Other Matches Thread

[Limerick Gooner]

Sir Gareth Southgate.

[Nick Nack]

Sir Gareth Southgate.

And the Manc scum think it's bad now

[REB]

Watched the Chelsea game. right bunch of bitches at the end, moaning and throwing themselves to the ground looking for fights after the final whistle

[the playing mantis]

Sir Gareth Southgate.

Honors jumped the shark years ago. Utter nonsense what's he achieved 2 losing finals when it was easier to win (well the Italy one) and piss easy runs to the finals as well.

[the playing mantis]

Let's all laugh....

He brought on Antony with 10 minutes to go for added banter

Is that the same Antony that we cheered onto the pitch when he was brought on against us

The very one

They subbed off Zirkzee after half an hour and it was cheered to the rafters

That's his career at the Mancs fucked then.

I think he has been made a scapegoat. Admittedly he's shit, but when he has only played as a bit part sub most of the time and then asked to turn up against the barcodes, Amorim has thrown him under the bus.

Which with everything else that's wrong will not be good in the dressing room

He was shot for the Netherlands and in Italy baffling signings. Eth has burned the house down. I don't understand how they can be worse than under Eth. I can only think amorin has given them all home truths about how shit they are and they have downed tools.

[Gunner Rob]

7 points off relegation as we head into the new year

Odds to be relegated

Man United 28/1
Man City 8/1

[General]

I don't believe that our squad is as good as liverpools, apart from saka none of our attacking players would get in their team.

I can only assume that klopp is watching from afar hoping that they don't win the league because it will show his failings as a manager.

He's one of their most successful managers and they owe much of their current form to the rebuilding work he did before he left. Slot didn't need to get rid of trouble makers and substandard quality like Arteta. The core of the squad is still intact and they've tasted glory before which makes a huge difference.

As others have said, they've built enough buffer, can afford to drop points and the rest are never going to be consistent enough including. us. We will contuinue to play bridesmaid until we fix our lack of quality in key areas.

I love those comments that disparage the former players who won the cone boy the only trophy the clown has won as a manager - if he replaced them with winners and added to the trophy haul then by all means be disrespectful to them, but the reality is that he wouldnt still be manager at Arsenal if they had not won him that fa cup and that is for certain. You can bu!!shit all you like about the last two seasons second place finishes, but the reality is that he would have been sacked before then had they not have won that fa cup

I also love reading about the lack of quality in the team - he has spent £800m so why is there still a lack of quality, and how much more does he expect to be allowed spend before the team no longer lacks quality ? With exception of saka and saliba (our best two players) and martinelli, the rest are all his players, so if we are lacking quality then maybe the spotlight should be on the people who signed the players

You have too much anger Augie. Football is a lot more enjoyable when you accept reality.

(1) Cup wins mean nothing if not backed by improvements in league position. Even the French waffler dragged a rag tag crew to an FA cup win. See Ten Hag also. The league is a true reflection of where a team stands in the competitive landscape and our improving league position year on year under Arteta is more probative of progress than the cup win.
(2) I said lack of quality in key areas i.e. attacking positions and specifically the fabled striker everyone keeps harping on about.

Hstorically we've never been a sacking club and we've only acted when the football has been dire or there's been apathy after longstanding anger. Graham would've got a couple more years if he'd kept his nose clean, likewise Emery without the chaos in his second season. Arteta's body of work is sound and the litmus test is whether he can add the finishing touches. Some of you insist on this fatalism of hiring and firing managers so nothing is going to change your minds.

I read the other day that United owe around £350m in transfer fees and interest. Now imagine owing all this money and still having a dire squad? They've spent almost twice as much, have perpertuated every concievable scenario that some of you advocate on this forum, have won cups but yet find themselves in no man's land.

[Red Army 2]

Sir Gareth Southgate.

Honors jumped the shark years ago. Utter nonsense what's he achieved 2 losing finals when it was easier to win (well the Italy one) and piss easy runs to the finals as well.

Jimmy saville was knighted.....just saying....system all biased and crap...reward wrong people and crawlers

as for southgate lets see what he does back in league management..... (nothing i would predict) personally think hes into self promotion

[General]

I don't believe that our squad is as good as liverpools, apart from saka none of our attacking players would get in their team.

