Official 2012/13 Premier League thread

[METALMAN]

um no. it's not retconning if i've already said it before, is it? Post #249 if you're having any trouble.

I don't think it's silly to associate intangible personal criteria to something as equally intangible as the number you wear.

Maybe it's because it's late and I should be in bed but that is making my head hurt. What is an intangible personal criterion?

I'll find out tomorrow. I'm away to bed. Numbers don't mean anything though! When CR7 joined Man Utd there was all this talk about how all these greats that have worn the number 7 before would be a source of pressure for him and he would turn out shit. That was my point about how it affects your play. It doesn't make any real difference and only an idiot would be distracted by such a thing. Cristiano Ronaldo is no such idiot!

Tradition means nothing either. It's nice, but it means nothing. When Zinedine Zidane, best player in the world, joined Real Madrid he was all I WANT NUMBER TEN I WORE THAT FOR FRANCE AND JUVENTUS. And Real Madrid were like "fuck off, you'll take #5". And Zidane was like fair enough. Year zero and all that. Real Madrid were like the Clash there.

Tradition really means nothing. Liverpool tried to build up Anfield as some kind of fortress. Tony Adams recalled once how Liverpool fans asked him if he got scared when he was in Liverpool and he saw the "This Is Anfield" sign and he was like "eh...no". And he was right cause he won the league there didn't he? Nice sign though, I guess. Nice story.

I'm rambling a bit. i really do quibble about the silliest things. but at least I am right! cheerio!

[Plubby]

What is an intangible personal criterion?

As it pertains to number selection there is some value in the number you wear, and for the most part it is sentimental. Some people *do* associate the value of wearing a number with the performance you have shown. Not that the number dictates your performance, but that your performance should dictate whether or not you have "earned" a sentimentally significant shirt number:

If I was to play for a team that has a particular legendary player then it may be seen by people that you have to prove that you are good enough or have accomplished enough to wear the same number as that legend - that's tangible. Performance is something you can quantify.

Summers mentioned that Kagawa had a list of numbers that meant something to him. So in this case I imagined the criteria he used for picking those numbers to be intangible - something that can't be quantified and has value only to him. So in my above example if I were a PL player I would include numbers like 27 and 64. I would want these numbers ahead of others because of the value they have to me alone.

[Baddar]

But Nicklas Bendtner wears number 52.

That's 25 backwards, Mike!

[stokeriño]

And 25 is Zola, the number I use for all my Stoker/Stokerino shirts for that very reason. Does that make Bendtner the anti-Zola? As if there were any doubt...

[Jimmy]

What's the problem with fans bigging up the history of the shirt? It doesn't hurt anyone and it's a nice bit of tradition. No one says it's going to make them play better or anything, but whether you think it's stupid or not, certain numbers do have history in sport. And I like that about football.

It's a sign of respect, too. If I was second choice left back at a club for a year or two and then was handed the number 3 shirt as I started to emerge as first team choice - that would give me a massive boost because #3 is usually associated with first choice left back.

Football numbers are just a fun part of the sport in my eyes. Metalman's just a party pooper.

[Nerf]

I was with him until he implied that Anfield was never intimidating.

[Matt]

Pretty much with metalman here, numbers for the most part aren't a big deal and after the initial week or two of "OMG he's wearing the #whatever shirt", no-one really gives a fuck.

[Lineker]

I agree with Andy completely. Particularly his "Fuck off, MPH" stance.

[Summers]

Numbers are important to the player. Players like certain numbers. Some don't care, others do. It's a fucking ridiculous debate. Kagawa didn't want 7 because it meant nothing to him. He has other numbers that DO mean something to him, and he'd rather wear those. It's beyond simple.

[Hobo]

It's really a case of people putting weight on a number just because certain people wore it, mixed with marketing strategy whereby big name players often wear the same number once they're associated with it. This is able to be a thing because the number no longer always dictates position.

The fact that Dalglish gave Suarez then number 7 shirt was always played up as a big deal cause 7 was Daglish's number. It was never really a thing for players previously.

The only time numbers can be truely associated with a meaning is if a club retires a number because it was held by a club hero or a deceased player.

Personally I want to see the number 99 used more. I always give a player that shirt on Football Manager.

edit: Summs post reminder me of the guy at Inter who was 1+8 because Ronaldo was 9.

[TCO]

That was Ivan Zamarano, who was good enough to pull off such as stupid move

Not so much.

[Matt]

How was that even allowed? I know Robbie Fowler had 27 at Leeds because Viduka(?) had 9.

[Nerf]

It's allowed because he's just number 18 with a + in the middle.

[Matt]

I'd have thought given how strict they can be over what name you can have on your back (unless you play for Man Utd and would like your nickname) and often over what number you can have (didn't someone want to be 0 once and were told they couldn't?), they wouldn't let you stick a + in the middle.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

I'm a number purist and in Football Manager I number players the standard 4-4-2 way with the players I think are my first choice getting 1-11 unless one asks for another number.

See, I think numbers ARE important to SOME players. Sportsmen are hugely superstitious or have different "things" they do to make themselves feel comfortable.

Therefore if a player wants to be second last out of the tunnel, put his left boot on first, kiss Barthez's head, wear a certain number then that's fine. Why bemoan and belittle it?

When I played club cricket I would always hit the ground with my bat five times as the bowler was running in. It put my mind into the right place and focused me.

If my team's star striker gets focused and feels more comfortable by having a certain number or by tapping a sign in the tunnel then I'm all for it.

[King Ellis]

"Don't speak to the ball, Fabregas. People will think you're a loon. :/"

[Adam]

People have done some right daft things with numbers, it's not even just restricted to the keeper that wore #99 or this '1+8' business.

The late Hicham Zerouali wore '0' whilst playing for Aberdeen, for obvious reasons. Steve Cronin also wore 0 for LA Galaxy a few seasons ago. Australian international and Udinese player Tommy Oar did something you can't even do on Football Manager for one campaign:

And Derek Riordan had his own way of getting around being denied the #10 shirt, sort of...

It's fun, this numbers lark.

[MDK]

My mate just posted a picture of her and Dion Dubin on Facebook

I should have asked her to check his penis size.

[DavidMarrio]

Did he whip his Dube's out?

[hugobomb]

My mate just posted a picture of her and Dion Dubin on Facebook

I should have asked her to check his penis size.

Apparently when he was younger it was on it's own up front but as age started to show it's retreated further and further back and now is only barely in front of his back two