let's rank soccer prospects!!

I've added my take on the Scottish Premier League. I know I hadn't signed up for it, but I was bored and though I'd give it a go:)

Let me know what you think of it:)
Thanks, very informative!

I added a few things to the Swiss prospect list of SwissPatRangers. There was not really a reason to do it again, as his list is so informative. Therefore I decided to just add a few comments.

Anyone of my fellow Germans close to a finished list? :D

I'm certainly not. Maybe we should do one together?

On a side note; going to the Amsterdam tournament this afternoon, looking forward to see the new studs in person..

Forgot to post this, but it was somewhat of a boring game. I think Ajax was slightly better in the first half, while Arsenal more than that in the 2nd. Aside from Rafael van der Vaart, who looked extremely hungry and in great shape, no player really stood out. Well Stekelenburg did perhaps, constantly saving our ass with extremely fast reaction saves from shots within the box.. Heitinga was very solid. But that was pretty much it. Neither team gave it all they had really. Game ended scoreless, and Ajax captured the trophy for the 4th straight time. Oh, and van Persie got boo'd very loudly, pretty funny.

Panathinaikos - River Plate was actually more exciting to watch.

(Quoting from the other thread)

I think that Lahm should be the clear cut #1, because he displayed great ability in the past EURO, the season and in the Champions League.

Poldolski should have gone to another team and I think that playing in the 2nd Bundesliga will not help him or the German National team.

I'm really keen to see, how Huth will play in Engand. Doesn't he play for Birmingham City now, on a loan from CFC?
Actually, I would put Schweinsteiger and Lahm 1st and 2nd. The decision between them is debatable, I took the year difference in age as a bonus for Schweinsteiger.

Podolski was actually playing with the amateurs at the end of last year, when Koller discovered him. Let's not forget that. I think that a year in the 2nd Bundesliga is just right for him, because it will take him out of the spotlight and give him more time to develop. I get the feeling that the people in Germany tend to overrate him in this regard, and so would the media if was to play in the 1st.

(Quoting from the other thread)


Actually, I would put Schweinsteiger and Lahm 1st and 2nd. The decision between them is debatable, I took the year difference in age as a bonus for Schweinsteiger.

Podolski was actually playing with the amateurs at the end of last year, when Koller discovered him. Let's not forget that. I think that a year in the 2nd Bundesliga is just right for him, because it will take him out of the spotlight and give him more time to develop. I get the feeling that the people in Germany tend to overrate him in this regard, and so would the media if was to play in the 1st.


No love for Per Mertesacker (http://www.hannover96.de/CDA/mertesacker__per,1719,0,,de.html)?

I know I'm a bit biased but he's a really great defensive prospect who will be a lock in the starting lineup for Hannover this season at age 19.
Hannover stopped sucking when he started to play, he will be great!
I watched 96 vs. Cologne live last year, Hannover won and Cologne was truley horrible but everyone in the stands was talking about Podolski, he was amazing, he clearly the best player on the pitch.
I really really hope he's the real deal, he could put an end to Germany's forward problems.

No love for Per Mertesacker (http://www.hannover96.de/CDA/mertesacker__per,1719,0,,de.html)?

I know I'm a bit biased but he's a really great defensive prospect who will be a lock in the starting lineup for Hannover this season at age 19.
Hannover stopped sucking when he started to play, he will be great!
I watched 96 vs. Cologne live last year, Hannover won and Cologne was truley horrible but everyone in the stands was talking about Podolski, he was amazing, he clearly the best player on the pitch.
I really really hope he's the real deal, he could put an end to Germany's forward problems.
Are you a Hannover96 fan?

Are you a Hannover96 fan?

Yes, yes and YES!!

Yes, yes and YES!!
In this case you have to keep an eye on Barnetta for me (as soon as he's back from his injury)! He was my favorite player on my favorite team last season.

In this case you have to keep an eye on Barnetta for me (as soon as he's back from his injury)! He was my favorite player on my favorite team last season.

I will! :)
We actually expect great things from him even though he's that young.
It's a shame that we will have to give him back to Leverkusen when he will real good.

I will! :)
Thanks in advance!
We actually expect great things from him even though he's that young.
It's a shame that we will have to give him back to Leverkusen when he will real good.
He's already good enough to contribute quite a bit, don't worry :)

Yes, yes and YES!!

is juliam de guzman still playing there?

is juliam de guzman still playing there?

Yes. He's got a contract till 2006.

For Modano and Frolov, any input on the Dutch-based danes (Curth, Krohn-Dehli, Jakobsen, maybe even Qvist)?

Jeppe Curth is one of Feyenoord's brightest talents, but he's a few years away from making the big team. I actually considered him since I like what the Feyenoord fans are saying about him, but he's a bit too raw for me. I do feel that he can be a major asset for Feyenoord in a year or 3. He seems to have some serious upside..

Michael Krohn-Dehli did good by getting traded to RKC where he will get seemingly more playing time. He could very well start (or so he should IMO) whereas he likely wouldn't have made Ajax' selection, let alone justify some playing time.

Michael Jakobsen I actually forgot to include in my honorable mention. He has already managed to crack the 23 and appeared to have impressed coach Guus Hiddink. And he turned 18 earlier this year, so that should say anough about his potential. I don't expect him to play much though, as PSV's defense is quite set and still very young. The same pretty much applies for Lasse Qvist who too, has managed to crack the current selection. But like his countrymen, Qvist is playing behind Sibon, Vennegoor of Hesseling and Johan Vonlanthen, unless injuries or suspensions occur, I don't think he'll make his official season debute this year.

(from the other thread)
Personally I would rank Valdez at #3, because I strongly believe that he will make an impact at Werder and has the chance to replace Ailton, if not this than at least next season.
Good call, he was great in his part-time duty today!

For those interested, Jérémy Menez, from Sochaux, has made his Ligue 1 débuts at 17 years old tonight.
He was ranked 20th on my french list and 12th on Naoned Citizen's.

WTF? i have to disagree big time here

Schweinsteiger can dribble Ballack out of his socks, and has better vision IMO and he's still progressing

Ballack has a good shot and thats it.

and since Deisler is back and in great shape,playing way better than Ballack, I hope this unreal Ballack-Hype will go away!
You're absolutely correct that Ballack and Schweinsteiger are quite different types of players. But your statement "Ballack has a good shot and thats it" is quite wrong IMO. Ballack is a very good scorer for a midfielder (not only with his feet), physically strong and quite good defensively. He's not an outstanding playmaker and not a very good dribbler on the other hand. Ballack is a central midfielder with a scoring knack, whereas Schweinsteiger is more the flashy and creative offensive midfielder.

About your Deisler comment: Obviously Ballack and Deisler complement each other very well, Deisler's good play does not prove anything bad about Ballack.

I respect your opinion, but in my eyes there's just nothing special about ballack, and I have seen him play tons of times..
I mean he is not a bad player as you said, but I think he is definitely not that good player as the media and some 'experts' are saying
:dunno:

I think Ballack is the type of player who has still plenty of potential left in him.
Under the good manager, I think he can pan out as a great and truly influential player. Right now I think he is close of being an underachiever. But I am optimistic that this will change soon.

I think Ballack is the type of player who has still plenty of potential left in him.
Under the good manager, I think he can pan out as a great and truly influential player. Right now I think he is close of being an underachiever. But I am optimistic that this will change soon.
I don't think we can call him an underachiever because of one bad season. At least he delivered when it counted most (WC 2002), and he was not bad at this year's Euro either (he just played on a bad squad). As much as I dislike Bayern, I think that this team will make a lot of noise this year, with Ballack playing a prominent role.

I don't think we can call him an underachiever because of one bad season. At least he delivered when it counted most (WC 2002), and he was not bad at this year's Euro either (he just played on a bad squad). As much as I dislike Bayern, I think that this team will make a lot of noise this year, with Ballack playing a prominent role.

Yeah, I agree that underachiever is a bit of a hard word for Ballack. It is just that I can really see him becoming one of the very top player in football and I took his last two seasons as two step backwards. But as you say, he looks like picking up his play recently and with the world cup in Germany, he should have the right path to develop further and become a real big gun of football.

Just an update:

Henri Siqueira-Barras, one of the Swiss prospects, has signed a two-year contract with Neuchâtel Xamax. This is good news for Xamax.

Strizzi, have you already heard of this news ?

Did anyone else watch the LFC v Spurs match today? Rafa put in Pongolle in the 61st minute and I was extremely disappointed in his play after what i'd read about him on the prospects thread. Poor decision making, careless with the ball, lazy and unimpressive pace were what I saw on the pitch. Was this performance out of the norm for him?

Did anyone else watch the LFC v Spurs match today? Rafa put in Pongolle in the 61st minute and I was extremely disappointed in his play after what i'd read about him on the prospects thread. Poor decision making, careless with the ball, lazy and unimpressive pace were what I saw on the pitch. Was this performance out of the norm for him?
Well obviously no. Sinama is one of the best prospects out there and proved it in the US tour this summer.
One bad game doesn't make a career.
He's now feeling some pressure as he went from burried into the depth chart to 3rd striker (meaning probably some time every game).
Maybe that explains his performance.

Strizzi, have you already heard of this news ?
No, I was away over the weekend and haven't heard anything since. Thanks for the info.

I've updated my list a bit.

On a sidenote, the Danish players' union is now going on strike (and in response the league/club union is staging a lock-out) and the Danish league professionals will cease playing for weeks, possibly months. Domestic-based Danish players won't be able to feature for the national team (this has only meant that one player has been removed from the squad, however, and he was set to make his debut at age 28, so not a huge loss). The U21-team has cancelled its upcoming friendly with Poland, though, and if the strikes lasts into September when qualifying begins, Denmark and its U-xx teams could be disqualified from international competition for years ahead. This is a worst case scenario, however.

The strike is caused by danish players refusing to accept the FIFA transfer rules for 12-23-year-olds, that state that transfers of players without contract have to include compensation money being paid to the player's earlier teams. The players object to this rule, despite all other FIFA countries accepting it. :rolleyes:

This weekend's last round of games were filled with various protests from the fans towards the players, and the fans clearly stand on the clubs' side. National team coach Morten Olsen has also clearly distanced himself from the move. Fun times ahead.

