Football 2013-2014

[thetime]

This Everton Riberio seems to have been linked alot over the last week.. He's not someone I know anything about

[pink_triangle]

Surely the time to strengthen Man Utd was last summer, to end up with Fellani was a huge mistake. The Herrera/Contreao moves on deadline day looked rushed which is very unlike Man Utd. It is easy to blame Moyes but it looked to me like the chief executive was more accountable. Also Fergie needs to take some responsibility for not sorting the midfield out, Shearer said on 5live that man utd haven't signed a centre midfielder in 6 years, my instinct was that cant be right but Im struggling to think of one. Moyes seems a bit confused one week he is saying that a draw at Cardiff is a good result and today Man Utd still have a chance of winning the league. The players have also really let Moyes down with only Rooney standing up to be counted. Its funny when Rooney wanted a transfer in the summer people thought he didn't like playing second fiddle to RVP, maybe he just wanted to ensure champions league football next year! All in all a bit of a mess in Old Trafford, amazing what a bit of instability can do at a club.

This season looks the most unpredictable one I can remember. I think December will be huge with both Liverpool and Arsenal having nasty fixture lists. The buffer both have built up could be crucial and if they can get through the month unscathed it will be interesting. If Chelsea and Man City can reel them in then one of those will probably end up winning the title. I have looked at Arsenals fixture list and its really strange that all there tough games are clumped together, if they are top with 5 games to go the title is theres for the taking.

I think most people assume arsenal, man city and Chelsea are certs for the top 4. The 4th place is definitely up for grabs. Spurs have been pretty unremarkable this season yet have kept in touch with Liverpool when they could easily be 7 or 8 points behind. Spurs don't have that world class player that Liverpool do but their squad depth looks greater which could be crucial in the second half of the season.

At the bottom despite my analysis of Palace having an incredibly weak squad they seem to be winning all the games they need to win. If Pulis can strengthen in January they have got a decent chance.

[pink_triangle]

Just seen the Liverpool v west ham highlights, definitely no contenders for goal of the season there! What was nolan thinking doing that tackle late, with the game lost.

[lharris92]

Just seen the Liverpool v west ham highlights, definitely no contenders for goal of the season there! What was nolan thinking doing that tackle late, with the game lost.

[thetime]

United would be stupid to knee jerk react and sack Moyes.... You have appointed him now give him time to do the job. Whoever was going to come in after Ferguson was going to go through this slump. Give him a couple of years and then review the progress. Grow a set ffs...

[eFestivals]

Thank you.

I cannot stop smiling. That's just an incredible result to get off the back of a loss. Reacted in completely the right way to our great run ending, dominated midfield and defended well, with some excellent counterattacks.

I'm not sure about transfer requests at OT, I think there's a long time to go before it gets to that stage and it'll depend if they can make a big signing in January as a statement of ambition. The question of course, is who can they attract? I can't imagine many top players thinking it'd be worth the gamble to go there - particularly in a world cup year. Where would RVP go anyway? Apart from Arsenal all the big teams made their striker signings in the summer.

Utd don't need a new player, they need a new team. They have nothing at all when Rooney's not on the pitch, as yesterday showed so well.

Moyes says that they can still win the title. .... I don't think he's sat down and worked thru the numbers.

As things stand, Utd will only make the top 4 if they suddenly turn into a team that are playing with (almost) the form that Arsenal have had so far this season. When you sit back and consider that, it's hard to conclude that they're anything aside from fucked.

Utd fans seem to think that other teams fucking up will save them - and yet the current lowest-of-the top 4 are accumulating points at just about the same rate as the team in that position has done over previous recent seasons. Utd's salvation can only come from within themselves or from who they might buy, and I just can't see how as one marquee signing (the best they're likely to get in Jan) would be enough to give them the necessary improvement.

I've read all sorts of comments - many from Utd fans - which are saying that Fergie dropped a poison pill on the club, and mostly those comment are about how he allowed the squad to deteriorate. But I think the biggest poison he's left is his "give Moyes time" comments, because they'll give him that time and then it'll be too late.

Utd without Chumps League is going to be very interesting. Will the Glazers gamble (or even have the money to gamble?) by spunking £100M in the summer without the returning income from Chumps League to cover it? And if they find £100M under the Delaware carpet somewhere, which marquee players are going to pass up on Chumps footie to sign for them anyway?

