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    Default The Football Thread - 2016/17

    Time we all got back on the footie chat I reckon. The season starts in 48 hours when Newcastle go to Fulham, and the PL is only 10 days away. Let's get this ball rolling.

    Who is happy with their teams Summer business?
    Who is not?

    Any early season predictions?

    All in here please.

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    I'm not sure to be honest. Hopefully when it starts I'll get enthused about it all again but despite still watching football there's a lot not to like about it these days

    We (MUFC) seem to have done some decent business. Bailly already looks better than the dross we have at centre back, Mkhitaryan looks classy and Zlatan is just Zlatan

    Strange that there was no chat on here about the Euros, again despite watching all the games I found it all quite uninspiring. Enjoyed Wimbledon and the Open (golf) much more

    I think United could be right back up there though, not because we're good or anything, but because it's been a pretty average league for a long time now. It's amazing what confidence does to players - it allows them to play their best every week. Mourinho will certainly instill that into them if nothing else

    I do not see Leicester finishing in the top 4 this season

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    Yeah, it was telling that none of us bothered to get the chat going during the Euro's. It was a poor tournament, won by a poor team, with the new format rewarding mediocrity. I am watching the Premier League as a neutral (again) and have to agree that despite it looking very competitive it might not be a great season in terms of quality.

    I think United have a half decent chance of winning the league, simply because Jose buys big players who can improve a team quickly. The players you've brought in will fit in quickly, and you still have DDG who is just invaluable. I'm genuinely surprised by the chase for Pogba, who I think is very overrated. A good player with a presence, but for me he isn't world class and nowhere near worth this mad kind of money. I honestly believe people in this country have developed an opinion of Pogba based on nothing but being told that he's great. He had an awful Euro's, as the talisman of France he was an awful let down. I've seen him a lot at Juve and I think he's good, but not great. Pogba will IMO be the new Veron. A good player who was decent in Italy, will arrive in England, look fantastic for a few months then get bogged down.

    As for everyone else, Liverpool have improved in goal (despite the injury), have brought in goals in Mane and Wijnaldum, but for me still look light in midfield if Can and Henderson are the first choice duo there, and... how is Moreno still first choice LB?! Chelsea will improve but won't challenge for the title yet this season, and Arsenal IMO have not done the one thing they need to do and sign a star striker. Spurs have been pretty quiet, and I'm really intrigued by them this season. Was last season a building block to something even better this season, or did they blow a golden opportunity and will it be hard for those players to believe they can challenge?

    Title winners? City I would imagine. Pep buys big, he buys proven quality, and that group of players should be motivated to win it this season. Guardiola said it was a challenge going to City. No Pep, going to Spurs or Liverpool and trying to win a title would be a challenge. Going to City was the easy move, much like going to Bayern. I slag Jose off from time to time, but he did it all at Porto so he can walk the walk. Pep will win the league and maybe the European Cup at City and I'll still have no idea if he's a brilliant coach or not.

    Leicester? Hopefully a fun ride in the CL and hopefully for them they hang around for a while. People are writing them off far too much, saying Top 10 would be good. I think they have enough quality to finish in the Top 6, but of course that motivation and desire to achieve the impossible has now gone, and they'll lose that added intensity as a result.

    As for my team, well it's been a feel good Summer in Newcastle. Rafa has instilled a new energy in the city. The fanbase are positive, there have been loads of tickets sold, loads of good players brought in and we approach it all in good spirits. Relegation is hell, but it could turn out to be the best thing that's happened to us in a long time. Onwards and upwards.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Gray77 View Post

    Title winners? City I would imagine. Pep buys big, he buys proven quality, and that group of players should be motivated to win it this season. Guardiola said it was a challenge going to City. No Pep, going to Spurs or Liverpool and trying to win a title would be a challenge. Going to City was the easy move, much like going to Bayern. I slag Jose off from time to time, but he did it all at Porto so he can walk the walk. Pep will win the league and maybe the European Cup at City and I'll still have no idea if he's a brilliant coach or not.
    I don't often say this about your stuff, but that's a load of cobblers! :-)

    Pep has inherited a squad with an average age of 30 that looked very much a spent force. By common consensus, this was not a squad made for him, it was one that needed a complete overhaul.

    Only one player that we have signed is a stonewall first team regular and he's injured. Nolito will be in there more often than not. Sane will be used sparingly. The others not at all. It actually looks pretty much like we'll start the season with the same team that we finished last season with.

    If and when United sign Pogba, they will be favourites and rightfully so.

    If Pep gets that underperforming shower of last season to perform, then he's obviously got something. If he wins the title next year then he's proved his worth alright. If he wins the European Cup with the squad that we've got right now, then he'll be an absolute genius.