I've updated my list a bit.

On a sidenote, the Danish players' union is now going on strike (and in response the league/club union is staging a lock-out) and the Danish league professionals will cease playing for weeks, possibly months. Domestic-based Danish players won't be able to feature for the national team (this has only meant that one player has been removed from the squad, however, and he was set to make his debut at age 28, so not a huge loss). The U21-team has cancelled its upcoming friendly with Poland, though, and if the strikes lasts into September when qualifying begins, Denmark and its U-xx teams could be disqualified from international competition for years ahead. This is a worst case scenario, however.

The strike is caused by danish players refusing to accept the FIFA transfer rules for 12-23-year-olds, that state that transfers of players without contract have to include compensation money being paid to the player's earlier teams. The players object to this rule, despite all other FIFA countries accepting it. :rolleyes:

This weekend's last round of games were filled with various protests from the fans towards the players, and the fans clearly stand on the clubs' side. National team coach Morten Olsen has also clearly distanced himself from the move. Fun times ahead.
And all this while Magne Hoseth is dominating everything. Good player, ey?

Dominating everything, eh?
He's played in two games and in both has only been good for one half of the game, but he does look promising.
And he`s been selected man of the match in both games. After all the ****ing crap that BT journalist wrote about Norway and Norwegian football I find it funny that a young Norwegian player can go right into the FCK lineup and dominate.

I don't know what BT journalist/article you're talking about but the only people who take BT seriously are Brøndby fans.
Come on. I`m sure you remember the discussion before the Norway - Denmark European qualifiers last year. Where you guys and especially this one BT journalist referred to Norwegians as "fjellaber" (mountain monkeys) and kept on blasting our style of play. Thats where my love for Denmark disappeared...

Hi all! I'm back.

The first thing i've done is to check the situations of the two soccer prospects threads.

To start, i've corrected the errors infesting my top 70 list.
The rush i did to complete it before leaving caused many of them.
Now it should be all fixed up.
To go ahead, there will be more to say later...

I'll add my list soon.

The problem is that there won't be many prospects to mention. Our U-19 squad had two or maximum three players worth seeing, the rest looked as if they never learned how to play before, such a big technical gap between belgian youngsters and youngsters from other countries...

I remember it well - it doesn't seem you do.
The "Fjeldaber" came from YOUR papers who misquoted Morten Olsen for saying that. He did criticize your style of play (rightly!), but seriously, who hasn't :rolleyes:

The (double) irony came, when you scored your tying 2-2 goal on a long ball, exactly the point of discussion.
I`m not sure he was misquoted. Newspapers in both Norway and Denmark brought it up before the game. And honestly..I think mr olsen should`ve concentrated on his own team rather than blasting our style of play.Thats not his buisness at all. When that is said, danish newspapers blasted much more than our style of play; Our culture, history, people etc.

I'll add my list soon.

The problem is that there won't be many prospects to mention. Our U-19 squad had two or maximum three players worth seeing, the rest looked as if they never learned how to play before, such a big technical gap between belgian youngsters and youngsters from other countries...
You feel guilty, eh? ;)
Fact is, if there are few players worth mentioning then it should be easier and quicker to do the list...so it's not a valid excuse!

I'll add my list soon.

The problem is that there won't be many prospects to mention. Our U-19 squad had two or maximum three players worth seeing, the rest looked as if they never learned how to play before, such a big technical gap between belgian youngsters and youngsters from other countries...

Tom de Mul looks bright.. having made the big squad, even seeing some minutes, heck, even scoring in his Ere Divisie debute. That's not an easy thing to accomplish considering Ajax' depth..

Tom de Mul looks bright.. having made the big squad, even seeing some minutes, heck, even scoring in his Ere Divisie debute. That's not an easy thing to accomplish considering Ajax' depth..
I know, but he's not eligible as he's never played Belgian League football.

Otherwise he'd be pretty high on my list...

I know, but he's not eligible as he's never played Belgian League football.

Otherwise he'd be pretty high on my list...

Gotcha.. Looking forward to your list..

I have to say that with my comeback i have found a surprising situation.
Let's start with the good news.

There are four pleasant surprises! Four unexpected guys came out from nowhere to provide lists for still lacking countries, with the particular benefit of rankings for leagues that risked to go uncovered (Norway and Scotland). Besides, these rankings look for the most very informative and well done...
..great job Ott = Snott, Trendsetter, Spezza, Go-Sens-Go!!
These names add to the guys who already submitted their lists:
ParisSaintGermain
Juni
Evilo
Naoned Citizen
Mole
Sampe
SwissPatRangers

Strizzi saved his position by adding his comments to the SwissPatRangers list, but to be considered with the good ones he should add his consequent list even if without further description.
(also, i've not forgotten he was supposed to do a list also for Germany....eh eh..)

And now the bad news.
A LOT of expected lists are still missing.
For these reason the deadline to submit the rankings is now moved to the end of this month;
hopefully all the due lists will be posted before the start of the World cup of hockey.

Curiously is also still missing the contribution of some of the guys who showed more interest in the project, for example i'm thinking of popperBOLT and Zecke26 who are supposed to make two lists each and who are the only deputed to do it for Austria and Sweden respectively.
Some other illustrious posters are lacking despite their previous commitment.
Belgian Fan just announced his Belgian list is coming (but to tell the truth he was (and so is!) supposed to make it also for the English leagues).
The whole Dutch contingent made of Modano=Dud, DutchLeafsfan and Frolov 6'3 has still to contribute! (as for Frolov defense: if you are satisfied with what Ott = Snott wrote then just post your ranking without further considerations and descriptions, i can't believe it would be identic, player after player, until the 20th position!)
It looks like the French are more reliable!

A serious blow to the process is represented by the absence of RoyIsALegend lists.
He is the only one expected to provide lists for Spain and Portugal and probably (for what i know) the only one around here who could do it..c'mon Roy, your effort is simply fundamental!

Others guys who committed to take part but are still missings are:
OneSpeedOnly
Coppo
GermanGirl
Bubbles
Fighter
Catala


:deadhorse

I've still faith... :)

Helicopter, M=D made such an extensive list for the Dutch league that it's hard for me to add any new things. What's the use when I'm going to state the same things again ? It has nothing to do with "being unreliable", so I can't appreciate that comment.

I'll post my ranking.

Helicopter, M=D made such an extensive list for the Dutch league that it's hard for me to add any new things. What's the use when I'm going to state the same things again ? It has nothing to do with "being unreliable", so I can't appreciate that comment.
Exactly how I feel.

Further, I don't think I ever planned to do a full German list, just that I could add some points about Bundesliga players. I did that btw. But I don't follow enough German football to know about all promising prospects in the BL.

Helicopter, M=D made such an extensive list for the Dutch league that it's hard for me to add any new things. What's the use when I'm going to state the same things again ? It has nothing to do with "being unreliable", so I can't appreciate that comment.
Hey Frog (i will be back to Frolov 6'3 when you will be back to helICEcopter, :D ), it's understandable you don't have any new things to add, that's why i suggested above to do it without any descriptions or comments. Just list the prospects' names, because i can't believe it would be 20/20 identical to M=D's one.

As for the “being reliable”, it was intended as a witty remark, but clearly it didn't work.
Further, at the time i didn't know Ott=Snott and M=D are the same person.


I'll post my ranking
So we agree!

Exactly how I feel.
In fact i was just saying to write down the names in the positions suggested by your comments without adding further descriptions.

Further, I don't think I ever planned to do a full German list, just that I could add some points about Bundesliga players. I did that btw. But I don't follow enough German football to know about all promising prospects in the BL.
Sorry, i misunderstood your past words (PM) about the German leagues.
No problem then, and i have read and appreciated your previous comments on the subject. ;)

OK, everything sorted out :)

I am a bit surprised that Jefferson Farfan (PSV) doesn't appear in the dutch lists as I have read a few praising articles on him (I haven't seen him play) by some credible pundits. :dunno:
As for Italy, I think Pandev (Lazio) will climb/appear in our lists very soon and very fast.

Is he the Macedonian striker?

Yes, he is and he has had a very convincing pre-season. He has also been efficient with Macedonia. Due to the fact that he should see plenty of action for Lazio as the team has transferred 75% of last season's roster, I think he will rise in the prospects lists.
About Italy, tomorrow is the Italian supercup: Milan-Lazio in Milan. I will be surprised if Milan doesn't win this.

I am a bit surprised that Jefferson Farfan (PSV) doesn't appear in the dutch lists as I have read a few praising articles on him (I haven't seen him play) by some credible pundits. :dunno:
As for Italy, I think Pandev (Lazio) will climb/appear in our lists very soon and very fast.

I haven't seen anything from Jefferson Farfan yet but I read he's Peru's biggest talent. He has 15 caps and scored 5 goals already while he's still 19. Both Tom de Mul and Salomon Kalou are topnotch talents and I've ranked them somewhere between 15-20, so there's strong competition. I'm a bit sceptical about so called talents form Peru, Chili, Bolivia wherever because it wouldn't be the first time that they fail.

Eero Korte and Roma Eremenko must be the biggest ones from Finland. One day Tomi Petrescu will make a very good targetplayer, but hardly a really good prospect.

I've just read the Dutch lists.
Great job Ott = Snott, it has been an entertaining reading! :eek:

Frog, not only your list is not that similar to the previous one (Ott = Snott), you have been able to add several interesting particulars! Also, your description of Robben fits almost perfectly with what i've seen in Portugal. :handclap:


I need a clearing up about Van der Vaart position; i thought it was more of an offensive player than how is listed: creative midfielder, lateral midfielder, attacking midfielder; i thought only the last one would fit for him, maybe also lateral forward. Do you think in the future he could be effective as a pure midfielder?


