2018/19 Premier League

[devo22]

nice start, great goal. Fantastic pass by Lukaku.

[devo22]

De Gea really pisses me off, another deflating mistake. This result feels a lot worse than most of the recent losses ... not making top 4 against these Chelsea and Arsenal teams is pathetic.

[Senator Clay Davis]

About the result you'd expect from two teams who don't want top four. De Gea's calamitous season continues.

[Slava]

I don’t get de Gea. The guy was incredible for part of the season and then he blunders like that. It’s strange.

I didn’t see the whole game, but there were at least two really questionable decisions. That seems to be ongoing, in basically every game these days. It’s crazy that the officiating can be as bad as it is though.

[Bagor]

Say all you want about De Gea but there are larger problems than him. Calamatous season? Hardly. Yes he's been brutal the last few weeks but hardly reflective of his whole season. He single handedly stole the game from Spurs with as good a display as you'll ever see.
Totally lacklustre lethargic effort coupled with zero creativity. Lukaku's laziness when he walked back then got caught offside twice just a couple of many examples.

Start gutting the team now. As in next game now. Just as SAF inherited a drinking culture there's a culture of entitlement and laziness at the club. Let Phelan have at er.

[cam_wmh]

Originally Posted by Bagor

Say all you want about De Gea but there are larger problems than him. Calamatous season? Hardly. Yes he's been brutal the last few weeks but hardly reflective of his whole season. He single handedly stole the game from Spurs with as good a display as you'll ever see.
Totally lacklustre lethargic effort coupled with zero creativity. Lukaku's laziness when he walked back then got caught offside twice just a couple of many examples.

Start gutting the team now. As in next game now. Just as SAF inherited a drinking culture there's a culture of entitlement and laziness at the club. Let Phelan have at er.

I want Nicky beside OGS. Let him and Phelan tear the country club apart.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by d_phaneuf

Leeds and villa today was absolute scenes

Bielsa and ebjt going at it on the touchline was like the 3rd craziest thing in the match

Is that accurate that Bielsa directed his team to let Villa equalize?! That’s madness. I saw the highlight of the Leeds goal where the AV players wanted the ball played out for a man down, and that was crazy of course, but I just read that he ordered his players to let them equalize.

ETA: I guess that’s exactly what happened. In seeing it, it’s the right thing to have done, but still crazy. I wonder if that will have a more significant impact also.

[cam_wmh]

Leeds and Birmingham are just sick clubs.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by cam_wmh

I want Nicky beside OGS. Let him and Phelan tear the country club apart.

What the hell is your problem? Have you ever even been to a Country Club? They're rather nice and feature excellent amenities.

Leave the Country Club atmosphere alone. Its just fine.

As long as it stays at United. Maybe invite your buddies from City over from time to time.

[cam_wmh]

Originally Posted by Slava

Is that accurate that Bielsa directed his team to let Villa equalize?! That’s madness. I saw the highlight of the Leeds goal where the AV players wanted the ball played out for a man down, and that was crazy of course, but I just read that he ordered his players to let them equalize.

ETA: I guess that’s exactly what happened. In seeing it, it’s the right thing to have done, but still crazy. I wonder if that will have a more significant impact also.

Bamford dove to draw the red.

That Leeds trash better get suspended.

[devo22]

so the "Young Player of the Year 2019" is a guy who's 24 and made his PL debut in March 2012. Yeah, makes sense.

[Senator Clay Davis]

Yeah they gotta lower that to being 21 or under at the start of the year, Wan-Bissaka not even getting nominated is criminal. Also think Bernardo Silva was better than Sterling, not slighting Sterling or anything but Bernardo is just insane to watch, elite skill and elite effort level.

[Jimmy Stang]

Originally Posted by cam_wmh

Bamford dove to draw the red.

That Leeds trash better get suspended.

As a Norwich supporter, I like Bamford, even if he's on the Leeds payroll. But that was a terrible embellishment. Regardless, Leeds completely soiled their bedding at the end of the season which took some pressure off of Norwich, but I could still see them making it in the playoffs. Would rather see pretty much anyone else claim that third promotion spot instead of them though, so if they missed out entirely, I'd be OK with that.

