The 2023-2024 Football Thread

[Lord Blackadder]

I read that, and am not terribly surprised.

Returning to the topic of Mason Greenwood, Manchester United, and how they have handled this, Marina Hyde (who is a superb writer with an acerbic, biting pen) has written an excellent - and scathing - piece in today's (well, this evening's) Guardian which is well worth reading.

I saw that. Hyde is not one to pull punches in her editorials. Arnold's 'open letter' was a bunch of craven hogwash, but no more than we should, sadly, expect from suits at most clubs. It may cost him in the end, though.

Our defence has been boosted by the signing of Mavropanos today. I do wish we’d sign players I could spell without looking it up.

I'll see your Mavropanos and raise you one Szoboszlai. 🤣 I don't want players with English names, because in the Premier League the 'English tax' is ridiculous. Pretty much any English player who isn't an absolute duffer or a goalkeeper will soon be 'worth' 100m.

 

[Apple fanboy]

I saw that. Hyde is not one to pull punches in her editorials. Arnold's 'open letter' was a bunch of craven hogwash, but no more than we should, sadly, expect from suits at most clubs. It may cost him in the end, though.



I'll see your Mavropanos and raise you one Szoboszlai. 🤣 I don't want players with English names, because in the Premier League the 'English tax' is ridiculous. Pretty much any English player who isn't an absolute duffer or a goalkeeper will soon be 'worth' 100m.

From a spelling and footballing standpoint, I liked Rice. Very easy to spell or swap out for an emoji! 🍚

 

[Scepticalscribe]

From a spelling and footballing standpoint, I liked Rice. Very easy to spell or swap out for an emoji! 🍚

And a terrific player, too.

Actually, he has been excellent since he joined us.

 

[Apple fanboy]

And a terrific player, too.

Actually, he has been excellent since he joined us.

I had no doubt he would. Worth every penny you paid. Especially when you look at the value for money they are getting at Chelsea…..

 

[daneoni]

Those names are easy try spelling Szczęsny without looking it up

 

[Scepticalscribe]

I had no doubt he would. Worth every penny you paid.

Agreed.

Absolutely worth every penny.

Intelligent, gifted, mature, hard-working, anticipates play, sees stuff, takes action and takes responsibility.

Actually, I would see him as a future captain.

Especially when you look at the value for money they are getting at Chelsea…..

I struggle to stifle an unseemly snigger.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Those names are easy try spelling Szczęsny without looking it up

Oooooooh.

Wince.

Ouch.

 

[Lord Blackadder]

Those names are easy try spelling Szczęsny without looking it up

FOUR consonants just to make a one sound! Those Poles are a scream...

 

[Silencio]

Those names are easy try spelling Szczęsny without looking it up

That's easy: Szszszszy.

Mason Mount is ruled out for the Forest match this weekend, so I guess it's back to the old setup from last season with Eriksen in midfield for 60 minutes or whenever his legs fall off. Also, Højlund should finally be available for selection.

 

[HandsomeDanNZ]

As a kiwi, I really want to see Wood excel at Forest, so that would mean a hattrick at Man U.
I think he deserves one and it would be nice to see the old boy stick it in the eye of United, after the week that's been (referencing the club's management and PR team re Greenwood, in case you didn't read between the lines...).

 

[laptech]

If the Sun newspaper is to be believed, Qatar bid has won and bought United for £6 billion which if true is interesting because right from day one when the Glazers announced the sale of the club for £6 billion, the Glazers said they would only sell if their price was met. The club was valued at £5 million and it was speculated the Glazers wanted £6 billion so they could use the extra £1 billion to pay off the outstanding debt that is against the club. Basically the Glazers want to walk away debt free even if the debt was of their own doing. If the club has been bought for the £6 billion asking price then what is the saying? 'a fool and his money are soon parted'.