Another thing. If Vonlanthen and Alex (is this the reason he didn't make your top 20 frog?), like i guess, played in Switzerland and Brasil all last season, then they shouldn't be elegible for the Dutch lists; i am pointing out this cause i remember more than a month ago Robben was scratched from Juni's English list for the same reason. On the other hand, to stay strictly with the rules, the fact the Dutch league has already started save us since they already got the chance to play in the Dutch league..did they?

I've updated my list a bit.

On a sidenote, the Danish players' union is now going on strike (and in response the league/club union is staging a lock-out) and the Danish league professionals will cease playing for weeks, possibly months. Domestic-based Danish players won't be able to feature for the national team (this has only meant that one player has been removed from the squad, however, and he was set to make his debut at age 28, so not a huge loss). The U21-team has cancelled its upcoming friendly with Poland, though, and if the strikes lasts into September when qualifying begins, Denmark and its U-xx teams could be disqualified from international competition for years ahead. This is a worst case scenario, however.

The strike is caused by danish players refusing to accept the FIFA transfer rules for 12-23-year-olds, that state that transfers of players without contract have to include compensation money being paid to the player's earlier teams. The players object to this rule, despite all other FIFA countries accepting it. :rolleyes:

This weekend's last round of games were filled with various protests from the fans towards the players, and the fans clearly stand on the clubs' side. National team coach Morten Olsen has also clearly distanced himself from the move. Fun times ahead.
I didn't know and i have to say this situation looks really weird to me.
Is that rule something new, recently approved?
I'm wondering if the recent transfers of some very young players still without professional contracts (like Lupoli and Rossi from Parma to England) have occurred under old or new rules..if, like i guess, it's under this discussed new rule than it seems like they should already modifying it increasing the money for compensation!
Considering the other FIFA countries already accepted it, it looks even more difficult to justify Danish players position.
Let us know about the fun times ahead Mole.

Frog, not only your list is not that similar to the previous one (Ott = Snott), you have been able to add several interesting particulars! Also, your description of Robben fits almost perfectly with what i've seen in Portugal. :handclap:

Thanks, I've done my best.

I need a clearing up about Van der Vaart position; i thought it was more of an offensive player than how is listed: creative midfielder, lateral midfielder, attacking midfielder; i thought only the last one would fit for him, maybe also lateral forward. Do you think in the future he could be effective as a pure midfielder?

Van der Vaart is a left midfielder from origin. They moved him to a position behind the strikers because he was so good, so he was more involved. Suddenly he started to score goals and scored 14 goals in 20 matches in 2001/2002 and 18 goals in 21 matches (2002/03). I believe I didn't call him a playmaker because I don't think he would fit as a pure midfielder like Zidane but more like a type Bergkamp. Wesley Sneijder is a better playmaker.


Another thing. If Vonlanthen and Alex (is this the reason he didn't make your top 20 frog?), like i guess, played in Switzerland and Brasil all last season, then they shouldn't be elegible for the Dutch lists; i am pointing out this cause i remember more than a month ago Robben was scratched from Juni's English list for the same reason. On the other hand, to stay strictly with the rules, the fact the Dutch league has already started save us since they already got the chance to play in the Dutch league..did they?

Vonlanthen already played a couple of matches last season, so I see No problem there. The reason why I didn't list Alex is the same reason why I didn't list our friend Jefferson Farfan. Alex didn't impressive me so far either and got substituted after 45 min. in PSV's first match last week.

I'd add him anyway, Belgian. Most of my guys have never played in the Danish league, but wouldn't qualify for the other lists either.
here is the extract of the related rule:
-if the prospect played less than 20 games (since joining it) in the last league where he has been playing, then he will be elegible ALSO for the league's list where he used to play before.
There is one exception to this rule:
if the player left for a foreign country before turning 18 and spent abroad at least three full seasons, he won't be elegible for his native land's lists no matter how many games he has played in the foreign leagues since joining (even if less than 20)

so if for example De Mul has not played 20 games for Ajax main club in the Dutch league yet, but left for Holland four years ago, then he would be not elegible for the Belgian list.
Just decide basing on this rule BF.




It can only be in the interest of the project to have all possible prospects in there. :)
I agree on the principle, but De Mul is nonethless considered by the guys doing the Dutch lists and since it was necessary to find a rule on the subject let's try to stick with the decided rule. :)

I didn't know and i have to say this situation looks really weird to me.
Is that rule something new, recently approved?
I'm wondering if the recent transfers of some very young players still without professional contracts (like Lupoli and Rossi from Parma to England) have occurred under old or new rules..if, like i guess, it's under this discussed new rule than it seems like they should already modifying it increasing the money for compensation!
Considering the other FIFA countries already accepted it, it looks even more difficult to justify Danish players position.
Let us know about the fun times ahead Mole.
Well, according to the recent coverage, the rule has been in place since the Bosman ruling, and was in place when the players' union and league association last negotiated a CBA (of sorts) in 1996.

I believe I didn't call him a playmaker because I don't think he would fit as a pure midfielder like Zidane but more like a type Bergkamp. Wesley Sneijder is a better playmaker..
Thanks. So i was right with what i was thinking...but i wouldn't call Bergkamp a midfielder! (i guess some confusion starts with the English terms used to translate our mother language expressions..)


Vonlanthen already played a couple of matches last season, so I see No problem there.
And then you were perfectly right!


P.S.: i didn't think you would have felt so confortable with 'frog'!....... :dunno:

Well, according to the recent coverage, the rule has been in place since the Bosman ruling, and was in place when the players' union and league association last negotiated a CBA (of sorts) in 1996.
so why should not be now!!??
less and less understandable..

Thanks. So i was right with what i was thinking...but i wouldn't call Bergkamp a midfielder! (i guess some confusion starts with the English terms used to translate our mother language expressions..):

I wouldn't call Bergkamp a midfielder either, that's why I called VDV a Bergkamp type of player. Got it ? ;)



P.S.: i didn't think you would have felt so confortable with 'frog'!....... :dunno:

No problem. There are worse things in life.

Yes, he is and he has had a very convincing pre-season. He has also been efficient with Macedonia. Due to the fact that he should see plenty of action for Lazio as the team has transferred 75% of last season's roster, I think he will rise in the prospects lists.

Could be, but i don't know what to think. True, he is enjoying a surprisingly successfull preseason, but i am not convinced that he will be a regular for Lazio.
The new owner Lotito is just starting to make his moves (ok, to sell probably..) and could still upgrade significantly the present roster level by loans. If Oddo and especially Cesar are sold, then some forwards should come in exchange.

Personally, after many indecisions i mentioned Pandev out of my top 70; i have to say i wasn't confortable doing it, i've seen him only in highlights...but last season with Ancona he played many of his games very poorly according to what i read, despite showing something here and there..oh well, someone could argue it wasn't easy to play decently in Ancona last year..
should rise, if it means to crack a top 70, i don't know if it means reaching top 20, 30 consideration.

I wouldn't call Bergkamp a midfielder either, that's why I called VDV a Bergkamp type of player. Got it ? ;)
Got it.

No problem. There are worse things in life.
Damn you! i should have thought something worse than frog!!

Eero Korte and Roma Eremenko must be the biggest ones from Finland.
Roman?
He and Korte are only #5 and #10 on Sampe list for Finland.
Who will be right?

Others guys who committed to take part but are still missings are:



Bubbles




:deadhorse

I've still faith... :)
Hello helicopter,

To be honest I kind of forgot! LOL. But i read your list in the thread and some others on Serie A prospects and you guys did a superb job. I don't think I really have that much to add, since you guys were quite in-depth and thorough. If you want me to add a list I think I can do maybe a top ten thing.

Cheers

Bubs

Hello helicopter,

To be honest I kind of forgot! LOL. But i read your list in the thread and some others on Serie A prospects and you guys did a superb job. I don't think I really have that much to add, since you guys were quite in-depth and thorough. If you want me to add a list I think I can do maybe a top ten thing.

Cheers

Bubs
It's helICEcopter... hello!

Yes, i would be curious to see your top ten list! :)

I'll update my list next week.
I'll add some glaring omissions (Mexes, Mavuba) and add some new players I wasn't aware of (Gueye...).
I may change some of the rankings based on the preseason and the first thirty games of Ligue 1 from the last three weeks.

I'm up to #13 in my list, but I've got 7 pages of text already so I'm tired for the day, list will be complete in a few days.

the pre-season and the first official games (olympics, CL qualifyings, Coppa Italia) already said something about some of the elegible prospects.


#7 Montolivo: has starred and has been decisive in almost every game played so far for Atalanta, great start!

#43 Oliveira: with the new coach Ruben suddenly got more consideration and did so well to become a starter for the key second game against Djurgarden. This is an astonishing surprise for many (and to a lesser extent for everyone) and i am proud to have kept in some consideration this guy who was already labeled as a sure BUST by almost everyone in Italy. Today #43 could seem low, i guess one month ago looked too high for many. Also, at the moment he is playing in the typical Ljunberg position like ventilated! We will see if he will keep up with this outstanding start.

only mentioned Pelle´: has taken full advantage of Vucinic absence to play the pre-season as the center forward for Lecce and scored more than everyone else on his team outside of Bojinov, but his team has just acquired a new center forward in Bjelanovic.

only mentioned Pandev: got much space along the pre-season and did surprisingly well, but Lazio is shopping around for that role and he was on the bench in the first official game (against Milan).

only mentioned Lazzari: probably the biggest surprise so far; expected to stay with the juveniles,he has regularly come off the bench and scored for the big team (Atalanta).

#8 Bojinov: very good start, always scoring for Lecce and also for his national team if i am not wrong.

#32 Bovo: used only in the last two games at the olympics, did well. Scored the winner in the quarters and despite getting burned in a couple of changes of directions he showed a surprisingly decent straight ahead speed.
*edit: Palermo acquired the co-ownership 31st August, but he should play anyway for parma next season.*

#6 De Rossi: the olympics brought an outstanding goal, but also some signals that my fears about his athletical qualities could be well based. During the previous games his endurance looked limited, against Argentina he had a nightmare game and he just could not keep the pace with some opposite midfielders, moreover D'alessandro.

