We took to Dong very well.

Anyway, I prefer Vidic and Evra to Rooney so nationality has feck all to do with it.









Aye, which is what I said in my last post to codarmysaint. Messi is sublime with the ball at his feet, only Ronaldo is like him, with the ability to take players on. Rooney's passing has been pretty poor this season, which is why I believe we have yet to see the best of him. People with the ability to make a pass to eliminate the opposition and bring in more of your own team, like Scholes, Alonso, Xavi and Fabregas can do is a rarity, I believe them four have the ability better than Messi.



I agree that Messi is probably the best player in the world, because there are a couple of weaknesses in Rooney's game this season, such as his passing / long range shooting. But he's not as far away from Messi as some are making it sound.

I don't mean it to knock on Rooney when I say it, I just think Messi has combined so many attributes, it's hard to see anyone near him. His turn of pace, agility yet strength and balance are freakish for a player of such height, the way he compliments his speed with the effortless dribbling, I could go on.



It's harsh on Rooney that he's playing in a time when someone like Messi is just hitting his peak, as any other player having a season like Rooney's would put his house on him winning the WPOTY award, he's done it in every competition and he's done well for England, but I just can't look past the little Argentine.

Drogba can have the PL, Eto'o the CL, Ronaldo - La Liga. Rooney and Messi can then share the Ballon D'Or (or whatever 5hit it's called) and everyone can be happy.





For me it's always best to laud the players who actually win things. Winning things is the only thing IMO. Being the best player to win FA is really pathetic IMO. Total Football Holland shouldn't be championed because they were the best side not to win the World Cup, they should be ashamed that they didn't use their talent to achieve what should have been their objective.



Change the list a bit! Messi can have the WPOTY by himself. Rooney can have the World Cup!

The rules/laws don't state anything about this mythical "last man" which people are so fond of quoting...it states that if a clear goalscoring opportunity is denied the attacking player then a red card should be issued. I think Valencia would have got a shot in (whether it would have been any good or not is another debate!!) so technically it should have been a red card...taken from the Laws of the Game...[urlhttp://www.thefa.com/TheFA/RulesandRegulations/~/media/Files/PDF/Get%20into%20Football/Referees/lawsofthegameen_0910.ashx/lawsofthegameen_0910.pdf[/url

Sending-off Offences

A player, substitute or substituted player is sent off if he commits any of the

following seven offences:

• denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity to an opponent moving

towards the player’s goal by an offence punishable by a free kick or a

penalty kick

I'd agree with that at this moment in time. Lets see how good Rooney, Messi & Ronaldo are at the WC. I think if anyone of them won the thing they'd be entered into the all time greats list?



Pele

Maradonna

Zidane

All time great?

Did I stutter?

[url=http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/23032010/58/world-cup-2010-england-world-cup-tv-schedule.htmlWorld Cup 2010 - England's World Cup TV schedule[/url



ITV will show England's first two matches at the 2010 World Cup, with BBC showing the third group game, as well as the last-16 and quarter-final if Fabio Capello's men make it that far

Eh? So the games won't be shown on both channels? FFS. Got to put up with ITVs dire coverage.

"He's alright that little Messi fella, might make it if he puts on a bit of weight and learns to head a ball..."



Probably what the scouting report would have read if he'd been born in Aldershot rather than Argentina.

Add 'too short & only has 1 foot' and you're bang on the money.

He was turned down by Argentinian giants River Plate due to the conditon which stunted his growth.

I am yet to meet an Argentinian here who has a good word to say about Messi, they all think he doesn't care about playing for Argentina and only plays well for Barcelona because that's who pay his wages.



Then again, they seem to think similarly of most of the star players who head to Europe so it isn't that much of a surprise.



I presume the post about Messi/Rooney/Ronaldo joining the likes of Pele and Maradona if they do well in the World Cup was a joke? Three players in their early/mid 20's who have done well for the last 3 or 4 years for their clubs in comparison to players who performed well at the very top level for club and country for over a decade?

Obviously. All 3 of the ones I mentioned won at least 2 World Cups? (Did Maradonna? Think he got 1) Mess, Roo & Ron have still got many years of football ahead of them.

Why do they think so highly of Maradonna then? Because he won things with Argentina? Maybe Messi will.

I guess he performed for his country, whereas Messi doesn't appear to have done anything worthwhile, as of yet.



The three lads I was talking to last night claim he doesn't even try, I haven't seen enough of Argentina to comment on that, I think it is just a bit of paranoia - for example two different people here have claimed that Veron must have been "paid off" because of his poor performance in the England v Argentina WC game in 2002 co-incided with him playing in England, the fact that he was pretty useless for most of his time in England surrounding that tournament seems to have passed them by!

One world cup when he was 26. Messi is 22 so has plenty of time yet. Ironically the biggest hinderance to Messi and Argentina winning a world cup is their current manager, Diego Armando Maradona.

Probably true. They've failed to replace Roman but they're still trying to play the same way. He's tried out a stupendous amount of players, but there is nobody to control a game like him, which means there is no cog to keep things moving. If they're to do well, they have to adapt and become more of a counter-attacking side, sort of like England. They don't have the midfield to control a game against top sides, they need to find a balance in the side and play a more direct, quicker game.

Nah. You just spouted a load of nonsense.

He only needs the one.

Zidane only won one too. Not doing too well here are you?



...and it is Maradona.

Another reason Maradona is so highly thought of by Argentinians (though not as a coach) is because of the political and social conditions of the country at the time, they'd suffered under military rule, the "dirty war" and then the Falklands. Perfect timing for a new hero to come along as the country tried to move on and put the past behind them.



The best "defence" of his drug taking I've heard is that his first positive test was faked to frame him, and the stress etc from that led to him ending up developing a problem with them. I haven't laughed so much in ages, but the guy was deadly serious.

Why do you hate me?

Probably so.

I don't.