    Don't get kidded by this 'City can buy success' business. United have every bit as much to spend as we have and most of the Premier League can spend well in excess of £100 million themselves these days.

    Germany was a one horse race. This is nothing like that.
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    Quote Originally Posted by DD View Post
    I don't often say this about your stuff, but that's a load of cobblers! :-)

    Pep has inherited a squad with an average age of 30 that looked very much a spent force. By common consensus, this was not a squad made for him, it was one that needed a complete overhaul.

    Only one player that we have signed is a stonewall first team regular and he's injured. Nolito will be in there more often than not. Sane will be used sparingly. The others not at all. It actually looks pretty much like we'll start the season with the same team that we finished last season with.

    If and when United sign Pogba, they will be favourites and rightfully so.

    If Pep gets that underperforming shower of last season to perform, then he's obviously got something. If he wins the title next year then he's proved his worth alright. If he wins the European Cup with the squad that we've got right now, then he'll be an absolute genius.

    Don't get kidded by this 'City can buy success' business. United have every bit as much to spend as we have and most of the Premier League can spend well in excess of £100 million themselves these days.

    Germany was a one horse race. This is nothing like that.
    Disagree Dave. City will win the league if that team of yours plays to its potential. Not overachieving, not doing anything magical, but playing to their potential. Sane IMO will play alot more than you think he will, but we will see. Gundogan may be injured, but in a month he'll be your heartbeat in midfield and will give you the energy that Toure and co. failed to give last season. De Bruyne will be better this season, Silva (for his sake) will hopefully be accommodated a little deeper and allowed to influence play a bit more, and you still have the best striker in the league in Aguero. If those four plus Sane play to their potential you will boss most games and score lots of goals. Defensively I would say you are vulnerable, but going forward you will be very good, unless Pep asks you to pass it around and try and walk it in every game.

    Who do you see finishing above City if you play to your potential?

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    Euros did nothing for me at all really. I only watched it to see how Spurs' players went and I thought Hodgson absolutely screwed most of them. Kane was so isolated it was ridiculous and even taking corners and Alli nowhere near the role he does for Tottenham. Dier showed his ability early on before being overran and Rose did okay. I just felt Hodgson buggered us. Imagine playing Sturridge wide right, just madness.

    As for this season, it's a complete enigma for me this year. I couldn't say with any confidence how I think Utd, City or Chelsea will go. They could be excellent or similar to last year. I don't think Liverpool will be particularly anywhere again and I fancy Leicester will drop like a stone. For us, we've signed a couple of nice additions, I think Wanyama is a superb signing and Janssen if he settles will offer good support for Kane. I think us and Arsenal will be the most settled of the top grouping but how much that matters, who knows. We'll be in the mix between of the top five I think and where we end up depends massively on how City, Utd and Chelsea go. Utd I can't see competing for the league, their side doesn't sit right for me.

    On paper, I think Chelsea look excellent and Kanté is an immense signing. City look very strong and should be closest to Chelsea IMO. How it'll go though, like I said, couldn't call it.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Gray77 View Post
    Disagree Dave. City will win the league if that team of yours plays to its potential. Not overachieving, not doing anything magical, but playing to their potential. Sane IMO will play alot more than you think he will, but we will see. Gundogan may be injured, but in a month he'll be your heartbeat in midfield and will give you the energy that Toure and co. failed to give last season. De Bruyne will be better this season, Silva (for his sake) will hopefully be accommodated a little deeper and allowed to influence play a bit more, and you still have the best striker in the league in Aguero. If those four plus Sane play to their potential you will boss most games and score lots of goals. Defensively I would say you are vulnerable, but going forward you will be very good, unless Pep asks you to pass it around and try and walk it in every game.

    Who do you see finishing above City if you play to your potential?
    If that's the case then the team hasn't been playing to its potential and if Guardiola can do that then that does prove something about his capabilities.

    However, the fact remains that it's been an aging side and needed rebuilding. Don't forget, I saw this team play every game last season. There were just so many things wrong.

    As I say, it's not a one horse league. Yes, we do have the best squad of individuals, but have we a better team. I would say Pogba would be the man to make United that better team. Spurs for the most part were a better team than us last season and could be again.

    What is the potential of Mangala, Otamendi and Kolarov?

    Believe me, Pep has a job on his hand and its ridiculous to compare this job to the Bayern one, where he took over a team that had just won the lot, including the European Cup, at a club that systematically weakens the main opposition every year by taking their star player.

    At City, he's taken over a squad that's largely at the end of the line, with a big rebuilding job, who finished fourth last season. And no real big club is going to sell us their best player.

