Duff linked with Spurs

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Originally Posted by shakermaker1982

-big fanbase and have big opinions of themselves
-play attractive football
-change managers every 6-12 months
-buy lots of expensive players but still struggle to win trophies (League Cup is a micky mouse cup)
-great record of signing crocked players

The only differences are the house prices and the weather!!!!

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You cant compare the fanbase size of newcastle and tottenham. Newcastle have a very passionate local fanbase but outside Newcastle nothing. Tottenham as well as having the third biggest fanbase in london (after arsenal and man united!) have a huge global fanbase.

Newcastle havent won a trophy of merit since the fa cup in 1955 and havent won a league title in 80 years! Whereas tottenham are the only club that can match United in winning a trophy in each of the last 6 decades.
The league cup is only a mickey mouse cup when someone outside the top four wins it. sure chelsea didnt give a crap in the final :rolleyes:

Against Brazil duff looked quite lively after he was taken from the RW (where he's completely useless) and caused some problems. Hopefully with a full pre season he can get back to full sharpness and be something like his former self.

did anyone see the lucozade test they did between The Gooch and Duffer, bad that an amateur who had been out boozing in chicago for the last 3 months, against a player at the end of season who should be fully fit, won 2 of the test out of 4......

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Originally Posted by paul_oshea

did anyone see the lucozade test they did between The Gooch and Duffer, bad that an amateur who had been out boozing in chicago for the last 3 months, against a player at the end of season who should be fully fit, won 2 of the test out of 4......

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Talk about twisting things.

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Originally Posted by irishultra

Good point. He was class against Slovakia.

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that was over a year ago - since then he has had more injuries and is another year older

his performances on a football field be it for us / newcastle since then suggest that all the injuries have taken its toll on what was once a great player

the fact that a pathetic excuse for a football team are willing to sell him - does not bode well


everygame i have seen him play for newcastle - he has been brutal and the newcastle fans dont even want him there and have turned on him


against slovakia which was march 07 - he was very good in the first half and drifted out of the game in the second as slovakia got more into the game - very good is not class nor was he anywhere near the legendary duffer of old


as much as i hate to say it gents - those days may have past

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Originally Posted by paul_oshea

did anyone see the lucozade test they did between The Gooch and Duffer, bad that an amateur who had been out boozing in chicago for the last 3 months, against a player at the end of season who should be fully fit, won 2 of the test out of 4......

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intercounty gaa players are amateur in name only. the training they do is on a par with pros. sure the gooch got beaten by some galway camogie player in some of those tests and i dont think he's finished!

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Originally Posted by boovidge

Against Brazil duff looked quite lively after he was taken from the RW (where he's completely useless) and caused some problems. Hopefully with a full pre season he can get back to full sharpness and be something like his former self.

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He was on the right in the 2nd half against the Czechs at home and he tore them apart (including creating the goal for Kilbane)

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Originally Posted by Ciaran

Duff was very rash to leave chelsea, he wasn't even a reserve there, just rotated. And Jose said he wanted him to stay. Unless he's changed since then he'll be doubly unhappy since Keegan took over.

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http://foot.ie/showthread.php?t=33930&highlight=Duff
http://foot.ie/showthread.php?t=29502&highlight=Duff
http://foot.ie/showthread.php?t=23137&highlight=Duff

Just did a search on Duff posts and his 'decline' started well before he left Chelsea.
I think we (me included) have over-rated Duff. He is a good dribbler and crosser but other than that is quite limited.

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Originally Posted by colster

Just did a search on Duff posts and his 'decline' started well before he left Chelsea.
I think we (me included) have over-rated Duff. He is a good dribbler and crosser but other than that is quite limited.

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By that logic, Giggs, Robben, Milner, Hleb, etc are all over-rated

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Originally Posted by colster

http://foot.ie/showthread.php?t=33930&highlight=Duff
http://foot.ie/showthread.php?t=29502&highlight=Duff
http://foot.ie/showthread.php?t=23137&highlight=Duff

Just did a search on Duff posts and his 'decline' started well before he left Chelsea.
I think we (me included) have over-rated Duff. He is a good dribbler and crosser but other than that is quite limited.

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I don't think we overrated him. Mourinho clearly rated him, which IMO shows what a good player he is. I agree that he did kind of decline at Chelsea in the sense that he no longer played his natural game there and was too defensively aware. This may have suited Chelsea, but I don't think it suits us. If we want to qualify I hope Duff can get back to his attacking best and not worry so much about his defensive responsibility.

A big fan of Duff is Steve Bruce who is out in Portugal. Duff needs to be playing week in week out with a team that has a small squad under a manager that rates him. That means lower to mid Premiership sides like Wigan and Sunderland.

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Originally Posted by colster

http://foot.ie/showthread.php?t=33930&highlight=Duff
http://foot.ie/showthread.php?t=29502&highlight=Duff
http://foot.ie/showthread.php?t=23137&highlight=Duff

Just did a search on Duff posts and his 'decline' started well before he left Chelsea.
I think we (me included) have over-rated Duff. He is a good dribbler and crosser but other than that is quite limited.

