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The 2016-2017 Football Thread

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Lord Blackadder

Lord Blackadder

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May 7, 2004
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Mourinho seems just as happy to lose a match as win it - as long as he feels he can blame the ref for the loss. It was always going to be difficult without Zlatan, and without any of his other strikers available it looked pretty grim. And yet the way Man Utd lost the game was really his own fault. He clearly had his players kick the snot out of Hazard, and the second yellow on Herrera was, in that context, a pretty obvious and clear decision. With 10 men and the score 0-0 there was no way they were going to win.

He has the most expensive squad in the world - more than Real Madrid or Barca and nearly £100m more than that of Man City. None of the excuses he is making are good enough.

Also, his reaction to the (somewhat nasty) chants directed at him by some Chelsea fans was childish and spiteful. Number 1 Judas, indeed. At least he didn't poke anybody in the eye this time.
 
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Scepticalscribe

Scepticalscribe

macrumors Haswell
Jul 29, 2008
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Lord Blackadder said:
Mourinho seems just as happy to lose a match as win it - as long as he feels he can blame the ref for the loss. It was always going to be difficult without Zlatan, and without any of his other strikers available it looked pretty grim. And yet the way Man Utd lost the game was really his own fault. He clearly had his players kick the snot out of Hazard, and the second yellow on Herrera was, in that context, a pretty obvious and clear decision. With 10 men and the score 0-0 there was no way they were going to win.

He has the most expensive squad in the world - more than Real Madrid or Barca and nearly £100m more than that of Man City. None of the excuses he is making are good enough.

Also, his reaction to the (somewhat nasty) chants directed at him by some Chelsea fans was childish and spiteful. Number 1 Judas, indeed. At least he didn't poke anybody in the eye this time.
Click to expand...

Couldn't agree more. Very well said.
 
Lord Blackadder

Lord Blackadder

macrumors P6
May 7, 2004
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Sod off
Mourinho's approach to any big game is always:

  1. Get the players into a siege mentality beforehand. Inculcate them with the idea that the league, the opponents, the media are all out to get them, and defiance is the only way to answer the critics.
  2. The tactical approach is dictated by a play to not lose mentality; winning is secondary.
  3. Physically dominate your opponent; carefully identify their tactical threat and implement a specific countermeasure.
  4. Victory, if it happens, usually comes through the punishing of mistakes made by the frustrated/fatigued opponent, not though the taking of risks yourself.
  5. Harry the officials to within an inch of their lives during the entire match. Send that nasty little Rui Faria out to say the things even you are afraid to say. Make the officials terrified to call fouls in the opponents' favor, or at minimum distract them.
  6. If you lose, blame the refs and dark conspiracies against you and/or your club.

Certain aspects of this are hardly unique to Mou, and may even be laudable in their proper proportion; but taken together it results in unattractive (if often effective) football enclosed within a tiresome circus of hysteria and mystification. Which is why clubs burn out and sack him after just a few seasons.

EDIT: All Leicester need is a 1-0. They are definitely the underdogs but they have shown they can win games like this before. Can they still do it?
 
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Apple fanboy

Apple fanboy

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Lord Blackadder said:
Mourinho's approach to any big game is always:

  1. Get the players into a siege mentality beforehand. Inculcate them with the idea that the league, the opponents, the media are all out to get them, and defiance is the only way to answer the critics.
  2. The tactical approach is dictated by a play to not lose mentality; winning is secondary.
  3. Physically dominate your opponent; carefully identify their tactical threat and implement a specific countermeasure.
  4. Victory, if it happens, usually comes through the punishing of mistakes made by the frustrated/fatigued opponent, not though the taking of risks yourself.
  5. Harry the officials to within an inch of their lives during the entire match. Send that nasty little Rui Faria out to say the things even you are afraid to say. Make the officials terrified to call fouls in the opponents' favor, or at minimum distract them.
  6. If you lose, blame the refs and dark conspiracies against you and/or your club.

