I doubt he'll move, he's just signed a new contract, and even if he's not a regular starter, Benitez's rotation policy will keep his legs fresh and extend his career.....now if Benitez goes anything could happen.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kingdom
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I doubt he'll move, he's just signed a new contract, and even if he's not a regular starter, Benitez's rotation policy will keep his legs fresh and extend his career.....now if Benitez goes anything could happen.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kingdom
Apologies, I probably worded my post incorrectly. I've no doubt he will be an integral part of the Irish set up till the end of the 2010 qualifiers and the finals itself if we were lucky enough to qualify.Quote:
Originally Posted by irishfan86
I don't believe he'll be first choice at Liverpool next season, even if Benitez is still manager, I imagine Arbeloa will be first choice and i'm not sure if its in Steve's interests to be a back up.
If I recall correctly, Finnan played more minutes than any other Liverpool outfield player last season...now I'm not saying things can't change, but Benitez really rates him.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kingdom
I don't disagree. I watch Liverpool more than any other team in the Epl and Steve is one of my favourites for club and country, I just think, that his time is coming. Yes, he has been hampered by niggly injuries this season, and is still good enough for both club and country, I just think he's going to go with Arbeloa next season.
I think we're more on the same side than anything.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kingdom
I agree with you in that I keep waiting for him to slow down, but he's keeping up very well.
Liverpool play so many games, even if he is reduced to just playing half the games that'll be fine.
I think he's helped by the fact that he didn't overly rely on pace throughout his career. He's not slow, but it's more the fact that he never had blistering pace to begin with that has helped him continue on past 30 here at this standard.
Compare that to Stephen Carr, who relied on his pace early in his career...once he came back from his serious injuries and his pace was gone he was just an overpaid below average defender relying on his past reputation.
I'd expect Finnan to remain as Liverpool's first choice RB for next season assuming he remains injury-free and Benitez does not leave. Arbeloa is a good player technically but he is often caught out of position and makes many more mistakes than Finnan. I have always rated Finnan - he is a modern day Dennis Irwin (minus the freekicks!) ... no frills but ultra dependable. At Liverpool he is up there with Gerrard Carragher and Torres in terms of his importance to the club.
I'd agree also with the comments made previously in this thread about Kerr's selection policy with Finnan; either on the bench or at left-back was woeful. How on earth he could put Carr above Finnan is really really hard to fathom!
Well he's not getting any younger now but I still think he'll be at Liverpool next season and while he probably won't play every game like he has most seasons I'm sure he'll get his fair share.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kingdom
finnan is totally underrated by all, he is quality , throughout numerous liverpool managers he has continously been the one to avoid there rotation policies , aregular in not so regular teams and also he has seen off the players liverpool have brought in to challenge him
he is in the mould of dennis irwin, great pro gets on with job and you dont here him talikng himself up on telly ever five minutes and he doesnt have to seen in heat magazine every week like ashley cole
Didn't Carragher say something like "I'm not afraid of Steve Finnan, other players have come here and I'm still the first choice right full". Then he was promptly moved to centre half!
Well, I hope he isn't too great a role model for our players, retiring at just 31 from international football.
We can ill afford to be losing players of that quality!!
Owls you want players who want to play for country not players that dont want too.
I agree but I worry about the reaction of other players to the "role model" retiring in his prime. Much easier to stay at home in their million pound mansions than board a plane to Georgia to play for Ireland for a couple of grand or whatever the match fee is.Quote:
Originally Posted by TheBoss
The writing is on the wall for international football and has been for a while.
True unfortunately. The African players seem to care a lot more though, which is a positive.Quote:
Originally Posted by OwlsFan
Even our own association devalues the status of international football. It hands out caps to players whose merit is highly questionable and it belittles the underage tournaments that we did so well in a decade ago.
Internationals are about the Finals of Tournaments now, I don't see any sign that that is fading.
How do you get to a final of a tournament if you've retired from the team in the first place :confused:?
I'd agree with that.Quote:
Originally Posted by geysir
Is it becoming increasingly an insiders' club now with all the seeded teams (bar England!) qualifying, most without much bother and some leaving it late?
Which makes it all the more important that players for fringe teams like us don't retire prematurely in order to give us the best chance of qualifying, top teams can afford to have their stars retire for the qualifiers and come out of retirement once they qualify and it doesn't really matter to the crap teams but to us Finnans retirement has probably halved our chances of qualifying, hope he wasn't too much of a role model indeed
You won't.Quote:
Originally Posted by OwlsFan
Finnan reckons he will be too old for wc2010. The qualifiers are not enough on their own without the carrot of the Finals.
Tournament Finals are the International soccer showpiece nowadays for fans and players. Surely that does not need furthur explanation.
Brady in the Dalymount docum referred to a time when friendlies were real challenges with the gauntlet firmly thrown down into the centre circle.
Those days are gone. The focus has shifted.
Finnan's resolve might have been different if he wasn´t ignored under Kerr and better used by Staunton, who knows?
Finally a bit of perspective. A few weeks ago I posted about his injuries and how I felt he'd be fine for this year but after could be a problem, and I stand by that.Quote:
Originally Posted by geysir
He has struggled in some games for Liverpool this season and has been skinned quite noticeably for losing goals already.
Let him on.
Yup, Finnan might as well have said that since he will probably be too old for the next WC then he doesn't give a crap if we qualify or not