On the Ball (new Football Focus)

[red devil]

Anna, my opinion is Liverpool are shit.

*crawls back into woodwork*...

[matthew123]

How many League Titles have Torres and Gerrard won is such a weak argument... nevertheless how many European titles did Cantona win again!?... @...... @.......

SP, I very much doubt Refs were actually being bunged money by United - but what may prove to be more significant than Ronaldo leaving is the retirement this summer of both Mike Riley and Steve Bennett (hallajuah!!).

Red devil, you may wish to add some beef to the bones of your flimsy remarks, but can you elborate on what you mean by the team that twice taught you a lesson in how to play football last season is shit!?

[red devil]

* Crawls out of woodwork*

Matthew, to elaborate my opinion is Liverpool are shitty

[Sandperson]

???? Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> So Cantona wasn't a great player for

> United!??.....the blatant anti-utd rubbish posted

> on here means that I am often compelled to stick

> up for the spoilt northern bastards

:)) Quids, you say the nicest things!

[red devil]

He loves us really...

[Mick Mac]

id have cantona in my team ahead of henry everytime. My beef with henry is that sometimes goes missing when he team is losing. He played for teams that won things, so what. Cantona stepped up when his team needed leaders and created and scored key goals. And as for world player of the year did david beckham come runner up for that award when cantona and Keane were still playing alongside him. That made fergie laugh.Henry was a very good player but he was not always there when the chips were down. As for his time at barca i dont think he is a key player for them, they have such a good team hes going to get a lot of chances. The truly great players are the ones who turn games that appear lost and cantona for me did that regularly. If henry was that good hed have played the peak of his career for one of the top teams in europe (arsenal are maybe just outside that group).

[Sandperson]

Players who turn up when the chips are down like Keane and Gerrard. That's true I think MM. Henry is a wonderful player though and he has played with some wonderful teams.

[Mick Mac]

I do accept he was a very good player - just not a fighter for a lost cause. And that means he falls short of being the complete player.

[matthew123]

I'm simply staggered by this revision of history, I'm gonna have to sit down and catch my breath I'm worn out from laughing... will comment later

[red devil]

Standby for one of Matthew's 'theatre reviews'...

[Mick Mac]

"Revision of history" - do you mean me per chance Matthew?

[matthew123]

I'm just very surprised Mick with your comments about Henry, particularly that you'd rather Cantona than Henry. I think we all recognise that both were top players - but I'd not expect even a diehard United fan to disagree with Henry being number 1. I'm not sure what you mean either about not delivering when the chips were down, as he had a fantastic record against United, and often turned games for Arsenal against them and also likes of Real Madrid and Liverpool. Yes he may be a cog in the Barcelona team but to be a cog in the Barcelona team especially upfront you need to be pretty damn good.

From what I remember of Cantona the only thing he ever did in European competition was have a Turkish policeman put a baton across his head in the tunnel at Galatasaray.

[ratty]

I seem to remember Cantona single handedly winning the double for Utd. I am no Man U fan but he is clearly the best player to have played in the premiership, closely followed by Ronaldo and THEN Henry

[davy watts]

They were different types of players so it's very difficult to compare them. Henry was a winger by trade and Wenger converted him into a striker. One of the key features of his game was his ability to pull out to the left wing and form attacks from there. Cantona was a target man who could also drop off, a rare combination. He was a great player and the only reason he didn't get into the French team was because he p*ssed the French FA off and had been banned. His impact on Man Utd cannot be understated. As good as Henry is I have never seen him produce at international level.

[ratty]

davy watts Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> They were different types of players so it's very

> difficult to compare them. Henry was a winger by

> trade and Wenger converted him into a striker. One

> of the key features of his game was his ability to

> pull out to the left wing and form attacks from

> there. Cantona was a target man who could also

> drop off, a rare combination. He was a great

> player and the only reason he didn't get into the

> French team was because he p*ssed the French FA

> off and had been banned. His impact on Man Utd

> cannot be understated. As good as Henry is I have

> never seen him produce at international level.

What an extremely good analysis!

[Mick Mac]

My recollection of Henry is that he scored heaps of goals against lesser opposition, Bolton etc. Most goals I recall he was in loads of space, Arsenal often sucking the opposition forward and playing balls through to Henry with defences stretched.

Davy mentions that he did not reproduce at international level. Also he was a failure in Italy, being sold by Juventus after scoring just 3 goals in a season.

I have to say Matt, I don't know what his record is against MU, I do remember the wonder goal he once scroed but apart from that don't know whether you are right in saying he had a good record against MU,

What I would say is that post Vierra, Arsenal did bugger all against MU that I remember. He became captain post Vierra, but won very little. Just more evidence of when asked to step up he was unable to do so.

[mockney piers]

Ive said it before, for sheer ability to amaze and delight, Bergkamp remains my favourite import and he could produce at interbnational level too. Plus a nice chap too.

[Keef]

What Piers said.

[davy watts]

Two of the best goals I ever saw were scored by Bergkamp, and they were both very similar in style and execution. One was against Leicester and the other against Argentina in the 2002 world cup. He controlled a ball delivered from some distance with his first touch and then with the same foot scored with the outside of his foot. A great Dutch striker in the tradition of Van Basten and Cruyff (who was my favourite ever player). Just a shame that I'm a Spurs fan.

[davy watts]

:)-DAnd I just scored a century with that post.

[matthew123]

>> Davy mentions that he did not reproduce at international level.

48 goals for France ain't bad is it!?

>> Also he was a failure in Italy, being sold by Juventus after scoring just

>> 3 goals in a season.

That was half a season, 20 games when he was 20/21 yrs old on leaving France.

>> I have to say Matt, I don't know what his record is against MU, I do

>> remember the wonder goal he once scroed but apart from that don't know

>> whether you are right in saying he had a good record against MU,

He scored "eight goals in 14 Premier League games" for Arsenal against Man U. Not sure of Cup record.

Cantona 64 goals in 144 league games for United - Henry 174 goals in 254 league games for Arsenal, and we all know Henry made as many assists as goals whilst does anyone remember Cantona passing more than a dirty look to Andy Cole? ;-)

I saw both Cantona and Henry up against Liverpool in the flesh many times and believe me Henry was scary home and away, whereas Cantona was a key player against lesser teams he never dictated play in the same manner against quality sides. Hence why his European record was abysmal. Yes Henry may be past his best now, but in his pomp at Arsenal I'd say he was an unstoppable as Messi is now for Barcelona.

[davy watts]

I think most of Henry's goals at international level came against lesser opposition in the qualifying rounds and friendlys. In the major tournaments he never really made an impact and was very disappointing in the 2002 and 2006 world cups.

[Mick Mac]

matt. Its more about the goals in important games than the number of goals scored and also the goals scored when really needed. I dont remember that many. What i remember is hats of goals against lesser opposition.

[Mick Mac]

John Hartson has been diagnosed with cancer. My thoughts are with him and hope he makes a full recovery. He was a menacing presence on the field but seems a really nice guy off it and was making a career as a football pundit.

[red devil]

It's not about goals, leave that to the Wiki Stattos amongst us.

Quite simply Eric changed the culture of the club from nearly men into the professional winning mentality we have today, and no amount of goals/assists/appearances can equate with that.

Agree with comments about Bergkamp, a far superior footballer than Henry, like Scholes, a footballers' footballer...