FA Carling Premiership and Milk Cup thread 2024/25

[WeeAl]

I don't personally know too many United fans that didn't want Ten Haag gone ages ago. He could have been sacked two thirds of the way through last season and it wouldn't have been unjustifiable. He should have been sacked either after the Coventry game or the FA Cup final. It's clear he was way in over his head and hadn't a clue what to do to improve things. 

By no means was he the only problem. That's the continuing, ongoing, issue of the club being an almighty disaster in the dressing room & at board level. But the owners aren't going to be going anywhere and the players? Despite player turnover there's still enough problems left each time to infect the next crop coming in. The transfer policy is reminiscent of the WWF late 80's travel schedule (calling @air_raidto the room). A ping pong ball in a tornado. 

Will the next guy succeed? Unlikely. At some point in time the club may be lucky enough to land on the exact profile of manager that's just enough of a misfit to match to the crop of misfits they've assembled, and it could show enough improvement to gain a bit of momentum. That's all it would be though. Sheer dumb luck. 

If it's Amorim, he's a dyed in the wool 3-4-3 man. I quite like some version of 3 at the back and wing backs with enough of the right pieces. Bruno Fernandes is a problem there though. I think he'd be a disaster in the centre of that. Is Amorim going to come in and immediately drop him, strip him of the armband or start him in the centre knowing he's going to leave holes all over the place? All options end in tears. 

Some combination of:

De Ligt - Maguire - Martinez

Dalot - Mainoo/(Fernandes) -Ugarte/(Casemiro)-Mazraoui

Garnacho-Hojlund-Rashford

Would be how it probably has to shake out initially. When those full backs get tired though? Woof. There's enough woof with needing them starting every game, never mind the next options. 

 

[Mr_Danger]

The word on Amorim was that he was inflexible on his formation and tactics and they didn’t fit in with the style we’ve implemented throughout all our teams at every level at Liverpool. Fair play if he backs  himself and that kind of manager could be just what United need. A young hungry manager with a style and system that’s proven successful. Other than shite and negative what was even ETH ‘style’ of play? I like what I’ve seen of Amorim and Lisbon over the last couple of years and will be a bit gutted if he goes to United. Not as gutted as a certain ex poster if he takes his star striker over with him.

[Carbomb]

1 hour ago, Mr_Danger said:

Other than shite and negative what was even ETH ‘style’ of play?

There were brief, very, very brief moments when we caught a glimpse of what he's supposed to have claimed was his style, specialising in transitional play - when it came off, it did look very impressive. But it only happened maybe three or four times at most during his entire run, and the players didn't seem capable of getting it together regularly enough at the same time to make it work; and even if they did, Antony would fuck it all up anyway . It was so rare that it just comes across as bullshit, and/or too fragile and delicately balanced to be sensible or effective.

[Devon Malcolm]

1 hour ago, Mr_Danger said:

Other than shite and negative what was even ETH ‘style’ of play?

From what I've seen, he always seems to want to play a counter-attacking style against every team he played, home or away. Which seemed to have some degree of logic to it because United simply didn't or don't have the players to play a possession based game.

Part of the problem with this is that it invites pressure on to a defence that is always changing and/or rubbish, a keeper who was purchased for his passing, and defensive midfielders who could either no longer run (Casemiro) or shouldn't be playing there in the first place (Eriksen, McTominay). The other problem is Bruno Fernandes will produce one brilliant pass a match and the rest of the time he's off-target or moaning at the referee. Then there's a forward line that needs six or seven clear cut chances to score a goal.

Best of luck, Rúben!

[air_raid]

20 hours ago, WeeAl said:

The transfer policy is reminiscent of the WWF late 80's travel schedule (calling @air_raidto the room). A ping pong ball in a tornado. 

Does that make re-signing Pogba the equivalent of hiring Dusty in this analogy?

[SuperBacon]

They say the perfect stat doesn't exist...

 

[Gooner]

Newcastle completely outplayed us in every department yesterday.  They were faster, stronger and more agressive in their play. They have won every duel and their energy levels were higher. The marking for Isak goal was poor. Saliba and Gabriel too wide and focusing on Gordon crossing the ball and not on Isak coming through the middle inbetween them and Rice completely losing him as he ghosted into that gap. 
 

