Yeah, pretty much that .
But, by your gauge , Pep would be considered a top coach for winning the Carabao cup a few times, right ?
And we aren’t the richest club in the world anymore. You’ll have to direct your lickspittle and froth a bit further north from now on .
Sorry, edited to post that I think Jurgen is a top class coach .
Last edited by thegoat; 17th January 2022 at 17:27.
I’m primarily a rugby league fan and I saw the same thing happen with last years Super League season, some clubs used the Covid situation to their advantage and ducked out of playing games rather than field a weakened side.
One point that’s easy to overlook is the recovery time after Covid or any similar illness, some players will need more time to get back to match fitness than others. Bringing players back too early is a mistake, its likely to prolong recovery time and increase the risk of injuries. Despite the eye- watering wages these guys earn we have to remind ourselves that they’re only human after all.
I see it reported today that Eden Hazard has turned down an approach by Newcastle.
David Squires' cartoon strip in the Guardian today is excellent, particularly if you're an Everton fan -
https://www.theguardian.com/football...rseyside-blues
______
Jim.
Paper talk like every other 'rumour'. Here's a sobering fact for anyone that doubts the Ashley legacy. There were seven players in the matchday squad on Saturday that played on the corresponding weekend against Villa in the Championship in 2016. That's an abysmal situation. Ashley systematically annihilated the playing stock, buying cheap and selling high and pocketing the profit. Remember, last season he refused to sanction £1m to pay for the loan of Hamza Choudhury. £1m is two weeks wages for Ronaldo yet Ashley wouldn't pay it.
Anyone who thinks turning around sixteen years of this in six months is an idiot (we, like every other club, have many such idiots in our fanbase).
Relegation is most likely the price we'll have to pay for it. If that's the case then so be it. It'll set our project back a couple of years but again, so be it. Man City and Chelsea were able to buy good players when their fortunes arrived because they weren't in a relegation fight.
I feel for Derby County if the fat man buys their club. Yes he'll keep it alive, just, but at what cost?
Everton
Lampard,Rooney or now Mourinino what an insult to a proper Everton legend Big Dunc?
Oh btw anybody got some stable space there is a donkey called Lukaku as a CFC supporter you
can have for free.
I FEEL LIKE I'M DIAGONALLY PARKED IN A PARALLEL UNIVERSE
We have had big names in the past and they all fail, Everton have a knack of bringing everyone down to their level. I doubt if we had Klopp, Pep or Tommy from the bridge it would make much difference.
I have noticed Everton going back to managers they have sacked is not unlike my watch buying and it rarely ends well.
I don’t get the Rooney thing, he is not a legend in my eyes, he pissed off to United as soon as he could and only came back when he was an old player. So what’s the difference between Rafa being an ex Liverpool boss and Rooney spending most of his career at United. He is not ready anyway and I don’t want Lamps either.
Martinez was a crazy move and I’m glad we failed to get him. I would give it to big Dunc until the end of the season and deal with it then whilst selling half the squad including Coleman, get your badges son and go and help Big Dunc…
Everton have a shortlist of failed managers
Sent from my Pixel 6 Pro using Tapatalk
In reality we haven’t had a decent manager since Howard Kendall first time round when we won the league twice, the cup and the European cup winners cup. One FA Cup since under Joe Royal and that’s it. All these big names since have won sweet FA between them.
I watch the ' mighty ' Toons with interest.
A friend of mine is a die hard Toon and in his words " they will enjoy the ride regardless of what happens ".
Its all very well have pots of cash but you have to then find the player that whilst happy to take the huge pay also has to put a shift in .
City are a very well run club with good management and always thinking ahead. We won the league under Mancini and Pellegrini but Pep has taken the club to a different level.
I know I’m biased but the level of consistency produced in his time there is phenomenal, not to mention the football City produced 17/18 & 18/19 seasons. One things for sure… he wouldn’t put up with some of the Prima Donna players at other marquee clubs or a lack of effort.
How many teams play out from the back ever since he arrived? Who knows how long he’ll stay at City but as long as the desire is still there and he can motivate the players then I hope he extends.
