The Swamp

Pruitt wrote: ↑Sun Mar 04, 2018 1:30 pm Arsenal is as close to Bournemouth as they are to Spurs. Comedy gold!

So...Wenger has to be gone at the end of the season, right?

DaveInSeattle wrote: ↑Sun Mar 04, 2018 2:14 pm

Pruitt wrote: ↑Sun Mar 04, 2018 1:30 pm Arsenal is as close to Bournemouth as they are to Spurs. Comedy gold!

So...Wenger has to be gone at the end of the season, right?

You'd figure. "Wenger Out" has become a global phenomenon among smart asses.

DaveInSeattle wrote: ↑Sun Mar 04, 2018 2:14 pm

Pruitt wrote: ↑Sun Mar 04, 2018 1:30 pm Arsenal is as close to Bournemouth as they are to Spurs. Comedy gold!

So...Wenger has to be gone at the end of the season, right?

You'd think so. He must have some serious dirt on the Board Members or Kroenke. My fear is they win the Europa League and that keeps Wenger another year or two. It's time. The game has changed, and Wenger hasn't.

Dele Alli faces his critics...

Love it, and that result.

Stolen taxi for Pardew

Baloney wrote: ↑Mon Apr 02, 2018 10:26 am Stolen taxi for Pardew

He'll be back - he's part of the carousel of mediocre premier league coaches. Pardew, Allardyce, Bruce, McCarthy, Pullis etc. etc.

Was outstanding in the '86 World Cup

http://www.bbc.com/sport/football/43644529

Baloney wrote: ↑Wed Apr 04, 2018 8:48 am Was outstanding in the '86 World Cup

http://www.bbc.com/sport/football/43644529

Hi, Mr. D.

Maybe letting Pogba run right down the middle of the defense unmolested isn't a good idea...

DaveInSeattle wrote: ↑Sat Apr 07, 2018 2:03 pm Maybe letting Pogba run right down the middle of the defense unmolested isn't a good idea...

Jose mourinho generally agrees with this.

govmentchedda wrote: ↑Sat Apr 07, 2018 1:58 pm Hi, Mr. D.

My favorite part was freaking out about where you clinch and running some key rested players ragged for 40 minutes. That was a good tactic.

For as much as I hate City, (a lot, but not nearly as much as Chelsea), I love Pep, and the way they play.

govmentchedda wrote: ↑Sat Apr 07, 2018 10:12 pm For as much as I hate City, (a lot, but not nearly as much as Chelsea), I love Pep, and the way they play.

Add Klopp/Liverpool to this and I concur.

Also, this:

Sabo wrote: ↑Sun Apr 08, 2018 7:21 am

govmentchedda wrote: ↑Sat Apr 07, 2018 10:12 pm For as much as I hate City, (a lot, but not nearly as much as Chelsea), I love Pep, and the way they play.

Add Klopp/Liverpool to this and I concur.

Also, this:

They were so dominant in the first half, that the old "missed chances could come back to haunt them" cliche wasn't even taken seriously. Sterling was positively Benteke-esque.

Tuesday's 2nd leg is an absolute must watch.

Sabo wrote: ↑Sun Apr 08, 2018 7:21 am

govmentchedda wrote: ↑Sat Apr 07, 2018 10:12 pm For as much as I hate City, (a lot, but not nearly as much as Chelsea), I love Pep, and the way they play.

Add Klopp/Liverpool to this and I concur.

Also, this:

Agree 100%. I love watching Liverpool. I get to see a lot of them, as they're my soccer watching friend's favorite team.

Raheem Sterling runs like Velma from 'Scooby Doo'

govmentchedda wrote: ↑Sun Apr 08, 2018 10:53 am

Sabo wrote: ↑Sun Apr 08, 2018 7:21 am

govmentchedda wrote: ↑Sat Apr 07, 2018 10:12 pm For as much as I hate City, (a lot, but not nearly as much as Chelsea), I love Pep, and the way they play.

