The English Football Thread

[Vesper 29,196]

1 hour ago, Special Juan said:

Expect to see Sissoko playing up front, Ali as a holding midfielder and Eriksen right back.

Dier as an second striker

Sessegnon back to the academy team (too young, lolol)

and a January transfer for Matic from Manure

hell maybe Ashley Young too!!!

[Tomo 21,736]

9 minutes ago, Iggy Doonican said:

Definitely and don't forget Crespo would have been ineligible to play. 

Not in the CL. They have always let loan players face their parent club, Courtois played against us and Morientes faced Real for Monaco.

I recall Crespo said in an interview a few weeks before the semis confirming he would play against us.

[MrExcalibur100 7,124]

Taking the 🐍 element out of it for a moment, I fail to see how this makes sense for any party involved. 

 

[Iggy Doonican 4,186]

34 minutes ago, Tomo said:

Not in the CL. They have always let loan players face their parent club, Courtois played against us and Morientes faced Real for Monaco.

I recall Crespo said in an interview a few weeks before the semis confirming he would play against us.

Must admit I didn't know that it's a weird rule.

[Johnnyeye 7,457]

1 hour ago, Vesper said:

That 2004-2005 Chels side is my all time favourite football team, only shame was we went in the CL semis to fucking the dippers and we were fucking robbed on a no pen call, absolute murder crime!. Hyypiä BULLDOZED Kežman in the box, and then Gudjohnsen flashed it wide. I went BONKERS.

We would have taken out AC Milan in Istanbul, I know it.. Was a perfect balance of BRUTAL defence and out and out bomber attack. NO Spuds team was ever within 1000 miles of it. That team cemented me forever as bleed-BLUE girl.

The no call is at 6:40 and on in this video Fucking robbery! 

 

the million dollar question, did the frigging ball cross the line? VAR would have been useful for sure back then, who knows what could have happened? we missed too many chances over 2 legs against them anyway and we payed the price for it  

I guess things happen for a reason, otherwise the miracle comeback of Instanbul wouldn't have happened and the rest is history. We finally got it in 2012 in the most dramatic fashion possible, so it makes up for it.

[Tomo 21,736]

8 minutes ago, Iggy Doonican said:

Must admit I didn't know that it's a weird rule.

Jovic played against Benfica in the Europa League last year aswell while still their player.

I'm not sure on the rules in foreign league's but in the PL and FA Cup you can't have loan players playing against parent clubs but the EFL cup and CL/Europa allow it.

[Jase 43,479]

2 hours ago, Tomo said:

I think the point Jason is making that he could have still got on with it and focused on getting the best out of what he had despite not getting it all his own way. The way Lampard has managed a potentially perilous situation has well and truly taken away the transfer market excuse from Mou.

Indeed. Plus even if we take out the 2015/16 season, Mourinho's first course of action after a bad result is generally throw the team or player(s) under the bus. That approach might have worked for him 10 years ago but it certainly hasn't worked for him in modern football times. Whether they are better or worse, players these days require a more 'arm around the shoulder' (or something along that) approach rather than being publicly humiliated. His handling of Luke Shaw, for example, at United was a farce and, pretty much bullying him in the public almost every single week. It's a little wonder that players these days don't have the same loyalty, commitment like others had for him a decade ago. 

[Jase 43,479]

1 hour ago, Vesper said:

Dier as an second striker

Sessegnon back to the academy team (too young, lolol)

and a January transfer for Matic from Manure

hell maybe Ashley Young too!!!

Watch Mourinho bring Fellaini back to England. Hell, Spurs might even get Willian now!

[Atomiswave 6,072]

Was out all night just woke up and saw this.....what a fucking sacrilege man. And you might as well put cash on FA to fuck os over vs spurs. Theres no chance they will allow them to lose against us.

Utd was one thing....but spurs Jose? Are you that desperate?

Get ready for the wankathon and lots of gifts coming their way in the shape of var.

When they come to SB....people aint gonna like this. My brother is right, he is just whoring himself now in EPL.

[Pizy 18,530]

Think he'll give them a considerable boost this season but it gets sketchy in the summer. Basically will need an entirely new back 4. Will Eriksen be happy now and want to stay under Mou?

They need some major surgery and I can't see Levy giving Mou the absolute dump truck full of cash needed to rebuild. Mourinho is still a big enough lure to get them some nice signings in his first season I suppose. Plus the lure of London.

What a weird appointment, though. Both from Spuds' perspective and Mou's. Like Arsenal, Spuds seem like the opposite sort of club that would be interested in him. They claim to be all about class, dignity, bringing through young players, playing exciting footy. They don't spend loads of cash and don't ever have a controversial figure representing the club. From Mou's perspective, I feel like if he had waitied until the summer he could've gotten a bigger, better job.

