The Official Football Thread

[KiraYamatoFan]

Originally Posted by Se7enSword

Here's hoping LVG's days are effectively numbered

I think they already are. If you saw his post-match comments, it's quite clear to him that his own head will roll. With Mourinho already sacked, clubs stepping up negotiations with other managers, and the January transfer window coming up soon, things will boil very quickly.

I guess this stint with Van Gaal was the hard lesson people all needed to take so we all understand that being successful with a national team doesn't translate into success at club level, especially with the kind of animal the Premier League is.

edit: Ryan Giggs can fuck off too. After being involved in 2 managerial failures, he better gain experience elsewhere before he can even get sniff at United's managerial position.

[germanturkey]

you make it sound like van gaal didn't win trophies with barca, ajax, and munich. its the squad that's inadequate. lots of money spent on potential and mediocrity.

[KiraYamatoFan]

Originally Posted by germanturkey

you make it sound like van gaal didn't win trophies with barca, ajax, and munich.

That was 5 years ago, which looks like an eternity in the world of football knowing how much the game changed in that time span. Someone found the old statement Karl-Heinz Rummenigge made shortly before Van Gaal was sacked at Bayern; it bears an uncanny resemblance with our situation in terms of football that people just cannot enjoy.

[Se7enSword]

Yup! 5 years is a long time. Past accomplishments are fine, but one should never ignore the present.

And I see, I couldn't watch the post-match comments. Good to know!

[Bri]

Originally Posted by germanturkey

you make it sound like van gaal didn't win trophies with barca, ajax, and munich. its the squad that's inadequate. lots of money spent on potential and mediocrity.

Exactly. United's dealings in the transfer market have been pretty dire since the latter days of Ferguson. Mourinho or Guardiola might squeeze a few percent more out of the current squad but that is it.

Barcelona and Ajax both have top tier youth academies supplying players to the first squad, and both clubs are renowned for being shit in the transfer market. Bayern had Nerlinger and Sammer oversee the formation of their recent successful sides.

United has like many traditional English clubs a manager which is a mix of head coach and director of football. If the scouting isn't great, the club is dependent on the personal network of the manager. Wonder how many coaches and money United will burn trough before they figure out that they need to improve their technical department first.

[SuitUp]

So, Real Madrid just won 10-2 to Rayo Vallecano, the first rime since the 60's that any team scores 10+ goals in la Liga...

[germanturkey]

i was hoping chelsea would win. oh well.

also, ozil is class.

[Se7enSword]

Hopefully last night's terrible game urges the board to look for other options now.

LVG hasn't proven himself yet.

[KiraYamatoFan]

Originally Posted by Se7enSword

Hopefully last night's terrible game urges the board to look for other options now.

LVG hasn't proven himself yet.

Van Gaal is just a walking corpse now. With the hostile reactions being what they are now inside Old Trafford according to what I saw on television, action must be taken. For the record, AS Roma sacked Rudi Garcia 2-3 weeks ago after supporters over there were in a state of open revolt against the club. Back in 2009, Bayern supporters became very vocal against Jürgen Klinsmann. So I hope the matchgoers in Manchester will maintain the same kind of hostility until the message is well received and executed consequently by the board.

No matter what people say and despite the heated nature of the debate around him, I'm warming up to the idea of hiring Jose Mourinho to lead a squad that has not as many primadonnas as Madrid and Chelsea have.

[KiraYamatoFan]

Well, there was plenty to talk about today. First, United came up with the result against Arsenal despite 14 injuries on first-team caliber players; it was almost like watching a B or C team on paper (with players like Lingard, Rashford, Varela, and then Fosu-Mensah and Weir... who would be mostly unknown outside of United fans who follow youth teams). But it was great to see the young lad, Marcus Rashford, showing such poise in his first 2 starts so far for the first team (4 goals and an assist against both Midtjylland and Arsenal). Of course, a little bit of overall inexperience as and sloppy defending with 2 midfielders as CBs allowed Arsenal to get back into the match. Nevertheless, it was refeshing to see the kids being hungry, taking their chances, and holding their ground as well as they did.

