Greenlizard0 Weekend Football Thread ** spoilers ** [23rd - 28th November 2018]

BaZ87 said:
Moaning or stating? Or are you going to deny that Arsenal haven't benefited from major decisions in almost all of their last 4-5 games?
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Yes, but you say it like it's their fault. All teams benefit from dodgy decisions at some points throughout the season. Until VAR kicks in we just have to live with it and not use it to take away from teams victories all the time.
 
robfosters said:
Yes, but you say it like it's their fault. All teams benefit from dodgy decisions at some points throughout the season. Until VAR kicks in we just have to live with it and not use it to take away from teams victories all the time.
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Where did I say it was anyone's fault? I said Arsenal haven't half had some luck this season, you're agreeing with me so why are you getting upset about it?

You're right, all teams will get decisions go for (and against) them across the season but I can't think of any other side that have had as many as Arsenal have so far this season.
 
Great defending from Mkhitaryan with that last ditch tackle, on himself.

He's trash, always has been, always will be.
 
I was actually at Old Trafford yesterday and sorry to report that it's even more painful to watch than it is on tv. From the very start where Lukaku ambled onto the pitch as if still wearing headphones and chillin' to some soul beats the tone was set. The first half was awful. Of all the players I'd give Lingard 6/10 because he was the only one who looked interested. well him and Ashley Young who at least tried some forward momentum. Pogba peacocked around pitch occasionally surrendering possession in his customary style. I reckon he played one decent pass in the whole half but it was pretty basic all the same. The only time a bit of passion was shown was when Lingard took a ball going backwards in our half and flicked it forward towards Matic who clearly was not anticipating anything resembling an offensive play and stood static as Meyer nipped in and nicked the ball. That precipitated a row between Lingard and Matic - the only show of temper in the match really.

The second half was marginally better but there was an astounding lack of quality on display. I mean really this was an awful game to watch. Lindelof was arguably our best player. He seems to be gaining a degree of confidence and was at least urging the team forward. Mourinho was cutting a seething figure on the touchline. You could almost see the rage boiling up in him but no, it didn't boil over. Ambivalence almost, from the crowd the players and the manager. The vanguard of subs was completely ineffective and what little shape the team had was lost forever. Pogba skulked off and the crowd seemed relieved almost that he and they were spared any further humiliation. The guy next to me says " when you think you are that good then you at least should play halfway decent!"They deserved no more than a draw and tbh Palace were gash.

As I said only Young, Lindelof and Lingard could emerge with any credit at all. Sanchez did his usual ie nothing, Lukaku was so bad I cannot believe it. Martial genuinely did not look interested. Even Andy Ritchie who i bumped into at half time said as much.

My mate and pondered where Mourinho goes next with this team on the 3 hour drive home. Its hard to offer any hope because the performance really offered nothing that you could even say was something to build around. It's hard to pinpoint where the footballing cancer originates from but it has spread and I wonder if we are at a point where treatment should be withdrawn.....sigh
 
Wolves being found out at last, all that hype they were getting at the start of the season they aren't good. Jimenez in particular is a genuine shocker.

2 nil down to the worst side in the league.
 
Calpol said:
My mate and pondered where Mourinho goes next with this team on the 3 hour drive home. Its hard to offer any hope because the performance really offered nothing that you could even say was something to build around. It's hard to pinpoint where the footballing cancer originates from but it has spread and I wonder if we are at a point where treatment should be withdrawn.....sigh
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I'm about sick of it to be honest. Mourinho on a weekly basis moans about his players on and off the pitch, he has no idea how to fix this. He is actively sowing seeds of disharmony because his methods don't work any more.

Sure we'll win the odd game due to some players being able to create moments of magic, but in terms of a style of play, there is nothing there.

It can't be allowed to go on. For all the faults of the club hierarchy and the squad, a different manager could be getting much more out of these players, zero doubt.
 
Robbo said:
I'm about sick of it to be honest. Mourinho on a weekly basis moans about his players on and off the pitch, he has no idea how to fix this. He is actively sowing seeds of disharmony because his methods don't work any more.

Sure we'll win the odd game due to some players being able to create moments of magic, but in terms of a style of play, there is nothing there.

It can't be allowed to go on. For all the faults of the club hierarchy and the squad, a different manager could be getting much more out of these players, zero doubt.
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Trouble is, how do you motivate these multi-millionaires, on a multi-million pound wage?

They've already got their FO money and then some.

And with prized footballers being more valued than managers these days, it's no wonder some ex-footballers don't want to go into management, Peter Schmeichel being the most recent I read about.

Like the above poster alluded to, some players seem more interested in listening to their music or being worried about how many likes or followers they have on social media, than about, you know, actually being motivated about playing their next opponent.
 
Robbo said:
I suppose the answer to that question is that every other top level manager has the same problem.
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Exactly. Mourinho is always having problems with issues other managers deal with as well. Players not focussed? Footballers used to kill time drinking and gambling between games and training. Do Pep, Klopp or Pochettino have issues motivating their players?

Lack of quality? He has good players and he has spent half a billion on players. Pochettino has spent a pittance in the same period and look at Spurs.

Effort levels? The players are still putting in the effort for the most part but they have no structure or plan to their play. Asking players to run for the sake of running will never work. Every top team is tactically astute in defence and when they attack. We are neither.

His man management skills are frankly embarrassing. He criticises the youngsters in the team while Matic and Lukaku are apparently performing perfectly. It’s almost like he will only criticise players he didn’t buy...

Sooner he is out of the club the better but we need wholesale changes. Mourinhos just the manifestation of all that’s wrong with the club.
 
Too many good players becoming rot, along with players who are just not good enough. He has to go, he's sinking the whole club and we seem to be blindly following him into the sea.

Edit - I reckon we can get a maximum of another 15 points this year (Southampton, Fulham, Bournemouth, Cardiff & Huddersfield), which would leave us on 36 points. Using my super scientific method, I reckon it will play out something like this (remaining fixtures, likely points):

City - >18 points, 53 points
Liverpool - >15 points, 48 points
Chelsea - >15 points, 43 points
Spurs - >12 points, 42 points
Arsenal - >12 points, 39 points
Everton - >12 points, 34 points

So pipping Everton is the bare minimum. Arsenal might be achievable but I am not hopeful and a top 4 finish this year seems very unlikely as we would need to get a couple more wins (against Arsenal & Liverpool) than Spurs with the loose predictions above.
 
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Unless we get rid of Mourinho ASAP we ain't getting top 4. At the current rate we won't be in the EL. Mourinho is self destructing as usual and making sure his own fragile ego can tell itself that it was his players, Ed Woodward and anyone but himself.

I just hope the club has realised the need for wholesale changes to the way the club operates from top to bottom. Years pass by quickly and if we aren't careful we will suddenly lose all these sponsors that are the only thing the club seems to care about. Another 3-4 years of this crap and we will become irrelevant in football for a long time.
 
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