I have been critical of the man on here so credit where its due. Over the last few weeks he has improved no-end. I'm not just saying that 'cos he's notched a few goals recently but his all-round game has got better.

JM has also been heaping praise on him and rightly so. Nobody wanted him to fail and its a credit to the mans hard work,dedication and professionalism that having had the career he has he still wants to prove himself in the PL.

I have heard he has had a sand hill built at the training ground which he works on after training. Aparently he runs up and down the hill with a tyre tied round his waste to improve his fitness. Can anyone confirm these reports?

If they are true, what a lesson it must be for our youngsters to see that. Keep it up Sheva.

P.S.

Can Ballack borrow your spare?

I think Jose wanted more from Sheva in terms of 'workrate', an ugly word used in football but all great players and sides have it, especially Jose's.

He is now doing things off the ball he wasn't doing at the start of the season, and even made a few tackles on Wednesday when we were under pressure. He certainly looks a yard quicker and alot sharper.

All this goes along way in earning respect from your teammates, and manager. As Jose said ' He is now ALMOST untouchable'

I'm sure Jose threw in the 'almost' to keep him on his toes.

Is that sand hill story true then? Or as he just regained some of the sharpness he lost playing through the WC injured.

Anyone?

the whole shevchenko debate is nonsense.

he's played better than that for us, not scored and people would moan.

the whole shevchenko debate is nonsense.

he's played better than that for us, not scored and people would moan.

Gullit, this is not based on his last performance, it's based on his last 5-6 games. He looks fitter, and if he's had extra training or a different schedual then its a credit to him as a professional, especially at this stage of his career. He could quite easliy pick up the cheques and not qive a sh*t, but he is not that sort of player or man. When every man and his dog is critisising you its easier to curl up and hide than it is be a man and prove people wrong.

He has deffinately improved in his last few games, goals aside, he is and always has been a class act but you cannot argue that he doesn't look quicker over the past few weeks. Even pundits such as Hansen, who I quite respect was questioning 'his legs' a few weeks ago. Now when he runs he actually looks like he's going past players instead of treading water.

'You're only as good as your last game' and for me he deserves credit becuase he has worked had and contributed alot in his last half a dozen appearances.

Jose's mentality is play for the team first and yourself second, Sheva is now doing this and it's no coincidence the goals have started flowing, long may it continue.

Well done Sheva.

not sure what you've been reading lately. I might put up some quotes from people on here regarding his last few games.

Please do because if anyone said he's been poor for his last few games, they don't know anything about football, or are just critisising for the sake of it. I'm just giving credit where I think it's due!

I know you argue the cause for Ballack, who I do not doubt as a player, reputation-wise, but he is not showing the same attitude that Sheva has shown since Christmas. Again, well done Sheva!

sheva's attitude has been totally faultless since day one as far as I'm concerned. I'd join you in saying there has been an improvement on the pitch.

Pretty much agree with the above with the exception of Sheva - he just doesnt cut it and unlike Kalou - doesn't look promising. He was slow and at times looked lost, like he wasnt reading the game - sorry but thats how I saw it.

Obviously overrated. This bloke did nothing again

4.5. Poor first touch as usual, bad finishing. Had a clean header that whipped over the bar. Does not pass the ball as much as he should.

Shevchenko - a 30 year old experienced striker, considered to one of the best - fail to score on every great opportunity he got.

mourinho does the best

we don't want sheva

You have made thousand enquiries to this mechanic. And he did well. Now You trust him.

This time you come with this "30mil car" and mechanic tells you "It`s a s***ty car. I don`t know why, but its sh**ty. Leave it here for sometime and I will see what I can do"........

a personal favourite, that.

I would love to see him with us but I've got a bad feeling he would turn out as effective as Sheva

In all honesty, I would prefer our defense situation fixed up, since I still have some hope that Sheva will find some form... At least I think I do... its wearing thin...

Shevchenko was a bad move, we should have got someone younger like a David Villa or even Samuel Etoo.

hevchenko should be a greedy, selfish, goal-scoring warrior! Instead we see a scared, limp-wristed excuse for a striker.

Hopefully Sheva will be sidelined by some mysterious hamstring injury until May time & Robben will have the rest of the season injury free.

Honeymoons shouldnt last longer than 5 months Pauly, & Sheva's just about at the end of his mate !

all in about the last month.

sheva's attitude has been totally faultless since day one as far as I'm concerned. I'd join you in saying there has been an improvement on the pitch.

