Still think there’s mileage in this title race. After Wolves Liverpool have got Villa and City away then Newcastle at home. Five games in 15 days then only one league game in March before the run in, which includes Arsenal at home in May.
I'd like to think that was true and I think it might, at a stretch be, with a full-strength Arsenal, but our forward line is absolutely decimated - no Saka, Martinelli, Havertz or Jesus - we have three fit forwards left across the entire front line and one of them is an admittedly super-talented 17-year-old and one of the others is Raheem Sterling. Oh, and still no Ben White. And an Ødegaard who seems out of sorts.
I think we're still strong enough elsewhere to mostly not concede much, but scoring lots of goals looks like a bit of a stretch. I guess Arteta may come up with some sort of genius work round and revert to a George Graham era 'one-nil to the Arsenal' dogged resilience, but unless Liverpool have an absolutely calamitous run of results, it all seems massively unlikely.
It'll be interesting to see how we cope though.
In other news: INEOS doesn't seem good at elite sport...
What’s up with Chelsea? The Seaguls!!
Up the Albion 😆
It'll be interesting to see how we cope though.
Looks like we had a striker lurking in the ranks all along. Game on*.
*I'm not entirely serious.
Shame Tonali didn't play today, I would have liked to have seen him after the rave reviews last week.
I’m loving the Ineos implosion, I have to admit. Cycling, Ben Ainslie and now NZ rugby are suing them. Hopefully they’ll be able to focus their sole attention on making United worse.
Good win for Arsenal! I reckon they could stick Merino up top for a few games, I’d half expected Gabriel up there, he’s their best finisher.
Good win for city pre bernabeu.
Wow Mitomas goal on Friday night was something else!!
The battle for 13th spot between United and Spurs should be ‘interesting’ later.
I’m predicting a nil nil draw but with 138 attempts on goal by both sides as the most comedically inept defences in the league come up against the most laughably wayward strikers. There’s going to be lots of giving away of the ball by apparently disoriented defenders, resulting in absolute sitters being launched into Row Z
Hopefully it'll be as chaotic as the Carabao Cup game!
Amorim saying again this week they can't sign anyone in the summer without selling. They've very few sellable players, other than Mainoo and Garnacho, bet Jim wishes he'd ended up with Chelsea instead.
Mainoo and Garnacho are apparently being touted out for sale, which is insane. The rest of the players we’ve got (with the possible exception of Bruno) are unsellable due to being both crap and on ludicrous contracts with bonkers salaries.
There’s an article in the Observer Sport section today about just how good the latest crop of kids are that are coming through the Academy. Amorim must surely be tempted to drop all the overpaid donkeys and just put the kids out instead. And if he isn’t then he should be! This season is a write off anyway, so why not?
Since when did corners become UFC contests?
You’ll never win anything with kids Binners! I agree - play them, bed some in, if they’re good enough. The downside would be putting them into such a poor team.
Watching Liverpool v Wolves. The ref, Simon Hooper, looks at least 3 stone overweight. Red faced and sweating like hell. How can he keep up with play and keep a cool head when he’s physically ruined?!
Liverpool looked knackered second half, did well to hang on there.
The ref, Simon Hooper, looks at least 3 stone overweight. Red faced and sweating like hell. How can he keep up with play and keep a cool head when he’s physically ruined?!
We try our best!
Watching a couple of ageing divas fighting over the prom dress now. With my stinking everlasting cold.
Red faced and sweating like hell. How can he keep up with play and keep a cool head when he’s physically ruined?!
On a related note, how are United getting on in the second half?
Dear god that was dire! Watching an absolutely shite team beat an absolutely woeful side, then considering that every one of those players is on hundreds of thousand pounds a week?
Sweet Jesus! We’re now 15th and there’s not a single one of those useless, lazy, overpaid *s is fit to wear the shirt
This is what happens when you’ve owners who couldn’t give a flying * and mercenary journeymen players who couldn’t give a flying **** either.
Sign for United and get paid 350 grand a week for just turning up. Sometimes you don’t even have to do that. Zero effort required.
In form Everton away next 😬
That Rashford looks a player.
Remind me where Villa found him?
Seriously though I do wonder if his and to a degree Sancho:s apparent bad attitude was due to the useless players there earning way more and being useless.
We’ve got a ‘striker’ who we paid £75 million for, who hasn’t scored (or had an assist) since the beginning of December, and that was in the Europa league against a side nobody has ever heard of. He was as hopeless as ever against Spurs yesterday.
In other news, apparently the club is on the verge of bankruptcy, saddled as it is with servicing the Glazers huge debts. The 1 billion Jim Radcliffe paid for his stake in the club has already been swallowed up by the financial black hole and still none of original debt has been paid off.
The whole club is a total basket-case. If there weren’t 3 clubs at the bottom who really are terrible, we’d genuinely be in a relegation scrap now. We could still be yet if this form continues.
Sadly I don't think you need to worry about relegation - 3/4 of the clubs beneath you are incapable of putting a run together.
These Championship games are far more entertaining than that premiership game last night. These teams really want to get out of the pit.
To be fair, watching me feed my cats would actually be more entertaining than that premiership game last night. My cats could probably make better footballers than any of the donkeys on display it that turgid debacle
Excellent performance from Leeds tonight getting the winning goal in the last minute of extra time after trailling Sunderland for much of the game, and pushing Sunderland further away from the automatic promotion spots, but they should be safe for the play-offs. Next Monday could be interesting when Leeds go to Sheffield United in a top of the table clash. The Championship is seeing some mighty games this season.