Our attacking play was toothless. Hall and Joelinton marked Saka, Livramento and Gordon marked Martinelli very well. It was always 2 , sometimes 3 players on Saka and Martinelli. It means other players in our team should have more room to do some damage and not enough came from them We haven't even tried to threat Newcastle through the middle anywhere near often enough eevn with their low defensive line and Trossard was terrible.  Besides the chance in first half from a corner that bounced around in the box and ended up with Merino shooting at goal and Hall blocking close to the line with Pope on the floor, only chance we created of note was in stoppage time from a Saka cross, Rice coming in and putting his header wide from 6 yards when he really should have scored to give us what would have been a undeserved draw. 

I can't take any positive out of yesterday's game and from the other results at least Man City lost at Bournemouth to keep us only 5 points behind them after ten games into the league season. We need to buck up our ideas and sort it out as the performance overall this season have been no where near good enough so far. We've had a difficult start to the season fixtures wise so I give us that, but we're not showing no where near enough consistency as of yet.  Two big away trips to come up next after this against Inter Milan and Chelsea respectively and we need to be getting some positive results against both. 

[Devon Malcolm]

37 minutes ago, Gooner said:

Newcastle completely outplayed us in every department yesterday.  They were faster, stronger and more agressive in their play. They have won every duel and their energy levels were higher. The marking for Isak goal was poor. Saliba and Gabriel too wide and focusing on Gordon crossing the ball and not on Isak coming through the middle inbetween them and Rice completely losing him as he ghosted into that gap. 
 

Our attacking play was toothless. Hall and Joelinton marked Saka, Livramento and Gordon marked Martinelli very well. It was always 2 , sometimes 3 players on Saka and Martinelli. It means other players in our team should have more room to do some damage and not enough came from them We haven't even tried to threat Newcastle through the middle anywhere near often enough eevn with their low defensive line and Trossard was terrible.  Besides the chance in first half from a corner that bounced around in the box and ended up with Merino shooting at goal and Hall blocking close to the line with Pope on the floor, only chance we created of note was in stoppage time from a Saka cross, Rice coming in and putting his header wide from 6 yards when he really should have scored to give us what would have been a undeserved draw. 

I can't take any positive out of yesterday's game and from the other results at least Man City lost at Bournemouth to keep us only 5 points behind them after ten games into the league season. We need to buck up our ideas and sort it out as the performance overall this season have been no where near good enough so far. We've had a difficult start to the season fixtures wise so I give us that, but we're not showing no where near enough consistency as of yet.  Two big away trips to come up next after this against Inter Milan and Chelsea respectively and we need to be getting some positive results against both. 

Do you find these reviews of Arsenal's latest flop to be therapeutic?

[Gooner]

22 minutes ago, Devon Malcolm said:

Do you find these reviews of Arsenal's latest flop to be therapeutic?

Nope, just giving my opinion of the game that my team participated in. 

[SuperBacon]

5 hours ago, SuperBacon said:

So bad that I've had to abandon the tickets me and 11yo had to Spurs Villa as I didn't fancy pooing my pants on the Victoria line. 

Oh whatever.

[Mr_Danger]

2 hours ago, Gooner said:

Nope, just giving my opinion of the game that my team participated in. 

Theres something about your Arsenal round ups that make me uncertain if you’re an AI.

They were fucking shite though yesterday. One thing that Arsenal team shouldn’t be with their team of 3 centre backs, 4 defensive midfielders and 3 attacking midfielders is out muscled, even by Newcastles side of over achieving brutes. The amount of money they’ve spent and one injury to Odegaard has them wobbling.

[Lion_of_the_Midlands]

Neil Harris has been learning from the big book of How To Get Promoted From The Championship by Gary Megson. Keep grinding out the 1-0 wins. Millwall games are so tough that even the linesman gets injured. 

*Edit* Sorry for the edit @SuperBacon but as an extra bonus fact I'm sure you'll appreciate. The last time Millwall beat Burnley was 2012 and the third goal was scored by a young lad called Harry Kane. 

Edited November 3, 2024 by Lion_of_the_Midlands
Bacon goading.

[Devon Malcolm]

 

[Devon Malcolm]

Are Arsenal done? They had not one but two chances to win the league, blew them both, now they're playing like Bruce Rioch's in charge again. Which is extremely amusing to me.

Gabriel Martinelli is a dreadful football player too, one of the most bewilderingly overrated guys in the last 5 years of football anywhere. 

[SuperBacon]

11 minutes ago, Devon Malcolm said:

Which is extremely amusing to me

And me!