The Board

[xPetrCechx 13,546]

[the wes 7,212]

2 hours ago, xPetrCechx said:

Ooh ffs not again 

[OneMoSalah 8,614]

Here we go again. Hopefully no transfer window bans.

[Amblève. 4,995]

On 1.9.2017 at 9:45 PM, BlueLyon said:

I must admit, I have absolutely nothing against Emenalo if he did his job well, but as goes for Marina...well I will always think females are less suited for football, no matter how intelligent or educated. Its in dudes nature to understand football more and in the end when footballers we want talk to our representatives, Im sure they give alot more interest and respect to someone who is excellent in football business ala Peter Kenyon than someone like Marina.

Similar is with Ac Milan, back then in 2011 when Barbara Berlusconi was appointed, it went all down for them until this year.

Ah yes, how could a woman ever grasp the concept of a sport which revolves around 22 human beings chasing a ball on a rectangle field of grass. Sure, female quantum physicists have helped humanity understand the origins of everything a bit more and of course female scientists have also contributed towards fighting and defeating deadly diseases BUT FOOTBALL? No chance, mate.

[BlueLyon 9,359]

8 hours ago, Amblève. said:

Ah yes, how could a woman ever grasp the concept of a sport which revolves around 22 human beings chasing a ball on a rectangle field of grass. Sure, female quantum physicists have helped humanity understand the origins of everything a bit more and of course female scientists have also contributed towards fighting and defeating deadly diseases BUT FOOTBALL? No chance, mate.

No man will ever understand women as good as women do and vice versa. As primitive as it sounds, its natural football was always mans sport. 

Woman can handle business perfectly, I fully agree. Everything resolving around running business, money,..etc. But when it comes to football as to what it is, men will understand it better. 

And it has nothing to do with feminism, I think women are at least as capable in nearly every thing as men. But football is phyical and tactical, which naturaly fits men more, thats why best players are male, best managers are male, best scouts are male and best sporting directors are male.

Choosing between average dude like me or you, Marina eats us for dinner in football business. But against very best sporting directors out there? Nope.

[OhForAGreavsie 5,775]

52 minutes ago, BlueLyon said:

No man will ever understand women as good as women do and vice versa. As primitive as it sounds, its natural football was always mans sport. 

Woman can handle business perfectly, I fully agree. Everything resolving around running business, money,..etc. But when it comes to football as to what it is, men will understand it better. 

And it has nothing to do with feminism, I think women are at least as capable in nearly every thing as men. But football is phyical and tactical, which naturaly fits men more, thats why best players are male, best managers are male, best scouts are male and best sporting directors are male.

Choosing between average dude like me or you, Marina eats us for dinner in football business. But against very best sporting directors out there? Nope.

What?

[OhForAGreavsie 5,775]

On 02/09/2017 at 11:43 AM, King11Didier said:

...
I was hoping the board to bring world class players who can bring the club to another level and fight for CL and PL this year, can't see this happening now though, again we have to rely on Conte's magic to turn avarage players to world class ones.

Do you believe that Antonio has already turned average players into world class ones?

[King11Didier 916]

10 hours ago, OhForAGreavsie said:

Do you believe that Antonio has already turned average players into world class ones?

Not really, If he manage to reach CL final or 1/2 final with the likes of Alonso and Moses/Zappacosta, I'd say he has done it completely.
But you can see how these players and not only, improved a lot under Conte and won him the PL title. Something Ferguson was doing at united, winning PL for fun with the likes of Carrick, Brown, Evans, Park, Fletcher(the list is really big!).

[OhForAGreavsie 5,775]

2 hours ago, King11Didier said:

Not really, If he manage to reach CL final or 1/2 final with the likes of Alonso and Moses/Zappacosta, I'd say he has done it completely.
But you can see how these players and not only, improved a lot under Conte and won him the PL title. Something Ferguson was doing at united, winning PL for fun with the likes of Carrick, Brown, Evans, Park, Fletcher(the list is really big!).

In fact I don't believe that Antonio has improved those players at all. He has simply put them in a team framework which gives them cover for their deficiencies and allows them to make maximum use of their strengths. In terms of their personal qualities they are exactly the same players they ever were.

I was taken by surprise in the way Antonio used Victor but I was very pleased the day we signed Marcos and was fully expecting that he would be able to help us. Even so, I completely agree with your assessment that both of our wing backs need to be upgraded. I'd say that assessment of yours is evidence in itself that these players have not all of a sudden made a step up in class.

Like pretty much all of us, I hoped that the window would go better than it did but I don't see it as a complete fail in the way that some do. I'm on record as saying I did not think it would be possible to recruit solutions to all of our needs so perhaps that explains why I'm not as disappointed as some.

One thing is for sure. I absolutely, totally, reject the the idea that members of our board are at one and the same time more evil than Sauron, and more stupid than Mr. Bean. We know the outcome of their efforts in the transfer window, but we don't see the input. We don't know the instructions under which, or the parameters within which, our squad builders operate. Unless you know that it is not possible to make a rational assessment of their performance. People lashing out at the board are just frustrated and in need of someone to blame.

[Jase 43,479]

 

[communicate 2,703]

16 hours ago, OhForAGreavsie said:

In fact I don't believe that Antonio has improved those players at all. He has simply put them in a team framework which gives them cover for their deficiencies and allows them to make maximum use of their strengths. In terms of their personal qualities they are exactly the same players they ever were.

I was taken by surprise in the way Antonio used Victor but I was very pleased the day we signed Marcos and was fully expecting that he would be able to help us. Even so, I completely agree with your assessment that both of our wing backs need to be upgraded. I'd say that assessment of yours is evidence in itself that these players have not all of a sudden made a step up in class.

