The Footie Thread

[larmen]

Just thinking thorough the list there was

Alonso
Klopp
Guardiola
Tuchel to stay
Flick
Nagelsmann
ETH
Rangnick
Zidane
Sebastian Hoeness (Uli’s brother who manages Stuttgart)

Not in that order, but the names I remember being circulated

Kompany isn’t even a top 10 choice

 

[AmandaJR]

Completely biased - love Vinny. Really hope he goes on to prove all the nay sayers wrong. Some seem rather obsessed with his appointment. He's a very clever guy, was a great player and leader learning from one of the best, and he's professional and seems very genuine. Sure that doesn't make him a successful football manager but it's a good start.

Go Vinny

 

[Fade and Die]

I genuinely cannot think of any reason why I would want to register for and view or participate in a forum relating to a rival club.

Honesty, a good read on The Fighting Cock (spurs forum) on a day when they have been well beaten is a real tonic if your feeling down.

 

[Swango1980]

Completely biased - love Vinny. Really hope he goes on to prove all the nay sayers wrong. Some seem rather obsessed with his appointment. He's a very clever guy, was a great player and leader learning from one of the best, and he's professional and seems very genuine. Sure that doesn't make him a successful football manager but it's a good start.

Go Vinny

You could have basically said about Steven Gerrard

 

[AmandaJR]

You could have basically said about Steven Gerrard

Apart from being biased

Vinny won promotion in style. Not sure if Gerrard did similar?

I don't understand the vitriol towards his appointment. He has had some success at a level below the top. There will be those with better CVs out there but why the negative clamour about this appointment. As I said - he's a good guy. Not some wife beater, gambler or lothario (nice word!!) so here's the thing - why not simply wish him well? Unless you support another German team of course!

 

[HampshireHog]

Completely biased - love Vinny. Really hope he goes on to prove all the nay sayers wrong. Some seem rather obsessed with his appointment. He's a very clever guy, was a great player and leader learning from one of the best, and he's professional and seems very genuine. Sure that doesn't make him a successful football manager but it's a good start.

Go Vinny

I’m not sure there are many naysayers.

What is clear is he wasn’t mature enough to adapt to not having the players to play the style he wanted at a higher level.

Would Pep or Arteta coped any better?

I can only see him being a success at Bayern.

 

[Bunkermagnet]

Apart from being biased

Vinny won promotion in style. Not sure if Gerrard did similar?

I don't understand the vitriol towards his appointment. He has had some success at a level below the top. There will be those with better CVs out there but why the negative clamour about this appointment. As I said - he's a good guy. Not some wife beater, gambler or lothario (nice word!!) so here's the thing - why not simply wish him well? Unless you support another German team of course!

Personally I think Bayern are being very shrewd. At some point, the existing old guard has to stop and new blood take over. He was a respected player, so why shouldnt he be a respected manager.
If he does well (and I'm sure he will) Bayern will have a valueable asset on their hands that many of the other big boys will pay handsomly to take.
I hope he does well.

 

[HampshireHog]

The LFC reds has an areas for other fans and sometimes it’s good to speak to other fans for opposing views etc - on the main the couple that are there are ok

Famously LFC fans welcome opposing views

 

[Swango1980]

Apart from being biased

Vinny won promotion in style. Not sure if Gerrard did similar?

I don't understand the vitriol towards his appointment. He has had some success at a level below the top. There will be those with better CVs out there but why the negative clamour about this appointment. As I said - he's a good guy. Not some wife beater, gambler or lothario (nice word!!) so here's the thing - why not simply wish him well? Unless you support another German team of course!

Gerrard won the title with Rangers to be fair

 

[AmandaJR]

I’m not sure there are many naysayers.

What is clear is he wasn’t mature enough to adapt to not having the players to play the style he wanted at a higher level.

Would Pep or Arteta coped any better?

I can only see him being a success at Bayern.

Maybe just those on here repeatedly spouting on about how ridiculous it is that Vinny is still respected...

I do hope you're right.

 

[PaulMdj]

Love reading this about decent footballers:

There was a football tournament today, “The Eze invitational”. He put on an ice cream van and a jerk chicken van for the day and bought all the kids a pair of football boots each!

 

[4LEX]

Possibly one of the funniest paragraphs I've read on this forum.

