Archive for the ‘Opinion’ Category

Now The Clown Van Gaal Is Blaming Paul Scholes For Manchester United Problems!

Posted: February 12, 2016 in Chelsea, Football, Louis van Gaal, Managers, Manchester United, Opinion, Premier League
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(Scholesy reacts to the news that, according to one expert, everything negative about United is his fault!)

Does the madness of King Louis show no sign of abating? Fresh from blaming his players for not rewarding themselves in the draw against Chelsea, he now blames Paul Scholes for anything negative in the camp, or on the bus, or in the dressing room.

The article explaining all this is in the Daily Telegraph and can be found here.

In a game where United looked reasonably comfortable until HE changed the shape and brought on three subs, which automatically gave the initiative to Chelsea, the end result should have been a 0-1 to the Reds. HE messed it up and then set about blaming the players for not following his instructions and giving the ball away and not defending properly.

He was right about losing possession and not defending but these were the players HE had picked, HE had trained all week and HE had become acquainted with over the last eighteen months. If he still does not know what they are going to do in a game, after all this time, then it is definitely Mourinho time. (more…)

Does Jose Mourinho Have Any Competition For The Manchester United Job?

Posted: February 11, 2016 in Chelsea, Football, Jose Mourinho, Managers, Manchester United, Opinion, Premier League
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(Are there really three candidates? It’s doubtful, but we look at them anyway!)

Jose Mourinho

Jose Mourinho is by far and away the most qualified for this prestigious position. He also has the added advantage of actually wanting the job! Currently out of work, there would be no compensation to pay and the transition from van Gaal to Mourinho would be seamless.

Having won titles and Champion’s leagues with different clubs in different countries Jose has proven on many occasions that he is the right man for the job.

Unlike David Moyes, he would not find the task daunting or too big and would relish the opportunity of pitting his wits against Pep Guardiola again, this time in Manchester. Unlike Louis van Gaal, his methods and tactics are not so dated that the players would have to bale him out if the going got tough.

Quite why he hasn’t been appointed just yet is a bit of a mystery to a lot of United fans. It certainly doesn’t look like this team is going to achieve Champion’s League qualification but, if they were to bring in Mourinho now, there would still be a possibility. Then it wouldn’t look quite as bad on van Gaal who, by the end of this season, will have spent two years and £258 million on taking the team backwards! (more…)

Why On Earth Would Massimiliano Allegri Even Consider The Chelsea Job?

Posted: February 10, 2016 in Chelsea, Football, Managers, Opinion, Premier League
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Juventus have won seventeen of their last eighteen games in all competitions. They are only two points behind Serie A leaders Napoli, who they play on Saturday. They are through to the last sixteen in the Champion’s League, where they will play Bayern Munich and they are in the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia, where they will play Inter Milan.

Massimiliano Allegri is an Italian, born in Livorno and enjoying great success in his home country.

If reports are to be believed then Roman Abramovich would like Allegri to give up all he has worked for in the last couple of years to go and manage, what is currently, a mid-table team under-achieving on an almost weekly basis.

To contest the Champion’s League next season Chelsea will need to win it this one! Other than the “challenge” of managing in the Premier League and a pay rise what can Abramovich offer to Allegri to motivate him to leave a very comfortable comfort zone?

Unless Allegri wants to test himself in a league where there is, generally, more competition than anywhere else in Europe, and maybe learn English, then this is a move which does not make any sense. (more…)

The Chinese Super League Is An Agent’s Dream

Posted: February 9, 2016 in Arsenal, Chelsea, Football, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Opinion
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A new brothel has been brought to the attention of the football authorities in Europe, (whoever they happen to be right now). This new brothel allows it’s leading prostitutes to make more money than they could ever have dreamed of had they just continued to ply their trade in Europe where they would only become multi-millionaires. Here, at the newest footballing outpost on the planet, they can become billionaires.

China has decided to take that football game seriously. They have taken the very scientific approach of commissioning case studies to find out what the average European footballer is driven by, what motivates him to get out of his goose-and-duck-down duvet covered emperor-sized bed every morning for a couple of hours training before getting back under it shortly after lunch.

Obviously, they also need the same player to perform for his public at least once, maybe occasionally twice, per week, which means that the poor souls may have to play 180 minutes of football during a seven days period.

What could they possibly use to entice players who already have everything that money can buy? Yes, you guessed it! Even more money! (more…)

What Would Jose Mourinho Bring To Manchester United?

Posted: February 9, 2016 in Chelsea, Football, Jose Mourinho, Managers, Manchester United, Opinion, Premier League
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1. A Winning Mentality

Wherever Mourinho has been he has won trophies. Beginning with Porto back in his homeland all those years ago he took this unfancied team to Champion’s League glory. Obviously, domestically he had already won the Portuguese league in order to qualify.

Since leaving Porto for Chelsea he has had one success after another. In fact, since his first club, Benfica, back in 2000 he has managed clubs in a total of 765 games winning 505, a win percentage of 66.01%

It must also be remembered that this success hasn’t always been with the biggest clubs, but some of it has. This brings us to the next point:

2. Big Club Management Experience

Mourinho, as we know, has won the Champion’s League with Porto, in Portugal and Internazionale in Italy. He has also won domestic titles in Portugal, Italy, Spain and England. He has proven, unlike van Gaal and even Guardiola, that he can do the business when there is realistic competition around. (more…)

Louis Van Gaal Needs To Look At Himself, Not The Manchester United Players!

Posted: February 8, 2016 in Chelsea, Football, Louis van Gaal, Manchester United, Opinion, Premier League
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Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal

(Louis adopts the pose which would immediately endear him to the majority of  Manchester United fans!)

