Premier League 23/24 Thread

[theforceuk]

Why does ETH have to be in danger of losing his job @weasel ? Second ever Man Utd coach to win a trophy in first season, took the worst ever PL Man Utd team from 8th to 3rd with an improvement of 15 points in 12 months. Had a better first season than Klopp, Pep and Artetta, joint first fastest manager at Utd to get 50 wins. Unbelievable amount of off field ****, lazy overpaid players. Who sacks a manager that is 6 points from top 4 in December and has just won PL manager of the month? 18 months into a 5 year project, why would you give him less time than every other manger in the last 10 years. Absolute nonsense sacking him now.

Who they gonna bring in anyway, even these owners can't be that stupid. A new coach wouldn't be put in place to the summer so would probably be Steve McC until then. And the new coach would want to get rid of most of ETH signings and spend another £400m. And get rid of the players from the previous 3 managers. Martial is starting because there is no one else, it's a joke.

 

[weasel]

I didn't say I would sack him, I agree it's daft to give him the boot, I said he must be in danger of the sack, if purely due to the results Utd have had this season. His loss record this year is almost 50%. I don't care who you are, if you manage a big six/seven side and you lose almost half your games you are going to be in danger of getting the boot. You can see the media circus gathering round OT. They sense blood and want another managerial scalp to help flog papers or generate clicks/views.

It's easier to replace a manager than sell a dozen underperforming overpaid prima-donnas. Utd are also appalling at selling players, and have been for years. Add to that the fact that a lot of those boys are on big money and won't like the ego booting from having to move from such a big club to a 'lesser club'. Harry Maguire refusing to join WH last summer was a prime example. Their wages rule out a lot of potential clubs and their egos will rule out more. Can you see any other "big" club coming in for, say, Martial? Or Dalot?

Utd's problems run very deep, and most are not ETH's fault, but it is easier to "fix" the underperforming team by sacking him than fixing the board room or the team.
Saying that ETH, doesn't help himself. Playing Martial is bizarre. The guy is dreadful and has been for most of his time at Utd (Watch him score 4 on Sunday). Also, a lot of ETH's signings have been poor. Anthony is a winger with no goals or assists this season, he cost £80m. Onana has been very patchy and is he an improvement on DDG? Mason Mount hasn't been a success, albeit he has had a few injuries. Casemiro's legs seem to have gone, and he's bound to be on megabucks so hard to shift. He was only ever going to be an expensive stopgap signing. Granted it looked a "good" signing on paper, ignoring the fee.
Compare that list, and I ignored players he signed on loan, with the list of his signings who have been a success. Martinez, that's it. He's spent how many hundred million?

Last night was hardly a ringing endorsement of ETH's Utd. Yes, they had a tonne of injuries and unavailabilities, but Bayern cruised that game in second gear. Did Neuer make a save that one of us couldn't have made?

I don't think sacking ETH is the right call, as you say, who the **** is available who would do a better job. But the longer Utd continue to regress, and this season cant be seen as anything other than 'regression' the more the pressure mounts on him. And he needs to start helping himself.

 

[theforceuk]

I agree completely apart from Casemiro, his legs haven't gone, he had a bad start to the season that's it and Antony could still come good.

My biggest concern with ETH is his midfield choices, he constantly picks one defensive midfielder and teams walk through the midfield. If he plays one holding midfielder on Sunday it will be another blood bath.

Unfortunately you are right about his job safety land although I wouldn't give a toss about his win percentage this season, fans and owners will. I think Artetta and Klopp finished 8th in there second seasons?

The club is financially screwed and part of me is loving the fact we're out of Europe because that is one revenue stream gone. Hopefully it will expose the Glazers quicker.

