The 2019-2020 Football Thread

[JamesMike]

channel?

Sorry, I did not see your reply soon enough. USA won 4-0 and was on Fox Sports 1.
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I will check out the Bundesliga match between Borussia Dortmund and SC Paderborn 07 shortly.

A good match, Dortmund had to come back from a dominating Paderborn who lead 3-0 at the half to tie it end.

 

[pachyderm]

Sorry, I did not see your reply soon enough. USA won 4-0 and was on Fox Sports 1.
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I will check out the Bundesliga match between Borussia Dortmund and SC Paderborn 07 shortly.

A good match, Dortmund had to come back from a dominating Paderborn who lead 3-0 at the half to tie it end.

No worries.

I went to bed shortly after that post anyway.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Oh, dear divinity.......Arsenal.

Two one down to Southampton.

That defence is an embarrassment.

 

[JamesMike]

Oh, dear divinity.......Arsenal.

Two one down at Southampton.

That defence is an embarrassment.

I agree, their defense needs some fine tuning.

I see our 'favorite manager' got a win.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

I agree, their defense needs some fine tuning.

I see our 'favorite manager' got a win.

"Fine tuning" is about as elegant and eloquent a euphemism as I could possibly come up with.

Put up for sale en masse, or collectively fired, or fined for such shocking and endlessly repeated lapses, (but not before suitable replacements have been acquired); I do not include Leno in this collective critique; he is an excellent goalkeeper, who deserves better, and needs an excellent defence (or, at the very least, a considerably better defence than he currently enjoys) in front of him.

Yes, sigh. Our "favourite manager" did indeed get a win (though West Ham fought back strongly at the finish); I still think Poch was treated poorly, and am absolutely certain that the marriage of Mourinho and Spurs will end in tears, and acrimony and recrimination.

Still, as one source (a senior football industry executive who knows the pair) quoted (anonymously) today in today's Financial Times remarked: "Take it from people who have had to deal with Daniel (Levy) and José (Mourinho) in the football industry, they're made for each other. And they're certainly welcome to each other."

However, I am often struck at the (sometimes fleeting) yet striking improvement in basic competence on the field not to mention the sheer quality of performance displayed by a football team after the appointment of a new manager.
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A late - last minute goal - snatched draw which gives a result of (2-2) at home to Southampton.

Dear, dear.

Not terribly uplifting.

 

[Lord Blackadder]

Arsenal escape with a draw but the result will do nothing to silence the doubters.

Liverpool cannot keep a clean sheet - yet continue to win. Not a great performance but Palace played well and have been a thorn in Liverpool's side in the past. I'll take the three points.

Mourinho-Era Spurs begin with a win. Not entirely convincing but a win all the same. And Jose is literally nothing if not about results.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Arsenal escape with a draw but the result will do nothing to silence the doubters.

Liverpool cannot keep a clean sheet - yet continue to win. Not a great performance but Palace played well and have been a thorn in Liverpool's side in the past. I'll take the three points.

Mourinho-Era Spurs begin with a win. Not entirely convincing but a win all the same. And Jose is literally nothing if not about results.

The ranks of the doubters may yet be joined by this belated convert.

It is not a secret that the defence is brittle and, at times, simply dire, and the Guardian had the usual reference to a "shocking lapse" that led to the first Southampton goal.

 

[Apple fanboy]

West Ham were awful for most of the game. Only for the last 20 minutes did we show up.
On a brighter not I’m up to second in my fantasy league thanks to captain Mane and vice captain Vardy.

I think our manager may well be next for the P45. Hopefully we can regain the form we showed earlier on this season.
I’d start by playing Antonio if he can stay fit.

 

[JamesMike]

Darn, Sheffield has just out played my Man U team in the first half. Man U was just unorganized, if it had not been good play by De Gea the score would be higher.

 

[Apple fanboy]

Darn, Sheffield has just out played my Man U team in the first half. Man U was just unorganized, if it had not been good play by De Gea the score would be higher.

Which no doubt Sheffield will regret in the second half when ManU turn it around.
Need James to score! I need the points.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Darn, Sheffield has just out played my Man U team in the first half. Man U was just unorganized, if it had not been good play by De Gea the score would be higher.

Like Leno with Arsenal, De Gea has saved Manchester United's blushes more frequently than they deserve.

 

[JamesMike]

It turned out to be 3-3. The one good news from the match was two of Man U's goal were scored by two of their teenagers.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

It turned out to be 3-3. The one good news from the match was two of Man U's goal were scored by two of their teenagers.

