British Athletes vs N. American Pro Athletes

[Guinness]

British Footballers vs N. American Pro Athletes

This off Skysports.com:

FOWLER REJECTS MAN CITY MOVE

Robbie Fowler's £7 million move from Leeds United to Manchester City is off.The England international striker has decided against the move to Maine Road, saying his future lies at Elland Road.
Fowler said: "I had the opportunity to think things over and I wanted to stay at Leeds United. I am happy to do so now and I want to do my best for the club."

His agent George Scott told Sky Sports News: "He had time to reflect on the deal and realised it was not the right move for him, although he was flattered by Kevin Keegan's interest".

Fowler agreed personal terms on a £35,000-a-week deal and passed a medical before his U-turn.
City chairman David Bernstein said he was very surprised at Fowler's change of heart.

"We thought we had a deal and we thought we were there, but I had a call this afternoon from George Scott saying Robbie had reconsidered and decided to stay at Leeds.
"I can say little more than that - those were the reasons we were given. Everything was more or less in place. This came as quite a surprise.
"We had a conversation with Robbie's agent this morning, things seemed to be going okay but then things went rather quiet. Then I had that call, rather out of the blue, to tell me Robbie wasn't coming."

"As a club we are bitterly disappointed but these things do happen. Our manager, Kevin Keegan, is also disappointed but he thinks he is a great professional and a terrific person.
"We worked very hard to make this happen and we will just move on now.
"At this stage, as a club, we wish him all the luck in the world. He's been a terrific lad while he's been with us over the last few days and we'll move on."

Do all footballers have "No trade" clauses in their contracts??? It appears each and every individual moved from one club to another has the final say in the deal... I am not too sure with how this works, but it seems like the ball is ALWAYS in the players court...

Not that there's anything wrong with that...

The opposite seems to occur in professional sports over here... Can you imagine if that were the case??? Steve Francis and Eric Lindros wouldn't be the exception, rather the norm!!!


Any thoughts???

 

[Fastshow]

interesting........

Former teammate, Once a footballer's contract has run out they're free to talk to any sides interested. Where they come unstuck on occasion and this is the rumour knocking about re: Fowler, is when they or their agents talk to potential clubs while still under contract. Word is Fowler may have had other interesting offers during the final hours of his negotiation with City. Why else would he have done his medical and spent so much time with Keegan? He's put himself in the window now and can't really lose whatever happens. He's on a reported £25,000 a week and in saying he's decided he's stopping at Elland Road he's further endeared himself to the home support. The fact he's been 'allowed' by Leeds to speak to another club indicates to other clubs his availablity. In Leeds's case they're now a selling club rather than a buying one due to their mounting debts and woeful bookeeping.

It's a bit like the Canucks being close to financial administration and, despite the fact the player may continue to be under contract, the monies they could recoup on his sale would ease their debts and give them more time to sort out their accounts. Consider it a footballing equivalent of 'downsizing'. Despite being contracted for another three-odd years at Elland Road, Leeds decided they could get a fair whack for Fowler (England Internationals always carry inflated price tags) and, as he's been prone to injury this season, it would have made good business sense for them and Venables could then have made a bid on Kleberson, a player he's been tracking for weeks.

Hope that helps ease your anxiety.

In other related news, this came out yesterday.......

Rugby: Cohen seen as potential NFL player

16.01.2003 3.46 pm

LONDON - England rugby winger Ben Cohen is seen by NFL scouts as capable of making the grade in American football, British newspapers reported today.

The strongly built 24-year-old, nephew of England's 1966 World Cup-winning footballing half-back George Cohen, is one of his country's biggest hopes of Rugby World Cup success in Australia later this year.

"At 6ft 2in (188cm) and 220 pounds (100kg) and with his size and speed, he would appear to have great potential as a wide receiver," The Times quoted NFL scout Tony Allen as saying.

"He could even be versatile and tough enough to play on defence and develop into a linebacker," Allen added.

Cohen, who has scored 19 tries in 21 rugby internationals, was quoted as saying: "You can never say never and the money those (NFL) guys earn is astonishing. That would be a big factor."

He said that for now he was set on winning trophies with his club Northampton and with England, including the Six Nations championship which starts next month and the World Cup in Australia in October and November.

But he did not rule out trying to make the switch later on, saying: "If the opportunity arose I would probably go eventually".

I've always wanted one of the top rugby internationals to have a pop at the panty-waist American version of a real man's game. Having watched Ben Cohen this past fall during the rugby internationals at Twickenham, the man is almost as unstoppable as Jonah Lomu when in full flight and has a jink that reminded me of a red-booted Jinky in the Ambleside tournament against Inter. He'd take the piss out of the fat unathletic wankers who fcuk about in that shitebag 'sport'. And I'd pay to watch him do it.