I can only assume that klopp is watching from afar hoping that they don't win the league because it will show his failings as a manager.

He's one of their most successful managers and they owe much of their current form to the rebuilding work he did before he left. Slot didn't need to get rid of trouble makers and substandard quality like Arteta. The core of the squad is still intact and they've tasted glory before which makes a huge difference.

As others have said, they've built enough buffer, can afford to drop points and the rest are never going to be consistent enough including. us. We will contuinue to play bridesmaid until we fix our lack of quality in key areas.

That’s all well and good General (and I agree about Klopp, he did an excellent job and without a pimped City would have landed two more league titles), but you can’t take anything away from Slot. It was never going to be easy to take over from a charismatic manager like Klopp, but he now has the same team playing better than last season, when it looked like the team was on the wane.

Arteta got rid of trouble makers in his first couple of years and this side has been completely his for at least the two seasons prior to this one. He’s had time and money and the support of the owners. His team finished comfortably ahead of Liverpool last term and it’s entirely fair to judge him against the achievements that Slot has managed in his first season in charge. So far Arteta is coming up short in my opinion.

The task is a lot easier when you inherit a quality squad that also has proven winners instead of having to build it brick by brick. Antonio Conte won the title in his first season at Chelsea competing against well established managers for the same reason.
The notion that Liverpool were on the wane is far fetched. Their squad is better than ours, their new recruits from last season are fully integrated and they have the magic player we lack. Why can't people simply acknowledge this? All things equal, we are the third best team in the league and doing better than teams who have spent significantly more money. The expectation has to match this reality.

[augie]

I don't believe that our squad is as good as liverpools, apart from saka none of our attacking players would get in their team.

I can only assume that klopp is watching from afar hoping that they don't win the league because it will show his failings as a manager.

He's one of their most successful managers and they owe much of their current form to the rebuilding work he did before he left. Slot didn't need to get rid of trouble makers and substandard quality like Arteta. The core of the squad is still intact and they've tasted glory before which makes a huge difference.

As others have said, they've built enough buffer, can afford to drop points and the rest are never going to be consistent enough including. us. We will contuinue to play bridesmaid until we fix our lack of quality in key areas.

That’s all well and good General (and I agree about Klopp, he did an excellent job and without a pimped City would have landed two more league titles), but you can’t take anything away from Slot. It was never going to be easy to take over from a charismatic manager like Klopp, but he now has the same team playing better than last season, when it looked like the team was on the wane.

Arteta got rid of trouble makers in his first couple of years and this side has been completely his for at least the two seasons prior to this one. He’s had time and money and the support of the owners. His team finished comfortably ahead of Liverpool last term and it’s entirely fair to judge him against the achievements that Slot has managed in his first season in charge. So far Arteta is coming up short in my opinion.

The task is a lot easier when you inherit a quality squad that also has proven winners instead of having to build it brick by brick. Antonio Conte won the title in his first season at Chelsea competing against well established managers for the same reason.
The notion that Liverpool were on the wane is far fetched. Their squad is better than ours, their new recruits from last season are fully integrated and they have the magic player we lack. Why can't people simply acknowledge this? All things equal, we are the third best team in the league and doing better than teams who have spent significantly more money. The expectation has to match this reality.

Seeing as you dug the hole for yourself, how after making that statement can you explain why klopp spent more or less the same amount in NINE seasons as our cone boy has in FIVE seasons ? Are you saying that klopp has bought better than el basque ?

[General]

I don't believe that our squad is as good as liverpools, apart from saka none of our attacking players would get in their team.

I can only assume that klopp is watching from afar hoping that they don't win the league because it will show his failings as a manager.

He's one of their most successful managers and they owe much of their current form to the rebuilding work he did before he left. Slot didn't need to get rid of trouble makers and substandard quality like Arteta. The core of the squad is still intact and they've tasted glory before which makes a huge difference.

As others have said, they've built enough buffer, can afford to drop points and the rest are never going to be consistent enough including. us. We will contuinue to play bridesmaid until we fix our lack of quality in key areas.

That’s all well and good General (and I agree about Klopp, he did an excellent job and without a pimped City would have landed two more league titles), but you can’t take anything away from Slot. It was never going to be easy to take over from a charismatic manager like Klopp, but he now has the same team playing better than last season, when it looked like the team was on the wane.

