*Official* English Football Season 2016-17

[grecian]

Well Martin Keown said that united were unlucky not to win, but West Ham deserved the point.

So that has cleared it up.

 

[Tangles]

I watch most of the United games and we are better this year. Goals are an issue but we are playing better and more fluidly. It's not consistent but it's there. The defense is better even with some fairly poor players involved. So I think the system and yes, the coaching, is better. I suspect the top 4 is needed for JM to stay. But at some point we need to give someone time to build something. The coaching roundabout only helps Rooney.

 

[grecian]

I watch most of the United games and we are better this year. Goals are an issue but we are playing better and more fluidly. It's not consistent but it's there. The defense is better even with some fairly poor players involved. So I think the system and yes, the coaching, is better. I suspect the top 4 is needed for JM to stay. But at some point we need to give someone time to build something. The coaching roundabout only helps Rooney.

I can't believe I'm talking so much about United, but I can't seem to sleep. Yet surely the whole problem is getting top 4, they're already a lot of points behind, Just don't see it happening, in the end this is the crux, and everything else is dressing, hence he needs to start winning, and pretty soon. The whines from him, the assistant manager and ( in a petulant interview)Herrera aren't actually getting any points.

 

[Tangles]

I think the top 4 is going to be really tough. Owners want CL so it's a massive turnaround in the league or a win in Europe. I'm not confident on that either. I think the Owners need to revise their goals. Firing JM for missing CL won't help them get there IMO. Then your looking for someone to get instant success with the unbalanced squad. They need to give someone some continuity to stabilize things.

 

[sledger]

Not sure I'd write Mourinho off as a busted flush just yet, but things are certainly not looking good for him. His stock is probably at its lowest point since the earlier days of his career, no home wins since September, worst start to a Man Utd season for nearly two decades, constantly whining and being sent to the stands. Not a lot to recommend him at the moment really. And it's hilarious.

 

[sledger]

On Pardew, I think his time is up as well. He is such a strange case though. His career has basically all been severe peaks and troughs. His teams either look really really good or really really bad. There never seems to be any middle ground, but it's almost systematic. His start with Newcastle was fantastic, made them into a side which was literally on the brink of qualifying for the Champion's League, only for them to go totally down the pan. I think he won 10 of his first 11 matches with Palace as well, and they looked really good for a while, and now they are in the mire as well.

Pretty amusing really, because the guy is a disingenuous arsehole as far as I'm concerned, but his record is pretty remarkable in some ways.

 

[Ikki]

I think the top 4 is going to be really tough.

It's probably gone: 8 points + GD is the gap already.

 

[Uppercut]

It's probably gone: 8 points + GD is the gap already.

"Probably gone" is too far. An 8-point swing over 25 games is fairly common.

Don't see the point of sacking Mourinho for not getting 4th. Can't think who we could get that's better.

 

[sledger]

Yeah, I think 8 points isn't too alarming at this stage. Far from ideal, but probably also far from unlikely that two of the current top five will undergo some sort of meltdown between now and the end of the season. Lots of questions to be asked about the depth of Liverpool and Spurs' squads, and Arsenal are always liable to do an Arsenal. City and Chelsea are hardly made of teflon either.

If the swing is to happen it probably has to happen soon though. If the gap stretches to 12 points or more things will begin to look very iffy. I think Man Utd play Spurs in a few weeks as well, so that could be a huge game.

RE: Mourinho though, I agree it might be hard to find someone who is objectively better, but it might come to the point where, due to him being a colossal ****, his aggregate value might no longer be in the positive, meaning he becomes more hassle than he's worth. That said, I'd still be surprised if he was sacked, but I could see it happening.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

In 2011/12 City were 8 points behind United with 6 games to play. Wake up you spuds.

 

[Niall]

Yeah, I think 8 points isn't too alarming at this stage. Far from ideal, but probably also far from unlikely that two of the current top five will undergo some sort of meltdown between now and the end of the season. Lots of questions to be asked about the depth of Liverpool and Spurs' squads, and Arsenal are always liable to do an Arsenal. City and Chelsea are hardly made of teflon either.

If the swing is to happen it probably has to happen soon though. If the gap stretches to 12 points or more things will begin to look very iffy. I think Man Utd play Spurs in a few weeks as well, so that could be a huge game.

