[Closed] A 2015/16 Football Thread

I see Hernandez has scored in his last 5 Bundesliga matches (hat-trick last week too).

United could do with him now.

He wasn't good enough to command a starting place when they created 20 chances a game, I don't think he'd thrive in th current side.

Leverkusen ain't no Barca!

Never felt he really got a good go at it at United. Same as Forlan - saw him in the flesh for Villareal and he was one of the best lone strikers I've had the pleasure of watching.

I imagine the Stoke fans have enjoyed that first half. Fortunately LVG didn't waste time with press conferences so he could focus on preparing the team for today. Rooney on the bench, can only backfire really

Without doubt the most woeful United performance I've ever seen. And I've watched the last few games. Utterly clueless! No pace! No desire! Zero creativity! An absolute doddle to defend against! Can't string 2 passes together! Not even all the usual ones going backwards. All over the place at the back! Absolutely Dire!

Bye bye LVG! It's been [s]emotional[/s] shite!

I hear Brendan Rodgers is free.

Sacked in the morning! You're getting sacked in the morning

Etc etc...

Let's hope so

Mourinho is available now, and Guardiola at the end of the season.

Chelsea, City and United all want Guardiola, I think that is pretty clear. It has been rumoured that City have already done the deal, but there have been equally strong rumours that London is his preference, some lesser rumours have suggested he actually fancies the united job.

If united want to make a play for Guardiola, then they have to wait till the end of the season, what do they do in the interim? Giggs to the end of the season again maybe.

It looks like Mourinho and Guardiola just have a 3 year lifespan at a club, although for different reasons and Guardiola so far hasn't left a broken club at the end of his spell. That would probably work for City and United who seem to be prepping Vieira and Giggs to take over in a few years.

Simeone looks to be Chelsea's second choice, Mourihno uniteds, would Mourihno accept Giggs as his 2ic? Possibly not. I don't think city would make a move for Mourihno so there 2nd Choice would probably be to stick with Pelegrini.

There is also an outside chance that Arsenal might make a move for Guardiola and surprise everyone.

The drama of what might happen in the management market is probably more interesting than what is happening on the pitch at the moment. It has certainly got me sucked in as I hope City land Guardiola ahead of the other contenders and sets the club up for the next few years, they need a manager with genuine pedigree to establish a strong winning mentality in the club, at the moment they seem to have a fragility that they just shouldn't.

Arsenlol.

Just add expectation....

Is it christmas?

It must be. Arsenal have set about their usual post-christmas activity: doing an Arsenal!

They're not hanging about this year, are they? 😆

Can't see ManU going for Jose, they went elsewhere before and it seem to be a big U turn. Can't see Pep going to Chelski or even ManU as there's too much work to do squad rebuiding wise. I also buy in to the rumours that Pep is basically signed up for City.

Oh dear Arsenal, disarray all around and they go down at Southampton. Koeman an outside shout for Chelsea or Manu U ?

Bayern president claims Pep has sorted out his next club already and that was prior to Jose getting the boot - it seems certain he'll be at City, given the ex Barca staff they have at the club.

Jose's sacking certainly has made things interesting though. Poor old United can't decide whether they can put up with him even with the virtual guarantee of winning the league.

It is good to see the old top 4 closed shop broken up a bit though, such a competitive league at the moment with only Villa and Sunderland really poor.

Pretty sure the last time ManU had a run this bad was with some fellow called Busby at the helm. They should have got rid of him too - he never really achieved much afterwards.

The drama of what might happen in the management market is probably more interesting than what is happening on the pitch at the moment.

Come the end of the season We'll all have to vote for the worst performance by a 'Top Four Side'. They've all been supplying plenty of potential winners. Except Leicester obviously

Arsenal get the Boxing Day award to be fair. They were dire.

Just watching MOTD - didn't realise Chelsea had missed a penalty with a chance to win the game. Hilarious. 😆 As for Costa...actually played like a centre forward should and then he just goes and does a Costa with that challenge. What an utter prick. Well suited to playing for Chelsea I suppose.

How's Man Utd doing?

Well Fergie wouldn't do it like that, but they stick by their managers anyway, and the manager always has the fans backing.

Well the bonkers season continues. Leicester 3 points clear at the top in February. 😯

And looking like they're really enjoying themselves, playing some quality football. Thoroughly deserved. I hope they actually win it. That'd really shake things up!

The only thing thats been predictable is Arsenal 'doing an Arsenal' at the same point they do every season

[i]The only thing thats been predictable is Arsenal 'doing an Arsenal' at the same point they do every season[/i]

Slightly unfair....but as a Gooner hugely frustrating! 😡

My only hope is that its a blip that we'll overcome with a surge to the line from the next game onwards! 😀

But I'm not holding my breath! 😥

Enjoying Leicester's run though...

That Vardy goal was a bit special.