Arteta got rid of trouble makers in his first couple of years and this side has been completely his for at least the two seasons prior to this one. He’s had time and money and the support of the owners. His team finished comfortably ahead of Liverpool last term and it’s entirely fair to judge him against the achievements that Slot has managed in his first season in charge. So far Arteta is coming up short in my opinion.

The task is a lot easier when you inherit a quality squad that also has proven winners instead of having to build it brick by brick. Antonio Conte won the title in his first season at Chelsea competing against well established managers for the same reason.
The notion that Liverpool were on the wane is far fetched. Their squad is better than ours, their new recruits from last season are fully integrated and they have the magic player we lack. Why can't people simply acknowledge this? All things equal, we are the third best team in the league and doing better than teams who have spent significantly more money. The expectation has to match this reality.

Seeing as you dug the hole for yourself, how after making that statement can you explain why klopp spent more or less the same amount in NINE seasons as our cone boy has in FIVE seasons ? Are you saying that klopp has bought better than el basque ?

Apples and oranges mate.
Do you know for a fact that they've spent the same amount in 9seasons as we have in 5seasons or are you just speculating?
We've spent more in the last 5years but they spent more in the 5years prior and we know there is high inflation in the transfer market. The numbers are also skewed by the £150m of so they made from selling Coutinho in 2018 which allowed them to buy Alison and Van Dijk. This is a one off exceptional revenue which most clubs would be hard pressed to generate.
The point still stands that their squad is overall better and deeper than ours. It also cost them more to asemble.

[Retro Gunner]

I don't believe that our squad is as good as liverpools, apart from saka none of our attacking players would get in their team.

I can only assume that klopp is watching from afar hoping that they don't win the league because it will show his failings as a manager.

He's one of their most successful managers and they owe much of their current form to the rebuilding work he did before he left. Slot didn't need to get rid of trouble makers and substandard quality like Arteta. The core of the squad is still intact and they've tasted glory before which makes a huge difference.

As others have said, they've built enough buffer, can afford to drop points and the rest are never going to be consistent enough including. us. We will contuinue to play bridesmaid until we fix our lack of quality in key areas.

That’s all well and good General (and I agree about Klopp, he did an excellent job and without a pimped City would have landed two more league titles), but you can’t take anything away from Slot. It was never going to be easy to take over from a charismatic manager like Klopp, but he now has the same team playing better than last season, when it looked like the team was on the wane.

Arteta got rid of trouble makers in his first couple of years and this side has been completely his for at least the two seasons prior to this one. He’s had time and money and the support of the owners. His team finished comfortably ahead of Liverpool last term and it’s entirely fair to judge him against the achievements that Slot has managed in his first season in charge. So far Arteta is coming up short in my opinion.

The task is a lot easier when you inherit a quality squad that also has proven winners instead of having to build it brick by brick. Antonio Conte won the title in his first season at Chelsea competing against well established managers for the same reason.
The notion that Liverpool were on the wane is far fetched. Their squad is better than ours, their new recruits from last season are fully integrated and they have the magic player we lack. Why can't people simply acknowledge this? All things equal, we are the third best team in the league and doing better than teams who have spent significantly more money. The expectation has to match this reality.

Sorry, but that won’t wash. I’ll guarantee that few on here would have rated Liverpool’s squad as better than ours in May of this year and given the option of replacing any of ours with theirs, you’d have had takers for Allison, Van Dijk and Salah. Beyond that, who else would have leapt as a replacement? I’ll also guarantee that there’d have been a lot of refusal to replace either of our CHs with VVD and to bin Saka for Salah.

No one on here, nor the TV pundits expected Liverpool to win the league this year, or be in this position at this stage. Slot was not walking into a horror show but neither was he walking into a team which looked anywhere near as capable as they currently look. Let’s not forget that we finished comfortably ahead of them for the previous two seasons, so to turn that around with no change in personnel last summer is testament to the job Slot is doing and if it doesn’t raise questions over Arteta in your mind, then you’ll surely concede that Slot is out-performing him.

As for this building a side brick by brick, that constant refrain is weak as fuck. Arteta has had time, money and seemingly full support from the board and the first 3 years and a generous cheque book was ample time to rebuild. No one was concocting these excuses in the last two seasons when things were going well. To try to build this case after he’s had 5 years and full support is pure revisionism.

