2019/20 Soccer Thread

slazev wrote:

Then why did he refuse to leave? He's asking for trouble.
A guy who didn't try to learn Spanish to better integrate with the team for how long? 5 years? He's got no sympathy from me.

He didn’t refuse to leave. He was going to go for a massive pay day in China. It was all agreed with Bale, the club and Zidane but then Real president blocked it because it was a free transfer. Not Bale’s fault.

As for not learning the lingo - let’s be honest, he’s far from the only player (or manager) who’s failed to learn the language at a foreign club. It’s hardly the end of the world. Learning a foreign language is also bloody hard.

Yeah, Bale isn't blameless in this, but Real are nowhere near the victims.

It'd be pretty easy for him to leave if he'd be willing to take a massive pay cut, right? It's an interesting question, because he certainly can't be developing much at Real Madrid with so little play time, but getting playing time means leaving and accepting less money.

The China solution was perfect (playing time and money), kind of silly for Real Madrid to not take that given what Bale is costing them in salary. If I were Bale and Real Madrid blocked my move like that, I'd probably be equally disinterested.

But his contract doesn't end until 2022, at which point he'll be 32 and pretty much on the backend of his peak, if not past it. Crazy that he'll not play for almost all of his prime years. Such a waste.

Well, yes and no. I mean, he played in 42 games in all competitions last year and was Man of the Match in the Champions League final the year before that (and scored the goals that won Madrid the Copa del Rey and the Champions League in 2014). So I feel like it's incorrect to call his career a waste while also feeling like there's still a good bit of unrealized potential that's been left on the sidelines.

Meanwhile, we'll see how this goes for Mou as apparently Spurs ain't got no money.

José Mourinho has been told that he will have to work with Tottenham’s existing squad as there is no money for an overhaul in January. The manager, who has taken over from Mauricio Pochettino on a three-and-a-half-year contract, has entered the role with his eyes open as to the financial realities at the club and it was noticeable that on Wednesday evening he talked up the players he has inherited. Mourinho also claimed he was looking forward to working with the academy players. It was also reported that during negotiations to take the manager’s job, Mourinho told the chairman, Daniel Levy, that Harry Kane must not be sold next summer.

Spurs must make big repayments on their new stadium and, with Champions League revenues so important, Mourinho has been asked to regain a place among the Premier League’s top four. Before his first game at West Ham on Saturday lunchtime, the team lag 14th in the table, 11 points behind fourth-placed Manchester City. They have played 12 matches of the league season.

“It’s a privilege when a manager goes to a club and feels that happiness in relation to the squad that he’s going to have,” Mourinho said. “These are not words of the moment. They are not words of me being the Tottenham head coach. These are words that I’ve told and I’ve repeated in the last three, four, five years – even as an opponent.

^ Fair enough, for sure, on Bale. Good points!

So Mourinho is fine that he's not getting new players, eh?

Hmmmmm...

I can see that working well until he starts losing matches because he doesn't like a particular player's performance, or some key players get hurt and they lose because the second tier isn't good enough.

3.5 year contract.

I'm enjoying this. So much.

Hey Mou... Zlatan is on a free.

MY GOD YES

Mr Bismarck wrote:

Hey Mou... Zlatan is on a free.

I want this so bad. Also means he would score a brace vs Arsenal.

jowner wrote:
Mr Bismarck wrote:

Hey Mou... Zlatan is on a free.

I want this so bad. Also means he would score a brace vs Arsenal.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA*gasp*HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Prederick wrote:
jowner wrote:
Mr Bismarck wrote:

Hey Mou... Zlatan is on a free.

I want this so bad. Also means he would score a brace vs Arsenal.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA*gasp*HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Who knew that new 1B stadium was for a circus permanent residence.

This is so amazing. Besides Zlatan beating Arsenal.

Football manager is very quick indeed.

IMAGE(https://i.redd.it/pleiy31mge041.png)

They've really gotta call time on Emery soon, although I don't know who they bring in. It seems like the toxicity levels at the Emirates right now are just nuts.

Fat Sam is perfect for Arsenal.

You're just here to suggest maximum chaos at all times, aren't you?

(Please continue.)

