English Premier League EPL Thread

[dino76m]

I read an alleged quote from Juve's sporting director an hour or so ago and he was saying Vidal isn't for sale so who knows what's going on

I reckon 44 million Euros, Evra, Nani and all the noodles they can eat should be enough.....most noodles can cross the ball better than Nani.

After last year it's very uplifting to see United with a proper manager again.

Unlike Moyes he should be given time and money because his track record shows he can get things done.

anyone wanna place bets when corsairs gonna start with LVG gotta go claims..

 

[axecutioner18]

anyone wanna place bets when corsairs gonna start with LVG gotta go claims..

Not before a season or two Im sure... LvG has been in charge of two clubs I follow. He does well the first couple of seasons before the success gets to him and he loses the dressing room ala Mourinho in Real Madrid.

 

[thecorsair]

Yeah I saw that moments after I made the post. I went from feeling good to feeling frustrated in a matter of seconds.

It's certainly exciting to see Van Gaal take charge. Can't wait for the upcoming season. I couldn't say the same this time last year.

Despite my optimism, some more signings would seal the deal. Hummels, Reus and Vidal would be perfect. And I also see United are in for Cavani again. Even though he's a quality player, I'm not sure where he'd fit in. Unless he plays him alongside Van Persie.

More activity in the transfer market before the start of season would certainly add to the feeling of optimism which is a marked contrast from last year's feeling of impending doom.

I get the feeling that Chicharito will be off to get regular football somewhere else so another striker like Cavani could be a good move as there's always question marks over RVP's fitness, Rooney only gives a crap when there's a new contract being talked about and Welbeck is....Welbeck

 

[The Tuggernaut]

More activity in the transfer market before the start of season would certainly add to the feeling of optimism which is a marked contrast from last year's feeling of impending doom.

I get the feeling that Chicharito will be off to get regular football somewhere else so another striker like Cavani could be a good move as there's always question marks over RVP's fitness, Rooney only gives a crap when there's a new contract being talked about and Welbeck is....Welbeck

Christ, I forgot about Welbeck. I thought after his 2 goals on the opening match last season, we'd see a new and improved Welbeck. How wrong I was.

 

[greygoose]

Just watching Van Gaal's news conference. I think he'll **** Rooney off the first chance he gets.

 

[The Tuggernaut]

Van Gaal meets Phil Jones.

Just watching Van Gaal's news conference. I think he'll **** Rooney off the first chance he gets.

There's certainly potential for sparks to fly there.

 

[thecorsair]

Christ, I forgot about Welbeck. I thought after his 2 goals on the opening match last season, we'd see a new and improved Welbeck. How wrong I was.

I have a lot of sympathy for Chicharito as being behind Welbeck in the pecking order even though his goals/games ratio was way better must have been very hard to take.

Chicharito might not be the best outside the penalty area but with the right service he'll score a goal more often than not and if he goes I can't really blame him.

Welbeck might have been at the club since he was 8 but that was also the last time he got 20 plus goals a season

Also,
Funny pic!

greygoose,
I certainly hope so. It's about time Rooney got put in his place.

 

[The Tuggernaut]

I have a lot of sympathy for Chicharito as being behind Welbeck in the pecking order even though his goals/games ratio was way better must have been very hard to take.

Chicharito might not be the best outside the penalty area but with the right service he'll score a goal more often than not and if he goes I can't really blame him.

Welbeck might have been at the club since he was 8 but that was also the last time he got 20 plus goals a season

I'll be shocked if Chicharito stays, to be honest.

And now with the announcement of Carrick's long term injury, I think it's about time United signed Vidal. Enough games, give Juve the £34m and Vidal a £150,000 a week contract.

 

[thecorsair]

I'll be shocked if Chicharito stays, to be honest.

And now with the announcement of Carrick's long term injury, I think it's about time United signed Vidal. Enough games, give Juve the £34m and Vidal a £150,000 a week contract.

Carrick's out for up to 12 weeks. He sustained an ankle injury in training when van Gaal ordered him to pass the ball forwards.

Bad news for him, better news for United fans as his absence will make the team stronger.

In general I thought van Gaal came across pretty well in his first press conference but one element of it was cause for United fans to be a bit concerned.

When asked about new signings his response about needing 3-4 weeks to evaluate the current squad was eerily similar to the comments Moyes made this time last year.

By that time the season will have started and the transfer window will be nearing it's end

It's also emerged that before the press conference started a club official said the journalists weren't allowed to ask any questions about Arturo Vidal. I wonder why?