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dont think he was ever over-rated. had a great 2002 wc and got onto the uefa team of the year that season. his performance v spain was outstanding. he should go back to blackburn where he was at the time and was obviously at his happiest

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Originally Posted by eekers

You cant compare the fanbase size of newcastle and tottenham. Newcastle have a very passionate local fanbase but outside Newcastle nothing. Tottenham as well as having the third biggest fanbase in london (after arsenal and man united!) have a huge global fanbase.

Newcastle havent won a trophy of merit since the fa cup in 1955 and havent won a league title in 80 years! Whereas tottenham are the only club that can match United in winning a trophy in each of the last 6 decades.
The league cup is only a mickey mouse cup when someone outside the top four wins it. sure chelsea didnt give a crap in the final :rolleyes:

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Tottenham have a huge global fanbase? Where? They might have a few fans outside the UK but I imagine most PL clubs have supporters in Europe and the Far East. To counter Spur's superior FA Cup record i.e. 2 more FA cups, last one being when they beat Forest in the early 90s - the toon army have at least finished second (twice) in the PL since its conception and qualified for the CL. Overall I'd band the two clubs in the B grade category of PL clubs i.e. along with Aston Villa and Everton. The A graders being the big 4.

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Originally Posted by Noelys Guitar

A big fan of Duff is Steve Bruce who is out in Portugal. Duff needs to be playing week in week out with a team that has a small squad under a manager that rates him. That means lower to mid Premiership sides like Wigan and Sunderland.

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id agree noely with the above.

very sad though that a guy we all thought would have a world class career and had so much hope for , that we are associating with him being finished OR lower prem clubs like wigan/sunderland/newcastle

bloody injuries

Duff at his best was certainly one of the best dribblers in the world. If he lost possession he must have been fouled because it was almost impossible to win the ball off him. His close control was unreal. Messi-esque.

I don't think he's been the same player at club level since January '05. In his time at Chelsea, up until then he was easily one of their best players. I'd actually say he was their best player until he got injured in Ranieri's first season. For Ireland his performances have mainly been excellent even since his club form has dropped. The Irish know him inside out and he has nothing to prove to us and to the players mainly.

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Originally Posted by eirebhoy

Duff at his best was certainly one of the best dribblers in the world. If he lost possession he must have been fouled because it was almost impossible to win the ball off him. His close control was unreal. Messi-esque.

I don't think he's been the same player at club level since January '05. In his time at Chelsea, up until then he was easily one of their best players. I'd actually say he was their best player until he got injured in Ranieri's first season. For Ireland his performances have mainly been excellent even since his club form has dropped. The Irish know him inside out and he has nothing to prove to us and to the players mainly.

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Agree.

As much as I like Duff, he has not shown any real consistent form since 2002 when he was still at Blackburn. He has had a lot of injuries and those have undoubtedly affected him but how much have they affected him? I do have to wonder though if he will ever be able to recreate that form that got us all so excited back in 2002.

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Originally Posted by eirebhoy

Duff at his best was certainly one of the best dribblers in the world. If he lost possession he must have been fouled because it was almost impossible to win the ball off him. His close control was unreal. Messi-esque.

I don't think he's been the same player at club level since January '05. In his time at Chelsea, up until then he was easily one of their best players. I'd actually say he was their best player until he got injured in Ranieri's first season. For Ireland his performances have mainly been excellent even since his club form has dropped. The Irish know him inside out and he has nothing to prove to us and to the players mainly.

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I agree too. A few years ago you (EB) put together a compliation of Duff at his best which included, I think, mainly his last season at Blackburn his first season at Chelsea and some international footage. If anyone gets a chance to look at that you will get to see Duff scoring and setting up goals aplenty for Chealsea against the best teams in Europe in the Champions League, which was after he left Blackburn. Somewhere in the middle of his Chelsea career his form started to drop not as soon as he joined chelsea as is so often written on here. The fact that he continued to play well for Ireland would indicate it was as a result of the special one wanting him to play more defensively. However, his Newcastle nightmare can be put down to his injuries and only time will tell if he can turn it around.

http://www.independent.ie/sport/socc...ar-273300.html

Worth remembering. It wasn't that long ago. Remember watching it, thinking that Duff was one of the best players I had ever seen.

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Kerr has repeatedly pointed out that Ireland are no longer a "biff, bam, wallop" side.

Instead they are a cohesive hard-working unit, comfortable at playing the ball on the deck, with an excellent goalkeeper, solid back four, good front man and two amazing wingers whose technical ability meant they looked more Portuguese than the Portuguese themselves last night. Roll on Tel Aviv!

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Then it all went wrong...

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Originally Posted by Supreme feet

http://www.independent.ie/sport/socc...ar-273300.html

Worth remembering. It wasn't that long ago. Remember watching it, thinking that Duff was one of the best players I had ever seen.

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Was that the night they wore the black and white? Or was it the time we beat them 3-1?