You're right. You have a right to like whatever teams you want(even though I'm with many who agree Madrid fans can't be Farca fans) but if you want to, go ahead........just not here. This forum's called Real Madrid not, the "I like Real Madrid and Barcelona, we're all winners" forum. So, don't be suprised when you get flamed for saying you support Barcelona in a Madrid forum. If you want to defend your opinion of that, do it somewhere else. This is a place for Real Madrid fans. There's no room for cule love.
^ If you will excuse me for saying this, that was a tad harsh. Anyway I myself am a newbie so I'll leave it there. I thought this thread was about the best ever bargain we had made initially and my mind was racing through a myraid of names, before settling on the Don himself, but seems this is for the season. Muhammadou Diarra: He is no Makalele. Nor is he a Xabi Alonso/ Fransesc Fabregas. Diarra is your typical box to box midfielder. Sure he can tackle, sure he can contribute in the attck with his mean shot and terrific leap int he air, but what keeps him ticking is his engine. Too often in recent past have we seen Madrid run out of steam, either while chasing a match or while defending it. And Diarra seeks to end that. Given Capello's liking for 2 DMs, he is simply the most important buy because he is the DM with a bit of distribution and attacking instinct on him. Ruud Van Nistelrooy: With big Ron injured we needed a number 9. Or depend on Robert Soldado. And even reading the Castilla thread hasn't convinced me Soldado is the man to step in as our number 9. In retrospection Ruud was a steal for 10 odd million pounds. He is as class as they come and if we can provide him service (how I wish now we had Zizou or even Figo) he will gaurentee goals. Important signing again because the perfect guy to score when the team is going thorugh a bad phase and playing with 10 men behind the ball. Jose Antonio Reyes: Never been much of a fan, and didn't like the deadline day move, particularly since Julio had to move the other way and I value loyal players like the Beast. But he has been playing well since he has come, though I should admit he has been lucky a couple of times too. Inconsistent in the EPL, can he do any better? One of our regular gamble signings of the season IMO, hopefully he will do well and keep Beckham rooted to the bench. Fabio Cannavaro: Despite his fab World Cup, I'd have taken Alessandro Nesta or even Lilian Thuram over Canna. I have watched Canna at Juve and I have seen him be inconsistent over the course of a season, something I didn't want in a new Madrid defender. He is great when he is good, but he is crap when he is bad, and worse he keeps on shouting at eveyrone else when things are going wrong for him. But hopefully, he will find his touch soon and be ready to take charge in the big games. More than anything else, the experience he could pass on to Ramos, Cicinho and likes could be invaluable. (Now don't ask me why Carlos can't do it ) Emerson Ferriera: Did we need him? I was expecting us to buy Diarra and use someone like De La Red or Javi Garcia with him because the concept of 2 players defending has never clicked with me. But all the same, he proved himself in the pre season, he is known to be Capello's love child so we have to get on with him starting every game. He was a really good DM in his Roma days, a master at covering his back four and protecting it from counter attacks, he has lost his pace since then, but still is a great shadower/marker and no one'd dare bulyying him unless you were a Zidane Useful for a season or two when we are steadying the ship, just to keep things going till we gel the team and he is 33 anyway, so he will be ready to bid goodbye and make way for the youngsters. Yeah, there goes my second post in the forum. Looking forward to active debating as I follow the club. Hala Madrid!
Ruud without a doubt, been in great goal scoring form. But all our buys have been great so far, Diarra after a shakey start is starting to come good, Reyes has been absolutely fantastic and also Emerson and Cannavro have been good.
^ I wouldn't say Diarra has had a shaky start. Yeah, Juninho claterring into him did spook him up in Lyon, but apart form that he has been more than decent and has been increasingly imposing himself on the game. But yeah, Ruud has had a greats tart, and guess what, we haven't seen the best of him yet. What he is doing now is bread and better stuff for him, just wait till he gels more with the team
Harsh? I don't think so. A Real Madrid/Barcelona fan is amongst the most ridiculous things on earth. Period. I don't care about the "to each his own" bullshyt. It is just no right. I agree with his post, if she can find a thread for Real Madrid / Barcelona lovers, that is where she belongs. Not here.
