Wenger, Van Gaal & 3-3 Draws

Posted: January 14, 2016 in Arsenal, Arsene Wenger, Louis van Gaal, Managers, Manchester United, Opinion, Premier League
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(Arsene and Louis both see three points magically transformed into one by last-gasp equalisers against their teams)

Part One

So, fresh from drawing 3-3 with Newcastle, where Manchester United threw away a 2-3 lead with only a few minutes left, the question now is, do we prefer boring 1-0 wins against first division strugglers at Old Trafford? Or would we rather hightail it up the A1(M) to Newcastle to watch exciting score draws? Answers on a postcard to the usual address!

Seriously though, van Gaal is now, rightly, having a go at his players for firstly, conceding a two goal lead, then secondly, conceding the equaliser in the dying minutes.

In the previous game against Sheffield United he defended them by pointing out to the watching world that, “they won the game”. Yes they did Louis, nobody is disputing that, not even Sheffield United fans. The problem you appear to overlook with this glib summary is that, in more than fifty years of watching United, that is one of the most boring games I have ever seen , if not the most boring!

Does he stick or twist? Does he continue trying to fix the bonnet and leaving the boot open, or does he close the boot while it rains on the engine? Van Gaal can’t seem to find a way to close both the bonnet and the boot at the same time. The other onfield problem of course, to continue with the metaphors, is that the car doesn’t have a driver. Read the rest of this entry »

Chelsea Have A Good One, Why Don’t Arsenal, United & City?

Posted: January 13, 2016 in Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United, Opinion, Premier League
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(A captain, of course. What did you think I meant?)

Of the old top four only Chelsea have what I would consider to be a captain in the true sense of the word and this is possibly going to be his last season.

Vincent Kompany, at Manchester City is also topnotch, but misses too many games to be considered a great captain. His deputy is usually Yaya Toure and we all know how temperamental he can be. Sometimes a good example, sometimes a very bad one, he is more likely to shout at the referee than at his teammates.

The captaincy at Manchester United and Arsenal is a joke. Arsenal have Mikel Arteta, who can’t even get in the team and may leave soon. His deputy, the BFG Per Mertesacker, who has worn the armband for most of the season, is only inspiring in size, nothing else.

United, of course, have Wayne Rooney, who never was captaincy material. A lot of United fans are baffled as to why he is still there, never mind captain. Two goals against Newcastle do not excuse his woeful performances in general over the last couple of seasons.

So what is required of a captain? Does he need, for example, to be an ambassador for the club off the pitch? Yes, he does, but so do the rest of the players so this is not uniquely a captain’s requirement. Read the rest of this entry »

Liverpool Against Arsenal Without Leaders

Posted: January 13, 2016 in Arsenal, Football, Liverpool, Opinion, Premier League
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As advertised, tonight sees the meeting of the minds. Arsene Wenger’s classical music team take on Jurgen Klopp’s heavy metal side. It would make for a good episode of University Challenge, although how many of these player’s went to university is debatable not to mention how many of the Arsenal team would know anything about classical music! (Maybe Mesut Ozil does, he looks as though he might be a fan of Ludwig van Beethoven)

So it is probably just as well that this challenge is being played out on the football pitch without the assistance, (interference?), of Jeremy Paxman. Whilst on the subject of sanctimonious, annoying prats, I guess Piers Morgan WILL be there.

During the course of a season there will always be decisive games and these two clubs have been involved in their fair share of them. Not always against each other but, when they have met, even if the prize at stake has only been pride, they have managed to produce some memorable games.

Unlike everybody else, I am not going to list all of the recent meetings with goalscorers and results as, I am sure, the true Liverpool and Arsenal fans could recite that list without any idiot boards provided by myself. Read the rest of this entry »

Manchester United & Newcastle Serve Up A Treat

Posted: January 12, 2016 in Football, Louis van Gaal, Manchester United, Opinion, Premier League
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Is this one of van Gaal’s must-win games? I’ve lost track now!

