The whatever footie that's going on (with actual fans) thread

pinno

Stevo 666 wrote:

Not sure tight fisted is an accusation you could throw at Abramovich. Although his high expectations have been pretty consistent. It's not like he's just come out with it this season - Conte would have known before he took the job.

How many games have been played?!

Stevo_666

We all know how many but it doesn't change the pattern of behaviour.

pinno

Stevo 666 wrote:

We all know how many but it doesn't change the pattern of behaviour.

'Pattern of behaviour'? What do you mean?

City have had a flying start. Pep's credentials are A1 - probably the best pound for pound manager alive, so to speak.
No one, not even Jose has managed so much silverware in such a relatively short space of time. However, this is the PL - so difficult to predict and there may be twists and turns galore.
For all the new signings at Chelski - and there haven't been many, Chelski look tired, like it needs an overhaul and a re-build. Like Manure but I think Manure's problems are deep rooted.

city_boy

Stevo 666 wrote:

City Boy wrote:

Maybe someone should remind him that their attendance is better as a percentage of capacity than Man City's...that should cheer him up no end

Let's be honest, that's a very low bar

You're right to be fair. When your attendance is as low as Cheatski's, you don't need many to make a percentage point difference.

Very magnanimous of you to admit it though

Stevo_666

Pinno wrote:

Stevo 666 wrote:

We all know how many but it doesn't change the pattern of behaviour.

'Pattern of behaviour'? What do you mean?

City have had a flying start. Pep's credentials are A1 - probably the best pound for pound manager alive, so to speak.
No one, not even Jose has managed so much silverware in such a relatively short space of time. However, this is the PL - so difficult to predict and there may be twists and turns galore.
For all the new signings at Chelski - and there haven't been many, Chelski look tired, like it needs an overhaul and a re-build. Like Manure but I think Manure's problems are deep rooted.

Wrong end of the stick - I mean Abramovich and his tendency to want results very quickly. Like I said, he's always been like that.

mr_goo

My prediction is that Eddie Howe will get his marching orders fairly soon if things don't pick up. Lots of rumours locally that he may have lost the dressing room (as they say). And the view is that Cherries results should not just be viewed on this season but back end of last season. In which played 10 lost 8. This pre season wasn't convincing either. With all the new arrivals to integrate and coach and his insistence on relying on the old guard of Div1/Champ player it seems that perhaps things aren't going so well and one could see why their could be a degree of unrest in the squad. On Saturday he stuck Callum Wilson on subs bench!! What coach puts their best striker there? Inexplicable.
Everton on Saturday. I expect........ not a lot.

city_boy

I would be a real shame if Howe got sacked so soon (or at all, tbf). Given their PL fixtures so far, its not the worst set of results!

From what I've seen and heard from Howe, he seems a really bright and articulate guy and tries to get his team playing the right way (although the same could have been said of the likes of Martinez!). He seems a decent bloke too.

Previous banter aside, it is ridiculous that 5 games into a season people are already talking about managers being under pressure and on the verge of sacking. But that is modern football unfortunately!!

I've always said that the table doesn't really start to take shape until at least 10 games in, and as Pinno says, there will still be plenty of twists and turns over the course of the season. Hopefully the likes of Howe will get a fair run before any triggers are pulled.

pinno

So Howe gets sacked on the back of rumours he hasn't got the backing of the board and players have lost faith in him.
I mean, if the players are loosing faith, a board that doesn't back their manager simply serves to reinforce those player attitudes.
There's an interim period where the Cherries play badly under a caretaker manager. New manager comes in on the back of a run of really bad games which doubles the pressure on him to make a difference. The club is deep in relegation trouble and getting out of it is going to take a phenomenal effort and some luck.
What have the management achieved? This scenario is repeated again and again.

bompington

Apparently stats show that a new manager, on average, improves things... pretty much in line with regression to the mean, i.e. simply that the law of averages says a bad run is more likely to be followed by a better one.
Presumably someone is making money from the merry-go-round.

Stevo_666

Agree, it is too short termist in many cases. Abramovich being one of the worst examples if you look at some of the managers he has turfed out - Ranieri and Ancelotti for example.

Fair enough, if a manager really has not got the results over a longer period, has 'lost the dressing room' or there is a fundamental disagreement with the owners then sack him - but quite often that isn't case. That said, if you've bought and paid for the club, it's your toy and you do what you want with it.

pinno

Stevo 666 wrote:

That said, if you've bought and paid for the club, it's your toy and you do what you want with it.

They might be screwing over years of tradition and loyal fans.

Unfortunately, turnover is not the direct effect of fans through the turnstiles; it's the TV rights and the merchandising. So fans have diminished power.

city_boy

Stevo 666 wrote:

Fair enough, if a manager... has 'lost the dressing room' ... then sack him

That's modern football in a nutshell. In any (certainly in most) other businesses the powers that be would usually back the manager over unruly or insubordinate staff. But such is the level investment in players these days that it will always be the manager that falls on his sword. Player power has seen off some high profile managers in recent years...Mancini, Moyes, Mourhino (maybe it's only managers with names beginning with 'M' 8) ).

Fergiescum was a master at shipping out the trouble causers before the rot set in and it seems that Guardiola likes to identify the rebel-rousers and get them out the door pretty quick. He's certainly curried favour with the City fans by calling out Yaya's kn0bhead of an agent - it'll be interesting to see how that one plays out.

In Mourinho's case, he IS the trouble causer. He seems hell bent on being the toxic influence in the dressing room by alienating players and shifting the blame to try to cover over his own ever more apparent inadequacies. What you have at Manure in the likes of Mourinho, Rooney and Ibrahimovic is a Molotov cocktail of egos that could go boom at anytime. Hopefully a defeat against Northampton tonight could be the spark that lights the fuse :twisted:

Stevo_666

Pinno wrote:

Stevo 666 wrote:

That said, if you've bought and paid for the club, it's your toy and you do what you want with it.

