The 2023-2024 Football Thread

[laptech]

With every passing week, I am more and more convinced that ETH has to go. I know he's working with a squad that's gotten a few other managers sacked before him, but he's brought in an awful lot of his own players at great expense and alienated some guys who have a reputation for being total pros. The football is dire and the players are totally tuned out.

United need a clean break, with a new manager and a significant chunk of the squad shipped out. Will have to wait for SJR and his team to come in and do a thorough assessment. Hopefully somebody kept Ralf Rangnick's notes, as his post mortem about the problems at United was spot on.

Rashford has had a lot of personal issues off the pitch (broken engagement, drama with his brother), and I also think he was pretty tight with Jadon Sancho, so there is fallout from how ETH handled that situation.

The issue's that United have faced in the past to the issues they are facing now are issues that Ralf Rangnick was addressing but it was not to the liking of the owners and to the board of directors because his assessment of the club and it's players even though was spot on it was an assessment the club was never going to accept. As Rangnick himself said, there is way to much influence going on at the managerial level from the owners and the directors.

The saga which was the sale of the club has shown United fans that the Glazers are the excrement many thought they were. They never had any intention of selling the club, they just did it for the spectacle because right at the beginning of the sale the Glazers said they wanted £6 Billion got the club. The club was independently values and that value came back as £5 Billion. There was no way bidders was going to pay the Glazers asking price but when one of the bidders did finally agree to pay the £6 billion, what did we see? we saw the Glazers had quietly upped their asking price to £10 billion.

The Glazers were under extreme pressure to go due to day to day worsening of relations between the fans and the club. The fans wanted them gone, the media wanted them gone, ex-players wanted them gone. So they opted to put the club up for sale but it's obvious to see now that the Glazers were never going to relinquish control of the club to anyone. They worked the sale of the club so they would still be the owners of the club. Their original asking price was met and they still said no.

No manager will succeed at United whilst Malcom Glazers children are in control. He was the brains of the business and under his leadership United was very successful BUT his health was fading and in the year Malcom Glazers health was deteriorating (2013), Sir Alex Ferguson decided to retire. Did he see the writing on the wall of his job as manager seeing the children take over from their father, children who were no where near as experienced in the business world as their father was. Ever since Malcom Glazers children have taken over control of the club the club has gone from bad to worse and continue to do so.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe will not fare any better at the club because he does not realise just what kind of people the Glazers are. They will use him, take his money and when they are done with him they will toss him out onto the scrap heap.

 

[laptech]

Looks like the hunt for Aaron Ramsdale could be heating up now that it's looking like Newcastle's Nick Pope is going to be out for the rest of the season with a shoulder injury sustained during the Man United game. Ramsdale need's first team football because he will be worried for his place in the England team ahead of the Euro's and he is not going to get it whist being No.2 at Arsenal. Arsenal's manager has stated Ramsdale is going no where so it will be interesting to see how that fares, especially if Ramsdale want's to go but Arsenal wont let him. Does Arsenal have a decent back up that could move into the No.2 spot if Ramsdale was to force a move out? The problem is though, which ever goalkeeper they get in that goalkeeper is going to be worried for their position once Nick Pope recovers because he is Newcastle's No.1 and once fit and ready to go he would be installed back as the No.1 goalie again relegating whoever they got in to the transfers because Newcastle already have No.2 and No,3 goalkeepers.

 

[Lord Blackadder]

Maybe Ramsdale can go to Wrexham. Circus meets circus. 🤣

United need a clean break, with a new manager and a significant chunk of the squad shipped out. Will have to wait for SJR and his team to come in and do a thorough assessment. Hopefully somebody kept Ralf Rangnick's notes, as his post mortem about the problems at United was spot on.

Pundits have discussed for several years now how players seem to get worse when they go to Man Utd of late. I think the same can probably be said for managers. While ETH might not ultimately have been the right fit for the club, I think it's fair to say he was working at times under pretty difficult circumstances (not of his own making) that any manager would have struggled with. Transfers and tactics were far from the only things he was worrying about.

 

[Sal09]

RICEEEEEEEE OH MY ****ING GOD

 

[Silencio]

Now that's £100M well spent. Rice turns one point into three at the death for the second time this season. Who knows how valuable those 4 points will be at the end of the season?

Fair play to Luton Town: what a fantastic effort from them.

 

[Sal09]

Raya what a joke. He should give his weekly wages to Rice for saving his ass.

 

[daneoni]

Without Rice Arsenal would've REALLY struggled this season.

Odegaard poor but one moment of quality.

Arsenal should probably back out of the Raya deal. He's the reason they almost dropped points.

Saying that, herculean effort from Luton. Deserved a point.

 

[Sal09]

I must say Kai Havertz had an excellent game.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Gosh.

I had forgotten about this game until now.

Raya what a joke. He should give his weekly wages to Rice for saving his ass.

Without Rice Arsenal would've REALLY struggled this season.

Odegaard poor but one moment of quality.

