The English Football Thread

[Vesper 27,341]

Spurzzzzzzzzzz

https://theathletic.com/1920120/2020/07/10/tottenham-mourinho-season-tickets-levy-bournemouth-ndombele/

Seven attacking players used over the course of the evening against the team that started the day second-bottom — and no shots on target.

One hundred and four minutes played because of stoppages and never a sense that a breakthrough was close.

Even the press conference drew a blank, with faltering technology forcing Jose Mourinho to leave before he’d answered a single question.

Soul-destroying games take many different forms. There are the draws and defeats snatched from the jaws of victory, there are thrashings, there are big occasions that end in heartbreak.

Then there are ones like Thursday night’s 0-0 draw at Bournemouth. Matches so dispiriting that, by the end, you can barely bring yourself to get upset anymore. This was the culmination of months and months of decline, a disastrous season that seemingly just will not end.

During much of the past 11 months, there have been mitigating circumstances. The change in management, the unlucky injuries, the players — such as Christian Eriksen and Danny Rose — who didn’t want to be at the club.

Against Bournemouth, there were no excuses. Dele Alli was out, yes, but he’s struggled of late anyway. Mourinho was still able to use Harry Kane, Son Heung-min, Steven Bergwijn, Giovani Lo Celso, Tanguy Ndombele, Erik Lamela and Lucas Moura over the course of the evening — and still they couldn’t muster a shot on target. Against Bournemouth, who started the day 19th and had lost seven of their previous eight matches. Bournemouth, whose previous Premier League clean sheet was in mid-December, and who had never denied an opponent a shot on target since winning promotion to the Premier League five years ago. Spurs should have had a first-half penalty but these are damning numbers.

Tottenham’s lack of cutting edge made the game so tedious that referee Paul Tierney blew for half-time before the allotted two minutes of added time had elapsed. It felt merciful.

Across the country and beyond, WhatsApp groups lit up with despairing messages about what Spurs had become just 13 months after reaching a Champions League final. Was the Mauricio Pochettino period just a weird dream? Is this really it now?

Somehow, a dismal game like this feels even worse at the moment. Even though you know it will be awful, you still spend most of the day a little bit excited because, in spite of everything else that’s going on under the cloud of a pandemic, you’re getting to watch your team play in the Premier League in a few hours. Muscle memory tells you that this is something to look forward to.

And then it starts. And then you remember.

It’s all happening at a terrible time for Tottenham, as well. On Monday, season ticket renewals open for the 2020-21 season, with many supporters saying that they won’t be taking up the option. COVID-induced uncertainty is a factor but so is the disillusionment. There is a sense that this is a club in drift, with owners who only care about the bottom line.

During a period in which everything they have done has been aimed at becoming a global attention-grabbing brand, Spurs are forcing supporters to question whether they should renew their season tickets and turn off their TVs. The shiny new stadium, the Amazon documentary and appointing Jose Mourinho… it was all supposed to take Spurs to the next level commercially.

Maybe that’s why Thursday night was so dispiriting. This isn’t a brave new world. It feels like a regression to the 1990s when Spurs were similarly defined more by what happened off the pitch than any great achievements on it. Yes, a legacy of financial mismanagement that led to a points deduction has been replaced by controversies like a player storming into the crowd or a record signing that can barely get a game, but the outcome is the same: Spurs are ensconced in mid-table. They are ninth with four games of the season remaining, level on points with Burnley.

A few of you are probably reading this and screaming words to the effect of “it’s Mourinho, stupid!” And yes, he is a factor. So far, his appointment has not worked. But Tottenham’s problems are bigger than that.

It’s a stagnant group of players who, despite having more than enough talent to put away a team like Bournemouth easily, can’t even muster a shot on target.

It’s the feeling that things are going to get worse before they get better. Rather than rebuilding from a position of strength, Tottenham suddenly look desperate and without the means to make the necessary changes. When you watch matches like last night’s against Bournemouth, and Everton before that, and Sheffield United before that, it can feel like they need a new set of full-backs, a central defender, a defensive midfielder, another winger and a back-up striker to Kane.

But they will not be able to spend the kind of money that overhaul requires. Even if they did have better players, they look so devoid of a plan and motivation that it would likely still be a struggle.

In spite of everything, Spurs do still have a lot to play for this season. There’s Europa League qualification, which in these financially stretched times has become extremely important, and in two days, the north London derby. If that ends in another disaster, it’s a match with the potential to be ruinous to the season ticket renewals the following day.

