2024/2025 English Premier League Thread

[St. Pats]

Originally Posted by Senator Clay Davis

If not for that gift from City a couple weeks ago United would only be five points off the drop zone. Amorim has a fairly gargantuan job ahead of him.

Amorim no different from Jose or ETH or even Ole. The problem at United is not the managers and never has been. Until maybe Ineos they have been managed by non football dummies. They have spent tons of money on useless players. Old goofs with nothing left or overpaying to the hilt for promise. An entire decade of neglect right from the stadium to the training facilities.

The clueless type of United fans just now realizing that the players are crap. Not poorly managed. Seen it hundreds of times in all sports where fans are actually dumb enough to think a new manager/coach can turn lazy fat old dumb players into a winning team. Zero chance it ever happens. Only way any team turns it around is competent management adding talent.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by St. Pats

Amorim no different from Jose or ETH or even Ole. The problem at United is not the managers and never has been. Until maybe Ineos they have been managed by non football dummies. They have spent tons of money on useless players. Old goofs with nothing left or overpaying to the hilt for promise. An entire decade of neglect right from the stadium to the training facilities.

The clueless type of United fans just now realizing that the players are crap. Not poorly managed. Seen it hundreds of times in all sports where fans are actually dumb enough to think a new manager/coach can turn lazy fat old dumb players into a winning team. Zero chance it ever happens. Only way any team turns it around is competent management adding talent.

I actually dont think thats fair or true.

Amorim might be an excellent manager. But if you're saddled with a decade of crap players on expensive contracts and bad decisions and your mandate is: "Make it work!"

All of the prior managers spent huge money. I think United is the most expensive team in World Football in transfer fees, largely because when they buy players theres a premium and when they move players out they're worthless and they're something like the 3rd most expensive team in terms of wages. In the world.

Thats poor management.

So then telling poor little Amorim that he doesnt get any money? Sporting could play this United team off the pitch.

It seems somewhat unfair to tell Amorim to do a job and not give him the resources to do it, whilst saddling him with a decade of mistakes.

[Senator Clay Davis]

To be clear I'm mostly giving Amorim a pass on results at the moment. Midseason managerial changes are not easy, expecting him to come in and immediately turn around a sinking ship is unrealistic. And yeah the fact the squad mostly stinks is why I think he has such a gargantuan job. A big part of the issue is it has to be more of a rebuild on the fly and not a total rebuild, even though the latter is what United actually needs. But they can't financially afford to be out of Europe for a couple seasons as they rebuild, so he basically has to thread the needle between staying marginally competitive and gutting the squad. Ideally, they could spend the next couple years finishing in the 10-14 range of the table as they turnover the deadwood and get younger. Practically, they can't afford that.

[Slava]

I think they brought Amorim in at the perfect time though. He gets a few weeks to see what he’s dealing with and then the transfer window to make a couple changes for the end of the season. Of course there’s a lot of work to do, and that’s generally what happens when you sack a manager and get a new one.

And as far as non-football people running things, this is also the issue with Spurs. We’ve finally brought some people in over the last year or two to take the reins away from Levy, but the progress is slow. And just because you finally end up with people who have a plan doing things doesn’t mean they’re right and will be successful.

[Locke]

Nice slate of games tomorrow.

Can Everton maintain their roll against a pretty rolling Forest?

The Battle of the Cities, Man City could use a result against a pretty mediocre Leicester.

I think Spurs/Wolves is going to be interesting, that one might be wide open.

And of course, Liverpool/West Ham...keep on keeping on Liverpool!

[Slava]

Yikes, dropped points at home to Wolves and things look pretty bleak for Ange. Apparently they’re giving him through the League Cup semi, but it’s got to be only the first leg. If the games in hand go the wrong way, 15th place at New Years is a bad place to be.

[ForeverFlameFan]

Mo…****ing…Salah

[Locke]

Originally Posted by ForeverFlameFan

Mo…****ing…Salah

He is the Egyptian King!!

But...Nottingham goddamned Forest?!?!

[Locke]

Originally Posted by ForeverFlameFan

Mo…****ing…Salah

I know I said it before. But...pay that man his money...

[Locke]

I will however say that I think the criticism of West Ham is a little overblown, their defense is suspect, sure, but lets not forget they rattled every bar. They literally hit the woodwork 3 times.

