English Football Thread 2013/14

[El Loco]

Lots of rumours flying around of a Villa takeover, apparently the 5th richest man in the world is interested Haven't got an inkling as to who he is though. Reported in the Telegraph as well as the Guardian, plus a statement from the chairman on the club website and a refusal of denial that he is going to sell the club.
Lambert's position looks like a pretty precarious one too, with both Culverhouse and Karsa - whom he brought from Carrow Road - suspended. I for one would love to see Gordan Cowans step up to the job, if only temporarily, the legend he is, would win over the claret and blue faithful immediately.

 

[ParkedTheBus]

Levy + AVB + Baldini is going to be one hell of a combo. Class appointment if it goes through. Baldini was voted Serie A's Mercato of the year last season - has a great track record.

Haha , look back , one hell of a combo , indeed. AVB did not get the 3 quality players he wanted , he was instead given 5 useless ones , with the 2 Eriks ( Eriksen and Erik Lamela ) being the only exceptions

 

[thedon5]

Lamela was useless when you look at the price.

 

[KBC]

Diaby is fit again. It's a thing you hear once every year. Finally Wenger has an almost fit squad (barring Wilshere and Walcott) after the tide has passed. You'd expect arsenal to finish 4th and win the FA cup from here on.

Meanwhile, Ryan Giggs is now confirmed as the Manchester United Manager. Live it up while it lasts.

 

[khaleel]

Diaby is fit again. It's a thing you hear once every year. Finally Wenger has an almost fit squad (barring Wilshere and Walcott) after the tide has passed. You'd expect arsenal to finish 4th and win the FA cup from here on.

Meanwhile, Ryan Giggs is now confirmed as the Manchester United Manager. Live it up while it lasts.

He could start by giving atleast one game to a few youth players, like James Wilson and Andreas Pereira, in maybe the Hull match. Would do them some good.

I am certainly expecting Arsenal to take the FA Cup, watching Wenger lose out on even that is something I would not like.

 

[Abhas]

Meanwhile, Ryan Giggs is now confirmed as the Manchester United Manager. Live it up while it lasts.

Interim or permanently?

 

[Sulaiman7]

Interim

This.

 

[MasterBlaster76]

His biggest fault was that he isn't Sir Alex and couldn't inspire poor squad into the top 4 like Sir Alex did. That's not saying much. Most would have failed to match SAF's overachievement. Deserved another season to make it his team (or more so than it is right now) and clear some deadwood, at the very least.

It's that it was such a disastrous season, such an implosion. If we'd been consistently in the top four even if we finished just outside, maybe he would've been given another season.

Who do we get next, that is now the big question of course.

 

[thedon5]

Diaby is fit again. It's a thing you hear once every year. Finally Wenger has an almost fit squad (barring Wilshere and Walcott) after the tide has passed. You'd expect arsenal to finish 4th and win the FA cup from here on.

Meanwhile, Ryan Giggs is now confirmed as the Manchester United Manager. Live it up while it lasts.

Hopefully it's for good now... What a wasted talent he is.

I'll never forget the way he destroyed Liverpool at Anfield last season. It shut all the doubters up. You would have been forgiven for mistaking him for Yaya Toure.

 

[Lee1981]

You would have been forgiven for mistaking him for Kolo Toure.

Fixed

 

[ParkedTheBus]

van Gaal and de Boer look most likely. But if you ask me , I'd love AVB.

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Lamela was useless when you look at the price.

He is barely 22. Give him some time. Coco did not do well in his first season at Roma either. I'm sure he will do well. Just needs to get used to the place. And it does not help when the manager has absolutely no confidence in you.

And Costa did not do very well today. We parked the bus and he couldn't do shit. He may flop against palace and teams like that as well , teams who park the bus. He may end up as Torres mark II. Food for thought , guys..

 

[thedon5]

You don't spend that much on a player just for potential, you can get young players who will perform later on for ?5-10 m. He was bought to produce immediately and to grow into a world class player, he has been awful and right now he is nowhere near world class.

Costa is not Torres. He's an animal. Confidence will never be an issue for him like it is/was for Torres.

Is he as talented as Torres when he arrived though? I don't think so, Liverpool Torres was one of the best strikers of recent times in the Premier League.

 

[ParkedTheBus]

Nando was poor from a technical point of view. He relied on his amazing speed. It was the injury at 2010 WC that proved his downfall. The issue is , we need someone who can score against teams who park the bus. Costa did not do it , neither did Cavani. Both had glorious chances , which they missed. So maybe the 2 are not what we need. You cannot judge someone on one game , but both looked totally unconvincing.



P.S: I apologize if I seem to be contradicting myself , I just cannot put my thoughts into words.

 

[P Squared]

But if you ask me , I'd love AVB.

I want some of that crack.

 

[Epic]

His biggest fault was that he isn't Sir Alex and couldn't inspire poor squad into the top 4 like Sir Alex did. That's not saying much. Most would have failed to match SAF's overachievement. Deserved another season to make it his team (or more so than it is right now) and clear some deadwood, at the very least.

The squad was/is poor, but I think this is almost overstated at this point, the young players in the squad who Fergie saw fit to replace the older ones just haven't performed this season and you have to put that down to Moyes' incompetence imo.

van Gaal and de Boer look most likely. But if you ask me , I'd love AVB.

I don't see an announcement coming up until the season's finished up, the guys supposedly up on United's shortlist are Klopp, Simeone, Ancelotti, Conte and LVG, only 1 of those guys is really available this summer and there could potentially be 2 if Simeone wins the CL and wants a new adventure.

And Costa did not do very well today. We parked the bus and he couldn't do shit. He may flop against palace and teams like that as well , teams who park the bus. He may end up as Torres mark II. Food for thought , guys..

That's just ridiculous I must say, Costa even if he is supposedly bad against teams who park the bus, he would absolutely annihilate the rest, turn matches Mourinho sees as tactical draws into wins.

You don't spend that much on a player just for potential, you can get young players who will perform later on for ?5-10 m. He was bought to produce immediately and to grow into a world class player, he has been awful and right now he is nowhere near world class.

Costa is not Torres. He's an animal. Confidence will never be an issue for him like it is/was for Torres.

Is he as talented as Torres when he arrived though? I don't think so, Liverpool Torres was one of the best strikers of recent times in the Premier League.

Yes, but there's a better shot at Lamela reaching the potential he showed at Roma than there would be some random young player you can get for ?5-10m, just an example, Suarez when he first arrived at Liverpool, from his arrival in the winter of 2011 to the summer of 2012, he didn't look like the player that scored 40+ goals for Ajax, and then it all changed when Rodgers came in.

I'd happily take Lamela at City, would be cheap as well given everyone just slags him.