Certain aspects of this are hardly unique to Mou, and may even be laudable in their proper proportion; but taken together it results in unattractive (if often effective) football enclosed within a tiresome circus of hysteria and mystification. Which is why clubs burn out and sack him after just a few seasons.

EDIT: All Leicester need is a 1-0. They are definitely the underdogs but they have shown they can win games like this before. Can they still do it?
Click to expand...
Well they just scored, so every chance.
 
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Scepticalscribe

Scepticalscribe

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Apple fanboy said:
Agreed. But they are a British club and my general rule is to support British clubs in Europe.
Click to expand...

Until they shafted Claudio Ranieri, there was no victory - or success - of their's that I would not have cheered - after all, this is fantasy and fairy tale territory.

However, ever since they shafted Mr Ranieri - one of the most genuinely decent gentlemen in football - most unfairly, to my mind - I am torn between wishing to see them succeed - perhaps even win something in the Champion's League - to achieve something that will never (most likely) recur in their history - and wishing - heartily - to consign them to footballing perdition, in the hottest hell imaginable.
 
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Apple fanboy

Apple fanboy

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Scepticalscribe said:
Until they shafted Claudio Ranieri, there was no victory - or success - of their's that I would not have cheered - after all, this is fantasy and fairy tale territory.

However, ever since they shafted Mr Ranieri - one of the most genuinely decent gentlemen in football - most unfairly, to my mind - I am torn between wishing to see them succeed - perhaps even win something in the Champion's League - to achieve something that will never (most likely) recur in their history - and wishing - heartily - to consign them to footballing perdition, in the hottest hell imaginable.
Click to expand...
Well we're playing them Saturday so will only be too happy to buck the recent trend of three wins in a row!
 
Lord Blackadder

Lord Blackadder

macrumors P6
May 7, 2004
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It's worth pointing out that Ranieri was sacked based on their league form. I'm not being a hypocrite by wanting to see them go deep in the CL, because I still want to see them get relegated from the league - it's all about narrative. ;)
 
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Scepticalscribe

Scepticalscribe

macrumors Haswell
Jul 29, 2008
64,711
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In a coffee shop.
Lord Blackadder said:
It's worth pointing out that Ranieri was sacked based on their league form. I'm not being a hypocrite by wanting to see them go deep in the CL, because I still want to see them get relegated from the league - it's all about narrative. ;)
Click to expand...

Oddly enough, I very much doubt that they will get relegated from the League - much though I might desire that outcome (and I do).

Re the CL, yes, I'm torn.

I love the narrative - anyone who is a footballing romantic - or has a beating heart - must love that narrative, and I very much doubt that the precise circumstances that gave rise to it will ever recur - but, I would still like to see some form of poetic justice served on Leicester for their disgraceful treatment of Mr Ranieri.
 
Lord Blackadder

Lord Blackadder

macrumors P6
May 7, 2004
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Sod off
I expect Man Utd to walk this tie with Rostov, especially given Zlatan's presence and the need to recover from the FA cup disaster. The Europa League is weak this year, so really they should win it.
 
Lord Blackadder

Lord Blackadder

macrumors P6
May 7, 2004
15,675
5,507
Sod off
Rather than simply steamroll a vastly inferior team using the world's most expensive squad, Mourinho has had Man Utd sit around probing cautiously for 70 minutes, waiting to pick off a visibly tiring Rostov on a counterattack. Mourinho is set to heroically overcome the Mighty Rostov Juggernaut 2-1 on aggregate. My God this is grim, results-oriented football at its worst.

EDIT: ...and they do go through; they have to be the favorites to win the competition, where I presume they will face Roma or perhaps Besiktas.
 
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Fizzoid

Fizzoid

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Jul 11, 2008
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JamesMike said:
At least Man U got the victory today.
Click to expand...

Yes, a resounding 1-0 victory against a team that can't even afford a box of grass seed...

548WNRR.jpg
 
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