We'll see if you're still laughing next season. Take your trophies and get rid Slime! Or feel free to actually respond to the facts I listed

 

[4LEX]

No, what I said was that, of the names mentioned, I wouldn’t sack ten Hag to employ any of them. And as that includes Pochettino, clearly in your opinion I know nothing about football.

These “bust ups” you refer to. Ten Hag played a blinder getting rid of Ronaldo. Sancho? Whilst I have sympathy that his career at the club never got off the ground, due in the main to Ronaldo’s arrival, the fact remains his attitude appeared questionable under three managers of very different styles. The only constant was the player who, if reports are accurate, couldn’t toe the line. And assuming you think there has been a bust up with Rashford, his attitude and body language have been appalling for months.

All three come across very strongly as the sort who don’t like to be managed, and who oppose discipline. Given that a lack of discipline has been a very obvious issue at the club for years then I’m happier having a manager who tries to impose some, than players who think they can do what they want.

Spending £450m on rubbish? In modern football it shouldn’t be for the manager to be making such decisions unchecked. That’s down to sporting/football directors, heads of recruitment and managers to have the discussion, formulate a plan, and for those above the manager to bring the right players in. The fact that ten Hag appears to have been given the keys to the safe is not his fault. So, whilst he doubtless should take some of the blame, the absence of any meaningful structure around him clearly hasn’t helped him one bit.

As regards the “rubbish”, I’ll give you Antony. He was a shocking signing at £85m. But Onana can certainly have another season at least for me. Martinez is top drawer. And you and me will never agree on Hojlund. So, not all “rubbish”. Far from it.

You seem to be under some misguided belief that United fans have suddenly had an enormous change of heart, and have done so based on 97 minutes at Wembley. I’m certainly not blind to the bilge we have been playing most of this season. I’ve moaned about it almost weekly here. But I’ve backed the manager, at least until the Coventry fiasco, and have done so for multiple reasons.

He has been the manager of a club which descended into chaos long before he arrived. The squad is a mess, has been for years, and was never going to be fixed in two transfer windows. Forget January, they’re a waste of time. The chaos behind the scenes is always likely to manifest itself to some degree in performances, and when you throw into the mix the awful injury crisis then it can come as absolutely no surprise that we are no closer to challenging the likes of City and Arsenal now than we were two years ago.

I agree, there is no discernible style of play. But, despite the “bust ups” you only have to look at the majority of the players, and listen to what many of them say, to know that they support this manager. And United simply cannot continue this cycle of employing a manager, giving him a couple of years, sacking him, before we rinse and repeat. At some point there has to be some stability.

It may be, if ten Hag stays another year, we’ll be absolutely no better off. But, on balance, I’d rather get the right people in post, clear out the deadwood on the playing staff, bring the right players in, try and resolve what’s behind the injury situation, and then judge what this manager is capable of. I’d far rather do that than recruit from the alleged shortlist we have, and by doing so start all over again, yet again.

I'm not going to comment on Man Utd any longer, so this will be my last post on it!

ETH didn't play a blinder getting rid of Ronaldo at all. Ronaldo wanted to leave in the summer, as he wanted CL football. That was refused. It was obvious to anyone that Ronaldo's game and ETH's football he played at Ajax wasn't a good fit. So why not free transfer him and buy a proper striker? Instead he kept Ronaldo, messed him around and it resulted in the embarrassing Piers Morgan interview. Ronaldo was then allowed to leave on a free after huge embarrassment caused. ETH then got in Weghorst on loan which was a car crash of a signing. Ronaldo took the money in Saudi but since he left, no other player has come close to his goal return in 21-22 and Man Utd are still crying out for a top class striker.

Onana is rubbish and will cost you again next season, he's not a £50m keeper. The back up is so bad ETH flew Onana back from the AFCON for one game! Martinez has a lot of good points and is a great leader but I still maintain over a whole season he's not all that and has some serious weaknesses. Hojlund is a decent back up player with potential, he's got certain things in his favour but if you want to win the PL or CL you won't do it with the likes of him starting. He should be used off the bench and gradually built up. Mount was a bizarre waste of money too. If you want to be a 3rd-8th cup side the signings are OK.

