My style of playing is based on aggression

[martymarts]

This is what Baros had to say at the end of his apology for the foul that got him sent off against Everton, which spookily mirrored what Sevilla's Javi Navarro had to say about himself; after nearly 'murdering' Juan Fernando Arango of Real Mallorca this weekend (I was nearly physically sick watching the video on FSN) !

I started a thread a while back about how football was the real loser after the 50/50 game, because the referee had been complicit in allowing ManUre to kick us of the park, and this weekend seems to sum up the direction soccer is going in. Blackburn recorded the highest number of fouls in the EPL, against us, this week (28 I think) and what was given was the tip of the iceberg compared to stuff, both on and off the ball, that was missed.

Staying in the EPL, or the money that goes with it, has become so important that the teams who lacks players with the skills to compete seem to have given up trying and are just getting 'stuck-in' instead? I don't think anyone can have any doubt about what swapping Kevin Keagan for Stuart Pierce at Citeh means; stop playing football, start talking names and make sure you don't go down!

Look at the likes of Joe Jordon, Stuart Pierce, Mark Hughes, Sam Alladyce, Ian Douie, Steve Bruce, Bryan Robson and Graham Souness. The hard men are taking the reins and the outlook suggests that things are likely to get uglier! To be fair, not all of these ex-players seem to manage the game the way they played it, but, the top sides usually know they've been in a game when they come up against their charges?

Personally, I don't want this brand of football. I 've enjoyed too many years of AW to settle for that! I don't want to see players maimed and their careers ended. I don't want to see players diving all over the place, to win penalties, freekicks or get other players sent off. These things may always have been part of the game, but, they shouldn't dominate it? Is the worldwide audience tuning-in to see a bit of argy bargy? Is it really Duncan Ferguson they want to see rather than Thierry Henry?

The governing bodies need to act. Fines and suspensions need to be sufficient to impact on the deep pockets of players and clubs. Video evidence should be used to dish out proper justice, even if a player has been cautioned during the match, and more action needs to be taken to control off-the-ball shenanigans! Perhaps there needs to be 4 assistant referees; I don't know?

As much as I respect Big Sam, there's something deeply wrong when a side like Bolton can get to 6th in the league, when the 7 teams below them at least try to play football, with a bunch of journeymen, has-beens and sh1t kickers?

[mad theory]

this has to be a contender for the dumbest post thread!

[Jasonisimo]

Perhaps you've posted in the wrong forum. The EPL forum might be the right place for the discussion this merrits.

[rgrayson]

Perhaps you've posted in the wrong forum. The EPL forum might be the right place for the discussion this merrits.

This is true but maybe he would like his fellow Arsenal supporters to hear and read his thoughts. However feigning injury and foul is part of the game now and it doesn't seem as if there is a massive push to get rid of it. If there were then another referee on the field would have been added. Managers and players WILL use these things to their full advantage. Only things stopping this are video and more eyes watching... neither of which I see happening in the very near future.

[Teso Dos Bichos]

Don't take this the wrong way, please.

Look at Arsenal's overall disciplinary record under Wenger and then consider all of the cases that the FA did't act on (DB10's antics at times). Take a look at Vieira and his particular EPL record. To moan about the game being physical and aggressive, but then point the finger at other clubs is a bit of a joke to be honest. Arsenal have done exactly the same and therefore must share their proportion of the blame for the way the game has gone. Which I personally love to be perfectly honest.

[michaec]

I don't think that's the point Teso. While you need steel to compete in top-flight football, a bit of finesse helps bring in the punters too, which after all is what keeps the game going. All the top teams can mix it, your boys at Old Trafford are no angels and they wouldn't have won anything if they were, but if all you have is the ability to kick people then it's a turn-off for fans. I can appreciate that teams have to play to the strengths of the players that they have (I had untold arguments with Portuguese posters on these boards about the merits of Greece's Europen Championship win), but if the game degenerates into who can kick the oppoistion hardest then it's done. We need the physical and aggressive play to be allied to the skill factor to make the game what it is.

[Teso Dos Bichos]

(I had untold arguments with Portuguese posters on these boards about the merits of Greece's Europen Championship win)

There were merits? :eek:

[Cannon]

Don't take this the wrong way, please.

