*Official* English Football Season 2016-17

[cpr]

Celtic at home on New Year's Eve. Carnage awaits.

Well that was planned amazingly by someone....

 

[Scaly piscine]

So Sept 10th, Jose v Pep round 1.

Meanwhile, utd have back to back North London trips in May, talk about a horrid run in (though we do finish with Palace at home)

Select Utd games
Sat Aug 13 A.F.C. Bournemouth A
Sat Sep 10 Manchester City H
Sat Sep 24 Leicester City H
Sat Oct 15 Liverpool A
Sat Oct 22 Chelsea A
Sat Nov 19 Arsenal H
Sat Jan 14 Liverpool H
Sat Feb 4 Leicester City A
Sat Feb 25 Manchester City A
Sat Apr 15 Chelsea H
Sat May 6 Arsenal A
Sat May 13 Tottenham Hotspur A
Sun May 21 Crystal Palace H

Liverpool/Chelsea away back to back too.. Couple of run killers there, especially those in May....

Well you have to play them all at some point and if there's a time when you want to play the CDMs and the Spuds, then it has to be when they're in full on bottle/tilt mode at the end of the season.

 

[GIMH]

I see Furball gets to enjoy one of my all time favourite defenders next season

 

[Furball]

Well that was planned amazingly by someone....

Tbf a New Year fixture is tradition, amd the Saturday is the 31st, wouldn't be surprised if it was moved to the Monday.

 

[Magrat Garlick]

Ancelotti on how transfers work.

(Not hugely controversial to most posters in the thread I'm guessing, but still thought it interesting as an input on how to judge managers)

 

[sledger]

Interesting stuff. What's that an excerpt from? His autobiography?

 

[Magrat Garlick]

Yup, he's just published it

(so yes that was successful PR work as well)

 

[grecian]

Eamonn Dolan passed away, big part of Exeter's recovery. Was never the player he could have been because cancer treatments, but was a whole-hearted and cheerful advocate off the pitch and chose to manage us at our lowest ebb,

Top bloke too, talked to him a fair few times in the Centre Spot.

RIP, and **** cancer.

 

[Furball]

Ancelotti on how transfers work.

(Not hugely controversial to most posters in the thread I'm guessing, but still thought it interesting as an input on how to judge managers)

Would be interesting to see how that compares with someone like Mourinho or van Gaal.

 

[Cabinet96]

Would've bought Carlo's book by now if it was available in paperback.

 

[GIMH]

Cheapskate

 

[Cabinet96]

I'd actually pay more for paperback tbh. Just prefer them.

 

[Magrat Garlick]

Would be interesting to see how that compares with someone like Mourinho or van Gaal.

Yeah Van Gaal wants total control of everything down to the colour shade of the sidelines doesn't he? No wonder everyone starts to hate him after about three seconds.

In the rest of the world, that kind of leadership probably went out with Stalin.

 

[GIMH]

It's starting to creep in in lower league football too. We don't involve the manager in contract talks and have a 'head of academy and recruitment'

Makes sense tbh but it has to be a balance. Who was the guy at Spurs and Liverpool who signed a bunch of players that didn't fit the way their managers played?

 

[Furball]

Damien Comolli.

IIRC his recruitment at Spurs wasn't the worst. Bale and Modric were both recruited by him, as were Suarez and Henderson at Liverpool.

 

[Furball]

Yeah Van Gaal wants total control of everything down to the colour shade of the sidelines doesn't he? No wonder everyone starts to hate him after about three seconds.

In the rest of the world, that kind of leadership probably went out with Stalin.

There's a story going about that he didn't like the fact that Luca Toni wasn't sitting up straight at lunchtime, so after shouting at him to sit up to no effect, promptly marched over, grabbed Toni by the collar and sat him up straight.

Mentalist. Advocaat was famous for it at Rangers, fell out with Gabriel Amato because he didn't wear black boots.

 

[GIMH]

Damien Comolli.

IIRC his recruitment at Spurs wasn't the worst. Bale and Modric were both recruited by him, as were Suarez and Henderson at Liverpool.

You're a fan of Henderson I take it?

Yeah that's the guy anyway. Could spot a player but brought his fair share of duds in too.

 

[Furball]

You're a fan of Henderson I take it?

Yeah that's the guy anyway. Could spot a player but brought his fair share of duds in too.

He hasn't turned out too badly. He's no world beater but he's been a fairly solid player for Liverpool when the consensus 6 months after he'd signed was that he was a total dud.

Comolli brought in a few duds at Spurs and Liverpool but every single manager makes signings that don't work out.

 

[GIMH]

Fair point mate but Stewart Downing

Anyway, largely agree on Henderson. Not sure he's who Liverpool need to go to the next level but given he was seen as a laughing stock four years ago (Hodgson took him the Euros to mass indifference) he's done okay

 

[Pothas]

He is just fine. That is about it.