Football Thread 2021/22 - Welcome to our new ISIS Taliban overlords

[The Culture Bunker]

Ronalado seems to have had more power than Solskjær did.

I wouldn't believe anything you read, especially on the MEN, on this subject. The board/CEO, senior players and probably Solskjaer himself will all be leaking their angles to their press contacts to shift blame away from themselves.

My own view is that losing the EL final last year was perhaps the crucial moment where some players stopped believing in the manager. It's been clear for weeks he was being thrown under the bus but I can only assume the likes of Conte and Zidane have refused to take Woodward's calls. I imagine they know the players have more power than the manager - it's not just Ronaldo in that respect.

[Kankurette]

A lot of it probably is speculation on the MEN's part, but the prospect of the players switching off and/or not having a clue does not surprise me at all. De Gea even said 'we don't know what we're doing'.

I don't think it is just Ronaldo - there are a lot of egos on that team - but I wouldn't be surprised if he did have more influence among the squad than Ole did.

[BlodwynPig]

Another hero of the lentil munchers gets it in the neck.

Politically, he supports the Norwegian Labour Party and visited their congress in 2011. In a speech delivered there, he publicly pronounced his left-wing political sympathies

[drummersaredeaf]

Darren, I've pierced my foot on a spiiiiiiiiiiiike.

[Norton Canes]

Good luck to whoever takes over if Ronaldo is throwing his weight around. They might as well stick with Carrick until they can offload CR9, he's not going to make any prospective manager want to take the job.

[The Culture Bunker]

Good luck to whoever takes over if Ronaldo is throwing his weight around. They might as well stick with Carrick until they can offload CR9, he's not going to make any prospective manager want to take the job.

Frankly, Ronaldo would be pretty low down on the list of reasons any manager would have to not return Woodward's calls, although that particular signing is part of the wider problems (ie the manager not having the kind of authority any serious contender would want).

As long as the Glazers are stinking the place out, Man United will (much to the delight of y'all, I'm sure) continue on this merry-go-round. Best we can hope for is a bit of luck in the cups.

[Kankurette]

Everton are, as ever, made of twigs.

As for United, I'd have said Pogba is as big a problem as Chrissy. I'm amazed he's still there, quite frankly. He's perfectly capable of playing well when it suits him, Leeds is proof of that.

ETA: do you think they were right to sack van Gaal? I still think he got a raw deal.

[Wonderful Butternut]

Ole had a better win percentage than both Moyes and LvG, only Mourinho of the post-Fergie managers won more.

Of course the obvious reposte is that Ole probably had a slightly better team than his predecessors.

[phantom_power]

If Ronaldo is even a problem, which I am not sure he is, he doesn't even make the top ten of problems at United. I am not sure any individual player does.

[Kankurette]

United were a mess even before Ronaldo came tbf. He's just part of the problem. Remember Alexis Sanchez being signed and then spending most of his time benched?

[DrGreggles]

So Carrick's the interim interim manager?

[Smeraldina Rima]

Went to the beginning of the Stevie G era yesterday. I'm all in. On a train home a Wolves fan thought I looked like Nuno and started singing 'Nuno had a dream, to build a football team'. Felt very moved by that now that it's really in the past.

[bgmnts]

They should have given him some extra time to do a job to be fair. He does good in extra time.

Unsure what really can be done when some of those players are just dogshit at times, and a lazy cunt like Pogba who has to play because he's Pogba. Maybe just need a proper man manager in there to massage the egos and get them running.

[The Culture Bunker]

United were a mess even before Ronaldo came tbf. He's just part of the problem. Remember Alexis Sanchez being signed and then spending most of his time benched?

That was a bit of a desperation "Hail Mary" play by Mourinho - that particular season had started really well, then we went to Anfield, parked the bus and ground out a nil nil draw. We never quite recovered the momentum and by January, the manager knew he needed to do something and also wanted rid of Mkhitaryan. Sanchez did start most games at first, and scored in the cup semi-final, but was clearly past his best. Someone on here remarked that wherever he is now, United are probably still paying a chunk of his wages.

Van Gaal was treated shabbily, but by fuck, the football was absolutely dire at times. On the other hand, he did led us to our most dominant performance at Anfield in decades: the 2-1 were Gerrard got sent off after 30 seconds on the pitch and Mata scored a beauty. He could have had a hat-trick, but Rooney took a pen right at the end and missed it - the dolt!

Quite amused at Carrick being an interim manager till a proper interim manager can be found. What a shambles.

[BlodwynPig]

Not looking forward to the day Norwich, Newcastle and Villa overtake United in the table ... THIS SEASON.

