The English Football Thread

[lucio 5,418]

We could learn from palace. Players who can actually take set pieces... makes such a difference

[Sir Mikel OBE 4,920]

1 minute ago, lucio said:

We could learn from palace. Players who can actually take set pieces... makes such a difference

So what you are saying is that you don't appreciate Willian aiming for the first defender on his corners?

[DYC. 7,542]

De Gea

Valencia/Darmian - Smalling - Bailly - Shaw

Herrera - DM* - Pogba

Mkhitaryan - Ibrahimovic - Martial/Rashford

*One of Schneiderlin, Blind, Carrick, Schweini

That's not a side to rival Barcelona but that's a good team. Plenty of potential as well. They have good alternatives as well for rotation and tactical changes (Young is still Utd player haha, amazing).

Hazard, Kante, Azpilicueta and possibly Cesc are the only players who could demand a spot in that team. City is better. Arsenal can match their quality on paper.

Man, top four is gonna be tough.

[Fulham Broadway 16,917]

I am getting a bit cheered up by West Ham and Man Utd

[AlesJuve 264]

4 hours ago, Blue_Fox_ said:

This United team are set so poorly. For the life of me how can you position Pogba as a number 6 or 10. José needs to figure it out.

Can ask for advice to Conte.

[johnnythefirst 1,076]

On 9/17/2016 at 7:21 PM, petre.ispirescu said:

Don't get me started on the Romanian clubs stories and their history of rejected players 

1) Back in 2008 I was playing five a side football at Rapid Bucharest's training ground. The team was away in Portugal for pre season, but a 20yo Seydou Doumbia was in Bucharest waiting for them to get back so he can start the trial. Meanwhile he was training on his own while we were playing five a side football. When the team got back the manager rejected him and he went to Switzerland's Young Boys. A year later CSKA bought him for 15m.

2) In 2006, 21yo Koscielny and some other anonymous player was having a trial for a defunct team now, Otopeni FC, near Bucharest. They kept the anonymous player and rejected Koscielny.

3) Rapid Bucharest, again, had 18yo Obi Mikel (2005) and 21 yo Kolarov (2007) at their training ground, but rejected both. Mikel then went to Lyn Oslo and one year later to Chelsea. For Kolarov, some team in Belgrade asked 600k, but Rapid Bucharest did not want to pay that "much" money and they sold him to Lazio instead. Three years later City bought him.

4) 18yo Zoran Tosic was close to Timisoara (now bankrupt) for 400k. Everything was agreed with the player, but the Romanian club did not want to pay the money. He went to Partizan and two years later to Man United.

5) In 2005, 20yo Taye Taiwo was playing for a Nigerian team, agent brought him to Romania, but once again, Rapid Bucharest rejected him . Went to Marseille instead.

6) In 2006, 20yo Falcao was coming after a torn ACL and some time off the pitch because of the injury. He wanted to come to Steaua Bucharest, but Steaua penny pinched at a few millions and he stayed at River. Two years later he went to Porto. 

 

Anderlecht once rejected both young Roberto Carlos and Ruud van Nistelrooy. How's that? ;-)

[Weckerz 3,781]

51 minutes ago, johnnythefirst said:

Anderlecht once rejected both young Roberto Carlos and Ruud van Nistelrooy. How's that? ;-)

and Di Maria

[Melanicus 5,208]

5 hours ago, DYC. said:

De Gea

Valencia/Darmian - Smalling - Bailly - Shaw

Herrera - DM* - Pogba

Mkhitaryan - Ibrahimovic - Martial/Rashford

*One of Schneiderlin, Blind, Carrick, Schweini

That's not a side to rival Barcelona but that's a good team. Plenty of potential as well. They have good alternatives as well for rotation and tactical changes (Young is still Utd player haha, amazing).

Hazard, Kante, Azpilicueta and possibly Cesc are the only players who could demand a spot in that team. City is better. Arsenal can match their quality on paper.

Man, top four is gonna be tough.

De Gea

Azpilicueta - Smalling - Bailly - Shaw

Fabregas - Kante - Pogba

Mkhitaryan - Ibrahimovic - Hazard

WHAT A TEAM!!!

[Tomo 21,733]

Sinclair and Murphy had their list off excuses for Rooney on MOTD just now, didn't know whether to laugh or cringe.

I'm at a loss trying to work out the situation with Rooney at club and international level, it's totally bizzare.

[Reddish-Blue 2,354]

24 minutes ago, Tomo said:

Sinclair and Murphy had their list off excuses for Rooney on MOTD just now, didn't know whether to laugh or cringe.