Like pretty much all of us, I hoped that the window would go better than it did but I don't see it as a complete fail in the way that some do. I'm on record as saying I did not think it would be possible to recruit solutions to all of our needs so perhaps that explains why I'm not as disappointed as some.

One thing is for sure. I absolutely, totally, reject the the idea that members of our board are at one and the same time more evil than Sauron, and more stupid than Mr. Bean. We know the outcome of their efforts in the transfer window, but we don't see the input. We don't know the instructions under which, or the parameters within which, our squad builders operate. Unless you know that it is not possible to make a rational assessment of their performance. People lashing out at the board are just frustrated and in need of someone to blame.

For me wing back was the 1st priority where I thought we desperately need improvement which is why I was unhappy with our transfer.

I don't think as 11st eleven we improve at all probably slightly worsen,but as a squad we definitely get better.

 

[OhForAGreavsie 5,775]

5 hours ago, communicate said:

For me wing back was the 1st priority where I thought we desperately need improvement which is why I was unhappy with our transfer.

I don't think as 11st eleven we improve at all probably slightly worsen,but as a squad we definitely get better.

 

I had five positional upgrades in mind for the summer. I had RWB 2nd on that list, RF 4th and LWB 5th. None were resolved.

I agree with you that our gains this summer are in the improved depth of the squad but I believe we may have improved the first XI, albeit very, very, marginally. If I look for positives out of the situation, I'd say one is that our transfer needs are now very sharply focused. Baring minor adjustments, squad depth has been ticked. What we need now are first team upgrades. No possibility of ambiguity or conflicting priorities. The next two windows have to be about recruiting starters.

[communicate 2,703]

3 hours ago, OhForAGreavsie said:

I had five positional upgrades in mind for the summer. I had RWB 2nd on that list, RF 4th and LWB 5th. None were resolved.

I agree with you that our gains this summer are in the improved depth of the squad but I believe we may have improved the first XI, albeit very, very, marginally. If I look for positives out of the situation, I'd say one is that our transfer needs are now very sharply focused. Baring minor adjustments, squad depth has been ticked. What we need now are first team upgrades. No possibility of ambiguity or conflicting priorities. The next two windows have to be about recruiting starters.

For me either wb has to be the 1st priority  last summer. 

I disagree in term of first team improvements. We basically replace Costa with Morata and Matic with bakayoko. For all the crap that people say about Costa, he is a fantastic player that complement our team very well. He bring physicallity we don't have up top. Morata is still new and you can tell physically he is not ready. In midfield bakayoko is maybe more suited to this formation but clearly he need time to adapt. We should be better off longterm. because both are younger but short term I think we kinda have a drop off. 

[OhForAGreavsie 5,775]

14 hours ago, communicate said:

For me either wb has to be the 1st priority  last summer. 

I disagree in term of first team improvements. We basically replace Costa with Morata and Matic with bakayoko. For all the crap that people say about Costa, he is a fantastic player that complement our team very well. He bring physicallity we don't have up top. Morata is still new and you can tell physically he is not ready. In midfield bakayoko is maybe more suited to this formation but clearly he need time to adapt. We should be better off longterm. because both are younger but short term I think we kinda have a drop off. 

Fair enough we simply see it differently. I'm one of those who thought Matic was hopeless and absolute priority number one to be replaced. Bakayoko, albeit with more adjusting to be done, is already a far better player in my opinion. So too is Danny D come to that.

Alvaro has some attributes which Costa cannot match but the reverse is also true. Overall Costa suits the style we have played better than Alvaro does. Or he should do. Costa, after January was a disaster and deliberately so in my opinion. The rest of the squad were trying to win the league; he was trying his best to ensure his transfer fee fell to a level Atletico could and would pay. Alvaro is a major upgrade over that version of Costa.

[Henrique 9,133]

2 hours ago, OhForAGreavsie said:

Fair enough we simply see it differently. I'm one of those who thought Matic was hopeless and absolute priority number one to be replaced. Bakayoko, albeit with more adjusting to be done, is already a far better player in my opinion. So too is Danny D in my opinion.

Alvaro has some attributes which Costa cannot match but the reverse is also true. Overall Costa suits the style we have played better than Alvaro does. Or he should do. Costa, after January was a disaster and deliberately so in my opinion. The rest of the squad were trying to win the league; he was trying his best to ensure his transfer fee fell to a level Atletico could and would pay. Alvaro is a major upgrade over that version of Costa.

Costa still scored some crucial goals after January. Actually replacing Costa with Morata was the only low if the transfer market, but thats Conte's fault and the board can't be blamed for that.

[OhForAGreavsie 5,775]

8 hours ago, Henrique said:

Costa still scored some crucial goals after January. Actually replacing Costa with Morata was the only low if the transfer market, but thats Conte's fault and the board can't be blamed for that.

For me it's an unarguable fact that Costa was useless in the second half of last season. The odd goal does not change that.

If you are a professional footballer, playing as a striker for a league leading team, you will score goals. That is not what counts. What matters, what decides if you have contributed well or otherwise, is the difference you personally make. What happens because you were there that would not have happened if someone else was there instead. Costa's contribution post Christmas was way below standard. Way, way below.

[Blusan Alamb 295]

13 hours ago, Henrique said:

Costa still scored some crucial goals after January. Actually replacing Costa with Morata was the only low if the transfer market, but thats Conte's fault and the board can't be blamed for that.

Costa always wanted to go back to Atletico. But I agree that replacing Costa with Morata was the only low in the last transfer window. We should have got Lukaku instead. And Board can be partly blamed for that as they did not act quicker than Man Utd.

[Jase 43,479]