As one of GWJ's two (that I've noticed) Spurs fans, I apologize for having neglected this thread during a critical period. My thoughts:

I love Poch and always will, but it seems like he had lost the team. I went from wanting him to manage forever to feeling like something needed to change. It's easier to make one change than, say, eleven. I'm legit sad that I'll never sing "He's magic, you know" again. I hope Poch gets a great job and wins every match that isn't against Tottenham.

I hated Mourinho during his time at ManU, which team of course I also hate, as all sensible people do. However, I have really enjoyed his work as an analyst. He's got a great mind for the game, he clearly wanted the job; I think it's very interesting that Levy went for a high-priced, premiere option.

I'm on board and interested in seeing what happens.

You'll probably love him at first, and want to see him thrown off a pier at the end. The Mourinho experience.

Meanwile, not a great day to be a River Plate fan.

Yeeee-owch.

In among all the Spurs admiration, West Ham were abysmal. They made it very easy.

That said I get the distinct impression the Spurs players were very glad to have someone fresh in charge. We’ll have to wait and see how Mourwhino gets on, but there is a long way to go yet.

I must say Alli for one seems to be ‘relieved’ that Pochettino is gone.

Liverpool seem to have learned the skill of winning even when playing badly. Of all the skills you need to win the league, it’s probably one of the best.

Oh, and that VAR decision in City-Chelsea. Stop. Just stop.

From Twitter:

IMAGE(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EKGBc4sWoAEnxv-?format=png&name=900x900)

Thing Wenger would want back in?

Prederick wrote:

Oh, and that VAR decision in City-Chelsea. Stop. Just stop.

Yeah it's kinda hard to argue against that

So, who's the next Premier League manager to get fired? So many possibilities!

I'll go with Silva at Everton.

Fedaykin98 wrote:

As one of GWJ's two (that I've noticed) Spurs fans, I apologize for having neglected this thread during a critical period. My thoughts:

I love Poch and always will, but it seems like he had lost the team. I went from wanting him to manage forever to feeling like something needed to change. It's easier to make one change than, say, eleven. I'm legit sad that I'll never sing "He's magic, you know" again. I hope Poch gets a great job and wins every match that isn't against Tottenham.

I hated Mourinho during his time at ManU, which team of course I also hate, as all sensible people do. However, I have really enjoyed his work as an analyst. He's got a great mind for the game, he clearly wanted the job; I think it's very interesting that Levy went for a high-priced, premiere option.

I'm on board and interested in seeing what happens.

I think Mourinho is a despicable character. A mercenary in every sense of the word. Enjoy your two and a half seasons with him because he'll leave the dressing room in tatters when he departs.

Still finding this "Sheffield are in the European places" thing massively confusing.

Prederick wrote:

Still finding this "Sheffield are in the European places" thing massively confusing.

Even in Elite sport (more probably, it's the defining characteristic of winners in Elite Sport!) the desire to win and willingness to sacrifice pretty everything to that goal will trump "talent" (for want of a better word).

Sheffield United kinda embody that in the Premier league this season, as Burnley have done before them, and Huddersfield the first season they went up. You only have to look at Spurs to understand that the margins in the Premier League aren't as much as a lot of people think they are for a lot of the teams. Exceptional talent helps (obviously!) but for the rest if you are fighting for your team and laying it all the line it'll get you a long way. Whether or not it's sustainable god knows, but Sheffield fully deserve their place at the moment. On the other hand they should have won that game - for a 10 minute period they were shot and Man United took full advantage - that's what talent gets you even when not playing to the best of your ability (something Liverpool are taking to extremes at the moment). I doubt they'll still be there by the end of the season but - well, you never know

Prederick wrote:

Still finding this "Sheffield are in the European places" thing massively confusing.

I started googling Premier Manager 3 after reading your post, and appreciate the Monday morning nostialgia-induced endorphin hit.

Oh I am here for this channel, especially because they don't appear to talk down to fans.

Apparently there are Phil Neville to Everton rumours?

Would be nice for the Lionesses to hire a coach who's at least mediocre. So much talent there being wasted by a bad coach with the ego of Mourinho.

Phil Neville at Everton would be one of the more entertaining car crash managerial appointments in Premier League history. Let’s be honest, I’d love to see it for all the wrong reasons!