WackerJr Posted January 15, 2019 Posted January 15, 2019 On 13/01/2019 at 6:26 PM, Nicktendo said: Why are United even thinking about Southgate? Laughable. Thoroughly enjoyed that game as a neutral. As much as it pains me to say it, I'm kind of glad United seem to be back now. It was just depressing watching them play so badly for so long. I don’t believe Southgate would risk going to United, even if the rumours were true. He’s done a great job so far & is building a positive reputation for himself in his short international managerial career so far, giving us the foundations to grow as a country. He doesn’t have the greatest record at club level, so I don’t see what he has to gain right now in going to a club where more experienced managers have so far not reached the heights that their board desire. I don’t believe the rumours anyway! 😃
Fierce_LiNk Posted January 26, 2019 Posted January 26, 2019 Crazy weekend with some of the FA Cup scores. Both Everton and West Ham getting knocked out today by non-Premier League teams. I know that it probably means that it's a little bit "easier" for a team like Man City to win it, but it also does increase the chances of it being a Champions side, for example. Interesting!
Emerald Emblem Posted February 3, 2019 Posted February 3, 2019 (edited) The wreckage of the plane carrying Emiliano Sala has been found in the English Channel Edited February 3, 2019 by Emerald Emblem 2
Emerald Emblem Posted February 8, 2019 Posted February 8, 2019 Body recovered from plane wreckage confirmed to be that of Emiliano Sala RIP, now lets hope they can find the pilots body soon for his famillies sake, thoughts go out to Sala's family too. 1
killthenet Posted February 8, 2019 Posted February 8, 2019 It's all such a shame but at least Sala's family now have certainty over what happened to him, hopefully they can recover the body of the pilot too to give his family some peace of mind. It's a very strange and unique situation for the fans of Cardiff, Sala will forever be a legend at the club despite having never got to play for them.
Julius Posted February 10, 2019 Author Posted February 10, 2019 How on Earth are we down 4-0 in the opening 25 minutes?! It's like we're aiming to finish outside of the spots for European competition at this rate...
Aperson Posted February 10, 2019 Posted February 10, 2019 Seems like every time Abramovich appoints a Chelsea manager with the intent to move the team towards a passing attacking style of football with a lot of flair, which seems to be what he wants Chelsea to be, it ALWAYS backfires. Scolari and AVB didn't last a season and I think the same is goin to happen to Sarri.
Fierce_LiNk Posted February 10, 2019 Posted February 10, 2019 12 minutes ago, GenericAperson said: Seems like every time Abramovich appoints a Chelsea manager with the intent to move the team towards a passing attacking style of football with a lot of flair, which seems to be what he wants Chelsea to be, it ALWAYS backfires. Scolari and AVB didn't last a season and I think the same is goin to happen to Sarri. For me, a big part of the problem is moving Kante (probably one of the best players in the world in his position) out of his preferred position. That's a major issue. The rest of the team loses balance and cohesion from there as a starting point. I also don't particularly rate Jorginho, so you've already got issues with two out of your midfield three right from there. Obviously, there have been issues in the strikers/attacking department. Aside from Hazard, who is obviously your best player, there is so little creativity in the team. I look at that team and wonder where the goals are going to come from. The options coming off the bench are also pretty poor, imo. City were fantastic today and I am so glad that I put Aguero back into my Fantasy team.
killthenet Posted February 11, 2019 Posted February 11, 2019 As far as Abramovich's sackings go, sacking Sarri for overseeing Chelsea's biggest ever Premier League defeat would be one of the more reasonable. It would be pathetic not to give him at least a couple of seasons though, they're still very much in the race for the top four and aren't exactly likely to miss out on Europa League qualification - I suppose they have a pretty tough job on to hold on to Hazard though. United's turnaround has been great to watch, at this rate Solskjaer is nailed on to be given the job permanently. I had always hoped he would be able to live up to Ferguson's expectations of him as a manager, he did a fantastic job with Molde but clearly took the wrong step in his career when he took over at Cardiff so its great that he's been able to show that he has what it takes to manage at the top level in England. It looks set up to be an interesting title race, Man City look to have the swagger of last season back, Liverpool played some absolutely stunning football yesterday and Tottenham seems to have shaken off those 'Spursy' tendencies and are managing to win when they're not playing well (and without two of their very best players). If Tottenham can make it to March relatively unscathed then things could get really tight, they still have to play both Liverpool and Man City (as well as Arsenal and Chelsea) and in the unlikely event they manage to beat their title rivals in those fixtures then all 3 would be on basically the same points total going into the last few games of the season. With Kane and Alli coming back at the beginning of March, Tottenham could be a real threat come the end of the season. Oh and if they manage to make it through the entire season without drawing a single game they deserve a trophy of some sort, such a bizarre and unlikely achievement. Maybe the Premier League could give Pochettino a little bronze Premier League trophy in the same way they gave Wenger a gold one for the Invincible's season? Spurs are pretty much guaranteed to draw their next game now that I've said that aren't they?