They might be screwing over years of tradition and loyal fans.

Unfortunately, turnover is not the direct effect of fans through the turnstiles; it's the TV rights and the merchandising. So fans have diminished power.

True and I'm not saying its right either.

But that's life and money talks. Obviously if owners behave like such utter twunts that they stop enough fans from spending their hard earned on the club then there are limits to what they can do, but I'm not sure I've seen any examples of that in the PL.

pinno

Stevo 666 wrote:

Pinno wrote:

Stevo 666 wrote:

That said, if you've bought and paid for the club, it's your toy and you do what you want with it.

They might be screwing over years of tradition and loyal fans.

Unfortunately, turnover is not the direct effect of fans through the turnstiles; it's the TV rights and the merchandising. So fans have diminished power.

True and I'm not saying its right either.

But that's life and money talks. Obviously if owners behave like such utter twunts that they stop enough fans from spending their hard earned on the club then there are limits to what they can do, but I'm not sure I've seen any examples of that in the PL.

Yup. If all the current season ticket holders at Chelski ripped them up in protest, there would be x thousand on the waiting list - immediately, oblivious to any 'political' undercurrent and history. A queue of Chav's with no real attachment to the club, some spare cash and a shallow sense of loyalty.

Stevo_666

Pinno wrote:

Stevo 666 wrote:

Pinno wrote:

Stevo 666 wrote:

That said, if you've bought and paid for the club, it's your toy and you do what you want with it.

They might be screwing over years of tradition and loyal fans.

Unfortunately, turnover is not the direct effect of fans through the turnstiles; it's the TV rights and the merchandising. So fans have diminished power.

True and I'm not saying its right either.

But that's life and money talks. Obviously if owners behave like such utter twunts that they stop enough fans from spending their hard earned on the club then there are limits to what they can do, but I'm not sure I've seen any examples of that in the PL.

Yup. If all the current season ticket holders at Chelski ripped them up in protest, there would be x thousand on the waiting list - immediately, oblivious to any 'political' undercurrent and history. A queue of Chav's with no real attachment to the club, some spare cash and a shallow sense of loyalty.

Miaow.

And it would never happen at Arsenal because your tickets are too bloody expensive.to start with. Unless you sold them off to the masochistic football fans society

pinno

Stevo 666 wrote:

Pinno wrote:

Stevo 666 wrote:

Pinno wrote:

Stevo 666 wrote:

That said, if you've bought and paid for the club, it's your toy and you do what you want with it.

They might be screwing over years of tradition and loyal fans.

Unfortunately, turnover is not the direct effect of fans through the turnstiles; it's the TV rights and the merchandising. So fans have diminished power.

True and I'm not saying its right either.

But that's life and money talks. Obviously if owners behave like such utter twunts that they stop enough fans from spending their hard earned on the club then there are limits to what they can do, but I'm not sure I've seen any examples of that in the PL.

Yup. If all the current season ticket holders at Chelski ripped them up in protest, there would be x thousand on the waiting list - immediately, oblivious to any 'political' undercurrent and history. A queue of Chav's with no real attachment to the club, some spare cash and a shallow sense of loyalty.

Miaow.

And it would never happen at Arsenal because your tickets are too bloody expensive.to start with. Unless you sold them off to the masochistic football fans society

Arf, arf, arf. I should have put [Insert any club name]. I wasn't referring to Chelsea in particular - just any top 10 club in the PL ya wally ye.

Stevo_666

It wouldn't be any top 10 PL club because glory hunters only queue up to support clubs that have a decent chance of some glory. That rules out Arsenal for a start

pblakeney

Pinno wrote:

Arf, arf, arf. I should have put [Insert any club name]. I wasn't referring to Chelsea in particular - just any top 10 club in the PL ya wally ye.

Apart from City. Obviously.
Can't believe Stevo missed that open goal. Team and fans, eh?

pinno

Heeeeeeeeeeeeeere's Freddy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-ZSoZScqBU

mr_goo

Cherries at home to an inform Everton (except Tues). If Howe doesn't get his team selection right this could be another rout.

Stevo_666

Tomorrow could be interesting...

pinno

Indeed.

city_boy

Let's hope Leicester can make a better fist of defending the Championship than the last lot did...starting today

Good luck to the Gooners in the Class v Crass face-off later today

Stevo_666

I'm just waiting for Timmeh to pop up - where is he?

verylonglegs

Oh look, maybe the penny has finally dropped, leave Rooney out the team and find yourself 4-0 up at half-time.

tim_wand

Gonna be pizzed as a lord Tonight. And even better Stevo's paying for it!!!!!!!!!!!!

mr_goo

I've just discovered the secret to the Cherries winning. Under no circumstances must I look at the score whilst the match is in progress. I didn't see the result until gone 5. Winner Winner Chicken Dinner ! Great goal from Stanislas judging by the reports. Shall look forward to seeing that.
Shall raise a toast to the Cherries tonight with a couple of bottles of UBU.

city_boy

Well, all the top 4 contenders won today. A few of those desperate to get to a Europa League slot didn't

Great result for the @rse, but they didn't really need to get out of 3rd gear against mediocre mid table opposition

ballysmate

I assume Stevo's internet connection must be down
Cahill had a shocker and what possessed them to buy back Side Show Bob? watching his performance at the WC, it seemed that Chelsea were well rid. But back he comes.

http://metro.co.uk/2016/09/24/david-lui ... l-6150746/

pinno

What a day.

Oh and Muppets FC are top. I doubt i'll stay there long but in the meantime, i'm going to enjoy this.