 

[The Tuggernaut]

Carrick's out for up to 12 weeks. He sustained an ankle injury in training when van Gaal ordered him to pass the ball forwards.

Bad news for him, better news for United fans as his absence will make the team stronger.

In general I thought van Gaal came across pretty well in his first press conference but one element of it was cause for United fans to be a bit concerned.

When asked about new signings his response about needing 3-4 weeks to evaluate the current squad was eerily similar to the comments Moyes made this time last year.

By that time the season will have started and the transfer window will be nearing it's end

It's also emerged that before the press conference started a club official said the journalists weren't allowed to ask any questions about Arturo Vidal. I wonder why?

Whilst I feel bad for Carrick, I think it might be a good thing for the club and force Van Gaal's hand into buying players.

Yeah, that 3-4 weeks comment was disheartening. I'm not sure what he expects to gain from watching players like Cleverley, Smalling, Welbeck, Young, Nani, Fellaini, etc. Damn, the mediocrity is extraordinary.

Really? That's interesting. I guess on one hand he didn't want to deflect Vidal questions the whole time, but it gives me some hope the transfer may still be in the works.

 

[thecorsair]

Whilst I feel bad for Carrick, I think it might be a good thing for the club and force Van Gaal's hand into buying players.

Yeah, that 3-4 weeks comment was disheartening. I'm not sure what he expects to gain from watching players like Cleverley, Smalling, Welbeck, Young, Nani, Fellaini, etc. Damn, the mediocrity is extraordinary.

Really? That's interesting. I guess on one hand he didn't want to deflect Vidal questions the whole time, but it gives me some hope the transfer may still be in the works.

I think van Gaal's probably been told the two signings are all he's getting, hence the comment about evaluating the current squad for 3-4 weeks.

The only outside chance is if they're actually negotiating for Vidal or someone else and want to keep quiet until it's done as that way they don't alert other clubs who might want to hijack the deal.

I did also read this morning that Juventus may still be intrested in Nani so we'll have to wait & see....the wait is getting frustrating when teams that finished above United are all strengthening and United's owners won't put their hands in their pockets.

 

[The Tuggernaut]

I think van Gaal's probably been told the two signings are all he's getting, hence the comment about evaluating the current squad for 3-4 weeks.

The only outside chance is if they're actually negotiating for Vidal or someone else and want to keep quiet until it's done as that way they don't alert other clubs who might want to hijack the deal.

I did also read this morning that Juventus may still be intrested in Nani so we'll have to wait & see....the wait is getting frustrating when teams that finished above United are all strengthening and United's owners won't put their hands in their pockets.

I really hope this isn't the case. But it wouldn't shock me if it was.


Another blow:
https://www1.skysports.com/football...rturo-vidal-cools-speculation-over-his-future

 

[thecorsair]

I really hope this isn't the case. But it wouldn't shock me if it was.


Another blow:
https://www1.skysports.com/football...rturo-vidal-cools-speculation-over-his-future

Me too. I know it's not the most optimistic outlook but I'm just going on what I've seen happen before.

The "no value in the market" excuse was heard regularly during Fergie's last few years so if it's rolled out again shortly I won't be suprised.

On the bright side,

David de Gea is still improving.

No more Ferdinand. He was great at his peak but should have been offloaded at least 3 years ago.

Luke Shaw is a left back that actually remembers the defensive part of his job.

Barring injury, the midfield will have it's first full season from Juan Mata, who's played alongside Ander Herrera in Spain's Olympic side so they could strike up a similar partnership for United.

There's also been an indication that Shinji Kagawa might be staying so if van Gaal can utilise him more effectively than Fergie or Moyes ever did we might see a return to the sort of form that saw him win Bundesliga Player of the Year 2 seasons running.

A fully motivated RVP is obviously a bonus as the chance of "injuries" occurring will be reduced.

Adnan Januzaj should get more chances, van Gaal has always said that if he thinks a player is good enough, their age isn't an issue.

 

[greygoose]

Liverpool are being heavily linked to Loic Remy this evening. It looks like we won't be signing a world class striker to replace Suarez so Remy is a decent striker (better value than Bony at least).

 

[The Tuggernaut]

Me too. I know it's not the most optimistic outlook but I'm just going on what I've seen happen before.

The "no value in the market" excuse was heard regularly during Fergie's last few years so if it's rolled out again shortly I won't be suprised.

On the bright side,

David de Gea is still improving.

