2018/19 Soccer Thread

juv3nal wrote:

Yeah I don't particularly care about the result at all. It's just how thin we are now at centre back due to injuries.

That is a bit of an issue. I wonder if Klopp has a Lovren replacement in mind and might bring that forward.

Chelsea are allegedly looking for a new striker to buy this January, and the rumors have them nearing a deal for...

....Gonzalo Higuain. He of the six-goals-this-season-and-is-31-and-appears-to-have-had-a-precipitous-drop-off.

I'd say it's a terrible idea, but Giroud doesn't score goals and Morata appears to be fundamentally broken somehow, so why not? Higuain had his absolute best season under Sarri, so it's probably worth a try, even if the price is likely going to be ridiculous.

Sorbicol wrote:
Prederick wrote:

Liverpool were going to have a wobble, so now we get to learn about if they're actually up for the title challenge.

You did see the team we fielded last night yes? That wasn’t a wobble, it was a calculated gamble by Klopp and a chance to check out some of the youngsters. I’m kinda disappointed we did make more of a go of it, but all things considered it’s not the end of the world. We’ll see how we go against Brighton at the weekend.

I think if you're alive for the League and Champions League at this point, you can't worry as much about the cups. They're nice, as someone whose team won the US Open Cup this year, but you have to pick your battles.

Prederick wrote:

Chelsea are allegedly looking for a new striker to buy this January, and the rumors have them nearing a deal for...

....Gonzalo Higuain. He of the six-goals-this-season-and-is-31-and-appears-to-have-had-a-precipitous-drop-off.

I'd say it's a terrible idea, but Giroud doesn't score goals and Morata appears to be fundamentally broken somehow, so why not? Higuain had his absolute best season under Sarri, so it's probably worth a try, even if the price is likely going to be ridiculous.

Does their loan deal not allow them to recall Tammy Abraham? It’s “only” the championship, sure, but 16 goals in 20 appearances is nothing to scoff at.

Nope.

For whatever reason, Sarri doesn't fancy him.

Arnautovic asks West Ham to let him move to China

Marko Arnautovic wants West Ham to accept the £35m bid from an unnamed Chinese club to allow him to “challenge for titles” but has been told he is not for sale.

The forward signed in July 2017 for £20m, plus an additional £5m in potential add-ons, and is West Ham’s joint-top scorer this season with eight goals in all competitions. Manuel Pellegrini on Thursday dismissed suggestions the 29-year-old could leave this month but having admitted in November the Austrian would like to test himself in the Champions League, Arnautovic’s brother Danijel, who also acts as his agent, released a statement which asks for them to allow him to move to the Chinese Super League.

“West Ham bought Marko for peanuts. They paid £20m for him, which is nothing in the current market,” read the statement. “They bought him to keep them in the Premier League last season and he did that. He took every award at the club; best player, signing of the season and the players’ award.

“Now West Ham have a fantastic offer. It is close to double what they paid for him. He wants to go to a new market and challenge for titles. This is what he wants. It is his great desire that West Ham accept the offer from China.”

Dude. Just say "West Ham is a club whose highest possible finish is 7th, and China offered us a literal truck full of money, please let me go."

Kinda surprised West Ham wouldn't cash in.... Unless it's actually not 35.

No point keeping a player against his will especially if you are profiting and are safe from promotion but not really in range of the euro spots.

I can see why they'd want to hang onto him though, because he's the only serious attacking threat they have, by far.

That said, if he wants to go, let him go, as this sounds like he's definitely going to throw a hissy fit and make a stink if they don't let him go.

Jack Clarke, who is just 18, at Leeds is currently tearing everyone apart, he is something speical this season and I can't wait for some midtable Premier League team to buy him and ruin his career.
Also "spygate" has Lampard all angry, while completely forgetting that during his team at Chelsea, they used to do it too. But this is "dirty" Leeds after all. Everyone hates us and we don't care.

Way to go, Hammers!

Fulham manage to lose 2-1 today, against a Burnley side who didn't have a single shot on target.

Really fear for them and Ranieri right now.

22 games played. 14 points. Five points from safety.

This is about as grim as it gets.

The difference in United (and Pogba's) play since Mourinho left is quite genuinely staggering.

Prederick wrote:

The difference in United (and Pogba's) play since Mourinho left is quite genuinely staggering.

I notice that you didn't say "surprising" there.

And three points at Tottenham.

I'm still surprised at how many people apparently beleive that having a garbage boss destroying morale in a workplace doesn't or shouldn't have any effect on employee production, despite all the evidence to the contrary.

Prederick wrote:

And three points at Tottenham.

I'm still surprised at how many people apparently beleive that having a garbage boss destroying morale in a workplace doesn't or shouldn't have any effect on employee production, despite all the evidence to the contrary.

It is crazy. I was just discussing with some co-workers that I feel people are looking more and more not just at the compensation and benefits a potential employer offers, but also at the culture.

The internet phenomena of EA Spouse and others helps to fuel this.

Prederick wrote:

And three points at Tottenham.

I'm still surprised at how many people apparently beleive that having a garbage boss destroying morale in a workplace doesn't or shouldn't have any effect on employee production, despite all the evidence to the contrary.

Having been through this so many times in my life, I'm not surprised at all

As a sidenote:

They f**king charge to let kids be mascots?

u can keep your prawn sandwiches, your camo-wrapped Bentleys and even the in-stadium fromagerie at the new White Hart Lane. The latest symbol of wretched excess in the world of the Premier League is the £700 charged by West Ham to the parents of the children who walk out of the tunnel alongside their players before a major home match.