Will be interesting to see how Mou reacts after a coup,e of transfer windows in which Levy refuses to buy from the top of the tree or after his top target chooses a rival PL club over Spuds. Who knows, maybe Levy has changed and will spend like the big boys now.

[Fernando 6,502]

56 minutes ago, Johnnyeye said:

the million dollar question, did the frigging ball cross the line? VAR would have been useful for sure back then, who knows what could have happened? we missed too many chances over 2 legs against them anyway and we payed the price for it  

I guess things happen for a reason, otherwise the miracle comeback of Instanbul wouldn't have happened and the rest is history. We finally got it in 2012 in the most dramatic fashion possible, so it makes up for it.

Lampard said the same thing after the CL final. It made it up for the past. Beating Bayern at their home in penalty with Drogba the last taker. 

Epic! 

[Fernando 6,502]

29 minutes ago, Jason said:

Watch Mourinho bring Fellaini back to England. Hell, Spurs might even get Willian now!

Let's sell them Willian! 

But Lampard is loving Willian. 

[Fernando 6,502]

11 minutes ago, Pizy said:

Think he'll give them a considerable boost this season but it gets sketchy in the summer. Basically will need an entirely new back 4. Will Eriksen be happy now and want to stay under Mou?

They need some major surgery and I can't see Levy giving Mou the absolute dump truck full of cash needed to rebuild. Mourinho is still a big enough lure to get them some nice signings in his first season I suppose. Plus the lure of London.

What a weird appointment, though. Both from Spuds' perspective and Mou's. Like Arsenal, Spuds seem like the opposite sort of club that would be interested in him. They claim to be all about class, dignity, bringing through young players, playing exciting footy. They don't spend loads of cash and don't ever have a controversial figure representing the club. From Mou's perspective, I feel like if he had waitied until the summer he could've gotten a bigger, better job.

Will be interesting to see how Mou reacts after a coup,e of transfer windows in which Levy refuses to buy from the top of the tree or after his top target chooses a rival PL club over Spuds. Who knows, maybe Levy has changed and will spend like the big boys now.

Remember when Conte left juventus bec they didn't spend and in comes allegri and get good players coming in. 

Imagine if the same thing happened here? 

[Atomiswave 6,072]

WTF? Jose said he is excited by their squad and ACADEMY? Academy?

Juts please dont let us lose to a Jose driven spurs.....the media and their fans would love it.

[Fernando 6,502]

 

 

 

[communicate 2,703]

I think Mou fit spurs quite well, they can't be in rebuilding, not when you have Harry kane in their prime. 

 

[1905didierblue 748]

4 hours ago, Tomo said:

I think the point Jason is making that he could have still got on with it and focused on getting the best out of what he had despite not getting it all his own way. The way Lampard has managed a potentially perilous situation has well and truly taken away the transfer market excuse from Mou.

And I think it runs a lot deeper than players supposedly downing tools, they supposedly did the same under Conte yet we still finished within one win of top four, they supposedly did it under Ancelotti yet finished 2nd. Even that squad not putting in maximum effort shouldn't be getting toyed with at home to Southampton, Bournemouth, Palace and the worst Liverpool side for generations, when that happens you have to look at the coaching.

Believe me I did not absolve Jose of his mistakes, but that one season was a complete anomaly. What happened in 15/16, we won't see it happening to any big team (top 6) in our life time, it was a freak show. 

My only issue is that using it as a stick to beat down Jose. 

Anyways, I don't even know how the discussion came to it. My main point of contention was calling Jose a cheque book manager, which I just don't agree with. Among all the top managers (Jose, pep, Carlo, etc etc), I think Jose is the only one who can hold his own with a decent/good squad. We have already seen how pep performs if he does not have 18 world class players in his squad. 

[Tomo 21,736]

6 minutes ago, Mana said:

I've been saying it all along, Mourinho was never a blue. He went to bed with Spuds, that's solid evidence that he isn't Chelsea.

When he was at Chelsea, to him it's only his job. Never loved the club (and if he said so, it was a lie to play with our heartstrings).

It was all about him. Him only.

I think he did but it wasn't unconditional like it was for the old guard/RDM etc.

I think he always expected to either be successful with us or failing that at our expense, so his two spells here and Inter in between worked out exactly how he liked it. Conte's title win while he was in 6th with United was the first time we were better than one of his sides (while not together) in his entire career which is when (in my opinion) the bitterness from his side started.