The Footie Thread

[Swango1980]

Pep Guardiola has just said, regarding Walker: "I support him and his family and will not talk one word about players' personal issues."

However, he didn't specify which family!?

 

[GB72]

Whilst I think football moeny has gone bonkers and many complain about the value of players, how many fans acutall want their club to not buy the big players and "grow their own" all the time to stay within budgets and be a viable and stable finacially club?
If we are honest, I bet most here would not argue with their cllub spending big on a player or 2 every season. All fans want is their club success.

A very good point. Would be interested to know the figures between wanting a totally level playing field in the league and everyone being in with a reasonable chance it it being exciting every week vs your club being able to spend big and win all the time or your club being in Europe every season etc.

Do fans actually want parity and competition across the leagues and across the various levels of the pyramid or do they just want to see them hammer the opposition every week.

 

[Bunkermagnet]

A very good point. Would be interested to know the figures between wanting a totally level playing field in the league and everyone being in with a reasonable chance it it being exciting every week vs your club being able to spend big and win all the time or your club being in Europe every season etc.

Do fans actually want parity and competition across the leagues and across the various levels of the pyramid or do they just want to see them hammer the opposition every week.

If clubs dont keep winning, or owners not buy players, what do the fans do?
How many managers are pushed out because of fan pressure, and how much abuse did tthe likes of Doug Ellis get for running a club without going into debt?

 

[GB72]

If clubs dont keep winning, or owners not buy players, what do the fans do?
How many managers are pushed out because of fan pressure, and how much abuse did tthe likes of Doug Ellis get for running a club without going into debt?

I suppose the argument is that by creating parity across the league, there is actually more chance of more teams winning more often. You may get a tight title race, more teams challenging for Europe, anyone at risk of relegation. Only those at the top would need to live without the expectation of wining 80-90% of matches. Team could be at the top one year and the bottom the next and that would be far more interesting across the board.

At the moment, what are fans actually celebrating. Only a small percentage is the fact that one team is better than the other and, in fact, it is often more that one team is wealthier than another.

It is just one of those afternoons when I am just in the mood for a slightly esoteric debate but it is just interesting that, for example, when you win the league you are not celebrating beating 19 other clubs, you are perhaps celebrating that you have beaten one or two with the others not really standing a chance.

 

[Bunkermagnet]

I suppose the argument is that by creating parity across the league, there is actually more chance of more teams winning more often. You may get a tight title race, more teams challenging for Europe, anyone at risk of relegation. Only those at the top would need to live without the expectation of wining 80-90% of matches. Team could be at the top one year and the bottom the next and that would be far more interesting across the board.

At the moment, what are fans actually celebrating. Only a small percentage is the fact that one team is better than the other and, in fact, it is often more that one team is wealthier than another.

It is just one of those afternoons when I am just in the mood for a slightly esoteric debate but it is just interesting that, for example, when you win the league you are not celebrating beating 19 other clubs, you are perhaps celebrating that you have beaten one or two with the others not really standing a chance.

I would still say all a fans wants, is to beat their local/biggest rivals and win as many games as possible and hopefully a trophy.

 

[Tashyboy]

My view is that club owners should be able to spend what they like as long as it does not create debt for the club. Want to spend a billion of your own money without securing that as debt on the club, fine. Perhaps secure that by putting funds in escrow for half of the agreed wages for the duration of the contract and that would seem safe whilst not restrictive.

Football has become largely a competition as to who has the deepest pockets and so that would give everyone with a wad of cash a fair shot at glory.

A very good post. But clubs have gone into debt when debt free because owners have secured loans to buy said clubs. And yet it has been allowed. furthermore. The same owners can spend their own money improving the club. But when it comes to buying players FFP kicks in. How’s that right.
Re City, I have said it before. They overspent to get to the top table. They had to. They will be the last team to do that because teams like Newcastle are late to the party.
City are now at the top table and raking in a fortune. Yet now being self sustainable. A club bought for £210 million now worth £4.6 Billion.

 

[Tashyboy]

But the clubs that don’t have the oil backing are going out and earning the money , developing their own players , bringing in the sponsers , building stadiums in increase revenue , putting the right people in place for transfers , if they can’t afford any certain player then go the ones a level below and develop them.

Takeaway the 2 words Oil Backing and you are talking about Manchester City there.

Everyone that goes to a Concert at the newly built 22,000 seater COOP arena is putting money into Citys pocket. Yet Citys owners paid for that out of there own pocket. It is not part of FFP. How’s that right.

 

[BrianM]

Cracking game at Villa tonight, both teams trying to play good football from the back.
Matty Cash must have a chance for England squad for Euros….

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Cracking game at Villa tonight, both teams trying to play good football from the back.
Matty Cash must have a chance for England squad for Euros….

He plays for Poland

Went with then because of the depth of English right backs

 

[babylonsinger]

Cracking game at Villa tonight, both teams trying to play good football from the back.
Matty Cash must have a chance for England squad for Euros…

He's a Polish international through one of his parents

 

[BrianM]

He plays for Poland

Went with then because of the depth of English right backs

You learn something new everyday

 

[nickjdavis]

Strange things happening at Luton.

