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The 2017-2018 Football Thread
- Thread starter Lord Blackadder
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Oh, yes, agreed.
I'm not defending them, merely explaining what I think might be their mindset.
However, they still have some good players, and they might have difficulty holding onto them begin this summer. It was brilliant for Leicester that the title-winning team weren't disbanded the summer immediately following the successful title, but, two years later, none of the remaining players can be accused of greed, or lack of loyalty to the club; with the exception of Kanté, the club has managed to keep most of that team together - and, if you recall, they did rather well last year in Europe.
However, I wouldn't be surprised if Mahrez, for example, didn't seek a change to pastures new, although his monetary value mightn't be quite what it could have been two years ago.
The friendly jabs have started with my Arsenal friends about the match tomorrow.
I enjoy football banter. I miss it in the office when summer comes around.
Hm.
Exactly quite how friendly are the friendly jabs?
However, I was amused to see the qualified - I cannot write 'apology' - but perhaps expressing a degree of some slight regret - that issued from the mouth of Mr Mourinho earlier today when he stressed how welcome Mr Wenger (and his team) were at Old Trafford and conceded that some remarks might have been better left unuttered.
Agreed.
Football banter can be great fun, and, when I was teaching, it was a great way to connect with some of my male students.
Enjoy it.
This Arsenal supporter is slightly apprehensive about our visit to Old Trafford.
Meanwhile, over in the north-east, Sunderland is imploding: The manager has just been fired while the club (not before time) has just been sold.
Yes, Ellis Short's tenure as owner was an unmitigated disaster, and the club acquired the reputation of perhaps the most comically badly run club in the country.
The Guardian had a grim piece of reading during the past few days which simply logged all of the buys - of players - during Short's tenure; most were dreadful, - not just dreadful footballers, but dreadful buys in a strict economic sense in that Sunderland had to sell on the majority of them at a loss - and the few good players they had (for example, Jordan Pickford, Jermaine Defoe) were poached by others, as the club needed the funds generated by their departure.
Well, I certainly am.
And so the match - as in a proper contest - can now commence.
Well I'll see how the second half goes. At least we are still in it. A draw would be fantastic.
Bring on Carroll for the last 20 minutes and whip in some long balls.
Which is probably what I was expecting. No shame in loosing to Man City this year.
No, Manchester City are on fire - and probably on track to knock a few records on the head - at the moment. It is interesting that they haven't relaxed (and rightly so) since winning the Premiership, but are still hungry enough to win and administer thrashings.
Meanwhile, one all at Old Trafford. I think - for sentimental reasons - most of the neutrals would like to see Arsenal win. Or, at least, draw - in other words, not lose.
For once, Arsenal weren't brittle, spineless, Arsenal; instead, they played well, - and this a team with quite a few youngsters - and deserved a draw. Instead, they lost, in the cruellest possible way - a 91st minute goal courtesy of - what can I say? - none other than Mr Falliani.
Mourinho was placed on this earth to obliterate romanticism.
Route 1 football from Utd. Twas essentially two mediocre teams playing a friendly. City and Liverpool have little to worry about next season bar massive improvements from the rest of the pack.
Classy from Utd though, to welcome Wenger. Although the cynic in me cant help but feel that it is easy to be nice to someone who is no longer a threat whatsoever.
Classy from Utd though, to welcome Wenger. Although the cynic in me cant help but feel that it is easy to be nice to someone who is no longer a threat whatsoever.
Exactly. Wenger said as much himself.
I think Mourinho could win the title next year. His football is generally quite boring, and he is a terrible human being. But he is also an efficient winner and has more money than all his rivals, bar one. The only way Man Utd will ever fall from their nearly unassailable position at the top of the football food chain is if bad ownership runs the club into the ground - and given the avalanche of revenue they have coming in each season, even that would be hard to do.
If it wasn't for Pep, Mourinho would be cruising to the title and everyone would be saying that you can choose to play nice football or win, but never both.
What was classy about it was that they persuaded Alex Ferguson to do the honours, rather than Mourinho; and - however much it could only have been done when - and because - Arsene Wenger is no longer considered a threat (and yes, Mr Wenger acknowledged as much, himself), it was still a decent gesture.
I'm sorry for Arsenal (rather than enraged or embarrassed, as I have been by countless, atrocious, brittle performances); but I think a draw would have been a fairer result.
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