Proper Football season 2014-2015 thread

[DK]

I know we have the WC thread going on at the moment but still, transfer window is open and all that and things are happening!

pretty blagged that Cesc signed for Chelsea. seemed to come pretty much out of nowhere, at least, had not seen them being touted as a destination for him. Jose's making some tasty moves.

[Psychotic]

I am shocked and appalled at the absence of one of England's major teams from your poll.

Where is Leicester City? :colbert:

[DK]

you know what happens when I pay attention to teams that you're emotionally invested in. you should be used to it with Liverpool by now, do you really want me to go there as well?

[Psychotic]

Good point.

Incidentally (and sorry to distract from the Prem but this must be done) I am fully supporting France in this World Cup and invite you to watch every game. :)

You should also pick Fabregas for your fantasy football team. It's always worked very well.

[DK]

think I should go with diego costa personally, he's had a rough few months with injuries. could cripple him for life if I pick him.

what are people thinking about early transfer movements for their teams so far?

[Psychotic]

RICKIE LAMBERT smurf YEAH

[DK]

solid signing tbf, will give everything he has to the club and will consistently put them in against bum teams while the main force rest up for big games/CL games. personally feel like liverpool would be well served in getting a marquee player in tho, something like Ozil last season for Arsenal, to help take that momentum they gained last season to the next level, rather than being all "ah, so close, never again". dunno who would be good for that, tho.

personally I don't think we need to do much. hold on to the big guns, get Negredo firing again, sort out the other CB position. that's about it really. Wouldn't mind it if we could find a solid young midfielder to groom for Yaya's position but it's not a great necessity. other than that I think we're fairly solid.

[Jess]

Colback: most hated mackem by other mackems. :lol:

[Perducci]

I don't really care who wins. As long as Everton keep up the good work and United continue their descent, I'll be happy.

Right now I'd probably vote Chelsea, but I'll wait and see how the transfer window pans out. As much as I hate to admit it, Liverpool could well be in with a shot depending on who they bring in and how far they get in the Champions League.

[Colonel Angus]

It would be amazing if the Spurs won both the Premier League & the NBA title.

[Loony BoB]

Netherlands to win the league.

[DK]

Fixture list published. City have a dire opening series of games. I can't believe the balls just came out of the pot like that. :colbert:

Liverpool City second game though should be a stormer as usual.

[Old Manus]

Man Utd first up again :colbert: Oh well we had to draw a fellow midtable team sooner or later

[Psychotic]

Fixture list published. City have a dire opening series of games. I can't believe the balls just came out of the pot like that. :colbert:Hahahahaha

We have Southampton first which should be suitably awkward given that we're in the middle of buying half their team.

[Loony BoB]

Looks like United have avoided all the top six clubs from last season for the first two months. However, near the end of the season...

March 14th: Man Utd v Tottenham
March 21st: Liverpool v Man Utd
April 4th: Man Utd v Aston Villa
April 11th: Man Utd v Man City
April 18th: Chelsea v Man Utd
April 25th: Everton v Man Utd

That'll be a fun run of games! :o

[AssassinDX]

That'll be their undoing as far as I'm concerned. I went with City last season and I'll do the same for this one, decent manager or not for United they're still a crap squad that one or two signings won't fix, and Rooney signed his latest contract an entire four months ago so expect him to throw his toys out of the pram and stir up transfer rumours for January until he gets his 500k a week deal.

I think Chelsea will provide the big challenge this year with the acquisition of Costa and Fabregas, and Liverpool again although I don't think they'll be as good as last season.

Leicester is an interesting one, the owner is willing to spend £180 million over the next three seasons to get the club into the top 5, and apparently they've got something like £40 million to spend this summer. I just hope they don't do a QPR and buy players only there for the big payday, but that is unfortunately the only way to get half-decent players playing for low-level teams. Should be good to see who they're linked with in the coming few weeks though.

[Psychotic]

United signing Herrera for £29m and Shaw for £30m. This hot on the heels after spunking £27.5m and £37m on Fellaini and Mata respectively. They're as bad as City and Chelsea are now. I can't claim to know much about Herrera but the other three are worth nowhere near that. On the one hand I want to call them hypocrites but on the other hand I think it's sad that they've been forced down that road.

After the Carroll debacle, Liverpool have been close to signing a number of players (the latest being Moreno) only to turn around and say "piss off" when the seller tries to exort a few more million. I wish more clubs would take that approach. I secretly wish Liverpool wasn't one of them... though I guess it hasn't worked out too badly given our improvement since we stopped Carrolling it.

EDIT: £27m for Shaw. And Liverpool are apparently on the brink of getting Lallana for £25m. Guess we ARE Carrolling it again. I don't think either player is worth that much. Southampton are jammy bastards, I tell you what.

[Loony BoB]

I genuinely don't know enough about Shaw or Harrera to make a call on how much they're worth, but I will point out that PL clubs have a lot more money to play with and United spent bugger all during the summer transfer window last season (let alone previous seasons) so we've had time to make that money we're spending, but outside of that I do see where you're coming from. And clubs are also pretty aware that we have money to spend and need to spend it, meaning the can up their price (unless they are in the opposite position, which Southampton to my knowledge are not... but - hope above endless hope - Juventus seem to be, and with Vidal and Pogba on their books...).

[Psychotic]

Sell Suarez for £70m and buy two Andy Carrolls. It makes sense. Well. I don't know. Are there two Andy Carrolls? That's the only flaw in my plan, otherwise it would surely be Our Year.

[Loony BoB]

Suarez as a Bareclona player will mean Barca have finally admitted that they are no better than the rest of the world's clubs when it comes to the standards they hold themselves to. Also, Liverpool will be down a fantastic footballer. Naturally, I approve of both of these things. :p

[Psychotic]

I think Barcelona did that long ago with the massive tax fraud with Neymar which the courts had to investigate. Who can forget that transfer ban they got (and will avoid because they're Barca) for breaking the rules on signing under 18 players? Oh and going against their "no advertisements on our shirt!" principle by selling out to the always morally impeccable nation of Qatar. Not to mention probably being the worst club on the planet for making endless statements about other team's players they want to sign - which is, of course, against UEFA regulations but never mind they're Barca so they can do what they want.

I've seen it said they've done a heel turn over the past 12 months and are now going through their Hollywood Hogan phase.

[Loony BoB]

It really does seem that way! Such a massive turnaround compared to how they used to protray themselves. "Turning heel" is a pretty accurate way of looking at it.

EDIT: I swear I'd already heard about Liverpool signing this Emre Can bloke, but apparently it's just been completed.

[Old Manus]

WHAT ARE THESE RUMOURS

WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO OUR CLUB PSYCHOTIC

FIRST STEALING IAGO ASPAS FROM OUR GRASP AND NOW BONY

[Loony BoB]

Evra going. :( Guuuuutted. If it's not part of a player + money swap for Vidal, I'm going to be massively disappointed. It will mean our most experienced defender will probably be either Rafael or Evans, and our best leaders will be... I don't even know.

[Psychotic]

FIRST STEALING IAGO ASPAS FROM OUR GRASPis this

is this

what?

are you, like...

like, it's so far removed from anything that makes sense

you have to be trolling but then what is there to troll? like, I don't get... like... what?

I guess if it was a troll it has succeeded because I am blindly furious with anger but all you really had to do was post "Iago Aspas" to get that reaction.

I have seen so many terrible footballers at this club. From Dundee, Diouf and Degen to Diomede, Downing and Diao. From the dross of the Hodgson era like Joke Ole, Poulsen and Konchesky, the failures of Dalglish like Carroll and Adam, through to some of the worthless trash signed this summer like Moses, Cissokho and Luis Alberto - no hyperbole, no exaggeration, Iago Aspas is the worst, the WORST, player I have ever seen play for Liverpool. That even includes Andriy Voroinin.

[Old Manus]

that was the joke :aimkiss:

[Psychotic]

That's not a joke, that's a hate crime.

Besides, he'd still one of Swansea's better players.

[Bubba]

I have never been less excited for a new season. I'm gonna start a new game called Pin the Pointy Stick on the Weather Girl.

[Psychotic]

BREAKING NEWS

Fellaini's shaved his head.

Fuck me.

[Yamaneko]

Hopefully Atlético's run can continue into next season and they at least challenge Barça and Real. Can't stand either side dominating the piss poor competition of La Liga.

[Loony BoB]

BREAKING NEWS

Fellaini's shaved his head.

smurf me.
"It's like signing a new player!"

[Psychotic]

Gutted, but inevitable. Sad the ride is over but what a hell of a ride it was. Definitely the most exciting and skilful player I've seen play for Liverpool. Don't know if I'd call him the best but he'd be up there.

I think Liverpool will struggle without such a talent. Don't think there'll be a title tilt this year. Don't think it's impossible to come in the top four but it'll be one hell of a fight and I wouldn't count on it happening.

Whether you loved him or loathed him, I think we can all agree it was never dull. The Premier League just got a whole lot more boring.

[Loony BoB]

Maybe you can sign Balotelli. :smash:

[Psychotic]

I'd prefer Zlatan. :love:

[Old Manus]

This is the first season in a while that I'm not sure Liverpool fans can say definitively that this is their year. It feels like something is missing from football.

[Psychotic]

You know who's saying it now? Arsenal fans. Not right. Just not right.

[MissH]

I can't help but feel disappointed that Manchester United do not feauture by name in this poll! Yes, we had a dreadful season last season, but I'm actually really excited about this season. Van Gaal has proven he knows his stuff in the World Cup and certainly has a strong character. It looks as if Ed Woodward is pulling his finger out this transfer window as well with hopefully more to come!

Roll on August!:)

[Psychotic]

There's an "Other" option :shobon:

[MissH]

There's an "Other" option :shobon:

haha! That's precisely the problem! Manchester United should not come under 'other'. We should stand alone as the fabulous club we are!

[Bubba]

Yeah, go on Sophie!

Having you post on here has me more excited for the new season. Man Utd fans represent!

[Psychotic]

The seventh best team doesn't really deserve to be on the poll though. :lol:

[MissH]

We'll see next season won't we!!! Shame about Suarez though... :lol:

COME ON UNITED!! 58142

[Psychotic]

Why, will next season be your year? Sounds oddly familiar, that... ;)

[MissH]

No,no. I was just saying we'll wait and see what happens! I can't wait!

[Yamaneko]

I'm sure ManU will have no problem buying winning another league title soon enough.

[Crop]

Don't listen to these fools, MissH. There are plenty of us Man Utd fans on the forum, we just come out of the woodwork when we're winning or before we start losing (pre season).

[DK]

oh god this is getting to the same level as 05/06 when this place was just an arsenal fan infested shithole, only now it's disgusting united fans (and donal, who is not disgusting and is actually very handsome and smells lovely) instead. and the worst part is unfortunately most of these united fans are not soft sensitive fairies like the arsenal fans, it's going to be a lot harder to get rid of them. :colbert: step your game up paul

[Bubba]

I can see us having a decent start with no big games for the first couple of months. Then we'll unravel Newcastle 96 style towards the end of the season. I'll take 4th place right now.

[Old Manus]

oh god this is getting to the same level as 05/06 when this place was just an arsenal fan infested shithole, only now it's disgusting united fans (and donal, who is not disgusting and is actually very handsome and smells lovely) instead. and the worst part is unfortunately most of these united fans are not soft sensitive fairies like the arsenal fans, it's going to be a lot harder to get rid of them. :colbert: step your game up pauldon't worry, you're all glory hunters to me #FootballHipster

[Loony BoB]

You know, if Adidas had some foresight, they could've just bought United with that money before the Glazers did. Of course, they'd have to have United's players continue wearing Nike for the next few years which might have been kind of awkward...