What, you might have been forgiven for assuming, could be a better sign of the enduring connection between the top level of professional football and the innocent enthusiasm of children in the early stages of forming a bond with the game than the practice of inviting some of them to hold hands with players of worldwide renown and stratospheric earning power as they make their way on to the pitch? The players get some brief contact with the real world. For the children, there is a precious glimpse of the stadium from their heroes’ point of view, filled with noise and colour.

The discovery that some Premier League clubs sell the experience of walking on to the pitch before a big match enraged Gary Lineker, who tweeted: “This is awful – dreadful avarice”. He was right, and it will not have escaped his attention that Leicester, his home town club, where he started out and retains his affections, also charge mascots. True, they ask less than the £700 demanded by West Ham. Still, their fee is £600, which might put a bit of a dent in the image fostered since their miraculous title-winning season under a benevolent ownership.

NINE HUNDRED DOLLARS for your kid to walk out with the players from West Ham. I'd genuinely thought, for the longest time, that this was some kind of charity thing. Like, there's avarice, and then there's this.

There are a billion things fans really should kick up a gigantic storm about, but for some reason, this one really sticks out as offensive.

EDIT: Also, kudos to the Merseyside clubs for pointedly not doing this nonsense.

That’s Nine hundred pounds, not nine hundred dollars. So maybe around $1100 I think.

Not all clubs do it but a lot of the less, er, successful clubs do yes.

Am no matter how cynical you attempt to be about the influence of money on the modern game in the Premiership, you aren’t being cynical enough.

I'm surprised Mike Ashley hasn't made Newcastle mascots work a shifts at Sports Direct before they get on the pitch.

Here's thePremier League prices:
IMAGE(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Dv2heF-XcAYoobY.jpg:small)

Prederick wrote:

The difference in United (and Pogba's) play since Mourinho left is quite genuinely staggering.

But De Gea was the real MVP. I'll hate him for a week.

Well, they've got to pick the kids somehow. Would it be better if it were based off of good grades and conduct at school? Absolutely - and my kids would have a chance then, because no way in hell would I pay a thousand bucks for that experience.

However, charging for services often serves a critical role in identifying the people who really want or need something. If you make it, say, an open lottery, then everyone just tosses their names in a hat even if they aren't huge fans. Yes, everyone has the chance to win, but it's just as likely that someone who barely cares wins. Many parents would enter their kids in drawings with clubs they aren't even fans of - say, all the London clubs, not just their actual favorite.

Having some kind of barrier to entry forces people to ask themselves how badly they really want it. Of course, a club might be able to get the same amount of money by raffling the spots off for $10/ticket, if this is about making money. But it may not be - the club gets $11,000 (or twice that if they select the kids for both teams) per match of additional revenue. That's not a ton of dough in Premier League terms. It may simply be that they decided to sell the slots, and that's what the market determined they're worth.

I agree that this method looks bad, I'm just saying that it has the one virtue of identifying people who really, really want to do it. I'd be very curious to hear how the clubs who charge nothing select the kids. Again, I'd rather they be given free to kids who are somehow deserving or, at the least, superfans of the club. Maybe an essay contest?

David Wagner leaving Huddersfield. Hard to see a new manager doing much better with the paucity of premier league talent there.

Everton’s official mascots are chosen from a list of junior We Are Everton Members and Season Ticket Members between the ages of five and 12. Lucky members from this list will be chosen completely at random and then will be notified by mail.

It really is that simple; if your child is between the ages of five and 12 and is either a We Are Everton Member or Season Ticket Member then they are in with a chance of winning this magical, once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Price for the We Are Everton club are £10 / year for kids 4-11, and includes a bunch of stuff that'd really be only of interest to kids who care about the club.

Everton also do some great stuff for kids who are fans but might not otherwise be able to attend a match day.

Everton's method sounds pretty decent, and better than the "highest bidder" version that most clubs appear to be using.

Roke wrote:

David Wagner leaving Huddersfield. Hard to see a new manager doing much better with the paucity of premier league talent there.

Yeah, they appear to be regular doomed, rather than Fulham doomed.

Super interested to see how Tottenham will fare for a month without Kane.

Prederick wrote:
Roke wrote:

David Wagner leaving Huddersfield. Hard to see a new manager doing much better with the paucity of premier league talent there.

Yeah, they appear to be regular doomed, rather than Fulham doomed.

Super interested to see how Tottenham will fare for a month without Kane.

Yikes. and Son's still at the Asian Cup.

Why are Fulham buying Ryan Babel when their defence is the issue?

And Arsenal's head of recruitment is leaving already

However, after Gazidis left to take charge at AC Milan in September 2018, former head of football relations Raul Sanllehi was promoted to head of football, with Mislintat reporting directly to him.

According to club sources, Sanllehi, the former director of football at Barcelona, favoured a recruitment policy based on his extensive network of contacts throughout Europe, while Mislintat had been tasked by Gazidis to follow the kind of analytical and stats-based approach that saw 19-year-old midfielder Matteo Guendouzi join from French second-division club Lorient and 22-year-old Uruguay international Lucas Torreira arrive from Sampdoria.

That doesn't sound good to me.

The time without Kane & Son will be a real test. Hopefully Spurs can add some forwards in a hurry. Or discover that the Fab Four can at least temporarily replaced by L3: Lucas, Lamela, and Llorente.

Roke wrote:

Why are Fulham buying Ryan Babel when their defence is the issue?

IMAGE(https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/001/107/565/f71.gif)

Ryan Babel still plays? He's only 32? Wow.