Reply With QuoteTitle race over.
Perhaps I should have put this in the 3 words thread.
Just watched it on the telly.Originally Posted by thegoat
City looked superb.
Cheers,
Neil.
Title race over.
Perhaps I should have put this in the 3 words thread.
Game cancelled - disgraceful!
Couldn't Arse have fielded a full team, perhaps given some youngsters a chance? Plenty of other teams have had to do that in the past.
Anyway I thought you revoked your Arse allegiance in favour of Southampton?
Cheers,
Neil.
Tuchel said they deserved a draw. He must have been watching a different game. So negative from Chelsea until City scored.
Happy yet?
Rafa has to go, I almost want Norwich to get a hat full in order to speed up Rafa’s exit.
Agree but no more disgraceful than some of the other games that got cancelled. Liverpool's 1st leg match at the Emirates was postponed on the back of a bunch of 'false positive' Covid tests - now what are the odds of having a load of Covid tests go falsely positive at the same time?
Spurs had some games somewhat dubiously cancelled as well
IMHO no games should be allowed to be cancelled for Covid reasons as long as there are fit players on the books even in the youth team but the teams are gaming the system so no reason Arsenal shouldn't do the same.
Two wrongs doesn't make a right.
Cheers,
Neil.
Pretty disgraceful that they call off a game as they don't have enough players the same week they allow 2 first team squad players to leave on loan.......
We all know why this is called off and has little to do with COVID
The same managers will be calling foul when the are forced to play 3 times a week to clear fixtures
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I know it surely can’t be the case but this feels like a deliberate sabotaging of the club. Rondon is absolutely awful and there’s no desire from Rafa to make any changes to the way the defence is set up despite conceding in the same way nearly every game.
Strange don't hear people moaning about Burnley v Leicester being cancelled
Process for calling off matches here: https://www.premierleague.com/news/2426753
When making an application, clubs must provide the Board with the following details, together with clear reasons why they believe the match should be postponed:
- Players and staff who have returned a positive COVID-19 test, their vaccination status and, if known, the source of their infections.
- Players and staff who are self-isolating.
- Players who are unavailable to play through injury or illness.
- Players listed on the club’s squad list who are still available to play in the match, including appropriately experienced Under-21 players (which includes Under-21 players who have played for the club, another Premier League or EFL club, or an overseas club in the current season. However, any Under-21 player who participates in a club’s FA Cup Round Three match and has not played in any other first-team competitions for the club this season will not be considered by the Board as appropriately experienced).
- Supporting medical information to verify the status of each unavailable player, which will be reviewed by the League’s medical advisers.
We played Liverpool (did anyone mention false positives match cancelled and back in training ready for Shrewsbury...), had a moron get a red card, and three additional first team players get injured as we had 4 academy players on the bench, none of which came on (only Patino had a start with first team in cup matches). Balogun who was off to Boro hasn't been near the first team and had Covid v Pool anyway. ANM off to Roma deal was already done and had sparse minutes anyway.
Premier League rules say a club must play a game if they have 13 outfield players and one goalkeeper available. Our first team outfield players left:
- Tavares
- Marí
- White
- Gabriel
- Tierney
- Holding
- Lokonga
- Martinelli
- Lacazette
- Nketiah
At a push thrown in 18yo Patino under the minimum experience (10 mins in Carabao, 69mins FA cup total with first team) makes 11...
Strange tactics. Not sure a draw would have been much use to Chelsea; they needed a win.
It’s way beyond disgraceful, Neil - they have one player out as a consequence of COVID, everything else just being the usual demands on a squad. Both Arsenal and the EPL should be ashamed of themselves.Game cancelled - disgraceful!
Couldn't Arse have fielded a full team, perhaps given some youngsters a chance? Plenty of other teams have had to do that in the past.
Anyway I thought you revoked your Arse allegiance in favour of Southampton?
Rumour is he will be sacked tonight
Strange don't hear people moaning about Burnley v Leicester being cancelled
Agent Rafa needs to stay.
https://youtu.be/MfIrFqGmkIA
He’s the best player in the world, you’ve got to do everything you can to keep him.
He’s never injured and an absolute goal and assist machine.
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AgentBenitez sacked
Who’s next they pay well?
One of the strangest managerial appointments Benitez. Absolute dinosaur who was stubborn and stuck in his ways.
I was happy to overlook his Liverpool connection at the start given his CV, but after a handful of early wins we have been dreadful and if it was allowed to continue we would have got sucked into the relegation struggle. Not sure about Rooney, perhaps a little early for him. Maybe Potter is a good shout, but if we were any lower it would have been Big Sam time again
We’re hoping Big Duncan gets a few games and you end up dragged into the relegation fight with us.
I was happy to overlook his Liverpool connection at the start given his CV, but after a handful of early wins we have been dreadful and if it was allowed to continue we would have got sucked into the relegation struggle. Not sure about Rooney, perhaps a little early for him. Maybe Potter is a good shout, but if we were any lower it would have been Big Sam time again
Big Dunc did well last time and he certainly has the passion, but legends don’t always work, just ask Chelsea and Man United supporters and Newcastle when Shearer had a spell. Keep him on the coaching staff, but please don’t give him the job.
Want Potter myself. Set expectations up front that it’s a 5 year rebuild and let’s start again.I was happy to overlook his Liverpool connection at the start given his CV, but after a handful of early wins we have been dreadful and if it was allowed to continue we would have got sucked into the relegation struggle. Not sure about Rooney, perhaps a little early for him. Maybe Potter is a good shout, but if we were any lower it would have been Big Sam time again
Hopefully Rondon goes with Benitez, possibly the worst player I’ve seen at the club.
Is big Dunk part of the wider problem?