[Psychotic]

Nike would be paying Adidas money every year though which would be amusing.

[Rocket Edge]

haha! That's precisely the problem! Manchester United should not come under 'other'. We should stand alone as the fabulous club we are!http://www.talkingunited.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/LvG7.gif

:cool:

That Adidas deal is huge! I'm looking forward to the new jerseys for the following season. Talk of Vidal possibly coming in but I don't want to get my hopes up, would work out so well for us I'd imagine.

Chelsea will win the title I would say with City second. I'd be happy with top four this season after the Moyes er... stint.


(and donal, who is not disgusting and is actually very handsome and smells lovely)
:aimkiss:

[Jess]

Happy with our signings so far. We still need more, especially a decent striker. I mean, what are we going to do without Shola? :lol:

[The Captain]

Liverpool MUST, MUST, MUST sign a top line player with the Suarez money or we risk turning in to Spurs of last year, trading one outstanding player for a trial by committee. My personal goal would be get Marco Reus if at all possible and failing that look somewhere, ANYWHERE other than in England. It's getting to the point that we could actually save money by just transferring Brendan Rodgers to Southhampton instead of trying to sign their entire squad.

Chelsea are an interesting team and I think right now they should be favored, especially if Yaya Toure really IS trying to get away from City (PSG, on line 1?). Man Utd... wait on see on them. Van Gaal is good but he's not nearly the genius he thinks he is. I see him trying to reinvent the wheel a bit too much and unless he can get Tim Krul on his team, I don't think Utd will fully come together. If they do manage to get Vidal though, they are very scary, but I still don't love their defense.

Arsenal are suddenly spending the cash and Wenger is looking like he just realized he was allowed to do it. Can't say I don't like any of his big moves yet and I wonder if winning that FA Cup is a weight off of the club's shoulders.

Still, there's nearly 2 months left in this window, who knows what can happen between now and then? Maybe Messi gets tired of hearing how "bad" he was at the World Cup and wants to transfer....

Take care all.

[Rocket Edge]

Why not go for Cavani? Man U, Chelsea, & City ain't looking for forwards really, so it could be between Arsenal & yourselves.

[Psychotic]

I'm not ready for another Uruguayan striker in my life right now, alright? I'm not over him yet.

[Bubba]

Over who?

[Old Manus]

Dietmar Hamann.

[Psychotic]

I got Didi's autobiography in our work's secret santa and it's a bloody good read actually. Liverpool aside he was also part of a title winning Bayern team, Germany World Cup squads - played in the final, scored the last goal at Wembley and lost in the infamous 5-1 - and was at City when the £££ rolled in. My favourite bit is a Sven anecdote though:

Recalling a pre-season trip to Thailand, Hamann writes: "One morning when I was on a sun lounger by the pool, he walked towards me with a bottle of champagne and two glasses on it. It was still only 10 in the morning. I looked up and said, ‘Boss, what are we celebrating?’ expecting him to make the triumphant announcement he was staying.
"He turned to me and smiled that gentle smile of his and took the air of a Buddhist philosopher, as he said, ‘Life, Kaiser. We are celebrating life’. With a glass of champagne in hand he stood and looked out towards the horizon, then spoke in that higgledy-piggledy Swedish accent: ‘You know Kaiser, I like this place. I think I will manage for another five years and come back here and live with two women. Yes. I think I need two beautiful women.’

Lovely stuff.

[Loony BoB]

Live the dream, Sven!

[Loony BoB]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/28307088

Well, cry me a fucking river. "The others keep dragging us down!" cry Celtic, while casually dictating a far-from-democratic SPL. Or did they fix that? I dunno. Either way, you reap what you sow is pretty much on the ball for these guys.

And seriously, if you can't make it past those three qualifying rounds then you probably don't deserve to be there. If you do make it past those three qualifying rounds, well, you've probably made a lot of money already, and isn't that what Celtic likes to do? :smash:

I don't even care about Scottish football much at all because it's just so blatantly unbalanced and it's because of the likes of Celtic/Rangers, not despite them.

[DK]

at least they aren't managed by neil lennon anymore, hands down the biggest :bou::bou::bou::bou: in the football world, would actually pop an uncontrollable erection if he got hit by a bus. it is my eternal shame that that colossal dick represented my glorious team.

[Psychotic]

Did you see my post in the World Cup thread about him? What a bell end.

Also yeah I don't get it. Oh no we have to play all of these extra games, our players will be so tired maybe they'll only win the league by 15 points this year.

[DK]

i did not, but i'm sure I would agree with whatever sentiment it was. he is literally the result of raging syphilis burning its way into a womans womb and refusing to leave until it had grown to be a plauge unto the world and forcing its way out.

[Psychotic]

For your benefit:
Hilarious to see Alan Shearer of all people going on about the Suarez incident and how shocking it is.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8fMbxLTpps&app=desktop

Fuck off Shearer you hypocrite xD

Having said that, Neil Lennon deserved it. My Dad was working in Leicester at the time and through his work there was some charity event they ran for some schoolchildren and local footballer Neil Lennon would be in attendance to sign autographs and everything! The fucker didn't turn up, didn't even bother to tell them he wasn't coming. My Dad, despite being a Leicester fan, fucking pissed himself with laughter at Neil Lennon being kicked in the head let me tell you.

[DK]

well i am indeed now nursing a scorching erection as well as a whole newfound respect for alan shearer. what a heroic geordie filthmonger.

[Psychotic]

HAHuss1oE6Q

Shame panayi isn't still knocking about as there's been a lot of rage from Arsenal fans about this advert. Naturally I'm biased but I think it's great and not a problem. It's showing that in the Premier League unbelievable things can happen that grab your attention. Do they want to whitewash over history and pretend it didn't happen Stalin-style or something?

[Loony BoB]

Who aired the 4-4 between Arsenal and Newcastle? That would have made for an incredible ad.

EDIT: Conte leaves Juventus. That was sudden. :o

[Old Manus]

Do they want to whitewash over history and pretend it didn't happen Stalin-style or something?Clearly you're starting early this season with your need to belittle Arselol fans and every advert they feature in.

[Psychotic]

Who aired the 4-4 between Arsenal and Newcastle? That would have made for an incredible ad.That was three seasons ago, can't really show Fabregas and Van Persie in Arsenal shirts as an advertisement for a new Premier League season :p

[Loony BoB]

Ah, fair play. But they could show various different things "through the years" including that one and show it off as a "we show the best football" or something. I was just hoping for that ad to be of a rollercoaster match that went this way and that way rather than a landslide victory. Thought it'd be more impactful!

EDIT: Something for the United fans, and perhaps other fans might enjoy it too. (http://thebusbybabe.sbnation.com/2014/7/16/5905315/exclusive-interview-david-moyes-mousemat)

[Rocket Edge]

Lads, Fantasy football is back. Will I make a thread? If a few of ye are game I will.

[Loony BoB]

Too early for me to put together a team. Apparently LVG wants to assess our current squad for 3-4 weeks before perhaps buying players...

[MissH]

Did anyone watch the Van Gaal press conference? I caught up with it last night and was really impressed. He seems like a perfect mix of Mourinho and Fergie. Confidence of Mourinho for sure- saying all the leagues have been the best when he has been there and now he is in the Premier League- it will now be the best league in the world! And when he picked on that journalist for laughing- no nonsense Fergie there. I love it! I'm beyond excited for this season.

In the last few days I've become a bit disappointed as the rumours of Vidal and Di Maria joining have died down. We definitely need to sign a few more players, but I understand LVg saying he needs to see what our current team has strength-wise first.

Eitherway- roll on the start of the season!

[Old Manus]

Mourinho and Fergie? No Moyes?

[MissH]

Mourinho and Fergie? No Moyes?

No! Thank god for that!!

[Rocket Edge]

58321

Wish him all the best. United legend.

[Loony BoB]

Incredibly gutted, but knew it was coming. Sucks, big time. Will miss that bugger. Even with tired legs after playing more games per season than any other at United (and that's a lot of games per season), he would still run non-stop every game, wear his heart on his sleeve and push the rest of our players hard. We've lost a great leader as well as a great player (fair enough, not as good as he was, but age does that to you), and leadership on the pitch is the part of United I worry about most these days. Oh, and he was fucking hilarious, too (for a footballer).

I wish him all the best.

[MissH]

Incredibly gutted, but knew it was coming. Sucks, big time. Will miss that bugger. Even with tired legs after playing more games per season than any other at United (and that's a lot of games per season), he would still run non-stop every game, wear his heart on his sleeve and push the rest of our players hard. We've lost a great leader as well as a great player (fair enough, not as good as he was, but age does that to you), and leadership on the pitch is the part of United I worry about most these days. Oh, and he was smurfing hilarious, too (for a footballer).

I wish him all the best.


Agreed. To be honest, I'm gutted that we've lost Rio,Vidic and Evra, all for different reasons. I always enjoyed listening to Evra talk, he just oozed passion. Now we have non of the above and Giggs on management- i'm not sure who we have player wise that really stands out as a leader. I know we have Rooney- but he is not of the same calibre as the older players. I also feel sad that after such an incredible career at MUFC, they have left after what has been arguably our worst season to date.


Now we need to look to the future and Van Gaal certainly seems to know what he's doing, but time will tell!

[Psychotic]

Evra is a lying piece of shit and the league is better off without him.

[Loony BoB]

Evra is a lying piece of trout and the league is better off without him.
Are you genuinely suggesting that Suarez didn't call him negro/negrito/nigger or anything that is basically akin to "you black person" during the match on a repeated basis after Suarez himself admitted calling him that? Or suggesting that he meant it in an affectionate way when Suarez and Evra were at each other's throats throughout the match? Please.

[Rocket Edge]

Not sure if your being serious or not but I strongly disagree Paul.

Or suggesting that he meant it in an affectionate way when Suarez and Evra were at each other's throats throughout the match? Please.
I remember his initial excuse was something along the line of 'but nigger back home is a kind way to say hello to someone, no?'. The man is an idiot. He constantly tries putting blame on other players apart from himself. Even worse was the response of LFC saying that Evra likes to play the racist card. I can understand clubs protecting their players but I mean, have you ever heard such bulltrout? Evra on the other hand is a fantastic example for any footballer. Christ, he even tried shaking Suarez's hand to call it quits and he still rescinded. Makes me angry even thinking about it. Poor Kenny Dalglish eh? Rock and a hard place.

[Old Manus]

Even worse was the response of LFC saying that Evra likes to play the racist card. I can understand clubs protecting their players but I mean, have you ever heard such bulltrout? Evra on the other hand is a fantastic example for any footballer. Christ, he even tried shaking Suarez's hand to call it quits and he still rescinded. Makes me angry even thinking about it. Poor Kenny Dalglish eh? Rock and a hard place.
This is the same Kenny that denies Liverpool were at any fault for the Heysel disaster.

[Psychotic]

Have you read the FA Disciplinary Panel's findings? Probably not.

They found no evidence that Suarez abused Evra. Lip-readers analysing footage from all angles, a plethora of pitchside microphones, the works. Why, then, did they find Suarez guilty? Because they said Patrice Evra was a more credible witness than Suarez. Which, you might say, fair enough - Suarez is the football incarnation of evil, with the biting and handballing and whatnot.