You just hope Bournemouth was the nadir and not a sign of things to come.

[Vesper 27,341]

Solskjaer looks and sounds like a Manchester United manager now

https://theathletic.com/1920705/2020/07/10/solskjaer-manchester-united-aston-villa-greenwood-premier-league/

It has not gone unnoticed among those who study Manchester United closely that just as the team has grown increasingly comfortable with itself so has Ole Gunnar Solskjaer become completely at ease in himself. “He’s far more assured now,” says a source.

Results help, of course, but the way Solskjaer has come across in his briefings with the media since football’s return goes beyond scorelines. It points to a manager with crystal clear vision, settled in his surroundings more so than at any stage since he was appointed in caretaker charge in December 2018.

No longer is he the Molde manager speaking endearingly about the clause in his contract that allowed him to take up the most important role at Old Trafford for zero compensation. That special stipulation was a sign of his particular affection for the club where he achieved legendary status as a player, and also his ambition in coaching. But there was a novelty aspect that spoke to his homespun place in European football’s management pyramid. There was a shimmering echo of Charlie Bucket’s golden ticket.

Solskjaer looks and sounds a million miles from that now. He is Manchester United manager, no doubt about it, bullish and aspiring towards titles.

Maybe, in time, he will prove to be United’s golden ticket.

As Solskjaer himself will say, nothing has been achieved yet, but his side have now gone 17 games unbeaten in all competitions, hit 100 goals for the season, and are arguably the most exciting team to watch in the Premier League at present.

The 3-0 victory at Aston Villa marked the first time in Premier League history a side has won four consecutive matches by a margin of at least three goals and Anthony Martial summed up the mood by visibly bristling when seeing his number called 11 minutes from time having failed to get in on the scoring act.

“I’d have been more worried if he’d wanted to come off,” deadpanned Solskjaer afterwards.

It was one good line among many in another precise, purposeful performance by Solskjaer. The effect he has on events on the pitch is the most crucial element to his job, but his public statements are also relevant. A manager might be the best tactician since Rinus Michels but if his oratory misses the mark then players will switch off.

Anybody listening to Solskjaer after the Villa game would do well to resist the feeling that the Norwegian knows with certainty how to bring United success. There was finesse and force.

Offered up a celebratory question about United’s scoring streak across the last four Premier League games, Solskjaer shot back: “We should have won by five clear in all of them.”

He said at another point: “Hopefully the goal difference won’t be the deciding factor in the end.” Perhaps 2011-12 was on his mind, the season United lost out on the title to Manchester City on goal difference. This season, United have a goal difference six worse than Leicester, who are one point ahead in fourth.

Asked about Paul Pogba’s portrayal of United as a side ambitious for the title, Solskjaer said: “I’m sure Man United will mount a challenge and get back to winning the league. When’s that going to happen? That’s up to every single one here, how quickly we can make this process go.

“We’re improving as a team, developing. But you have to remember we’ve come a long way in one season. So let’s take Paul’s word into the dressing room and expect and demand more of each other every single day.”

Rousing stuff, and there was more when Sky Sports’ presenter Geoff Shreeves inquired how United would maintain momentum. “Don’t believe in all the hype or criticism. Do your job. Go home, recover, come to work tomorrow morning, recover again, ready for Monday, because that is going to be a very hard game against a Southampton team who probably run the most in the Premier League. And if there is one thing I don’t want to see, it’s my team being outworked.”

At times in the past, Solskjaer has appeared to view media interviews as something to be endured. There could be so much straight bat it was like being at Lord’s last over before stumps up. Bad results, and therefore scrutiny on his position, were inevitably a factor.

Occasionally there was a slip of the tongue, such as in January when Solskjaer cited Pogba’s “people” as determining his need for an ankle operation, rather than the club. It was an unusual situation, but it is not believed Solskjaer intended for his choice of words to sound so spiky.

Now, though, Solskjaer is showing his personality and selecting moments to deliberately deliver messages. When recently he listed the names of the elite strikers United signed during his days to keep the club competitive, his intention was not only to emphasise the edge required to win trophies to his players but those who write the cheques too.