Some serious issues at Goodison. Selling Digne due to clashing with the gaffer then sacking the gaffer just after is madness
You wouldn’t want to be the guy who gives him his P45
You'll 'possibly' rethink that once Rafa's January bargain Nathan Patterson gets a run in the team.
______
Jim.
My assessment of our team at the halfway point of the season:
Keeper - we're OK. Would buy better if available but not a worry.
Trippier - class. Head and shoulders above the rest. Positioning, pass selection, set piece delivery and organising of the back four is excellent. He could get forward more for me.
Dummett - fine. Has been our best fullback for a few seasons.
Lascelles - League 1 standard. Shouldn't be anywhere near this team and will be the first out the door and rightly so.
Schar / Fernandez - both acceptable.
Longstaff - unbelievably terrible. Has nothing. Second out the door.
Shelvey - see Longstaff. Third out.
Willock - WTF has happened to him? Unplayable last season and also this but for very different reasons.
Fraser - Championship level at best.
Joelinton - excellent again. Never stops. Would be excellent as a holding midfielder if we're able to get a couple of forward thinking midfielders.
ASM - a liability. Like playing with ten men when he plays. Headless chicken. Never scored more than three goals in a season. Never puts a cross in. Cuts back inside every time. Lost the ball every single time he got it in the first half yesterday. I'd have replaced him with Almiron at half time (yes I know he then scored).
Wood - has obvious abilities as a big No 9. Bullied the Watford CBs all day and won every header all day. Problem is we never put in a single cross for him to attack.
So we need a CB, two attacking midfielders and a couple of wide players....this week....to stand any chance of survival.
Someone is upset he cost 12 million
You’ve had two top classes managers in the last two and they’ve both done nothing.
The squad is absolutely dreadful, absolute dross on big wages and you can’t move them on.
You’re best players are two bargain buys Benitez has brought in.
Seriously apart from maybe Richarlison who else would get near a starting spot in a top 6/7 side ?
Benitez was never going to work with the Liverpool connection but him and Carlo are the best managers you’ve ever had.
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Best managers we’ve ever had 😂. Poor wind up attempt.
Benitez is statistically the worst manager we’ve ever had.
Did he? Both buyer & seller state the fee as 'undisclosed'. If you've conclusive information that he cost £12m, you're well-informed.
(As an aside, the Scottish press had him as a £25m player in November. A player who made less than 30 club appearances, mostly as a sub & played less than 1600 minutes of first-team football since January 2020. Hyped? Very possibly!)
______
Jim.
https://www.skysports.com/transfer/n...rs-in-16m-deal
Thank me anytime
Everton has never had a manager in its history that has won league titles across Europe and Champion's League / European Cups therefore they are both the best / most successful managers they've every had.
I have a prediction for your perusal, TZ Massive:
Amanda Staveley apparently has a great relationship with Rafa, having discussed at length their visions for the club way back when he was still here. I can see a scenario where Howe gets the push as early as this week and Rafa comes back.
Thoughts?
Last edited by TaketheCannoli; 16th January 2022 at 21:17.
At last we have the Kopite secret agent out
Since Moshri we have had five false starts, he is the biggest part of the problem, he will not let go he wants total control
Sounds like absolute madness for all concerned and thats without the massive financial and contract issues this raises.
The financial element isn't a concern, it's loose change. I think it's more likely she'd tell him not to take another job and regardless of where we end up at the end of the season he'll be brought in.
Would the supporters want him? After the mess of Everton how much good will does he even have up there? If Newcastle go down would he even want the job regardless of money or how good a project it is?
It's really strange because we all know his football is quite regressive but his stock is still high here, he was loved here. I think I can speak for 'supporters' and say we'd have more confidence of getting out of the Championship first go with Rafa than Howe.
I think he'd take it for sure.
“ Top class manager “ ? Benitez ? Don’t make me laugh.
What are the credentials for being a ‘top class manager”. ?
He was at Liverpool for 6 or 7 years and won three cups .
Top class indeed .
Three cups more than Everton have won in 30+ years.
Apart from Pep, who else has a record like this?
All those trophies from the past mean nothing in the present. He may have been a world class manager in the past but you can’t level that against him after the last few months and arguably the last few years.
He also has to take responsibility for some of the unrest in the dressing room. Targeting Digne whilst continually playing Rondon who looks like he’d struggle to keep up with seniors walking football is pure stubbornness.
As I wrote; both clubs state the fee as 'undisclosed'. As for Sky Sports as your 'conclusive' source...
______
Jim.
The minute we beat them on Saturday he was finished. Bottom of the table, no goals in 6 games then 2 from their own player and young Idah who hasnt ever scored a premiership goal.
Word is he will be getting around £500,000 per game he managed if you look at his settlement fee.
Burnley Watford still on because Burnley haven't cancelled the pie order
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As a Leeds fan I was both pleased and very surprised with yesterdays win at West Ham. Despite an extensive injury list, a bench full of teenagers, and 2 more injuries in the first half, Leeds stuck to the task and got a much- needed win.
David Moyes had a moan on TV in reference to the mid- week game vs Norwich that West Ham were forced to play, sounded like sour grapes and did him no credit. West Ham didn’t play badly, they missed chances and Leeds took advantage, sometimes that’s the way it goes.
As a West Ham fan, Leeds were excellent with their patched up team, full of fire and they deserved the win. We looked a bit leggy TBH.
Gives lie to the pathetic machinations of Arse that they couldn't get a team together to play Spurs.
Cheers,
Neil.
I still can't get over how Bowen missed from 1 yard
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It is poor form that (we) Arsenal ducked the spurs match. Just an excuse to have more rest and to prepare for the Liverpool match in a few days. Covid is just an easy excuse, Even Liverpool showed that a few weeks back with their false positives, amazing Klopp had that many staff and players all with false positive results!
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