However, the testimony from Evra includes him refusing to say what Suarez called him. Saying that he would never even use such an offensive term. Even shed a little tear. All very well and good if there wasn't a video - which you can find on YouTube if you so desire - of him screaming out of a hotel window that Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and, bizarrely, Frank Lampard, were mothersmurfing n-words.

Now, you might say to me that as a man of afro-carribean descent (interestingly so is Suarez but hey ho) he may have the right to say that word in an empowering sense or what have you, though I'd say that's probably not something that middle class white people like us should really be debating. It remains, however, that he lied in the tribunal because it's clearly not that offensive to him if he is casually hurling it out windows at Frank "The Whitest Man There Is" Lampard.

but hey it's suarez so who cares amirite

Also, not saying Suarez didn't do it btw. Probably did, he's a knob and it's the kind of moronic thing he'd do. Doesn't matter. Evra's still a liar.

[Rocket Edge]

A Uruguayan man who I met in an Irish pub in Barcelona out here openly said that he never understood what exactly Suarez meant when he was arguing about the meaning of the 'n' word (and on a different matter I seen kids walking around with Suarez printed Barca jerseys before the transfer rumours had begun. Can understand why Barca has a bad rep xD). Can't call that a reliable source. Why did he pinch Evra's skin and say something to him with a mean look on his face? Maybe he likes to pinch people only who he likes too.

I can see some reasons why he is likable. He seems to be a devoted father and family man. He's seems like a nice enough person, a fantastic footballer, but on the football field his passion really gets the better of him. Is there any other footballer who has had as many incidences as him in the history of the sport? He's only half way through his career. Evra could of been lying, but why would he make it up? Call me crazy but the evidence on show and the history that Suarez has makes me back Evra. Can't see why anyone wouldn't. The neglected handshake made me sick.

[Psychotic]

I don't think you've quite got my point, Donal. I don't know whether or not Evra lied about Suarez saying something - I agree with you, Suarez probably did say something. He's a nasty piece of work when he's on the pitch. I still think to Suarez it was like calling him a ginge or a baldy or something as a stupid #bantz wind up, but it's his own fault for not looking up cultural differences when moving to another country and if he said it, yeah, drop the hammer. Still, I would've given him a lesser sentence than John Terry, who knows English culture and was filmed saying it, but for some reason England's Finest only got half the sentence. I digress.

The way I am saying Evra lied is when he put on a dramatic Oscar winning performance in the hearing. That's all, really. That's why Suarez wouldn't shake his hand, because he knew he lied to get him done.

Suarez is worse than Evra, but it doesn't mean I have any respect for either of them tbh.

[Old Manus]

middle class white people like usMiddle class? I've never been so insulted in my life :colbert:

[Psychotic]

Aren't you some IT consultant? I've seen photos of where you work from when they covered it in Cardiff stuff and when Doctor Who visited. You don't fool me, office lad.

As it's a Tuesday you're probably off to play squash with a bloke called Gerald (that one is for you Bubba)

[Loony BoB]

Have you read the FA Disciplinary Panel's findings? Probably not.

They found no evidence that Suarez abused Evra. Lip-readers analysing footage from all angles, a plethora of pitchside microphones, the works. Why, then, did they find Suarez guilty? Because they said Patrice Evra was a more credible witness than Suarez.
You forget to mention that Suarez actually admitted calling him negro.

Out of curiosity, is it even possible to see that full report anymore? I skim read it at the time but there was no way I was going to read all 100+ pages. Can't find it from my few google searches because they all point to FA.com with links that don't work anymore.

EDIT: Never mind, finally found it!

[Psychotic]

I've not said he didn't call him anything. Just that Evra was acting insidiously when he refused to say what it was and cried.

I saw it at the time, can't say I have it bookmarked sorry.

[Loony BoB]

Where in the report does it say that Evra "refused to repeat it" or that he "broke down in tears"? Just looking through the report. Did a Ctrl+F for "tears" "cry" "cried" "refused" etc. but can't find anything to back this up. If anything, it states that Evra was calm throughout repeatedly in the media.

I find the idea that he would "never repeat what he said" pretty odd too considering it is stated multiple times throughout the report that which he was called, and all accounts by everyone else state that Evra was repeating that which he was called.

[Psychotic]

They're not going to put that he cried in the bloody report xD I'll have to dig up the links later when I'm not at work.

One link I did find is Pogba and Vidal to Liverpool http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/liverpool-plan-150million-spending-spree-3892521 how gutted would you be, Daniel? :)

[Loony BoB]

They're not going to put that he cried in the bloody report xD I'll have to dig up the links later when I'm not at work.
They've said the opposite - that he was calm throughout the entire process. They did mention he doesn't like to use the word but he did actually say the word in the same sentence that he said he doesn't like to use that word, and only explained this as the reason that he told the referee that he was called 'black' rather than 'negro' or anything similar to 'negro'. Suarez has already verified that he used the word 'negro' so this fits in with everything.

One link I did find is Pogba and Vidal to Liverpool http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/liverpool-plan-150million-spending-spree-3892521 how gutted would you be, Daniel? :)
Massively! But apparently United are offering ridiculous wages and that should probably edge it. Depends on how much Vidal wants CL football this season and how much Liverpool can afford to pay him, I guess. Either way, it seems that it's all hearsay at the moment. The closest we have to real information is that Juventus will only sell for what they feel would be a bid impossible to ignore, and Vidal has noted interest from Manchester and Madrid and said he's happy with whatever happens.

Whatever happens, it seems it will probably be an "on the day" thing as the clubs are keeping quiet at the moment... the journos have said we would sign him on certain days repeatedly now and the same for Chelsea signing Pogba. Every time those days come to pass... nothing.

[Rocket Edge]

Haha, JT - the perfect role model. He could probably get away with any crime in England because being a good player & playing for your country is more important than any jail sentence.

I don't think you've quite got my point, Donal. I don't know whether or not Evra lied about Suarez saying something.
I think calling him a liar is a little unfair. He didn't do anything wrong to my recollection. I remember reading the report briefly when it came out and thinking it was harsh on him that it escalated that far and he was put under such spotlight. Again when he was booed at Anfield, but that would have happened at any stadium under the same circumstances I'd imagine. Its hard to say what really happened as we'll never find out, but I'd be prepared to take Evra's side (no bias I swear!) over Suarez. If he really did want to come out and defend himself afterward he kind of put it in beyond question for me with his vampire antics on the field. I don't think he means any of it but he just loses the run of himself in the moment.

Also, I'd be heartbroken and sob quietly if Vidal went to Liverpool. Not too bothered about Pogba as I don't like him. But it's the Mirror, they could have a headline about LeBron James joined Everton in the morning. I think Ed Woodward has learned from last seasons mistakes looking foolish going public about transfer targets. When we do sign someone, the media will have little idea up until it's about to be announced I'd say.

Who would you take at 'Pool? Remy, Bony, or other? Supposedly Remy is free to go at 8m. That would be the best deal of the summer.

[Old Manus]

I'm making my big shot pre-season prediction as he leaves us for Tottenham: Ben Davies is the next Bale. Thankyou for based Gylfi, though.

[Loony BoB]

That would be the best deal of the summer.
Juventus got the best deal of the summer. :cry:

[Psychotic]

Remy or Bony? I say both! :D Remy of the two, though.

[Old Manus]

Enough of this Bony talk! If we don't talk about it, it won't happen.

[Old Manus]

Nobody cares, but as (whisper it) the Bony deal appears to be on ice and some new players are coming in, I'm getting really scared because I feel myself for the first time actually being excited for our chances in the upcoming season, and as any Liverpool fan will tell you, this can only be a bad thing.



Fabianski
Rangel Williams Chico/Amat Taylor
Britton Shelvey
Dyer Routledge
Sigurdsson
Bony



Michu has gone but he was crocked anyway, and I have no idea what's going on with Pablo Hernandez (I will miss him more than Michu if he disappears), but with Gomis, Bartley, Montero (and hopefully De Guzman) on the bench I think we've got a bit more depth than the teaspoon's worth we had last season.

[DK]

can someone enlighten me on why Jose hates Lukaku? I feel like I've missed something

[The Captain]

Because Jose loves Drogba!


Liverpool have certainly been active thus far and I like the depth. Still hoping for a few bigger moves, maybe a Shaqiri, a Vidal and definitely another rightback but I think we finally have enough coverage to compete on multiple fronts. Supposedly, we haven't tapped the Suarez money yet either....

Very excited I get to see my team on my home soil on Wednesday as well. Would love to see them beat City.

Take care all.

[Psychotic]

Yum yum, tasty Southampton burgers.

[Psychotic]

FAO: Manchester United fans, your doom awaits you in the final of the International Champions Cup!

That's right, after pummeling the better team from Manchester, Liverpool will smash your faces in should you dare reach the final.

THIS IS OUR YEAR

YOU HEAR ME?

THIS IS OUR FUCKING GOD DAMN YEAR TO WIN THE INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONS CUP

http://www.internationalchampionscup.com/schedule/standing/

I had no idea the friendlies we were playing were actually part of A Thing and I feel like I need to make up for lost boasting time.

[Bubba]

This will be the first of many trophies for us under Van Gaal's reign. We will destroy an overrated Liverpool in the final match 4-0 with braces from Tom Cleverley and Darren Fletcher.

THIS IS OUR YEAR.

[Old Manus]

What the hell is the International Champions Cup? Has football manager become real life?

[Bubba]

No, Pro Evo has become real life.

It's gonna be a cracking final with Man Red against Merseyside Red.

[Psychotic]

Remember that Pro Evo where Man United were the Trad Bricks? I still don't get it.

[Loony BoB]

tbh I'm mostly looking forward to the Real Madrid game at the moment. Actually I'm mostly looking forward to preseason being over so LVG can say "Okay, I will look at the transfer market now that I know the players."

[MissH]

There's a lot on twitter this morning that a 47mil bid has been accepted for Vidal to MUFC... Believe it when I see it. I'm excited about this season, I really like the way LVG has conducted himself so far.

[Loony BoB]

Sadly they've been saying that for like 2-3 weeks now. It's really hard to say what is really going on. United are tight lipped, LVG says he wants to wait until he's checked out the squad before he gets more transfers arranged, Ed Woodward is running around Europe for "business reasons", Juventus seem to be on the record as "we won't sell unless he asks for a transfer", Vidal himself is trying to keep the Juve fans happy since he's a hero to them so how likely a transfer request is remains to be seen, he says he's happy staying and that he's happy with the interest from Manchester, so it's really just a big "seriously is anything happening what is going on" thing.

[Psychotic]

You don't need to know the players to know that you need more than three senior CBs - none of whom would get into any team in the top 4's starting line up - if you're going to play 3-5-2.

[Loony BoB]

Yeah, we're obviously going to bring in a CB or two - although I will note that from all reports, Blackett in particular has apparently played extremely well and LVG is known to give youth a fair chance. Don't know if he's that ready as, well, it's only preseason... but hey, if the young lads are doing well enough, why not? Reece James was also doing great until he got injured.

Although I will note that those CB's who "wouldn't get into any top four side" are a lot better than many people - including United fans - give them credit for. No, they aren't famous players but if they were sold, I wouldn't be surprised if they ended up becoming famous players elsewhere... such is the nature of the PL, few (if any) top-four CB's are allowed to become big names until they move to a new club. I'd say the current crop are about as good (maybe a little less, but not much so) as Piqué was when he left us for Barcelona, for example. At the time he left, he wasn't good enough to displace Rio & Vidic and was far from a big name in world football. Now? Now, he is. Last season, for all the disaster there was, we didn't concede too many goals and when Smalling & Evans were playing, I don't think we lost a game either (will have to check).

