Lets Talk Football

Chelsea
City
Arsenal
Liverpool/United (depending on how the transfer window ends)

RIP James Alexander Gordon who read the footie results for 40 years.

When I left school back in 1975 I lived in France for a year and Radio 2 was the only English speaking station I could receive on my little radio. I used to knock off work to listen to him reading the results to see how my beloved Everton had done, hoping they'd won and Liverpool had lost. I'd look forward to that all Saturday . Funny to think that you could listen to the whole match live anywhere in the world now and facetime people anywhere, whereas back then the international phone calls were so expensive I only spoke to my mum and dad a handful of times all year. Don't half make you feel old

Barcelona's appeal has been rejected and they're not allowed to buy anyone for the next two transfer windows. Lucky it was suspended this window (during the appeal) so they were able to completely restock their squad (and spending about £120m+). God I hate the politics of UEFA/FIFA.

In other news, United can't sign anyone world class. Apparently this is news. Remind me who the last world class player we signed was? Cos I'm guessing Veron and that was 12 years ago and he wasn't the last in a long line of star names, either. I do think that something needs to be done about Woodward, though. One bad transfer window hurts badly, but three? Unacceptable. Either he can't do the job or the targets are unrealistic. If it's the latter, then those choices need to be shot down and/or quickly moved on from. Our squad is so poor in terms of quality now that it won't take too much to better it. Especially at the back and on the wings.

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5-time MoFo Award winner.

Balotelli to Liverpool?

Looks like it. We need another striker in case Sturridge is injured, and whilst I do think Baloteli is slightly overrated, he's got a great goal record and £16m is a decent price. It'll be fun having a character like him anyway, I think he'll do well under Rodgers and enjoy playing with the likes of Sturridge and Sterling.

Absolutely shocking and disgusting news about Malky Mackay, seems like a nasty piece of work. Tan said we wouldn't think of him as a hero if we knew the truth, and he's right, so you can fully understand why he sacked him.

In July 2012, Cardiff signed South Korean international Kim Bo-kyung, but when Moody informed Mackay on July 12 that ‘five of the b******s including the player’ were arriving for talks, the reply from Mackay’s phone was: ‘Fkn chinkys.’ A further message says: ‘Fk it. There’s enough dogs in Cardiff for us all to go around.’

In reference to the prominent football agent, Phil Smith, a text states: ‘Go on, fat Phil. Nothing like a Jew that sees money slipping through his fingers’. The Israeli club, Maccabi Tel Aviv, are also referred to simply as ‘the Jews’.

A football official at another club is referred to as ‘a gay snake’ and ‘the homo’ and someone who is ‘not to be trusted’, while a French player is someone ‘who struck me as an independently minded young homo’.

An exchange with a young player who has a female agent makes reference to a sex act and states: ‘I hope she’s looking after your needs,’ the player is then told. ‘I bet you’d love a bounce on her falsies.’

On August 16, 2012, a list of players proposed by a French agent is forwarded, stating to Mackay that ‘he needs to rename his agency the All Blacks’. A separate text in reference to a list of French players states: ‘Not many white faces amongst that lot but worth considering.’

In a separate exchange a picture entitled ‘Black Monopoly’ is sent, with every square a ‘Go To Jail’ square. Of one African player, it is stated: ‘Doesn’t look like a good cv. And he’s Nigerian.’

Yeah, but it's all just banz, innit?

It's a strange thing, though, because he's not done anything wrong. Legally, I mean. I'm hearing about police action and what's going to happen, but he didn't say these things publically and he's entitled to his opinion and thoughts regardless of how unpalatble they are to others (and let's not forget that there's probably a lot of people who are saying how outraged they are who may well think similarly privately and/or have opinions others would also think poorly of) As much as we like to think we've done so much to change this way of thinking, the truth is that we've still got a long, long way to go.

Despite this, I think there's only one thing there that can be said to be racist and that's the quote "Not many white faces amongst that lot but worth considering." and if that's the level we're dealing with, while I not happy with it, it's not much when compared with people who have to deal with some really horrible racist stuff. I'm glad this is all being highlighted and stamped down on, but I don't think it should be put forward as some kind of high crime or something. It does all reek of a media desperate to whip it up into a story that'll run and run, filling up lots of space and selling advertising/copies/clicks.

Balotelli to Liverpool should be a good deal for both. Fans love him regardless of who they support because... Well, he's a bit mad, isn't he? I'll certainly be happy to see him back, even if it is playing for the Scousers. £16m is a good price for him, I think and, despite the red cards he'll pick up, he'll still play more than Suarez.

All that and I forgot to talk about Rojo.

Not a great deal to say. I think it's a good price considering the world cup he had, but you always should warn against buying someone off a good tournament. However, we're desperate in defence so even his Sporting levels should be good enough to help out. Especially with Shaw out for another 3 weeks.

If we're going to carry on with the 3-5-2, I really can't see why we've not gone with Cuadrado? He wants to go and they've said they'll sell. He's spent 2 seasons playing wingback and attacking midfield, so is used to the system. If we go 4-4-2 or 4-4-3, then he'd be the best winger we have at the club. And they're talking about £25m. Get him in. Surely even Woodward can do that deal.