As for your argument about the money Klopp had, take a look at his spend in his first 5 years (allowing for inflation) and what he achieved. I’d venture that he also inherited a worse squad than Arteta.

Not sure why you brought up the mess at United and the numbers they’ve spent. It’s always desperate to bring up someone else’s mess to defend a position. It’s like finding out some bloke is shagging your old woman but convincing yourself it doesn’t matter because two blokes are shagging the missus of the bloke next door.

[augie]

He's one of their most successful managers and they owe much of their current form to the rebuilding work he did before he left. Slot didn't need to get rid of trouble makers and substandard quality like Arteta. The core of the squad is still intact and they've tasted glory before which makes a huge difference.

As others have said, they've built enough buffer, can afford to drop points and the rest are never going to be consistent enough including. us. We will contuinue to play bridesmaid until we fix our lack of quality in key areas.

That’s all well and good General (and I agree about Klopp, he did an excellent job and without a pimped City would have landed two more league titles), but you can’t take anything away from Slot. It was never going to be easy to take over from a charismatic manager like Klopp, but he now has the same team playing better than last season, when it looked like the team was on the wane.

Arteta got rid of trouble makers in his first couple of years and this side has been completely his for at least the two seasons prior to this one. He’s had time and money and the support of the owners. His team finished comfortably ahead of Liverpool last term and it’s entirely fair to judge him against the achievements that Slot has managed in his first season in charge. So far Arteta is coming up short in my opinion.

The task is a lot easier when you inherit a quality squad that also has proven winners instead of having to build it brick by brick. Antonio Conte won the title in his first season at Chelsea competing against well established managers for the same reason.
The notion that Liverpool were on the wane is far fetched. Their squad is better than ours, their new recruits from last season are fully integrated and they have the magic player we lack. Why can't people simply acknowledge this? All things equal, we are the third best team in the league and doing better than teams who have spent significantly more money. The expectation has to match this reality.

Seeing as you dug the hole for yourself, how after making that statement can you explain why klopp spent more or less the same amount in NINE seasons as our cone boy has in FIVE seasons ? Are you saying that klopp has bought better than el basque ?

Apples and oranges mate.
Do you know for a fact that they've spent the same amount in 9seasons as we have in 5seasons or are you just speculating?
We've spent more in the last 5years but they spent more in the 5years prior and we know there is high inflation in the transfer market. The numbers are also skewed by the £150m of so they made from selling Coutinho in 2018 which allowed them to buy Alison and Van Dijk. This is a one off exceptional revenue which most clubs would be hard pressed to generate.
The point still stands that their squad is overall better and deeper than ours. It also cost them more to asemble.

You want apples and oranges, then go to the green grocer

At no point did I mention net spend - I said that klopp has spent fcuk all more than the cone boy despite the fact that he was victims manager for 4 years longer than the cone boy is AFC manager. Your net spend point (in relation to selling coutinho) actually makes the cone boy look worse cos it shows that financially he has been backed FAR more than klopp
In the nine seasons klopp was manager of the victims, he BOUGHT 31 players (that excludes loans and free transfers) - in the 5 seasons he is AFC manager el basque has BOUGHT 28 players In other words how did klopp manage to build a better and deeper squad by buying less players per season than your beloved cone boy ? Reality is that he has pissed away so much money and the turnover of players that he signed is ridiculous and I have said so for ages - truth is that I wouldnt let him go to the market to buy apples and oranges

[General]

I don't believe that our squad is as good as liverpools, apart from saka none of our attacking players would get in their team.

I can only assume that klopp is watching from afar hoping that they don't win the league because it will show his failings as a manager.

He's one of their most successful managers and they owe much of their current form to the rebuilding work he did before he left. Slot didn't need to get rid of trouble makers and substandard quality like Arteta. The core of the squad is still intact and they've tasted glory before which makes a huge difference.

As others have said, they've built enough buffer, can afford to drop points and the rest are never going to be consistent enough including. us. We will contuinue to play bridesmaid until we fix our lack of quality in key areas.