Anyway, before the game starts I just want to let off a bit of steam about his ridiculous statement that he occasionally gets bored watching United. So this is to him:

Dear Louis,

Please come down off your pedestal and don’t bother with the condescending, supercilious remarks. You are being paid an absolute fortune to watch Manchester United whereas the fans are paying an absolute fortune to watch them. So for you to say that YOU get bored watching them is an insult to the supporter’s intelligence.

If you think they are boring then DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! You are the coach, it is up to you to train the team, set the tactics and ensure that your instructions are being followed. If the team is boring it is because YOU ARE BORING! A team is a reflection of the manager.

If you set up the team to attack and play exciting football and they don’t follow your instructions then try GETTING OFF YOUR FAT BACKSIDE, GOING TO THE TOUCHLINE AND YELLING AT THEM UNTIL THEY GET IT RIGHT! It may not be your favourite coaching method, but it has been proven to work. If you don’t believe me just ask Sir Alex Ferguson, Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho. You can walk across Manchester and speak to Manuel Pellegrini, it works for him as well. Even Mr Cool, Arsene Wenger uses this method to get instructions to his players! Read the rest of this entry »

Louis Van Gaal Has Yet Another Two Games At Manchester United!

Posted: January 12, 2016 in Arsenal, Chelsea, Football, Louis van Gaal, Managers, Manchester City, Manchester United, Opinion, Premier League
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(Louis reacts to being told, again, that he only has two games to save his job!)

Yes, it’s true folks! Louis van Gaal, manager of Manchester United, will become Louis van Gaal, ex-manager of Manchester United, if they fail to win one of their next two games.

Excuse me while I fetch the salt and indulge in a large pinch. Words that immediately spring to mind include, “here we go again”, “heard it all before last month” and “it must be true it is, after all, Fleet Street’s finest”.

So now we are supposed to believe that Ed Woodward who, not so long ago would have found it hugely embarrassing to sack van Gaal due to the fact that he championed the appointment, is now ready to do so. Has he finally worked out that keeping van Gaal in charge is more embarrassing than sacking him? Maybe, maybe not.

If he has then how come it didn’t happen the last time we were led down the gard…….sorry, led to believe that he only had two games to save his job?

If I remember rightly and/or my research is correct, during December it was reported that if he failed against either Stoke away on Boxing Day, or Chelsea at home, then he would be fired. He lost against Stoke and drew with Chelsea. Now, I don’t claim to be Pythagoras or any other mathematician of note but, to me, one point from a possible six does not represent good value. So if the great British press were right, why were they wrong? Read the rest of this entry »

No Game For Old Men?

Posted: January 11, 2016 in Arsenal, Chelsea, Football, Managers, Manchester City, Manchester United, Opinion
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It is certainly looking that way.

Look at the top teams in Europe outside of the Premier League. Real Madrid now have Zinedine Zidane who, at 43, has just taken over the managerial role. They are, arguably, the biggest team in the world. Whether or not he is successful remains to be seen but it appears that Madrid have taken a leaf from Barcelona’s book by promoting from within.

Luis Enrique is the man in charge of Barcelona. At 45, he is already very successful and, with the team he currently manages, there is no reason to think that the success will dry up anytime soon.

There are now three teams in Spain of course, the third being Atletico Madrid, managed by 45 year-old Diego Simeone. Since his appointment Atletico have seriously challenged the dominance of the big two in a similar way to when a young Alex Ferguson was given the job of breaking the Celtic/Rangers monopoly when he was appointed as manager of Aberdeen. He also got the United job at 45 and the rest is history. Read the rest of this entry »

Van Gaal Has Become Indefensible

Posted: January 10, 2016 in Football, Louis van Gaal, Managers, Manchester United, Opinion, Premier League
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Manchester United v Sheffield United - FA Cup Third Round

(Louis remembers that he has left the oven on at home, completely forgetting that he is the manager of Manchester United, as usual!)

Louis van Gaal may very well be a nice man. In fact, as the advert used to say, he may be a very nice man, even a very, very nice man. Manchester United fans don’t really care whether he is the first, second or third of these descriptions. They only care about whether or not he is the right man for the job at Old Trafford.