A leftback is probably something we'll need to invest in as well. With Evra out, it's pretty much Shaw or youth and that's it, and LVG has stated that Shaw isn't fit enough for the running he wants out of him yet.

[Bubba]

Remember that Pro Evo where Man United were the Trad Bricks? I still don't get it.

Haha, yeah. Wasn't it the Trad Brick Stadium? I know they couldn't use the real name but what the hell?

Vidal would of course be an awesome signing but I'll believe it when I see it. Our main concern is at centre half anyway. We ideally need two world class central defenders and I'm not sure where they are gonna come from.

EDIT: Started writing this before BoB posted. Yeah I do like Evans and Smalling, they have a lot of potential. Smalling can on occasion be caught out of position though. Although not as badly as Phil Jones. I don't see him as a centre half at all.

[Loony BoB]

Phil Jones reminds me a bit of David Luiz in the way he plays. Take that how you want...

[Psychotic]

David Luiz's hair on Phil Jones's face = ultimate comedy footballer?

[Bubba]

I know what you mean. He's an excellent tackler and he works hard. His positioning and awareness as a defender though is awful and I don't think he's quite suited to a midfield role either. Stick him up front.

[MissH]

Bubba& I just watched 'The Class of '92' and are absolutely bursting with pride right now. I don't think any of us will ever see anything like that in football again. Absolutely incredible. I'm so giddy right now. It's surely only a matter of time until they turn that into a real film. I would advise everyone to watch it- United fan or not- just to appreciate how football used to be and the amazing talent we had.

Roll on season 14/15!:love:

[DK]

Apparently City are going to loan Fwank.

wat.

[Loony BoB]

Apparently City are going to loan Fwank.

wat.
Serioulsy, I read that and my reaction was simply "Eh?"

[Psychotic]

Dodges FFP with wages being paid elsewhere, counts towards homegrown quota, win-win.

[DK]

now i'm over being blagged I'm kind of keen for it. reminds me of the glory days when we would sign the leagues legends when they were old. mcmanaman, fowler, schmeichel, dave seaman, didi, andy cole, calamity...City are back

[Psychotic]

SHUPER FRANK, SHUPER GOALSH

[DK]

no i'm saving that for if he scores for us

[Bubba]

You top four chumps can keep your Champions League. The International Champions Cup is where it's at!

Comprehensive wins against some of the greatest teams on the planet and now... an easy knockabout against some English duffers in the final.

[Psychotic]

In 2007, United smurfed up in the CL semi-final against Milan. The next year, Liverpool smurfed up against Chelsea in the semi-final. They smurfed up because if they had won, we would've had a Liverpool v United final aka the greatest possible match up (smurf off classico) in the history of football. Either the greatest or the worst moment in the fans of both teams' lives awaited. But it was not to be... or was it? Now, history is being corrected. Destiny awaits.

ICC USA 2014 BROS LET'S DEW IT

you best not mess with jordon ibe or kristofer peterson. Take your reece james and shove him up your arse. Blackett? I spit on him. He couldn't hold a candle to conor coady.

[MissH]

Now now boys, calm your passions.

Everyone knows I'm always right anyway. :lol:

And I say Manchester United were shit hot tonight & I'm mega excited for this season.

[Formalhaut]

Someone spare a thought for Southampton who got thoroughly smash and grabbed this summer. It's almost a tradition now for new premier league teams who did pretty well in their first season to be raided by the bigger teams.

[Psychotic]

I think Southampton did very, very well out of it, and got a lot more money than their players were worth. They'll be absolutely fine.

[Rocket Edge]

Besides, Pelle & especially Tadic look like quality signings. They just need to get maybe a CB to replace Lovren. Poor Le Tiss.

On the Phil Jones debate - I worry about him. While naturally you would think players in defence would get batter with age, Jones still seems to be doing the same silly things that he did when he was 19. That penalty against Liverpool the other night was an example. Might as well went in shouting banzai. I'm quite impressed with Smalling. Evans has learn't a lot over the years from a positional sense and it pays off.

Definitely need to strenghten at the back.

[Bubba]

I meant to post this on Tuesday but...

INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONS CUP WINNERS 2014!!!

Well there wasn't really any doubt, was there? Proof that Liverpool were a one-man team have now been proven. Now that the Hound of the W***ervilles has departed they are a mere shell of a team. Man Utd meanwhile have been given a new lease of life under Van Gaal and look set to take the Premier League by storm.

True, we have a tough run of games around March time but I fully expect the league to be sewn up by then anyway. It is entirely possible that we will match the Arsenal Invincibles with the way our squad looksI don't believe a word of what I just said

[Loony BoB]

On the back of this massive victory, I can see us winning the quadruple and also being crowned 2015 FIFA World Cup winners. It's inevitable.

[Old Manus]

So what are United fans' thoughts on the coming season? Surely if they feel Utd can win the league it is a plain admission that Moyes was dross and they got it completely wrong, but I'm not sure many fans are readying themselves for the very real possibility that maybe they actually were that bad and top 4 will again be a struggle.

[Loony BoB]

I'm wanting to wait and see how things roll, personally. Particularly with transfers. The squad we have now may look rather different by the end of the transfer season,and LVG has said it himself that he will be telling some people face to face that they are not required at United anymore once they are back from the tour (so, pretty soon I'd imagine). Then there's the question over which players we bring in, too. At the moment we need central defenders to cover injuries and I'm not sure Keane & Blackett are at the level where they can be those players. It's possible they are, I'll trust LVG to make a good call.

And then there are the central midfielders, too, of which we have questions to be asked. They were terrible last season, but they have been excellent this preseason - minus Fellaini who hasn't been there yet, but he had a good World Cup. Just poor tactics, poor management, bad form? Has Harrera really made that big an impact? What if he is injured? Can Fletcher play every week? Carrick is crocked for a couple of months longer at least.

Lots to think on, but I'm feeling confident we can make top four based on what we've seen so far. Either way it's an exciting season for United fans, just a shame we lack CL football.

[MissH]

Yes, we need another few good signings. But I strongly believe we will at least make the top 4 this year. And there's just one reason I strongly believe this-Louis Van Gaal. Just from watching pre-season coverage on MUTV, it is clear that has been a real shift in the mood of the players. I know it's still too soon to say, but it would seem Van Gaal has already demanded a high amount of respect from his players and will accept nothing but their best. This is something that didn't seem to happen last year- from Day 1. After having such a strong character in Sir Alex, Moyes just was not up to the test. He didn't seem to know what he was doing- and the players knew that and became more and more frustrated. They didn't feel valued and were losing faith in Moyes. However, it is undeniable to see that Van Gaal has been very successful in his career. I've also very much enjoyed listening to Van Gaal's press conferences in the past few weeks-he's a no nonsense kinda guy and does remind me of Sir Alex.

I can't wait to see what happens this season, it'll definitely be an interesting one!

In other news... Howard Webb has retired :( Ha!

[Psychotic]

minus Fellaini who hasn't been there yet, but he had a good World Cup. You didn't see the World Cup so let me give you an honest opinion. He was atrocious and I loved it, due to my ongoing Belgium feud with Bubba. Don't let him scoring a goal - coming on against a tired and stretched Russian team - paper over the cracks. Just looked it up and statistically he was even worse than he was for United last season. I hope he stays at United.

A lot of eggs are being placed in the basket of an uncapped midfielder in his first Premier League season. Better hope he's not another Veron and more another Alonso (I have to use a Liverpool example because Man United have not bought a good CM from abroad in the history of football. Please correct me if I'm wrong!). If it pays off, happy days. imho it's still a big gamble.

Don't see United coming in the top 4 unless they strengthen CM and CB.

[Loony BoB]

Reina to Munich to play second fiddle keeper. Crazy. £4m he was apparently available for. Just ludicrous that someone that good a keeper is willing to settle for second. 31 isn't old in keeper terms.


minus Fellaini who hasn't been there yet, but he had a good World Cup. You didn't see the World Cup so let me give you an honest opinion. He was atrocious and I loved it, due to my ongoing Belgium feud with Bubba. Don't let him scoring a goal - coming on against a tired and stretched Russian team - paper over the cracks. Just looked it up and statistically he was even worse than he was for United last season.

I hope he stays at United.
True, I didn't see it, but pretty much everyone I've spoken to who did watch him said he had a good World Cup. You're actually the first person that has said he didn't.

Either way, would still like to see what LVG can do with him. You mention statistics - the season before we signed Fellaini, he was statistically better than Vidal. :shobon: Statistics are weird things in football, especially when only viewed over one season or one cup.

[Psychotic]

Reina isn't that good anymore. He's got good distribution and command of his area, but he's a woeful shotstopper. Just goes down on one knee and hopes for the best. He could still walk into the, say, Aston Villa first team though.

I've not seen anybody say Fellaini had a good World Cup. He did well when he came on against Russia but that's it. Have a look at player ratings - I remember Belgium v Argentina he was woeful (though our new boy Origi didn't do well in that game either!) And yeah, but Fellaini was good for Everton xD It proves the point. Players can get better/worse over time.

[Aulayna]

This season, like every previous season, will be United's season.

[Loony BoB]

And yeah, but Fellaini was good for Everton xD It proves the point. Players can get better/worse over time.
That's what I was getting at. I'd like to see what LVG can do with him, as there's every chance he could do good things. I feel Fellaini was mostly overhyped because of the silly price attached to him (I feel he was worth closer to £18-22m), when in reality last season he wasn't much worse than the rest of our midfield.

But at the moment the papers are saying he's almost certainly off to Napoli.

[Psychotic]

Yeah well if we go by the same papers Arturo Vidal has had 4 medicals at Man United already. :p

[Old Manus]

But I strongly believe we will at least make the top 4 this year. And there's just one reason I strongly believe this-Louis Van Gaal. Just from watching pre-season coverage on MUTV, it is clear that has been a real shift in the mood of the players. I know it's still too soon to say, but it would seem Van Gaal has already demanded a high amount of respect from his players and will accept nothing but their best. I am already saving this one for later. :plotting:

[Loony BoB]

Yeah well if we go by the same papers Arturo Vidal has had 4 medicals at Man United already. :p
Don't I know it. :( Although at least the interest has finally been acknowledged publically thanks to a slip up by the Chilean national coach.

[Psychotic]

Mignolet

Manquillo - Lovren - Sakho - Moreno*

Can

Henderson - Lallana

Sterling - Sturridge - Markovic

That'll do me. Though you'll undoubtedly see Gerrard instead of Can which is fine, but no more 90 minutes for Stevie please. I think that has the potential to be the best CB pairing in the league this season. Potential, I add.

*Flanagan if Moreno isn't signed.

[Loony BoB]

What happened to Lucas? /genuinequestionIdon'tkeepupwithstuff

[Psychotic]

Still there, he just had a couple of huge nasty knee injuries and he's not been right since. A shame but if Emre Can is worth his salt then it's time to let go.

[DK]

would still like to see the scousers pick up another top drawer striker, would be good going if you could get one.

[Psychotic]

Definitely, wish Remy had worked out. The problem is that there aren't any good strikers available.

[Bubba]

would still like to see the scousers pick up a plague, would be good going if you could get one.

Fixed.

[Loony BoB]

Hey, you never know, Liverpool could face Barcelona and their £75m rat could bite Lovren.

