Jozy on loan: can I get Hull yeah!?!

yes they do!

 

Had it not been for Sorensen's PK saves alone, Stoke would be a lot closer to the relegation zone.

Pulis's tactics work but they surely don't look very attractive out there.

Just think, this is a team that many years ago had Gordon Banks and Geoff Hurst on the pitch at once.

 

No team in the EPL outside the obvious big boys plays very attractive ball. Pretty much the entire bottom of the table is populated by teams that play some hideous soccer, if you're looking for the beautiful game. There's too much at risk financially to go out there and risk playing attractively when the other teams will do the same thing with more talent. See: West Bromwich Albion.

 

Yep spot on, I was going to cite West Brom as well -- how'd playing that style work?

 

There's a difference between trying to play a passing style and implementing Mowbray's suicidally bizarre 4-2-4.

 

While this may be true, the skill level in the EPL has gone up considerably in the last five, or even three, years. There's a lot more money in the league now, more talent, and less physical play.

The physicality that Stoke play with is not par for the course anymore in the EPL. It is truly ugly, and few teams are as difficult to watch. I'd put Birmingham in that category, and they too have been very effective at getting results this season.

I'd say there are several teams outside the big four that play relatively attractive football, including Spurs, Fulham, even Burnley (though the latter may prove your point more than mine).

 

If you're going to make wild claims like this, I demand proof. Proof, damn it, proof.

 

Pompey, West Ham and Wolves play decent enough soccer when they can.

Stoke is just like Bolton on its off day.

 

c'mon man this is bigsoccer

If I was arsed I would do reseach showing possession and passing %s when we play top quality competition. Its like Tim Howard said in the Grant Wahl interview, we play to our strengths, defending tight, keeping things in front of us, attack on the counter and grab the occasional goal on a set piece or hoofed ball. I'm perfectly fine with it, we aren't Brazil or Spain just yet so its just the smart way to play football. Its not too dissimilar from what English clubs not in European places do.

 

Fulham, on it's day, is pretty good, but there was absolutely nothing entertaining about their game against Liverpool, and that is par for the course for their travels. Spurs don't even count, as they're right up at the top of the table and have a roster made up of premier players.

The talent and skill is up a bit, but the physical play is still tolerated/encouraged to a ridiculous extent. Terry's tackle of Milner was about as bad as anything you will see, and he only got a yellow. Absurd.

In my opinion, the bottom eight in the EPL are pretty atrocious as a whole. Look how few points are going to be needed to avoid relegation this year. Talk about the haves and the have-nots. Real Madrid and Barcelona absolutely dwarf all other clubs in Spain in terms of financial clout, but there are technically brilliant players on every team in that league. I just don't think that's the case in the EPL.

Yeah, Pompey and West Ham can kick it about nicely at times, but there is no way in hell, based on quality of players in the squad, that either of those teams should really be facing relegation, so using them as examples of bottom-feeders that play decent stuff is valid when looking at their position in the table, but when examining the composition of the squad, not so much. The bad teams in the EPL are worse than their Spanish or Italian counterparts, in my opinion.

 

Or you could just, you know, watch our games. That would pretty much prove your totally non-controversial point too.


Still, Altidore should get better service with the US than he does with Hull. For my money Donovan and Dempsey are better than anybody (healthy) in Hull's midfield, and in two of our three group games we're roughly level with our opponents, so we should create more chances than Hull usually did this year.

 

wtf are you talking about?

I'm just talking about what Tim Howard was saying:

 

Our passing % against Italy, down a man, was about the same as it was when we played T & T away.

 

He was saying he agrees with you and agreed from the beginning.

 

This.

 

if it aint broke....

Fulham has been very good to Americans not called Eddie Johnson.

 

fyp

 

LOL! Wasn't there a whole "Jean Tigana is the Dehbul!" thread about the other's Eddie's time at Fulham?

 

Not like they treated EJ badly. He wasn't EPL quality, so they loaned him to teams where he got a chance to improve his game and get some playing time.

 

I take back what I said about Altidore and Newcastle earlier in the thread. I saw Newcastle play Reading at the Madjeski last night and if (despite getting a win due to bits of horrible defending by Reading) that's how they intend to play next year Altidore could easily find a place there.

 

im telling you it fits like a glove despite what the sock puppets say. This Newcastle team just smoked the Championship like bad crack. Newcastle is experiencing a revitalization movement and id love Jozy to be a part of it.

 

Wouldn't be a bad spot but to me Newcastle already have quite a strong group of attacking options, especially for a Championship club -- Andy Carroll, to mention one, is on the cusp of big things IMO.

 

Magpies need a new coach though.

 

Oh i agree Carroll is a handfull i like him. And Lovenkrands has been part of players that have woke up, and that would be Jozy's competition IMO. Hes leagues better than Ameobi, Best, and Ranger.

pair Jozy up top with Andy and get a size matchup that no defense in the EPL wants to see

 

Seems like Andy Carroll has chosen Joey Barton has his mentor, though. That could be a problem.

Rebecca Lowe was talking about Newcastle and Carroll on WFD in recent weeks and seemed fairly certain that he wasn't going to be at the club much longer, possibly even leaving very soon. Don't know how authoritative that really is or whether she has that from a good source, but at least one British football journalist is saying it.