He might try starting off in League One..! He'd get all those parachute payments for starters. Granted, it shouldn't be necessary, but it's not as completely daft a thought as it might first appear. As they say, it's been done before quite recently by both Norwich and Us. Plus, you get all that all-important momentum and confidence if it is done right. He'd probably get back to the Prem' and stop the ambition though, so come back all I wrote.
Sorry TSS, I disagree with your views on Crooks; I seriously believe he doesn't see the games. On the times I have bothered to read his comments and team of the week, it is as if he has just looked at the goal scorers or listened to the other pundits. I find him unknowledgeable at best.
That appears to be the case. He had Oscar in his team a couple of weeks ago, and most of the Chelsea fans thought that he had a miserable game beyond being in the right place to punch home a sitter.
Elia should be in the team of the week. He scored with both his shots in the match. He did his defensive duty down the left superbly. Did some nice tricks and came out on top in every tussle for the ball. Crooks is a muppet for leaving him out.
Don't apologise FLT. I realise I'm not a typical football supporter. I see things in various shades of grey, not black and white. I don't wholly condemn Crooks any more than I wholly condemn other football people who are considered idiots. Personally, I think Crooks does several things well and several things poorly. However, he has been around for many years and his opinion is valid and worth listening to, whether or not I agree with it.
Nobody's forcing any of you to read Crooks' articles. If you have that much disdain for him, then don't bother.
I know it's good that the team can go home, have a break and train properly, but I like matches twice a week
Ok thanks. Good advice. As it happens I very rarely do and even then it's usually because he's been referenced in here. On those times I have, it seems to me that he picks that team of the week without watching the games.
The ability to see black and white doesn't mean that you can't see the shades of grey in between. All of this is personal opinion of course but week in, week out - Garth Crooks selects a team that even fans of the players selected disagree with. Obviously he doesn't get the opportunity to watch the full 15+ hours of football each weekend but at times it appears as if he doesn't even watch the full highlights and merely the goals. I'm not arguing with the ability of his punditry (that is a conversation for another week) but you'd hope that anyone who is employed on tax payers' money to write a weekly review of the weekend's football would at least sit down and watch a few games.
Hmm, that is beginning to strain credibility, I'll give you that. Then again, I have managed to agree with several Merson comments [incredible as it may seem]. That doesn't mean he is a good pundit, but there is a measure of him seeing the same game as me, which is going to bode well in my personal opinion of his ability. I could perhaps come back with Andy Townsend, but he doesn't lack football knowledge, just personality.
He usually watches one Saturday 3pm kick off for Final Score and both Sunday games. His lack of attention to the other 3pm kick offs is the point I have issue with.
Well I don't have a problem with him. He can be the occasional dork, but then they all can. Claridge is probably the only one who I can find agreement with almost all the time, and he's entertaining with it, because he's so passionate about the game.