 

[weasel]

I think you're right on Arteta, 8th, 8th, 4th possibly.
Klopp was 8th in his first season, albeit he took over in October. Then 4th, 4th, 2nd, 1st. With a few CL finals bucked in. So he doesn't really compare with ETH once you look beyond purely league finishes. There was always clear progression with Klopp, sure there were bad results and patches, but you could see the way he wanted to play and that the team was getting better. I'm still not sure how ETH wants to play, and there definitely won't be a CL final for Utd this year. This season has been a disaster for him/Utd too. They may turn it around, who knows, but so far the first 4/5 months are more of a regression than Klopp had in his early Pool days. It doesn't mean ETH won't go on to be a success…..although, needless to say, I hope he isn't lol.

We can predict Utd's starting line up on Sunday now. It's the team that started the second half, Onana, AWB, Dalot, Evans, Varane, Amrabat, McTom, Anthony, Garnacho and Hojberg. That's only 10 cos Bruno is suspended. Add in Sir Marcus and or possibly Mainoo to shore up the midfield and that's it. I think everyone else is either a keeper, a kid or injured.
Maybe Regulion comes in at LB and one of Dalot AWB drops to the bench but for the most part I suspect that's the team.

On that note, what is wrong with Casemiro, Mount and Lindeloft?

 

[theforceuk]

All injured, Casemiro close to returning I believe. I wander how many are injured for Sunday or just scared shitless. I'm not comparing ETH to Klopp, just pointing out that he didn't have instant success, certainly not in the first 2 years AND any other manager would have got sacked last season if they had had the season that Klopp had at Liverpool. I suspect ETH would have had trouble keeping his job if he had had the start at Utd that Klopp had at Liverpool last season.

It's modern football for you, no one is aloud a bad season any more, Klopp has completely rebuilt Liverpools midfield in 2 transfer windows and they're back on track. I can see exactly what ETH is trying to do there are glimpses of it when the players can be bothered. If he gets Martinez and Casimero fit before he gets sacked it will make a difference, to ball playing defensive players that go straight into the team.

 

[weasel]

Looks like Rashford and Shaw might be fit for Sunday, that will help Utd (I think).

And I think Klopp even said last year that he would have been fired at most other clubs given how poor Liverpool were for huge chunks of it.


Ohh and he rebuilt Pool's midfield in ONE window, last summer. McAllister, Sobozlai, Endo (I know), and Gravenbarch all in over the summer.


All the talk in the media is about how Utd are going to Anfield for a hiding and Liverpool are brilliant etc. That's exactly the opposite of what it was for most of the 90's and early 2000's and Danny Murphy scored the winner at OT, was it two or three season's running?
No one seems to be talking about how Pool have been poor in their last 3 games, I'm ignoring the EL defeat in midweek cos it was a glorified under 20's team. Yes, they won those games, but they were shite for huge chunks of all of them. This is NOT a 'firing on all cylinders' Liverpool. Throw in a few injuries, yes Utd have more, but my point is more that it is not the foregone conclusion the media seem to make it out to be.

Regardless, we'd both take being played off the park for 90 mins plus stoppage time and scoring with the one quarter chance you get after it deflects off 3 players and a seagull to wrong foot a barely awake Alison/Onana.

 

[theforceuk]

Yes definitely! Football has a funny way of surprising everyone sometimes. I've gone 7-1 on my prediction thing I do. I may well change it by kick off.

Haven't seen the red card tonight but heard it was harsh. Another VAR error perhaps?

Unbelievable Jeff!

 

[jayjedi]

Looks like Rashford and Shaw might be fit for Sunday, that will help Utd (I think).

And I think Klopp even said last year that he would have been fired at most other clubs given how poor Liverpool were for huge chunks of it.


Ohh and he rebuilt Pool's midfield in ONE window, last summer. McAllister, Sobozlai, Endo (I know), and Gravenbarch all in over the summer.


All the talk in the media is about how Utd are going to Anfield for a hiding and Liverpool are brilliant etc. That's exactly the opposite of what it was for most of the 90's and early 2000's and Danny Murphy scored the winner at OT, was it two or three season's running?
No one seems to be talking about how Pool have been poor in their last 3 games, I'm ignoring the EL defeat in midweek cos it was a glorified under 20's team. Yes, they won those games, but they were shite for huge chunks of all of them. This is NOT a 'firing on all cylinders' Liverpool. Throw in a few injuries, yes Utd have more, but my point is more that it is not the foregone conclusion the media seem to make it out to be.

