The Mourinho Thread

[Sir Mikel OBE 4,746]

I cannot believe people actually get paid to write that crap

Not just paid, but paid well. Sickening to think the editor that "ok'ed" the release of that rubbish is making nearly 100 thousand pounds a year.

[Ankit 3,176]

those have to be interns

Yup, and those interns must have some serious excuse up their sleeve when they are called up to their boss's cabin!!

[Barbara 15,149]

I have a communications major, can I get paid to write rubbish too?

I do want to move to England, so maybe that's the ticket?

[iceboy 992]

Its funny how a flight from madrid can make you look 10 years younger. (copy from youtube)

[Heisenberg 1,824]

I'd trust Mourinho selling Mata. I think we overrate him (sorry) just slightly. He goes missing in a lot of games despite pulling something out the bag and he really is not a playmaker; he's simply an attacking midfielder (like Iniesta is an attacking midfielder whereas Silva would be a playmaker).

Mourinho likes proper playmakers in advanced positions like Deco, Sneijder and Ozil - something we currently don't have.

I don't think there's substance to the Marca story at all, but I would on a level understand the reasoning.

I'd be upset though. My favourite player Mata is.

Leif, is that you who posted that ?

[Term-X 7,891]

City are signing players left right and centre without an actual manager in charge..

For once, I'm pleased we haven't done the same.

[Leif 6,006]

It's funny. Just having Mourinho in charge makes me not care who City or United sign, even if they go get Cavani, Xavi and Casillas or whoever. Calm. I only ever feel calm with Jose (or Ancelotti at a stretch since he's so suave) in charge.

[The only place to be 11,313]

Good gracious. I stated I'd understand Mourinho's reasoning for selling Mata due to him preferring a different sort of player. I didn't say "Mata is the same level as Benayoun, I hope he is sold" but you'd think it.

I think you made a decent point, but I think the bigger issue that could affect Mata is Oscar.

When we signed Oscar, I thought he was a potential ballon d'or winner. But this season he's been moved out of position to accomodate Mata who has himself been quite remarkable. The problem is that Mata doesn't contribute enough defensively, whereas Oscar is a tenacious little git with a real bite about him.

I'm not sure if we'll sell him, but I think that for Oscar to reach his peak then Mata has to move aside (to the wing or elsewhere) and I think that Oscar has the higher ceiling in terms of what they could become. It's damn near heresy to discuss such a thing and I love everything about Mata both on the pitch and off it, but I think this is an issue that will grow over the next 12 months.

[Fernando 6,376]

City are signing players left right and centre without an actual manager in charge..

For once, I'm pleased we haven't done the same.

Well it is thought to be Pellegrini.

Anyways, just read this:

Man City 'agree £34m fee' for Fernandinho

...........

Wow really? those guys are idiot. 34 for such a player?

But then again, can't say much since we payed 50 mill for Torres!

[DYC. 7,542]

City are signing players left right and centre without an actual manager in charge..

For once, I'm pleased we haven't done the same.

They're good signings though. They're actually bringing in players that were needed, didn't expect that at all tbh.

And come on, we all know it's gonna be Pellegrini in charge.

I hope we don't take too long to strengthen our squad. Appointing Mourinho and all is fine but signing a few quality players is what we truly need to compete.

[Barbara 15,149]

I do hope Mou sticks with the plan of signing less and working more with the guys we already have, especially the youngsters.

We don't need much imo and we only have a terrible problem in the attack.

While I think we need a world class CB and another DM it's not like our defense is terrible. The main problem was in the coaching - or lack of it - last season. We had the same guys that made this defense the best in the world (imo) by the end of 11/12 season. But then you have no pattern, no tactics well defined, no one actually working to improve the team and Terry being injured that happened and we were shaky to say the least.

But we seriously need some quality in the attack. Desperately. What's the point of having Mazacar if the guys they're passing the ball to don't know what to do with it?

Ba seems to have felt the weight of our shirt, Torres should have never come - much less for 50M - and didn't do any less than I expected him to do. If he had been good I would have been surprised.

So while I wanted Lewawdowski, someone like de Rossi and someone like Varane, that's about it. I think we have chances of getting de Rossi, and hopefully a very good striker and preferably a rising star in the position as well, so Mourinho can develop him.

