Football 2015/16

[pink_triangle]

A 3 way fight between arsenal, spurs and Leicester! This is one strange season. I have to accept full responsibility for Leicester losing today. As soon as Welbeck came on I said " these players never do anything when they leave man utd ".

[ThomThomDrum]

Shame about the Arsenal result. I hope Leicester don't respond poorly to this and drop off. 

Twas interesting seeing Sturidge, Couthino and Firminio playing with each other for the first time, even if it was Villa....

[zahidf]

1 hour ago, ThomThomDrum said:

Shame about the Arsenal result. I hope Leicester don't respond poorly to this and drop off. 

Twas interesting seeing Sturidge, Couthino and Firminio playing with each other for the first time, even if it was Villa....

i think 3 points from away games against aresenal and man city is good overall. though drinkwater may get a red card after the fact for that unpubished dangerous tackle against ramsey

[mrtourette]

Best set of results yesterday, looking like the most interesting title run in for some time. Villa aside the relegation situation looks nice and tight as well.

 

[pink_triangle]

Thoughts about Sterling this season? He was a player regularly discusses in here when at Liverpool, but very little since.

 I have found him pretty disappointing. Doesn't look the same player as a couple of years ago. However still young and may take a season to adapt, next season will be big for him.

[eFestivals]

2 minutes ago, pink_triangle said:

Thoughts about Sterling this season? He was a player regularly discusses in here when at Liverpool, but very little since.

 I have found him pretty disappointing. Doesn't look the same player as a couple of years ago. However still young and may take a season to adapt, next season will be big for him.

he's being played in quite a different way for City, so he's had far less of an impact because of it, and is looking quite average as a result. There's definitely more he's able to give as his time at Liverpool showed, but whether that's appropriate to do in a team of better player is another thing.

That penalty against him yesterday was ridiculous.

-------------

But in better news for Villa, unlike a lot of people in the country, they at least got fucked on Valentines Day.

[eFestivals]

PS: just looked at Sterling's stats.

He's got 5 goals from 22 appearances this year (if wiki is right) - which doesn't stack up badly against his last two Liverpool seasons (9 from 33, and 7 from 35) given how he's playing a role that's much less about getting into the box

So while he's not setting the world alight, I don't think anyone can really point the finger at him.

[The Nal]

2 minutes ago, eFestivals said:

So while he's not setting the world alight, I don't think anyone can really point the finger at him.

City have been fairly poor. As bad as Utd have been, and they've been completely shit, City are only 6 points ahead.

On that note - Inter lost again at the weekend so are struggling to make the CL spots. Could be Mancini out and Mourinho in. Leaving Utd holding their dicks again. Because LVG is done. Dead duck.

[eFestivals]

5 minutes ago, The Nal said:

City have been fairly poor.

I can't disagree with that, but you can't hold Sterling responsible for it more than you could hold Ageuro, or Silva, or Yaya, etc, etc. None of them seem to be playing at the sorts of levels we know they can.

And Sterling is the new guy, and clearly being used in a very different way to what he was doing at Liverpool. He seems to have been pretty much told to be available on the edge of the box as much as he can, rather than making runs from further back.

Edited February 15, 2016 by eFestivals

[pink_triangle]

18 minutes ago, The Nal said:

City have been fairly poor. As bad as Utd have been, and they've been completely shit, City are only 6 points ahead.

On that note - Inter lost again at the weekend so are struggling to make the CL spots. Could be Mancini out and Mourinho in. Leaving Utd holding their dicks again. Because LVG is done. Dead duck.

  De Bruyne is a huge miss in my book, the one signings that clicked immediately when he signed in last summers transfer window.

Can't see Mourinho going to inter. Juve gave the rest a big head start this season in a bit of a transitional season and will still probably win the league comfortably. What could he achieve at inter. 

[TheGayTent]

There's no discussion required on Daley is there? He runs fast and hasn't a footballing brain. 

Can't see him being at City for much longer. 

[pink_triangle]

32 minutes ago, eFestivals said:

PS: just looked at Sterling's stats.

He's got 5 goals from 22 appearances this year (if wiki is right) - which doesn't stack up badly against his last two Liverpool seasons (9 from 33, and 7 from 35) given how he's playing a role that's much less about getting into the box

So while he's not setting the world alight, I don't think anyone can really point the finger at him.

I disagree people should be pointing a finger because his performance haven't been good enough, of course that doesn't mean he is on his own or the worst ofender. I think a modern day footballer has to be more adaptable than just perform in one position. You look at De Bruyne and he could do a job anywhere .

[The Nal]

33 minutes ago, pink_triangle said:

 What could he achieve at inter. 

The same thing Utd are looking to do. Rebuild a team, change the playing style, get back in the CL places, challenge for the league etc. 

Where else can he go if Utd don't nab him? Barca, Bayern, Madrid, City, Chelsea all out. PSG?

[eFestivals]

19 minutes ago, pink_triangle said:

I think a modern day footballer has to be more adaptable than just perform in one position. You look at De Bruyne and he could do a job anywhere

while you might well be right about De Bruyne, that's more the exception than the rule.

Sterling could either be someone who can't adapt, or someone who will take some time to adapt. And he's now in a team where almost everyone is an established big name, and he's just the jonny-come-lately new kid, and while he's got an arrogant public persona via the press from his want of a move, he's supposedly nothing like that as a person.

So while he might come up short, I'd also say not much more than half a season played is a bit early to call it too.