That’s all well and good General (and I agree about Klopp, he did an excellent job and without a pimped City would have landed two more league titles), but you can’t take anything away from Slot. It was never going to be easy to take over from a charismatic manager like Klopp, but he now has the same team playing better than last season, when it looked like the team was on the wane.

Arteta got rid of trouble makers in his first couple of years and this side has been completely his for at least the two seasons prior to this one. He’s had time and money and the support of the owners. His team finished comfortably ahead of Liverpool last term and it’s entirely fair to judge him against the achievements that Slot has managed in his first season in charge. So far Arteta is coming up short in my opinion.

The task is a lot easier when you inherit a quality squad that also has proven winners instead of having to build it brick by brick. Antonio Conte won the title in his first season at Chelsea competing against well established managers for the same reason.
The notion that Liverpool were on the wane is far fetched. Their squad is better than ours, their new recruits from last season are fully integrated and they have the magic player we lack. Why can't people simply acknowledge this? All things equal, we are the third best team in the league and doing better than teams who have spent significantly more money. The expectation has to match this reality.

Sorry, but that won’t wash. I’ll guarantee that few on here would have rated Liverpool’s squad as better than ours in May of this year and given the option of replacing any of ours with theirs, you’d have had takers for Allison, Van Dijk and Salah. Beyond that, who else would have leapt as a replacement? I’ll also guarantee that there’d have been a lot of refusal to replace either of our CHs with VVD and to bin Saka for Salah.

No one on here, nor the TV pundits expected Liverpool to win the league this year, or be in this position at this stage. Slot was not walking into a horror show but neither was he walking into a team which looked anywhere near as capable as they currently look. Let’s not forget that we finished comfortably ahead of them for the previous two seasons, so to turn that around with no change in personnel last summer is testament to the job Slot is doing and if it doesn’t raise questions over Arteta in your mind, then you’ll surely concede that Slot is out-performing him.

As for this building a side brick by brick, that constant refrain is weak as fuck. Arteta has had time, money and seemingly full support from the board and the first 3 years and a generous cheque book was ample time to rebuild. No one was concocting these excuses in the last two seasons when things were going well. To try to build this case after he’s had 5 years and full support is pure revisionism.

As for your argument about the money Klopp had, take a look at his spend in his first 5 years (allowing for inflation) and what he achieved. I’d venture that he also inherited a worse squad than Arteta.

Not sure why you brought up the mess at United and the numbers they’ve spent. It’s always desperate to bring up someone else’s mess to defend a position. It’s like finding out some bloke is shagging your old woman but convincing yourself it doesn’t matter because two blokes are shagging the missus of the bloke next door.

Do you disagree with the below?

Allison
Trent Van Dijk Saliba Robertson

Gravenberch Rice Odegaard

Salah Gakpo Saka

Salah is a major differentiator and gets in our team regardless of Saka so try not to peddle this false dichotomy. Slot deserves credit but what he’s doing is not unprecedented. I highlighted the Chelsea example under Conte which you ignored.

It is reasonable to mention United since some of you keep harping on about the money Arteta has spent in the last 5years. A more appropriate analogy would be the wife demanding a bigger house when said house is bigger and nicer than the next door neighbour’s who earn significantly more money.

[Retro Gunner]

He's one of their most successful managers and they owe much of their current form to the rebuilding work he did before he left. Slot didn't need to get rid of trouble makers and substandard quality like Arteta. The core of the squad is still intact and they've tasted glory before which makes a huge difference.

As others have said, they've built enough buffer, can afford to drop points and the rest are never going to be consistent enough including. us. We will contuinue to play bridesmaid until we fix our lack of quality in key areas.

That’s all well and good General (and I agree about Klopp, he did an excellent job and without a pimped City would have landed two more league titles), but you can’t take anything away from Slot. It was never going to be easy to take over from a charismatic manager like Klopp, but he now has the same team playing better than last season, when it looked like the team was on the wane.

Arteta got rid of trouble makers in his first couple of years and this side has been completely his for at least the two seasons prior to this one. He’s had time and money and the support of the owners. His team finished comfortably ahead of Liverpool last term and it’s entirely fair to judge him against the achievements that Slot has managed in his first season in charge. So far Arteta is coming up short in my opinion.

