Lewis Hamilton

[Gullywog]

Badger, your involvement in this thread has been an absolute joy to read, some people are so naive and believe what the majority will say.

Those people are sheep, and you sir, are a shepard of the prize herd.

 

[One True BHA]

Ok, let's just presume your "3 of the best 5" comment is entirely accurate. If that's the case, and the top 5 are all of an equal standard, then I'd say that means everyone below them is not world class.

well, they're not of an equal standard. it doesn't matter what "world class" means, because quite clearly the players i have mentioned are among the best in the world and regularly prove it.

 

[One True BHA]

Badger, your involvement in this thread has been an absolute joy to read, some people are so naive and believe what the majority will say.

Those people are sheep, and you sir, are a shepard of the prize herd.

it's not exactly innovative to slate the english football team is it?

everyone does it but then seems to ignore the brilliance week in week out of some of these players in the premiership.

lampard, for example, may not perform well as part of the england team on a regular basis but he has been among the top goalscorers in the league for about 4/5 years now

 

[El Presidente]

Definition "Sports commonly refer to activities where the physical capabilities of the competitor are the sole or primary determiner of the outcome (winning or losing)"

I think Lewis Hamilton is extremely good at what he does, but his activity is no more a sport than synchronised masturbation.

 

[Barrel of Fun]

Yes, I'd agree with that. I just wouldn't class amateurs as world class.

Carl Lewis? Daley Thompson? Steve Redgrave? Usain Bolt? Sergei Bubka?

Just five names that came to me...

 

[Gullywog]

I don't think you can pick international sides/players playing for their nation as examples of World Class sportsmen.

To be world class, you must compete at the pinnacle of your discipline and as an international player, you are contained within the boundaries of your nationality, i.e. a Macedonian is not going to get the chance to compete in the pinnacle of football in Internationals.

However, an individual, desire depending, is going to climb the mountain to get the chance to play at the highest possible level, and therefore the chance to prove the class he has.

 

[tedebear]

Yes, I'd agree with that. I just wouldn't class amateurs as world class.

Very harsh - as I see it - if you make it as a world class amateur then you'll probably find someone willing to pay you to become professional....

If you've proven yourself without money, then chances are you can only get better with money....thats why people become professional, you want the money and someone else wants to make money out of you.... pure economics....

 

[Gullywog]

it's not exactly innovative to slate the english football team is it?

everyone does it but then seems to ignore the brilliance week in week out of some of these players in the premiership.

lampard, for example, may not perform well as part of the england team on a regular basis but he has been among the top goalscorers in the league for about 4/5 years now

You cannot use the top goalscorers chart to decide if someone is world class, Lampard plays with quality players every week, and in a side that plays and should beat opposition every match.

Chelsea will score more goals and as a result Lampard will get more than, for example, Bullard. The fact is, Lampard wouldn't be top 4/5 goalscorer if he played for Fulham either!!

Lampard is not world class, when he plays for Chelsea the players around him make him look much better than he is (Essien is exceptional). But put him in an England side and his colleagues are not at the same level in comparison to the standard and Lampard is found out.

 

[Barrel of Fun]

Yep, so when they become professional and dedicate every minute of every day to their sport they can then come under consideration for 'world class.'

Do you think footballers train more than runners, cyclists or rowers (as an example)?

 

[Gullywog]

Do you think footballers train more than runners, cyclists or rowers?

training doesn't mean everything, i could train 8 hours a day for four years, then not compete in the Olympics, what would that achieve.

World Class requires proving yourself time and time again at the HIGHEST levels, footballers don't require endless training regimes to do this.

Olympians only train because they would fall behind people who do if they don't, training should be banned!!

 

[One True BHA]

You cannot use the top goalscorers chart to decide if someone is world class, Lampard plays with quality players every week, and in a side that plays and should beat opposition every match.

Chelsea will score more goals and as a result Lampard will get more than, for example, Bullard. The fact is, Lampard wouldn't be top 4/5 goalscorer if he played for Fulham either!!

Lampard is not world class, when he plays for Chelsea the players around him make him look much better than he is (Essien is exceptional). But put him in an England side and his colleagues are not at the same level in comparison to the standard and Lampard is found out.

don't be ridiculous. of course you can not rely entirely on a top scorers chart to determine whether a player is "world class" or not, but it goes some way in helping to show it.

he plays with quality players every week, because he himself is a quality player. obviously you need good players around you, but that comes with being a good player yourself.

did you not see his goal yesterday? the majority of his goals are not because he has class around him, they are shots from outside the box and individual brilliance. that would still be apparent were he playing for fulham, as it is when bullard does it for fulham (just not so regularly)

when you see MOTD on telly or the results come in on the news, how often do you see lampard as the player who inspires them to a win? they are not the same team when he is not playing, and that is a fact.

and his colleagues in the england team are of the same standard, hence playing for man united/arsenal/liverpool, but as a team they leave a lot to be desired in most instances.

 

[El Presidente]

Yep, so when they become professional and dedicate every minute of every day to their sport they can then come under consideration for 'world class.'

Bollocks, George Best spent most minutes of most days getting pissed and shagging blondes, and he was truly world class.

 

[One True BHA]

I don't mean this to be a 'slate the England football team' thread. The cricketers and rugby players are equally as mediocre. The Olympians are amateurs. Face facts, Lewis is the only Brit currently competing at the very top of a competitive sport.

is that the same england ODI team who just hammered south africa?

 

[One True BHA]

Yep, so when they become professional and dedicate every minute of every day to their sport they can then come under consideration for 'world class.'

best gascoigne adams are three that immediately spring to mind

 

[One True BHA]

I've no idea how long footballers spend actually on the training pitch, but I'm sure they have to remain dedicated to their profession 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. There are a lot of things they won't be able to do, and a lot of rules to stick to. As professionals, they ensure they're in top condition all year round. Very different to amateurs who have another job (something that, in itself, compromises their sporting pedigree), and only have to be at their peak once every FOUR YEARS. I mean I reckon even I could get fit once every four years

you're right, unless you're on a wind up