I don't think the level of chaos has reached the same levels that it did this season, that's after he had 18 months to sort it. Ralf only had a few months and he ripped the club and team to pieces yet still managed a better finish. He's gone on to do well with Austria and most of his recommended signings have all been snapped up by top sides. The players words are hollow, the ones he starts like him, the ones that don't keep quiet. There is nothing to take from that.

How can you back a manager that's had 2 years and £450m to spend and manages no consistent style? How do you know what he'll do next? It's a lottery. The problem with Man Utd has always been with appointing the wrong manager, get that right and it's a lot easier especially when you have a bigger budget than anyone else. Or did until the money wasted has finally hit home and things will be a lot harder from now on. Which means getting the right manager is even more important.

We shall be judged on the league table next year

 

[pendodave]

Honesty, a good read on The Fighting Cock (spurs forum) on a day when they have been well beaten is a real tonic if your feeling down.

(Mostly illiterate) crabs fighting in a bucket!

 

[Billysboots]

We'll see if you're still laughing next season. Take your trophies and get rid Slime! Or feel free to actually respond to the facts I listed

You haven’t listed facts. You’ve largely listed opinions. And I’m sure I’m not alone in being curious as to just why you are so intensely passionate about a club you don’t even support.

You saying ten Hag isn’t good enough to manage United is not a fact. It’s an opinion. Likewise your opinion that Onana is rubbish. And Hojlund no better than a back up. And that Martinez may not be as good as some of us think he is. None of that is fact. It’s all opinion. And your opinion is no more valid than mine or anyone else’s. Because we’re all entitled to draw our own conclusions without being dictated to by others. Yet you shoot me down in flames for disagreeing with you, and allude to the fact I know nothing about football, simply because I don’t agree with you that Pochettino may be an upgrade on the manager we currently have. All this despite not even being a United fan.

You claim United’s problem is always appointing the wrong manager, yet ignore the chaos behind the scenes, which is largely nothing to do with the manager, regardless of who that may be. So ten Hag has had 18 months to sort the chaos? Is it ten Hag’s responsibility to appoint a CEO? A technical director? Head of recruitment? No, of course it’s not. But you ignore that and channel all your energies into rationalising why a club you have no allegiance to should not have appointed the manager in the first place.

You decided ten Hag was awful before he started. The same as you decided Hojlund was a donkey before he’d even pulled on a red shirt. And you seem to delight in every mistake Onana makes. Do you see any positives in anything at the football club? And if not, I have to ask not only why that is, but also why you seem so utterly obsessed with it? I just don’t get it at all.

 

[Swango1980]

I'm not going to comment on Man Utd any longer, so this will be my last post on it!

ETH didn't play a blinder getting rid of Ronaldo at all. Ronaldo wanted to leave in the summer, as he wanted CL football. That was refused. It was obvious to anyone that Ronaldo's game and ETH's football he played at Ajax wasn't a good fit. So why not free transfer him and buy a proper striker? Instead he kept Ronaldo, messed him around and it resulted in the embarrassing Piers Morgan interview. Ronaldo was then allowed to leave on a free after huge embarrassment caused. ETH then got in Weghorst on loan which was a car crash of a signing. Ronaldo took the money in Saudi but since he left, no other player has come close to his goal return in 21-22 and Man Utd are still crying out for a top class striker.

Onana is rubbish and will cost you again next season, he's not a £50m keeper. The back up is so bad ETH flew Onana back from the AFCON for one game! Martinez has a lot of good points and is a great leader but I still maintain over a whole season he's not all that and has some serious weaknesses. Hojlund is a decent back up player with potential, he's got certain things in his favour but if you want to win the PL or CL you won't do it with the likes of him starting. He should be used off the bench and gradually built up. Mount was a bizarre waste of money too. If you want to be a 3rd-8th cup side the signings are OK.

I don't think the level of chaos has reached the same levels that it did this season, that's after he had 18 months to sort it. Ralf only had a few months and he ripped the club and team to pieces yet still managed a better finish. He's gone on to do well with Austria and most of his recommended signings have all been snapped up by top sides. The players words are hollow, the ones he starts like him, the ones that don't keep quiet. There is nothing to take from that.

