2013-14 Football ("Soccer") Thread

[nightwanker]

___
2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil
http://board.freeones.com/showthread.php?753558-2014-FIFA-World-Cup-Brazil

 

[Mr_Stiffy]

Thursday 02 January 2014
Clubs open for business in January transfer window.

Here are the fun and games of the window so far.

Notable Premier League domestic transfers
Nikica Jelavic - Everton to Hull - Loan
He isn't getting a game at Everton, and I think this is ambitious by Hull. Fair play to them, he's a decent acquisition.

Shane Long - West Brom to Hull - up to £7m including add-ons
Don't understand this one. I thought West Brom loved him, and it's kind of a sideways move for the player.

Stephen Ireland - Villa to Stoke - Undisclosed
Understandable. He's been on loan there seemingly forever. I know Villa need players with some fight, but Ireland can be disruptive when he doesn't get his way.

Grant Holt - Wigan to Villa - Loan
After his hold-up play today, I won't write what I might have done about him and Benteke being too similar. Only a loan, that surprises me.

Ryan Bertrand - Chelsea to Villa - Loan
I've been saying for 18 months Villa need some experience, and nothing will faze this lad. He's played in a Champions League final. Good signing.

Roger Johnson - Wolves to West Ham - Loan
Loan is optimistic for Wolves, they've got the same chance of keeping Johnson as QPR have of getting Remy back. Although saying that, Rog is on for four relegations in a row, previously going down in consecutive seasons with Wolves (x2) and Blues.

Notable International -> Premier League transfers in
Nemanja Matic - Chelsea - £22m
Well, they were proven foolish for letting him go in the first place.

Notable Premier League -> International transfers out
Kevin de Bruyne - Chelsea to Wolfsburg - £17m
Jose didn't buy him, and clearly has never wanted him. Matic was the man he wanted, which freed de Bruyne up to go look for a game elsewhere.

Jermain Defoe - Spurs to Toronto FC - £6m (to go through 28/02)
Sadly agreed in principal before Tim Sherwood took the reigns at Spurs and could persuade him to stay. I went to the Palace game, and nearly sang myself hoarse when he came on. When he scored, I had tears in my eyes. I bought a special commemorative scarf baring his likeness. A true club legend.

Bryan Ruiz - Fulham to PSV - Loan
Fulham need players for the fight, and Ruiz is one that's looked like a passenger for a while.

Anderson - Man United to Fiorentina - Loan
The loan amuses me, Anderson is never going to become the player United want, need, or thought they were going to get. Surely "Nani and Anderson to replace Giggs and Scholes" was one of the biggest misjudgments ever. I won't lie, I think Anderson's a prick, and I hope I never have to see him dancing a jig like a complete arsehole after scoring ever again. Seemed to save his goals for Tottenham too. Prick.

Notable International transfer news
Keisuke Honda, one of the most sought-after free agents in football after his contract ran out at CSKA, moved to Milan. He himself started brightly scoring on his first start, but he'll have got a wake-up call in his first sub appearance when Milan lost to Sassuolo - sorry lad, in 2014, Milan are toss.

Robert Lewandowski, one of the most of the most talked-about players of last summer's window, will leave Dortmund for Bayern on a free on 1st July. Klopp must be kicking himself that he didn't get some cash for the Polish striker when he had chance. As a lifelong Bayern fan, throughout all the speculation concerning the player, this was always the obvious move.



Still no news on Ronaldo coming back to Man United, Chopper.

 

[Chopper3000]

I expect Moyes to use his alleged £150M war chest to buy up the Everton team.

 

[tartanterrier]

The best thing they could do is get rid of Moyes, and bring someone in who isn't out of their depth.

 

[Mr_Stiffy]

The best thing they could do is get rid of Moyes, and bring someone in who isn't out of their depth.

The best thing they can do is see how he gets on next season, with a team where he's actually had some say in the signings - and I mean proper signings, not January panic buys - as opposed to the team he has now, which is mostly still Ferguson's men, and Fellaini who Woodward only bought in a flap when he failed to land Fabregas, Özil or Modric.

You don't crow about the importance of longevity so publicly and then sack a guy for a bad transitional season with the deadwood they're carrying. The club has already made it clear he will still be at the helm in the summer no matter what, (the official line from Woodward was "even if we finish 6th" but I think that was just a metaphor for "no matter what") and in the summer is when he will be judged, as it is expected that he will have far more influence in the players that United approach. 14-15 will be a truer indication of what “David Moyes’ Manchester United” will actually look like going forward, and personally speaking, I’m fascinated at the thought of what calibre player the club will be able to attract, especially if they have neither the cache of “come play for Sir Alex Ferguson” OR Champions League football to offer. But that's putting the cart before the horse, since the gap between them and Liverpool (currently 4th) is a mere 6 points with lots to play for.

 

[tartanterrier]

The best thing they can do is see how he gets on next season, with a team where he's actually had some say in the signings - and I mean proper signings, not January panic buys - as opposed to the team he has now, which is mostly still Ferguson's men, and Fellaini who Woodward only bought in a flap when he failed to land Fabregas, Özil or Modric.