There are a growing number who are thinking that anybody who ISN’T Louis van Gaal is the right man for the job.

One of the problems is the perceived arrogance of the man. He is being paid a fortune to manage Manchester United. He came with a decent CV, having won titles in Holland, Spain and Germany. He is, supposedly, the right man for the job, yet he is proving to be anything but.

He is non-apologetic for abject performances whether the team wins or loses. He waves to the United fans after a 1-0 victory, secured in the 93rd minute by a penalty, against a team two divisions below them, at Old Trafford, as though he is some kind of conquering hero! Read the rest of this entry »

Van Gaal’s United Team Is Depressing

Posted: January 9, 2016 in Louis van Gaal, Manchester United, Opinion, Premier League
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Having just watched Manchester United beat a league one team by 1-0, at Old Trafford, thanks to a penalty in the 93rd minute scored by their third choice penalty taker I was not really interested in what van Gaal had to say, but I listened anyway.

As expected he said that the important thing was to win the game, which they did. He did say that United were poor in the first half but were slightly better in the second, which I just about noticed. Saying that they were slightly better should in no way imply that they were actually good.

Certainly they looked better when Memphis Depay came on and he did show a little urgency when he was on the ball, winning the penalty for Rooney to score right at the end.

The problem is that, after reasonable displays against Swansea and Chelsea, United seem to have gone backwards again.

Van Gaal pointed to the fact that Sheffield United defended with ten men behind the ball but what did he expect? They would have been very happy with a replay at Bramhall Lane and the income generated by it so, to play on the break, as they did meant that there were two possible results they would have been happy with. Unfortunately for Nigel Adkins they got the one result that they wouldn’t be happy with. Read the rest of this entry »

Where Has The FA Cup Gone?

Posted: January 9, 2016 in Arsenal, Chelsea, Football, Manchester City, Manchester United, Opinion, The FA Cup
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General view of the Fly Emirates FA Cup on display before kick off

In my formative years from 1965 – 1978 I was brought up watching the FA cup ties in awe. I was in awe of how attractive the competition was and how much it meant to be the winners of the trophy.

My first real memories are of Everton beating Sheffield Wednesday having been 2-0 down. I remember the goals from Mike Trebilcock and Derek Temple that gave them the trophy with a 3-2 win.

In those days, Everton were my second favourite team after Manchester United. I remember the standout players such as Gordon West, Alex Young and Brian Labone. That team should have won more than they did.

The FA Cup final meant a whole day in front of the television. Flipping between channels, (we only had ITV and BBC), was a must because you didn’t want to miss anything. Both channels covered the teams leaving their respective hotels and climbing on board the coaches that would take them to Wembley.

There would then be special FA Cup final editions of the likes of Quizball, an excellent programme hosted by David Vine, where representatives of two football teams would take each other on at a general knowledge quiz. Read the rest of this entry »

What Manchester United Need In The Second Half Of The Season

Posted: January 8, 2016 in Arsenal, Chelsea, Football, Manchester City, Manchester United, Opinion, Premier League
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Firstly, from this transfer window, I am pretty certain that most United fans would like them to buy a striker. Edinson Cavani seems to have gone off the map so the best bet at present looks like being Romelu Lukaku. Having scored 14 goals in 16 games, he could be just what the Reds need to mount a serious challenge.

With Phil Jones once again injured, a decent centre back could well be in order. Last window all the talk was of Mats Hummels and now that has gone very quiet. I am not sure why as the first half of the season has only reinforced the need for a new centre back. Also required is cover in the full back positions but, I feel reasonably sure, that the majority of United fans would be happy with one or two signings.

Lastly, they need to win more consistently and maybe a couple of new faces would help them to do that.

Now, what do they need from the others?

Well, they need Arsenal to be a little more inconsistent. The Gunners have done very well over the first half of the season and have only had a couple of blips, surprising everbody in the process, especially Arsene Wenger. United need them to have more blips. Read the rest of this entry »

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