#42 Aquilani: in the friendlies played so far he has been able to gain his space and could stay with Roma.

#2 Adriano: devastating in Copa America, devastating against Basilea in the qualifier for CL.

#23 Della Rocca: back with Bologna, just friendlies but he is playing and scoring!

#17 Chiellini: described as a raw prospect in my list, looked even out of place sometimes in his first appearances with Juve and played only few minutes at the olympics. Disappointing start.

#20 Vucinic: my fears about his health are just increasing after seeing him sidelined along the pre-season and with his team acquiring a new center forward in Bjelanovic.

#31 Pia´: nothing new here, he is coming off a month passed trying to recover from an injury, but scored in both official games (coppa Italia) played since returning.

Roman?
He and Korte are only #5 and #10 on Sampe list for Finland.
Who will be right?

They're only 16 (Korte) and 17 (Eremenko) years old, respectively. I'm giving the edge to those who are further in development. Plus Korte is fairly small for a defender.

Speaking of Eremenko, his older brother was Finland's finest player in the WC qualifying match vs. Romania, after replacing Litmanen in the 2nd half. It seems he's spent his time extremely well in Italy. More speed, more effort, less fat. Nice! :thumbu:

Lukas Podolski scored 4 goals for his club 1.FC Cologne.He was awesome. Fast, confident and a good teamplayer. the future of german soccer.

Lukas Podolski is an amazing talent. He really does have everything. I'm really surprised nobody signed him in the summer and I'd be even more surprised if he stayed at Köln for the whole of this season.

i put my comment about Bubbles' list IN THE LISTS' THREAD just to make it more visible for him, ready to deleting it whenever it will become useless. I didn' want to re-start a wrong tendency...
I will answer here to the last comments appeared in the other thread.

Thanks PSG, it's always nice to see someone appreciating it.
I'm wondering how many knew or remember nowadays about Galli and how much press that tragic news got in England where he was playing only few months before, considering also he was still property of Arsenal.

As for Atalanta, the coach was Vavassori i think. He was SACKED the year his team was unrecognizable (especially physically)compared to the succesfull campaign you have mentioned.
Atalanta is a poor team that relies on his juvenile program and just has to sell its best players before trying to win with them. What happened those past years was really unfortunate for this society as they were making an effort to keep their young players longer unless great offers were on the table; they refused big bucks for Rossini, Zenoni's brothers (overrated), Doni...just to realize one year later the market crashed and the market value of their players was suddenly much lower. Donati was the young player with more potential out of that squad, he has been a major disappointment since joining Milan, once in a while he fools you with a great game, but more often he is plays so much below his capabilities..
The present generation is better imo in terms of pure talent: Montolivo, Pazzini, Pia´, Pinardi, Lazzari..but talent it's not a guarantee..

**edit: there were key errors where now there are capitals**

Fighter, i'm not sure about which list you were referring, anyway..
Kaka IS definitely more talented than Adriano. That doesn't automatically assure he is and will be a better player, but he possesses more natural talent. To say is not even near Adriano's talent would be not understandable if you were not an Inter fan!

BTW, have you given up to compile your own list??

Atalanta have the best youth setup in Italy bar none. They consistently turn out technically gifted players, but due to the way Italian football works the players rarely produce when they move on. Vavassori was an excellent coach and was perfect for the job of bringing these guys through. When Atalanta got into a sticky patch just after selling the Zenoni's and Donati, he was sacked, which was a farcical decision that ultimately saw them go down.

It's no surprise they've come back because they've still got Alex Pinardi and Riccardo Montolivo. The latter is being highly touted as the heir to Roberto Baggio, and boy does the lad have talent :amazed:

I'm looking forward to their return actually.

No he should not. He is a good talent, but some people vastly overrate him...

Anybody who has seen him progress last season, namely me, knows that he has the potential to be one of the best midfielders in the world. Currently, he is one of Manchester's most important midfielders. That says a lot for a 19 year old.

As for Robben, he's a greed little pr*ck. He would have been an ideal replacement for Giggs. Instead of splitting time with Giggs this season, he decided to play for the fantasy league team in Chelsea.

Fighter, I don't know if it is easier for a prospect to develop when he is playing in a team loaded of star players or when he is in a mid table team where he is the star.
I personally think that loaning Adriano out was a good decision. To stay away from Inter management and coaching shambles was probably for the best for him.
I don't think it was easy for Kaka to come to Milan especially by being transferred after the beginning of a season. But he made it look easy.
Kaka makes a lot of things look easy and so people tend to think that what he does he just simple and basic. But it is not.

You write that 'Just to compare him to Kaka, they have different roles okay, but Adriano has more size, more power, more grit, more speed and he is a better scorer.'
As you say, they have different role so the scoring comparaison means nothing for me.

Kaka has real good speed and is a gritty and hardworking player.
His vision on the field is tremendous, his passing ability is second to none. He also can run at defenders and has an impeccable scoring touch.

I think Adriano is poised to become top scorer in any leagues he would play. Mancini will make Inter play better... but Inter still has far too many players on the roster and it will be a problem at some stage. Vieri will want to be the centre of attention. Will Mancini be able to play Vieri and Adriano together?
Anyway, it should be a good season for Inter. And if it is not, then this club is definitely rotten from the inside.

Scrolling down the French lists i am really surprised by the complete absence of Metz players!(if i am not wrong!)
The team has started well and features some elegible prospects i couldn't find in the rankings.
What about Ribery for example?

Ribery was playing in third division before this year, so I had no idea how good he would play really.
Gueye should be added though.

Wait well rewarded Belgian Fan!
Reading your new Kompany profile i'm wondering about the reasons that prevented Inter from acquiring him right away. How is supposed to be the present situation of the negotiation? Is it over for this year but Inter keep the edge for the next one? Inter is badly missing by years a central defender able to play the ball and to start the action, i have the feeling he would be instantly a regular for them and would help..

As a Man Utd supporter I wish they'd just forget about Rooney and get Kompany instead. Imagine him paired with Ferdinand...! :hyper:

I'm sure BF would love the idea as well. ;)

Lukas Podolski is an amazing talent. He really does have everything. I'm really surprised nobody signed him in the summer and I'd be even more surprised if he stayed at Köln for the whole of this season.

Maybe he feels that Cologne will be back in the premier league next season.
My fellow student says he's a member of this club since junior.

Not sure about the Kompany - Internazionale links. In the summer it was reported that Inter had an option to match any bid for him if Anderlecht accepted an offer for him. Haven't heard much since, but I would imagine nothing has changed since than.

I think he could be good enough already to play at a better club, but at this moment he really is in a perfect situation. He plays for his hometown club, is assured a starting role in 34 competitive matches and can play in the Champions league as well. He has stated more than once this summer that he wanted to stay at Anderlecht for at least one extra season. Like I said, it's possible for him to get away with a lot here in Belgium, playing under huge pressure in a strong league might be less effective - development wise.
Furthermore, in Frank Vercauteren (the assistent coach) Vincent has maybe the best teacher in Belgium helpinghim develop his game.

But of course, things can change rapidly in football. If he continues to develop (or just play as impressive as he did last season) the big clubs will once again come knocking on Andelrechts door. So we'll see then...


And Sampe, I'll look it up in the rules, but I think that comment is ban worthy :p: :p:

As a Man Utd supporter I wish they'd just forget about Rooney and get Kompany instead. Imagine him paired with Ferdinand...! :hyper:

I'm sure BF would love the idea as well. ;)

I've heard lots of good things about Kompany but I would like to know how much better he can be than Jonathan Spector. Spector has been amazing and he will finally get he first Premiership start against Blackburn. His natural position is CB, but he can also play LB.

I've heard lots of good things about Kompany but I would like to know how much better he can be than Jonathan Spector. Spector has been amazing and he will finally get he first Premiership start against Blackburn. His natural position is CB, but he can also play LB.

Sounds interesting. There's a chance I've seen him play for the U.S. U17 team once, but I hadn't heard of him back then (it was all Freddy Adu this, Adu that). Gotta check him out soon - too bad that the MUTV can no longer be broadcast here.

I won't do a list.
I have PREMIERE and watch the 96 matches and only the highlights of the other games.
It's really not fair to rate a player based on highlights, it's important to see the players live.

Last season I only saw a couple of prospects live in the stadium, Per Mertesacker who I rate very high (he scored the goal for 96 today and I will buy his jersey), he's 19, and Lukas Podolski who impressed me very much and some others.

Anybody have any details on Wesley Sneijder of Ajax? Can he play left wing at all? Would you say that he has passed Van der vaart in development?

Anybody have any details on Wesley Sneijder of Ajax? Can he play left wing at all? Would you say that he has passed Van der vaart in development?

Check the official prospect thread, I should have a little bit on Sneijder there. But no, he has not. Van der Vaart's potential is huge and has simply shown a little bit more than Sneijder has.

Both Gilardino and Der Rossi have been finally called for the senior national team (world championship qualifying games) :yo:

In the previous updates post i forgot to mention the couple of strikers of last year juventus' primavera that have been loaned to Salernitana.
#61 Raffaele Palladino is scoring like a mad man so far, be it in friendlies or Coppa Italia and has been a pleasant surprise to see him make the transition to play against men apparently without any problems despite his limited weight and strenght.
His fellow #67 Benjamin is doing well too.

Some days ago #13 Eliakwu has been loaned to Ascoli (serieB) by Inter.

Now a couple of dials happened on 31st August, the last day available.
#23 Della Rocca has been loaned to Pisa (serieC) by Bologna.
This is disappointing and difficult to understand; there are 20 teams in serieA this year and probably 22 in serieB. That makes for 42 teams, i really can't believe that ALL the strikers on these 42 teams are better (or even just more ready) than Della Rocca.
On the good side, this sell by Bologna should mean they feel like Giacomo Cipriani is completely health and ready to lead their attack for the whole year.