Add Klopp/Liverpool to this and I concur.

Also, this:

Agree 100%. I love watching Liverpool. I get to see a lot of them, as they're my soccer watching friend's favorite team.

Have to add Spurs as well. They are really fun to watch.

I love Spurs.

I absolutely hate Erik Lamela. Put Son in NOW!

Is Mo Salah's nickname "The Pharoh"? Because if its not, someone is doing it wrong.

DaveInSeattle wrote: ↑Tue Apr 24, 2018 11:27 am Is Mo Salah's nickname "The Pharoh"? Because if its not, someone is doing it wrong.

yes but I think that is the nickname for the Egyptian National Team...

Six teams will be playing their 1,000th Premier League game tomorrow. Quite a range of success though.

Glory, glory!

A_B wrote: ↑Sat May 12, 2018 6:02 pmGlory, glory!

Glory, MF Glory!

Let's all laugh at Chelsea!

Seems cool that Crouch scored?

Unai Emery to the Gunners

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/footba ... nager.html

Baloney wrote: ↑Mon May 21, 2018 2:14 pm Unai Emery to the Gunners

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/footba ... nager.html

This seems like a great move, but I haven't seen the Arsenal boards trash Emery yet, which I am sure they will. I'm thrilled they made the move early, so he can start to recruit and shape the team. It seems like Arsenal already have a squad suited for his high press, counter attack style. There was a lot of talk of bringing in Arteta. I love Arteta and he seems like a really intelligent guy, I just don't trust a first time manager coming in. Also heard a lot of calls for Vieira to come in. Again, love Vieira, and he seems like a good coach, but MLS to Arsenal is a huge career jump.

That lead to me seeing Cazorla is out. Can't be too upset losing a 33 year old midfielder who hasn't played in almost 2 years, but I just feel horrible for him he couldn't make it back. He was out for what was supposed to be a few weeks with inflammation on his achilles, which eventually required surgery, then complications due to an infection lead to 9 or 10 more surgeries, including a skin graft taking a chunk of tattoo out of his arm and moving it to his ankle. He kept fighting to regain match fitness, and kept having setbacks. He actually came out for warmups towards the end of the year, so I was hoping he'd have the summer to work his way back to the field. It just sucks knowing how hard he worked to be able to play again for Arsenal.

Not sure Ozil is the man for a high press

Baloney wrote: ↑Mon May 21, 2018 3:19 pm Not sure Ozil is the man for a high press

I've heard a lot about the club not being happy with Ozil for a lot of reasons. Wouldn't be surprised to see him sold off. The guy pulls off moments of sheer brilliance, but cab disappear for weeks a time. I'm always frustrated with him because it looks like he doesn't put in effort, but I've also heard he runs more than almost any other player on the team. Maybe he hacked his fitbit or something.

Baloney wrote: ↑Mon May 21, 2018 2:14 pm Unai Emery to the Gunners

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/footba ... nager.html

I am shocked that Arteta was even given serious consideration in light of the fact that he has never been a manager, ever.

I've really enjoyed the four years since I started following the Premier League. It has quickly become my favorite non-UVA sport watch.

But, man, I don't get the way they deal with managers. It just makes no fucking sense.

Conte came to Chelsea last year - one year after a 10th place finish and immediately won the Premier League, setting a record for consecutive wins along the way. Oh, and his formation got at least half the league playing a 343 to copy him. This year, they were a bit down, finishing fifth, but still had a shot at 4th on the last day and then went and won the FA cup (and lost in the semifinals of the League Cup). And now, everyone wants or thinks Conte is out. How does that make any sense?

It is insane - no other sport comes close in terms of turnover.

I've mentioned on a number of times the group of managers who will probably manage every weak Premier League team (Pullis, Bruce, Hughes, Allardyce, Pardew, Moyes, Hodgson, Warnock, Lambert)... so when a team gets a good or great manager (Ferguson, Wenger, Pocchetino) you can see why they want to hold on to him.