But what we need almost as desperately as a good striker is good coaching and that's assured when Mourinho is in the command. We suffered from bad striker as much as we suffered from bad coaching last season.

And I mean coaching, not managing. I love Roberto, but he was still limited tactically and I refuse to talk about the spanish waiter.

[bluesman2610 1,227]

Well it is thought to be Pellegrini.

Anyways, just read this:

Man City 'agree £34m fee' for Fernandinho

...........

Wow really? those guys are idiot. 34 for such a player?

But then again, can't say much since we payed 50 mill for Torres!

the 50m for Torres is hindsight man when you read his thread no one would have thought he would be as poor as he had been so you cant really say tie the two together... its like when you spend little on a player and they turn out to be fantastic every says oh what a brilliant signing for the money but you have no idea how it would turn out like marin we got him for a great price he has ben poor and not getting into the side so his purchase is considered a flop..

[Fernando 6,376]

the 50m for Torres is hindsight man when you read his thread no one would have thought he would be as poor as he had been so you cant really say tie the two together... its like when you spend little on a player and they turn out to be fantastic every says oh what a brilliant signing for the money but you have no idea how it would turn out like marin we got him for a great price he has ben poor and not getting into the side so his purchase is considered a flop..

Yes but buys like Torres, and Kaka inflate the market price.

Cause if you pay that much for piece of shit like them, then average to good players increase higher.

[Barbara 15,149]

oh I expected Torres to be bad - maybe not this bad, but definitely bad - because he has always been overrated imo. Very overrated not only by Liverpool fans, but especially by Spanish media and fans.

He was never world class and years only made it more clear, and as he's no Benjamin Button it was sort of expected that he would get even worse here... I remember as if it was yesterday my rant on twitter when I heard he had been signed. And what a rant that was, not only about the outrageous amount of money, but mainly because it was Torres of all people.

But yeah, I guess he's been even worse than I expected, despite having expected him to suck

[bluesman2610 1,227]

Yes but buys like Torres, and Kaka inflate the market price.

Cause if you pay that much for piece of shit like them, then average to good players increase higher.

but again you as a club have no way of knowning a player is not going to be full value you for money its a risk you take when you sign any player.. the fact that every so often you pay excessive amounts of money for former world class players not taking their current form into consideration.. cause at one point kaka and torres were champions and world beaters i can see you calling them poor over the last 3 seasons they have been but its not them that increase market price its just natural inflation.. operation cost of clubs have gone up and in order to help with that and also to prevent big clubs poaching players they are now putting large release clauses in contracts.. its a business now

[Term-X 7,891]

They're good signings though. They're actually bringing in players that were needed, didn't expect that at all tbh.

And come on, we all know it's gonna be Pellegrini in charge.

I hope we don't take too long to strengthen our squad. Appointing Mourinho and all is fine but signing a few quality players is what we truly need to compete.

Regardless, if a manager is in place.. a more hands on approach can be had in transfer dealings. If we sign someone now we know Mourinho would have had influence over that decision. Barcelona are run in the same way as City, but unlike the Manchester club they have an actual youth policy and a culture at the club of bringing through home-grown players. Thus the coaching staff/managers (also products of their system) know them 'inside out'.

[DYC. 7,542]

Regardless, if a manager is in place.. a more hands on approach can be had in transfer dealings. If we sign someone now we know Mourinho would have had influence over that decision. Barcelona are run in the same way as City, but unlike the Manchester club they have an actual youth policy and a culture at the club of bringing through home-grown players. Thus the coaching staff/managers (also products of their system) know them 'inside out'.

There's a truth in what your saying but we all know Pellegrini is joining them, just like we knew Moruinho was coming here before he was officialy appointed (and I think he had a say in their signings, wouldn't be the first time something like that happened).

But back to Mourinho, I'm mostly wondering how he'll make the team play. Pre-season matches, especially against inferior opponents, won't say much so I guess the signings he'll make will 'reveal the most' until the season actually starts.

[Cosmin 2,484]

http://www.lasexta.com/noticias/deportes/arbeloa-mourinho-partido-cara-han-partido-defender-club_2013060500163.html

Arbeloa proving that he has balls. Class act.