He’s a card is old Louis! You have to admire him really. After all, once his fleeting visit to these shores is over, who will fill the void left by his departure? Is there any other self-confessed genius who could step into the role? Well actually, yes there is, there’s Jose Mourinho but that’s another story.

Fresh from snatching a draw from the jaws of victory against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, Louis was immediately looking for scapegoats. Was it HIS team selection? Never! What about HIS tactics? No chance, perish the thought! How about players not following HIS instructions? Now, there’s a possibility. And, if the players don’t follow the manager’s instructions who’s fault is that? The players of course, according to King Louis. He is the manager, he can do no wrong, he can only do right!

Having taken off Marouane Fellaini, who had chugged his way through the game like a Belgian Thomas The Tank Engine and replacing him with Morgan Schneiderlin, the United players set about trying to defend their one goal lead. They did this by the further substitutions of Memphis Depay, on for Lingard and Ander herrera, who came on for Juan Mata.

The substitutions had a very negative effect in that United immediately started giving the ball back to Chelsea as soon as they won it. (more…)

What Is Manchester United’s Problem With Jose Mourinho?

Posted: February 7, 2016 in Chelsea, Football, Jose Mourinho, Managers, Manchester United, Opinion, Premier League
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With the exception of the last couple of games, Manchester United fans could be forgiven for wondering why the pursuit of Jose Mourinho for next manager has not gathered pace.

Any accusations directed at Mourinho’s teams for being boring have usually been tempered by the amount of trophies he has brought to the clubs in question. The likes of David Moyes in the past and Louis van Gaal presently have not, as yet, delivered any pots to go with their particular brand of “boring”, not at United anyway.

So, if it isn’t a boring playing style, what is the problem in hiring Mourinho? Is it because he has a fractious personality? A little like van Gaal? Is it because he falls out with fellow managers occasionally? A little like van Gaal? Maybe he falls out with players from time to time? A little like van Gaal? Mourinho has even been known to fall out with his staff! I would bet that van Gaal has also managed to do so.

It is getting to the stage at Old Trafford where I can’t actually see what the detractors have against Mourinho that couldn’t be levelled in equal measure against van Gaal!

The other excuse for ignoring Jose is that “he doesn’t project the correct image”. What does that even mean? (more…)

Jose Mourinho To Take Over At Manchester United?

Posted: February 6, 2016 in Chelsea, Football, Jose Mourinho, Managers, Manchester United, Opinion
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Leicester City v Chelsea - Barclays Premier League - King Power Stadium

If it is true that Jose Mourinho’s advisors have been contacted about him taking the Manchester United job, then the appointment needs to be announced fairly quickly.

According to the Manchester Evening News, talks have been held but nothing has, as yet, been agreed. Here’s the article.

Louis van Gaal has a little bit of credit in the bank thanks to the last two wins which, in my opinion, actually say more about the players taking control than the manager.

They went out to try and prove that they are not as bad as the manager appears to want to make them look. Van Gaal’s one good decision, (if indeed it was HIS decision), was to play players in their favourite positions, particularly Juan Mata.

Anyway, back to Mourinho. Apparently his heart is set on the United job and resistance to his arrival at Old Trafford is softening. This could be due to his polite and respectful silence since he left Chelsea, which could also be seen as a display of how much he wants to be the new man at Old Trafford. It could also be, however, that his detractors have seen the lack of any success brought by their first and second choices! (more…)

Wenger, Van Gaal, Pellegrini & Hiddink A Couple Of Years From Now!

Posted: February 5, 2016 in Arsenal, Chelsea, Football, Managers, Manchester City, Manchester United, Opinion
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In two years time in the Algarve, at the Vale de Lobo retirement complex for ex-Premier League managers, Louis van Gaal will sit down by the pool along with Manuel Pellegrini and Arsene Wenger and they will talk about the old days.

Louis will begin with how it can all go wrong. Citing the approachment of old age during his tenure at Manchester United, he will point out that, nowadays, this football management malarkey is a game for the youngsters.

Stressing that he tried to reproduce the successes he had enjoyed at Barcelona and Bayern Munich, he will point out that tactics, which were winning titles many years ago, are not even staving off relegation at some teams presently. Just look what happened to big clubs like Aston Villa, Sunderland and Newcastle United!

The problem was that, with the onset of old age, he had to rely on the players coming up with training routines and tactics and, when he did, the team became quite good. They had left it too late to finish in the top four so Jose Mourinho now occupies Louis’ old seat. If only he would have thought of it years ago, he could have saved himself a lot of headaches and Advocaat. (more…)

Who Is The Biggest Team In Manchester? United Or City?

Posted: February 4, 2016 in Football, Managers, Manchester City, Manchester United, Opinion, Premier League
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I read a rather silly article in the Daily Mail, which you may read here, if you so wish,which claims that, because Pep Guardiola has gone to Manchester City, this immediately makes them the biggest club in Manchester and, therefore, the Premier League.

Obviously written by a deluded City supporter, this claim is based on potential, nothing more.

They are certainly the wealthiest club in the division and they now probably have the best training facilities and the best youth set-up. How does any of that elevate them to the status of “biggest in the league?”

I will agree that if, over the next thirty or so years, they build their global fanbase to a size larger than that of Manchester United, which they will only do by beginning to match the on-the-pitch success of United, then they have a chance.

Manchester United have won the First Division/Premier League title on twenty occasions, the European Cup/Champion’s League on three and the FA Cup eleven times. Their Old Trafford ground has a capacity of 75,653 and is regularly full on matchdays. They claim a global fanbase of 659 million people but I am not sure that this figure has ever been ratified. (more…)

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