Sheffield United deserved their point, - they played well throughout, apart from a period of ten minutes - while Manchester United's comeback - especially with the introduction of two promising and talented youngsters - was impressive, as they had been abysmal until then.

 

[Apple fanboy]

I think Sheffield deserved more than just the point. Been giving my Man U friend some stick.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

I think Sheffield deserved more than just the point. Been giving my Man U friend some stick.

Actually, if I am entirely honest, so do I.

Personally, I would have loved to have seen them win; their performance over the 90 minutes merited it, and it would have been an utter travesty had the score stood at 3-2 and VAR ruled out that last minute goal.

 

[JamesMike]

Watching the tail-end of the Real Madrid/Paris Saint-Germain match, score is 2-2 with just a few minutes remaining. It ended in a tie.

Spurs had a nice against Olympiacos, 4-1.

 

[Lord Blackadder]

Napoli continue to be a thorn in Liverpool's side. They are crap in Serie A right now, and have off-field distractions, but they step it up against the Reds. They never looked like winning this match but are hard to beat and with the draw Liverpool now need to get a result in their final group match to get to the next round.

 

[circatee]

Well, that didn’t work out too well for us.
It will be interesting how they handle Unai.

With the Norwich game around the corner, not sure if this is the time to dismiss him. Alas, time will tell...

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Well, that didn’t work out too well for us.
It will be interesting how they handle Unai.

With the Norwich game around the corner, not sure if this is the time to dismiss him. Alas, time will tell...

No, it didn't. And I am not remotely surprised.

What is interesting is that Emery was recruited by Arsenal as a Europa Cup specialist, (among other things) and, while Arsenal reached the final last year, (and, of course suffered a heavy defeat), I would lay odds that this achievement will not be replicated this year.

Actually, I rather think that Unai Emery may be on his way out, and, moreover, I strongly suspect that the players are not giving of their best - that, as happened with Conte in Chelsea, - the players are subtly sabotaging him, subconsciously or very, very consciously.

While traditionally, Arsenal tend to be quite cautious about such things, (i.e. - the removal of managers, especially mid way through a season), the situation at Spurs - which had been stable - may have changed that.

This, along with Arsenal's lack lustre performances, tendency to completely collapse once challenged, and their calamitous defence, which has shown no sign of improvement this season, have all contributed to a collapse in confidence.

Of course, while the manager will be expected to take the blame, and be fired, and/or thrown under the proverbial bus, it is equally clear that the players are consistently under-performing. Candidly, many of them seem to have switched off.

 

[circatee]

Agreed, it is a serious state of affairs, at Arsenal. In 38 years, a rather low point for me.

The problem I feel that is evident, is finding a willing and proven manager to come in and take over. I know we held onto Wenger for longer than we should have. Alas, looking back, we were somewhat better off, no?

No, it didn't. And I am not remotely surprised.

What is interesting is that Emery was recruited by Arsenal as a Europa Cup specialist, (among other things) and, while Arsenal reached the final last year, (and, of course suffered a heavy defeat), I would lay odds that this achievement will not be replicated this year.

Actually, I rather think that Unai Emery may be on his way out, and, moreover, I strongly suspect that the players are not giving of their best - that, as happened with Conte in Chelsea, - the players are subtly sabotaging him, subconsciously or very, very consciously.

While traditionally, Arsenal tend to be quite cautious about such things, (i.e. - the removal of managers, especially mid way through a season), the situation at Spurs - which had been stable - may have changed that.

This, along with Arsenal's lack lustre performances, tendency to completely collapse once challenged, and their calamitous defence, which has shown no sign of improvement this season, have all contributed to a collapse in confidence.

Of course, while the manager will be expected to take the blame, and be fired, and/or thrown under the proverbial bus, it is equally clear that the players are consistently under-performing. Candidly, many of them seem to have switched off.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

It is just been announced that Unai Emery has been sacked by Arsenal.

There has been a growing inevitability about this decision in recent weeks, and dismal and gutless performances on the field by the team - who have seemed increasingly devoid of ambition, passion, vision, or mental strength - didn't remotely help matters. In fact, recent performances have been almost uniformly dire, with the exception of Arsenal's forwards.