Having said all of that, it's not quite dead yet .... but the mortuary has the coffin ready and waiting to go.

[eFestivals]

Bringing Suarez back won't add any goals I don't think, it'll just change how they score and the personnel involved.

oooo, was searching for something else and just found these TGT words I was looking for the other day.

[eFestivals]

The only point I was getting at is that the fixtures favour L'pool in the short term, and gives them a great opportunity to stay at or very near the top until around mid-December.

words of mine that most here pooh-pooh'd.

What happens in the next 4 games defines their season. If they can get 6 points from those games then they'll definitely finish in the top 4.

Edited December 8, 2013 by eFestivals

[thetime]

What happens in the next 4 games defines their season. If they can get 6 points from those games then they'll definitely finish in the top 4.

[pink_triangle]

Has a man utd fan on here said sack him? Or even criticised him?

[pink_triangle]

words of mine that most here pooh-pooh'd.

What happens in the next 4 games defines their season. If they can get 6 points from those games then they'll definitely finish in the top 4.

[eFestivals]

If moyes did leave early, it would have come from a player revolt, rather than the fans. After years of fergie I'm.not sure the players have built up the power base, as the chelsea players had previously.

Nah. If the board/Glazers aren't shitting themselves more-so than the players then they're not fit to be in those roles.

If they stick with Moyes and don't make the top 4 then I reckon Utd will be more Leeds than Liverpool. All of the club finances are built on the presumption of Chumps footie each and every year. Things start to get exceedingly difficult without that yearly chunk of money.

[eFestivals]

There's no doubt a tough December will be a major test for the top 2. Liverpool will undoubtedly gain confidence from 6 ponts of 12, which will mean a big away win. However to some extent I think it depends on where they get that win (assuming they beat Cardiff) as a loss to spurs will probably mean that they have realed Liverpool in by the half way stage.

Even if Liverpool were to get no points at all from those 4 games (and I wouldn't be too surprised if they didn't) I'd still say they're not out of it, tho it would be hard.

Cos if that happened they'd be around the same place as Utd, but unlike the current Utd - or Spurs - they're a team that can play much better much of the time. There's enough slack in where they'd have dropped points against the smaller clubs to pull back the lost points in the coming big games.

It'll help with players coming back into form too. Joe Allen is starting to look a bit more like his early form last season, and Sterling had a good un yesterday as well - two players who had dropped off a fair bit.

[swede]

Surely the time to strengthen Man Utd was last summer, to end up with Fellani was a huge mistake. The Herrera/Contreao moves on deadline day looked rushed which is very unlike Man Utd. It is easy to blame Moyes but it looked to me like the chief executive was more accountable. Also Fergie needs to take some responsibility for not sorting the midfield out, Shearer said on 5live that man utd haven't signed a centre midfielder in 6 years, my instinct was that cant be right but Im struggling to think of one. Moyes seems a bit confused one week he is saying that a draw at Cardiff is a good result and today Man Utd still have a chance of winning the league. The players have also really let Moyes down with only Rooney standing up to be counted. Its funny when Rooney wanted a transfer in the summer people thought he didn't like playing second fiddle to RVP, maybe he just wanted to ensure champions league football next year! All in all a bit of a mess in Old Trafford, amazing what a bit of instability can do at a club.

This season looks the most unpredictable one I can remember. I think December will be huge with both Liverpool and Arsenal having nasty fixture lists. The buffer both have built up could be crucial and if they can get through the month unscathed it will be interesting. If Chelsea and Man City can reel them in then one of those will probably end up winning the title. I have looked at Arsenals fixture list and its really strange that all there tough games are clumped together, if they are top with 5 games to go the title is theres for the taking.

I think most people assume arsenal, man city and Chelsea are certs for the top 4. The 4th place is definitely up for grabs. Spurs have been pretty unremarkable this season yet have kept in touch with Liverpool when they could easily be 7 or 8 points behind. Spurs don't have that world class player that Liverpool do but their squad depth looks greater which could be crucial in the second half of the season.

At the bottom despite my analysis of Palace having an incredibly weak squad they seem to be winning all the games they need to win. If Pulis can strengthen in January they have got a decent chance.

Edited December 8, 2013 by swede

[eFestivals]

Now there's confidence for you, will come back to this post if it bites you on the bum.

I'm amused that you've picked my liverpool comment to give that reply to, and not anything I'd just said about Utd.