 

[Norrin Radd]

Brighton lost

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Brighton lost

What happened? That's quite a thumping.

Big score for Newcastle, unexpected really. A blow for Villa. Not finished yet of course.

 

[Golfmmad]

What happened? That's quite a thumping.

Big result for Newcastle, unexpected really. A blow for Villa.

To concede in the first and third minutes is unbelievable!
I thought, well there's plenty of time to come back from that but not to be, just one of those games similar to the Aston Villa one.

 

[Slime]

Cracking game at Villa tonight, both teams trying to play good football from the back.
Matty Cash must have a chance for England squad for Euros….

Hmmm, that aged well.

 

[Norrin Radd]

What happened? That's quite a thumping.

Keep Luton in the prem and relegate Everton

 

[Deleted member 15344]

You learn something new everyday

This you @BrianM

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Keep Luton in the prem and relegate Everton

Brutal. That's some self sacrifice

 

[4LEX]

Again, this is media driven rubbish, who have you fooled that a lot of this is ETH's fault. After all, he is an easy target. Easy to pick on an individual than point fingers at the entire culture of the club (or even better, say the entire culture at the club has stunk for over a decade, yet still blame the manager for not getting them competitive with the likes of City and Liverpool, even though they beat Liverpool easily last season)

Players wouldn't have done it under Mourinho??? Do you not remember his bust up with Pogba on the training pitch? After Mourinho left, he went on record and said ""There are still people in that club, and when I say people I mean some players but also some other people that are not players, that are still there when I told [United] after two months: With these people, you are never going to do it. And they are still there,". He also said when he subbed certain players, agents accused him of bullying. Looking at some of the players Mourinho had, he had Pogba, Lingard, Rojo, Martial, Rashford, etc. I suspect Mourinho had many problems with players.

Then you have Van Gaal. I'm not sure he had all the players on board. He didn't seem to get a lot out of Di Maria. I've heard lots of stories about Van Gaal falling out with players anyway.

But, in your opinion, what manager is Top Level? Mourinho was clearly not Top Level enough as he ultimately failed, nor Van Gaal. We're obviously not going to get Pep or Klopp, if they are placed in that category? So, who? De Zerbi who's Brighton are in 7th (a club, by all accounts, seems to be run wonderfully). Potter, who didn't do so well at Chelsea?

I reckon ETH was the first manager who Utd brought in since Fergie that most fans actually felt it was a smart move. Wasn't a panic acquisition of a high profile coach, in the hope of suddenly becoming world beaters again if we splash the cash, even if football is boring to watch. He was a manager with a profile that seemed to fit our style, and had earned his stripes by doing well for Ajax. His first season, most fans were delighted. Apart from Antony, the signings were good and what we needed, and he came out generally well with Ronaldo and Maguire. What we achieved last season was way ahead of what most expected. Sure, this season has not gone well. Loads of injuries and players sulking have been a massive problem. The only benefit is that it has been a further eye opener for ETH at just how fragile the squad and certain players are. Personally, I'd rather ETH stay, and be given the chance to improve on the things, using what he has learnt over the last year or 2. What I don't want is him being kicked out, and a new manager having to come in and start at the circus from scratch.

Mourinho was the right manager but a few years too late. That said he achieved more success than anyone else since Ferguson. The problem was when he wanted the bag eggs out in 2018. Namely Pogba and Martial. The second Woodward picked the players over the manager it created a toxic culture of player power that still exists.

ETH is still largely to blame and has created his own problems as I don't think there's been as many bust ups under any other manager. He's lost the dressing room and clearly treats certain players differently which is part of that reason. Sancho bombed out for a minor issue, yet Rashford behaves like a complete moron numerous times and is back in the squad without a public apology.

He also handled the Ronaldo situation appallingly. Ronaldo wanted out in the summer of 2022 and was refused a transfer even though it was clear he didn't fit the system. Cue him starting and then being benched. Which resulted in Ronaldo refusing to come off the bench for a game. ETH then welcomed him back into the side without any real punishment. Then benched him again which ended up in Ronaldo eventually going onto Piers Morgan and slating the club to force an exit, which worked. Man Utd then signed a donkey in Weghorst who scored 2 goals in 30 odd games. The whole situation was a mess and if ETH had anything about himself he would've got shot of Ronaldo right away and signed a proper striker, something he still lacks to this day. Only biased Utd fans can dress that up as ETH doing well

The only reason ETH had a good season last year was down to lucky home cup draws and Liverpool being off previous levels. The football was scrappy and scatty, no control, no style and relied entirely on De Gea and Bruno/Rashford to bail the team out on numerous occasions.

This has been exposed now De Gea has gone and Rashford is away with the fairies. Man Utd are fortunate to have as many pints as they do despite languishing in 9th. On performances alone it should be deep into the bottom half. ETH is nothing more than a caretaker manager now, he'll be gone within a few days of the season ending.