It was indeed.

Vardy scoring an absolute peach after a stunning inch-perfect pass from Mahrez?

Its got a very familiar ring to it this season, that

Yep, it was even better live 😀

I ****ing love being a Leicester fan right now.

I bet you do! I genuinely hope you do it! You're playing some sublime attacking football!

I think the way Ranieri is dealing with managing the expectation, saying they're under no pressure, and are just enjoying themselves, is genius.

Looks like you'll definitely be champions league next season, at least

The only thing thats been predictable is Arsenal 'doing an Arsenal' at the same point they do every season

Derby are also doing a 'Derby' in the Championship. Top at Christmas again, and now gradually slipping down the table!

[url= http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/sport/sport-headlines/naturalists-observe-annual-phenomenon-of-arsenal-shedding-spine-20160204105902 ]The Mash nails it again[/url]

😆

You can laugh Binners, but when we get Welbeck back........

I hear Wilshere is back to walking....

Brilliant

[img] [/img]

Pep will be wishing he was joining the other City!

1-3. Never saw that!

The impossible dream continues!

There's only one Citeh!!

20 years of hurt (a few years of delight) it feels like ill wake up in the double decker at Filber St any moment, 4-0 down to Bolton.

Happy 😥

Good Lord Tottenham, don't want to say too much just yet, but Good Lord. 🙂

The Leicester score wasnt as much of a shock as Newcastle actually managing to get 3pts...

I think we are all Leicester fans now. I actually care who wins the league this year as West Ham are probably out of the running.

Unbelievable. In the sense i still don't believe it, and can't convince myself that it'll last. Not a Foxes fan myself but a mate is a mad one; he too keeps thinking he's going to wake up and it was all a dream.

If Arsenal lose to Bournemouth today, then I imagine all their fans will be routing for Leicester 😛

Everyone likes an under dog story and this is way into the realms of fantasy- the sort of thing that only really happens on manager sims games.

It remains to be seen how they cope with the pressure and then the expectation next season but until then what a dream they have and what season they have had even if they lose every game till the end of the season.

It is all falling into place for them now, up until yesterday I was expecting them to start falling away at some point, but now I think they are probably favourites. Being out of all cup competitions gives them a big advantage, they will be hoping city, arsenal and spurs all keep going in Europe right to the end.

I hope Vardy and Mahrez stay fit, it's maybe a little unfair to focus on just those two players, the whole team is playing out of their skins, but those two do seem to be the catalyst. They are the team up at the top with the shallowest squad, I don't recall them having any key injuries so far, that could cost them yet.

We have the best medical team in the premier league, the injury situation is certainly no fluke, it's a part of the club that is managed as seriously as the tactics and football itself.

In terms of shallow squad, i'm not so sure it's as shallow as neutral fans think, we have the Swiss international captain unable to get a game of football, potentially we are short on numbers up top if Okazaki or Vards are out for prolonged periods, however that looks unlikely, it took Vardy 10 days to recover from a groin op 😀

Up the Citeh

the injury situation is certainly no fluke

you dont play the most games and IMHO injuries do involve luck

Manu - Luke shaw for example the best medical team in the world would not have prevented that nor, IMHO, most injuries in a match

I am sure there is variation between team but its probably more down to bad luck and having some injury prone players - stares intently at Daniel Sturridge- than all down to the medical team.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/35313650

Injury league table here- second FWIW with only 9 injuries- Luke shaw has missed more than your team .

The style of football we play is prime for players picking up strains and muscle injuries, it simply doesn't happen.

As for not playing the most games, that is only just true now we are out of the cup, however I'm quite sure our players run more in one game than some teams players do in 3 😉

Everyone ready for the clash of the mid-table sides? 😉

Could be anything this. Hopefully he'll have learnt this week to let Mata play where we bought him to play. And it'd be nice to contribute to John Terry finishing his last season at Chelski in the bottom half of the table 🙂

Fair play to Leicester. Again! They totally outplayed City yesterday. Battered them. They're definitely playing the best football in the league, and thoroughly deserve to be where they are.

Arsenal have just been a tad fortunate, to say the least. They should have been down to ten men there. Though I'm sure Arsene must have been watching something else at the time. Lucky that Cech was on form

I could hear Kurt Zouma's screams 200 miles away. Hope it's not as bad as it sounds.

Great goalkeeping today

Yep we got away with headless chicken flamini not getting a straight red . not a great performance but beat Leicester next week and we are two points behind them. Only to have my dreams shafted when we lose at Newcastle or zummitlikethat

beat Leicester next week and we are two points behind them.

you sound like a man shitty fan. how did that work out ?

you sound like a man shitty fan. how did that work out ?

You sound like you don't know the fixture list.