How can you back a manager that's had 2 years and £450m to spend and manages no consistent style? How do you know what he'll do next? It's a lottery. The problem with Man Utd has always been with appointing the wrong manager, get that right and it's a lot easier especially when you have a bigger budget than anyone else. Or did until the money wasted has finally hit home and things will be a lot harder from now on. Which means getting the right manager is even more important.

We shall be judged on the league table next year

The best thing in this post is the fact you said you are not going to comment on Man Utd any longer. Hurrah.

As for the rest of it, opinions you have repeated many times, and opinions I find ridiculous.

But, I shall say no more. I've rebutted you comments enough before. And Billyboots had just rounded up everything nicely anyway, so I'll echo that.

 

[Slime]

You haven’t listed facts. You’ve largely listed opinions. And I’m sure I’m not alone in being curious as to just why you are so intensely passionate about a club you don’t even support.

You saying ten Hag isn’t good enough to manage United is not a fact. It’s an opinion. Likewise your opinion that Onana is rubbish. And Hojlund no better than a back up. And that Martinez may not be as good as some of us think he is. None of that is fact. It’s all opinion. And your opinion is no more valid than mine or anyone else’s. Because we’re all entitled to draw our own conclusions without being dictated to by others. Yet you shoot me down in flames for disagreeing with you, and allude to the fact I know nothing about football, simply because I don’t agree with you that Pochettino may be an upgrade on the manager we currently have. All this despite not even being a United fan.

You claim United’s problem is always appointing the wrong manager, yet ignore the chaos behind the scenes, which is largely nothing to do with the manager, regardless of who that may be. So ten Hag has had 18 months to sort the chaos? Is it ten Hag’s responsibility to appoint a CEO? A technical director? Head of recruitment? No, of course it’s not. But you ignore that and channel all your energies into rationalising why a club you have no allegiance to should not have appointed the manager in the first place.

You decided ten Hag was awful before he started. The same as you decided Hojlund was a donkey before he’d even pulled on a red shirt. And you seem to delight in every mistake Onana makes. Do you see any positives in anything at the football club? And if not, I have to ask not only why that is, but also why you seem so utterly obsessed by it? I just don’t get it at all.

4LEX is, and always has been, an anti-United obsessive. I don't know why, he just is.

 

[PaulMdj]

Man Utd Massive out in force today.

 

[Arthur Wedge]

Maybe he is Simon Jordan because he said a lot of what he has said on talksport

Guess it will come down to expectations, current expectations and future ones and if you think ETH is the man that will reach those expectations

I think the club is where Liverpool were under Rodgers but with a lack of leadership above - Rodgers did well for a small time when the club was quite low but ultimately wasn’t good enough to take the team to the next level consistently

 

[Swango1980]

Maybe he is Simon Jordan because he said a lot of what he has said on talksport

Guess it will come down to expectations, current expectations and future ones and if you think ETH is the man that will reach those expectations

I think the club is where Liverpool were under Rodgers but with a lack of leadership above - Rodgers did well for a small time when the club was quite low but ultimately wasn’t good enough to take the team to the next level consistently

Simon Jordan is a bit like the Piers Morgan of sport. I actually like and agree with a lot of things he says, and he puts his opinion across well. But, nobody will agree with 100% of everything else of what someone else believes. And, I certainly don't agree with his views on ETH.

To me, he had already formed a strong opinion before ETH had barely walked through the door, by making a throw away comment about his ill fitting suit, which is now always raised. However, he is in a bit of a muddle. Because, he will continually tell us ETH will not take Utd to the promised land. But then, he has no clue what manager will. He'll say Poch would be a better replacement, and yet when he has talked about Poch as Chelsea manager, he has called him the bridesmaid, not a winner and will not take Chelsea to the top. He is critical of Tuchel, Potter, De Zerbi, etc. So, he thinks Man Utd should get rid of ETH and do what? Employ another manager he doesn't like?

To be honest, I'm not sure Simon Jordan is a fan of too many managers. Whilst he is very defensive of the owners of many clubs. If a club do poorly or make bad decisions, he seems to happily put most or all of the blame on the manager, but will be less critical of ownership and the wider structure they've put in place to create stability.

Does anyone truly believe Man Utd simply need to employ the right manager, and suddenly they'll become the best, or one of the top 2 or 3 clubs in England? I don't. But, if we can keep most of our key players fit, and add some more strong characters who want to work hard, then I've got hope we can progress and play better football.