Arsenal should probably back out of the Raya deal. He's the reason the almost dropped points.

I must say that I am not quite convinced of the merits of David Raya.

As for Rice, he has been worth every last cent or penny.

 

[Sal09]

Without Rice Arsenal would've REALLY struggled this season.

Odegaard poor but one moment of quality.

Arsenal should probably back out of the Raya deal. He's the reason the almost dropped points.

Saying that, herculean effort from Luton. Deserved a point.

All down to Arteta’s ego. I think Ramsdale will hand in transfer request next month. He wants to play in Euros.

 

[daneoni]

Unfortunately for Ramsdale, Arsenal hold the cards having signed a new deal.

Arteta won't let him go till summer at least. Certainly not to a rival.

Ramsdale/Turner was a nice duo to have.

Unless he was signing someone like Maignan it hardly seems worth it.

 

[Lord Blackadder]

Luton previously gave Liverpool a game, so they clearly have it in them. Heartbreaking for the Luton fans but for Arsenal it’s two points rescued.

Points are indeed valuable in monetary terms in this league so Rice is earning his keep in spite of his price.

 

[laptech]

The Arsenal game has again highlighted a missing point of discussion that still only appears to be the reserve of United and that is teams winning games in extra time. If that had been United winning the game like that, even though it be said with 'tongue in cheek', people would still call it 'Fergie Time' which would create a discussion of how United always seem to be given more extra time than others but now that winning in extra time is no longer the reserve of United and is happening to every team in the PL, why is this winning in extra time not being discussed on the same levels that is does when it happens with Man United?. I've not seen one sports article bring up the fact of Arsenal having to win the game at the death of extra time or even the fact of how much extra time the ref gave.

As long as a team win it seems to me winning it in extra time like United used to do in the past is not a problem. It only becomes a problem when United win in extra time.

 

[Apple fanboy]

The Arsenal game has again highlighted a missing point of discussion that still only appears to be the reserve of United and that is teams winning games in extra time. If that had been United winning the game like that, even though it be said with 'tongue in cheek', people would still call it 'Fergie Time' which would create a discussion of how United always seem to be given more extra time than others but now that winning in extra time is no longer the reserve of United and is happening to every team in the PL, why is this winning in extra time not being discussed on the same levels that is does when it happens with Man United?. I've not seen one sports article bring up the fact of Arsenal having to win the game at the death of extra time or even the fact of how much extra time the ref gave.

As long as a team win it seems to me winning it in extra time like United used to do in the past is not a problem. It only becomes a problem when United win in extra time.

Because this season they have changed the way stoppage time is calculated. Every game lasts longer. So it’s natural that games will be won and lost in the last 10 minutes.

 

[laptech]

Olympic football - where do you people stand on the football associations of Scotland, Wales and Ireland not officially supporting having a GB men's and women's football team at the Olympics because they are worried it will affect their standing of national teams. Basically they are worried that if all the nations of Great Britain were to unite and put together a GB team comprising of players from the 4 nations that UEFA and FIFA will argue a point that if a GB team can be created for the Olympics, a GB team can be created to play in the Euro's and the World Cup therefore no longer requiring there to be 4 nations taking part, just a combined one.

Do you think this rationale from FA of Scotland, Wales and Ireland is a just one? because I was listening to the women's England v Scotland game thinking they had done enough to qualify for the the Olympics but the Dutch had scored in the last min of the game which meant England finished 2nd behind the Dutch therefore missing out on the Olympics. Point to note, even though it is the England team, due to the other nations not officially recognizing a GB team (players from other nations can play but they do so as an individual not representing their country) which is why the men's and women's England team has always been referred to as the GB team because the English FA is the only FA that officially endorses a GB team for the Olympics. But this loss got me thinking of the Olympics and the stance the other nations have taken by refusing to officially allow players from their national teams to be part of a GB team.

Do you think FIFA and UEFA would make rule changes if the nations of Great Britain got together to form a GB team for the Olympics, telling them they are no longer allowed to represent their individual nation's but must now play as one combined national team?

It works in athletics, in the Euro's it's individual nations but in the Olympics all the nations combine as one. Same goes for field hockey. Their respective Euro and World associations have not told them they can no longer represent their individual nation, so if it has not happened to them, why are the FA's of Scotland, Wales and Ireland worried it will happen to them?

 

[Lioness~]

No, the gender doesn't really matter today. Sweden are great with Peter Gerhardsson.
It was more of a thing some years back to get women in coaching positions for women.
Peter is married to a former female player though.

I've changed my mind - it might be time to replace this guy too.

It's mostly that way that coaches play the 'secure players' that they worked with a long time.
They all have difficulties with change. But aren't we all?

Yesterday's game between Spain - Sweden was no fun to watch at all.
We had the lead with 3-1 in halftime. Then Spain wins 5-3.

