Roiling football blather

Slothrop

Slothrop

Tight but Polite
(In reply to Rich) Yeah, but I'd generally assume that that's to do with the board being tight fisted rather than the manager saying "buy better players? Nah, I don't think I will actually."
 
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Slothrop

Slothrop

Tight but Polite
baboon2004 said:
Also, on a very basic level, whatever he's doing, it hasn't won ANYTHING in six years (and that last FA Cup victory was a total undeserved fluke, must be said). he set such high standards in 2001-4 (and before obv, but that seeemd to be his peak), and he just hasn't delivered anything to touch that since. Victim of his own success, too. But Abramovich and the Man City owners have kinda changed the game, as you've said.
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Yeah, I mean to talk about not having won anything in six years, you have to ask who HAS won anything in the last six years. I think only Man U and Chelsea have won domestic competitions more than once, then you get a couple of slightly unexpected cup winners (Birmingham and Portsmouth) and a couple of fairly solid cup winners still with only one title apiece (Man C, Liverpool, Spurs). And that's about it.

Given those numbers, I don't think that winning trophies is really something you can expect of a manager without an immense budget behind them any more.
 
IdleRich

IdleRich

IdleRich
(In reply to Rich) Yeah, but I'd generally assume that that's to do with the board being tight fisted rather than the manager saying "buy better players? Nah, I don't think I will actually."
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I guess you're right but Arsenal are saying that the stadium is paid for, that money has come in and the implication has been that it's there to spend. Maybe that's not true but I think a lot of Arsenal fans believe (perhaps wrongly) that he is stubbornly not buying out of a rigid belief in his philosophy that he can win things with kids and without an enforcer/water-carrier type player.

"Yeah, I mean to talk about not having won anything in six years, you have to ask who HAS won anything in the last six years. I think only Man U and Chelsea have won domestic competitions more than once, then you get a couple of slightly unexpected cup winners (Birmingham and Portsmouth) and a couple of fairly solid cup winners still with only one title apiece (Man C, Liverpool, Spurs). And that's about it."
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To some extent a victim of his own success after winning stuff when he arrived. Adds to the general feeling that they're going backwards.
 
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baboon2004

Darned cockwombles.
I think the way they lost that final to Birmingham was just so...shoddy. If they'd won that, as they should've, then I think, even though it's a minor trophy, fans would've had a lot more faith in Wenger. It's liek he's lost the habit of winning - his mojo has gone...
 
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crackerjack

Well-known member
baboon2004 said:
I think the way they lost that final to Birmingham was just so...shoddy. If they'd won that, as they should've, then I think, even though it's a minor trophy, fans would've had a lot more faith in Wenger. It's liek he's lost the habit of winning - his mojo has gone...
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This is it. That's the route of the current problem. Arsenal have been there or thereabouts for several seasons, often in very good positions to win major trophies (and the League Cup) but Wenger now has the irrevocable air of a bottler. That might be harsh, and he may live to prove us all wrong, but when it comes squeaky-bum time you just know Arsene's gonna shit himself first.

Last season's April game v United was a good example - does anyone here think they'd have won if they'd still been serious title contenders?

edit: yeah, Gervinho looks great, though you could forgive Arsenal fans for not knowing that after his first Prem game.
 
e/y

e/y

Well-known member
Mistakes have certainly been made, and there is ample room for criticism of Wenger / the Club. But the internet echochamber and the SEO-motivated blogs, broadsheet articles and 'In The Know' people on twitter magnify this to a ridiculous extent - if you look around Arsenal blogs or comments under articles, you could easily form the impression that the club is careening towards relegation and all the players are 'shit and cunts'.

Things aren't great atm, but they aren't that bad. Ultimately, the internet (for all the great things it brings wrt to football - Zonal Marking, Football Weekly, etc) is making me somewhat weary of football. Too much trivial nonsense and micro-analysis.
 
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don_quixote

Trent End
can't wait for man city vs napoli. hope they bloody show that on the telly. if itv just dross up wall-to-wall man utd i will not be happy.
 
Sectionfive

Sectionfive

bandwagon house
Shamrock Rovers into Europe proper. First Irish team in my life time to do it.
They are now richer then every other team in every other division on the island.

 
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crackerjack

Well-known member
Not only is Suarez the best player in the Prem, he's also helping Liverpool tickle up the next generation. On paper, this looks like a stunning bit of business. Things are looking up. Now if they can just roll over for Brighton in the Carling Cup...


'Historic' Sebastian Coates transfer a coup for Liverpool
By Tim Sturtridge

Sebastian Coates has been signed, sealed and delivered to Anfield. For a fee of less than half the price of Phil Jones the Merseysiders have bagged themselves twice the player.

Uruguayan heavyweights Nacional received a fax this morning from Liverpool meeting their £7m valuation of the centre-back. The deal concludes a month of intense transfer speculation surrounding the 2011 Copa America Young Player of the Tournament.

Nacional said all along that it would take an “historic” fee to convince them to part ways with the defender who stands just a few blond locks short of six foot six. The fee certainly smashes the previous Uruguayan record of £3.5m to take Nicolás Lodeiro from Nacional to Ajax but still represents a real coup for Liverpool.

On the downside for Nacional they will receive just over half of the cash after selling a portion of Coates’ rights for £100,000 to a third-party investment group while the player was still a trainee.

