26/27 football thread

[SuperBacon]

The break in full swing! Obviously once you get past 11, it gets a bit silly but still a fun read: https://www.theguardian.com/football/ng-interactive/2026/nov/10/ultimate-1-50-the-male-footballers-best-associated-with-each-squad-number

Is Jota the best number 20 ever? Well no. 

 

[Ironic Indie Lad]

after weeks of being linked with Nagelsmann, Howe and Conte, it appears Man United are hiring....Pochettino!

[SuperBacon]

2 minutes ago, Ironic Indie Lad said:

after weeks of being linked with Nagelsmann, Howe and Conte, it appears Man United are hiring....Pochettino!

This only works if Man United have the patience to let it work, which we all know it won't, so it's a pointless appointment like the rest isn't it really?

Having said that, if he would be given time, can shed the absolute dross in the squad (go and look at the starting 11 for his first ever Spurs game) have youth coming through and there are decent Argentininan steak restaurants in Manchester, it could be a very good appointment, especially if that stadium is being built and he's being asked to work off a limited budget.

This man got to a Champions League final with a midfield of Winks and Sissoko, and turned Danny Rose into the best left back in the country. He's a miracle worker.

 

[Ironic Indie Lad]

2 minutes ago, SuperBacon said:

This only works if Man United have the patience to let it work, which we all know it won't, so it's a pointless appointment like the rest isn't it really?

Having said that, if he would be given time, can shed the absolute dross in the squad (go and look at the starting 11 for his first ever Spurs game) have youth coming through and there are decent Argentininan steak restaurants in Manchester, it could be a very good appointment, especially if that stadium is being built and he's being asked to work off a limited budget.

This man got to a Champions League final with a midfield of Winks and Sissoko, and turned Danny Rose into the best left back in the country. He's a miracle worker.

 

My immediate thought was that this could be great for developing the likes of Shea Lacey.

He would still be coming into a team with no centre forward and serious, serious issues with the backline though. If you look at all of United's defenders this season, many have had to play out of position and many have more or less chucked one into their own net. 

[Jazzy G]

6 hours ago, SuperBacon said:

and there are decent Argentininan steak restaurants in Manchester

He might have to hold his nose and go to Bem Brasil if they're still open. 

[Devon Malcolm]

If they do bring him in I'd be willing to put a tenner on him being gone by the end of the season. He'd be a miracle worker if he can get that squad playing his way and being able to work with Wilcox and Berrada, and Ratcliffe for that matter. Amazed they're not going with a yes man like Eddie Howe.

[SuperBacon]

8 minutes ago, Devon Malcolm said:

Amazed they're not going with a yes man like Eddie Howe.

The thing is, Poch is a yes man, just a different type. He accepted Levys* bullshit for years without truly kicking up a fuss, so he'd probably just fall line when told he needs to turn Dalot and Mazrouai in to world beaters. 

Also he used to visit Luke Shaw to stop him eating pizzas, so he's probably the right man for the job.

*it's amazing they worked together for so long because, in the nicest possible way, Poch is a massive weirdo. The Guillame Balague book on him is fascinating. 

[Arch Stanton]

9 minutes ago, Devon Malcolm said:

Amazed they're not going with a yes man like Eddie Howe.

Like almost all United fans, I have lost all faith that the directors have any sort of a clue as to what they're doing, or any coherent strategy for improving the squad and helping the club to return to the top. It's all just buzzwords and bluster, with no meaningful action to back it up..."Youth, Courage, Success". Having said that, I do feel that they are not totally deaf to fan sentiment. I think they know that United fans have absolutely zero appetite for Eddie Howe. Reaction to his appointment would be absolutely toxic, online and in the ground. That's aside from the fact that it was reported that they booted Dan Ashworth out on his arse for daring to put Howe's name forward when Ten Hag was sacked (amongst other disagreements). Whether there is any truth to that story or not, the optics would be absolutely terrible if they were to go for him now.

[The King of Old School]

There can't be many people my age who grew up with the Man Utd dominance of the 90s who aren't loving this whole demise of them can there?

It's absolutely glorious, along with seeing Rovers in a FA Cup final, a Man Utd relegation would feel like I have completed football and seen everything I would ever see.

Both are obviously very slim, but we can live in hope.