Angel Di Maria latest: Manchester United close to agreeing £48m package with Real Madrid for Argentine international

Panic buy it is seems, ManU still need several more world class player to be able to compete with the best in England I think. Meanwhile Benatia for Bayern looks like done deal

The match is on here at 8:00 am my time tomorrow. Not sure if its live or not, but I'm looking forward to it. So what am I looking for HK? Didn't someone important get hurt in the first match? How is he?

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We are both the source of the problem and the solution, yet we do not see ourselves in this light...

Honestly, I'm not sure, PW. This should be an easier game that last week, but then, we should've won last week and we didn't play well against Sunderland last season, either. Until van Gaal gets this team playing the way he wants them to, which is going to be a couple of months rather than a couple of weeks, it's going to be a difficult time for United. All that, and we really need to add quality to the squad in order to challenge for the title. It may be an anathema to an American, but if we can finish 4th this season, we'll have done really well.

Jesse Lingard was injured last week, but that was his league debut and he was being played out of position. He's still out. Sadly, our new midfielder Herrera is also out injured. We bought a defender this week, Marcos Rojo, but he still needs a work permit to play and so won't play today either.

Sunderland are a little goalshy, but Steven Fletcher has an uncanny knack of nicking a goal, while Connor Wickham ended last season well. If his form carries over, he could be a threat, too. It's a combative midfield and, depending on which formation we play, we'll run the risk of being outnumbered, but if Lee Catamole plays, there's also the chance he'll get sent off. He's known for it. He did score a scorcher last week, though.

The good news is that striker Robin van Persie is fit again, as is Valencia, who'll play on the right side of the pitch (midfield or defense, depending on the formation van Gaal chooses), if picked to play. But he's really a right sided midfielder.

One thing I would say, though, is last season (which was our worst for 25 years) it was our home form which cost us. Away from home, we were second in the league, I think. so it looks as if the pressure at home is causing a problem. Something that's carried on into this season.

One last thing, if Rooney scores today, he'll be the joint third highest goalscorer in the Premier League era.


As for signings, I'd love todays papers to be true (di Maria, Blind and de Jong) but I'll believe it when I see it. If we can get the second two, I'll let di Maria go. He's quality, but the other two are where we really need the bodies.

Well, can't be too happy with a tie but United looked pretty slow at times today and if Sunderland had pushed a bit harder they might have been able to win. United appears to really need a playmaker or two. How do you feel about you new coach? I just heard he's like brand new and has a ton of money to sign guys with. Do you think he's spending in the right places so far?

HK,I don't think this formation will work,at least not with these players.Its really risky,fast wings can destroy them,3(maybe decant) defenders can be stretched really easy.I just don't see this working out,maybe I'm wrong,only time will tell.Its not because I'm Chelsea fan,those are my honest thoughts.

Now...Ivanovic is having great start of season,first game he was part of 2 goal actions and scored one,now he assists for 1-0,he gave me a lot of points on Fantasy PL,first half was horrible,I think they don't need 5 players so close to each other,they often push each other,passes are slow and short...As soon as Jose changed that in second half by(I assume) telling them to play wider Chelsea started creating chances.Costa was not great but he scored again and that is important.I had same feeling when Mou won it for the first time.

Everton is so unlucky but I'm sure they will start wining very soon.Arsenal is just...As always,they talk big but then they fight for 4th position,I don't want them in 4th position,they look like they don't want to win titles or something,year after year same story...Give Everton a chance,I'm sure they will keep getting better players every year.

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“By definition, you have to live until you die. Better to make that life as complete and enjoyable an experience as possible, in case death is shite, which I suspect it will be.”

let's see if you're still saying that at the end of the season

Disappointed at Everton's final score yesterday

The coach is quality. There were others out there that I'd have rather come, but of those available, I think he was the best option. He's said from the start that it takes about 3 months for the players to adjust to working with him and learning to do what he asks of them. It sounds a bit like an excuse, but if you look at his record it is the case. At Bayern he was nearly sacked in those first three months, but by the end of the season they ended up champions. While that won't happen with United this season, it does mean we shouldn't judge him by what's currently happening on the pitch. van Gaal isn't an instant fix coach and, while injuries mean we're not close to our best eleven, the truth is there's a lot of players at United that wouldn't have gotten close to the team five years ago.

The other big problem, IMO, is that he's playing the 3-5-2 so as to play both Rooney and van Persie, when a 4-3-3 is what he wants to play. As I've said a few times here, I'd go with a 4-3-1-2. That'd allow Rooney, van Persie and Mata to all play in their favoured positions and stop us getting overrun in midfield. For decades United have played with width and pace, but we don't have either atm, so trying to conform to a way of playing just for the sake of history or tradition isn't productive. Of course, I'm a bloke on a keyboard and he's Louis van Gaal, so I'll shut up.