And now one really waited news by me!
Outstanding talent Alex Pinardi (for him and Cipriani see my recent integrative comments in the 'soccer prospects rankings by leagues' thread) has been finally loaned by Atalanta.
The destination is a bit curious: Lecce.(will have the chance to buy the co-ownership of his rights at the end of the season)
Curious because the coach Zdenek Zeman usually uses three forwards, two runners and one defensive director in the midfield (plus 4 defenders, obviously) and none looks like the proper role for Pinardi. And curious because Lecce recently acquired Finland youngster Eremenko who reportedly (thanks to Sampe) is a typical #10.
Anyway, Zeman has a good record for developing youngsters and Pinardi just needed a fresh start away from his troubles with Atalanta's coach.
It will be really interesting to see how Lecce will do this year, it is a very young team with several prospects worth to keep an eye on.

Now a couple of dials happened on 31st August, the last day available.

Chiellini (17th of your list) has been sold to Fiorentina.

And now one really waited news by me!
Outstanding talent Alex Pinardi (for him and Cipriani see my recent integrative comments in the 'soccer prospects rankings by leagues' thread) has been finally loaned by Atalanta.
The destination is a bit curious: Lecce.(will have the chance to buy the co-ownership of his rights at the end of the season)
Curious because the coach Zdenek Zeman usually uses three forwards, two runners and one defensive director in the midfield (plus 4 defenders, obviously) and none looks like the proper role for Pinardi. And curious because Lecce recently acquired Finland youngster Eremenko who reportedly (thanks to Sampe) is a typical #10.


Eremenko Jr can also play in a 2-way role as long as there's a *defensive-minded* central midfielder playing next to him and, if absolutely necessary, he could try as a striker or a winger as well. Not that he's gotten much if any playing time in Lecce so far.

Chiellini (17th of your list) has been sold to Fiorentina.

Yeah..when i write a post i am never able to remember all the things i was originally thinking to put in it. :banghead:

anyway, reportedly Fiorentina acquired his co-ownership, so his situation should be discussed again at the end of the season.

RoyIsALegend is currently not available so I'm afraid there's not much chance his lists are gonna show up anytime soon.
This is really BAD news.

If i am not wrong i noted him around the boards some days ago, but now it looks like he is disappeared even from the member list!
Anyone knows something more??

i'm wondering if someone else would be able to compile a ranking for Spain and Portugal....
:cry:

What I was trying to say earlier in a more euphemistic way is that he was banned permanently from the boards here.
But as mods we're not allowed to discuss the ins and outs of it.
:eek:
:banghead:

as users we should know which was his fault to avoid the same destiny in the future!

As long as you post according to the FAQ ( http://hfboards.com/faq.php?) , nothing will happen, don't worry

And that's the final word on that.

Back to your list, BF:
I was really curious to see where you would have ranked Aliyu Datti.
He was still elegible for the Italian list, but i just mentioned him outside of the top 70 because after being considered a great promise for Milan as 16/17yrs old he then failed to crack the lineup in every team where he went in the next years, before joining the Belgian league. Anyway, despite not making your ranking it looks like he has showed something there and maybe there is still hope..
Also, i listed him as Mons' property because i heard he was traded there from Standard Liege during the summer but in your list he plays for Bergen..
what i am missing?

Then, i'd like to know if you know Mudingayi and what you think of him. He is an '81 born and joined Torino from the Belgian league during last season, but i've never seen him play and he hasn't found much space so far. Is he any good?
Thanks in advance!

One more thing just as confirmation: the ones mentioned as guys who missed out are all elegible and thus missing only because ranked lower than the top twenties?
Comments about Modubi and Cornelis put the doubt in my mind.

Back to your list, BF:
I was really curious to see where you would have ranked Aliyu Datti.
He was still elegible for the Italian list, but i just mentioned him outside of the top 70 because after being considered a great promise for Milan as 16/17yrs old he then failed to crack the lineup in every team where he went in the next years, before joining the Belgian league. Anyway, despite not making your ranking it looks like he has showed something there and maybe there is still hope..
Also, i listed him as Mons' property because i heard he was traded there from Standard Liege during the summer but in your list he plays for Bergen..
what i am missing?

Mons and Bergen are one and the same team, Mons is the French name and Bergen is the Dutch name for the city, I should have used Mons though as it is more commonly referred to by it's French name (it is in Wallonia after all - I usually use the french names but this instance was probably a lapse of concentration).

Datti is still Standard property but has been loaned to Mons for the season. He's made a very bright start as well, scoring 4 goals in his first 3 games. He showed promise last year too (he often acted as a super sub for Standard) but it's consistency that I want to see.
If he can continue this form and score 20 goals this season all is most certainly not lost for him. And than he'll rise considerably in my rankings as well :)



Then, i'd like to know if you know Mudingayi and what you think of him. He is an '81 born and joined Torino from the Belgian league during last season, but i've never seen him play and he hasn't found much space so far. Is he any good?
Thanks in advance!

Mudingayi is a bit of a strange story for me. He suddenly burst onto the scene two seasons ago with Ghent and continued that great form in the beginning of last season. He even earned a call up for the Belgian national team (not entirely deserved but as I mentioned before our national coach likes handing out caps).
He's a central midfielder, very good at winning balls but with decent passing skills.

Overall he needs a lot of polishing (sometimes bad passes at bad times) and needs to add some strenght before he can become an effective ball winner (wich is his best position) in a stronger league. He has the potential I think, but he'll need a lot of playing time, and I'm not sure if he'll get that at Torino, and judging by your post I think my assumption is correct.


One more thing just as confirmation: the ones mentioned as guys who missed out are all elegible and thus missing only because ranked lower than the top twenties?
Comments about Modubi and Cornelis put the doubt in my mind.

I only mentioned eligible players, so everyone mentioned ranks within the criteria.

Cornelis and Modubi are two guys that were very close to making my list (they could have been anywhere from #15 on on another day, especially Cornelis - the same thing with Datti actually) so that's why I added those comments.

The problem with both is that they already are pretty good but are blocked from a starting position at their respective clubs. Cornelis is in the team at the moment, but once De **** returns (a full time international at right back) he'll probably be relegated again to the bench.
And with Modubi the problem is that he can only show his flashy skills for 30-35 minutes per match, so I don't know yet how good he is over 90 minutes.

Speaking of Westerlo, they just sold their top scorer (Dosunmu) to Austria Wien on the deadline, that could mean that Sebastian Kneissl (another Chelsea prospect) will get a chance to play more regularly, I'm really looking forward to see a bit more of him.

GREAT reply Belgian Fan, appreciated!

As for Mudingayi, your words make him look promising. How about his pace and athletical tools?

At Torino this year the sure thing in the middle should be Paul Codrea (a national for Rumenia). I hope and guess Mudingayi could be effective on the side of another central midfielder more deputed to build the play like Codrea. Right now De Ascentis and Conticchio are playing on Paul's side but they are runners with very limited skills, so i hope Mudi will be given the fair amount of opportunities and will prove he can do better!

This probably is the wrong thread but...

I think Gilardino will destroy the Norwegians tomorrow. I predict a 2-0 victory, with Gila scoring both.

This probably is the wrong thread but...

I think Gilardino will destroy the Norwegians tomorrow. I predict a 2-0 victory, with Gila scoring both.
:troll:

I was a bit reluctant to do it, but the pre-serieA-season forced me to make some changes in my rankings.
The main ones:
new entry Lazzari at #51.
completely forgotten Mareco at #59.
new entry Scurto at #64.
new entry Ferronetti at #65.
Aquilani rising from #42 to #18.
Olivera rising from #43 to #35.

There are more little changes in the rankings, especially down low, with some new guys added so that now the list is a top 85.

Besides, a few descriptions have been a bit improved from the previous release.

More typing errors and a couple of missing infos have been discovered and fixed as well.


As a presentation of the more promising youngsters playing in Italy, this should be the last edition of my prospects list as serieA is going to start this next week end.
http://www.hfboards.com/showthread.php?t=89635

No futher updates along the season are planned at the moment, at least for the first months.

I will try to make my top 50 overall soccer prospects ranking by the end of September if the key missing lists will finally appear during this month:
Zecke26 for Sweden
popperBOLT for Austria
Alexander the Great (up in place for RoyIsALegend) for Portugal and Spain.

I updated my rankings, adding Mexes, Ribery, Nilmar, Rio Mavuba etc...
I also changed a lot of rankings.
Some suffered from being injured and thus not being able to prove their worth (Butelle, Aliadière...) and some exploded into the top 10 (Ben Arfa, Ribery...).
http://www.hfboards.com/showpost.php?p=1617852&postcount=7

(from the serieA thread)

Another Lecce player I was impressed with was Pinardi. :thumbu:
:handclap: :yo:


I gotta say I'm amazed by how fast Alexei Eremenko Jr has adapted himself to Lecce's training and playing methods. The huge gap between Veikkausliiga and Serie A hasn't been a problem for him at all and if he keeps this up, it's only a matter of a few games before he is or should be a first team regular.

Yesterday's match against AS Roma was the first time I've seen him play in Italy, and although he only played for 15 minutes or so, he was definitely one of the better Lecce players out there. What's even more surprising was that he played most of the time as their striker, even ahead of Bojinov who had more defensive duties than him!
mmmh..i think the key to be a starter in the future is: how much can he run and defend as a pure midfielder?
i mean, Zeman uses at least two pure forwards, which is a role Eremenko can only do in particular situations. The third offensive player is Pinardi and that's probably (tell me if i am wrong) the position where the Finnish would fit better. Now, considering Pinardi's record for injuries it could be argued that Eremenko has just to wait a couple of weeks to become a regular, but i would really hate it happening that way and in a perfect world Alex should keep his spot.
So, to see Alex and Alexei play together Eremenko would have to play as pure midfielder replacing Dalla Bona or Giacomazzi. The latter has started the season very well, but i think for technical characteristic he is the guy deputed to eventually make room for Alexei.

..because he's a much more versatile offensive performer, a much better athlete and isn't totally useless when it comes to defending. Eremenko's combination of power and technique is something I've never seen in a Finnish footballer.
so my question is, do you think he can play the same position of , say, Lampard, or Emre, or Seedorf? I mean, in a midfield made of 3 players only?
This your previous comment:Eremenko Jr can also play in a 2-way role as long as there's a *defensive-minded* central midfielder playing next to him and, if absolutely necessary, he could try as a striker or a winger as well.
seems pretty promising, right?

