Dark Savante
18 May 2006, 09:31 AM
Before I start I'll state I mean no disrespect to the SPL with this thread or the title.
Henry's comments last night about Larsson were spot-on. He was the MoM and his arrival altered the game more than anything that had gone on before it. He's looked completely at home at Barca in the league when fit and at his age you have to say that's quite incredible.
When he was racking up all those goals and titles in Scotland nobody down South (England) that I know cared a jot. He definitely didn't get the respect strikers who rack up such numbers could expect either. His performances for Sweden and in European club competition was where I'd try and evaluate the player. After all, Michael Mols was a monster in Scotland, but outside of the league...?
Trying to figure out a player like Larsson in this era is quite a difficult task. He stayed loyal to Celtic throughout the best years of his career, his achievements are mostly dismissable to the world at large...in fact, he's only getting shine from most people because of what he's done since being at Barcelona....sort of like 'see? He is actually a quality player!' rather than the acknowledgement he was already a quality player before going there.
I wonder how many managers in the big 3 leagues are kicking themselves now for not making a concerted effort for Larsson when he was in his prime. We'll never know just what he'd have been capable of playing against some of the best players in the world throughout a season, but.... one has to assume that if a 34yr old Larsson (He is 34 right?) can play so seemlessly in the best side in the world he would have been even better at 27 or so. Right?
I'm asking if he 'wasted' his chance to be remembered as a world great or as one of the best strikers of his generation. A player who could've been mentioned in the same breath as the Ronaldo's, Shevchenko's, RVN's, Henry's etc by choosing to stay in Scotland. I remember watching highlights of his goals in Scotland, but they didn't mean much to me. The SPL isn't a strong league and the question was always 'could he do that in [insert big 3 league here]? '
It's a strange 'end' for him to be leaving the big leagues just as he's earned acknowledgement of his ability and has proven he can be the outstanding player on a pitch that contains Eto'o, Ronaldinho, Henry etc in the biggest club game of their lives. it makes him an enigma to me - a mystery man - indeed, leaves me to wonder what could have been and to wonder whether he would have achieved the same feats he managed in Scotland in one of the top leagues.
For anyone old enough to remember the Blonde dreadlocked Larsson at the 1994 World Cup when he was getting substitue appearances next to Brolin and Dhalin, what did you expect that player to become in his career?
Another strange thing about Larsson is that he's the fittest striker I've seen in his age bracket. He still has pace to burn and a very good engine on him, he looks like he could actually play at the highest level for another two years, but again, he's not interested??
He's as much of a mystery-man to me (now) as a player I see with a very similar ability level and career path. One Nicholas Anelka, who has conspired to absolutely remove himself from existsence and not take his rightful place as one of the best strikers of his generation. There is nothing Eto'o is doing that Anelka cannot do or hasn't done in the past and I find it an incredible waste of this player who won a CL and was on his way to being an EPL legend before deciding he'd just piss it all away :confused:
I know Larsson is a Celtic legend, rated as one of, if not, your best ever, but what does everyone else think of this player? Anyone else find his career path perplexing? Does his loyalty to Celtic have the air of a big fish in a small pond or is this a man who felt he had nothing to prove to anyone nor had any interest in joining the 'rat race' to become one of the best strikers in the world?
Henry's comments last night about Larsson were spot-on. He was the MoM and his arrival altered the game more than anything that had gone on before it. He's looked completely at home at Barca in the league when fit and at his age you have to say that's quite incredible.
When he was racking up all those goals and titles in Scotland nobody down South (England) that I know cared a jot. He definitely didn't get the respect strikers who rack up such numbers could expect either. His performances for Sweden and in European club competition was where I'd try and evaluate the player. After all, Michael Mols was a monster in Scotland, but outside of the league...?
Trying to figure out a player like Larsson in this era is quite a difficult task. He stayed loyal to Celtic throughout the best years of his career, his achievements are mostly dismissable to the world at large...in fact, he's only getting shine from most people because of what he's done since being at Barcelona....sort of like 'see? He is actually a quality player!' rather than the acknowledgement he was already a quality player before going there.
I wonder how many managers in the big 3 leagues are kicking themselves now for not making a concerted effort for Larsson when he was in his prime. We'll never know just what he'd have been capable of playing against some of the best players in the world throughout a season, but.... one has to assume that if a 34yr old Larsson (He is 34 right?) can play so seemlessly in the best side in the world he would have been even better at 27 or so. Right?
I'm asking if he 'wasted' his chance to be remembered as a world great or as one of the best strikers of his generation. A player who could've been mentioned in the same breath as the Ronaldo's, Shevchenko's, RVN's, Henry's etc by choosing to stay in Scotland. I remember watching highlights of his goals in Scotland, but they didn't mean much to me. The SPL isn't a strong league and the question was always 'could he do that in [insert big 3 league here]? '
It's a strange 'end' for him to be leaving the big leagues just as he's earned acknowledgement of his ability and has proven he can be the outstanding player on a pitch that contains Eto'o, Ronaldinho, Henry etc in the biggest club game of their lives. it makes him an enigma to me - a mystery man - indeed, leaves me to wonder what could have been and to wonder whether he would have achieved the same feats he managed in Scotland in one of the top leagues.
For anyone old enough to remember the Blonde dreadlocked Larsson at the 1994 World Cup when he was getting substitue appearances next to Brolin and Dhalin, what did you expect that player to become in his career?
Another strange thing about Larsson is that he's the fittest striker I've seen in his age bracket. He still has pace to burn and a very good engine on him, he looks like he could actually play at the highest level for another two years, but again, he's not interested??
He's as much of a mystery-man to me (now) as a player I see with a very similar ability level and career path. One Nicholas Anelka, who has conspired to absolutely remove himself from existsence and not take his rightful place as one of the best strikers of his generation. There is nothing Eto'o is doing that Anelka cannot do or hasn't done in the past and I find it an incredible waste of this player who won a CL and was on his way to being an EPL legend before deciding he'd just piss it all away :confused:
I know Larsson is a Celtic legend, rated as one of, if not, your best ever, but what does everyone else think of this player? Anyone else find his career path perplexing? Does his loyalty to Celtic have the air of a big fish in a small pond or is this a man who felt he had nothing to prove to anyone nor had any interest in joining the 'rat race' to become one of the best strikers in the world?