I'm at a loss trying to work out the situation with Rooney at club and international level, it's totally bizzare.

It's not that bizarre. 

He's been playing the game since 16 years of age, and now all those minutes/kilometres on the pitch/training ground are taking its toll on Rooney. 

He's been involved in about 600 games (club + international)...most of his former team-mates/colleagues are either in the MLS or pundits

It will be interesting to see what position he plays for the rest of his career....as he isn't a striker and he's definitely not a midfielder...

[Tomo 21,733]

20 minutes ago, Reddish-Blue said:

It's not that bizarre. 

He's been playing the game since 16 years of age, and now all those minutes/kilometres on the pitch/training ground are taking its toll on Rooney. 

He's been involved in about 600 games (club + international)...most of his former team-mates/colleagues are either in the MLS or pundits

It will be interesting to see what position he plays for the rest of his career....as he isn't a striker and he's definitely not a midfielder...

I mean his constant inclusion for both sides.

[Milan 17,859]

Just don't take him out of the starting eleven! The captain.

[Milan 17,859]

Is Shaw still a Chelsea fan?

[Special Juan 27,439]

Guardiola just been asked about if he would like to win all 4 competitions this season...his response...

"What the fuck"

[petre.ispirescu 4,928]

They are all calling for Rooney's head and Pogba to be played further up the pitch or in a 4-3-3 with Herrera and another midfielder. But didn't they do this in Rotterdam? And they was still shite?

Rooney is past it and does not justify the enormous wages he is earning. But he is not United's main problem. Their problem is that one dimensional manager and his lack of imagination. I bet they would look as turgid as they've looked so far, even if Rooney is benched.

There is no dynamism and creativity in Mourinho's tactics. He is good at analyzing the opposition and recognising different patterns of play, but I think that's about it. But what about attacking play? Does he even train this? His teams look like they would go forever without scoring if there is no individual brilliance to save the day. You see no specific movements to at least say "This is a Mourinho team". I think it's a nightmare for other managers to analyze Mourinho's patterns of play before a direct match because frankly they are kind of non existent and shit. I think they rather prefer to try and exploit Mourinho's players weaknesses than try to block his team's movement as a whole.

I remember that loss at Leicester (and his final game here) - He kept talking of how he's prepared that match for four days in which he specifically showed his players how Leicester like to attack and worked on that. Well, to be fair, I truly believe this is the only thing they have worked on - on blocking the opposition only. I have never seen Mourinho saying: "I'm mad on my players because we knew Huth and Morgan are slow and we should have taken advantage of that", "I am mad on my players because we knew they can't defend well", "I am mad on my players because we knew their GK is shite and despite that we've only shot on time on target." etc. 

It's never about attacking play with him. Always about how they should stop others from playing football. I would understand this if once they get the ball, they are great with it. But Mourinho's teams post Real Madrid are awful. With, or without the ball. Can't forget that match at the Bridge against Atletico in which he played Cole, Terry, Cahill, Ivanovic, David Luiz, Azpilicueta and Ramires at the same time. And Willian who was contributing jack shit to the attacking play. All this against Diego Simeone.

He is simply past it.

 

 

[Blue-in-me-Veins 4,067]

On September 18, 2016 at 9:46 AM, Tomo said:

Imagine if we signed Rooney in 2013, he'd be our problem now.

Wow... I had forgot JM wanted him. What a nightmare. 

Also, here's a great anecdote on the Rooney and United relationship. 

 

[DYC. 7,542]

1 hour ago, Blue-in-me-Veins said:

Wow... I had forgot JM wanted him. What a nightmare. 

Also, here's a great anecdote on the Rooney and United relationship. 

 

Despite all the records Rooney is never a great. Because you can argue Rooney has never led his team to (major) silverware. In his best ever individual season 09/10 he failed to win the title or CL (Drogba outperformed him but didn't win POTY, still one of the greatest robberies I've seen and I still get angry when I think about it).

There was the title in 10/11 but I think Nani outperformed him that season. But maybe I'm being harsh because you could give him that.

But he is without a doubt one of the best ever supporting cast players. Similar to Willian but then five times better. He was amazing as the so-called unsung hero in 05-09.(so unsung everyone kept praising him.

Funny thing is, in 30 years from now, Rooney will probably be praised as England's best ever player. Because of the trophies he won and the records on his name.

[BlueLyon 9,359]

Mourinho fucked up when he didnt sign Alex Hunter.