Arsenal
Going into 2018 and Arsenal fans are now roughly a quarter of the way through their sentence of having to put up with Stubborn Old Man for two years longer than they had hoped.
His resolutions however, should be music to their ears. He WILL try and win Big Vase despite his reluctance to accept promotion to Big Cup if he does so. He will also try and finish in the top four, (just in case plan A fails), and have a go at winning the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup. (more…)
What is the real reason why José Mourinho has never spent more than three seasons at any particular club?
Is it because of the wanderlust? Does he get itchy feet THAT easily? Does he just like moving around Europe? Or does he reach his sell-by date at clubs reasonably quickly?
Today’s top football managers, with one or two exceptions, tend not to stay at one club very long. This, at present and for the last few years, has suited José Mourinho.
His style of management since leaving Porto has been to look for quick fixes which have usually involved spending lots of money. He is not usually very successful in his first season but he has, until now, always won the title in his second season. (more…)
Managing a top six club in the English Premier League is a job with a lot of pressure accompanying it.
The rewards for the success of the club and, therefore, the manager, are vast. The price of failure is usually the sack for the manager and a severe loss of revenue for the club.
So how do the different managers cope with the pressures of the job? We looked at the top six as usual. and gave each of them a barometer reading from 0-10 whereby 10 means that they couldn’t handle the pressure any better. (more…)
Manchester United need to buy players, that much is evident. The supporters think so, (don’t they always)? José Mourinho thinks so and all we now need is for the Glazers and their little puppet, Ed Woodward, to think so as well.
Buying players however, whether spending the £300 million Mourinho believes is required or less, will not enable Manchester United to catch Manchester City this season. What it should do, if the correct signings are made, is consolidate second place and increase the gap between United and the rest.
This season City have been, and still are, by far the best team in the Premier League and, assuming they don’t take their foot off the gas, will win the title with ease and games to spare. (more…)
In his latest chinwag with the nation’s finest press and broadcasting representatives, José Mourinho managed to express an opinion which hasn’t been met with gasps of surprise or “what’s he going on about now?” type questions.
He claimed, quite categorically, that Manchester United may be a big club but it is not a big team.
Pause for breath while the assorted menagerie which passes itself off as intelligent authors of the truth digest this profound statement.
What can he possibly mean? Well, dear readers, it is the truth and has been for a long while. (more…)
Firstly, we have to decide if there is any blame to be attached for anything. Manchester United are currently drawing games they would normally be expected to win but this could be described as just a blip.
Every team, at some stage, goes through a downturn in form and the trick is to make sure it lasts for as short a time possible.
It is also true to say that, in most other seasons of the Premier League era, United’s points tally would be enough to see them top the table, albeit narrowly.
Their ignominious exit from the Carabao Cup was the only real black mark on an otherwise relatively impressive season. (more…)
José Mourinho’s latest gripe is the amount of games United have to play over the festive period and how close together they are.
He will actually only be involved in the same number of games as everyone else in the Premier League but, hey, this is José so it wouldn’t be normal if he wasn’t affected more than the others.
Having played in the late game on Saturday evening when United threw away two points having allowed Leicester to equalise in the 95th minute, the poor souls were only afforded a break from football matches of two and a half days before they had to go into battle again. This time against Burnley at Old Trafford. (more…)
As another year draws to it’s conclusion in just a week’s time, we look at what the big six managers would have liked for Christmas and try to figure out whether or not they will get their heart’s desire in the near future, (or the January transfer window as it is now known in football circles).
So, in no particular order other than their initial letter and it’s place in the alphabet, here’s our list: (more…)
The ‘Special One’ is no longer special. Very good, maybe, but special? No longer.
Whilst winning all of his titles and trophies with Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan, Real Madrid, Chelsea again and now, Manchester United, he created a history deserving of his title.
In 17 seasons of club management, Mourinho led his club to win its domestic league eight times, the UEFA Champions League twice and the UEFA Cup/Europa League twice. Between 2003 and 2012, Mourinho did not go a single calendar year without winning at least one trophy.
So he was, without doubt, special. He now needs to prove that he still is, or still can be. (more…)
This is a question which, in various guises, has been asked before, even by our goodselves.
In the not too distant past we have criticised the big clubs for waiting until players become household names and then spending a fortune to buy them, rather than scouting them as young players and picking them up for next to nothing, relatively speaking.
We are reminded of these instances every time, for example, Virgil van Dijk is mentioned in the press and, lately, this has been quite often. (more…)
WHY SAY ANYTHING? 