Second topic is about Louis van Gaal. I must say that people have been waiting to see him give some to the 4th official and referees when he's not happy about something. He doesn't do that often, but he knows how to give a show in style when he gave the 4th official an explicit example of what he's talking about. It's becoming a meme on the web.

It was also the League Cup final between Manchester City and Liverpool. To be fair, it was an even fight from start to finish. However, the finishing was woeful on both sides. In the end, City won the lottery on penalties. If it wasn't for Joe Hart having age on his side, Willy Caballero would have a right to start more matches in the league.

Bring on the North London Derby next weekend.

[KiraYamatoFan]

Sad news today. Johan Cruyff passed away from lung cancer. He was 68 (1947-2016).

Johan Cruyff: Netherlands great dies of cancer aged 68

Regarded as one of the best footballers ever and as the best product of the Netherlands' Total Football that broke an era of dour defensive football, Cruyff was named 3 times European footballer of the year and won numerous titles as a player, especially 3 European Cups with Ajax Amsterdam in the early 1970s. Cruyff scored 293 goals in 521 appearances for five different clubs - including 204 in 276 games while winning 18 trophies in two spells for Ajax. He was later coach of FC Barcelona when the club won its first European Cup in 1992.

If the number 14 means anything to any of you in football, then Cruyff was the one who popularized it the best. An artist, a genius, an innovator and a true legend. Sky Sports made a very good documentary about him a few years ago and you can watch it below.

RIP to the Flying Dutchman.

[Bri]

I was in the supermarket this afternoon when the messages started popping up on phones. It was the strangest thing, conversations stopped and people whispered "Johan is gone". Never seen anything like it.

Our country's football owes him a lot. He was an inspiration as a player, laid the groundwork for modern football and structured Europe's' two most successful youth academies. In recent years his charity founded football courts around the country to help stimulate young people to play and his revolution turned Ajax around.




“Football is a simple game but it is very hard to play it simple.”

[Se7enSword]

That was indeed a good documentary. My condolences to his family :<

[Blaat]

Three weeks ago it was smooth sailing for Barça, 9 points ahead of Atletico and favourites in their quarter-final tie. Now they're only 3 points ahead and out of the CL. Epic collapse.

Surprisingly close quarter-finals all around I expected it to be more one sided.

[justavisitor]

Well, today's result means Arsenal is officially out of the title race (even tho they were out long time ago) and it also concludes that epl will have a new champion this year!!

You got to feel sorry for the Arsenal's fans, on a season when every other top team under performs, Arsenal got beaten by Leicester...

Well, I am not a Leicester fan by any means, but hope they can hold on to win the championship..it's like we are witnessing a great historical moment right now XD...hope the fairy tale has a great ending as well

[MrTerrorist]

[justavisitor]

And this is it. Leicester wins the title as spurs settles a 2-2 draw against Chelsea...

What a season it is!! Congratulation to Leicester City!!

[risingstar3110]

Considering that no team finished lower than 3rd previous season, ever win EPL in the next. This is the reason why it was so amazing. Most pundits were predicting them to end up 18th, 19th this season.

Felt slightly anti-climatic, as it was their opponent's slip that handed them the league. Two round earlier as well. Stop being so good at this, you supposed to win it in dying second of final match. Now your fairy story is ruined, Leicester!!

[Azuma Denton]

Also added the fact that the team value only consist around 25-30 million dollars (the cost of one key player from top 5 clubs) able to win the EPL.

Truly a fairy tale.
Good job Rainieri. You show us again what it means to play football with passion, not money.
Hopefully the players stay with Leicester and go to Champions League with its blue shirts.

Gratz...

[risingstar3110]

After today, Buddhist monks suddenly in demand for the world football

(For those didn't know, because Leicester owner was a Thai corporation, during their bottom-of-the-table form, the owner invited some buddhist monk to their ground to ward off the evil spirit or some sort. And tah dah!!!)