Agree 100% Its one thing to support certain players from both teams (i.e how some poeple support the brazilians in both teams). Its another to support both clubs. Is calling people like that an "abomination" a tad harsh? ... because they are
Number 9 isn't the first one of the "HYBRID" either, we also had Battlecat, who totally transformed into a Madrista.... Anyways you can never support both team with a true heart because of the history and rivalry period.
Come on Alma, be chivalrous You can't expect newish non-Spanish fans to know everything. She'll grow out of it.
Nice post!!!Check this fact,I believe the transfere was around 16- 20 million POUNDS.. He did not come to us so cheap as you say. He has already contribuited better than Beckham..He just has to be consistent from now..And i liked him since the time i first saw him in Youtube when he still was in ARsenal..He still is belongs to Arsenal though. But not for long.. Firstly,how in Earth would he come to Madrid,ANd secondly.he is very injury prone and we dont want anything of that,considering how fragile defending we already have. I was always saying that we really missed a lot by not taking Thuram,Zambrotta package..We should have raised the price a lot more than Barca..THe whole Juve defensive package shifting to Madrid.How LOvely would that have been.. Excellent post!!Keep posting a lot more.
Geez people, it wasn't like she was going around parading the fact that she's a Barca fan. It amazes me how tightly wound some people can get to their sports teams... Would someone mind filling me in a little about Diarra? Where did RM get him from?
I don't know where you folks live, I live in Asia, the hatred and rivalry betweent he Cules and Blancos doesn't come off here on the TV for a casual viewer. If someone is just a fan of Spanish football as such, when compared to EPL and Seria A, he/she might just be enamoured about both of Spain's biggest clubs. It is not a crime, just that one is not aware of the rivalry and hatred and even if aware, it doesn't make any sense to them because they are miles away fromt he place. My ancestors never lived under Franco or I am not against the whole Catalunya is not Spain thing, so why should I hate Barca? Because I like Madrid? Not enough reason I'd say. I like Pete Sampras but I don't hate Andre Aggasi, I like Ayrton Senna but I don't hate Alain Prost. Give it a thought. These are not my own feelings, per se, don't need to be, but I will defend them because I don't find anything wrong in them. NO offence meant. Cheers.
I am very sure we got him for something like 10. 6 million pounds. Less than 11 anyway. I think you are talking about 16 million Euros, which is the case I believe. I hope he is consistent. In my view he'd be at his best in a 4-3-3 in the Ronaldinho role, but sadly we don't have the players for that. Either way, he is showing great desire to play and perform and that is enough for me. Well, I think he would have come had we pursued him agressively. He is 32, he has done it all in Seria A, he could want to come and have some fun in the La Liga too, and it is not everyday that you get to play for Real Madrid. Yeah, the injury part was a downside but then I was expecting us to get someone like Gallas or Chivu who could be versatile and cover more than one position and then with Woody, Nesta and Ramos to play at centre, Chivu and Carlos at elftback, Michel and Cicinho at rightback, I am sure we would have had some defence And we didn't get Thuram and Zamb not for not trying. Simply, Juve didn't want Capello fishing too much in troubled waters, and besides, they didn't want to overnight improve our defense by some hundred times by selling as all those players. But still, thanks God Zebina turned us down, I was beginning tog et real afraid we might get him. Thanks I will try and post a lot more too.
Okay guys, I don't want to ressurect the conversation, but I just wanted to add this last thing: I didn't come to the Real forum looking to talk with Barca fans, or the fact that I support both of them (I even changed it so you don't have to see who I support anymore!). As a fan of Real Madrid, I came here to talk with Real fans about Real--period, I save Barca talk for the Barca forum. Thank you.
upto now i've been most impressed with reyes. reyes- i thought he dived to much and wasnt bothered but he has proved me wrong. diarra-done ok had a few bad games but what we needed and getting better. ruud-works hard but missed a few chances eg-penalty, 1 on 1 with franco. emerson- what i expected to slow. canna- has been the biggest disappointment but willing to give him time.
cannavaro is not used to having runners coming at him, at juve he had emerson and vieira and with italy gattuso and pirlo with two solid fullbacks.
all of them havebeen good exept for emerson. he is realy useless since diarra has come. Reyes has been great on the wing canavaro pretty solid at center back, rvn great starter, and diarra has been great also. emerson again pointless. He should got o man u