Emerald Emblem Posted February 11, 2019 Posted February 11, 2019 So this news has just broken.Aaron Ramsey signs Pre-contract deal with Juventus worth over £400,000 per week. Ramsey is good but he isn't £400,000 per week good. Best of luck to him and I'm sad we're letting him go.
Julius Posted February 11, 2019 Author Posted February 11, 2019 (edited) 31 minutes ago, Emerald Emblem said: Ramsey is good but he isn't £400,000 per week good. Best of luck to him and I'm sad we're letting him go. It's worth mentioning that he's only being paid anywhere near that much because it's a free transfer (and his agent deserves a raise, clearly), but I agree with you 100%: I don't even think he's £200,000 per week good. Speaking of which, that's probably much closer to what he's being paid per week, because I seem to recall reading that Italy have pretty high tax rates in place for the wealthy? EDIT: Turns out its 43% tax for those earning over €75,000. Edited February 11, 2019 by Julius
Fierce_LiNk Posted February 18, 2019 Posted February 18, 2019 Excellent win for United against Chelsea. Defensively, I thought the team were rock solid and I actually can't remember the last time we won away there. Two great goals and a fantastic pair of performances from Pogba and Herrera. Delighted with that! Not too happy about drawing Wolves away in the next round. It's going to be a hard game.
Kav Posted February 18, 2019 Posted February 18, 2019 I would like Chelsea to play the football that Sarri’s Napoli did, but we certainly do t have the players for it. Sarri needs to start making wholesale changes to the team, he can’t keep expecting this squad to turn it around, the players aren’t good enough! We need a few signings in the summer and to bring Youth through... but we won’t and the circus will contirnue.
Fierce_LiNk Posted February 19, 2019 Posted February 19, 2019 11 hours ago, Kav said: I would like Chelsea to play the football that Sarri’s Napoli did, but we certainly do t have the players for it. Sarri needs to start making wholesale changes to the team, he can’t keep expecting this squad to turn it around, the players aren’t good enough! We need a few signings in the summer and to bring Youth through... but we won’t and the circus will contirnue. Hazard is an excellent player and Chelsea will be so much weaker if he does leave at the end of the season. I think he will go, tbh. He's not going to be challenging for trophies in this Chelsea team. I still can't get over Sarri moving Kante into a different position. It was so easy for the United team to run rings around Jorginho yesterday. Herrera had the time of his life and probably one of his best games for us. A proper Spanish Roy Keane. I really like Higuain but I'm not sure how Chelsea are going to provide him enough service to get goals. If you crowd out Hazard and also block off Alonso, there's almost no service to the attacking line.
drahkon Posted February 19, 2019 Posted February 19, 2019 Probably won't be able to watch Liverpool - Bayern Munich tonight. But to be honest...with our recent performance I expect a loss. Not sure how Liverpool's doing these days but we aren't anywhere near our standard. We may have won the last few games but it's always been close.
Kav Posted February 19, 2019 Posted February 19, 2019 You don’t even need to block off Alonso at the moment @Fierce_LiNk, he’s been woeful for months now. Our midfield was awful yesterday. Didn’t press, all kept eyes on only the ball, nobody tracked midfield runners... they were so bad.
Fierce_LiNk Posted February 19, 2019 Posted February 19, 2019 3 hours ago, drahkon said: Probably won't be able to watch Liverpool - Bayern Munich tonight. But to be honest...with our recent performance I expect a loss. Not sure how Liverpool's doing these days but we aren't anywhere near our standard. We may have won the last few games but it's always been close. As it's at Anfield, I fully expect Liverpool to win 2-0 or something to that effect. Not sure about the away tie, though. It'll be close, I think. 2 hours ago, Kav said: You don’t even need to block off Alonso at the moment @Fierce_LiNk, he’s been woeful for months now. Our midfield was awful yesterday. Didn’t press, all kept eyes on only the ball, nobody tracked midfield runners... they were so bad. Yeah, I've taken him out of my Fantasy team as he hasn't been doing the business for a while. Shame, really. I think it all stems from Jorginho. Basically... 1. Ditch Jorginho 2. Put Kante back in his spot. 3. ??? 4. Profit. You need to find some awesomely creative, goalscoring midfielders from somewhere.
drahkon Posted February 19, 2019 Posted February 19, 2019 Just now, Fierce_LiNk said: As it's at Anfield, I fully expect Liverpool to win 2-0 or something to that effect. Not sure about the away tie, though. It'll be close, I think. With our defense right now a 2-0 win for Liverpool wouldn't be that bad Really hope we can score at least one away goal. At home there's always room for a comeback.