 

[Dapotayto]

I'm interested to see how Ben Cohen would do in the NFL as well. Don't know much about him but he sounds like he's capable of making it. The thing is...

He'd take the piss out of the fat unathletic wankers who fcuk about in that shitebag 'sport'

Perhaps you're referring to the Offensive and Defensive Linemen but other than them you're statement is pure fantasy. You don't fcucking make it in the NFL at any position, besides kicker and line, if you can't bench press 250 lbs a minimum of eight times. run like the goddamn wind and jump like a fcuking deer. The STANDARD for a defensive back in the NFL is 6' 1'', 200 lbs and fast as lightning. Generally, anyone smaller can't bring enough funk to the job. All the players do punishing and scientific workout regimens and everyone, save lineman, follow exacting diets (unlike the English and their pork pies and pints philosophy). They also have the world's best facilities and care when it comes to physiotherapy, chiropractic, hydroptheraphy, hyperbaric therapy, massage, medical analysis, surgery and so on and so on. Soccer, especially in the U.K., is so far behind when it comes to strength/power training and other aspects of fitness it's ridiculous. If any of the young american athletes gave a shite about soccer they yanks would dominate. They would have a team like arsenal. Stacked with huge, fast, physically superior players that other teams simply can't deal with athletically. Fcuk, their slowest player would mark Michael Owen and do it in his sleep.

 

[Fastshow]

got one.......

First of all, I could mark Michael Owen in my sleep (and often do.......... but that's another story) this season so, presumably, so could one of your heroes from the NFL.

Perhaps you're referring to the Offensive and Defensive Linemen

Perhaps I am. Fcuk should I know what I'm referring to? I just write the stuff. What you seem to be saying is that some players are fit enough while others are just fat cnuts. Like the Peg/Olys then?

Why would be able to bench press 250 lbs benefit a proper footballer? If your heroes were taught the basic rudiments of tackling they might not need to be able to lift small Eastern-European cars on The World's Strongest Man programmes. This is why a world-class rugby player would find the NFL a well-paid farce. But, of course, being such athletic types with access to the finest coaching methods not to mention machines whose names link them to the teachings of ancient Greece, tackling people around the shoulders and head makes perfect sense.

I enjoyed your well-thought out argument that if a player is athletic he still wouldn't compare to one who isn't necessarily athletic but who is huge, fast, and physically superior.

I don't need a pocket calculator to count the the number of inaccuracies in your post.

I know how many pockets I have.

 

[Guinness]

Patatoehead

(unlike the English and their pork pies and pints philosophy).

I sense a few arguements coming from North London???
All I can say is that those NFL guys do work hard and go through a tough regime, but that is why they are paid the big bucks... That said, if the Yanks cared soo much about their players and those players diets and training, What the hell happened in the case of that poor bastard that kicked the bucked at the Vikings training camp???


TheYankswillneverdominatefootballbecausetheyhaveothersports!!

 

[Dapotayto]

Guinness, stop putting an e in Potato you bastard. Are you Dan Quayle in disguise? Anyway, I didn't say the NFL cared about the players long term health (inre Corey Stringer, Minnesota Vikings) I said they have the most up to date training methods and know how to get and demand the most, physically, out of their athletes. And you're right. The Yanks will never dominate soccer because they care too much about other sports. But if they put all their best athletes in soccer, like most of the rest of the world, it would be no contest.

Fastshow, there's just as many inaccuracies in your statements as there is in mine so don't go pulling the old 'holes in your argument' crap. Yes, some of the NFLers are fat (see linemen) but that's by design. Don't go telling me that all the ruggers in the world have seven percent body fat. I have eyes too. Oh, all the rugby players are such great tacklers. Too bad no one has a clue how to tackle Lomu or anyone with that combination of size and speed. How the fcuk would they stop Priest Holmes, Ledamian Tomlinson or the rest of the top running backs who are all big and FASTER than Lomu? What evidence have you provided that a rugby player could even compete in the NFL. Let's hear it before you start telling me I'm full of crap and that my 'heroes' are unathletic bags of shite. I think rugby players are great athletes and often underrated but I am also realistic. The best athletes are in the NFL. Period. As far as athletic compared to physically superior, why do you think one constantly hears pundits predicting an African team to win the World Cup soon even though their organization/coaching/development is below that of European and South American nations? It's because while teams like England and Italy and so on are athletic, the African teams are physically superior.

 

[Fastshow]

dear me, flower........