[thetime]

I'm amused that you've picked my liverpool comment to give that reply to, and not anything I'd just said about Utd.

[pink_triangle]

Nah. If the board/Glazers aren't shitting themselves more-so than the players then they're not fit to be in those roles.

If they stick with Moyes and don't make the top 4 then I reckon Utd will be more Leeds than Liverpool. All of the club finances are built on the presumption of Chumps footie each and every year. Things start to get exceedingly difficult without that yearly chunk of money.

[pink_triangle]

Even if Liverpool were to get no points at all from those 4 games (and I wouldn't be too surprised if they didn't) I'd still say they're not out of it, tho it would be hard.

Cos if that happened they'd be around the same place as Utd, but unlike the current Utd - or Spurs - they're a team that can play much better much of the time. There's enough slack in where they'd have dropped points against the smaller clubs to pull back the lost points in the coming big games.

It'll help with players coming back into form too. Joe Allen is starting to look a bit more like his early form last season, and Sterling had a good un yesterday as well - two players who had dropped off a fair bit.

[eFestivals]

You over react when it comes to man utd, it's really best not to comment.

I've pointed out just how much Utd would have to raise their game now just to make top 4, let alone win the league as Moyes has suggested is still possible.

But I've also said they're not quite dead yet. It is still a possibility, tho those facts about how much they'd need to raise their game makes it unlikely from how they've been playing so far.

[eFestivals]

So in that case why didn't Liverpool go the way of Leeds when they missed out. Man utds income and fanbase means they won't be a championship side anytime soon!

Another season and they would have been Leeds. They were VERY lucky with who the biggest debt was with, along with there being a govt that wasn't prepared to see that defaulted on. The cheap sale price that caused has worked to their advantage too, with a new owner prepared to invest heavily.

Utd won't have that advantage, tho you're right that they have others with their bigger income.

The problem with that tho is that what they earn currently all gets spent, and they'll be around £50M a year worse off from no Chumps. So at the end of the day their bigger income doesn't actually give them anything like that much of a bigger advantage. Income by itself means nothing, it's 'spare income' that gives any advantage.

And then adding to the lost income is the need to spend £100M-ish to stand any chance of a quick turnaround in the strength of the squad. There's too many players throughout the squad who are not good enough for the highest level (at least, they're not good enough without the now-lost 'fergie factor').

From a financial point of view, it's a big dilemma. Do you make your losses and extra costs £150M and keep your fingers crossed that it works, knowing how difficult things will get if it doesn't, or do you save that £100 needed for players and use that money to try to financially stabilise the club in what will be a bit of an uncontrollable downward spiral.

And as part of that difficult mix is the Glazers, who strike me as not the sorts to walk away unless they can cash-in big (and that opportunity will be lost), and who might turn out to be far worse than H&G were for Liverpool when the shit is hitting the fan.

If Utd drop out the top 4 that's not everything lost - but getting back is not going to be any walk in the park even in the best of circumstances.

[strummer77]

I'm far from convinced we'll get top 4 but it is more fun not being completely rubbish again.

[eFestivals]

Weren't you saying Liverpool would finish below southampton a week ago!

Not quite. I was saying I wouldn't be surprised if they did.

I'm still not entirely convinced by Liverpool, and I reckon Soton are better than many are giving them credit for - for example, very good performance yesterday against another one of the top teams (they've done well against them all, even if they're not got points).

It's these next few games which will show where Liverpool really sit against the others.

The trouble at this stage is people overreact to wins and losses. I would agree Liverpools start to the season means they won't be out of contention with an awful December. Looking at the fixture list Liverpool first half of the season has been weighted to poorer teams at home and better away, the second will of course be the opposite. I think that Liverpool may find the second half more difficult to accumulate the same points without the same level of gimees, they will need to be consistent in ensuring home form doesn't drop off too much. I still think spurs is the biggest December game and looking forward to it.

Spurs are still spurs. Haven't you got that yet?

Seriously, they may improve a little, but they're going nowhere spectacular this season. They have the ability to damage Liverpool in that game, but their own fate is already pretty much sealed.

It's Everton that the likes of Liverpool has to worry about.

[zahidf]

UTD could always do a Liverpool/Chelsea and win the Champions League...

And how bad are Chelsea doing at the mo???

[kaosmark2]

Has a man utd fan on here said sack him? Or even criticised him?

[kaosmark2]

UTD could always do a Liverpool/Chelsea and win the Champions League...