Pretty much agree with the above with the exception of Sheva - he just doesnt cut it and unlike Kalou - doesn't look promising. He was slow and at times looked lost' date=' like he wasnt reading the game - sorry but thats how I saw it.[/quote']

Obviously overrated. This bloke did nothing again

4.5. Poor first touch as usual, bad finishing. Had a clean header that whipped over the bar. Does not pass the ball as much as he should.

Shevchenko - a 30 year old experienced striker, considered to one of the best - fail to score on every great opportunity he got.

mourinho does the best

we don't want sheva

You have made thousand enquiries to this mechanic. And he did well. Now You trust him.

This time you come with this "30mil car" and mechanic tells you "It`s a s***ty car. I don`t know why, but its sh**ty. Leave it here for sometime and I will see what I can do"........

a personal favourite, that.

I would love to see him with us but I've got a bad feeling he would turn out as effective as Sheva

In all honesty, I would prefer our defense situation fixed up, since I still have some hope that Sheva will find some form... At least I think I do... its wearing thin...

Shevchenko was a bad move, we should have got someone younger like a David Villa or even Samuel Etoo.

hevchenko should be a greedy, selfish, goal-scoring warrior! Instead we see a scared, limp-wristed excuse for a striker.

Hopefully Sheva will be sidelined by some mysterious hamstring injury until May time & Robben will have the rest of the season injury free.

Honeymoons shouldnt last longer than 5 months Pauly, & Sheva's just about at the end of his mate !

all in about the last month.

G4,

Everyone at any given time has been disappointed with him. (Except for maybe you! )

Sure there are varying degrees of criticism, some of it quite fair, alot else, way off the mark.

I will be the first to admit, that after watching him play in December / January, i was worried. The effort was improving (albeit very slowly) but he still looked scared, and slightly lost on the pitch.

Now, (not just because he scored against Porto) i feel very optimistic about his future. The last 3/4 games, you can see a dramatic improvement. The sharpness seems to be returning, and his all round game is unrecognisable.

Credit to him.

He get's a doff' of the cap from me, as im sure he will do now from many others if he continues.

If there is one thing that can't be questioned, it's his professionalism and conduct with the media, which quite frankly, was impeccable considering some of the embarrasing tripe he's had to listen to.

G4, You shouldn't have gone to all that trouble mate. thks anyway.

I understand where you are coming from, but what we expected of Sheva and what we got for the 1st couple of months were not the same thing. Not questioning his attitude, but we were seriously concerned with his pace and what he brought to the side(sometimes playing in the channels rather that in a pairing with Drogba).

+

=

You cannot fault our critisism at the time, I know players need time to settle, but even he admitted he wasn't playing at his 'real level of play'

I'll say it for the last time 'well done Sheva'

sheva's attitude has been totally faultless since day one as far as I'm concerned. I'd join you in saying there has been an improvement on the pitch.

Quite a lot of other selective quotes from un-named contributors!

all in about the last month.

I sometimes think that G4 prefers the argument to anthing else. I'm a sad sod, so I read through the whole lot, but I have to say

get a Life Mate

kev

I didn't give names because I didn't want to make it into criticism of individual posters- I respect pretty much everyone I've quoted there... and I was asked to put up quotes... I'm not really looking for an argument (ballack's face is conspicuous in its absence)

in fact, my original post on this thread wasn't aimed at anyone really, just a general observation. he scores and he's the best striker ever, he plays better next game but doesn't score and he's back to being a snitch and we're back to discussing villa's price.

actually, why do I even have to justify what I wrote there? bah. it's a forum- discuss.

get a Life Mate

Probably the most irritating phrase we've imported from America despite stiff competition.

Nasty words, nasty sentiment.

get a Life Mate

Probably the most irritating phrase we've imported from America despite stiff competition.

Nasty words, nasty sentiment.

I have never heard anyone from America use the word "mate" unless they are talking about their spouse, so perhaps you meant to refer to this as a hybrid Aussie-American phrase, or whatever.

get a Life Mate

Probably the most irritating phrase we've imported from America despite stiff competition.

Nasty words, nasty sentiment.

I have never heard anyone from America use the word "mate" unless they are talking about their spouse, so perhaps you meant to refer to this as a hybrid Aussie-American phrase, or whatever.

I think he meant the get a life part?