(from the serieA thread)
mmmh..i think the key to be a starter in the future is: how much can he run and defend as a pure midfielder?
i mean, Zeman uses at least two pure forwards, which is a role Eremenko can only do in particular situations. The third offensive player is Pinardi and that's probably (tell me if i am wrong) the position where the Finnish would fit better. Now, considering Pinardi's record for injuries it could be argued that Eremenko has just to wait a couple of weeks to become a regular, but i would really hate it happening that way and in a perfect world Alex should keep his spot.
So, to see Alex and Alexei play together Eremenko would have to play as pure midfielder replacing Dalla Bona or Giacomazzi. The latter has started the season very well, but i think for technical characteristic he is the guy deputed to eventually make room for Alexei.

so my question is, do you think he can play the same position of , say, Lampard, or Emre, or Seedorf? I mean, in a midfield made of 3 players only?

I don't think you have to worry about Pinardi keeping his spot. Based on the very little I saw he has a few qualities that put him ahead of Eremenko as the main playmaker (namely: experience and p-a-t-i-e-n-c-e; something Alexei needs more), and I believe these two could complement and support each others very well. But yes, that would be Eremenko's ideal position at the moment.

As for being a pure midfielder, I guess Alexei's main problem is lack of experience. It will probably take him a few years to master the position, but having seen his fellow national team members and former AM's Teemu Tainio and Mika Väyrynen do the exact same thing quite succesfully, I'm pretty sure that he'll only get more and more versatile in the future. Sure, he's a bit more of an 'artist' on the field than Väyrynen and especially Tainio, but so is Emre.

And speaking of versatility, Eremenko's biggest advantage right now is that it ain't absolutely necessary to make room for him. He can play pretty much any midfield/attacking position apart from the defensive midfielder and if there's one sure thing in football, it is that someone will always be injured. You're right about Dalla Bona and Giacomazzi, though - although their playing styles are quite different from Eremenko, they must be the most likely candidates to be dropped.

Btw, who's the team captain? Ledesma? I guess he won't be making room for anyone then...

I don't think you have to worry about Pinardi keeping his spot. Based on the very little I saw he has a few qualities that put him ahead of Eremenko as the main playmaker (namely: experience and p-a-t-i-e-n-c-e; something Alexei needs more), and I believe these two could complement and support each others very well. But yes, that would be Eremenko's ideal position at the moment.

As for being a pure midfielder, I guess Alexei's main problem is lack of experience. It will probably take him a few years to master the position, but having seen his fellow national team members and former AM's Teemu Tainio and Mika Väyrynen do the exact same thing quite succesfully, I'm pretty sure that he'll only get more and more versatile in the future. Sure, he's a bit more of an 'artist' on the field than Väyrynen and especially Tainio, but so is Emre.

And speaking of versatility, Eremenko's biggest advantage right now is that it ain't absolutely necessary to make room for him. He can play pretty much any midfield/attacking position apart from the defensive midfielder and if there's one sure thing in football, it is that someone will always be injured. You're right about Dalla Bona and Giacomazzi, though - although their playing styles are quite different from Eremenko, they must be the most likely candidates to be dropped.

Btw, who's the team captain? Ledesma? I guess he won't be making room for anyone then...
My only worries about Pinardi keeping his spot are related to his glass physic...

Thanks for your reply about Eremenko's position, it helped to finally clear up my mind on the subject. ;)

As for the captain, i thought Stovini was the one, but i don't know, you could be right since Ledesma was in Lecce by two years when Stovini joined last year.. Anyway Ledesma is the central defensive midfielder (well, not that he is great defensively..),so he is not related to Eremenko's chances i guess..

what do you guys think about Shawn Wright Phillips from england i think that he is like 22 years old

Just watched Bologna-Roma, couldn't lose this game as Carletto Mazzone finally gave a chance from the start of an important game to Cipriani and Meghni.
Well, the first half has been astonishing, ending 3-0 for Bologna.
Mourad Meghni put on a show, FINALLY delivering all his talent, scoring two beauties and fooling opposite midfielders all time long with his AmAAaaZiNg technique. This is the kind of game i have been waiting by him for almost three years now. Outstanding.

On a side note, Cipriani played well too, scorind the second goal before being ejected from the game late in the first half for two questionable yellow cards in a row. In particular, the second one was for diving and classy Roma's DS Franco Baldini after the game underlined that his team was lucky to play with the man advantage since Bologna probably deserved a penalty on that play.
Also, Roma played the second half with a two men advantage as Zagorakis got booked two times as well, and the second one looked exaggerated...
This has been the undredth show by Pieri who along the last two years has affirmed his candidature as the worst referee in Europe at the moment. Just awful.

Mourad Meghni put on a show, FINALLY delivering all his talent, scoring two beauties and fooling opposite midfielders all time long with his AmAAaaZiNg technique. This is the kind of game i has been waiting by him for almost three years now. Outstanding.

:bow: :bow: :bow:

I would be pleased if you guys could tell me about how some prospects are doing in their respective leagues during the first month or two.

France:
Keseru
Kallstrom
Le Tallec

Germany:
Valdez

Norway:
Braathen

Denmark:
Qvist
J.Bech

Netherlands:
Leonardo
Alex
Vonlanthen

Portugal:
Quaresma
Mantorras
Diego

England:
Milner
McFadden
Rossi (ManU juveniles)
Lupoli (Arsenal juveniles)

Scotland:
C.Burke

Belgium:
Kompany
Vanden Borre


Thanks in advance for all your eventual replies!

I would be pleased if you guys could tell me about how some prospects are doing in their respective leagues during the first month or two.

Netherlands:
Leonardo
Alex
Vonlanthen


I take it you mean Leonardo Vitor Santiago, and not Leonardo Dos Santos, right? The former has been MIA again for an extended period of time, playing his last game in november of 2003. Since the start of the 2002-2003 season, he has played just 6 league games and has been injured for what seems like ages. I have been unable to find any news on him from 2004. Maybe Frolov knows a bit more about the situation, as he is the resident Feyenoord fan here.

Alex has been playing in the centre of the defense so far, and I haven't been thát impressed with him personally. He is strong physically, quite solid defensively and can head well, but his passing and playmaking skills need a lot of improvement though.

Johan Vonlanthen has seen extremely limited action with just the last 9 minutes vs NEC so far. While he did score a goal, this was an easy tap in. Basically he has played too little to make any kind of impression, be it positive or negative.

I would be pleased if you guys could tell me about how some prospects are doing in their respective leagues during the first month or two.


England:
Milner
McFadden
Rossi (ManU juveniles)
Lupoli (Arsenal juveniles)



Thanks in advance for all your eventual replies!


Milner-I've seen him a couple times and he has impressed the hell out of me. Extremely strong young man, fast with a good sense of timing and touch.

Belgium:
Kompany
Vanden Borre


Kompany has had his ups and downs. His start of the season certainly isn't as good as last season, but maybe that has something to do with the level of expectation. His best appearance this season was for the national team when he changed the game (playing out of position) when he came on in the second half.
But last week-end he had a horrible game against Charleroi. But then again, consistency is difficult at that age (even though he had it last season) so no need to worry yet.


As for Vanden Borre, that's a different story, I've been very impressed with him so far. He's played about half of Anderlecht's matches and is making a case for continuing to feature in the starting 11. I'm not his biggest fan but so far I'm very pleased with what i've seen from him!


England:
Milner
McFadden
Rossi (ManU juveniles)
Lupoli (Arsenal juveniles

Milner has had a hard time cracking the Newcastle lineup and has only played sporadically (started a few matches and was substituded or came on as a sub). He's still very young and remains a great prospect, and he scored a good goal this week-end

I haven't seen Everton yet for a full match but I don't think McFadden is playing a lot lately, at least I haven't noticed him on the highlights.

Scotland:
C.Burke


Chris Burke fainted during the first game of the season against Aberdeen. Got back in the side recently and created a goal against Dundee at the weekend.

Helicecopter, did you try to PM me the other day? I didn't get the message - my inbox was (but no longer is) full.

And to make my post magically on topic...I like Shawn Wright-Phillips. :D

I take it you mean Leonardo Vitor Santiago, and not Leonardo Dos Santos, right? The former has been MIA again for an extended period of time, playing his last game in november of 2003. Since the start of the 2002-2003 season, he has played just 6 league games and has been injured for what seems like ages. I have been unable to find any news on him from 2004. Maybe Frolov knows a bit more about the situation, as he is the resident Feyenoord fan here.

Right, i meant L. Vitor Santiago..i didn't know there was another Leonardo there, sorry.
I knew about his story, but thought/hoped he was finally back playing..
thanks!

Right, i meant L. Vitor Santiago..i didn't know there was another Leonardo there, sorry.
I knew about his story, but thought/hoped he was finally back playing..
thanks!

To give a short synopsis, Leonardo dos Santos used to play for Groningen some years ago, then moved to Feyenoord (where he became known as Leonardo II for obvious reasons) but never came close to impressing people. He played for ADO Den Haag last year, bit of the same story. I am actually not even sure if he is still in professional football (at best in our First Division) or if he plays for an amateur club right now...

To give a short synopsis, Leonardo dos Santos used to play for Groningen some years ago, then moved to Feyenoord (where he became known as Leonardo II for obvious reasons) but never came close to impressing people. He played for ADO Den Haag last year, bit of the same story. I am actually not even sure if he is still in professional football (at best in our First Division) or if he plays for an amateur club right now...
Ah, ok...nice to see i wasn't missing anything important...;) (let's take advantage of temporary Frog's absence to trash former Feyenord players! :joker: ).

(let's take advantage of temporary Frog's absence to trash former Feyenord players! :joker: ).

I actually think he'd agree wholeheartedly in this case :D

I actually think he'd agree wholeheartedly in this case :D

Let's try this then: Salomon Kalou sucks!! :D

Mcfadden is having a tough time at everton cannot get a 1st team place and comes on now and again. With the way the team is playing at the moment there is not alot of chance he will play unless we get injuries! Didnt help he missed a penalty in his only start of the season as well.