    We're favourites for this title purely because of the manager. If Pep was not in charge, United would be favourites, of that I'm certain.
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    Could be a fascinating year. You've got United, City, Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham, Leicester, Liverpool, Southampton, West Ham, Everton all capable of competing for European places. You'd usually say that whoever won the title the previous season would be favourite next time but not this year, it really is anyone's to win. Other leagues might have better teams, but the premier league is by far and away the best league.
    Forwards win games. The backs decide by how much.

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    United will not challenge city as long as Rooney and Fellaini are in the team. Pogba, Miki and Mata are all more effective than Rooney in the hole and while Fellaini's height comes in useful it's not as important now that Pogba and Ibra are in the team. Blind will be like having an extra centre midfielder in a lot of fixtures but against the best teams his overall defensive skills will cost us.
    Would like to see Bailly and Smalling as a partnership.
    Forwards win games. The backs decide by how much.

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    Quote Originally Posted by The Wee Waa Womble
    Would like to see Bailly and Smalling as a partnership.



    That worked well.

    Getting on for half a billion quid since Ol' Baconface left, and still in transition. When you fall off that perch it aint easy getting back on it.

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    United screwed my Acca.....still you have to laugh.

    Not sure Maureen style football will suite united.
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    Proper dead this thread these days despite the PL actually looking a decent contest

    Fantastic scenes at SJP tonight with Newcastle winning 4-3 with goals in the 95th and 96th minutes, just proves relegation isn't the complete end of the world

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    Quote Originally Posted by retro74 View Post
    Proper dead this thread these days despite the PL actually looking a decent contest

    Fantastic scenes at SJP tonight with Newcastle winning 4-3 with goals in the 95th and 96th minutes, just proves relegation isn't the complete end of the world

    Ridiculous really. On the verge of our third home defeat and then that happens. Against another genuine promotion contender it was a big win, because losing would have opened up a gap.

    Newcastle are still a work in progress really. So many new players trying to gel, so I'm happy with where we're at to be honest. It's such a long season with 46 games so there's no reason to get too up or down on individual results, it's all about staying consistent and never going on losing runs. That Wolves loss was weird, but since we started with 2 defeats we've won 6 from 8 and are playing some decent stuff.

    And, just like last time we went down we have proved to the rest of the country that we are a club with a proper big fanbase. Another 48,000 plus there tonight, and that's actually low for us so far. We'll be fine, we'll be up there in the picture come May I'm sure.

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    Stephen- The first part of this article is a big reason why I’m not interested in England. There are other reasons which I’ll type at some point but this saves me a lot of typing! Ha

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    Default The Football Thread - 2016/17

    Quote Originally Posted by Stephen07 View Post
    Because you're worried about how far United players have to travel and if that will affect them when they come back? Well if the top clubs (including Liverpool so not a pop at United) don't want their players travelling to play for their countries perhaps they should only sign players who aren't good enough to play international football and see how they get on.
    Apologies no, I meant the part about the fans. I should have clarified it better.

    In 96 I was living in London after leaving Uni and went to a few Wembley games as corporate hospitality. The Utd players at the time- Beckham, Scholes, Neville etc were all routinely booed.

    There is a huge North-South divide where England and the press are concerned. A definite Southern bias.

    These are just a couple more reasons. More to follow in time


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    I see 'the Ev' have given Pat Butcher the boot. Pity, he had them playing great football.

    Paves the way for the Moysiah. Problem is, though, there's no more playing assets to sell to fund the recruitment of more mediocre/past-it players. So Moshi-lad's 'emperor's new clothes' trick is going to be exposed.

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    Never posted on the footy thread before as a lapsed fan from many years (Spurs since I was ten year old). But went to watch Spurs v Real Madrid last night. My wife bought me a surprise. Really enjoyed it. Great game and atmosphere from a full house. Had great seats. Not sure I'm back into it, but might do the odd Spurs game now. My son is a Spurs season ticket holder so can get tickets. Have to say Spurs looked really good. Good to see young English players such as Ali, Trippier and Winks doing well. Kane in the flesh is such a powerful player. Anyway off to get an up to date Spurs top.
    Think my last one might have Martin Chivers on it.
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    Glory hunter!

    Good game to pick for your first one back. I always liked Spurs as a kid because of that awesome Hummel/Holsten kit, Glenn Hoddle's volley against United where he had both feet off the ground (as beautiful a goal as you will ever see) and the interview with Waddle when they asked about the free kick he scored and he said something like "I don't know, I just tw@tted it to be honest"

    The fact that they were never serious rivals and always gave us 3 points was nice too

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