...and are possibly drunk.

really enlighten me 😆

Paid the price for sitting back and letting Chelski attack us. Good match though. And as THM said, some absolutely top draw goalkeeping on display at both ends. Lingards goal was an absolute peach too!

we do at least seem to be playing better and a draw was probably a fair result

Annoying so late on

Both keepers were the best players on the pitch.

Both man utd keepers were the best players on the pitch.

fify

Nice to see the ovation the Chelsea fans gave Mata too. Who had a great game again

Yeah - he was their player of the year twice running I think. Won't get a look in when the special one shows up though.

Klunk - Member

really enlighten me

I'll let you work it out it's more fun

I could hear Kurt Zouma's screams 200 miles away.

Won't link to pics as they're Daily Mail and not nice. I was listening on the radio in the car and had to turn it off.

Get well soon.

Hope he's ok. He clearly wasn't putting it on! Seeing the slo mo replay it looked like a possible compound fracture. Let's hope not.

Hyperextended knee. Pics are horrible.

I was listening on the radio in the car and had to turn it off.

...but then went to check out the pics on DM? 😛

But the feed I was watching on replayed the incident and Graham Le Saux and Lee Dixon were like...nah, let's not see that again.

I know, it's strange. But I can choose to look and choose to look away plus it's a still picture which somehow is easier to look at. On the radio I had no option but to listen to the screaming and so hit the off. By the time I turned it back on they were treating him but they must have cut the pitchside mikes.

So.....

A Leicester fan has a fiver on at 5000-1 for them to win the title. The bookies offered to buy his bet out for £3000

Would you take it?

What would they have to offer before you would?

I know bookies are in it for the money, but why they're offering £3000 against a £25000 possible value - that's (very roughly) an 8-1 offer. Yet they're only offering 9-4 on new bets to win the league. I'd be holding out for £10K on that basis!!

No chance, stick with the bet. Much cooler story, bro.

The bookies are totally trying it on, hoping he's an idiot. Its a bit rich to install them as favourites in one breath, then make an offer like that with the next.

I heard the guy interviewed on Five Live yesterday, and he's far from an idiot. He had a great attitude. He said there was no way he was taking any offers. He was in it until the end because he was enjoying the ride so much, and at the end of the day if he didn't win, he'd only lost a fiver, and had a great time in the process!

Good luck to him and Leicester!

So Derby sack their manager - I wonder if the 'special one' fancies a lower league challenge!...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/35528402

the-muffin-man - Member

So Derby sack their manager - I wonder if the 'special one' fancies a lower league challenge!...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/35528402

Was there ever a 'Derby way' of playing, even in the 70s? Sounds like the 'Spurs way' of playing attractive football, you just need to be over 80 years old to ever remember seeing it.

Well it started with the united way, when fergie got annoyed with all the praise the arsenal unbeaten season got, so he made some pap up about united being about all out attack. Then west ham, spurs and Newcastle adopted and demanded it. And finally citeh have apparently been playing in this style under Pelegrini this season, yet pretty much every match I have watched them in they haven't been dissimilar to utd in that they play possession in front of the opposition, but they are portrayed very differently by the media.

Surprised to see Moyes distancing himself from the Derby job, he was my instant thought when I seen Clement had been sacked

Gary Neville should be available shortly

Nah, he's going to turn around that first leg deficit, go on and win the Copa, and it'll all be roses from ....

Oooh, flying pigs!

Spurs have been solid and with all the press focus elsewhere have been able to get on with the job. Massive win for Leicester against City, if Spurs don't win the League I'd be happy enough to see Leicester do it 🙂

Icining on the cake would be Newcastle and especially Chelsea to go down

All to play for

[url= http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/sport/sport-headlines/leicester-city-reinforces-suspension-on-bandwagon-20160209106031 ]mildly amusing[/url]

Spurs have always tried to play attacking football, it's not something Fergie made up and was copied. The club motto is the latin for 'To dare is to do'.

Further here are a couple of relevant Bill Nicholson quotes (LVG would do well to read them 😉 ):

"It's no use just winning, we've got to win well."

"We must always consider our supporters, for without them there would be no professional football. It would be better to have more fans watching football the way they like it played, rather than have a few fans watching football the way we would like it played."

And another from Dave Mackay

"He (Bill) never let us forget that we were out there to entertain the public."

[img] [/img]

Well as an Arsenal fan I'm shocked . We win a big game and are right back in it . Football bloody 'ell

Yay...appalling penalty decision but great win in the end for the Arsenal.

Welcome back Danny Welbeck!

Jesus! Villa are truly bloody awful!

I'll be really glad to see them go down. They've hung around at the bottom of the premiership, like a fart in a loft, for far too long. I think we can safely say that they'll never bother the premiership ever again. They could even do a Leeds.

Arsenal can't win the premiership. I put money on them winning it at the start of the season. So that's the end of that! 😀

Must be the day for contentious penalty decisions.

That Spuds one really was awful!