Shaun Wright Phillips is an exceptional talent. lightning fast,great skill. typical old time winger who beats players with pace and tricky. He also gets a few goals as well. Think his dad might have taught him a thing or 2! ;)

Milner is going to struggle to make the newcastle line up I feel. With Bellamy now looking like he is going to play wide right this season, he will struggle to crack the line up. He is very talented tho and will be a big star for the future!

Rooney whatever anyone says is still the for me the Best Prospect under 21 in the World.He is a physical phenom and destroys everything in his path.Hat trick on debut in champions league.destroyed all defences at euro2004! Unreal thank god he is english!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :bow: :banana: :handclap:

Let's try this then: Salomon Kalou sucks!! :D

*Ducks*


:D

Some thoughts about German prospects and other prospects playing in Germany.

My favourite German prospect Per Mertesacker has been called up for the upcoming test-match against mighty Iran.

If you never heard of him, here's a short discription:
He's a giant (I think 1,97), turned 20 yesterday and is turning into a very solid defender.
He's not the one to join rushes but he's able to score headers as he proved in Dortmund.
The thing I like most about him right now is his calmness and good positioning, he never seems to get nervous.
He also does have a great head on his shoulders.
Right now he's not only playing for my club Hannover 96 he also has to do 37 hours of social service a week.
He has started and finished every 96 match and kicker has him rated as the 7th best German defender right now.

I don't like the fact that he has been called up, he was supposed to be our little secret. Now it will be hard to keep him here,I've already heard some rumors about Bayern. :(
I really don't want to lose another great prospect after Addo, Asamoah, Kehl and Ernst.

Lukas Podolski is doing quite good in Cologne in the 2nd Bundesliga. He's the real deal. I've seen him play so many times and never have been disappointed. I'm pretty sure he won't score tons of golas in the 2nd league but that's because of the fact that he plays a much different role there.
He often goes deep, even defends and is clearly the most talented and dangerous player on the field most of the time.
There's another big German prospect playing at Cologne (they have an average attendance of 39.000 :eek: ): 18 year old defender Lukas Sinkiewicz.


Someone asked about Nelson Valdez.
He's doing very good.
I'm pretty certain that if he was German we all would be hyperventilating about him. ;)

Kicker (the most credible German source about football) has him rated first of all strikers: *click* (http://www.kicker.de/content/saison/noten.asp?folder=3850&object=0&liga=1&saison=2004/05&spieltag=7&position=4&help=235316) and second overall.
He's fast,has a good technique, passionate (he has to keep his emotions better in check though sometimes, he had to taken off last saturday because he was in danger of getting red-carded), knows where to be on the field and even works hard.
What more could you ask for?

I've also really liked what I've seen of Tommy Bechmann thus far. I'm pretty sure hr will see more action soon.

The youngest player with 17 years right now in the Bundesliga is Mustafa Kucokovic, a striker who is playing for the Hamburger SV.
He really really looks very promising, also tall (1,93m) and good technique and has a nose for the net.
Let's hope he gets more chances to show what he can do and pray that he choses to represent Germany and not Bosnia in the future.

The Stuttgart threesome of Philipp Lahm, Andreas Hinkel and Kevin Kuranyi was very impressinve during the first matches.
It's a shame though that Kuranyi is injured for 4 weeks after a horrible foul by that Hungarian defender who didn't even receive a yellow. :banghead:

Mainz' youngsters are also doing good, Benjamin Auer finally seems to fullfill his potential and Mimoun Azaouagh shows al lot of promise. He was suffering of mononucleosis and is slowly reaching his top form again. I think he will play for the German national team in two or three years.

I'm a little bit concerned about the fact that Bastian Schweinsteiger, Robert Huth and Pjotr Trochowski who still is one of my favourite German prospects hardly get any playing time because they play at huge clubs who are so unbelievable deep.
Huth had a monster-match against Brazil, he should play somewhere, Chelsea should loan him or sell him like Arsenal did with Volz.
Trochowski might be injured but I just don't see a chance for him to crack that Bayern team especially now that Hargreaves plays so excellent surprinsingly. Bayern should loan him to Hannover 96, we really could use a creative midfielder. ;)

Mike Hanke and Michael Delura of Schalke are pretty much of the radar right now but they have a new coach and maybe things will change for them.

Hitzelsperger has also been called up, I can't commend on him though because I never see him play, maybe someone who follows the EPL can tell me how he's doing?

Hitzelsperger has also been called up, I can't commend on him though because I never see him play, maybe someone who follows the EPL can tell me how he's doing?

He's a pretty good one. He's been at Villa for three or four years and since last season he's a regular and this season he's continued to progress.

He's a solid midfielder, not the flashy kind but with good ball recuperating skills, a great passer and he has a wicked shot wich is really dangerous and wich will allow him to score many goals for years to come.

Thanks for the info.
Seems like he could be a solid succesor to Didi Hamann.

Yes something like that, he's a lot better offensively though (especially his passing and running with the ball), but he could lack the physical strenght to become a real top notch ball winner a-la Viera. I'm not sure yet if he will turn out a defensive midfileder like Hamann or a more offensive midfielder like a Lampard (not that good probably but his all round type of game)

...
:eek: Thanks for the info GermanGirl, it's appreciated!

I would be pleased if you guys could tell me about how some prospects are doing in their respective leagues during the first month or two.

France:
Keseru
Kallstrom
Le Tallec


Le Tallec went quickly from sub to starter for St Etienne and scored a nice goal. He had a few good games but he's been injured these days and won't come back before a month I think.

Kallstrom started injured and is now healthy. He'll suffer a very good competition in midfield in Rennes but he's starting to play like he did last year in the final stretch which means as one of the best in the league.

Keseru hasn't played for Nantes yet so I can't tell you much. Nantes would desperately need such a striker though, so his time may come soon.

Here is an update and reranking of Scottish prospects.

1. James McFadden - Forward, Everton - Poor start to the season for club, expected to be seen more because of the Rooney transfer. Still talesmanic for Country and the highest upside of all Scottish players.
2. Shaun Maloney (INJ) - Forward, Celtic - Expected back in November
3. Andy Webster - Central Defender, Hearts - Solid start to the season. Hearts have kept 5 clean sheets in 7 games conceding only 3 goals.
4. Gary Caldwell - Right Back/Central Defender, Hibs - Impressive displays for Scotland
5. Zander Diamond (*) (INJ) - Complete Defender, Aberdeen - Diamond has shown some outstanding qualities was named Scotland u-21 captain. Reportedly being tracked by Athletico Madrid. Manager Jimmy Calderwood (who coached Stam for a number of years) believes that Diamond can be as good as Stam. Injury will deny him the opportunity for playing for the full side for another 2 months.
6. Craig Gordon(^) - Goalie, Hearts - Same as Webster, also kept a clean sheet for Scotland against Slovenia
7. David Marshall(^) - Goalie, Celtic - Good start for Marshall, shone brightly against Barcelona and AC Milan. Looks to have the beating of Douglas and Hedman for the #1 shirt.
8. Stephen Pearson (v) - Energetic Midfielder, Celtic - Pearson has been used a little more sparingly this season. More competition for the left hand berth in midfield and the arrival of Juninho is limiting his opportunities.
9. Mark Kerr - Midfielder, Dundee United - Not seen him much.
10. Chris Burke - Creative Midfielder, Rangers - Fainted on the first day of the season, coming back strong.
11. Al Hutton (*) - Right Back, Rangers - Very sturdy defensively, beaten out Maurice Ross for starting role.
12. Craig Beattie (INJ) - Striker, Celtic - Injuries have limited Beattie's opportunities
13. Aiden McGeady - Right Winger - Dazzling winger has continued to show great flashes. Great upside, needs more opportunities in the first team to demonstrate his talents.
14. Ross Wallace (^) - Left Winger, Celtic - Wallace is continuing to work on his game, is eager to take more players on than before. This will give him another weapon as he used to rely on crossing from deep.
15. Mark Wilson - Defender/Midfielder, Dundee United - Wilson has taken on the responsibility of taking penalties for Dundee Utd.
16. Gary O'Conner - Striker, Hibs - O'Conner has been great for club and country.
17. John Kennedy (INJ) - Defender, Celtic - Not expected to play this season.
18. Mark Fotheringham - Midfielder, Dundee - Ex-celtic youth player is performing well.
19. Kris Boyd (*) - Striker, Killmarnock - Tall forward tied the record for most goals in a SPL game last week
20. Scott McDonald (*) - Striker, Motherwell - Stocky Aussie striker also qualifies for Scotland. Might get a call up due to his excellent form.
21. Derek Riordan (*) - Striker, Hibs - Riordan is deadliest from long range and set pieces.
22. David Clarkson (*) - Striker, Motherwell - McDonald is stealing his thunder a little, has had a few discipline problems that he needs to keep in check.

* Indicates new entry or someone I forgot about
^ Indicates move up
V Indicates move down

Nice surprise Spezza!

Only, since it is a new list with new rankings i'd rather having it in the lists' thread.
So if you could move it here: http://www.hfboards.com/showthread.php?t=89635&page=2&pp=40
it would be even more appreciated.
Also, adding birthdate to the new entry players (*) would help! :)

Speaking of the prospects, i thought to find Chris Burke higher when i saw your list in August, i watched him in a friendly during the summer and he looked like an exciting winger..but i didn't know anything about six of the eight guys ranked above him so i guess i was underrating them. ;)

I'll Add the reranking onto the main list once I've put the dates together.

Re: Burke, the gap really isn't that big between 8 (Pearson) to 17 (Kennedy).

McFadden is without a doubt the star of the bunch as he's producing on the international stage. Maloney is a bit further behind as he's not had the same opportunities as McFadden, although he was the main creative force with the U-21s last season. He's also played in some big games for Celtic and has been around since the 00-01 season. His free kicks are something to talk about. Caldwell and Webster have been playing for Scotland for a couple of years now. Diamond has a lot of hype, but you really have to see him to see how composed he is for his age. Then the two goalies with International experience as well.

