Archive for the ‘Opinion’ Category

No News Is Never Good News For José Mourinho Because It Means That Ed Is Dithering Again

Posted: July 23, 2017 in Chelsea, European Football, Football, Manchester City, Manchester United, Opinion, Premier League, Transfers
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WSA gets the impression that José Mourinho is always waiting for news of something. It may be that he is about to get fired and would like to hear about it. It could also be that his wife and kids want to stay in London while he jollies off up to Manchester to slum it in a five star hotel for the duration of his United contract, but he wants to know about it.

He wants to know who is “with him” at Old Trafford and who is “against him“. Who will let him down by refusing to play when injured and who will ignore the pain and fight for the cause? (more…)

Transfer Window Bits & Pieces

Posted: July 22, 2017 in Arsenal, Chelsea, European Football, Football, Manchester City, Manchester United, Opinion, Transfers
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Poor Alvaro Morata. Fresh from dyeing his hair red and his wife following Manchester United on Instagram he now has to pretend that Chelsea was always his first choice.

He hasn’t actually said those words but, then again, his English isn’t too good yet.

On arrival at Heathrow airport the player and his wife were immediately hijacked by a Sky Sports reporter who wasted no time in asking those pertinent questions to which we all want an answer. (more…)

The American Manchester Derby

Posted: July 21, 2017 in European Football, Football, Jose Mourinho, Manchester City, Manchester United, Opinion, Pep Guardiola
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So it is nearly time for the two new BFFs to face off against each other in a Manchester derby unlike any other.

This is the first time the game will be played, not only outside of Manchester, but also, outside of the UK.

A Portuguese coach will square up his team of Spanish, Armenian, French, Italian, Belgian, Argentinian, Swedish, Portuguese, Dutch, Ivory Coast and English players against a Spanish coach and his team of Brazilian, Argentinian, Spanish, Belgian, Ivory Coast, Ukrainian, Turkish, German, French and English players, in the USA! USA! USA! That, folks, is the Manchester derby nowadays. (more…)

Why Do José Mourinho And Pep Guardiola Suddenly Want To Stay At Their Clubs For The Long Haul?

Posted: July 20, 2017 in Chelsea, European Football, Everton, Football, Jose Mourinho, Manchester City, Manchester United, Opinion, Pep Guardiola, Tottenham Hotspur
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Two managers with no history whatsoever of wanting to stay at a club for more than two or three years. In fact no history, as managers, of actually staying at a club for more than two or three years. Yet there has been a dramatic u-turn by the pair of them and they have now both stated that they want to stay where they are for “a long time“. Why?

Take, for example, Mauricio Pochettino and Ronald Koeman. These are two managers who you would expect to crave longevity. They have both previously managed Southampton with very similar records of relative success. This has been a springboard to bigger things with Pochettino moving to Tottenham and Koeman to Everton. (more…)

2. What Are The Odds That The Top Six Managers Will Still Be At The Same Club By The End Of Next Season? – Part Two

Posted: July 19, 2017 in Arsenal, Chelsea, European Football, Football, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Opinion, Premier League, Tottenham Hotspur
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PART TWO – JÜRGEN KLOPP, ARSÉNE WENGER AND JOSÉ MOURINHO

Continuing to answer our question from yesterday when, in part one, we focused on Antonio Conte, Mauricio Pochettino and Pep Guardiola, today in part two we look at the remaining three of the top six managers and assess the likelihood of them staying with their current clubs.

Jürgen Klopp – Liverpool

Seems to be as loyal as they come nowadays and only left Borussia Dortmund because he couldn’t really take them any further and had ambitions to manage in the Premier League. (more…)

1. What Are The Odds That The Top Six Managers Will Still Be At The Same Club By The End Of Next Season? – Part One

Posted: July 18, 2017 in Arsenal, Chelsea, European Football, Football, Liverpool, Managers, Manchester City, Manchester United, Opinion, Tottenham Hotspur
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PART ONE – ANTONIO CONTE, MAURICIO POCHETTINO & PEP GUARDIOLA

Probably not as bad as you may think. In fact, of the six, only Antonio Conte is deemed to have the temperament to walk away from a club at the merest hint of disagreement.

Here is what is being said about them individually.

Antonio Conte – Chelsea

As with others on this list, he has a habit of leaving clubs when least expected to do so. The first time was with Bari in Italy. He had just got them promoted to Serie A and had also just signed a new contract when he decided not to continue in the job any longer. (more…)

Next Season’s Title Is A Three Horse Race Between Chelsea, City And United

Posted: July 17, 2017 in Arsenal, Chelsea, European Football, Everton, Football, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Opinion, Tottenham Hotspur
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Firstly, we apologise to fans of Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool, Arsenal and even Everton.

Much as we admire the optimism of the supporters of these clubs we have to think that it is misguided.

With the exception of Arsenal, the other clubs which made up last season’s top seven will be expecting a more successful campaign next time out. Arsenal will just be hoping for one, without any real conviction.

However, judging by recent transfer market activity, only Chelsea, City and United have already improved or will significantly improve their squads and, in Chelsea’s case, not much improvement is necessary. (more…)

Manchester United Stroll To Victory Over LA Galaxy

Posted: July 16, 2017 in Football, Manchester United, MLS, Opinion
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Rising at 4.00am to watch the first game of Manchester United’s latest jaunt to the States was the easy part. Coming to terms with the depressingly familiar team selection was the hard part.

Players who should be long gone were in the starting line up. Hopefully this was a temporary measure and they were only there to advertise themselves to other watching coaches or to protect, as far as is possible, the better players still to appear.

Jones and Smalling began the game and, barring injuries and suspension, they will not be the first choice partnership when the serious stuff begins. Jones is worth a place in the squad, Smalling isn’t. (more…)

Some Transfer Rumours Turn Out To Be Pretty Accurate, But A Lot Don’t!

Posted: July 15, 2017 in Arsenal, Chelsea, European Football, Football, Manchester City, Manchester United, Opinion, Transfers
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Are they even supposed to be accurate? If they were always correct then they wouldn’t really be rumours, they would be facts.

The following is a list of players Manchester United were/are going to buy according to various publications both dubious and reputable.

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José Mourinho Is Not Obsessed With Chelsea For Any Reason Other Than Wanting To Topple The Champions

Posted: July 15, 2017 in Chelsea, European Football, Football, Jose Mourinho, Manchester United, Opinion, Premier League
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There has been a lot of rubbish written recently as to why José Mourinho bought Romelu Lukaku and why, supposedly, he wants to buy Timoue Bakayoko. Amongst the explanations given has been one which suggests that he wants to get one over his old club.

Why? What would that achieve? Personal satisfaction because they sacked him? We doubt that, particularly when all the evidence points to Mourinho having engineered his own exit so that he could take the United job. (Read here, if you haven’t already done so).

Apart from which, Mourinho may be a spiteful person at times, but he is much too professional to let that side of his personality affect his judgement when it concerns Manchester United. (more…)

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