Why in heavens name did Seger (38 yrs) even sit on the bench, and why did they even talk about give her minutes to play? Lord! Sure she have been an anchor a long time for Sweden, and played 240 national team games. But there are younger exiting players that they should have given place and more minutes before even mentioned her.

Asllani, our captain, was the only one who was honest after the game when she said that this was beneath all contempt by the team. Everyone else came with excuses.

Now it is what it is! Olympics are gone, and they have to qualify to stay in Nations League.
Changes will happen, heads will roll!

 

[Don Quixote]

@Scepticalscribe - The Hatters gave you lot a run for your money!

 

[Apple fanboy]

Olympic football - where do you people stand on the football associations of Scotland, Wales and Ireland not officially supporting having a GB men's and women's football team at the Olympics because they are worried it will affect their standing of national teams. Basically they are worried that if all the nations of Great Britain were to unite and put together a GB team comprising of players from the 4 nations that UEFA and FIFA will argue a point that if a GB team can be created for the Olympics, a GB team can be created to play in the Euro's and the World Cup therefore no longer requiring there to be 4 nations taking part, just a combined one.

Do you think this rationale from FA of Scotland, Wales and Ireland is a just one? because I was listening to the women's England v Scotland game thinking they had done enough to qualify for the the Olympics but the Dutch had scored in the last min of the game which meant England finished 2nd behind the Dutch therefore missing out on the Olympics. Point to note, even though it is the England team, due to the other nations not officially recognizing a GB team (players from other nations can play but they do so as an individual not representing their country) which is why the men's and women's England team has always been referred to as the GB team because the English FA is the only FA that officially endorses a GB team for the Olympics. But this loss got me thinking of the Olympics and the stance the other nations have taken by refusing to officially allow players from their national teams to be part of a GB team.

Do you think FIFA and UEFA would make rule changes if the nations of Great Britain got together to form a GB team for the Olympics, telling them they are no longer allowed to represent their individual nation's but must now play as one combined national team?

It works in athletics, in the Euro's it's individual nations but in the Olympics all the nations combine as one. Same goes for field hockey. Their respective Euro and World associations have not told them they can no longer represent their individual nation, so if it has not happened to them, why are the FA's of Scotland, Wales and Ireland worried it will happen to them?

Personally I’d rather the Olympics just dropped football altogether. There is the World Cup, Euros, plus all the other cups. Do we really need it at the Olympics? For me the Olympics is more about athletics.

 

[Don Quixote]

I've changed my mind - it might be time to replace this guy too.

It's mostly that way that coaches play the 'secure players' that they worked with a long time.
They all have difficulties with change. But aren't we all?

Yesterday's game between Spain - Sweden was no fun to watch at all.
We had the lead with 3-1 in halftime. Then Spain wins 5-3.

Why in heavens name did Seger (38 yrs) even sit on the bench, and why did they even talk about give her minutes to play? Lord! Sure she have been an anchor a long time for Sweden, and played 240 national team games. But there are younger exiting players that they should have given place and more minutes before even mentioned her.

Asllani, our captain, was the only one who was honest after the game when she said that this was beneath all contempt by the team. Everyone else came with excuses.

Now it is what it is! Olympics are gone, and they have to qualify to stay in Nations League.
Changes will happen, heads will roll!

It's hard to let go sometimes. maybe she's in more of a mentor/leadership role?

 

[Lioness~]

It's hard to let go sometimes. maybe she's in more of a mentor/leadership role?

Oh yes, I think she will be in a leader role later, she have a lot of experience to share. But she was on the bench as a player at this time.
Ah well, it was not her fault that we lost, she was not on the field, thankfully 🤭
The team has to breakdown, analyze and rebuild now.

 

[laptech]

It was never going to be an easy game for Sweden because you have to remember Spain are the Women's World Cup winners and therefore they were going to fight all the way, which they did.

 

[Lord Blackadder]

Olympic football - where do you people stand on the football associations of Scotland, Wales and Ireland not officially supporting having a GB men's and women's football team at the Olympics because they are worried it will affect their standing of national teams.

It's a complicated question without an easy answer. Public opinion is clearly divided on the matter so I think the individual FAs have to consider that carefully. It's not a cut-and-dry sporting decision, it's also a political matter wrapped up in the relationship between the constituent parts of the UK. A 'Team GB' will be a stronger team on paper...but is the primary purpose just to win or is independent representation at the games (which also allows more players from the UK to compete) more important?

 

[Scepticalscribe]

@Scepticalscribe - The Hatters gave you lot a run for your money!

Yes, they did, and to a degree that actually surprised me.

I didn't expect that game to be so hard fought - and I didn't expect Arsenal to cede three goals, also, at least, not to Luton (who, clearly, are a potentially better team than their position in the table suggests).

 

[Lord Blackadder]

So Aston Villa beat Man City and leapfrog them in the table. Yes, you read that correctly.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

So Aston Villa beat Man City and leapfrog them in the table. Yes, you read that correctly.

Yes, I have been following that match with no small interest.

Extraordinary.