Ultimate Football (Soccer) Thread (2013-2014)

[Bundabunda]

This is really infuriating news, that Man U are going after LvG. Not surprising in any way, but still, our squad is built to play an Ajax-style game. There are already two Total Footballers with Eriksen and Vertonghen, the youth setup is great. The Tottenham job is crying out for LvG.

Watching Man U's overhaul is going to be massively fun. If the next manager after Giggs trips up, no more top 4 for a while.

[Equestrian States]

With Moyes gone, I'm certain with his experience, we can all agree he isn't a bad manager he'll be picked up by a new club fairly quickly. Really would not surprise me to see him at Newcastle before the start of next season. Sadly for Moyes I doubt he'll ever be given the chance of a big club. You have to feel sorry for him though, as whoever took over was going to really struggle, but as pointed out previously he didn't help himself firing the backroom staff. His clear out should of started with the team not the coaching staff.

As an Everton supporter, I have some mixed feelings on Moyes. I obviously agree that he's a pretty good manager, and have to give him at least a little credit for where the club is now, though I do think Martinez has to be given most of it. When he left Everton for Man Utd, I wasn't too happy that he would be managing a club that I dislike, but given what he'd done for us, I still hoped he'd do reasonably well there. Of course, then came the whole "disrespectful and insulting transfer bid" thing which made me less inclined to wish him well (though in hindsight the Fellaini deal was great for us).

While I'm still pissed off at Moyes, and hold him in less regard than I did a couple years ago, he still did a lot of good for Everton (especially considering our average budget) and I'm grateful for it. I don't think firing him was the right move on Man Utd's part, seeing as he did pretty damn well to reach the CL quarterfinals despite having (almost) no experience in the competition. Fergie left some massive shoes to fill, and given the situation, I think Moyes did about as well as anyone could reasonably expect him to do. Yes, it's been a bad year for them by their standards, and they maybe would have done better with a different manager, but given a few years I think that Moyes would have turned out to be a good pick to replace Sir Alex.

I agree that Moyes will probably never get another "big club" chance like this again in his career, which is a real shame IMO. And I do feel legitimately sorry for the guy, especially given the way he was treated at Goodison on Sunday. Losing your job after losing to your old club after being jeered by the fans who once supported you can't feel good. Overall, I think they made a stupid move sacking Moyes after less than a season, and I hope he gets a chance to prove their board's and fans' stupidity sometime soon. Preferably at Old Trafford, with a "smaller club", and by a large margin.

If anything, it gives me yet another reason to hate Manchester United.

Where Man United go from here I don't know. But surely a team like United will be able to attract any coach. Martinez has done a good job at Everton

I'm not so sure about any coach. As for Martinez, this gives some pretty good reasons why I don't think he'll be leaving Everton this summer. Honestly, the only club I could see tempting him any time soon would be Barcelona, given his Catalan background.

Anyone who thinks Altidore is the worst player in the Premier League clearly hasn't seen Alan Hutton.

Shite. He's terrible for the large majority of the game, and then occasionally, he picks it up for the last five minutes. I'd go as far as to call him a reverse Val Kylx (one for the NS Sporters).

To be fair, Kylx was also remarkably good in the fifth minute of injury time too.

[Bundabunda]

I don't think that Barca would have Martinez, and vice versa.

Hasn't he been living, playing and managing in England for the last twenty or so years? Arguably, he's more suited to the PL's pace and physicality than Spain. It'd really be a long shot for Barca, or any club for that matter, to pick up Martinez after his first season. And I really hope that United don't get him. It'd be really nice to see them desperately chasing Klopp or Siemone, only to end up with some midtable manager, and we end up getting Van Gaal.

I don't know if it was the right time or not, but considering United's rumored war chest, maybe they need to look at all their buying options, and a future without Moyes? Because looking for a decent manager during the World Cup sounds like hell.

I always took Ferguson's presence in United for granted. "They have a good squad", I thought. "Rooney's got a temper and behavior issues, sure, but he's a professional, isn't he?"That ogre of a man is dragging them to the bottom with his contract and demands of being played out of position.

[Eastfield Lodge]

I realise that defenders tend to get very little praise, but it still annoys me. Personally, I think Shaw should certainly be considered for the Brazil squad over Ashley Cole but people don't seem to be discussing that.