[Ironic Indie Lad]

The various credible sources you can usually trust all seem to point to manager change happening today. Apparently there is a meeting in Monaco where Ratcliffe (knob) and the Glazers (utter scum) will sign off on Wilcox and Barrada (total out of their depth pricks who I am sick of the sight of looking miserable in the stadium) decision to sack Carrick.

Meanwhile it's being reported that Poch is clear favourite, is willing to leave USA immediately, negotiations are ongoing etc. 

Quite sad really as Carrick is a legend of Manchester United Football Club. He has quite literally seen it all and won the lot and he did a fantastic job in his 2 spells as an interim manager. It's all gone tits up now but its honestly very hard to understand how much of that can even be attributed to him.

I don't have a bad word to say about Carrick. The back to back wins over City and Arsenal earlier this year were among the few highs of the last few years. 

I do like Pochetinno and I would probably choose him if the options on the table were Conte, Howe, Nagelsmann or Poch. It's just hard to see it having anything more than a decent short term impact though. I will almost definitely be in this same thread in a year with the manager under pressure but no changes anywhere else in the hierarchy. 

[deathrey]

I imagine those, like myself, who were United fans probably aren't enjoying it that much.

I can enjoy good football on it's merits - not to say I don't loathe certain teams and I'm happy not to see them win but I'm never over the moon to see a team relegated. I always think it's quite sad. I have too many feelings and don't know what to do with them so dole out sympathy left, right and centre.

[Ironic Indie Lad]

Yeah I don't really have it in me to enjoy the demise of other clubs unless they really deserve it (Rangers, Man City*)

 

* PENDING APPEAL!!!!!!! 

 

[The King of Old School]

4 minutes ago, deathrey said:

I imagine those, like myself, who were United fans probably aren't enjoying it that much.

I can enjoy good football on it's merits - not to say I don't loathe certain teams and I'm happy not to see them win but I'm never over the moon to see a team relegated. I always think it's quite sad. I have too many feelings and don't know what to do with them so dole out sympathy left, right and centre.

Yeah obviously I didn't mean those who support Man Utd.

I would be over the moon though should it happen, I do agree that i too am indifferent to anyone else getting relegated unless it's those lot in claret down the road, but Man Utd is a different proposition.

After the initial relegation, they can do what they want and I wouldn't really care if they went on to dominate again.

[Carbomb]

3 minutes ago, Ironic Indie Lad said:

The various credible sources you can usually trust all seem to point to manager change happening today. Apparently there is a meeting in Monaco where Ratcliffe (knob) and the Glazers (utter scum) will sign off on Wilcox and Barrada (total out of their depth pricks who I am sick of the sight of looking miserable in the stadium) decision to sack Carrick.

Meanwhile it's being reported that Poch is clear favourite, is willing to leave USA immediately, negotiations are ongoing etc. 

Quite sad really as Carrick is a legend of Manchester United Football Club. He has quite literally seen it all and won the lot and he did a fantastic job in his 2 spells as an interim manager. It's all gone tits up now but its honestly very hard to understand how much of that can even be attributed to him.

I don't have a bad word to say about Carrick. The back to back wins over City and Arsenal earlier this year were among the few highs of the last few years. 

I do like Pochetinno and I would probably choose him if the options on the table were Conte, Howe, Nagelsmann or Poch. It's just hard to see it having anything more than a decent short term impact though. I will almost definitely be in this same thread in a year with the manager under pressure but no changes anywhere else in the hierarchy. 

Agreed with all of this.

What's happening with United can be summed up by the proverb "a house rots from the roof down". It doesn't matter which manager is hired, which players are signed - the results are the same. Virtually everything has been tried except one: get rid of the fucking owners. And that's not going to happen unless those parasites decide themselves to go.

I've said it before: the way the club's run at the moment, it would ruin even Pep.

[SuperBacon]

29 minutes ago, deathrey said:

I'm never over the moon to see a team relegated. I always think it's quite sad. I have too many feelings and don't know what to do with them so dole out sympathy left, right and centre.

My Arsenal mates, along with the rest of the country, were desperate to see Spurs relegated last season, which is absolutely fair enough, until I pointed out that they'd effectively be getting rid of an easy 6 points a season

I love Poch, well I love what he did at Spurs (the journey is always better with someone you love than the destination with someone you don't, and all that) but I don't care what he does once he leaves, same with players. Some Spurs fans will never be happy unless he's managing us for eternity, which given he's a massive loser and we're a club that are always massive losers, seems like a match made in hwaven.