2019/20 Premier League Thread - The Longest Season

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

First topic message reminder :

2019/20 Barclays season thread

Start off by asking how long you think Ole will last at the wheel? For me, sacked by February 2020

[Afro]

Hopefully you haven’t just helped Liverpool win the league Olly

[Atila]

Hopefully you haven’t just helped Liverpool win the league Olly

It's a bit early to say that isn't it?

[Nathaniel Jacobs]

Are we really going to believe Pep’s claims they couldn’t afford a decent CB this summer? I’m not talking about losing MacGuire to United. There where other cheaper options - whom are considerably better than Stones and Otamendi.

[Guest]

Man City 5-0 Watford after 19 minutes. Records could be broken here

[GSC]

nah, City backed off pretty quickly. long season to go

[Guest]

8-0

I’d imagine Marco Silva’s days are numbered too.

[Dolphin Ziggler]

Weird at Everton. They're in the same mix as everyone else. 10 of the teams in the league are on 8 or 7 points.

I wouldn't count them as one of the teams who'll be or could be in a relegation fight. Pretty much whole of the bottom half expect maybe us and them will be thinking of survival first. Then Sheffield United too. There's no real way of knowing right now, things have not settled and most the teams in the league are much of a muchness.

Bournemouth are in one of their good spells, but we all know by now that they will then go on a horror run. Their consistency in the Premier League has never been there.

[Guest]

United a million miles away. Put a plaster over the defence, which still isn’t any good, and now ignoring the midfield and attack in the summer, clearly coming back to haunt them.

[GSC]

can talk about transition but it still has to be better than this.

Gonna have to address the fundamental issues at some point...

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

can talk about transition but it still has to be better than this.

Gonna have to address the fundamental issues at some point...

The fundamental issue is they’ve appointed a manager who wasn’t good enough for Cardiff because he scored some goals for them 20 years ago

[GSC]

to be replaced by who? Be the 4th failed manager since Ferguson left, suggests the problem lies elsewhere

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

to be replaced by who? Be the 4th failed manager since Ferguson left, suggests the problem lies elsewhere

Replaced by an actual manager

[GSC]

like the last few guys?

[Dolphin Ziggler]

Two of the last three have done ok without excelling. Mourinho and LVG both did meh jobs, but not catastrophic. Ole could be catastrophic.

Surely he wasn't so weak that he felt Lukaku could be sold without arguing for a replacement. But then the alternative is he was too dumb to get one.

But that doesn't really matter. Allowing Solskjaer to fail because their last few managers haven't succeeded is insane. You wouldn't accept that in any walk of life, you wouldn't accept it on the football pitch either. You don't keep playing Marcos Rojo cos Phil Jones and Chris Smalling were s*** before him so clearly defenders are just s***.

You could argue he's the worst manager in the league.

[dyrewolfe]

I get the feeling United are on the cusp of something similar to what Chelsea are going through. Might actually be the best thing that could happen to them.

Abramovich seems prepared to give Lampard and his academy players time to grow, mature and improve.

Ever since Fergie left, United have stumbled from one troubled, below-par season to the next and spent shed-loads of money on "big name" players for little or no reward.

While OGS isn't quite the rookie that Lampard is, he's hardly a veteran either. I say they should offload all the mercenaries who are only there for the pay cheque and trust in the youngsters. They've already had several bad seasons, so whats another 2 or 3? Worth it IMO if they end up with another "Class of 91" and can't be worse than what's happening right now.

[GSC]

I'm not arguing for Solksjaer. I'm arguing that simply swapping the manager again solves nothing. That hes in this job to begin with is a symptom of Uniteds wider problems.

United need foundational changes

[Dolphin Ziggler]

Depends though. People would say that of Liverpool, but sometimes all it needs is a really good coach. He’s not making anyone better, so what’s the point?

A better manager would solve the problem of the players underperforming and the side lacking ambition. Ultimately, you don’t keep a manager in place because the structures above them aren’t perfect. Pochettino coming in and doing half of what he did for Spurs would revolutionise them

[Dolphin Ziggler]

The youth just being thrown in would kill them.

Chelsea have a squad with Kepa, Azpilicueta, Alonso/Emerson, Rudiger, Kante, Jorginho, Kovacic and Pedro/Willian all likely to be starting. Adding Mount, Abraham and Tomori to that isn’t the wild challenge people are making it out to be for Frank, which is why this was such a good time to take that job. It’s a PR no lose situation

[GSC]

Again though, I'm not arguing to keep Solksjaer. He can go as part of the restructure.

Liverpool and City are set up from the top down to support the vision of the manager, I just dont see the same structure at United, or any kind of cohesive. I wouldnt touch that job if I were Poch unless there is substantial changes above

[Dolphin Ziggler]

That’s not wrong, but it doesn’t really come into whether Solskjaer should be kept. If reports that players laugh at his training methods are true, he’s clearly not got long. And neither should some of them

[Dolphin Ziggler]

People do forget that Liverpool’s transfer committee were a joke for ages before people quietly realised that all clubs have a transfer committee. None of these things matter when clubs win games.

It’s hard to feel for these complaining Man United fans.

[Atila]

People do forget that Liverpool’s transfer committee were a joke for ages before people quietly realised that all clubs have a transfer committee. None of these things matter when clubs win games.

It’s hard to feel for these complaining Man United fans.