Burke's basicaly had a season with Rangers and he wasn't even playing all the time. Thats why he's ranked lower. (Pearson and Kerr have been making noises for longer)

So its like...

1
(gap)
2 to 7
(gap)
8 to 17
18to22

This probably is the wrong thread but...

I think Gilardino will destroy the Norwegians tomorrow. I predict a 2-0 victory, with Gila scoring both.
:handclap:

:handclap:
Gilardino certainly didn`t "destroy the Norwegians". He was easily one of the worst italianos on the pitch and did absolutely nothing...

:handclap:
:shakehead

Gilardino certainly didn`t "destroy the Norwegians".
Absolutely true.

He was easily one of the worst italianos on the pitch and did absolutely nothing...
Exaggeration.
But Gilardino played poorly, as he had run out of gas after the olympics. After an outstanding year in great shape without being called for the senior national team a single time he suddenly was a starter in his worst moment.. :dunno: anyway i was much more disturbed with the previous situation than with the latter..when Corradi replaced him against Norway he did easily worst than what the worst Gilardino had just done; and Gilardino would have scored on that easy header..
btw, Gilardino had recently an outstanding game in San Siro against Inter so i guess he is back on form.

Correct helicopter, and our goalie played a pretty decent game as well. It wasn`t Gilardinos night..

Gilardino certainly didn`t "destroy the Norwegians". He was easily one of the worst italianos on the pitch and did absolutely nothing...

Well, everone goes through a couple stinker games in their careers. I guess that was one of them for Gilardino :shakehead

19 year old Tranquillo Barnetta, the great Swiss prospect playing for my favourite team Hannover 96 in the Bundesliga is suspected to have suffered a torn ACL in Switzerland's qualifier against Israel.

This would be really unfortunate because he really came along the last games.
We were so delighted that at least one of our numerous new players seemed to work out.

This sucks for Hannover, Barnetta and the Swiss national team.

This sucks for Hannover, Barnetta and the Swiss national team.
Yes it does, big time! :cry:

He was great in his last 90 + 33 minutes with our national team, and maybe the best player on the pitch against Ireland.

Is the ACL lesion confirmed?

Is the ACL lesion confirmed?
He was scheduled for examination today, but so far I haven't heard any results. It doesn't look good though, as the team doctor said yesterday that it's a torm ACL with "90% probability".

On a brighter note, Barnetta does not seem to have lost his good attitude, and said things after the game like "this is part of football, but I'm still young and will be back".

It doesn't look good though, as the team doctor said yesterday that it's a torm ACL with "90% probability".

:dunno:

:dunno:
It's confirmed now, the season's over for him. :(

Hopefully this will not affect his development in the long run...

Tough luck for the poor guy.

Sometimes it's no fun to be a fan. I really liked what I 've seen of him.

Denmark:
Qvist
J.Bech

Lasse Qvist is in PSV now and from what I understand he's training with the first team but hasn't been in any match squads yet. Likewise he is not registered for the Champions League.

Jesper Bech picked up where he left off with great technical play, great displays of flair, offensive creativity and determination. However, his team have been in a slump and often, coach Backe has preferred to go with older and more experienced players, leaving only substitute roles for Bech. The acquisitions of Magne Hoseth and Tobias Linderoth, and Thomas Røll and Sibusiso Zuma returning from injury have also had an impact on Bech's playing time.


Some notes on the other guys on my list:

Nr 1., Thomas Kahlenberg, has been on strong form. Various tactical dispositions have pushed him to a left wing position on Bröndby, and Saturday he made his 3rd appearance for the national team, replacing Jesper Grønkjær in the 77th minute in that same left wing spot. He was however released for the U21 squad for Tuesday's game v. Turkey, a game I unfortunately missed.

7th-placed Jakob Poulsen, one of my personal favourites, has been more or less permanently moved to midfield, but at the same time lost his regular position, and now features mainly as a substitute for Esbjerg, an unfortunate development.

8th-placed Michael Krohn-Dehli is enjoying a successful season in RKC, starting every game for the team and netting a pair of goals for what I've been told is an overperforming team.

Brøndby's Johan Absalonsen (9) has been great in the danish league and pushing hard for a regular starting spot in BIF's deep offensive squad. He shows great promise and I feel he will be a vital part of Brøndby's title push this season.

Morten Rasmussen has had spots of injury trouble recently and is still not scoring "enough" in the domestic league. In Tuesday's U-21 game he wanted to be substituted in the 35th minute but was forced to wait, then managed to score a header a minute later, be taken off just 60 seconds later and from the sidelines watch Turkey's U-21's tie it at 1-1 in the following minute.

Sebastian Svärd secured a loan move to Brøndby at the end of the transfer window but hasn't gotten much playing time for them. When he has, he's looked improved compared to his FCK form last season, though.

FCK's Martin Bergvold has, like I predicted, been hit hard by the team's midfield purchases and almost not played at all. He's also had various knee injury troubles keeping him out of action for the junior national teams and reserve league.

My designated "joker" Danilo Arrieta has now had a taste of first team action with AGF and impressed with his technique and flair.


Another pair of interesting prospects that have popped up are, very pleasantly, defenders!
Jonas Troest (big brother of Aston Villa's youngster Magnus who I've left off this list as I don't know much about him) has moved to promoted team Silkeborg from the 2nd-tier league team B93 and impressed both at right and centre back. He's successfully dealt with marking and subduing players from the top teams game-in, game-out, and is now a regular with the U-21's.

The other is Brøndby's Daniel Agger. When they sold influencial player Andreas Jakobssson to Southampton and failed to bring in a replacement, there was widespread confusion as to who would replace him. Daniel has stepped into the team and in very convincing fashion closed the gap opened by Andreas' departure.

With the players' union's strike now twice postponed and seemingly finally called off, and no European competition left for any team, there's an exciting fall in the league to look forward to, with a deeper crop of youth than I originally anticipated.
There's also the exciting prospect of the Royal League, featuring 12 of the top Scandinavian teams going head to head, starting in mid-November.

I'll probably re-rank and expand my prospect list come December, when the danish domestic league goes on winter break.

On time like a bill to pay, yesterday at 31' minute of the first half arrived the injury for Alex Pinardi :banghead:
The guy left the pitch on his legs, but it is still unknown if the injury is serious or not; besides some sources speak about a knee problem while others mention muscular troubles.. :shakehead
Anyway, Vucinic replaced him and for the first time in a year (and after finally undergoing surgery in his knee) he looked healthy for true and in the end he was even the hero of the game scoring two nice goals giving Lecce an undeserved win against Palermo.
Speaking of injuries, probably i didn't mention before that 10 days after his outstanding game against Roma (followed the next week by a decent one) Meghni suffered his first muscular injury of the year. He is presently sidelined and should be out for at least two or three more weeks. :dunno:

To end on a better note, Adriano enjoyed another great game against Udinese. Like you will probably be able to see on international highlights, he scored two great goals with the second being a solo effort starting 60-70meters away from the opposite net. He arrived the morning before from an overseas fly after playing with Brasil. Surprisingly Mancini left him on the pitch for 90' and i can't see a right reason for that, considering also that Inter will play Wednesday in Valencia and Sunday against Milan. Adriano is playing way too often in this first part of the season, they should give him some rest when they could.. :shakehead

On time like a bill to pay, yesterday at 31' minute of the first half arrived the injury for Alex Pinardi :banghead:
The guy left the pitch on his legs, but it is still unknown if the injury is serious or not; besides some sources speak about a knee problem while others mention muscular troubles.. :shakehead
Anyway, Vucinic replaced him and for the first time in a year (and after finally undergoing surgery in his knee) he looked healthy for true and in the end he was even the hero of the game scoring two nice goals giving Lecce an undeserved win against Palermo.


That's too bad...except perhaps from Eremenko's point of view. He only got 5 minutes of playing time in the last game but without Pinardi, Lecce could use him. He isn't as creative as Pinardi but he's got more muscle and good crossing ability.

He still doesn't speak Italian that well, though, which might actually be the main reason he spends his time on the subs bench...despite the fact that he speaks 5 other languages. :shakehead

He still doesn't speak Italian that well, though, which might actually be the main reason he spends his time on the subs bench...despite the fact that he speaks 5 other languages. :shakehead
:eek:
Finnish, Russian...i guess English..and then??

:eek:
Finnish, Russian...i guess English..and then??

Virtually perfect Swedish (he lived for 7 years in Pietarsaari, which is one of the major bilingual cities/towns in Finland) and French, too, as he spent some time in France playing for the Metz juniors. Don't know how good his French is, though.

Eremenko actually speaks Finnish with a Swedish accent, not Russian. And it's more like a native Swede's accent, not a Finnish-Swedish one. It sounds quite weird even though it's fairly fluent.

Eremenko actually speaks Finnish with a Swedish accent, not Russian. And it's more like a native Swede's accent, not a Finnish-Swedish one. It sounds quite weird even though it's fairly fluent.For what it counts, i am now under the doubt if he speaks Russian or not. If not which is the fifth language?
Finnish, Swedish, French, English and?

For what it counts, i am now under the doubt if he speaks Russian or not. If not which is the fifth language?
Finnish, Swedish, French, English and?

...Russian. Yes, he does speak Russian. I haven't actually heard him speak it but I'd say it's safe to assume that. After all, he was 7/8 years old when he moved to Finland.

...Russian. Yes, he does speak Russian. I haven't actually heard him speak it but I'd say it's safe to assume that. After all, he was 7/8 years old when he moved to Finland.
Ah ok, so 'not Russian' was referred to the accent. ;)
Then he certainly must know Russian, unless he is retarded..

Don't know how good his French is, though.
If his French is good, he should be able to learn Italian pretty quickly.

Hey Frog, your new top5 for the Dutch league suggests Van der vaart has collapsed in your rankings..his start of the season has been even worse than what i was thinking?

Hey Frog, your new top5 for the Dutch league suggests Van der vaart