[Psychotic]

With Monaco looking to offload Radamel Falcao on loan to comply with FFP, Liverpool have made inquiries about the Colombia striker...:omgomg:
...only to be told that an agreement has already been reached with Real Madrid. :G

[Loony BoB]

Yeah, apparently Falcao is going to either City or Liverpool according to the bookies. Bugger off, Falcao! Can't you see United are trying to get back into the top four? :stare:

[AssassinDX]

He was never going to stick it out at Monoco despite his tax-free pay packet, but I'm surprised the Premier League seems his likely destination. He seemed tailor-made for Real Madrid's recent spending spree.

[Loony BoB]

Real Madrid's spending spree still has to comply with FFP. Even they have their limits, and they have spent very heavily over recent years, too.

[Heath]

I'm still in shock at Everton spending £28m on Lukaku. Can't wait to see Chelsea's reaction when they only receive a cheque for £28.

[Psychotic]

You know when you're sure you had 40p in your pocket but you can't find it now? So you just shrug and let it go as in the grand scheme of things, 40p isn't huge?

Yeah, that's what Chelsea do with £28m cheques.

[Bubba]

I know it's only the Charity Shield but I do enjoy watching City get beat.

[The Captain]

If Liverpool can sign Moreno (Sounds like he might come after his next game), another striker and possibly a good backup GK this will be a very successful window.

I know Klopp and company did not play anything close to a full squad, but Liverpool looked a real team today.

I think Sterling and little Phillippe are primed for huge seasons and with our depth we can cover a lot of injuries and the amount of matches to come. Hendo has looked fantastic as well and Lovren made quite an amazing first appearance for the squad. Poor Agger will be missed but I don't see him getting many games this year so perhaps it's time to move on abroad, just not to any of our prem rivals.

This is probably Stevie's last season as a regular in the starting 11 so I think maybe he'll play a lot of 70+ minute matches and be deputized by Can, who has looked immense.

The team's flow looks excellent and they actually seem to be pulling for one another again which is a good sign. Losing your best player can sometimes unbalance a team's chemistry but here's hoping that Brendan has been able to pull everyone closer together.

I still don't really get how Man Utd expect to challenge for top 4 with their D at the moment. They really need to have a big end to the window. Chelsea and Man City could be strong but I think we can hold our own against them, especially at home. Arsenal look primed for a big season two but I'm curious who they get for the hole in D as well.

Just 6 days away!

Take care all.

[Psychotic]

I know it's only the Charity Shield but I do enjoy watching City get beat.Probably never want to watch a Manchester Derby again then.

[Old Manus]

#topbantz

[Psychotic]

#ironicuseofhashtag

[Bubba]

I know it's only the Charity Shield but I do enjoy watching City get beat.Probably never want to watch a Manchester Derby again then.

Of course I will as I'll be getting behind my team. I am fully aware that most likely I will not be watching a City loss on any of these occasions.

I will enjoy both league games against the dirty red scousers this season though as it's pretty much a guaranteed six points for us.

[Psychotic]

Like it was last year.

Oh.

lol.

[Rocket Edge]

You know when you're sure you had 40p in your pocket but you can't find it now? So you just shrug and let it go as in the grand scheme of things, 40p isn't huge?

Yeah, that's what Chelsea do with £28m cheques.
Haha! It's sad but it's true.

I checked out the highlights of the 'Pool-Dortmund match and they were excellent. Sterling is going to be an excellent player and Lovren is an excellent signing. Maybe he might teach Skrtel about positional defending. I expect Liverpool to have just as good a season as last.

As for United, I hope LVG wasn't banking on Vermaelen. He's apparently injured anyway so dodged a bullet with that one. There's a serious lack of good players ATM in world football. Who's a top class CB? Striker? Winger? Anyway, we need someone for that position. Thoughts of Carrick as cover again makes me shiver.

I can't wait for the season to start! :spin:

[Psychotic]

Yeah, a lot of hype about Liverpool not replacing Suarez. Last season Liverpool played with a front 3 of Suarez, Sturridge and either Sterling or Coutinho. Now it's Sturridge Sterling and Coutinho, which isn't so bad. Sterling is growing and improving all the time and was the one dragging Liverpool over the line in the last two months of last season when both Sturridge and Suarez ran out of gas, and Coutinho is wonderful to watch too.

I agree that United got lucky in not getting Vermaelen. Not the monster he once was. Quite how such an error prone defender got his pick of United and Barca gigs I don't know.

[Bubba]

I will probably talk shite most of these season... mainly to annoy Psy. But here is my honest opinion on how the top four will end up.

1) Chelsea
2) Man City
3) Liverpool
4) Arsenal

Chelsea and City will be hard to catch or match in terms of quality and strength. Liverpool and Arsenal won't be too far behind. I feel for us though that 5th or 6th isn't too disappointing following last season. We have a massive rebuild over the next couple of years. Having Van Gaal at the helm will definitely be a plus for us.

I'm honestly hoping for only one or two new players to join us before the end of August. Too many new faces at once generally means you spend half your season trying to gel... and with the pressure on a club like Man Utd... it will probably cause unrest.

All I'm hoping for is a bit of squad unity... and to see us play with a bit of ambition. If we're competing in the Europa League next season then so be it.

Best of luck to all teams involved. Now back to banter... and me pretending we are the greatest club on the planet!

MMMF MMMF I LVOE MAN UNITED!!

[The Captain]

So glad the Moreno signing went through. Now if we can just add a quality striker I think we can match up with anyone this year. Yet, somehow, Liverpool are being undervalued again. I've even seen some places predict them finishing as low as 7th!! I really don't see us placing lower than 3rd.

Arsenal need to sign a strong DM and United REALLY need to address their defense if they want to stay or rejoin the Top 4. Otherwise I could possibly see Everton sneaking in, I think Martinez is an excellent manager.

League predictions to come Friday!

Take care all.

[Psychotic]

I cannot see Everton finishing ahead of United or Arsenal. Indeed, if anyone outside of last year's Top 4 will do it, my money would be on Spurs though I can't say I expect that to happen.

As far as Liverpool goes, yeah, it's funny. United have only added Herrera and Shaw but I'd say Liverpool got the better players in both Lallana and Moreno in the Great Southampton/Spain Left Back/CM Buying of 2014. Liverpool have lost Suarez but even without his goals Liverpool still would've scored more than, say, Arsenal. Would predict a 3rd-5th place finish. Maybe 2nd or 6th if we have a great/awful season. Yeah look at me with my precise and accurate predicting skills, really sticking my neck out on this one.

[The Captain]

I cannot see Everton finishing ahead of United or Arsenal. Indeed, if anyone outside of last year's Top 4 will do it, my money would be on Spurs though I can't say I expect that to happen.

As far as Liverpool goes, yeah, it's funny. United have only added Herrera and Shaw but I'd say Liverpool got the better players in both Lallana and Moreno in the Great Southampton/Spain Left Back/CM Buying of 2014. Liverpool have lost Suarez but even without his goals Liverpool still would've scored more than, say, Arsenal. Would predict a 3rd-5th place finish. Maybe 2nd or 6th if we have a great/awful season. Yeah look at me with my precise and accurate predicting skills, really sticking my neck out on this one.

With Shaw also being out for around a month, United HAVE to go out and buy now. I like Everton because they are a mostly sorted team that has been together a while and won't take as much time to gel. They have excellent defenders and THE BEST GOALIE IN THE WORLD (USA, USA, USA!). Man Utd have a really easy schedule early so they could string along a good opening few weeks but I just don't think their team is quite strong enough yet and Arsenal relying on Arteta to be the defensive shield is just asking for trouble.

Take care all.

[Psychotic]

I dunno. I'd take De Gea over Howard and while Everton aren't bad, I can only see them in a battle with Newcastle and maybe perhaps possibly Stoke for 7th. Arsenal's defence may only be screened by Arteta, but Koscielny - Mertesacker is the best PL defence partnership bar none. I'm hopeful our own Lovren-Sakho axis will challenge it and Kompany-Mangala could be good too.

At the other end of the table, I can see the West Midlands providing at least one of the relegated team slots with WBA and Aston Villa both looking poor. Burnley are also candidates, and perhaps poor old Leicester. I also reckon Swansea will be embroiled in a relegation battle because they are a poo team comprised entirely of poo. If they sell Bony, Leicester will finish above them. QUOTE ME IN THE END OF THE YEAR POST.

[Bubba]

Koscielny - Mertesacker is the best PL defence partnership bar none. I'm hopeful our own Lovren-Sakho axis will challenge it and Kompany-Mangala could be good too.

You are forgetting the majesty of the Jones-Evans-Smalling partnership/triforce of terror. A trio so formidable they will cause nightmares...

...mainly for Utd fans.

[Old Manus]

In less palatable news, looks like Ched Evans is on his way back to Sheffield United.

He's not even that good

[Rocket Edge]

United have only added Herrera and Shaw but I'd say Liverpool got the better players in both Lallana and Moreno in the Great Southampton/Spain Left Back/CM Buying of 2014.
Your forgetting one thing. Your forgetting our greatest transfer. A wonderful man who made Fellani score a goal within 15 minutes of pre season having went an entire season to not score under Sir David.

58947

[Psychotic]

Just got published in the Mailbox for my favourite football site :)

Focus On The Other Four...
I think it's considered a given that Chelsea and Manchester City are the favourites for the title, and considered sure bets for the top four. Two places remain to be filled, and I think it's fascinating that there are four strong contenders for them with so many changes and unknown factors.

Spurs will surprise many people. Last season was curiously deemed a failure and indeed 'doing a Spurs' has entered the football lexicon. It is worth noting that their points haul was just three less than the previous season's - their record total - and this was while they were managed by an honest-to-god clown. They've invested sensibly over the Summer, although their strikeforce of Soldado, Adebayor and Harry Kane leaves me to raise an eyebrow that they haven't brought anyone else in, although rumours of Loic Remy would fit comfortably. Pochettino is no mug, and Spurs do have a solid core of players that should now have bedded in. They could be dark horses.

Arsenal are very curious. They certainly have the best centre-back pairing in the league in Mertescielny, but back-up is seemingly non-existent which is surely a concern. While their full-backs are all solid, none of them strike me as among the league's finest either. Szczæsny is also far from convincing, and the signing of Ospina made sense until Wenger announced his Pole would retain the number one jersey. Much has been made of the blockbuster signing of Alexis Sanchez but I suspect of far greater importance to the team will be the returning Theo Walcott and Aaron Ramsey. If they manage to keep their players fit, if, Arsenal may not burn out in February this year.

One final note, although Olivier Giroud is a decent striker and would certainly improve many other teams, as F365 noted last season he should be an option rather than the option, and Wenger's failure to provide back-up or competition is astounding.

I have a feeling that Manchester United will storm out of the blocks. An impressive pre-season, the feelgood factor of Van Gaal, a generous fixture list and the benefit of being an unknown quantity will all play into their hands and the press will be going wild for Louis, declaring him the saviour of United. I do think they might run out of steam at some point though. I suspect the much-vaunted 3-5-2 may not be used in every game, with United returning to type at some point.

Regardless of the formation, there are still gaps in the United team to fill, specifically on the wings. While Ander Herrera might not be the saviour many Manchester United fans hope him to be, I do tip the much-maligned Marouane Fellaini to perform above expectations and regain some of his previous form - if he stays.

The biggest story surrounding Liverpool is the loss of Suarez - how will they replace him? The internet's general response seems to be that they have replaced him with Rickie Lambert, ho ho ho. Not so.

