Old No. 7 is at a crossroads

Boondog

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I am hopeful that Christiano makes the right decision here and in fact I think he has already made it, which is to be part of the team, to fully buy in even though it's a system he probably hates, and even though it means he probably won't be playing a full 90. I know it is hard for him, and I also know it's impossible to fully understand what it's like to be a player of such magnitude facing what he is facing, so I am using my imagination here and it seems to me that the best direction to choose is the one that leads to him embracing the team and perhaps putting his ego aside to be a part of this club's resurgence. Because that is fitting is it not. To see him come full circle as part of a club rebirth just feels right.

Assuming all that, what will his role be on this year's team? I see it as dependent on how well he plays in this system of course, as well as dependent on the type of opponent we face. But I am going to assume that once he gets to full fitness he will be effective on the pitch, as his play is starting to round into form based on his last outing.

So vs teams that are disciplined in their back line and stingy with space Christiano should be in play as a starting option. Vs those teams he will give us height and an ability to convert passes from air into chances which is something the rest of our forwards have struggled with. Also even with his age and lesser mobility he is still a fearsome striker in the box so that will be his primary role.

Vs teams that are possession based he will be a sub. In that role for the last third of the game or whatever he should be able to sustain the intensity required which should give us some goal potency even if it's on the counter when they're turtling to hold onto a lead.

Looking forward to him putting together a good season here. He is still good enough to affect the bottom line. If he takes that road it might even lead to CL next season with him functioning in a role that still has legitimate scoring chances to sustain his chase of the goals lead.
 
he’s at that stage in his career that you half expect him to be found wandering down the high street in his boxers, looking confused. the police will bring him home and he’ll look right through you and ask where he is. you sigh and thank the officers and tell him he’s home. the walls looks the same but he just doesn’t recognise it. you’ll sit him down in his armchair and he’ll soil himself before asking who you are again. you’ll clean him up and return him to his chair, before turning on one of the 1920s movies he loves so. he looks over to you, smiles, and says “thanks, son.”

in that moment, you’re broken, it all comes flooding back. it’s all worth it, no matter how long he has left, you’ll always remember what he was, not what he is now. there is always a flash that shows what he’s always been capable of. the flame is just dimmer now.
 
rimaldo said:
he’s at that stage in his career that you half expect him to be found wandering down the high street in his boxers, looking confused. the police will bring him home and he’ll look right through you and ask where he is. you sigh and thank the officers and tell him he’s home. the walls looks the same but he just doesn’t recognise it. you’ll sit him down in his armchair and he’ll soil himself before asking who you are again. you’ll clean him up and return him to his chair, before turning on one of the 1920s movies he loves so. he looks over to you, smiles, and says “thanks, son.”

in that moment, you’re broken, it all comes flooding back. it’s all worth it, no matter how long he has left, you’ll always remember what he was, not what he is now. there is always a flash that shows what he’s always been capable of. the flame is just dimmer now.
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I hurt myself today
To see if I still feel
I focus on the pain
The only thing that's real
The needle tears a hole
The old familiar sting
Try to kill it all away
But I remember everything
What have I become?
My sweetest friend
Everyone I know goes away
In the end
And you could have it all
My empire of dirt
I will let you down
I will make you hurt
 
rimaldo said:
he’s at that stage in his career that you half expect him to be found wandering down the high street in his boxers, looking confused. the police will bring him home and he’ll look right through you and ask where he is.
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That didn't start happening to me until my early 50s. So he's got some time. :lol:
 
horsechoker said:
I hurt myself today
To see if I still feel
I focus on the pain
The only thing that's real
The needle tears a hole
The old familiar sting
Try to kill it all away
But I remember everything
What have I become?
My sweetest friend
Everyone I know goes away
In the end
And you could have it all
My empire of dirt
I will let you down
I will make you hurt
Click to expand...

This album and this particular song are Amazing
 
horsechoker said:
I hurt myself today
To see if I still feel
I focus on the pain
The only thing that's real
The needle tears a hole
The old familiar sting
Try to kill it all away
But I remember everything
What have I become?
My sweetest friend
Everyone I know goes away
In the end
And you could have it all
My empire of dirt
I will let you down
I will make you hurt
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He’ll always have Ronny’s Cash
 
Impact sub/occansional rotational starter/back up for injuries.