Regardless, we'd both take being played off the park for 90 mins plus stoppage time and scoring with the one quarter chance you get after it deflects off 3 players and a seagull to wrong foot a barely awake Alison/Onana.

Hi Weasel, I can see another 7-1 mate, we are terrible at the moment, going to take the kids to a zoo and just forget about it

 

[weasel]

@jayjedi hello mate, been far too long. I didn't even know you still frequented these boards, good to see you about! Even if you still support that shower of shite.


I can see Utd sitting in, like they sort of did against Bayern, and playing on the break. TBF to Utd they do play best when the other team dominates possession. If they score first it could be interesting, albeit Pool's record of coming from behind (insert your own schoolboy joke there) is very good as is their ability to score late. But then Utd are in that all too familiar pattern of be ****, be ****, do JUST enough to make it seem harsh to sack a manager and repeat. If they do get something on Sunday I would put money on them losing 8-0 to Forest in a few weeks. It's just how they seem to roll.


I saw chunks of the Spuds game last night, a bit workman like. If Forest could score…..or hit the ****ing target…they might have got something but Spuds deserved the points. And the red card was very fair. Studs to the opponents shin. In a way it was similar to Curtis Jones' red against Spurs. There is/was no intent to hurt the opponent it was just slightly mistimed and looked worse in slow mo. 5 years ago you get a yellow, now you get a red.

 

[edd_jedi]

Yep another idiotic red card for Spurs, it's hampering us more than injuries at the moment. But why wasn't Yates booked for his imaginary yellow card? I thought that was supposed to be an instant booking now. Instead the referee took his advice!

 

[weasel]

The number of times I have seen that NOT punished recently is unreal. It looks like another of those idea they bring in at the start of the season and then drop midway through.

 

[jayjedi]

"@jayjedi hello mate, been far too long. I didn't even know you still frequented these boards, good to see you about! Even if you still support that shower of shite"
I still pop in just not had a lot to say I guess, and I can't help who I support, Its a childhood thing
But its good to hear from you too.

 

[theforceuk]

Another VAR decision that went Man City's way today, how was that not a straight red for Ederson? Ridiculous.

 

[lejackal]

Here's hoping Lockyer is okay - two collapses with heart problems in 9 months or so doesn't look good though. Wishing him a speedy recovery.

 

[weasel]

Yeap, fingers crossed he's okay. Not sure he'll play again after that, but that is very much a secondary concern.

Not seen the Ederson one but I have seen the Jiminez one. Dafuq was he trying to do? He does pull out of the "tackle" but WHY was he flying in with his foot that high to start with? He almost deserved a red just for being that stupid.

@jayjedi it's never too late to repent and see the light! Give up on that shower and support someone else…..ANYONE else. Even Chelsea are an improvement, a very slight improvement, but an improvement.

 

[_Lee_]

Absolutely heartbroken tonight. It was bad enough being there when he collapsed in May but watching it today hit home. Tom Lockyer is a Luton legend in my eyes, and always will be. I'm praying he recovers fully.

Football doesn't matter at the moment.

 

[weasel]

Agreed 100%.
It sounds like he is responsive in the hospital, so fingers crossed.


I have now seen the Ederson one, from one not ideal angle. There was a covering defender, BUT he quite blatantly and cynically takes out the Palace boy. He's lucky that was only a yellow. So unlike City to get a soft decision go in their favour

 

[theforceuk]

Yeah the angle I've seen the Palace player would have still had a shot at the empty goal.

As said all pretty meaningless on a day like that. Terrible seeing it, so glad he's ok.

 

[weasel]

That was the worst game of football I have ever seen. Neither side deserved a point. In fact the PL should probably dock them both points for being so ****.


And City get the easiest team in the draw (CL), that's unusual

 

[lejackal]

VAR/general governance gripe number 437:

Football needs to give its head a wobble when this is deemed acceptable and the Villa lad touching the other players face is a sending off