Football 19/20

[kaosmark2]

6 minutes ago, thetime said:

Patience and a good transfer policy.

Completely agree, but I'm not convinced either of those are in place at Man U.

[zahidf]

7 minutes ago, kaosmark2 said:

Completely agree, but I'm not convinced either of those are in place at Man U.

Maybe under an elite manager like Poch. Won't happen under Ole

[TheGayTent]

54 minutes ago, thetime said:

If you were asked 3 years ago where liverpool would be, would you have thought champions league winners and the best team by a mile with city.

They finished 8th.

It took the decline of others as much as their own improvement to get there. 

Even if Man Utd dramatically improve, it is difficult to see Liverpool and/or City dropping off enough to allow Man Utd to challenge for the league. 

[TheGayTent]

17 minutes ago, zahidf said:

Maybe under an elite manager like Poch. 

Since when has Pochettino been an elite manager? 

What is an elite manager anyway? 

[Hugh Jass]

United seem stagnant at all levels:

• A squad full of has beens and never going to be's with very little actual quality;
• A head coach promoted well beyond his level of ability;
• A board seemingly more interested in securing noodle deals than success on the pitch;

I have no particular axe to grind with United, the way I see it they have two routes back into the top four. They either pump an obscene amount of money in, I'm talking at least £300m, to secure 5-6 world class players and a world class coaching setup and power their way back to relevance. Or alternatively they take the slower route, appoint a competent DOF and look to build something over a number of years, slowly shifting the deadwood and bringing in younger more exciting players without the burdens of massive egos or the failures of this current lot. The fans would need to accept that this will be a long term project.

Right now they are doing neither. Just their best impression of 90's Liverpool.

[thetime]

14 minutes ago, Hugh Jass said:

They either pump an obscene amount of money in, I'm talking at least £300m, to secure 5-6 world class players and a world class coaching setup 

United have spent 900m in the last 5/6 years, that hasn't worked. Slowly building the squad is the only way, fans don't understand that though.

United have had only 2 sustained success twice in there history, busby and fergie, both build squads slowly. I'm sure you can argue that's football has changed, but for me that's the only way to go. I've been shouting from the roof tops on here and twitter about united's shit transfer policy for years. Then united fans get giddy on here about falcao, pogbas, zlatan etc etc.

[The Nal]

40 minutes ago, thetime said:

United have spent 900m in the last 5/6 years, that hasn't worked. Slowly building the squad is the only way, fans don't understand that though.

United have had only 2 sustained success twice in there history, busby and fergie, both build squads slowly. I'm sure you can argue that's football has changed, but for me that's the only way to go. I've been shouting from the roof tops on here and twitter about united's shit transfer policy for years. Then united fans get giddy on here about falcao, pogbas, zlatan etc etc.

Giddy more out of desperation. Im not seeing any quality in this slow squad build. Martial has been there 4 years now and hes shit and theres 4 games in the next 13 days with Lingard as the striker.

[thetime]

19 minutes ago, The Nal said:

 theres 4 games in the next 13 days with Lingard as the striker.

False information, both martial and Greenwood should be available against Arsenal.

[thetime]

@The Nal would be all over this.

?

 

[Hugh Jass]

6 minutes ago, thetime said:

False information, both martial and Greenwood should be available against Arsenal.

So still no strikers then?

[thetime]

1 minute ago, Hugh Jass said:

So still no strikers then?

Hohoho

[Hugh Jass]

Just now, thetime said:

Hohoho

I’m here all week.

Tip your waiter.

[The Nal]

41 minutes ago, thetime said:

@The Nal would be all over this.

?

 

I'll add to that. 2 years later. 

Different times though. The club/Fergie were making huge improvements in the background with scouting, staff, diet, facilities etc then. 

Statement Utd put out today was nonsense. 

[JSmurphy]

Not sure how I'm feeling about the south coast derby tomorrow night. I've fully accepted we're going to be torn to shreds, but I also cannot wait to get into Fratton Park and feel the buzz nevertheless. The atmosphere is going to be incredible - just hope we can keep it that way even if we fall goals behind. 

[Wooderson]

Utd will be back. Ditch the norwegian PE teacher. 

[pryce]

Thought they were showing weird moments of the season at the fifa awards... Fell off my chair in the pub when they announced we had won the fifa fair play award for the villa goal... Made it all better that I was on the phone with my Leeds supporting dad! Never laughed so hard....wish jannson was still at the club to accept it 

[thetime]

Van Dijk was robbed.

[Wooderson]

That FIFA team of the year was some bullshit. Simon Cowells shoes.

[zahidf]

7 hours ago, TheGayTent said:

Since when has Pochettino been an elite manager? 

What is an elite manager anyway? 

Not ole!

Utd would be mental to turn down poch. Look at what he did with spurs.

[TheGayTent]

3 hours ago, zahidf said:

Not ole!

Utd would be mental to turn down poch. Look at what he did with spurs.

0 trophies in 5 years makes you an elite manager? 

[zahidf]

6 hours ago, TheGayTent said:

0 trophies in 5 years makes you an elite manager? 

Depends on your criteria. I'd say 3 top 4 finishes in a row and a champ league final with their wage bill certainly does.

[The Nal]

11 hours ago, thetime said:

Van Dijk was robbed.

hehe

Glad to see sanity restored after last years fiasco. 

[pink_triangle]

Van Dijk would have been a worthy winner. At the same time I wonder if you asked a group of La Liga, Serie A or Bundesliga fans to name the best defender in the world, how many would name him.

[Hugh Jass]

11 hours ago, TheGayTent said:

0 trophies in 5 years makes you an elite manager? 

Are trophies the only metric? There are only two trophies a year that the elite clubs care about winning, one of those they're also up against the best of Europe. If you consider where Spurs were when Poch took over to where they are now they have improved considerably.

That said it is starting to feel like his era is coming to an end. The CL final was his big chance to bring a major trophy to cap his time there. I can't see him being at Spurs this time next year.

[The Nal]

1 hour ago, pink_triangle said:

Van Dijk would have been a worthy winner.

Ahead of Messi?