Kav Posted February 19, 2019 Posted February 19, 2019 2 hours ago, Fierce_LiNk said: As it's at Anfield, I fully expect Liverpool to win 2-0 or something to that effect. Not sure about the away tie, though. It'll be close, I think. Yeah, I've taken him out of my Fantasy team as he hasn't been doing the business for a while. Shame, really. I think it all stems from Jorginho. Basically... 1. Ditch Jorginho 2. Put Kante back in his spot. 3. ??? 4. Profit. You need to find some awesomely creative, goalscoring midfielders from somewhere. It’s not Jorginho, it’s Sarri. Chelsea hired him because they wanted his brand of football that Napoli played... but we don’t have the players for that brand of football. I understand why he plays Jorginho where he does as he pulls the strings, but he can only do that when the players around him aren’t static and they’re constantly moving and creating new passing lines, like they did at Napoli, but the Chelsea players don’t! Moving Kante to DM won’t solve the problems the Club has and Sarri won’t be able to instill his brand of football. ...but Sarri has to realise he can’t instill that brand of football onto these players. We need a clearout of the squad and to bring in new personnel as well as bring through Youth.
Fierce_LiNk Posted February 19, 2019 Posted February 19, 2019 3 hours ago, Kav said: It’s not Jorginho, it’s Sarri. Chelsea hired him because they wanted his brand of football that Napoli played... but we don’t have the players for that brand of football. I understand why he plays Jorginho where he does as he pulls the strings, but he can only do that when the players around him aren’t static and they’re constantly moving and creating new passing lines, like they did at Napoli, but the Chelsea players don’t! Moving Kante to DM won’t solve the problems the Club has and Sarri won’t be able to instill his brand of football. ...but Sarri has to realise he can’t instill that brand of football onto these players. We need a clearout of the squad and to bring in new personnel as well as bring through Youth. Radical idea: why doesn't Sarri play with both Jorginho and Kante in a midfield 2, then go with a main striker and then play 3 behind. So, 4-2-3-1, instead of the 4-3-3 that he's playing? It would put Kante in a more natural position and would allow him to do more of the much needed defensive work. Good managers are adaptable. Tbf, Chelsea probably got him because they've hired and fired for so long and he's just the next one on the list. He won't be there for too long and the cycle will just continue. Who will be the next one after Sarri? There's a very short term culture at the club where plans seemingly only exist or run on two year cycles. With the static players, that's a coaching issue and it's down to Sarri to get his players to do that, and also for the players to be receptive to his methods and what he wants them to do. To an extent, you need the right kind of players who are technically capable of doing what the manager wants. This is what transfer windows are for. The youth situation is one that has existed for ages at that club and it doesn't seem to be resolving itself all that well.
Kav Posted February 20, 2019 Posted February 20, 2019 (edited) 2 hours ago, Fierce_LiNk said: Radical idea: why doesn't Sarri play with both Jorginho and Kante in a midfield 2, then go with a main striker and then play 3 behind. So, 4-2-3-1, instead of the 4-3-3 that he's playing? It would put Kante in a more natural position and would allow him to do more of the much needed defensive work. Good managers are adaptable. Tbf, Chelsea probably got him because they've hired and fired for so long and he's just the next one on the list. He won't be there for too long and the cycle will just continue. Who will be the next one after Sarri? There's a very short term culture at the club where plans seemingly only exist or run on two year cycles. With the static players, that's a coaching issue and it's down to Sarri to get his players to do that, and also for the players to be receptive to his methods and what he wants them to do. To an extent, you need the right kind of players who are technically capable of doing what the manager wants. This is what transfer windows are for. The youth situation is one that has existed for ages at that club and it doesn't seem to be resolving itself all that well. That’s why I say it’s Sarri, as he’s the one who should coach them to play his style... many of the players still aren’t truly good enough for the club though. Sarri has played a 4-2-3-1 at Napoli but his (baffling) reasoning for not doing it here is that he wants the players to learn his Plan A first before starting in the Plan B... even if Plan B may be better suited to these players (deary me Sarri, show some bloody flexibility). Also, the Youth situation will have to change soon as we’ve a transfer ban incoming according to reports, so we may well have to start utilising them. Edited February 20, 2019 by Kav
drahkon Posted February 20, 2019 Posted February 20, 2019 9 hours ago, drahkon said: With our defense right now a 2-0 win for Liverpool wouldn't be that bad Haven't seen the game but apparently our defense was really good...happy to hear that. Here's hoping that we can get a win at home
LazyBoy Posted February 20, 2019 Posted February 20, 2019 If Sarri stays past the summer I reckon Kante is there for the taking. In which case I would love Utd to sweep in, if only because we might be able to get away with a midfield 2 with him next to Pogba.
Kav Posted February 20, 2019 Posted February 20, 2019 3 hours ago, LazyBoy said: If Sarri stays past the summer I reckon Kante is there for the taking. In which case I would love Utd to sweep in, if only because we might be able to get away with a midfield 2 with him next to Pogba. He’d cost you a fortune! He’s under contract until 2023 and his wages are £290,000 a week... you’d really have to pay through the nose for him!
LazyBoy Posted February 20, 2019 Posted February 20, 2019 10 minutes ago, Kav said: He’d cost you a fortune! He’s under contract until 2023 and his wages are £290,000 a week... you’d really have to pay through the nose for him! I think we'll be fine, we've paid more for absolute crap in very recent history. He's criminally misused in Sarri's system, and should they back him then that's a big square peg that they could cash in on. Admittedly it's more a wish than a possibility. My propsed Lukaku for Declan Rice swap deal however is entirely practical.
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