You don't crow about the importance of longevity so publicly and then sack a guy for a bad transitional season with the deadwood they're carrying. The club has already made it clear he will still be at the helm in the summer no matter what, (the official line from Woodward was "even if we finish 6th" but I think that was just a metaphor for "no matter what") and in the summer is when he will be judged, as it is expected that he will have far more influence in the players that United approach. 14-15 will be a truer indication of what “David Moyes’ Manchester United” will actually look like going forward, and personally speaking, I’m fascinated at the thought of what calibre player the club will be able to attract, especially if they have neither the cache of “come play for Sir Alex Ferguson” OR Champions League football to offer. But that's putting the cart before the horse, since the gap between them and Liverpool (currently 4th) is a mere 6 points with lots to play for.

I think they should wait till the end of the season and see how it goes, but I think he's done enough to damage their reputation already. Maybe if they get a decent run in the CL, then it might be enough to convince new Man U players to go there and play for Moyes. But I think if the likes of Rooney & Van Persie go elsewhere in the summer then the writings on the wall....that Moyes is simply just a good manager with semi decent players, rather than a manager who is a great manager with great players.So for a club as big as Man U, that simply isn't good enough.

I think the main question for Man U fans is who would they have in as a replacement,if Moyes shown the door in the summer.

 

[Mr_Stiffy]

I think the main question for Man U fans is who would they have in as a replacement,if Moyes shown the door in the summer.

Who would trust the board after seeing them stab Moyes in the back after telling him his job was safe even if he had a poor first year? Nobody with sense.

 

[Chopper3000]

I'm fine with Moyes. However the same thing this time next year I may have a different opinion. He has the hardest job in footy replacing SAF so it was never going to be a piece of cake.

 

[Mr_Stiffy]

Yup. Things take time.....

"United will never win anything while he's the manager." I hope the tenner was worth it for Brian Marriott, if somebody's told him thousands of footie fans now think he's a wally.

 

[tartanterrier]

Who would trust the board after seeing them stab Moyes in the back after telling him his job was safe even if he had a poor first year? Nobody with sense.

Football is a funny old game, so expect the unexpected.I think loyalties will go out the window though, especially if they get humped out of the Capital One Cup by the blue half of Manchester.Will that be the last straw for the board and indeed the supporters :dunno:

 

[Mr_Stiffy]

I think loyalties will go out the window though, especially if they get humped out of the Capital One Cup by the blue half of Manchester.

WOAH! Steady. They've got to beat Sunderland first!

I actually have the strangest notion that should Cristiano finally win the Champions League with Real this season, he might come home to "save" United in the summer. That might be the one big signing they're still able to pull off even with a poor league position come May, driven not by footballing or financial reasons but personal egotism and love for the club.

 

[tartanterrier]

WOAH! Steady. They've got to beat Sunderland first!

How can it get anymore worse than that - a home knockout by the Mackems. Surely Moyes must have one foot in the grave now??

The Mata signing might improve things a bit at Old Trafford, and might even get them into next seasons Europe before June.Although that could depend on where Moyes plays him.

 

[Chopper3000]

We let Sunderland win to avoid being humiliated by Shitty in the final. Moyes is the chosen one. It will all piece together in due course.

 

[Mr_Stiffy]

Mourinho : Still amazing.

"Wenger complaining is normal, because he always does. It's something that we know. When a player plays for a club on August 20 and two weeks later on September 5 plays against the same club with a different shirt, this is normal, because this is the market.

"We don't do the market, we don't do the rules, we have just to do according to the rules. If Wenger sells Özil to Man United in this moment I would be very happy because he sells a very important player. Normally he should be happy that Chelsea sold a player like Juan Mata, but this is a little bit his nature. When he says this is not fair, I think what is not fair is that his team always has the best days to play."

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/jan/24/jose-mourinho-juan-mata-arsene-wenger

Should van Persie get fit, Januzaj-Rooney-Mata behind him with Carrick and Fletcher behind them sounds alright to me. £40m will seem decent business if Mata can help propel United from 7th to 4th and have Champions League football to offer potential new signings.

 

[Chopper3000]

I'd always have Tony V in the side.

 

[Mr_Stiffy]

I'd always have Tony V in the side.

Wowzers. In terms of the Man Utd fans I (sort of) converse with, I think that puts you in a category of one. A few of my mates have proper given up on him. Even though I personally thought he was aces against Bayer Never-losin.

 

[Chopper3000]

Wowzers. In terms of the Man Utd fans I (sort of) converse with, I think that puts you in a category of one. A few of my mates have proper given up on him. Even though I personally thought he was aces against Bayer Never-losin.

I disagree, at O/T Tony V is as ever popular now as he ever was.

 

[Jimmy Nice]

I cant believe the Arsenal/Southampton draw yesterday.



Shameful.

 

[Mr_Stiffy]

I cant believe the Arsenal/Southampton draw yesterday.



Shameful.

Absolutely. Even Spurs beat Southampton.

 

[Jimmy Nice]

Absolutely. Even Spurs beat Southampton.

Ugh.


I hate having Man City breathing down "our" neck too...I hate them even more than Man U.

GO GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONERS!!!