Chelsea though, that team makes no sense. Can the team really be laundering that much money that it doesn't care about paying three or more expensive managers at the same time?

phttt you should see Brazil

check out Flamengo's managers
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_C ... o_managers

largest club in Brazil

Pruitt wrote: ↑Wed May 23, 2018 7:31 pm It is insane - no other sport comes close in terms of turnover.

I've mentioned on a number of times the group of managers who will probably manage every weak Premier League team (Pullis, Bruce, Hughes, Allardyce, Pardew, Moyes, Hodgson, Warnock, Lambert)... so when a team gets a good or great manager (Ferguson, Wenger, Pocchetino) you can see why they want to hold on to him.

Chelsea though, that team makes no sense. Can the team really be laundering that much money that it doesn't care about paying three or more expensive managers at the same time?

You summed it up. Roman Abramovich (Chelsea's Billionaire Russian crime lord/oligarch) is much more involved in making these decisions than at most clubs, and especially compared to American sports. In the US and at many Euro soccer clubs, there are GMs or a board that make decisions. Roman is a guy who was buddies with Putin, and handed a formerly government-owned oil empire Putin stole from the Russian people. He doesn't give a fuck about money (he owns the world's most expensive yacht!), so he is happy to grossly overspend on every player he wants. If he doesn't like a manager, they are gone. Chelsea doesn't run on sports or business based decisions, it's all on the whim of a new money playboy thug who demands results, but doesn't put in the work to make informed decisions for the club.

As an Arsenal fan, I've watched a revolutionary genius build and lead the greatest squad in history to an undefeated season, seen the rest of the league learn how to counter Wenger's style of play, and the stubborn curmudgeon refuse to change his tactics or pay anyone close to market wages, leading to mass exoduses year after year, and yet the club kept him on 12 years too long. So, it's hard to commiserate on this one.

But Chelsea is much closer to the norm. Pochettino is now the 3rd longest tenured manager in the Premier League and his fourth anniversary on the job is this week!

And technically he's the longest because the other two got their teams promoted since then!

But as much as I hate Arsenal, I do understand the reluctance to fire Wenger.

The game passed him by, but it did so slowly. And what else has been out there? Which of the managers brought into the EPL in the past 5 years would have made a positive difference? Pochetino? Klopp? Guardiola? That's it.

Look what happens when a big team gets it wrong. Moyes at Man U, Villas Boas at Spurs, Hodgson at Liverpool. The risks are huge. Better to stick with a fading Managerial star than to risk real problems.

Pruitt wrote: ↑Wed May 23, 2018 10:13 pm But as much as I hate Arsenal, I do understand the reluctance to fire Wenger.

The game passed him by, but it did so slowly. And what else has been out there? Which of the managers brought into the EPL in the past 5 years would have made a positive difference? Pochetino? Klopp? Guardiola? That's it.

Look what happens when a big team gets it wrong. Moyes at Man U, Villas Boas at Spurs, Hodgson at Liverpool. The risks are huge. Better to stick with a fading Managerial star than to risk real problems.

You just typed out my inner monologue of the past 10 years. You just need to add in the excuse that Arsenal had a 10 year plan to pay down the Emirates Stadium debt, which was in part why Arsenal wouldn't spend on wages. The game absolutely passed Wenger by, and he never adapted. Is it better to desperately fight for the 4th place trophy every year, and go out of the Champions League in the first elimination round every year, or risk a road bump and possibly contend for titles again? If they fired Wenger 8 years ago and had a Moyes-like experience, they could have recovered and rebuilt 3 times by now. Fear of the unknown and failing to take a chance is a horrible way to go through life. Even if the worst case happened, and we went through Moyes and Van Gaal, it would have been an emotional roller coaster, rather than muddling through mediocrity with no false hope of competing.