Shaw wasn't a youth player last year, although he admittedly hadn't fully secured his place in the squad. I'm pretty sure he 25 or so appearances in the league which is pretty decent. Barkley, on the other hand, was out on loan while Sterling only got a bit more playing time.

Cole has done nothing because he's been superseded by a right back. But I think you're right, to a point. I think Cole's time for England is done, but Shaw is only 18, he has no clue what these big competitions are even like as a player, and IIRC hasn't even capped for the senior team yet. If I was Roy, I'd for sure give both sides of the argument some thought, as I'm sure he has.
Well I had never heard of his name last year, but I had heard of Barkley and Sterling. That could be because Southampton is, or at least was, a lesser Premier League team. I think the Big 5 has to be expanded up to Big 8 at least, possibly more, those vying year in and year out for a European spot. Southampton and Everton are growing, and, at least at the beginning of the season, Newcastle looked good too. So pretty much the whole top half of the table is filled with teams that could have a good time playing in Europe.

Unless we can get another Cabaye-like player, and two strikers who can actually score (one would be Remy if we managed to keep him permanently), we're going to relegation candidates next season.

[Equestrian States]

Hasn't he been living, playing and managing in England for the last twenty or so years? Arguably, he's more suited to the PL's pace and physicality than Spain. It'd really be a long shot for Barca, or any club for that matter, to pick up Martinez after his first season.

Exactly my point. I just can't see Martinez leaving Everton anytime soon unless he gets an unexpected opportunity like that, which I don't think he will after just one season with Everton, regardless of how well he's done.

[Osarius]

Do Villa want a LB? £2 million, any takers.

Don't piss about, you know damn well none of our left backs can defend as it is.
Then again, maybe I should thank you for the decent price. Rafa would have offered us Enrique and three reserve team players for Benteke.

He was the stool pigeon.

He might have done a good job, but he sacked Meulensteen and Phelan straight away - I think that was his biggest error. Now I know managers want to make their own impression on a team, etc. etc., but surely you keep around two of the best coaches in the country until you've settled in?

Sort of understandable, though. I saw it as a psychological gambit.

If he kept them in, and Man Utd did well... he'd be undermined because people would attribute the success to the assistants. When you're replacing a guy like Sir Alex Ferguson, at a club like Man Utd... I can see why you'd want to make your mark on things, so to speak. There's more pressure to do it a certain way, I suppose. Getting rid of them wasn't his problem, I think. It was bringing in replacements that were... not up to par, shall we say. But again, I understand the desire to work with people you know and trust. Particularly when compounded with the magnitude of the task at hand.

Getting rid of them, and all the changes he made at the start was his way of saying "I'm the boss now, we do this my way". Unfortunately, things didn't go as well as one may have anticipated. Which then casts all those decisions in a negative light (rather than the positive one they would have been otherwise) and sows the seeds of doubt, and so on and so forth.

This might have been the biggest problem he had. It seemed to me that he'd lost the dressing room (for a similar situation, note how Villa's performance level against Southampton was much better once they got rid of the less-than-popular presence of Culverhouse and Karsa), perhaps because "we didn't do things this way under Sir Alex" or some other bollocks of that sort. Who knows?

[Bundabunda]

Hasn't he been living, playing and managing in England for the last twenty or so years? Arguably, he's more suited to the PL's pace and physicality than Spain. It'd really be a long shot for Barca, or any club for that matter, to pick up Martinez after his first season.

Exactly my point. I just can't see Martinez leaving Everton anytime soon unless he gets an unexpected opportunity like that, which I don't think he will after just one season with Everton, regardless of how well he's done.

In that case, Everton likely are going to have a good thing going for the next 3-4 years. Damn, that could've been us, except maybe our midfield isn't really suited to what Martinez wants, who'd have just as much say as Sherwood on transfers. If you can get Barry, Lukaku and a pacy winger, Everton is set for a while.

[Auremena]

Exactly my point. I just can't see Martinez leaving Everton anytime soon unless he gets an unexpected opportunity like that, which I don't think he will after just one season with Everton, regardless of how well he's done.

In that case, Everton likely are going to have a good thing going for the next 3-4 years. Damn, that could've been us, except maybe our midfield isn't really suited to what Martinez wants, who'd have just as much say as Sherwood on transfers. If you can get Barry, Lukaku and a pacy winger, Everton is set for a while.