Look at Arsenal's overall disciplinary record under Wenger and then consider all of the cases that the FA did't act on (DB10's antics at times). Take a look at Vieira and his particular EPL record. To moan about the game being physical and aggressive, but then point the finger at other clubs is a bit of a joke to be honest. Arsenal have done exactly the same and therefore must share their proportion of the blame for the way the game has gone. Which I personally love to be perfectly honest.

Total BS. Point to a single game in recent years where Arsenal tried to kick the other team off the pitch. Now go back and watch our last EPL match at OT. It was pretty clear that Fergie had your boys come out and just kick the crap out of our guys especially JAR. Trying to make some strained link between that type of play and our disciplinary record is just silly. Sure some Arsenal players play with a physical style and are guilty of a bad foul in the occasional game but that is quite different than an obvious team strategy to foul the other team into submission. ManU doesn't play that way in all games but it certainly has become a tactic that you use against us. Bolton is close to a europe spot based in part on constant fouling. I expect it to just get worse as teams have success with it and the refs do nothing to stop it.

[nicephoras]

Bolton aren't a team of hacks, guys. They're a tall team that punts the ball upfield and hopes to score off set pieces. There's a pretty big difference.
Also, for Teso - there's a difference between playing physical football and trying to kick an opponent off the pitch. I don't think anyone would call the current Chelsea squad "soft", but aside from the much lamented tackle by Lampard on Alonso (which I don't believe for a minute was intentional) we don't try to kick teams off the pitch. Yes, I know, Barcelona complained about our "physical play", but I don't think any neutral who watched that game thought we were "thuggish". Playing hard doesn't preclude not hacking away.

[Cannon]

Bolton aren't a team of hacks, guys. They're a tall team that punts the ball upfield and hopes to score off set pieces. There's a pretty big difference.

You must watch a different Bolton that I do. The one I see plays a 4 part strategy:
1)Long balls
2)Set pieces
3)Constant hustle and pressure
4)Constant fouls

I didn't list the other parts earlier since we're not discussing the relative merits of scoring from the run of play vs set pieces or the long ball vs short passing styles. Leaving out any one of those aspects of its strategy and Bolton would be far lower down the table. They foul a great deal but they are fairly smart about it. They spread the fouls throughout the team to minimize cards and they try to do it as far upfield as possible to quickly kill the other teams' attack and minimize risk from set pieces. It works but it is ugly.

[nicephoras]

I've watched a decent deal of Bolton and don't believe they foul more than any midtable club. Blackburn, on the other hand. :mad:

[The Potter]

I've watched a decent deal of Bolton and don't believe they foul more than any midtable club. Blackburn, on the other hand. :mad:


Bolton are a pretty niggly team, it's not that they foul more often it's that they do it with a disruptive attitude.

But 6th speaks for it's self.

[nicephoras]

Bolton are a pretty niggly team, it's not that they foul more often it's that they do it with a disruptive attitude.

But that's not "kicking the other team off the park". There's absolutely nothing wrong with the occasional foul.

[The Potter]

But that's not "kicking the other team off the park".

No it's not.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with the occasional foul.

I'm not sure it should be part of your gameplan though.

[martymarts]

I don't think that's the point Teso. While you need steel to compete in top-flight football, a bit of finesse helps bring in the punters too, which after all is what keeps the game going. All the top teams can mix it, your boys at Old Trafford are no angels and they wouldn't have won anything if they were, but if all you have is the ability to kick people then it's a turn-off for fans. I can appreciate that teams have to play to the strengths of the players that they have (I had untold arguments with Portuguese posters on these boards about the merits of Greece's Europen Championship win), but if the game degenerates into who can kick the oppoistion hardest then it's done. We need the physical and aggressive play to be allied to the skill factor to make the game what it is.This is it in a nutshell!

[Coach_McGuirk]

This is what happens when the NHL doesn't play: soccer teams start trying to fill the void...

[bigp]

Don't worry Coach. There will be NHL next year. Maybe you can be a replacement player. :P

[Coach_McGuirk]

Thanks, but I don't think the NHL will be looking for 37 year old fat guys who can barely skate and have no stick-handling skills whatsoever.

[bigp]

You can be a goalie.

If not, then can you fight?

[Coach_McGuirk]

It's hard to fight when you're more concerned with being able to stand up in skates rather than with how you're going to avoid the next punch.. *L*