Moneyball won't win the Premiership 2012-13

yeah, i agree with that. I despair at his team selections/substitutions on a weekly basis but by god he gets results

his legacy wont be crafted this way but in my eyes its totally built around how i just never saw idk ji sung park do much more than run a lot and like in one game he was there when someone slipped over so he got the ball and utd scored but really he didnt do much except win the league and cl.

evra = former best lb in the league, still talented
valencia = best winger in the league for 2nd half of last season
giggs = seldom starts now, squad filler
young = as a reserve winger, better than sinclair or moses

Wenger getting third place last year was of a similar ilk imo. I wonder to what extent those two have crippled themselves by letting their boards grow complacent? (and lord knows how their successors will be able to cope!)

doesn't matter that Giggs starts rarely, the fact that starts at all is damning. When we needed some dynamism in midfield he brought Scholes on and switched Giggs to the wing. Anderson got five minutes. It's baffling

Ahead of Saturday's trip to Norfolk, Ferguson is worried Norwich's physical tactics could lead to another difficult afternoon for United.

"They kept whacking in crosses to the big man up front for Norwich, Grant Holt," Ferguson said.

"Anthony Pilkington was wide left that day - he was here as a kid, as was David Fox of course. I remember David well but I don't remember Pilkington, he was in the academy.

ok nakh but that was obv aimed at the years of quinton fortunes and john o sheas etc. as much as at former best lb in the world patrice evra

there isn't really any mystery, when they have been good they have had areas of strength like vds/vidic/rio/evra of ronaldo/tevez/twp as well as seemingly limited players

it helps that ferguson provides continuity, so there isn't the same carousel of squad players there is at chelsea or man city -- remember ben haim/sidwell/belletti etc

and he is exceptionally good at all aspects of managing a squad of 20/25 players, giving each just enough playing time while preventing any from becoming too complacent

There's also a dynamic where a core of five or six great players can carry passengers to little negative effect. Liverpool broke theirs up by selling Xabi Alonso and not replacing him.

capello won the league with madrid in 2007 playing a central midfield of emerson and mahamadou diarra most of the time

something of a myth that successful teams need an entire first xi of top level players, irl maybe 5 or 6 is usually enough

ji-sung park and john o'shea might not look particularly driven playing for shit teams at the age of 31 after they have had long careers at united, but they would have been standout players for upper-midtable teams if they had played there during their primes

someone let me know how harry avoids the motd question of taking us on, i'm not watching that shit again

btw lol at djib being possessed by the ghost of dioufy

@Djibrilcisse
@azzer93 if u wanna talk to me come to the training ground we ll have a chat big man. Sipson lane.hayes.harlington.UB3 5AQ when u feel like talking to me face to face just come monday tuesday thirsday or friday pick your day when ever you want big man

@Djibrilcisse
@MaxHill10 same for you if u wanna talk to me come to talk to me

note wednesday not mentioned

That just reads like a friendly invitation, you should take him up on it. Not Wednesdays though by the looks.

o sweet klats, how many more big men must rest in peace before you understand

motd's montage things at the beginning are bloody awful. didn't think it was possible to get those things wrong, but they do them so badly, and they don't half drag on. don't care about last season, show me an extra 60 seconds of glen johnson.

I wonder to what extent those two have crippled themselves by letting their boards grow complacent?

Thought this said 'beards'.

lads this isn anty clearer after ten dounle vodkzd

Fuck siralex "they've defended for their lives today". Yeah, because Man Utd were *so* good... Their best chance was Bassong nearly scoring an own goal.

Feel bad for Lambert though (can you tell I'm watching recorded MoTD?); Man City becoming a real bogey team for him. Think that's 16 goals conceded in 3 games against them...

Puncheon looking almost as good as Ronaldo from these highlights.

R/t/c Harry said it wouldn't be fair to comment on qpr job ie he'd take it if offered.

yeah just saw for myself. so blatant i'm wondering if the contract's not already signed

welcome to your spiritual home harry

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRaiiT3ZnJw

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Sport/Pix/columnists/2012/11/17/1353179911563/Emmanuel-Adebayor-008.jpg

do some of these people have their own red cards they brought just for this purpose?

maybe just the woman in the red coat.

MAN SENT OFF FOR LUNGE ON CATTERMOLE

STOP
FUCKING STOP
MOTD
STOP
THEY HAVE A FUCKING MJ STATUE
ITS FUCKING OLD
STOP
STOP WITH NAMING SONGS
YOU ARENT EVEN PUNNING PROPERLY
STOP

I can't face football any more what is happening to me

do some of these people have their own red cards they brought just for this purpose?

― mizzell, Sunday, November 18, 2012 3:43 PM (7 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

iirc it's a leaflet or something which is helpfully red and card-sized

just described a journo from the sunday people as anything other than joekz. motd2 is the worst.

it really is the pits. that oldies team at the end there was depressing too, trevor francis was 39 then??

I can't face football any more what is happening to me

― Ismael Klata, Sunday, 18 November 2012 22:36 (1 hour ago) Bookmark

bobby is that you?

Telegraph leading heavily with di Matteo to be sacked this week - it looks like inside knowledge but isn't backed up by other media, or by bookies. He's still 33/1 to be first manager to be axed, though in fairness Hughes is starting 90m down the course in that particular race.

can't believe di Matteo will go before Hughes or Mancini oh wait his boss is a crack-head

headline says he's about to be sacked, copy doesn't. standard procedure i suppose.

I suppose so. I guess I perceive the Telegraph as a Chelsea in-house journal, that's why I pay heed.

yeah i only noticed cos having read it i couldn't get the vibe that he's about to be sacked, but their homepage certainly suggests that. that's definitely true about the telegraph too.

have they changed the headline now?

http://img198.imageshack.us/img198/6829/picture1eue.png

no-one watching this?

Is it as one might imagine?

nice routine

http://cadfael.tv/image/src/1353358287666.gif

xp. first half was. flicked over to i'm a celebrity and gave the second a miss.

GNev with the Gareth Bale take down amused me.

"He maybe thinks he's at the stage of his career where he's a Robben or a Ronaldo where his teammates don't mind if he tracks back and can stay up the field trying to cause damage'

I've been away for a few weeks during which time Spurs appear to have lost everything. Am I right in thinking we've been shite since Dembele got injured?

It has made a difference yeah. Sandro has still been good but Thudd has overly convinced me. Missing BAE also. Dunno if you saw Saturday's game but you guys looked good until the sending off, although that happened so early that can't say for certain Spurs would have continued to look good.

Dempsey has been p terrible from what I've seen also. Actually though Adebayor was v good vs City and briefly vs Arsenal.

Thudd HASN'T overly convinced me.

exactly my thoughts. Gallas has been shite, naughton not good, walker not seen, bale ditto, lennon fits and starts, sigurdsson and dempsey not working in any formation we've yet tried, vertonghen leaves huge gaps when at lb. It's a bit of a mess.

And thudd has been awful. Properly awful.

Defoe's done well

started well, don't expect him to be involved with play but he keeps defenders wary and takes his shots. His play on the ball has been bad recently tho. Adebayor definitely the player for the role, if he's not going to be a cunt.

Lloris is gomes.