Personally I don't think he'll come up short - I suspect over the long term his signing at a big price will look entirely justified for City, even if not a bargain. Just look at the sort of players Utd have chucked £50M-ish at, and the lower level that Liverpool have paid £30M-ish for. Sterling at £50M certainly stands up against those, even if he looks less good value against De Bryne.

Which probably ends up getting to mean De Bryne was under-priced, all things considered.

 

[pink_triangle]

3 minutes ago, The Nal said:

The same thing Utd are looking to do. Rebuild a team, change the playing style, get back in the CL places, challenge for the league etc. 

Where else can he go if Utd don't nab him? Barca, Bayern, Madrid, City, Chelsea all out. PSG?

The difference is recent history shows different teams eg Leicester, Liverpool and spurs can challenge for the title after being miles away the season before. I don't see the same in Italy, one team is just too far ahead.

[eFestivals]

5 minutes ago, The Nal said:

Where else can he go if Utd don't nab him? Barca, Bayern, Madrid, City, Chelsea all out. PSG?

Newcastle? Aston Villa? Leeds Utd?

 

[TheGayTent]

Sterling has scored in three Premier League games this season from twenty two appearances. His goals have come against Watford, Bournemouth, and Sunderland. 

[eFestivals]

42 minutes ago, TheGayTent said:

Sterling has scored in three Premier League games this season from twenty two appearances. His goals have come against Watford, Bournemouth, and Sunderland. 

and in two of those matches Aguero didn't play, and Sterling presumably played a slightly different (more forwards) role which probably isn't an irrelevance.

Different roles in a different team, innit?

I've already said he's not gone great, but I think it's reasonable to recognise that  he's being asked to do something different to what he was doing at Liverpool.

[eFestivals]

there's rumours in one of today's papers that Moaniho will be installed before the end of the month.

It might be bullshit and so might have been the stories about Moaniho talking to Utd, but I suspect those talks are true, and so it gets hard to see LvG staying in the role until the end of the season.

[zahidf]

4 minutes ago, eFestivals said:

there's rumours in one of today's papers that Moaniho will be installed before the end of the month.

It might be bullshit and so might have been the stories about Moaniho talking to Utd, but I suspect those talks are true, and so it gets hard to see LvG staying in the role until the end of the season.

same guy said a week before that potch (spurs manager) was going to be the new manager☺

 

i think they are talking to jose, but i reckon now 4th place is realisitically out of sight, theyd let giggs run things till summer and then let jose in. i doubt he would want to take over the team in its current state!

[The Nal]

9 minutes ago, zahidf said:

i think they are talking to jose, but i reckon now 4th place is realisitically out of sight, theyd let giggs run things till summer and then let jose in. i doubt he would want to take over the team in its current state!

I'd prefer if he came in now. Has the rest of the season to make a plan on who to ship, sign etc. If its in the summer he'll "get a pass" for next season. 

Mourinho could help keep De Gea. Otherwise hes gone in June. And you couldn't blame him at all.

Edited February 16, 2016 by The Nal

[eFestivals]

4 minutes ago, zahidf said:

same guy said a week before that potch (spurs manager) was going to be the new manager☺

I wasn't aware of that, but sports writers have pages to fill every day, so they have to write something.

 

4 minutes ago, zahidf said:

i think they are talking to jose, but i reckon now 4th place is realisitically out of sight, theyd let giggs run things till summer and then let jose in. i doubt he would want to take over the team in its current state!

I'd thought he took over mid-season this time with Chelsea, but I thought 'I'd better check that' and just found out he didn't. So perhaps you're right.

I defo can't see LvG keeping on tho, everything seems to be melting down around him, and he seems to be melting too.

And while Giggs would be the obvious stand-in, I can't see how or why that's good for giggs or why he'd want to do that no-win thing. Even if he proved himself the world's best manager in that time he wouldn't be in the job next season.

[TheGayTent]

18 minutes ago, eFestivals said:

and in two of those matches Aguero didn't play, and Sterling presumably played a slightly different (more forwards) role which probably isn't an irrelevance.

Different roles in a different team, innit?

I've already said he's not gone great, but I think it's reasonable to recognise that  he's being asked to do something different to what he was doing at Liverpool.

Bony played instead of Aguero in those two games - Sterling's role was no different. 

He's good enough for a mid table side. Maybe Liverpool would like him? 

[eFestivals]

1 minute ago, The Nal said:

I'd prefer if he came in now. Has the rest of the season to make a plan on who to ship, sign etc. If its in the summer he'll "get a pass" for next season. 

and that might be why he'd prefer to wait until the summer, I guess.

After all, getting them in the mix next season looks a hard task from where things are right now.

Remember,  he's no longer Mr Perfect. He took Chelsea to the bottom of the league.

[The Nal]

3 minutes ago, eFestivals said:

And while Giggs would be the obvious stand-in, I can't see how or why that's good for giggs or why he'd want to do that no-win thing. Even if he proved himself the world's best manager in that time he wouldn't be in the job next season.

Giggs has no business managing Man Utd. Just as Red Nev has no business managing Valencia. Just because they were the class of 92 and played under Fergie doesn't mean they can walk into their first managerial jobs against the best players around. They have to learn their trade. Like everyone else.

Remember,  he's no longer Mr Perfect. He took Chelsea to the bottom of the league.

Absolutely but half a shite season in an otherwise fairly incredible 15 years. Wouldn't write him off for that. 

Edited February 16, 2016 by The Nal