Indeed, ever since the Xhaka episode, (and Xhaka did not exactly cover himself in glory) when Emery had allowed the dressing room to vote on who should be captain, (and subsequently stripped Granit Xhaka of the captain's armband for having responded unprofessionally to barracking by the fans) it was clear that his authority over the dressing room was rapidly disappearing, or that he was unable to express or enforce it.

Recent performances on the field made more than clear that the players were not with him, and equally, didn't respect him. However, the fact that - apart from recruiting a very good goalkeeper - in a year and a half in charge, with there transfer windows - little to nothing was done to address attitude and abilities and aptitude in Arsenal's catastrophic defence, ensured that

Old Arsenal hand Freddie Ljungberg takes over as interim coach.

Personally, I would devoutly hope that this does not become another OGS situation; instead, I would like to see a seriously good - and thoughtful - manager recruited. Two years ago, I would have liked to have seen Thomas Tuchel rather than Unai Emery appointed to replace the legendary Mr Wenger.

 

[Apple fanboy]

It is just been announced that Unai Emery has been sacked by Arsenal.

There has been a growing inevitability about this decision in recent weeks, and dismal and gutless performances on the field by the team - who have seemed increasingly devoid of ambition, passion, vision, or mental strength - didn't remotely help matters. In fact, recent performances have been almost uniformly dire, with the exception of Arsenal's forwards.

Indeed, ever since the Xhaka episode, (and Xhaka did not exactly cover himself in glory) when Emery had allowed the dressing room to vote on who should be captain, (and subsequently stripped Granit Xhaka of the captain's armband for having responded unprofessionally to barracking by the fans) it was clear that his authority over the dressing room was rapidly disappearing, or that he was unable to express or enforce it.

Recent performances on the field made more than clear that the players were not with him, and equally, didn't respect him. However, the fact that - apart from recruiting a very good goalkeeper - in a year and a half in charge, with there transfer windows - little to nothing was done to address attitude and abilities and aptitude in Arsenal's catastrophic defence, ensured that

Old Arsenal hand Freddie Ljungberg takes over as interim coach.

Personally, I would devoutly hope that this does not become another OGS situation; instead, I would like to see a seriously good - and thoughtful - manager recruited. Two years ago, I would have liked to have seen Thomas Tuchel rather than Unai Emery appointed to replace the legendary Mr Wenger.

Not a fan of Freddie Ljungberg. Not since West Ham paid him millions for about 10 minutes playing time at the end of his career.

As for Arsenal I think they have to be realistic and accept they are a top 6 side now. Not a top 4.

At least you won’t end up with the Special One as your manager!

I think our boss is in a race with Everton’s to be next.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Not a fan of Freddie Ljungberg. Not since West Ham paid him millions for about 10 minutes playing time at the end of his career.

As for Arsenal I think they have to be realistic and accept they are a top 6 side now. Not a top 4.

At least you won’t end up with the Special One as your manager!

I think our boss is in a race with Everton’s to be next.

I suspect that the rumours that Arsenal were considering appointing The Special One impelled Spurs to move swiftly in firing Pochettino and recruiting Mourinho.

Needless to say, I am delighted that we did not end up with The Special One.

However, I sincerely hope that Ljungberg is no more than an emergency stop-gap appointment, to give the club time to consider a more permanent appointment. For one thing, his qualifications do not allow him to manage beyond February, and I do not believe that he is qualified to manage Arsenal for their European competitions.

As for Top Six, to be quite candid, the way we are playing just now, we are quite fortunate to be in the top ten.

From what I have been reading, communication problems (rather than personal animosity) - an an inability to express what he wanted clearly, were central to Emery having lost the dressing room.

This is more than simply language - for that, you simply employ an excellent interpreter who has intelligence and a knowledge of and interest in football (after all, that was how Mourinho himself had started, as an assistant and translator for Bobby Robson); it is mental clarity.

It is frustrating to have to report to someone who cannot articulate clearly what they want from you, and this seems to have been the case to a certain extent with Emery.

 

[circatee]

Interesting times ahead for us. I wish Freddie all the success.

PS: Why can Freddie not be the Coach after February 2020?

 

[Apple fanboy]

Interesting times ahead for us. I wish Freddie all the success.

PS: Why can Freddie not be the Coach after February 2020?

I’m guessing because he’s not qualified. You can appoint an interim manager who isn’t fully qualified for a short period of time.

We play Chelsea today. Abraham’s is injured but I don’t think it will make any difference.
I’m expecting a pasting and our manager to be sacked tonight or tomorrow.
Just don’t want Moyes back. I’d rather Billic!