Last season it seemed that Brendan Rodgers' preferred attacking trio consisted of Suarez, Sturridge, and one of Sterling or Coutinho. Now it is simply a matter of Sterling AND Coutinho and the hugely talented pair have improved drastically, but the jury remains out as to whether either could manage a 45+ game season. The signing of Dejan Lovren is a very shrewd and underrated one, adding organisation to a back line that often acted like headless chicken last year. Indeed, a Lovkho pairing could have the potential to challenge even Mertescielny's supremacy. Lastly, Steven Gerrard is absolutely deadly in deadball situations but at what point is that benefit outweighed by the cost of having his aging legs being the ones to screen the back four?
Krakow (Gerry Francis eating muesli from your wife) Pauw

http://www.football365.com/mailbox/9421384/Mailbox

I actually originally began typing it for this very thread but then decided you guys cba to read it xD

[Bubba]

Very well written, Psy. Some good points raised.

EDIT: It looks like the ban for Suarez is going to stand but he'll be allowed to train. To be honest, the more I think about it, the more it probably is a little harsh banning him from club competition as well.

Then I remembered that Suarez is a :bou::bou::bou::bou: and I don't care.

[Loony BoB]

So far Shaw hasn't looked anything special for United but I do have to say that Harrera has been one of the standout performers of our preseason so far, and while I don't expect him to be the next Scholes or even the next Keane, I do expect him to be very good for us all the same. Better than our other midfielders at the moment, perhaps excepting Fletcher.

I feel we need a CB. That's all, right now at least. I wouldn't mind a new winger/CM/wingback but I'm not currently of the opinion our season will live and die on such things - although what position counts as a "death" I'm unsure on. :p I'm in agreement with Bubba that I don't want too many new faces in one season because it could take some time for the players to gel. But them's the breaks. It'll potentially be a very busy final two weeks of the season. Looks like Rojo is our main bet for CB, since the Beeb are reporting on him requesting a transfer.

No idea how the season will turn out. It's great for the league! Hopefully it'll turn out great for us, too.

Also, Smalling and Evans are given far less credit than they deserve. Their record as a partnership last season was excellent, as good as any in the teams above us. The real problem was Jones, who for all the "natural leadership" qualities people say he has... has yet to really show that he can dictate a defence line better than David Luiz.

[Psychotic]

I'd like to add Crystal Palace aka Crazy Fucking Town to my list of relegation candidates.

[Old Manus]

I was actually thinking of backing Palace to go down yesterday before deciding not to, mainly because Pulis seemed to be getting a good setup going there. Odds been slashed now. Malky Mckay, come on down!

[Loony BoB]

Right, are we doing this? Pretty sure Manus will allow this to come back and haunt me, but...

1. Chelsea
2. Manchester City
3. Manchester United
4. Arsenal
5. Liverpool
6. Everton
7. Spurs
---
Relegated : Crystal Palace, Burnley, West Ham

[Bubba]

1) Chelsea
2) Man City
3) Liverpool
4) Arsenal
5) Man Utd
6) Everton
7) Spurs

FA Cup: Man Utd
League Cup: Rochdale
Champions League: Real Madrid (to become first club to retain it)

Relegated: Burnley, Crystal Palace & Leicester City (to finish bottom with single digit points total)

[Rocket Edge]

Chelsea
Man City
Man United
Arsenal
Liverpool
Spurs
Everton

Toss up between Man United, Arsenal Man City for 2nd. I expect United to be more like the team that won the title under Fergie in 12/13 than the Moyes fiasco. We will be solid under LVG. Arsenal could very well finish 2nd, but City are probably too strong. Liverpool could easily finish 2nd too, it's too close to call. Spurs to be much more solid under Pochettino.

Relegation odds are so difficult as managers keep getting fired. My guess:

West Brom, Burnley, Crystal Palace

CP has to have the most amazing stupid owners in world football.

FA Cup: Man United
Champions League: Athletico Madrid
League Cup: Spurs

[Psychotic]

With you all predicting Chelsea I may as well do City to mix it up a little.

1) City
2) Chelsea
3) Arsenal
4) Liverpool
5) United
6) Spurs
7) Everton
8) Newcastle
9) Stoke
10) Southampton
11) Sunderland
12) West Ham
13) Aston Villa
14) Leicester
15) Swansea
16) QPR
17) Hull
18) Burnley
19) Palace
20) WBA

League Cup: Southampton
FA Cup: Chelsea
Champions League: Bayern Munich

It's difficult because everyone between 3 and 7 are decent, and everyone from 11 downwards is rotten.

[The Captain]

I want to be bold and predict a Liverpool title but I think we're still a big striker away from really challenging. Hopefully if we're close in January we'll spring for it.

Thus:

1. Chelsea
2. Man City
3. Liverpool
4. Everton
5. Arsenal
6. Man Utd
7. Spurs
8. Stoke
9. Newcastle
10. Sunderland
11. Southhampton
12. Aston Villa
13. West Ham
14. Swans
15. Hull
16. Leicester
17. QPR
18. Burnley
19. WBA
20. Palace

I think Chelsea and City are just a cut above right now, Any of Liverpool, Everton, Arsenal and Utd could make the Top 4 but I think the overall team consistency of the Merseyside clubs wins out. Arsenal would take 4th over Everton if they strengthen their midfield steel a bit.


Top Scorer : Rooney
Player of Year: Hazard
Young Player of Year: Sterling

League Cup: Arsenal
FA Cup: Liverpool
Champions League: Let's go with a wild card, PSG. Though Madrid probably will win again.

Let's start the season!

Take care all.

[Psychotic]

Not the most unbiased of accounts but it made me laugh:

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/liverpool-fc-201415-what-probably-7567035

[Bubba]

This is it! This is the moment where I wake up from the nightmare that is last season. United will storm to a 5-1 win showing that LVG is better than David Moyes in every way. Every other team in the league will only manage a draw today leaving us with an unassailable 2 point lead. Bring it on!

[Loony BoB]

Top of the league for 27 minutes, we were. That's the longest amount of time any club has been top of the league this season. Clearly things are looking up!

[Psychotic]

Arsenal have been top for months though!

Ki-nky.

As I've said before, Van Gaal trained Mourinho trained Rodgers trained Monk. For the benefit of Rocket Edge and Dan, this is like Jinpachi vs Jin.

[DK]

will be a monsterous upset if swansea hold this lead (sorry james hornby). god damn, glad the premier league is back.

[Bubba]

Don't panic everyone! We've dominated possession. That will turn to goals in the second half. Five to be exact. All for us.

[Psychotic]

https://twitter.com/troll__football/status/500615571843461121

ahahahaha oh shit

bird shit lands in ashley young's mouth

oh god i am crying

[DK]

holy shit hahahaahahahah dying horrifically

[Loony BoB]

he's talking shit

needs to clean his mouth out

[Bubba]

Jean-Paul Sartre once said that Hell is being locked forever in a room with your friends.

I say that Hell is having a running commentary of your entire life with Michael Owen and Phil Neville.


EDIT: Also, what's the problem? I love it when a bird trouts in my mouth. Y'all just prudes.

[Loony BoB]

Dammit.

[Psychotic]

Goal and assist for Gylfi and he's in my fantasy football team :D

[Loony BoB]

At least Rooney is my captain and scored. Thanks for reminding me. xD

EDIT: No idea what happened to Montero but he managed to roll over at least three times for it. Hahaha, you can take the Latin American footballer out of Latin America...

EDITRA: Bugger me, how fast is Jones!?

EDITAGA: Ah well. Still work to be done (and hopefully players signed). I feel we really missed Evans and Van Persie today, but you have to have a squad capable of handling injuries and all. For me, that last bit could have been a penalty on a different day as I've seen them given, but personally I feel it wasn't one and the call was right. As much as I wish that it wasn't. :p

[Bubba]

The Premier League is back!

and there was much rejoicing

yey...

Van Gaal out.

[Psychotic]

United will storm to a 5-1 win showing that LVG is better than David Moyes in every way.How'd that work out for you? :p

The End of United's Season will be proclaimed but it's nothing but a blip. All the top teams will have results like this throughout the season. And United had what, 9 players missing through injury? Well of course the blip will happen then. They'll be fine and they'll still challenge.

It does prove that the squad itself needs work. Even if they are just back up, Championship level players like Blackett and Lingard should not be starting - you need more depth than that. Nani and Young are not good enough for a top 4 team and while Darren Fletcher's story is inspirational and he is a fan favourite, he'd be lucky to get on the bench of any other Top 7 team.

United will be spending big in the next two weeks. Obviously they haven't had the perfect pre-season with Van Gaal being in Brazil and then waiting until the end of the pre-season tour before doing further business - which was probably a mistake, in retrospect, as none has been done in time for this game. The result is not a big deal, but then with a little more planning this could've been three points which might make all the difference in making the CL in May.

The main result of this is that the media will shut the fuck up about Van Gaal being God, Superman and inventor of the 3-5-2. And thank fuck for that.

[Loony BoB]

Just noticed you guys added in cups etc.

League Cup: Manchester City
FA Cup: Liverpool
Champions League: No matter how many other teams I look at right now, I just can't see past Real Madrid. Too early to predict Bayern or Barcelona really kicking on, nor the English clubs. Gonna stick with the safe bet, even if it's the first successful defence ever.

EDIT: While I agree regarding Nani, Blackett, Lingard and Young not being top four side players, I really do feel that Fletcher is getting back towards his best, and at his best he might not have walked into any other side but he was very, very good for us, and isn't a player I'd single out in our team at all.

[Bubba]

Bring back Moyes. He'll whip this team into shape.

[Psychotic]

I really do feel that Fletcher is getting back towards his best, and at his best he might not have walked into any other side but he was very, very good for us, and isn't a player I'd single out in our team at all.Most United fans I've seen are criticising Fletcher, but then I am basing this off the always rational and reasonable RedCafe so who knows? :p

[Yellow_Magic]

Let's just say I'm glad I only have one Man U player in my Fantasy Football team

[Old Manus]

58976

58977

SUPER GARRY MONK

SUPER GYLFI SIGURDSSON

SUPER SWANSEA CITY

>LOUIS VAN LEL

58978

[The Captain]

Record setting start for United..... Just not the good kind.

I've been saying for weeks now that their squad looks very underwhelming and today was the proof. Their biggest problem is what Liverpool recently: they need top talent but don't have the European football that those players crave. It's a catch-22. They will have go pay over the moon go get a DiMaria or Vidal but they REALLY need them. If they don't address that defense as well, my prediction of top 6 may be flattering.

Glad football is back.

Take care all.

[Formalhaut]

It was quite entertaining seeing everyone expecting Manchester United to storm against Swansea, and then to see them lose 2-1.

Glad the league is back! :D

[AssassinDX]

To be honest as soon as I saw United line up with a three man defence including two players horribly out of form and that Blackett kid's first game I didn't think they'd win the match.

Vidal and Di Maria are all well and good but that squad badly needs defenders, Smalling shouldn't be anywhere near the first team at the moment and Jones only seems to perform at a reasonable standard when either Vidic or Ferdinand were barking instructions at him. They need leaders at the back, and with perennial backup man Jonny Evans as their most experienced defender (who still hasn't played 30 league games in a season) they simply don't have that.

[Psychotic]

Job done, Raheem Sterling is a boss.

[Loony BoB]

In my Fantasy Football team, too, so I'm okay with his work today.

Speaking of Fantasy Football, I knew Vlaar would end up getting bonus points on the back of his World Cup fame.

