions...

Huh...so in the end you have an observation and an incorrect assumption...that's what you are going with?...LOL...okay mate...you are on record for "an observation and an incorrect assumption" care to add to it?...


PS...I'd tell you what, in the absence of stats, produce at least to credible quotes from experts on Sol's skill level and career and I will give you the win...

[alex83]

Huh...so in the end you have an observation and an incorrect assumption...that's what you are going with?...LOL...okay mate...you are on record for "an observation and an incorrect assumption" care to add to it?...[/quote]

yes England has a limited amount of great players, they have a large amount of good players but very few can be regarded as great and the amount of caps a player has for the national team means absolutly nothing when it comes to a player being defined as great, they can define a player as being good and playing well for a certain amount of time but i ask if he is so great home comes hes not currently in the National Team now?

and since when did i say that my opinion was the best becuase ive watched him throughout his career? ive said that ive watched him and infact i asked a small select of people around me while we were discussing this same topic and 5 tottenham players have agreed that he was a good player who came into his own when he came to arsenal and since when have those people who pick the national team made ALL THE RIGHT decisions? they picked a youngster who played 4 pro games in a world cup squad and they didnt play him, is that signs that they get it right every time? and you keep mentioning he was the second youngest captain like that is something to define his greatness but in the AMAZING 69 caps he won he was only captain 3 times and none of those were in major tournaments, he was never even assigned as a vice captain, so does that still make him great?

he got in the england team for so long becuase he was a good, strong, solid centre back and there has also been a lack of good england centre backs over the past 5 years or so, but that doesnt make him a great player, that re-defines him as a good player with national team credentials

to be honest it doesnt matter to me how much soccer you have watched becuase its pretty clear from your argument so far that you cannot make the right decision on a players ability becuase you cannot define the greatness of a player by stats, you would say he played well when he was in this team, he had a tough time there but did well. i say that Campbell did ok at Spurs but needed to go somewhere else to do better and he became a better player at Arsenal but since the death of his father his ability to play the game has dropped, you dont define a players greatness by stats

i obvioulsly have to repeat MYSELF now and slow it down for you...Sol Campbell was a GOOD player but was not a GREAT player simple as that, yeah he was in the national team, second youngest captain etc etc..thats great for him to tell his grandkids but that doesnt make him any greater. Campbell was never captain of england when Alan Shearer was on the field and when he was captain he never captained the team in a major tournament it was always in either qualifiers or friendlies which means that a goalkeeper or a player with 1 cap could captain the team as, in the days when Campbell was captain 11 players could be substituted at half time

and back to your well argued, mature points, 1. i never said that becuase i watch football that makes me an expert i said that i have watched him play and i made an observation and based on the minimal argument you have made so far which seems to be reiterating the same stats and reducing to trying to undermine me makes me think i am more of an expert than YOU not the whole world before you jump to that conclusion, on this subject
2. it wouldnt bother me if you watched 10 hours of soccer a day or 10 hours a year becuase based on the argument so far im HOPING its the latter becuase if you are truely a passionate fan this argument is pretty embarrasing so far

and in the end i have made an observation as a fan who has grown up with soccer, played it, been surrounded by it day in day out through family and friends and works at Arsenal FC so im pretty close to the action on a regular basis, so i wont go on record as making an observation and an incorrect assumption, i will go on record as being a passionate fan who is trying to justify a point as a true fan rather than reducing myself to reeling off a set of stats to justify how good a player is when in the game of soccer stats count for about 1% of any players career

[Gotham Dark Knight]

Originally Posted by alex83

yes England has a limited amount of great players, they have a large amount of good players but very few can be regarded as great and the amount of caps a player has for the national team means absolutly nothing when it comes to a player being defined as great, they can define a player as being good and playing well for a certain amount of time but i ask if he is so great home comes hes not currently in the National Team now?

and since when did i say that my opinion was the best becuase ive watched him throughout his career? ive said that ive watched him and infact i asked a small select of people around me while we were discussing this same topic and 5 tottenham players have agreed that he was a good player who came into his own when he came to arsenal and since when have those people who pick the national team made ALL THE RIGHT decisions? they picked a youngster who played 4 pro games in a world cup squad and they didnt play him, is that signs that they get it right every time? and you keep mentioning he was the second youngest captain like that is something to define his greatness but in the AMAZING 69 caps he won he was only captain 3 times and none of those were in major tournaments, he was never even assigned as a vice captain, so does that still make him great?

he got in the england team for so long becuase he was a good, strong, solid centre back and there has also been a lack of good england centre backs over the past 5 years or so, but that doesnt make him a great player, that re-defines him as a good player with national team credentials

to be honest it doesnt matter to me how much soccer you have watched becuase its pretty clear from your argument so far that you cannot make the right decision on a players ability becuase you cannot define the greatness of a player by stats, you would say he played well when he was in this team, he had a tough time there but did well. i say that Campbell did ok at Spurs but needed to go somewhere else to do better and he became a better player at Arsenal but since the death of his father his ability to play the game has dropped, you dont define a players greatness by stats

i obvioulsly have to repeat MYSELF now and slow it down for you...Sol Campbell was a GOOD player but was not a GREAT player simple as that, yeah he was in the national team, second youngest captain etc etc..thats great for him to tell his grandkids but that doesnt make him any greater. Campbell was never captain of england when Alan Shearer was on the field and when he was captain he never captained the team in a major tournament it was always in either qualifiers or friendlies which means that a goalkeeper or a player with 1 cap could captain the team as, in the days when Campbell was captain 11 players could be substituted at half time