Fastshow has very rarely paid the slightest bit of attention to pundits who say an African nation will win the World Cup as, until Fastshow sees an African nation's captain holding the World Cup, he's happy to let the pundits talk themselves in circles.

Fastshow also doesn't have the first idea how a rugby player would stop Priest Holmes or Ledamian Tomlinson as, like Fastshow, they'd probably be too busy wetting themselves at such poncey names. As far as tackling Lomu goes, Fastshow would suggest watching a repeat of the last Rugby World Cup when Lomu was marked out of the game by a man similar in stature to Guinness with Buckfast on his shoulders ie: 5"8.

Fastshow never pretended his 'argument' was accurate as Fastshow spent about ten seconds doing a google search on American Football and then remembered he didn't give two shits and decided to roll out his old 'games Americans play that masquerade as sports which are exclusively for twats and those who love them' argument instead as it's Friday afternoon and Fastshow is going to the pub for a pork pie in half an hour.

Fastshow would like to extend his sympathy to you as you have announced, rather dramatically, that you too have your period. It says so in your post........

Period.

Have you met Yoda?

Guinness, Fastshow is intrigued about which argumentative piss-taker posts from North London. North London isn't too far from where Fastshow is.

 

[Dapotayto]

Fastshow spent about ten seconds doing a google search on American Football

Well, at least I wasted ten seconds of someone's time. And tend seconds of the future at that. It's been a good day already. Have a pint for me while you're eating pies with those wimpy rugby guys Goddamn, I feel bloated and crampy

 

[Fastshow]

quality......

Thanks for not throwing all your toys out of your pram and taking life too seriously.

You've restored my faith in humanity. And Fastshow's too.

 

[Jinky]

You're comparing apples and oranges here.

I've played both sports and there is no comparison where stamina is concerned. Rugby's play is almost continuous. Football definitely is not.

Cohen by the way, makes his runs and scores trys without the benefit of blocking.

Potato, what's your definition of an athlete?

 

[Regs]

Now you're comparing apples and oranges... isn't there a difference between professional athletes and, erm, ... you?



~Regs.

 

[Dapotayto]

C'est simple, Jinky. Apples are athletes. Oranges are not.

If Cohen does not need blocking then I suppose he'll light up the league. Surely the MVP trophy will be his. Hopefully we will get the chance to see as, although it is hard to compare, it would be fun to see a rugby-football crossover. The closest I recall is when an Aussie Rules Football player came over and did some kicking (for the Raiders?). He punted one downfield, the kick returner brought it back, jinking (pardon the pun) his way past the onrushing tacklers sans one. The kicker. Seeing he only had the kicker to beat he made a lame shimmy move and promptly swept past the punter when, headed for glory, he was clotheslined flat on his ass by the former ARF player. Ah, it was a beautiful nexus of cross-sport interaction.

 

[sid]

athlete of the year

Fasty

congrats 1000 posts

sid

 

[Fastshow]

thread-killer.........

Last edited by Dapotayto on 01-18-2003 at 12:23 AM

Why do people continue to edit out the intelligent response/wit in their posts?

We've managed to veer so far away from the original topic that soon we'll be speculating on whether Diana Krall will team up with her new boyfriend to record a single but as it stands I've yet to see how American Footballers can possibly be considered the best athletes going.

Unless, of course, that's a subtle piss-take. Must be. Well done, Spud-U-Like.

Thanks, Sid, that means the world to me.........

Elvis Costello.

 

[Dapotayto]

Like I know what a subtle piss-take is. That would be like 'Boro playing sexy football. It might happen once or twice but it was probably on accident.

 

[Dapotayto]

I must say, I didn't really edit my earlier post. I had to post it prematurely when my boss came for a donut break in the room. Finally the fat fcuker wisely decided that he should smoke a cigarette. While he was gone I went on a Dapotayto Special Forces mission. Operation Codename: Desert Thong Recon. Goal: Gain detailed knowledge of the new secretary's physical assets. having extensive training in chick slaying, the mission was accomplished quickly and efficiently. She will be mine. Oh, then I added something to the post. So in fact I was adding in 'funny parts'. Well, they were 'parts' at least.

 

[Guinness]

Potato (no e)

Originally posted by Dapotayto
Like I know what a subtle piss-take is. That would be like 'Boro playing sexy football. It might happen once or twice but it was probably on accident.

That was TTP in your finest moment... Well said... However, accident or not Fastshow wouldn't call it sexy football in fear of having Jinky getting too excited!!!

 

[sid]

JINKY

does this mean that JINKY will fit in to be the greatist british playing north american footballer

size & weight

 

[Jinky]

Sure,..why not?

Sounds good to me.

 

[sid]

JINKY

JINKY FOR PRESIDENT OF TTP

sid