Think the impact sub role really suits him he can come on and give everything for 25-30 mins against tiring legs, shown in last couple of games that he has plenty to offer in that role.

His body just isn't capable of playing 180mins a week anymore.
 
Longshanks said:
Think the impact sub role really suits him he can come on and give everything for 25-30 mins against tiring legs, shown in last couple of games that he has plenty to offer in that role.
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Keep seeing people saying this and I'm hopeful of it being true, but I swear in the last few games he gets the ball and immediately fecks up the pass/shot/cross every time.
 
Antony and the way he can feed the box from that wing might be special with Christiano. Just saying.

.
 
You write this whole wall of text yet spell his name Christiano. Hard to take this thread seriously
 
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I'm amazed people still writes "Christiano" after all these years.
 
Rightnr said:
You write this whole of text yet spell his name Christiano. Hard to take this thread seriously
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Reminds of a time about 15 years ago someone made a serious thread about the starting XI and called a player Darren Felcher
 
You expect people to read it after you spelt his name wrong
 
i always thought it was ‘chris p. arnold’ until i saw it written down.
 
Ronaldo screwed himself, maybe if he wasn't sulking like a baby all summer he would have been ready for the start 9f the season and played a more important role in our games but now he has been exposed as not being irreplaceable in our current attack and doing just fine without him
 
Andy_Cole said:
Cristiano
Christiano
Chris T Ano
Chris T Arnold
Rich T Arnold
Richard Arnold

Is Ronaldo our CEO?
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would make sense to get rid of his foren name after brexit and have a more british one, like our new signings, anthony and larry martin.
 
If people concentrated watching those last 2 goals against Arsenal, he was a key part of the pressing that gave us the ball.
Looks like he's buying into things at the moment.
 
I think ideally it’s as you’ve outlined. Teams that will look to dominate the ball and play a high line will make it hard for him to be impactful as a starter. He’d struggle to put pressure on the back line and would be very easy to play through, and while his movement is still great and he can still move when he gets the chance, the distances involved and the frequency in which he’d have to make those high intensity makes it a big ask for him to contribute meaningfully when playing from the start. I also think he can’t make up for these deficiencies with his back to goal work, because while he has some qualities that could lend itself towards this I don’t think it can mask his inability to hold the ball up or contest physical duels against strong and fast CBs. Even in his prime he never really suited that approach.

Like you said though in games where the opposition are going to cede the space he could be very useful. He still has an outstanding leap and excellent positioning. Your side has plenty of players capable of making the right passes and he has the smarts and diverse array of finishing that he’s always going to be able to get on the end of chances.The lower distances involved will limit the amount of intense running and keep him sharp and decisive when the chances do come.

At the time I thought it would have been better for your side to have let him go this summer. It’s never easy dealing with ageing superstars, especially with such a high profile player, but if he commits fully and doesn’t cause disruptions or problems for the manager he could be very useful.
 
Raoul said:
Reminds of a time about 15 years ago someone made a serious thread about the starting XI and called a player Darren Felcher
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Tbf, I just noticed I missed out a word there :lol:
 
Christantos should’ve moved in the summer. I don’t see him being happy on the bench long term
 
Boondog said:
Antony and the way he can feed the box from that wing might be special with Christiano. Just saying.

.
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Hypothetically yes Ronaldo is the player that could best attack these type of balls Antony puts into the box. Question is will ETH get this team to a point this season where he can afford to start Ronaldo instead of a more mobile striker.
 
I think in a World Cup year, Cristiano Ronaldo won't be too pissed off at not playing week in/week out. He can arrive in Qatar in peak physical condition (ala Zidane 2006) and try to further cement his status in the game as one of the greats.

Come January, he can move on or stay for the remainder of the season - provided both parties can find a suitable solution.
 
I reaaally want to blame my phone here. Or his parents for spelling his name wrong. Perhaps even his native language.

But I deserve the criticism.
 
Suedesi said:
I think in a World Cup year, Cristiano Ronaldo won't be too pissed off at not playing week in/week out. He can arrive in Qatar in peak physical condition (ala Zidane 2006) and try to further cement his status in the game as one of the greats.

Come January, he can move on or stay for the remainder of the season - provided both parties can find a suitable solution.
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You've ruined the thread.
 
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