That's the only way we can get enough HG players and since Jones is going to be no2, he wont complain too much,no?Poor diego, if only he is HG player.

any decent news abt the takeover ?

thx

Good choice to fill in the quota though...especially English players are getting more expensive due to the new HG quota rule.

At least Diego is not as poor as Itandje. Oh wai-

This is a BIG Déjà vu feeling.

Oh when la, will we get striker that can perform at every match!?

Nothing much to worry about Man U, Chelsea and Villa getting full points. Their opponents were nowhere near their standard. Especially West Brom.

The other 4 played against each other so apart from Spurs who dominated their match, the other 3 should be satisfied.

infact this is a good result for us

but the most important improvement tat i see is the defensive nature of RH instructions

our defence now is much better now compared to when RB was the manager

Haha yeah. Still remember football pundits go berserk when they see liverpool conceding from set pieces. "Why zonal marking? Why?"

Dude, it's just one game. I won't go as far as to conclude that Hodgson is better at organising defences than Rafa just yet.

Bro, it just one game...let make some assumption after 10 match? 15 match?
There's many game later that will show RH the real face...

we will see then if u dun believe me

but i hav a very strong feeling tat RH is far more superior than RB, you knoe why?

because he speaks GOOD english and he can tell our fellow players wat he really wan down to the VERY FINE DETAILS....

listen to RB's English, even my little bro speaks better English than him, so how can you expect the players to FULLY underrstand him

While language is important in getting your point across, it wasn't as though Rafa was a Juande Ramos who spoke no English. Rafa's English is pretty decent and even if it wasn't, he had Sammy Lee who speaks fluent Spanish, to get his points across. I really wouldn't use this to justify that Hodgson is "far more superior".

If anything I think Hodgson may be better at getting the best out of his players, and this has to do with man management, an area Rafa didn't exactly excel at. In terms of achievements, there is no comparison.

from my point of view... It has been 6 games with the same 4-5-1 formations... the only difference is that Gerrard (more offensive player) started deeper in the center instead of 2 holding midfielders that was usually used by Rafa... and also there's no more heavily criticized zonal marking in defending set-pieces... So far he didn't make any drastic changes in tactics only rectifying some weakness ...

he used more non spanish players which is good as spanish players are more fragile

maybe he should buy some tougher ones, Poulsen maybe

lol..

cant tell yet if RH is better than RB.. its only the first real test...
pre-season was horrible...

but so far, im more concerned about the players...

then use last season to judge.....

RB wif his band of players ( sum up all the players value )

and

RH wif his meagre staff of players ( half of his Fulham team cant even match Torres valuation alone )

That isn't what I meant when I said, "man management". I was referring to the fact that Rafa is a little colder and serious while Hodgson has the reputation of being warmer and more approachable. He talks to his players more and this puts them in a better frame of mind. Rafa used to sub players without telling them why and he was shy with his compliments. Imagine having a boss who talks to you all the time, giving you a pat on the back when you've done well as opposed to one who hardly speaks to you and when he does, asks for you to improve.

Spanish players are fragile in comparison to? Not many teams have English players anymore which is why you see a lot more playacting and simulation in the Premiership these days. The game has 'evolved' and it isn't about who can take a punch better. Referees are a little more whistle happy and the rules protect players more than they used to. Having said all that, Spanish players aren't exactly pansies. Xabi Alonso for example is from the Basque region of Spain where men are known for their toughness. I don't think Puyol and Pique are pushovers either. Also, Torres has shown that he possess good strength whenever he goes shoulder to shoulder with defenders bigger than him. Remember how he barged the brutish Bikey off the ball in his first season? Michael Duberry didn't do much better either.

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Added on August 17, 2010, 9:55 pmA reason why they only won 1 away game the entire season.

This post has been edited by Duke Red: Aug 17 2010, 09:55 PM

In addition those fragile Spanish team is top of FIFA ranking winning both Euro and World Cup...

Ozil just joined Real Madrid....

hmm...isnt the midfield getting a bit crowded over there....

Alonso, how about returning to us? you'll like Roy...

lol pool also crowded, add poulsen... gerr,luc,masch,aqu, those youngster
can i oder 1 winger please

ill pass my judgement on RH till christmas come ho ho ho

our midfield - babel, kuyt, gerrard, poulsen, masherano, aquilani, maxi, jovanovic, cole, lucas omg damn alot. 10 =.=

This post has been edited by RyanHo: Aug 17 2010, 11:44 PM