Now...can one assert that Alisson had those covered? Maybe...you never know if theres a slight deflection here or there, but still, they created chances.

But that was silky smooth by Liverpool. It looked like they hardly broke a sweat.

[Slava]

West Ham has to be parting ways with Lopetegui though. I realize that doesn’t say much for Ange at Spurs, but I can’t see him hanging on much longer either.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Slava

West Ham has to be parting ways with Lopetegui though. I realize that doesn’t say much for Ange at Spurs, but I can’t see him hanging on much longer either.

Ya know...it kinda seems like Europe might be running low on coaches.

You can only recycle them so many times.

Then again, there might be some Gold out there. For instance prior to his appointment I'd never heard of Arne Slot.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by Locke

Ya know...it kinda seems like Europe might be running low on coaches.

You can only recycle them so many times.

Then again, there might be some Gold out there. For instance prior to his appointment I'd never heard of Arne Slot.

He was in the mix when we hired Postecoglou. But this is the challenge for us/West Ham at this point. You sack your manager and bring in who? Potter, I guess? Spurs have allegedly been talking about Edin Terzic, but who knows how legitimate that is.

[Senator Clay Davis]

Well that was a fun five seconds believing Chelsea could actually threaten for the title.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Senator Clay Davis

Well that was a fun five seconds believing Chelsea could actually threaten for the title.

No love for Manchester getting beaten? The dead-cat bump is well and truly gone.

[Locke]

Also, thanks Ipswich...a little more breathing room couldnt hurt!

[Senator Clay Davis]

I would bang on United, but as a wise child once said "Stop! Stop! He's already dead!"

[Locke]

Wayne Rooney has departed as manager of second-tier Plymouth Argyle after agreeing to mutually parts ways with the club after 25 games.

Rooney, the Manchester United and England legend, had been hoping to kickstart his non-playing career in his fourth role in management but leaves after seven months at the Championship club, with just five victories to his name.

https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/...-plymouth-boss

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Slava

West Ham has to be parting ways with Lopetegui though. I realize that doesn’t say much for Ange at Spurs, but I can’t see him hanging on much longer either.

You know, I've been finding it very strange over the last few years in regards to PL managers.

In my experience as a coach, you have to work with what you have and your tailor your team to the available talent.

Now, when I was coaching Elite teams, I could choose a system because I got to choose each player for each position, and thats fine in youth soccer because at that level the gaps arent quite as high.

But if you take a coach, be in Ange, Post, whomever, plunk them into a position where...'this is what you've got, deal with it' and then they're adamant they want to play their own style without being given the chance or resources to re-shape their team...it doesnt seem like its going to work.

It took Klopp a few years to re-shape Liverpool to play Heavy-Metal football, but he was given the time and resources to do it.

Just assigning a manager and telling them to make the best of what they've got does not seem like the secret to success.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by Locke

You know, I've been finding it very strange over the last few years in regards to PL managers.

In my experience as a coach, you have to work with what you have and your tailor your team to the available talent.

Now, when I was coaching Elite teams, I could choose a system because I got to choose each player for each position, and thats fine in youth soccer because at that level the gaps arent quite as high.

But if you take a coach, be in Ange, Post, whomever, plunk them into a position where...'this is what you've got, deal with it' and then they're adamant they want to play their own style without being given the chance or resources to re-shape their team...it doesnt seem like its going to work.

It took Klopp a few years to re-shape Liverpool to play Heavy-Metal football, but he was given the time and resources to do it.

Just assigning a manager and telling them to make the best of what they've got does not seem like the secret to success.

Well, my opinion on the Spurs scenario is that this is like that scene in Wall-E where the captain suddenly realizes that the issue has been the autopilot all along. We continue to sack managers every 18 months, and at some point the issue isn’t the manager or his playing style.

But there is a problem lurking here. We have a few tough games in a row this coming week, and we could be a lot closer to a relegation battle than we should be and halfway out of the League Cup. You lose those three and I don’t know if Ange survives that?

You are right though; Klopp was given time, as was Arteta. But they also won things or showed progress. Ange came out and had an excellent first ten games last year. Since then, it’s been poor. I love that he plays attacking football, but at some point you have to show some results.