News is Deulofeu may stay for at least another 6 months. Barcelona is pretty set in the wingers department, also with Bojan returning from loan, along with promising B team wingers. He's not joining Everton perminitely for sure, though.

[Bundabunda]

I think for the right price he might, especially if Everton gets CL. Something in the range of 8-10 million pounds, I think that's a fair valuation on Deleuofeu.

[Britcan]

Didn't McGeady join Everton in January? I haven't seen much of him though so I don't know if he's fit or not.

[Eastfield Lodge]

Didn't McGeady join Everton in January? I haven't seen much of him though so I don't know if he's fit or not.

He is fit, but I don't think he's currently good enough to start.

[KoloToure]

Didn't McGeady join Everton in January? I haven't seen much of him though so I don't know if he's fit or not.

He is fit, but I don't think he's currently good enough to start.

Was a loan also, IIRC.

[Liventia]

He is fit, but I don't think he's currently good enough to start.

Was a loan also, IIRC.

McGeady joined full-time from Spartak.

[Yellow Yellow Red]

Didn't McGeady join Everton in January? I haven't seen much of him though so I don't know if he's fit or not.

He is fit, but I don't think he's currently good enough to start.

I've seen him come off the bench a handful of times, but yeah, not first 11 quality.

[Eastfield Lodge]

He is fit, but I don't think he's currently good enough to start.

I've seen him come off the bench a handful of times, but yeah, not first 11 quality.

From what I've seen of him, he's played quite well. Might just be fitness issues keeping him on the bench, or he's being used as an impact sub atm.

[Britcan]

Didn't McGeady join Everton in January? I haven't seen much of him though so I don't know if he's fit or not.

He is fit, but I don't think he's currently good enough to start.

Ah okay, I thought it might have been fitness as that's often cited as an issue with players coming from Russia.

[Yellow Yellow Red]

I've seen him come off the bench a handful of times, but yeah, not first 11 quality.

From what I've seen of him, he's played quite well. Might just be fitness issues keeping him on the bench, or he's being used as an impact sub atm.

His chemistry with his teammates looks off, especially off the ball - which is to be expected for a January transfer coming off the bench as a sub. But it's a bit of a conundrum - can't start him because of it, but it's hard to build a real chemistry and understanding at full match-speed unless you're getting a lot of match time.

[Liventia]

From yesterday's charity match:
http://youtu.be/jPjZEiQmfVs?t=4m22s
Quite possibly one of the most amazing renditions of You'll Never Walk Alone ever at Anfield. Especially with the entire crowd just silent, which never happens with that song.

[Nierr]

In a word...no.

I think his press conferences are a great example of what I was talking about when I said sacking AVB without a replacement lined up would be a stupid idea. That and the fact the tactics have all gone a bit Harry "run around a bit" Redknapp. Under the circumstances we were in *cough*Levy*cough* I'm glad we gave him the chance - and it certainly hasn't been all bad. But I don't feel like he's passed the interview, if you know what I mean.

Interesting bit of trivia: Sherwoods points per game ratio is lower than AVBs was.

[KoloToure]

From yesterday's charity match:
http://youtu.be/jPjZEiQmfVs?t=4m22s
Quite possibly one of the most amazing renditions of You'll Never Walk Alone ever at Anfield. Especially with the entire crowd just silent, which never happens with that song.

I don't know, man. A couple of things put me off it, really.

For a start, the big mixing cock-up at the start that it never really recovered from. And the rhythm was too smooth, too fast. It didn't really leave the crescendo much room to manoeuvre into...largeness.

Was a loan also, IIRC.

McGeady joined full-time from Spartak.

Really? That surprises me.

[Liventia]

Chelsea will be without both Petr Cech and John Terry for the rest of the season. Potentially title deciding.

[Bundabunda]

Well, that Chelsea-Atleti game had me bored to tears.

A physical side up against one of Europe's best defenses and no goals. What a thriller.

[Auremena]

Chelsea will be without both Petr Cech and John Terry for the rest of the season. Potentially title deciding.

Also gives At let I an edge at Stamford Bridge.

[Maineiacs]

Chelsea will be without both Petr Cech and John Terry for the rest of the season. Potentially title deciding.

So, should we start congratulating Liverpool early on their first Premier League title?

[Bundabunda]

I think we should've started Sunday. City can win all their last 4 games, but Pool still has to drop four points.