Don't take this personally Dolphin, but I think it's rival fans and pundits who are the biggest complainers about United. The few United fans that I talk to have come to terms with the idea that we need to be patient.

[Dolphin Ziggler]

Not at all offended! As ever with these things, the angriest voices are the loudest. As such, I don’t really hear many others.

Off the field, I find the Woodward attacks a bit OTT. A director of football figure (in whatever guise) would be good, but probably wouldn’t fix it all

[GSC]

Hes the constant public face while the Glazers hide so he gets the flak. Tend to think he like Solksjaer is another symptom of what's wrong at United.

Looking at the Tampa Bay Bucs, I wouldn't expect much action from the Glazers until the cash flow dries up

[Atila]

Woodward is supposedly a very good business, just not a good football man it seems. Solksjaer, I still don't have a problem with but if he were to be fired from United, who would they replace him with? Pochettino was once a very popular choice, but Spurs have won what, 2 of their last 10, just one more win than United have managed in their last 10.

If Solskjaer is to be replaced then I hope they have someone lined up. Don't waste time firing him to then start looking for someone new.

[Dolphin Ziggler]

If Solskjaer is to be replaced then I hope they have someone lined up. Don't waste time firing him to then start looking for someone new.

That us very key. All football clubs should be constantly working on an assumption of who is next in line.

[Guest]

Won’t be a better chance for a Leicester/West Ham type to snatch a top 4 this year. PL quality is way down right now, no more evident, than last night.

[Atila]

Won’t be a better chance for a Leicester/West Ham type to snatch a top 4 this year. PL quality is way down right now, no more evident, than last night.

Maybe making Liverpool and City look better than what they actually are.

[Guest]

Adama Traore has just bent over Citeh

Liverpool have an eight point lead

[Dolphin Ziggler]

It's over

[Nathaniel Jacobs]

I was given a two week ban for this original comment

[Nathaniel Jacobs]

Manchester United are really sh!t, getting outclassed by a pathetic Newcastle side

[Guest]

Newcastle 1-0 Man U FT

Be amazed if OGS stays on at OT. An absolute mess.

[Duty281]

Ole’s at the wheel of a total wreck and an oncoming relegation battle. Laughable that a club that has spent so much is so reliant on prematurely promoted academy players and an injured Rashford.

[GSC]

If you're poch, do you even want that mess.

[Fernando]

With contracts coming up at Spuds probably gunna be in a worse situation then United sooner then later.

[Soul Requiem]

Dealt with, better to just do the report

[dyrewolfe]

Newcastle 1-0 Man U FT

Be amazed if OGS stays on at OT. An absolute mess.

OGS = Ole's Getting Sacked

Actually I rather feel sorry for him. He is clearly out of his depth now that the s**t has hit the fan and appears to have no answers. I bear him no ill will whatsoever...but the continuing farce at Man Utd is funny as hell.

If you're poch, do you even want that mess.

I don't think I would, in his shoes. I'd expect more help from Daniel Levy than "Edwood Woodwood". Given a transfer window or two to clear out the slackers and malcontents, I think he can get Spurs back to where they were. I mean, he's done a great job for the last 4 years or so and you don't become a bad manager just like that.

Also think he's more the type of manager who looks for talent he can work with, who will fit his style, rather than a Mourinho who just wants to buy the most expensive players around (though not sure Utd can afford that any more).


Agree with the point, but just editing it out so his post isn't quoted and still here

[Soul Requiem]

I would say that OGS is in an impossible situation, I don't think he was ever the right man for the job but that initial run when he first took over does show that the main problem is the attitude of the players. It's absurd how some top class talent goes from not giving a toss to performing well to then not giving a toss again, the biggest problem has been poor recruitment.

[Duty281]

Another weekend of PL football, another weekend of VAR showing itself to be totally useless.

[dyrewolfe]

Another weekend of PL football, another weekend of VAR showing itself to be totally useless.

Agree...it is an absolute shambles.

I was actually hyped for it and thought it would just be used to correct blatantly bad / missed decisions. But it seems everyone's trying to abuse it and get even marginal calls overruled. On top of that they're STILL managing to make some pretty awful mistakes.

Only saving grace is that its the first season in use...hopefully it will be refined and improved over future seasons.

[Guest]

Southampton 0-9 Leicester

[Duty281]

Nine?!

[dyrewolfe]

Norwich 1 - 3 Man Utd

Has the Solskjaer revolution finally begun? Has Ole bolted the wheels back on the wagon?

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Another weekend of PL football, another weekend of VAR showing itself to be totally useless.

It somehow got worse!

[Dolphin Ziggler]

That Norwich one goes down as third worse one this season. Haller vs Norwich, Deulofeu last week and now James this weekend. Thought the disallowed Arsenal goal was a joke, and I think Mane steps across the path of Aurier and is impeding him, as much as the other way around.

I’d say VAR was awful, but maybe it’s just the fact it’s being run by referees, and our referees are rubbish

[Guest]

Can we play West Ham United every week? First time we’ve scored more than one goal in a game this season

[westisbest]

So frustrating, disappointing to lose so late on.

[westisbest]

Can we play West Ham United every week? First time we’ve scored more than one goal in a game this season

Fair play to Newcastle.

[Duty281]

Another weekend of PL football, another weekend of VAR showing itself to be totally useless.

It somehow got worse!

And even more worse!

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