The task is a lot easier when you inherit a quality squad that also has proven winners instead of having to build it brick by brick. Antonio Conte won the title in his first season at Chelsea competing against well established managers for the same reason.
The notion that Liverpool were on the wane is far fetched. Their squad is better than ours, their new recruits from last season are fully integrated and they have the magic player we lack. Why can't people simply acknowledge this? All things equal, we are the third best team in the league and doing better than teams who have spent significantly more money. The expectation has to match this reality.

Sorry, but that won’t wash. I’ll guarantee that few on here would have rated Liverpool’s squad as better than ours in May of this year and given the option of replacing any of ours with theirs, you’d have had takers for Allison, Van Dijk and Salah. Beyond that, who else would have leapt as a replacement? I’ll also guarantee that there’d have been a lot of refusal to replace either of our CHs with VVD and to bin Saka for Salah.

No one on here, nor the TV pundits expected Liverpool to win the league this year, or be in this position at this stage. Slot was not walking into a horror show but neither was he walking into a team which looked anywhere near as capable as they currently look. Let’s not forget that we finished comfortably ahead of them for the previous two seasons, so to turn that around with no change in personnel last summer is testament to the job Slot is doing and if it doesn’t raise questions over Arteta in your mind, then you’ll surely concede that Slot is out-performing him.

As for this building a side brick by brick, that constant refrain is weak as fuck. Arteta has had time, money and seemingly full support from the board and the first 3 years and a generous cheque book was ample time to rebuild. No one was concocting these excuses in the last two seasons when things were going well. To try to build this case after he’s had 5 years and full support is pure revisionism.

As for your argument about the money Klopp had, take a look at his spend in his first 5 years (allowing for inflation) and what he achieved. I’d venture that he also inherited a worse squad than Arteta.

Not sure why you brought up the mess at United and the numbers they’ve spent. It’s always desperate to bring up someone else’s mess to defend a position. It’s like finding out some bloke is shagging your old woman but convincing yourself it doesn’t matter because two blokes are shagging the missus of the bloke next door.

Do you disagree with the below?

Allison
Trent Van Dijk Saliba Robertson

Gravenberch Rice Odegaard

Salah Gakpo Saka

Salah is a major differentiator and gets in our team regardless of Saka so try not to peddle this false dichotomy. Slot deserves credit but what he’s doing is not unprecedented. I highlighted the Chelsea example under Conte which you ignored.

It is reasonable to mention United since some of you keep harping on about the money Arteta has spent in the last 5years. A more appropriate analogy would be the wife demanding a bigger house when said house is bigger and nicer than the next door neighbour’s who earn significantly more money.

Well, you’ve just scuppered any attempted defence of Arteta. The back four is moot. For two and a half seasons ours has performed very well and I’d be in no big rush to take their fullbacks, especially as Alexander-Arnold is at best average defensively. Robertson is a tidy cog in the wheel, nothing more. I’d also not take a 33 yr old VVD over Gabriel, who has an excellent partnership with Saliba. Centre back is the one area of our side that I don’t have concerns about.

Gravenberch….no one would have clamoured for him at the end of last season, where he looked very ordinary. Hasn’t turned my head this season, but I’ll pay more attention to him. That said, I’ve been banging on for an age about our need for a quality centre mid, so there aren’t many I’d turn down to replace Partey or Jorginho.

That brings us to the front line. You’ll keep Saka and that’s all. Therein lies our problem and the biggest beef that this forum has about Arteta. Five years and £800 million spent, yet gaping holes in quality up front and still short of even a half decent centre mid. As for “harping on” about how much he’s spent, why would you not? Isn’t it important? I wouldn’t care if he’d spent twice as much if the squad/team reflected it. It’s indefensible to have been so financially backed and given 5 years to put the pieces in place, but to have such gaping holes that you’d take 7 Liverpool players, at least 3 of whom are hardly top quality, to replace those in our side. You’ve nailed Arteta right there.

As for the house your wife is demanding, your analogy is flawed. The bloke next door has spent more money, but lacks taste and design skills and has employed sub standard builders. Your wife’s point is that the neighbour the other side has spent no more, but has a nicer property of which even you’d take 7 parts. To make matters worse, the new occupant only arrived 6 months ago, hasn’t spent a penny and has made the place look even more smart than yours. No wonder the missus is pissed off.