What the betting in that to recoup the money spent on buying the club the new owner will try and get a naming sponsor for the ground like how Arsenal ground is known as the Emirates instead of Highbury.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

If the Sun newspaper is to be believed, Qatar bid has won and bought United for £6 billion which if true is interesting because right from day one when the Glazers announced the sale of the club for £6 billion, the Glazers said they would only sell if their price was met. The club was valued at £5 million and it was speculated the Glazers wanted £6 billion so they could use the extra £1 billion to pay off the outstanding debt that is against the club. Basically the Glazers want to walk away debt free even if the debt was of their own doing. If the club has been bought for the £6 billion asking price then what is the saying? 'a fool and his money are soon parted'.

Not sure that the Sun could be regarded as an entirely credible source, although rumours to this effect were swirling around yesterday elsewhere online.

If true, this would turn Manchester United into yet another state run enterprise, and allow the appalling Glazers to walk away - debt free - from a club they had all but ruined.

What the betting in that to recoup the money spent on buying the club the new owner will try and get a naming sponsor for the ground like how Arsenal ground is known as the Emirates instead of Highbury.

The thing is, Arsenal left (and sold) Highbury, (something that old school romantics regretted).

Emirates is not Highbury, rather, it is a brand new stadium.

What was Highbury is now Highbury Square (with the old Art Deco parts of Highbury stadium - a Grade II listed structure - incorporated into the building scheme), an apartment scheme.

In fact, originally, they - Arsenal - had applied for planning permission to expand Highbury, but these plans were rejected by Islington Council. Therefore, instead, Arsenal built an entirely new stadium elsewhere, a stadium, which, originally, went by the name of Ashburton Grove (as that was its location).

Although the actual stadium finally opened in 2006 (after the usual delays, increased costs, difficulties in securing finance, etc), Emirates had earlier bought the naming rights to the new stadium (along with shirt sponsorship) in 2004, - which was to run for 15 years, an arrangement that was subsequently extended to 2028, although I would be surprised to see it end, then.

 

[laptech]

The thing is, Arsenal left (and sold) Highbury, (something that old school romantics regretted).

Emirates is not Highbury, rather, it is a new stadium. What was Highbury is now Highbury Square (with the old Art Deco parts of Highbury stadium - a Grade II listed structure - incorporated into the building scheme), an apartment scheme.

In fact, originally, they had applied for planning permission to expand Highbury, plans that had been rejected by Islington Council - and instead, built an entirely new stadium elsewhere, which, originally, went by the name of Ashburton Grove (as that was its location).

While the actual stadium finally opened in 2006 (after the usual delays, increased costs, difficulties in securing finance, etc), Emirates had earlier bought the naming rights to the stadium (along with shirt sponsorship) in 2004, - and the actual stadium initially for 15 years, an arrangement that has been subsequently extended to 2028, although I would be surprised to see it end, then.

I was not aware of the facts you pointed out. Thank you for recognizing my error and putting it right.

 

[laptech]

Not sure that the Sun could be regarded as an entirely credible source, although rumours to this effect were swirling around yesterday elsewhere online (

If true, this would turn Manchester United into yet another state run enterprise, and allow the appalling Glazers to walk away - debt free - from a club they had all but ruined.

If the rumor's of the club being bought for the Glazers original asking price of £6 billion is true then it is utterly appalling that the Glazers will be allowed to walk away scot free from a club they have run into the ground. They labelled the club with a huge amount of debt, they've allowed the football ground to get in a serious state of disrepair which would require any new owner to spends millions even a couple of billion to get the ground back to it's elite status that it once commanded. The training ground is also in much need of upgrading and all the while the Glazer family took year in year out dividends from the club to help increase the individual family members bank balances.

The Glazers will walk away with a huge profit in their pockets knowing how much extra money needs to be spent on the club to bring it back to high standards it used to be. Walking away with a huge smile on their faces probably mouthing the word 'sucker' at the new owner.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

I was not aware of the facts you pointed out. Thank you for recognizing my error and putting it right.

Arsène Wenger always deeply regretted leaving Highbury - he loved Highbury, and had an emotional attachment to - and link with - the place. In an interview (years later), he admitted that he would deliberately take a detour in order to drive by what used to be Highbury.

Actually, Arsenal haven't won the Premiership since leaving Highbury.

