The Football Thread

Why, thank you very much, Mr. Sunderland. 

^ I have always loved the guy but his latest psychobabble was ridiculous. If only managers could put that much more energy into help reducing players penalty theatrics rather than bemoaning every penalty decison that goes against them. Liverpool have more penalties this season purely because they are always in their opponents box, not because Suarez is a fine Hollywood actor. Chelsea's have one of the most embarrassing strikers dept. going at the moment, Torres, Ba, Luakaku ( on loan), Schurle and I am sure more....thank god they have had Oscar, Willian and Hazard to help their strikeforce. Almost Liverpool's year!

Liverpool edge ever closer to the EPL crown. Their win at Norwich was hard-fought and maybe tinged with just a little bit of good fortune? (Stirling's second goal which turned out to be the winner was a tad fortunate) but championships are won with graft, skill and luck in equal measure.The Gooners continue to hang gamely onto the 4th Champions League slot but Everton have shown that despite the gaffe at home to Palace, they will continue to press them all the way (The Toffees overcame a lumbering and invertebrate Man Utd at Goodison Park, where the home crowd were so intent on making Moyes suffer they forgot to boo their favorite Judas Rooney)

What about miniscule Zwolle stuffing the mighty Ajax 5-1 in the Dutch Cup final??!!! Their first trophy ever in 104 long barren years. This sort of thing restores yer faith in footy i.e. it is still more than capable of producing giddy and swooning romance. As long as FIFA can keep the sugar daddies in check, there is still hope for those who dare to dream.


Edited by ExittheLemming - April 24 2014 at 07:47

I guess Moyes is on his way out.  Even though I always enjoy Man U 'in trouble' I am disapointed for Moyles as there are no British managers at the very top level of football so in that sense its a shame.  I guess Liverpool winning the title (maybe) was all too much for the owners. They don't want more competition for the Asian buck and every other buck.  Danger that your average fan from *countries name* would start to think Liverpool  rather than MU is the biggest club in England once again>  BRAND MARKETING ETC

yes yes Moyes gone how will be nexts.

^ Come on, let's not besmirch Man Utd's success. As hard as this is, coming from a lifelong Leeds fan, it has been thrilling watching Man U's success over the years. I do love following teams that have excellent managers, Martinez, Rodgers, Guardiola and Mourinho.

Well sodomise me with a fish knife and call me halibut but guess what? despite being found guilty of repeatedly breaching transfer regulations by football's so called governing body, the two window ban on transfers meted out to Barcelona has been expediently suspended pending an appeal. Mes que un club is no more than than an old boys UEFA club i.e carry on as normal and sign intended targets Halilovic and Marc Andre ter Stegen because it's a given your appeal will succeed as the prospect of both players being subsequently frogmarched back to their selling clubs is something so fanciful that not even the habitually chipped off his tits Michel Platini could countenance same. So Rosell's resignation was not even tenuously connected to the flagrant disregard for ethical accountability surrounding the Neymar transfer right? We football fans are a lot of things: passionate, forgiving, loyal and opinionated but we ain't that naive. Bribing referees is no more repellant than bribing parents to sign their son's life away to the highest bidder. Most folks inside the Nou Camp ain't read Faust by Goethe but 99% of them would be able to pick out Mephistopheles in a line up parade. Barca deserve everything they are currently getting and I hope that either Atletico or Real win the league (sorry to the T, just being honest)

Great first leg for Real Madrid

Cfc v real final then

Chris S wrote:   No amount of money guarantees success viz. Man City. So yes Man U will take a while to get back up to speed. My biggest gripe is how the same players could win the league by so big a margin last season and this year nothing but a bunch of sulking misfits ( Van persie's pathetic injury record aside). They need a manager to come in and give them a serious ass kicking. I have always disliked Liverpool but the way they have played this season and Rodger's almost flawless way of handling the media has been special to witness.

 
This has been my thoughts exactly.  I appreciate the squad is a year older, but Moyes had exactly the same squad (plus Fellaini and lately Mata) and yet the drop in points from last season is astounding, totally inexplicable.  The results and performances have been absolutely appalling.  There has clearly been great unrest and some of the stories coming out are hilarious.

That said, as a humble and fair-minded Man Utd supporter (season ticket holder for 30+ years) I have to say I am disgusted about how the sacking happened.  Moyes is a decent man and did not deserve it to come out like that.  These leaks to the media followed by a tweet the following day are representative of how football is these days. 

All in all the decision was the right one though.  Moyes and United was not the right fit and a manager with cojones and ego is required to deal with the issues and problems of a club as big as United.  I don't think he was the right man for the job, but there you go.  I thought that when he was appointed and still think so now.

On another point, the Atletico v Chelsea match was deadful, a total snooze fest.  Both teams apparently more than happy with 0-0, but Chelsea showing their tactical nous, ie: parking all 4 of their team buses.  I suppose the end justifies the means.  It's football Jim, but not as we know it.  Last night's game was a little better, thankfully.  Let's hope the 2nd legs provide a little more in the way of entertainment.