It seems the FA are investigating an Arsenal player for suspicious betting patterns involving getting a deliberate yellow card.
No prizes for guessing who that might be .
There is an art to spending. Look at Spurs when they first got the Bale money, they bought about 7 or 8 players, most of us probably couldn’t name those players now, but basically a big lump of cash wasted.
A good example of getting it right was Liverpool selling Courtinio to Barca and buying Alison and Van Dyke with the money, which was when Klopp started to win things.
Everton have wasted millions and nothing to show for it. Hope Newcastle get it right, Trippier is a good signing for now, but you are only going to get a few seasons out of him.
Steve Bruce needs some kebab money….
It's funny that because I watched a game the other week where Zaha got the most pointless yellow card that I could only explain as him doing it deliberately. We all know it happens, players have admitted it. South Americans who want maybe an extended break to go home while there's an international break coming up and players before the AFCON so they can either have a break before or spend more time in-country.
It's not exactly a secret.
Typical Brendan.
Wow - love an ending like that. The best since Amsterdam in the CL semi final
An average manager would have won league titles with the Barca (the Barca team at that time was immense, won the title 8 years in the last 13) and then went to Bayern (again an amazing team of players) - Bayern have won almost every title in the last 20 years!, City were already winning titles before he came. He is a good manager but IMO over hyped. 2 champions league wins in 14 years is terrible with the squads and money he has spent over his career.
Many good managers will never win anything, does not mean they are bad managers just don't have the squads or money that others have.
I'm split on this. Pep has never had to struggle. He's always had the best of the best and could always pretty much spend what he wants. He's also only ever been at the best clubs in their leagues. I've seen some excellent managers have great ideas and (sorry I hate this too) philosophies but couldn't get the limited talent at their disposal to make it work (Glenn Hoddle is one). For example, let's see what he could do at Everton.
However, the flip side is that I genuinely do believe he's the best coach around. What he's able to do with formations, intensity and winning mentality is currently unmatched. If I could choose a manager to lead our project at Newcastle for the next five years, of course it would be Pep.
Alex Ferguson is widely considered to be the best, or certainly the most successful, modern day manager. He spent 26 years at Man Utd and only won 2 CL titles. There’s nothing I’d like more than for City to win CL but I certainly wouldn’t swap a CL win for the past five years football under Pep. All this rubbish about seeing how he gets on with a lower league team is just tribal jealousy. Of course he wouldn’t win the PL if he was at somewhere like Burnley but you can be certain he’d make every player better and have them playing better football.
Would Mo Salah sign for Swindon Town, would Harry Kane sign for Tranmere Rovers……. Of course not. Because they are at the top of their game. No different for Pep.
One thing heaped on City is how they almost have two full 11’s with their squad. With the odd exception the team ethos amongst the players is strong. Using rotation the way he does and keeping all that talent from handing in transfer requests is a measure of his ability.
The PL should enjoy the years with Pep in it, the same as Mourinho in his first stint at Chelsea, and Klopp’s tenure at Liverpool. They have taken the league to new heights.
Football match fixing is rife all through the championship and below.
League one / two games there’s are a good few a season.
I remember the Accrington bury game about 10 years ago. Last game of the season, both teams safe and in mid table nothing to play for so the fox was on for bury to win.
Literally every person in Liverpool was on bury for that game. I can’t remember the figures but I think it was a record for the amount of money bet on a league two game.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Liverpool showed more ruthlessness and nous than Arsenal last night. Apart from the 1st 15 minutes or so we looked toothless up front and whilst I understand fitness was an issue it was far from a Liverpool 1st XI either and they ran out pretty comfortable winners and could have scored a couple more goals
Well, well. Nobody, and I mean nobody, saw us getting a draw at Leeds today never mind a win! This makes Everton at home on 8th Feb under the lights an unbelievable game for us. I have my tickets already.
Eeh - I - Eeh - I - Eeh - I - O
Up the Premier League we go
When we get to Europe
This is what we'll sing
We are the Geordies, super Geordies
Eddie is our King