The Football Thread 2017-18

[Mini E]

Are any of the FA Cup replays on TV tonight?

Leicester-Fleetwood is on one of the BT channels.

Thanks mate.

[Mafro]

I though it had been a while since a Photek explosion of illogicy.

(Yes that’s a new word)

Wondered why there were so many posts since I last read this thread

[Photek]

Have to splurge every now and then, it’s good for the spleen.

[PES Fan]

What difference does Real Madrids league form make to how Valverde is doing? Instead of focusing on the gap between them and Barcelona we should just look at Barcelona's record. They are undefeated and on course for the best ever points total in La Liga. Considering they lost one of their most important players last summer and were without his replacement until the last week or so that's very impressive by Valverde.


I wouldn't have him in the top five or so managers in Europe right now but he has done a very impressive job since taking the reins.

Of course it makes a difference. If Real Madrid were winning game after game it would put pressure on Barcelona and that would be a test to his management on how he sets up and copes with that. Real Madrid have been atrocious and made his life easier.

The same happened with Schushter in 07 and 08. Barcelona started having problems in the dressing room and they finished like fourth in one of those seasons. Did anyone regard Schushter as a world class manager then?

Enrique barely got praised despite winning the treble and another league in three seasons.

The flip side of your argument can be applied just as easily. How many times have Barcelona slipped up this season even though it'd be easy for them to take the foot off the gas because of Madrids struggles? Even last Sunday it would have been very easy to accept a draw or even a defeat because they knew they had a good lead at the top of the league but they didn't. They dug out another win. Madrid may be poor this season but Barcelona are still doing better than most people expected, especially after the way the transfer window went for them.

He’d be judged on what he does in the champions league rather than league this season. Schushter won two leagues at Real Madrid, but like I said nobody even regarded him as one of the best at that time because he failed in the champions league massively. If Barca lose to Chelsea then Barca fans wouldn’t be too happy with just winning the league.

Enrique was criticised a lot by Barca fans despite winning the league twice and champions league.

Like I said there’s no league in Europe that has 5 great managers like the premier league has. Then the financial gap isn’t as big compared to the other leagues.

Bayern, PSG and Juventus dominate their respective leagues. Not just financially but they buy the best young players constantly off the smaller clubs in their league. Monaco won the league last season yet still sold their best player to PSG. That’s like Chelsea selling Hazard to another English club last year after winning the league.

If there was a young promising English player playing for a mid table club then four or five of the top teams would be after him then.

Besides Spurs, there’s about five clubs at the moment in the premier league who can spend over £50m on a single player and it wouldn’t make a difference to them. Spurs probably could, but they haven’t yet spent that sort of money yet. How many teams can do that in Spain, France, Germany or Italy?

[Winckle]

Absolutely no-one who has won two Champions League is a bad manager! What a load of codswallop.

In a row. Because absolutely no one else has done it. Ludicrous assertion. Even for the author in question.

Bob Paisley won the European Cup twice in a row.

[PES Fan]

Carroll close to joining Chelsea on a permanent deal.

[Winckle]

Carroll close to joining Chelsea on a permanent deal.

Hopefully he becomes more of a Torres than a Moses on the Ex-Liverpool to Chelsea scale.

[Moggy]

Absolutely no-one who has won two Champions League is a bad manager! What a load of codswallop.

In a row. Because absolutely no one else has done it. Ludicrous assertion. Even for the author in question.

Bob Paisley won the European Cup twice in a row.

Football only started in 1992.

[Blue Eyes]

Why aren’t we beating these banana splits?!

[DML]

Why aren’t we beating these banana splits?!

They are one if the best lower league sides right now.I even said to my colleague you might struggle tonight.

[Blue Eyes]

Why aren’t we beating these banana splits?!

They are one if the best lower league sides right now.I even said to my colleague you might struggle tonight.

Yeah but come on. They probably have half their stiffs out as well.

[Preezy]

Carroll close to joining Chelsea on a permanent deal.

Madness

[Blue Eyes]

Irons.

[Blue Eyes]

Carroll close to joining Chelsea on a permanent deal.

Madness

I don’t think it’s all that mental. Good impact sub to have as long as he stays fit. I never thought we’d actually sell him for money, though. Any word on the fee?

Edit: seen both £20m and £30m being quoted on twitter. Ok, that’s madness.

[Tomous]

Carroll close to joining Chelsea on a permanent deal.

Madness

I don’t think it’s all that mental. Good impact sub to have as long as he stays fit. I never thought we’d actually sell him for money, though. Any word on the fee?

Edit: seen both £20m and £30m being quoted on twitter. Ok, that’s madness.

I rate Carroll, especially as an impact sub as you say because he’s definitely a handful but does he ever stay fit?

[Blue Eyes]

Carroll close to joining Chelsea on a permanent deal.

Madness

I don’t think it’s all that mental. Good impact sub to have as long as he stays fit. I never thought we’d actually sell him for money, though. Any word on the fee?

Edit: seen both £20m and £30m being quoted on twitter. Ok, that’s madness.

I rate Carroll, especially as an impact sub as you say because he’s definitely a handful but does he ever stay fit?

This season is possibly the fittest he’s been and he’s only played in half our games, probably.

[Mafro]

Carroll close to joining Chelsea on a permanent deal.

Madness

One of those weird Chelsea transfers where you just know it's no the manager making the choice.

[Blue Eyes]

They’re probably just filling their English quota. Chelsea are such strawberry floating dirty banana splits.

[PES Fan]

Carroll close to joining Chelsea on a permanent deal.

Madness

One of those weird Chelsea transfers where you just know it's no the manager making the choice.

He wanted Llorente last year. Maybe he wants to try a different approach when things aren’t going well.

But it’s still a weird transfer for Chelsea along with Drinkwater. Atleast you could say with Barkley that he has potential and under the right manager he could be decent.

[Tomous]

Absolutely no-one who has won two Champions League is a bad manager! What a load of codswallop.

In a row. Because absolutely no one else has done it. Ludicrous assertion. Even for the author in question.

Bob Paisley won the European Cup twice in a row.

Football only started in 1992.

While I dislike the way Sky have made that so for with the Premier League, there’s a much better argument for drawing a line in the sand with the European Cup and the Champion’s Leagues. It’s a very different competition now, with many more stronger sides. Certainly a lot more difficult to win back to back than it was when it was the European Cup.