Derby also sadly look to have turned a corner and may squeak to safety despite more point deductions.

It was ever thus.

[Rizla]

Glorious, life affirming football from Hibs in the league cup semi against the rangers thanks to a lovely brace from Boyle. Fuck the league, hit them in the hampden where it hurts.

EDIT a penalty makes it 3 for Boyle, an immediate response from the CoD's 11 and it's 3-1 Hibs

[AllisonSays]

How have this Spurs team become such a bunch of doddery, aimless pensioners? Very disjointed team.

[phantom_power]

They should have given him some extra time to do a job to be fair. He does good in extra time.

Unsure what really can be done when some of those players are just dogshit at times, and a lazy cunt like Pogba who has to play because he's Pogba. Maybe just need a proper man manager in there to massage the egos and get them running.

To be fair to a lot of the players, it must be pretty galling to constantly go out onto the pitch underprepared and with no real tactics or vision, and then proceed to get outplayed by less talented but better organised teams. It is a lose-lose. Play well and you get your team out of trouble only to go out unprepared and disorganised in the next match, or play badly and get accused of "not trying for the manager". These are pretty much the same players that have been trying for the manager since he started and have got him out of the shit on countless occasions with individual skill or desire to get a last-minute winner, and their only reward is more of the same shit.

[The Culture Bunker]

To be fair to a lot of the players, it must be pretty galling to constantly go out onto the pitch underprepared and with no real tactics or vision, and then proceed to get outplayed by less talented but better organised teams. It is a lose-lose. Play well and you get your team out of trouble only to go out unprepared and disorganised in the next match, or play badly and get accused of "not trying for the manager". These are pretty much the same players that have been trying for the manager since he started and have got him out of the shit on countless occasions with individual skill or desire to get a last-minute winner, and their only reward is more of the same shit.

So when United finished 3rd/2nd, it was all down to the players and when things went to shit, it was all the manager's fault? 

The players deserve zero fairness. For all the guff about tactics and organisation, too many have shown zero desire these past few months and have been making the level of mistake you'd be embarrassed about when playing coats down in the park. Maguire and Shaw especially have been absolutely amateur level - the former's braindead showing yesterday may well have been the final nail.

Patrice Evra pretty much come out and said the squad in 2014 got Moyes sacked by not being arsed, and that kind of attitude has been allowed to fester at the club since.

[BlodwynPig]

Evra has form for 'not being arsed', see various international competitions.

[Kankurette]

It is depressing how players can get a manager sacked just by not bothering to play well.

[chveik]

Evra has form for 'not being arsed', see various international competitions.

i used to think he was a dumb fuck but he recently said that he was raped as a teenager by a teacher, i feel a bit bad now.

[chveik]

It is depressing how players can get a manager sacked just by not bothering to play well.

they don't necessarily do it on purpose, it's often the unconscious result of a manager being uninspiring, having bad tactics etc.

[phantom_power]

And you could say that a manager that can't prevent that from happening probably doesn't deserve the job

[shoulders]

Still got the RFH over the prospect of Wahabist RELEGATION

[GMTV]

Glorious, life affirming football from Hibs in the league cup semi against the rangers thanks to a lovely brace from Boyle. Fuck the league, hit them in the hampden where it hurts.

EDIT a penalty makes it 3 for Boyle, an immediate response from the CoD's 11 and it's 3-1 Hibs

Can well imagine you're having a ball tonight. Boyle hattrick in the first half is pretty incredible.

[rue the polywhirl]

Patrice Evra pretty much come out and said the squad in 2014 got Moyes sacked by not being arsed, and that kind of attitude has been allowed to fester at the club since.

If Man Utd employed Moyes, why would a player reasonably have any motivation to play. Moyes got sacked by being Moyes?

[chveik]

absolute scenes in Lyon. what a farce

[The Culture Bunker]

If Man Utd employed Moyes, why would a player reasonably have any motivation to play. Moyes got sacked by being Moyes?

I don't expect footballers, certainly not these days, to give a fuck about the club. I do expect them to do the job they are very well paid for to their best ability. But this is the thing about the game: if I showed a can't-be-arsed attitude to my job because I think my manager is an inept clown (which has happened a few times), I'd be handed my cards.

In a just world, the next manager would take a hardline with the lot of them from day one and let them know just what a shower of shit they are. As it is, they'll get someone who'll sooth their egos and make Pogba feel good enough to sign a new contract and bring in the social media clicks.

[BlodwynPig]

absolute scenes in Lyon. what a farce

Fireman Jim says fans practicing self defence against Payet... 2nd time isnt it?