RE: Mourinho though, I agree it might be hard to find someone who is objectively better, but it might come to the point where, due to him being a colossal ****, his aggregate value might no longer be in the positive, meaning he becomes more hassle than he's worth. That said, I'd still be surprised if he was sacked, but I could see it happening.

I wonder when Diego says enough is enough with Madrid?

Some good posts in this thread, and while United are easier on the eye than LVG the results have been pretty underwhelming.They still may not qualify from a very mediocre Europa League group and are falling away from the top 4 despite what I consider a reasonably kind run of fixtures. Lets see how they handle Everton, Spurs and Zorya all very important fixtures in the next few weeks.

 

[Uppercut]

Dunno whether we want a win at Zorya. No European games has been a huge advantage this past few years but the damage might have already been done. Still, it's about as far from a 'huge' game as you can get. Closer to must-lose than must-win.

 

[Furball]

On Pardew, I think his time is up as well. He is such a strange case though. His career has basically all been severe peaks and troughs. His teams either look really really good or really really bad. There never seems to be any middle ground, but it's almost systematic. His start with Newcastle was fantastic, made them into a side which was literally on the brink of qualifying for the Champion's League, only for them to go totally down the pan. I think he won 10 of his first 11 matches with Palace as well, and they looked really good for a while, and now they are in the mire as well.

Pretty amusing really, because the guy is a disingenuous arsehole as far as I'm concerned, but his record is pretty remarkable in some ways.

Palace were level on points with Spurs on Boxing Day last year.

 

[Uppercut]

Yeah, I think 8 points isn't too alarming at this stage. Far from ideal, but probably also far from unlikely that two of the current top five will undergo some sort of meltdown between now and the end of the season. Lots of questions to be asked about the depth of Liverpool and Spurs' squads, and Arsenal are always liable to do an Arsenal. City and Chelsea are hardly made of teflon either.

If the swing is to happen it probably has to happen soon though. If the gap stretches to 12 points or more things will begin to look very iffy. I think Man Utd play Spurs in a few weeks as well, so that could be a huge game.

RE: Mourinho though, I agree it might be hard to find someone who is objectively better, but it might come to the point where, due to him being a colossal ****, his aggregate value might no longer be in the positive, meaning he becomes more hassle than he's worth. That said, I'd still be surprised if he was sacked, but I could see it happening.

Yeah I think it's maybe similar to Martinez at Everton. His new ideas complement the basics at first, so the team improves, but in time the players forget the basics and the team becomes incredibly loose. The terrible set piece defending and inability to hold on to a lead look exactly like Everton last year.

 

[vcs]

Man Utd. haven't been able to beat the teams above them, and they've huffed and puffed to put away the teams below them. Sure, an 8-point gap can be made up, but there's a reason the gap exists in the first place, and it's because the teams above them are better than they are.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

In 2011/12 City were 8 points behind United with 6 games to play. Wake up you spuds.

Bit of a difference a good side turning a points gap round to a side in a couple of years rut suddenly becoming amazing when they lack pace in the side in important areas.

 

[vic_orthdox]

Surely Mourinho gets more than a year with them?

 

[Ikki]

"Probably gone" is too far. An 8-point swing over 25 games is fairly common.

Don't see the point of sacking Mourinho for not getting 4th. Can't think who we could get that's better.

For teams that are challenging, yeah I can see it because they're good enough to go on a run to make up that difference. For a team that's likely to finish around 6th, I don't think they have the consistency. And there is too much off field nonsense that is gonna inhibit United getting the kind of momentum that'll see them do it.

Man Utd. haven't been able to beat the teams above them, and they've huffed and puffed to put away the teams below them. Sure, an 8-point gap can be made up, but there's a reason the gap exists in the first place, and it's because the teams above them are better than they are.

Yep, if anything, I see the gap getting bigger. I'll take 3 month avatar bets...United aren't making top 4.

 

[Niall]

Dunno whether we want a win at Zorya. No European games has been a huge advantage this past few years but the damage might have already been done. Still, it's about as far from a 'huge' game as you can get. Closer to must-lose than must-win.

Yeah Europa league can be a drag, but ultimately Champions League football is essential and at the moment its hard to see them qualifying for the Champions League by getting in the top 4.

Beggars can't be choosers etc.

 

[Uppercut]

Yep, if anything, I see the gap getting bigger. I'll take 3 month avatar bets...United aren't making top 4.

That's clearly a terrible bet because everyone agrees their chances of finishing top 4 are under 50%. I'll bet that we finish the season with more points-per-game than we have at the moment, though.