No more Ferdinand. He was great at his peak but should have been offloaded at least 3 years ago.

Luke Shaw is a left back that actually remembers the defensive part of his job.

Barring injury, the midfield will have it's first full season from Juan Mata, who's played alongside Ander Herrera in Spain's Olympic side so they could strike up a similar partnership for United.

There's also been an indication that Shinji Kagawa might be staying so if van Gaal can utilise him more effectively than Fergie or Moyes ever did we might see a return to the sort of form that saw him win Bundesliga Player of the Year 2 seasons running.

A fully motivated RVP is obviously a bonus as the chance of "injuries" occurring will be reduced.

Adnan Januzaj should get more chances, van Gaal has always said that if he thinks a player is good enough, their age isn't an issue.

I'd love to see Kagawa stay and be given another chance to prove himself. If he gets close to the form he had at Dortumund, it would be a tremendous bonus.

And there's also good news with Bebe and Anderson being left out of the squad going to the US.

I don't buy Anderson having a calf injury.

But I do buy that they're on their way out.

Liverpool are being heavily linked to Loic Remy this evening. It looks like we won't be signing a world class striker to replace Suarez so Remy is a decent striker (better value than Bony at least).

Could be a decent partner for Sturridge. Or even an impact player off the bench.

 

[axecutioner18]

corsair what do you think of your 2008 season team? Wasnt it one of the best ever squads?

 

[greygoose]

Could be a decent partner for Sturridge. Or even an impact player off the bench.

If you could guarantee Sturridge could stay fit for the whole season than he'd work fine at the top of Rodgers 4-3-3 system. Problem is Sturridge is injury prone.

 

[thecorsair]

I'd love to see Kagawa stay and be given another chance to prove himself. If he gets close to the form he had at Dortumund, it would be a tremendous bonus.

And there's also good news with Bebe and Anderson being left out of the squad going to the US.

I don't buy Anderson having a calf injury.

But I do buy that they're on their way out.



Could be a decent partner for Sturridge. Or even an impact player off the bench.

If there's any truth to the Hummels rumors then it would give Kagawa an easy exit but if he's willing to give it one more go under the new manager then I hope it works out well for him.

On the subject of Hummels it's emerged that he's changed the main language of his Twitter page from German to English in the last week or so and made a cryptic reference to needing to have English lessons. It could mean nothing, but it's also helped fuel rumors he's set for a move.

axecutioner18,
I think it was up there with United's best. Had it not been for your team being virtually unbeatable at the time they would probably have retained the trophy the following year.

Edwin van der Sar is second only to Peter Schmeichel in United's goalkeeping history.

The defense was excellent. Ferdinand, Evra and Vidic were at their peaks, Gary Neville was still capable and the likes of Wes Brown and John 'O Shea were solid, if unspectacular back up.

The centre of midfield was not United's best, Scholes was still the man, Hargreaves would have become a United great if injuries hadn't robbed him of his career but other than that it was many of the same faces that are part of the squad today, just a bit younger and with some chance of improvement still being in the realms of possibility.

Giggs could still contribute and obviously Ronaldo was the sort of player that made the impossible possible. An annoying individual because of his theatricals but United miss him to this day. Nani was still new to the side and at a stage where he was still considered to be settling in. All this time later and some people still insist he can deliver.

Rooney still gave a crap back then so was a vital part of the team, Tevez had attitude issues off the pitch which ultimately contributed to his departure but I thought he was a great player who always put in 110%.

The real decline started once Ronaldo left. The 2008 team was left to age, most of the new signings in the last 4-5 years of Fergie's tenure weren't good enough and young players were given increasingly less chances because Fergie was so stubbornly loyal to his veterans.

 

[gypsycatcha]

If you could guarantee Sturridge could stay fit for the whole season than he'd work fine at the top of Rodgers 4-3-3 system. Problem is Sturridge is injury prone.

So is Remy . I find this a bit of a strange one. He is good but not world class like you say. I actually like bony although its a lot of money.

 

[The Tuggernaut]

That value, though.




And the new Chelsea kit is looking pretty nice.

If there's any truth to the Hummels rumors then it would give Kagawa an easy exit but if he's willing to give it one more go under the new manager then I hope it works out well for him.

On the subject of Hummels it's emerged that he's changed the main language of his Twitter page from German to English in the last week or so and made a cryptic reference to needing to have English lessons. It could mean nothing, but it's also helped fuel rumors he's set for a move.

If it came to that, I'd certainly take Hummels over Kagawa, despite his potential.