For the romantics, - and, in fairness to the club, this was what they had attempted to do, initially - the ideal solution would have been to have expanded and modernised Highbury (and, remember, Highbury - with its handsome Art Deco exterior, dated from the 1930s), but the (original) plans to do so were rejected by Islington Council (and were also rejected by local residents - the plans would have involved the demolition of around 25 houses in the area).

But, those plans dated from the days (1990s) when clubs still sought to increase revenue by increased gate receipts, and that tended to involve the building of a stadium with a larger capacity, or expanding an existing stadium in order to increase the capacity it could safely hold.

However, as we know, the world changed, changed utterly, and rather than generating revenue through larger stadia, clubs instead increasingly went with the model of insanely wealthy foreign ownership, (including oligarchs), and now, more recently still, we witness the advent of the state-owned clubs, ensuring a supply of bottomless resources to the clubs they buy, a deeply disagreeable, and rather repellant unsavoury world of vanity projects and sports-washing.

 

[laptech]

Arsène Wenger always deeply regretted leaving Highbury - he loved Highbury, and had an emotional attachment to - and link with - the place. In an interview (years later), he admitted that he would deliberately take a detour in order to drive by what used to be Highbury.

Actually, Arsenal haven't won the Premiership since leaving Highbury.

For the romantics, - and, in fairness to the club, this was what they had attempted to do, initially - the ideal solution would have been to have expanded and modernised Highbury (and, remember, Highbury - with its handsome Art Deco exterior, dated from the 1930s), but the (original) plans to do so were rejected by Islington Council (and were also rejected by local residents - the plans would have involved the demolition of around 25 houses in the area).

But, those plans dated from the days (1990s) when clubs still sought to increase revenue by increased gate receipts, and that tended to involve the building of a stadium with a larger capacity, or expanding an existing stadium in order to increase the capacity it could safely hold.

However, as we know, the world changed, changed utterly, and rather than generating revenue through larger stadia, clubs instead increasingly went with the model of insanely wealthy foreign ownership, (including oligarchs), and now, more recently still, we witness the advent of the state-owned clubs supplying bottomless resources to the clubs they buy, a deeply disagreeable, and rather repellant unsavoury world of vanity projects and sports-washing.

I wonder what type or kind of backlash the new owners of United would get if they said they wanted to move the club to a new stadium built elsewhere in the city because of a) they want to increase the capacity of the stadium and b) it will not be cost effective to band aid repairs on the existing stadium thus instead build a new stadium or knock down old Trafford and build it new.

 

[Silencio]

Various plans have already been explored to either expand and modernize Old Trafford, or to build a completely new stadium adjacent to it. The main problem with the current OT is the South (Sir Bobby Charlton) Stand is hemmed in by a railway line, a significant barrier to increasing the capacity of that stand. Refurbishing the rest of the stadium is a huge job, and preserving the historic charm while adding modern comforts and amenities is a tall task.

There is actually significant — thought not majority AFAIK — fan support for building a new stadium. I always thought the Emirates was a bit meh, but Spurs' new stadium is fantastic and really turned a lot of heads amongst United's fanbase. United even hired the same architects to draw up the proposals.

 

[laptech]

Various plans have already been explored to either expand and modernize Old Trafford, or to build a completely new stadium adjacent to it. The main problem with the current OT is the South (Sir Bobby Charlton) Stand is hemmed in by a railway line, a significant barrier to increasing the capacity of that stand. Refurbishing the rest of the stadium is a huge job, and preserving the historic charm while adding modern comforts and amenities is a tall task.

There is actually significant — thought not majority AFAIK — fan support for building a new stadium. I always thought the Emirates was a bit meh, but Spurs' new stadium is fantastic and really turned a lot of heads amongst United's fanbase. United even hired the same architects to draw up the proposals.

Personally I think the biggest problem the club would need to overcome is the link the ground has to the Busby babes and those babes that died in the Munich air disaster. The ground is the forever home of the babes that lost their lives and whilst with todays generation of United supporters who would have no clue as to who the Busby babes were or even the Munich disaster, there will be many who will feel that the club would be doing the lost ones a disservice if the club were to move to a new location.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Personally I think the biggest problem the club would need to overcome is the link the ground has to the Busby babes and those babes that died in the Munich air disaster. The ground is the forever home of the babes that lost their lives and whilst with todays generation of United supporters who would have no clue as to who the Busby babes were or even the Munich disaster, there will be many who will feel that the club would be doing the lost ones a disservice if the club were to move to a new location.