[Psychotic]

Rojo for £16m? Oh dear. Now you begin to see the desperation. Indeed, United are reminding me so much of Liverpool right now.

[Loony BoB]

I don't know too much about Rojo so I can't really comment. But we needed depth of centre backs and this is an addition that suits that position. I dare say a World Cup finalist is a safer bet than Blackett. £16m is what you'd expect us to spend on squad players. Unless they are in a youth team, I don't think United really can buy first team players for lower than that in this market.

[Psychotic]

He's only £16m 'cause of that third party ownership thing. There was better value to be had in the market, put it that way. Just gonna leave what Tim Vickery said here and leave it at that.
"Louis van Gaal is clearly thinking in terms of having a back three in his armoury and he might think Marcos Rojo ticks the boxes as someone who can play at left-back, can play centre-back, and therefore would be comfortable left-side of a back three. But two months ago, certainly before the World Cup, no one really imagined Rojo as a player of Manchester United's calibre.

"He did well in the World Cup and his market value has obviously risen as a result, but I'm having to get it round my head a little bit the idea he might be wearing the United shirt because, certainly until recently, I didn't really see him as that calibre of player."

[Bubba]

I don't like it. It seems excessive to me. Yes he's young and has talent but that is still a lot of money for a defender. OK, he's played in a World Cup Final but by all accounts Argentina aren't exactly inundated with quality defenders.

Still, he's got to be an improvement on the current shower of shite we have at the back. To be honest, just the one new centre half is not gonna be enough to challenge for the top four.

[Loony BoB]

LVG obviously thinks otherwise. Who are we to argue?

But again, I don't see this is a massive expense that is going to make us worse in any way. It's a position that needed strengthening and sadly we don't have CL so we can't attract The Best of The Best of The Best. But again, hey, if he's considered one of the best two Argentinian centre backs he can't be all bad. Personally I'm one of the few that are happy with Smalling, Evans and (although he needs more work) Jones. I just feel we need more than three central defenders if we're going to be playing with three central defenders. Blackett and Keane might be good, but I think experience counts in this regard.

Our defence didn't lose us the top four spot last season. Out attack failed to get it in the first place.

[Psychotic]

LVG obviously thinks otherwise. Who are we to argue?Fergie thought Bebe, Kleberson, Djemba-Djemba, etc. were good too. Doesn't mean much. :p LVG is smarting at that loss and wants immediate action and that cretin Woodward is jumping through hoops to achieve it. By all accounts his #1 choice was Hummels though yeah, obviously not an option.
But again, I don't see this is a massive expenseYou're looking at it the wrong way.

Is £35m a lot for Andy Carroll?
Is £37m a lot for Juan Mata?
Would the same price be a lot for Cristiano Ronaldo?

The answers are of course "that is ridiculous", "probably overpaid a bit" and "smurfing bargain".

Just remember Southampton were the only other English team in for him, despite many top teams being after LBs and CBs. Speaks volumes.
Our defence didn't lose us the top four spot last season. Out attack failed to get it in the first place.3 members of that defence have gone though. Players of that calibre or better should be recruited - and they've been available.

[Loony BoB]

SAF also bought a lot of guys for minimal funds at the time (see: Vidic, Evra, Hernandez, Heinze, etc) who all turned out just fine. Big money players turn into big money flops, low money players turn into low money flops. This is football. However, for every flop, there is a success, too. I don't feel £16m is too much for a first team player, and if he turns out a success, fantastic, if not, we've not spent that much money on him anyway. We can only buy the players who are interested in a team without immediate CL football at the moment, unless we go to PSG/City levels and pay wages through the roof, which we're probably already doing to some extent. Again, though, LVG sees something in him, so I'll reserve judgement.

I got curious after my last post where I mentioned being pretty happy with Jones/Smalling/Evans overall, and went through the stats for the PL games they played in the central defence positions.

Rio & Vidic: 44% Win, 22% Draw, 33% Loss (0.89 goals conceded per game)
R/V & S/J/E: 33% Win, 22% Draw, 44% Loss (1.44 goals conceded per game)
S/J/E & S/J/E: 73% Win, 9% Draw, 18% Loss (0.82 goals conceded per game) - includes one game with Jones/Carrick in central defence.

Basically we played better without Rio & Vidic than when we played with them. Considering that the goals conceded aren't too different between Rio & Vidic playing and S/J/E combinations but the win ratio is much higher, that also says the attackers played better without Rio & Vidic being present.

EDIT: Continuing on that... conceded goals for individuals.

Rio: 15 goals in 12 games (1.25)
Vidic: 25 in 23 (1.09)
Evans: 19 in 14 (1.36)
Smalling: 7 in 10 (0.7)
Jones: 20 in 16 (1.25)

And...

Evans when with Rio/Vidic: 9 in 6 (1.5)
Evans without Rio/Vidic: 9 in 8 (1.13)

Smalling when with Rio/Vidic: 3 in 4 (0.75)
Smalling without Rio/Vidic: 4 in 6 (0.67)

Jones when with Rio/Vidic: 12 in 7 (1.71)
Jones without Rio/Vidic: 8 in 9 (0.89)

EDITRA: Attachment showing off just how often Moyes changed the CB's. Mental.

59019

[Psychotic]

Only one of Liverpool's starting XI at the weekend cost more than £16m. (Lovren!)

[Loony BoB]

Only one of Liverpool's starting XI at the weekend cost more than £16m. (Lovren!)
How many of those players were purchased in today's market? :p Prices are going sky high these days, in case you haven't noticed. Also, United get a far bigger number given to them than Liverpool do because people know we need the players, have to buy and are facing slim pickings. Also, from what I'm hearing, Liverpool were pretty crap this weekend. :p Let's face it, United aren't going to be getting given a price tag of £10m for a first team player this transfer season. You know this and I know this.

EDIT: And check my previous post, I edited it. Those are some crazy statistics.

[Psychotic]

In the past 2 years: Mignolet, Coutinho, Sturridge and Manquillo. Three of those were internationals for top nations too. Not bad, eh? And pretty crap, well, no - not vintage, but not awful - but even if it was that's pretty crap with 3 points and pretty crap with Champions League football. :p #bantz aside, that's where United want to be, and that's the team United want to dislodge and the majority of the team was built outside of a CL budget, hence why I am using them as an example.

Either way, you can't keep saying "He's good enough for LVG..." not only because "Moyes is good enough for Fergie..." but also because then there's no point in forming an opinion on players at all. You're allowed to disagree with managers! At some point, a Manchester United manager thought every member of that squad was good enough. Evidently they are not.

Interesting stats indeed, but let's not forget that's five (Carrick aside) players for two positions. Now it's three for three. The quality is fine but depth is needed, and I reiterate that players above or equal to the quality of those that have departed is a necessity.

It's just endemic of United under Woodward though. All four (five if you count Rojo) of their big transfers under him they have been taken for a ride. There's probably an excess of £30-40m and that can buy 2 good players or even 1 world class player. With the CL money not there, it all adds up...

[Loony BoB]

Haven't I stated twice now that I'm reserving judgement? I'm not so blind as to think that any random person LVG picks will be the best in the world. What I am saying is that if the manager feels he can do something with a player I don't know, then I can only assume he sees something in the guy, and given I know nothing about the player, I'm not going to assume he's going to be trout before I've seen him kick a ball.

Sturridge you got on a massive bargain and you bloody know it. :p There is no way we would have got him as cheap - if at all, considering he's a City boy.

EDIT: I'm pretty confident we have a hell of a lot more than £30-40m available, if that's what you meant. Whether or not we use it this season is another story.

[Psychotic]

Alright, let me put it another way.

Luke Shaw, £30m. Calum Chambers, £11m rising to a possible £16m based on performance.
Ander Herrera £29m, Toni Kroos, £24m.
Juan Mata £37m, Cesc Fabregas £30m.
Marouane Fellaini £27.5m, Mousa Dembele £15m.

I would also tell you that the players on the right are, in each instance, superior to the ones on the left.

Which brings me right back around to why I compared United to how Liverpool used to love to operate in the days of Aquilani, Carroll, Downing, etc. Sometimes still do, though this Summer has been alright. Only £25m Lallana raises an eyebrow, though English premium and all that, part of PFA team of the year and compared to the £29m uncapped Herrera it doesn't seem too bad. Still overpaid though but hey ho.
EDIT: I'm pretty confident we have a hell of a lot more than £30-40m available, if that's what you meant. Whether or not we use it this season is another story.Don't have a limitless pot of money either though. And with FFP, every pound has to count.

[Loony BoB]

Alright, let me put it another way.

Luke Shaw, £30m. Calum Chambers, £11m rising to a possible £16m based on performance.
Ander Herrera £29m, Toni Kroos, £24m.
Juan Mata £37m, Cesc Fabregas £30m.
Marouane Fellaini £27.5m, Mousa Dembele £15m.
With Shaw, we were challenging Chelsea for him. We needed a left back. Chambers isn't that left back.

With Kroos, he went to Real Madrid. We probably couldn't compete if we had wanted to.

With Fabregas, smurf knows what happened. People are still scratching their heads. The only guess is that Woodwards ballsed it up (likely) or that Fabregas didn't fancy playing for Moyes (also possible) and now that we're out of the CL he remained uninterested. Mata for £37m is pretty much in line with the market. Fabregas for £30m is a bargain in today's market. I mean, how Chelsea pawned off Luiz for £50m and bought Fab for £30m is beyond me!

Fellaini was overpriced and nobody objects to that, but Dembele doesn't really interest me so I'm not really bothered.


Which brings me right back around to why I compared United to how Liverpool used to love to operate in the days of Aquilani, Carroll, Downing, etc. Sometimes still do, though this Summer has been alright. Only £25m Lallana raises an eyebrow, though English premium and all that, part of PFA team of the year and compared to the £29m uncapped Herrera it doesn't seem too bad.
Herrera doesn't worry me, honestly. I think he's a great player from what I've seen of him so far. Mata is doing well enough for us, too. The bigger issues are the wide players for United, the lack of teamwork and the lack of depth in central midfield. We also lack a world class star behind the strikeforce. It was Sterling and Suarez that got you into the CL... it remains to be seen if we have that special creative player that can push us into the CL as well. Time will tell, I'm sure.

EDIT: We might not have a limitless pot of money, but I'm confident we could shell out £50-70m if the right player or two were available and we felt it was the right price. As for FFP, United aren't even close to being in trouble there.

[Psychotic]

I'm not saying United should have signed those players - I'm saying here is a comparable player, here is the fee paid for him, why did you pay that fee? Two additional notes, Chelsea withdraw from Shaw because of his wage demands - nothing to do with being outbid. And Dembele is hax! Don't diss, blood. Definitely would've improved United's midfield last season in a way Fellaini couldn't.

Also this is tangential and not quite relevant but I want to say it anyway. At the risk of having people go "wtf" as someone who watched every one of Liverpool's games last season, I don't think it was Sterling or even Suarez that were the keys to the CL - I believe Jordan Henderson was the most important player in that team. Yes, really. Yes, even moreso than Suarez. As Rodgers said, "I knew the title was gone as soon as he was sent off vs City" and lo and behold, we ballsed it up against Chelsea and Palace without him. There's a lot more to football than being the one to stick it in the back of the net.