That kind of conviction is necessary for improvement, and there was the same punchy sentiment from Solskjaer before the Villa game in relation to fitness regimes over lockdown. “You’re at the biggest club in the world, you do have a responsibility, you do have a privilege of keeping fit and if you don’t have the discipline over two or three months to look after yourself, that’s when I open the door and say, ‘Find yourself somewhere else’.”

Solskjaer carries credibility because he has backed up his words with actions, getting rid of established stars who did not fit his vision and providing room for the likes of Mason Greenwood, whose emergence continues apace.

Again, there was impressive communication here.

How do you manage Greenwood’s development? “We’ll have to wait and see. I’m doing my bit to help him but he’s got to do it. He’s the one who has to turn in performances in training, in games, live his life properly. It’s all down to him. He can go as far as he wants.”

Solskjaer wants his players, whatever their age, to take responsibility.

He is still doing so at 47, using football’s postponement to assess how he portrays himself. It might seem a little Sigmund Freud to start analysing his body language, but there has been an unmistakable air of relaxation about his posture when sitting cross-legged in front of the camera at Carrington for those frequent Zoom press conferences.

A trivial detail perhaps, but the details add up. Solskjaer is looking like a Manchester United manager. And his team are playing like one too.

[Laylabelle 9,300]

True though..dodgy decisions and start aside they have climbed the table and unfortunately look sorta solid

[Vesper 27,341]

it is now a full stop Manure wankfest in almost all the British media

it is like the Bindippers, Shitty, us, Arse, spuds, etc etc etc all have disappeared

they are practically anointing them champions for the next 5 plus coming years and proclaiming OGS as a Michelangelo type genius

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Jase 43,479]

 

[NikkiCFC 7,589]

It is a joke.

Last season they had 66 points.

Now they have 58 so 70 max (I doubt).

And they spent over 200m for Bruno, AWB, James and Maguire.

Referees help aside they would have less points than last season.

[Vesper 27,341]

Premier League | Liverpool vs Burnley

http://www.sportnews.to/sports/2020/premier-league-liverpool-vs-burnley-s1/

https://www.totalsportek.com/highlights/arsenal-vs-everton-2016-match/

[Vesper 27,341]

Henderson and Ben Mee out for the season

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shocking that Firmino, all season, still has not scored a league goal yet at Anfield

[Atomiswave 6,072]

16 hours ago, Vesper said:

it is now a full stop Manure wankfest in almost all the British media

it is like the Bindippers, Shitty, us, Arse, spuds, etc etc etc all have disappeared

they are practically anointing them champions for the next 5 plus coming years and proclaiming OGS as a Michelangelo type genius

 

 

 

 

 

 

Its a fucking joke....Lamps hasnt got even 1/10th of the credit going to gollum. This is why you dont see the media marking these diving cheating cunts of human beings. They much rather suck them dry the biased good for nothing cunts. So they have been behind us all season, have spent close to 200M pounds, have had so many blatant help by the pgmol yet they still celebrate united all day everyday? You really couldnt make it up, a clear evidence how rotten bent and biased your media are.

[Vesper 27,341]

1 nil

Roberston

header, first goal since November

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Jack Charlton: England and Leeds United legend dies aged 85

https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/12026135/jack-charlton-england-and-leeds-united-legend-dies-aged-85

RIP

hell of a player

[Atomiswave 6,072]

 

If this happens then the uefa cartel must be burned down on the spot

[DDA 9,570]

20 minutes ago, Atomiswave said:

 

If this happens then the uefa cartel must be burned down on the spot

Trust me. City are not getting banned. Those motherfuckers have been way too cocky about it from the off. If it were us, we wouldn't even have CAS investigating until next year. The game is a fucking joke. 

[Atomiswave 6,072]

17 minutes ago, DDA said:

Trust me. City are not getting banned. Those motherfuckers have been way too cocky about it from the off. If it were us, we wouldn't even have CAS investigating until next year. The game is a fucking joke. 

It sure is mate...we all fucking know they have cooked the books, we all know how corrupt they are, if they get off then im done with footy. Footy looks so bent nowadays, more than ever actually and if they dont get banned then ffp is officially dead and we should go all out.

[Vesper 27,341]

wooot

1 1 FT

Burnley stopped the dippers from winning every home league game (only been done once before, in 1892 by Sunderland)

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gotta admit, Pope was brilliant

[Atomiswave 6,072]

2 minutes ago, Vesper said:

gotta admit, Pope was brilliant

He was, a good keeper can make such a difference