The trouble is that sentimental attachment to a place, or emotional links to a ground, tend to receive short shrift when the possibility of bottomless funds through foreign ownership arises, along with the promise of a fresh start and a spanking new stadium.

Various plans have already been explored to either expand and modernize Old Trafford, or to build a completely new stadium adjacent to it. The main problem with the current OT is the South (Sir Bobby Charlton) Stand is hemmed in by a railway line, a significant barrier to increasing the capacity of that stand. Refurbishing the rest of the stadium is a huge job, and preserving the historic charm while adding modern comforts and amenities is a tall task.

I think that there is a compelling case to modernise Old Trafford (or, failing that, plan for something new).

Almost every source I have read describes crumbling infrastructure and a shabby stadium.

There is actually significant — thought not majority AFAIK — fan support for building a new stadium. I always thought the Emirates was a bit meh, but Spurs' new stadium is fantastic and really turned a lot of heads amongst United's fanbase. United even hired the same architects to draw up the proposals.

I'm envious of Spurs' new stadium, and really regret that we couldn't come up with something equally stylish, especially as Highbury actually had been a classy, and stylish, ground (above all, if you like Art Deco, and I do).

 

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

The Bundesliga: How it all started 6 decades ago – DW – 08/24/2023

It may be difficult for fans to imagine German football without the Bundesliga. What may surprise some is that it's only six decades old — and Bayern Munich were not one of the founding members.

www.dw.com

 

[Sal09]

I had no doubt he would. Worth every penny you paid.

Future Arsenal Captain.

Talented and well spoken. Pure class.

Role model for academy players, fans and kids.

 

[Apple fanboy]

Future Arsenal Captain.

Talented and well spoken. Pure class.

Role model for academy players, fans and kids.

Indeed. We taught him well. I’ll just have to support him when he’s in an England shirt from now on.

 

[mrsmith1]

Watched the Man City v Newcastle game last Saturday night. Man City looked frighteningly good. Phil Foden was phenomenal.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Future Arsenal Captain.

Talented and well spoken. Pure class.

Role model for academy players, fans and kids.

My exact thoughts, as well.

Definitely future captain material.

Top guy, class footballer, and agree completely that he is a terrific role model for academy players, fans, and kids.

 

[HandsomeDanNZ]

I see Rachel Riley has had her say on the Mason Greenwood saga from a Man U fan's standpoint.
Can't say I disagree with her.
From BBC: https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/66586059


Rachel Riley has accused Manchester United of "gaslighting" and "green lighting" abuse for their handling of the decision to part company with Mason Greenwood.

Greenwood's exit was confirmed on Monday after a six-month internal investigation into his conduct.

It came after charges against the player, including attempted rape and assault, were dropped in February.

"Right decision, horrendous statement," television presenter Riley wrote.

In explaining the lengthy process behind their decision, a Manchester United statement claimed Greenwood "did not commit the offences in respect of which he was originally charged", adding: "Based on the evidence available to us, we have concluded that the material posted online did not provide a full picture."

An open letter from chief executive Richard Arnold also said: "While we were unable to access certain evidence for reasons we respect, the evidence we did collate led us to conclude that Mason did not commit the acts he was charged with".

And Greenwood issued a statement saying he accepted he had "made mistakes" and took his "share of responsibility", but added: "I did not do the things I was accused of."

Arnold said that Greenwood's potential reintegration was "one of the outcomes we considered and planned for" but that "several outcomes have been contemplated and planned for" and his view "evolved".

However, United fan Riley claimed the club's statements were "gaslighting" - a term used to describe a form of manipulation where a person is given false information that leads them to question the truth.


She also accused the club of "green lighting" abuse on social media, saying: "This overreaching statement will put wind in the sails of abusers and send a message to victims it's more trouble than it's worth to report alleged abuse. It's so disappointing to see my club contribute to the culture that upholds this."