[Loony BoB]

I'm not saying United should have signed those players - I'm saying here is a comparable player, here is the fee paid for him, why did you pay that fee? Two additional notes, Chelsea withdraw from Shaw because of his wage demands - nothing to do with being outbid. And Dembele is hax! Don't diss! Definitely would've improved United's midfield last season in a way Fellaini couldn't.
xD It's easy to say that, but then he could have Fellaini'd just like Fellaini did. Even Veron, Berba and Tevez can fail at United, and those are players who had decent seasons. Also, again, United always get given a high fee, it's nothing new. It's also common knowledge that Ed Woodward is shit at player transfers, just awful.


Also this is tangential and not quite relevant but I want to say it anyway. At the risk of having people go "wtf" as someone who watched every one of Liverpool's games last season, I don't think it was Sterling or even Suarez that were the keys to the CL - I believe Jordan Henderson was the most important player in that team. Yes, really. Yes, even moreso than Suarez. As Rodgers said, "I knew the title was gone as soon as he was sent off vs City" and lo and behold, we ballsed it up against Chelsea and Palace without him. There's a lot more to football than being the one to stick it in the back of the net.
If you didn't have Suarez last season you would not be in the CL. I genuinely believe this. *shrug* Perhaps the same could be said of Henderson, I dunno. But Suarez was worth at least 12 points to you.

[Psychotic]

It's difficult to track points earned by running around a hell of a lot. But in terms of points earned by goals, Suarez was worth 15... but Sturridge was worth 18. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2620515/Daniel-Sturridge-earned-points-Liverpool-Luis-Suarez.html He just got three this weekend too come to think of it.

[Loony BoB]

Liverpool get 2nd, go on about Suarez being player of the year.
Liverpool sell Suarez, go on about how their other players are better.

At least when we sold Ronaldo we didn't kid ourselves that we'd not sold our best player. ;)

[Psychotic]

Never said he wasn't the best player, just that Henderson had a bigger impact on our system. Suarez is one of the top 5 players in the world imho and to be honest you'd be hard pushed for any of the current squad to make the top 50. That being said, as someone who watched every game I do insist that people who think we were a one man team don't know what they're talking about and aren't worth listening to, and having the best team doesn't necessarily mean having the best players (though it helps!). It amuses me that people think Liverpool are doomed without Suarez... oh no, how can we replace the player with the most Premier League goals last season? If only we had the player with the next most goals to replace him wi...

[The Captain]

The bottom line is this, Man Utd as presently constituted are simply not good enough. They need to add starting Xi type players not just guys who can fill up the depth chart. Granted, they have been beset by injuries early on but that only speaks further to the need to reinforce.

Liverpool made a run at the title for many reasons, Suarez being one of the biggest. Hendo was vital because he allowed Stevie to not have to run around anymore and pick his spots, which at his age was beyond important. Not bad for someone with a strange gait, eh?

Suarez was clearly our best player, heck best in the league last year. However, it was pretty clear he was not a lifer for the squad. Rodgers is doing what most managers do, build up what he has now. Dwelling on the past leaves you stuck in it rather than pushing forward to the future.

Cesc already looks the steal of the year. Beyond me how so many passed on getting him for what is a ridiculously low price.

Take care all.

[Loony BoB]

To be fair, I wasn't saying you're all doomed or anything. It was just a tangent on a tangent on a tangent of me saying "It was Sterling and Suarez that got you into the CL... it remains to be seen if United have that special creative player that can push us into the CL as well. Time will tell, I'm sure."

Everyone said that last year Moyes was the problem. We have LVG now - if he fails as well, it will be as good as saying "LVG isn't any better than Moyes" which I think we can all agree would be absurd. Fact is, Moyes was not the only problem we had last season and I think people are happily pointing that out now, Moyes included it seems. Honestly? I think we have a capable group of players to challenge for top four, absolutely. I think we need further strengthening in order to really solidify that challenge and turn us into leaders for the position. Title challenge? Honestly, just waaaaaaay too early to make any kind of serious call regarding the matter, but I personally don't expect it this season unless we buy Ronaldo himself, which isn't going to happen.

EDIT: Apparently Reus has turned down a significant paycheck opportunity at United. As much as I'm gutted he hasn't joined, you do have to admire a player who consistently rejects big money moves (after he quite publically turned down similar big money to join Bayern last season).

[supernaps]

Well honestly, United had a great reign under Ferguson- that wasn't gonna last forever. It seems that the team is still suffering the after effects after he stepped down and it's not gonna be easy to climb up back again. It's no accident that the last EPL title that Utd got, they got it with many of the "mediocre" players (Smalling, Evans, Young etc) that play right now that are getting the stick; idk, somehow sir Alex (as much as I dreaded him, being a Gooner, huge respect to the guy, top manager) got the best out of them. It seems to be more of a psychological factor, you ask me.

About my team right now, damn do we look tired and not as sharp as we should be- yes, the hangover from the WC and such, but still. That game against Besiktas tonight was so, so poor. We need a CDM and a top striker. (backup CB is nearly already announced so) I don't even wanna think what's gonna happen if we fail to qualify for CL.

[Bubba]

It seems to be more of a psychological factor, you ask me.

This is definitely the case and will probably take the longest to fix.

I think we have a bit of a fear playing at Old Trafford as well. There is a complete lack of confidence when we walk out at home. It's no surprise when you think we lost seven games at home in the league all last year. Not to mention losing there to Swansea in the FA Cup and then to Sunderland on penalties in the league cup. I'm actually quite glad our next two games are away from home. Our away record last season was much better. Still doesn't mean we'll win though.

Anyway, at least I'll get to watch what will hopefully be a decent game on Monday night. Early test for Liverpool to see how serious they are for a title challenge. Though admittedly it is very difficult to get a result at the Etihad. Should be a tasty encounter though.

[The Captain]

Could it be? Super Mario to Liverpool? We certaiy love our drama filled strikers.

Take care all.

[Psychotic]

Brendan Rodgers specifically said that would not happen. Just the usual media click bait.

[Psychotic]

Brendan Rodgers specifically said that would not happen. Just the usual media click bait.http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/28878088

Well shut my mouth.

Yes fucking please. :D :D :D :D :D

[Old Manus]

this i would like

[Psychotic]

Also in further Man United-are-turning-into-Liverpool news, what the smurf is Paul Scholes's problem? xD Like, you used to get queues of Liverpool legends lining up to take a swing at how rubbish the club now is. Paul Scholes is now a one man United-hating band which is funny as he was always so quiet as a player.

[Loony BoB]

Also in further Man United-are-turning-into-Liverpool news, what the smurf is Paul Scholes's problem? xD Like, you used to get queues of Liverpool legends lining up to take a swing at how rubbish the club now is. Paul Scholes is now a one man United-hating band which is funny as he was always so quiet as a player.
He's not hating, he's just acting like any fan would. We often criticise certain players and whatnot. Not sure if you saw during the match, but Scholes, even when we were 2-1 down, was still looking at the match saying he felt confident United could win it. He's definitely getting a case of the media on him, despite him joining the media. He can say 50 quotes and the rest of the media will latch onto the criticisms and let fly with them. Scholes, being Scholes, probably just doesn't care what the media do and shrugs it off.

It's like when he was commenting on Rooney earlier in the year. In that same report, he said that Rooney has all the skills required to replace Scholes himself. I would call that high praise. But all the negative comments made headlines and that one was shuffled under the rug.

EDIT: Also, regardless of which team he plays for, really happy that Mario is coming back into the PL. Guy is entertainment without having to be a dick.

[Old Manus]

So now not only are Cardiff run by a(nother (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Hammam)) dodgy eastern despot, they also employ racists, sexists and homophobes! All they need now is for their youth coach to turn out to be a paedophile, and we've got a full house!

[Psychotic]

Cardiff texts were absolutely shockingly bad. Funny (seriously, what even is a "gay snake"?) but damn, no coming back from that.

I'm giddy like I'm waiting for Christmas. Mario, at Liverpool. :D I said a year or so ago my dream front three was Suarez, Mario and Zlatan. (so well known I can use their first names) Getting to see two of them play for my team is awesome. And hey, maybe in a couple of years Zlatan could finish his career here!

[Loony BoB]

what even is a "gay snake"?
When one snake loves another snake very much, and they are both of the same sex, then...

[supernaps]

lol i'm not gonna lie, "gay snake" made me lol irl when i read it on the football news

anyways, on the transfer front we all know that super mario is quality, but he's such a wild card- i'm happy to see him back in EPL though, he provides entertainment on many aspects of the game.

we are linked with cavani rn, man if we could get him, that would be a game changer. (along with a proper CDM)

[Formalhaut]

Has anyone else noticed the interestingly biased advertising BT Sport has been running lately? I've googled some of the reactions by Arsenal fans, it's pretty funny!


HAHuss1oE6Q

ZxPmKcIH8rk

[Psychotic]

Yeah I think we talked about it earlier in the thread. As I said then, it's not anti-Arsenal. They were two truly shocking, exciting and dramatic days so of course you're going to show those as an advertisement for your product. Arsenal just happened to be the ones getting their arses handed to them. I don't really know what their fans expect - a Stalinist revision of history where we pretend that didn't happen? May as well just abolish the month of February while you're at it.

Also EoFF's very own Loony BoB quits his job to start a Man United Twitter account: http://footballburp.com/magazine/the-incredible-journey-of-the-totally-man-u-twitter-account/

[Loony BoB]

Wow.

[Old Manus]

Obviously BT Sport was getting in early this season belittling charliepanayi.

EDIT: Just realised I've already made this joke

[Formalhaut]

I think for Arsenal's sake, showing another team getting thrashed would calm them down abit :p

[Psychotic]

No other big teams did get thrashed though. Well. I guess Liverpool did beast Spurs home and away.

[DK]

fuck arsenal, horribly self entitled bunch of :bou::bou::bou::bou:s, every teeny tiny bit of misery and pain they feel is utterly deserved and every effort should be made to ensure they never forget that they are the worst :bou::bou::bou::bou:s in world football.

speaking of, Vincent Tan is a genius, properly shafted malky mackay over and in the sweetest way. what a great man.

desperately hoping the Super Mario deal goes through. I have no idea what Liverpool are playing at trying to ruin everything by demanding contract clauses about behaviour. Super Mario has never been one to do anything vastly over the top, at least not as far as on the football field is concerned. And they absolutely need a guy like him. Don't fuck it up, just bring back the beloved hero for us to all enjoy.

[Psychotic]

It's cool dude. Whatever we proposed (fuck knows why, just let him do what he wants) he has agreed to it. Presently airborne and going to get a medical. :excited:

[Old Manus]

Harry 'clean as a whistle' Redknapp sure knows when to jump in and make things a hundred times worse than it already is for the people he is trying to defend.


"He hasn't murdered anyone, he hasn't raped anyone and he is not a paedophile."

[Psychotic]

Don't worry, Malky is a "proper football man" so he can do whatever he wants. I still don't know what being a "proper football man" means but given that it's usually used in relation to 'arry himself or Tim Sherwood I assume it's a synonym for moron.

[Loony BoB]

I know we have 6-7 of our first choice starters injured or unable to start, but this is just embarrassing. Fletcher and Cleverley I hoped would get better under LVG. They genuinely appear to have been better under both SAF & Moyes. Mata/Rooney/RVP barely making runs, Mata barely rejoining midfield, Cleverley (mis)defending outside our box when we're supposed to be playing with five defenders... how is this happening? So, so dire. Really not sure if this 3-5-2 is going to have time to work out here, we'll be too far from top four by the time our players click at this rate.

Still, hopefully the addition of Evans, Rojo, Shaw, Rafael, Carrick, Herrera and potentially Di Maria will make things considerably more watchable. Hell, even Fellaini...