Liverpool were not the first club to wade in with a concrete offer for 20-year-old. FC Dnipro actually bidded well over the asking price but the player refused a move to the Ukraine.

Manchester City were also sniffing around and even had top Uruguayan businessman Francisco "Paco" Casal doing their bidding for them. Following an injury to Mamadou Sakho it was also reported that Paris Saint-Germain were weighing up a move for El Flaco Coates.

With Coates’ agent Matias Pittini bombarded with a host of enquires from high profile clubs all over Europe credit must be given to Liverpool for stepping up their chase and securing the signature. Just as Luis Suárez convinced Lodeiro to come to Ajax it appears the striker has once again used his significant influence within Uruguay to get Coates to Anfield.

Enough about the off-the-field shenanigans, what exactly has this kid got in his locker? Let’s get the tired clichés out the way now; dominant in the air at both ends of the pitch, tends to stay on his feet but equally adapt at a last gasp lunge, great physicality to usher attackers off the ball, can walk the ball out of defence or ping a long pass off his right boot and he’s definitely not afraid to risk a booking.

Coates joined the Nacional academy at 11-years-old and broke into the first team seven years later. Before making his bow with Nacional the defender helped Uruguay finish third at the 2009 South American under-20 Championships.

Since making his debut for Nacional against Bella Vista on 18 April 2009 the Uruguayan has started every single game for the club, suspensions and national team duty withstanding. Despite only playing three months of the 2008/09 campaign his performances in the title winning team as well as on a run to the semi-finals of the Copa Libertadores saw Coates named the 2008/09 Uruguayan Championship Revelation of the Season.

In the close season Coates traveled to Egypt to play at the under-20 World Cup where Uruguay went unbeaten in a group containing eventual champions Ghana. Below Uruguay and Ghana in the group came Uzbekistan and then England.

Although Nacional missed out on the league title the following year Coates’ stock continued to rise. His performance in Buenos Aires against Banfield in the Copa Libertadores was a joy to behold. Coates dictated the play at both ends of the pitch as he scored the opener and set up the second in the 2-0 win over the reigning Argentinian league champions.

Coates then missed out on a trip to South Africa despite being called up to Uruguay’s senior squad for their crucial play-off double header against Costa Rica. The defender would have to wait another year before winning his first cap. His international debut came in a friendly against Estonia just a week shy of the 2011 Copa America.

With injuries dogging both Diego Godín and Mauricio Victorino the door was left ajar for Coates to partner Diego Lugano in the heart of defence at the continental competition. A string of fine displays heralded the arrival of the latest uncompromising Uruguayan centre-back, a fighter for sure and a winner to boot.

Neymar’s name was already etched onto the Young Player of the Tournament award before a ball was even kicked in Argentina, but then Coates kicked Neymar into touch. The achievement may have paled into insignificance against winning Uruguay’s 15th Copa America title but the Young Player award seems now to have tipped the balance for Coates getting a work permit.

There’s been a touch of the Cesc Fabregas and Luka Modric about Coates’ inevitable transfer away from Parque Central but the Nacional youth product remained quiet and respectful throughout. He even answered his manager’s plea to play in the game against Defensor Sporting at the weekend despite still looking jaded following his Copa America exploits.

With this in mind it’s unlikely Kenny Dalglish will want to throw Coates into the fray immediately. Judging by some of Coates’ monstrous performances in el Clásico del fútbol uruguayo against Peñarol the Merseyside Derby seems the right time for Liverpool fans to judge what sort of player they have on their hands.

A week after the Everton game Coates will celebrate his 21st birthday, what a truly fantastic bit of business from the Red Men.
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crackerjack

Well-known member
City 4-1 up at Spurs. Dzeko (a man reborn) hattrick and 3 assists from Nasri. 11 in 3 from boring, boring City. If Macini can instil the belief and resilience you need for a title, then they're very real contenders.

Man for man, they've probably now got the best squad in the country, even if Tevez leaves/sulks all season.

Spurs look a bit lost. They were massacred in the 2nd half at Man U & seemed clueless up front (VdV reduced to pointless 40-yarders). Good article here from e / y's favourite journalist explaining some of the possible reasons.

edit: 5-1, 4 for Dzeko
 
e/y

e/y

Well-known member
heh crackerjack

some pretty amazing interplay from City's front 4. very fluid. Aguero's goal was really excellent.

really odd that Harry played 1) with only 2 in the middle and 2) those two are playmakers. no-one at all to break up City's play.

re. 'boring City' - one thing that bothered me last year wrt to journalists / fans and City was that when Yaya was picked, it was automatically noted as a defensive setup. though in the beginning this was the case, but eventually Mancini was deploying him as an attacking mid (where he often played at Olympiacos). it's almost like they saw a tall, powerful black player => Patrick Vieira => DEFENSIVE MID. Abou Diaby has been reduced in a similar way , too.

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for some strange reason (ie, a 39 degree fever / general delirium), I'm kind of looking forward to the United game.
 
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crackerjack

Well-known member
and it's not getting any better for Arse - would Wenger take a 5-0 at this point?


Here's a fun way to spend your half-time - have a look at @bglendenning's timeline. Sad to see it in City, but I love how aggressively paranoid angry-man footy fans can get. Wtf is a football journalist's 'agenda'?
 
e/y

e/y

Well-known member
get in Theo!

cue a 6-1 scoreline


btw, Barry is great. love when meatheaded morons get wound up by him.
 
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