[Slava]

Apparently United is considering Rio Ferdinand for technical director: https://www.theguardian.com/football...box=1556631327

Someone on twitter made the point that this is an enormous business with huge revenue, and it's a crazy way to make appointments. He has no actual experience in the role, or training or anything else. Sports are just weird that way though.

[Bagor]

What experience would he need with training? Phelan's name is out there also but I'd prefer to see him stay on pitch at Carrington. Repeating myself but things all went south the moment Moyes decided to not retain him.

What sort of individual would you suggest over him? A non player with more business experience? An ex scout? Ex agent? He knows the set up. He knows the personnel. And he's motivated by a genuine desire to succeed and do best by the club.

What experience had Overmars when he became Ajax dof? Or van der Sar? Except knowing football and knowing what the club needed, and having the best interests of the club at heart?

If I'm reading it (hopefully) right they're following the Ajax model and to a certain extent what worked for them in the past by identifying players in the youth system, working on them and getting them through. Too many dime a dozen 20-30m transfers that then have to be played to justify the fee at the expense of development.

First ex player they should be sitting down with and asking for advice is van der Sar.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by Bagor

What experience would he need with training? Phelan's name is out there also but I'd prefer to see him stay on pitch at Carrington. Repeating myself but things all went south the moment Moyes decided to not retain him.

What sort of individual would you suggest over him? A non player with more business experience? An ex scout? Ex agent? He knows the set up. He knows the personnel. And he's motivated by a genuine desire to succeed and do best by the club.

What experience had Overmars when he became Ajax dof? Or van der Sar? Except knowing football and knowing what the club needed, and having the best interests of the club at heart?

If I'm reading it (hopefully) right they're following the Ajax model and to a certain extent what worked for them in the past by identifying players in the youth system, working on them and getting them through. Too many dime a dozen 20-30m transfers that then have to be played to justify the fee at the expense of development.

First ex player they should be sitting down with and asking for advice is van der Sar.

It's not even something that I would profess to know who they should be appointing, and it's not even just a "United thing" as we see this across a lot of sports. But past players who were good at the game aren't necessarily good at these associated roles. It's crazy (to me) that these multi-billion dollar organizations put players into these spots on the basis that they were good at the game and seemingly little else. It doesn't mean it can't work, or won't work here, it just seems crazy.

[Locke]

When do they appoint Phil Jones as Chief Medic?

[Bagor]

I imagine that will happen around the same time as Liverpool appoint Dalglish as Let's fight racism ambassador.

[devo22]

the question is what the job description would be like. If you look at the directors of football/technical directors/whatever at the big European clubs, you'll see a lot of differences. Just look at Salihamidzic at Bayern, who - by design - is a mere puppet for Hoeneß and Rummenigge. Then you have clubs like Man City, where the DoF primarily caters to Guardiola ... and at other clubs the DoF really runs the show. So I think it's difficult to say "person X is unqualified for the job as technical director" without really knowing what the tasks would be.

Would I like Ferdinand to be in charge of transfer business? Oh hell no. But I doubt that would be his duties anyway - a) because Woodward is not going to hand that over completely and b) it looks more like United are gunning for a committee approach. Over the last few weeks and months, British media have critised United at every corner for "losing their identity" - and I do think they want to get some of that back. And you know what, I'm fine with having guys like Ferdinand or Fletcher back at the club in some capacity. I certainly prefer them to the class of 92, that's for sure ... Butt is the only one of them that I'd want in the club and he already is. I agree with Bagor that it's better to keep Phelan on the training ground, his experience there is way too valuable.

[Locke]

Paul Pogba will be forced to take a pay cut if he leaves Manchester United for Real Madrid this summer, as sources have told ESPN FC that the Spanish club are not prepared to match his £290,000-a-week Old Trafford wages.

http://global.espn.com/football/socc...madrid-sources

No kidding. For that kind of money expectations would be a lot higher.