and back to your well argued, mature points, 1. i never said that becuase i watch football that makes me an expert i said that i have watched him play and i made an observation and based on the minimal argument you have made so far which seems to be reiterating the same stats and reducing to trying to undermine me makes me think i am more of an expert than YOU not the whole world before you jump to that conclusion, on this subject
2. it wouldnt bother me if you watched 10 hours of soccer a day or 10 hours a year becuase based on the argument so far im HOPING its the latter becuase if you are truely a passionate fan this argument is pretty embarrasing so far

and in the end i have made an observation as a fan who has grown up with soccer, played it, been surrounded by it day in day out through family and friends and works at Arsenal FC so im pretty close to the action on a regular basis, so i wont go on record as making an observation and an incorrect assumption, i will go on record as being a passionate fan who is trying to justify a point as a true fan rather than reducing myself to reeling off a set of stats to justify how good a player is when in the game of soccer stats count for about 1% of any players career

LOL...huh...you forgot the expert opinions their mate...care to try again?...

I mean you are all passion and kinda not so much by the way of producing expert opinion so far...

though I will double check to see if Shearer indeed never was on the field when he captained...other then that...dude, you still have an opinion...

but hey if watching a few extra soccer matches a year then me makes you an expert, one's whose opinion's rates more than those picking the National Team...who am I to get in the way of your delusion...carry on with your thinking...

next time though, perhaps you can trouble yourself with actually dragging in an expert quote or two...I mean since stats don't mean much, I would think you'd at least offer that...oh, wait, I forgot, you are a "true fan"...LOL...got it...Let me know when the media comes to you for an expert commentary on a match...

Oops missed this fun fact...

AMAZING 69 caps he won he was only captain 3 times and none of those were in major tournaments, he was never even assigned as a vice captain, so does that still make him great?

Now see...now you are getting it...That is actually a valid point... ...I guess it would depend on who was getting to be captain over him...if they were crappy players, you have a valid point...if they were great players it's inconclusive...but still, a lot better than just an observation...good for you! What else you got on Sol?

[Gotham Dark Knight]

PS You are actually right on Campbell not being Captain at same time Shearer was on the field...Shearer was not on the 1998 squads that Campbell played and Captained that year... ...point for you mate...Shearer played 11 international matches that year but not the one's Campbell captained...I will check who was on the squad...

Though ad to his career he was on the 2002 Fifa World Cup team tournament and I believe he was also on the Euro 2004 all tourney team...In fact he was the only Brit to make the 2002 Fifa World Cup Team...and I am sure you would agree there were some "great players" in that squad and in that Tourney that did not make the honor...

[wedge]

Interesting discussion on Sol Campbell. The guy has had an accomplished career and its bordering on that great level. He had an amazing goal on a header against Argentina in 1998 taking away on a b.s. foul. He also had the only goal for Arsenal in the 2006 Champions league final.

I think what hurts him is the lack of good English centre-backs in the last 20 or 30 years. However he was the class at his position for 10 years or so in the Premiership. Also, he's been a key player for Portsmouth this year in which they are currently in 8th position.

[alex83]

see the problem with what this discussion has become now is that at the beginning it was what was to be defined as great or good and now you have turned it into a petty argument trying to make me justify myself when all you have done is reiterate the same few statistics that a monkey with a laptop could make and have made no other argument after that becuase you dont want to accept that maybe my argument has some legitimacy behind it and you dont want to loose face infront of anyone who may be viewing this thread

you claim i have not produced an expert opinion but pray tell (as you love to say that) who has an expert opinion? is it the analysts on the soccer shows over here, most of whom have had such poor careers that its a suprise that they are on the shows in the first place, is it the england coaches who cannot get england to the semi finals of a major tournament? who has the expert opinion in these matters?

and once again you have made a sweeping generalisation about the amount of football i watch, i honestly cannot believe you would turn around and say that i only watch a few matches a year when thus far you have not stated how much football you watch leading me to believe it is you infact who only watches or has ever watched a few matches this year. i live in a country when whole families are divided over the passion for their football teams, a country when saturday afternoon is for watching football and football shows are on throughout the week, so even if your going to generalise about the football i watch atleast make a realistic statement like i watch 1 game a week which even that would be way off

what exactly does me being a true fan, which i believe i am have anything to do with my opinion? ive been going to games since i was 5, ive been through the good and bad times with arsenal, ive brought ever shirt, every year since i was little, ive watched every televised game they have shown, been to every final and major domestic tournament they have played in, in some cases even going abroud to seeing them, ive even gone as far as getting a job at the club ive been supporting since ive been a kid, you see i am like many british fans who have a passion for their team but once again your other sweeping generalisation which reinstates the fact you have little knowledge on the game has led you to state that due to me being a passionate fan that must mean the league will come knocking at my door for my opinion, ive never stated that im just stating my own opinion which has yet to be questioned by any of these major sports analysts whos opinions you hold so highly, and you want me to come out with some quotes to back up my opinion? how about you come up with some becuase so far all you have used to justify your own argument is a few random stats that mean nothing

[DaBigManOnCampus]

Yes, this has turned into a petty arguement, please talk other topics in the thread please?

Thanks,

[Gotham Dark Knight]

Originally Posted by DaBigManOnCampus

Yes, this has turned into a petty arguement, please talk other topics in the thread please?

Thanks,

Sure...bring on the next topic...never said I was not petty...

[DaBigManOnCampus]

here is an interesting comparsion story between the two leagues, La Liga and English Premier, Personally I still think La Liga is the best, but the Bundesliga is one of the most underrated leagues in the world. Watch one this weekend, and see why.

BBC - 606 - - A21674586 - Is the Premiership the best?