The Football Thread

[buttsie]

Thats Wengers 3rd loss out of 3 league cup finals 2006–07 , 2010–11 , 2017–18

At least it wasnt to Birmingham like the 2010/11 2-1 embarassment

http://www.bbc.com/sport/football/43101681

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...and_statistics

[victor meldrew]

Originally Posted by mitchspur

Dear Mr Wenger,

Pleeeeeeeeeeease DON'T EVER retire from managing the Arse!!!!!!

Yours Mitchspur

If they win the European losers trophy it will guarantee Wenger another contract extension.

It was also pointed out last night that The Gooners have won six trophies in the last five years, 3 FA Cups and 3 Comm Shields, so why would they let a winner go.

[countjimmoriarty]

Originally Posted by victor meldrew

If they win the European losers trophy it will guarantee Wenger another contract extension.

It was also pointed out last night that The Gooners have won six trophies in the last five years, 3 FA Cups and 3 Comm Shields, so why would they let a winner go.

Can't count Community Shield - that's just an overblown pre-season friendly.

[victor meldrew]

Originally Posted by countjimmoriarty

Can't count Community Shield - that's just an overblown pre-season friendly.

Still silverware for the big boys, well Arsenal anyway.

[pierrelm]

Originally Posted by victor meldrew

It was also pointed out last night that The Gooners have won six trophies in the last five years, 3 FA Cups and 3 Comm Shields, so why would they let a winner go.

I'd be prepared to humbly settle for that abject level of 'failure'.

How easily it's said that there are 6 or 7 'top four' clubs in the PL and probably more allegedly 'Big' clubs in the top two divisions than you could fit into the PL itself...whatever happened to realism? The PL and the attendant hype, I suppose...

[Old Jud]

Originally Posted by pierrelm

Shaw was so promising when he played for Southampton; the money was another Ferdinand/Pogba scale sweeping gesture by MUFC - look at our wad!

And we continue to throw money away like it was confetti.
We pay a world-class transfer fee for just a Premier League level player in Lukaku, and Sanchez and Arsenal are laughing all the way to the bank.
We are struggling to hold on to second place, we are playing mediocre football, and as one pundit commented over the weekend 'Mourinho has a knack of making good players look average' I can't argue with that comment at the moment.

On paper we have a pretty good team that should be making City look over their shoulders, in a way City are looking over their shoulders at us.....with a pair of binoculars.

We are probably three players light to make a serious challenge on both the domestic and European fronts, hopefully that issue will be addressed in the summer, and if we still stumble and stutter next season then perhaps we need to look at a change of manager?

[pierrelm]

Originally Posted by Old Jud

We are struggling to hold on to second place, we are playing mediocre football, and as one pundit commented over the weekend 'Mourinho has a knack of making good players look average' I can't argue with that comment at the moment.
We are probably three players light to make a serious challenge on both the domestic and European fronts, hopefully that issue will be addressed in the summer, and if we still stumble and stutter next season then perhaps we need to look at a change of manager?

I maintain that Murinho's finest hour was with Inter - one of the very few clubs which embraces his style of 'win, just win' football, based on a solid defence, a top class keeper and a midfield which can act as a shock absorber, with a world class, clinical finisher.
You have De Gea, but as yet, the defence and midfield don't fit in with his blueprint. Therein I suspect lies the tension between the manager and the best outfield player at the club - Pogba is potentially a great player but is really too free a spirit to be a Murinho player...and are Man Utd too free spirited in their football aspirations to be a JM club - he's been here before, with Real. Mu, like Real, don't subscribe to 'win at all costs' - there is an expectation that football will entertain. JM doesn't do entertaining, he manipulates and controls.
The question is who succeeds him and how soon - it's too unhappy a marriage to last.

[judy84]

Originally Posted by pierrelm

I maintain that Murinho's finest hour was with Inter - one of the very few clubs which embraces his style of 'win, just win' football, based on a solid defence, a top class keeper and a midfield which can act as a shock absorber, with a world class, clinical finisher.
You have De Gea, but as yet, the defence and midfield don't fit in with his blueprint. Therein I suspect lies the tension between the manager and the best outfield player at the club - Pogba is potentially a great player but is really too free a spirit to be a Murinho player...and are Man Utd too free spirited in their football aspirations to be a JM club - he's been here before, with Real. Mu, like Real, don't subscribe to 'win at all costs' - there is an expectation that football will entertain. JM doesn't do entertaining, he manipulates and controls.
The question is who succeeds him and how soon - it's too unhappy a marriage to last.

Is the Barcelona or Pep philosophy more entertaining? I am a big Barcelona fan but at times their play is boring. They play the ball backwards and sideways across the backline till the opposition retreats into their own half. Then they look for a bit of inspiration from Messi to create chances.
If the opposition wins the ball back then they challenge high up to get the ball back then pass back to the backline to start again.If two teams are playing like this then their is a lot of play when nothing is happening.
Man City are different at the moment however in that they have some exceptional players, De Bruyne, Silva, Aguero.
Chelsea in the mid-2000s were not defensive minded with players like Robben, Drogba, Crespo, Essien, Ballack.

[Old Jud]

Originally Posted by pierrelm

I maintain that Murinho's finest hour was with Inter.
and are Man Utd too free spirited in their football aspirations to be a JM club - he's been here before, with Real. Mu, like Real, don't subscribe to 'win at all costs' - there is an expectation that football will entertain. JM doesn't do entertaining, he manipulates and controls.
The question is who succeeds him and how soon - it's too unhappy a marriage to last.

It is quite possible that JM finest hour was with Inter, it certainly hasn't materialised at OT (Yet.....)

If a peak Fergie was still in charge at OT and he had the current squad at his disposal, we would see the kind of football Utd are famous for.

I'm not suggesting we would hold top spot over the VERY impressive City, but i'd bet we would have a more comfortable lead over the clubs chasing us and we would be watching attacking and entertaining football.

As for who succeeds JM? Who knows? Sadly Pep is employed across town.......

[pierrelm]

Originally Posted by Old Jud

If a peak Fergie was still in charge at OT and he had the current squad at his disposal, we would see the kind of football Utd are famous for.

I'm not suggesting we would hold top spot over the VERY impressive City, but i'd bet we would have a more comfortable lead over the clubs chasing us and we would be watching attacking and entertaining football.

As for who succeeds JM? Who knows? Sadly Pep is employed across town.......

I wonder if there will be a big bid from someone to prise Kante away from Chelsea - if not him, someone similar in European football?

If Lord Wrigley were still at the reins I think he'd be getting more from Rashford and Martial, and that Sanchez would likely be elsewhere. It seemed like a signing designed mainly to pique Pep.
More importantly both Rashford and Martial have got the capacity to tear defences a new one - your mind-numbing european away leg was a peerfect example of where you could have contained for 60-70 minutes then brought those two on to run at defenders...and left with a two goal margin...hindsight is wonderful but it's what some of your performances cry out for. Instead, two of the most promising young players in the league are struggling to get game time. Ludicrous.