As for the money available. That's the real question. How much is available? The reason the squad is in the state it is is because of a lack of investment. Ferguson (our manager from 1986-2013) always maintained that the Glazers (United's owners and, yes, the same family that own the Buckeneers in the US) had always given him the money to buy whoever he asked for. However, no one really believes that and if you look at the money he spent before the Glazers and after, you'll see a distinct difference in the money spent on individual players. Also, the Glazers are estimated to've taken £500m out of United since they took over (which they did using the club as leverage, loading the club with hundreds of millions of pounds of debt) so you can see where a lot of the money has gone in the last 10 years.

Is he spending it in the right places? I think he knows exactly what he wants and where he wants to spend money. What I don't know is how well the club can deal with the teams and players involved. Not only did we lose our manager two seasons ago, we lost our Chief Executive, too, and the guy in place now doesn't have the experience to do the job. This is the third transfer window in a row that we haven't gotten things done as we usually would. City have done it (again this year) as United usually did. Get your business done early. Despite my scepticism, it does seem as if the Di Maria deal might happen, but if it does, I'll bet it'll cost us more than it would've a month ago simply because there's only a week to go before the transfer window closes and you can't bring in any more players until January. We need defenders and, at least, another midfielder. Di Maria is a fantastic player. Truly world class and if we were playing a 4-3-3 he'd fit in perfectly. He has played centre midfield, but it's not the best use of his talents. However, it's possible that this is van Gaal's beginning to make the team the way he wants it, rather than the way it is. As I indicated, there's a lot of players at United who aren't of the ability we've come to expect in the last couple of decades and, IMO, even the quality players aren't necessarily what we need to play the way we (he) wants to.

As I said, I think this is being forced on him a little, but I think you're right, a 3-5-2 won't be successful with these players. I've said before that I'm not convinced the formation can work well in the Premier League, simply because it's a very slow and precise way of playing and this league is more crash, bang, wallop. Also, the current vogue in the league is to play with one striker, meaning that three central defenders is overkill and you sacrifice a midfielder for it.

I can't wait to see him back, but I do agree that Liverpool fans might want to wait until the end of the season before they decide if they're glad to have him or not. For £16m, I think it's a gamble worth taking, though, and if he does work out, he's the kind of player they'll absolutely love.

I sure like the level of play I've seen so far. Much sharper passing and the defense is terrific at times. You can tell these folks play together quite a bit.

This is early season. They're not up to match fitness yet and the new signings are settling in. The football will get better yet. Glad you're enjoying it.

As you've not seen us win yet, here's some great United scorelines of the last few years. None of these were great United teams, IMO, but they were good enough to win titles. Confidence is an amazing thing.





Lastly, the best Manchester derby I've ever seen.

Yeah unlucky there Christine, thought you had em!

PW, if you're looking for a team to adopt you could do worse than my beloved/accursed Spurs We generally specialise in conceding lots of goals and flamboyant self-combustion. Keeps it interesting

Far to early to tell whether we're going to have one of our fun seasons (last season was pretty turgid), but Sunday's 4-0 made it look like our attacking young'uns are bedding in under the new manager...



And he even has some novel ideas about actually strengthening the defence too, the mad fool.

Found this very intriguing explanation for our gritty opening game too...

*EDIT* For what it's worth 6 inches sounds a bit unlikely But thought that whole bit on home ground trickery was intriguing

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Virtual Reality chatter on a movie site? Got endless amounts of it here. Reviews over here

Yeah, managers do all sorts of things with the ground and the surroundings to try and gain an advantage. Remember the towels at Stoke when it rained for Rory Delap? Long grass and cold dressing rooms are well worn tricks.

We've had some great times with Spurs. Of course, the difference is these were great United teams. No chance of doing this, atm. I look forward to the days when comebacks are United bread and butter, rather than going behind and fearing the worst.




A night to forget tonight. Great win for MK Dons, though. Is this worse than York City 95?

Youch 4-0 to MK Dons? I see why you're visiting fond memories

At least the Glazers have opened the window a bit. No slouches coming in. Suspect it's gonna be another disappointing season for you guys all told though. Been a while since you've had to rebuild.

(If it makes you feel any better, we'll probably fire Poch out of a cannon by Christmas )

As I said earlier in the thread, if we make 4th we'll have done well this season.

Di Maria is a great player. Truly world class and I hope he settles well and quickly. I'm also hoping this is van Gaal looking towards next season already and playing 4-3-3. I think that's what he wants, but he'll have to get rid of two of our current attacking 3 to make it work. I think van Persie and Mata could be gone next season. My biggest gripe about van Gaal coming in was that it meant van Persie would stay. He's a wonderful player... When he's fit and he wants to play. Put those together and throw in his age and I'd have been sorely tempted to off load him this summer. Still, at least with van Gaal there we know he'll want to play this season.

Everyone's saying we've overpaid but, of course we've overpaid. Firstly, we're United. Secondly, we were the only team who could take him (we all know he'd have been at PSG for weeks were it not for FFP restrictions) and, thirdly, the window's nearly closed. Of course, if Shane Long is £12m and Ross McCormack £11m, then maybe he's the bargain of the century.

Samuel Eto'o to Everton on a 2 year deal. Christine, what do you think?