MOT / ALAW
Looking forward to next Monday night now Utd V Utd.
Yeah, that was a bonkers finish last night, but for some reason, when we got that corner at the death, I had a feeling we'd score. I am not sure I will be able to bear the pressure next Monday! MOT
but they should be safe for the play-offs
Absolutely - they are 18 points clear of seventh place so it would take some stunning runs from the teams below them, coupled with a shocking dip in form from them to miss out.
And I loved the BBC headline on the match feed:
Lightening Struijk's twice.
Superb result for us that 'should' take Sunderland out of the auto spots. Must admit I thought we were heading for another 1-0 defeat where we had loads of possession but little cutting edge. MOT, ALAW.
Must admit I thought we were heading for another 1-0 defeat where we had loads of possession but little cutting edge.
That's a bit harsh – our GD is almost the same as Sheffield United's and Burnley's combined! If we don't get promoted I don't think a single Leeds fan will ever be able to live it down.
Some performance by Celtic this. Looking forward to Brendan’s adjectives afterwards.
Right kick in the goodies for Celtic,- goal in the very last minute.
Oh that’s tough. Jeez.
Man U have given out their financial results for the last year, and revealed they are nearly £1000 million in debt (is that a billion?).
From what was one of the top three Clubs in Europe 20 years ago, with massive worldwide revenue, HTF do they get to be in such a position? Well, clearly selling to the Glazers was the main thing, who have sold everything off, and took out bank loans in the clubs name. How much have they taken out of the Club now?
And to improve things they bring in Chelsea Jim and his unique brand of sporting disaster management. Rumours are starting to swirl in some of the rags about player discontent/Amorim wanting out already.
From what was one of the top three Clubs in Europe 20 years ago, with massive worldwide revenue, HTF do they get to be in such a position? Well, clearly selling to the Glazers was the main thing, who have sold everything off, and took out bank loans in the clubs name. How much have they taken out of the Club now?
I don’t think anyone knows for sure, but IIRC I think it’s just under a couple of billion they’ve personally taken out of the club.
The figure for the debt they loaded onto the club (700 - 900 million, depending on who you believe), after borrowing the money to buy it, has never been reduced. They’ve just paid the huge interest payments on it (yet more billions). Sir Jim’s £1billion+ he paid for his 25% stake hasn’t touched the sides and has just disappeared into the financial black hole. Without that injection, the club would be bankrupt. It’s quite staggering that what the Glazers have done is actually legal. It’s literally daylight robbery
Revenues are massively down without champions league football (and without any hope of it) and just the fact that what’s going on the pitch is so absolutely dire. They’re just awful to watch. What’s going on off the pitch is a total car crash. A bad soap opera. The ineptitude of the (mis)management is total
People are voting with their feet and wallets. The supporters have had enough. It’s a nice day today and we’re the early kick off, so I could watch another abject display as David Moyes extracts his revenge with an easy win, or I could head out for a ride and then watch MOTD try to put some ‘highlights’ together tonight
So I’ll check in on the thread when I get back from my ride, obviously. I’m not letting those clowns ruin another weekend. If anyone feels like enduring watching it, feel free to do me a summary, though I doubt it’ll contain any surprises
Enjoy your ride. I'll be watching Reading v Birmingham. Reading's demise is somewhat more damaging than any current premier league club.
You’ll be aware Binners predictably they were utterly turgid for 70 minutes, pretty fortunate to draw. Spurs, West Ham and Palace all winning today, I reckon you should just scrape 16th this season.
Rumours are starting to swirl in some of the rags about player discontent/Amorim wanting out already.
Sam Allardyce waiting in the wings ?
The figure for the debt they loaded onto the club (700 - 900 million, depending on who you believe), after borrowing the money to buy it, has never been reduced. They’ve just paid the huge interest payments on it (yet more billions). Sir Jim’s £1billion+ he paid for his 25% stake hasn’t touched the sides and has just disappeared into the financial black hole. Without that injection, the club would be bankrupt. It’s quite staggering that what the Glazers have done is actually legal. It’s literally daylight robbery
The only difference between City and United is that at least City are solvent. A club so riddled with debt and teetering on the edge of financial apocalypse but still spending like one of the richest clubs in the world is equally unfair to the rest with more modest finances.
Take heart binners, Ipswich are always behind you....
A club so riddled with debt and teetering on the edge of financial apocalypse but still spending like one of the richest clubs in the world is equally unfair to the rest with more modest finances.
I’d say the opposite. If you know you’ve got a player that United are interested in, just slap 60 million on the asking price and they’re so stupid they’ll pay it in a heartbeat. That and the fact that teams like Bournemouth or Brighton who’s entire squads cost the same as Rasmus Hojlands right buttock can rock up and turn us over in our own back yard without breaking a sweat.
Glad I went out for a really good ride in the sunshine, rather than watch that rubbish today
The crazy thing is, the Glazers although owning and running Man Utd and being extraordinarily wealthy probably have less money than me, if someone called in all their debts.
I listened to The Price of Football podcast last week and they reckoned even with the debt and terrible squad they are nowhere near financial trouble and it's being used as a smokescreen by friendly media to excuse what those in charge are up to. Which is a shame as it'd be hilarious if they went under!
They simply need to stop buying awful players for huge fees. IMO there are some pretty poisonous characters in the dressing room too who need removing, however good they are. As a Leeds fan I hope they ignore what I've just said as it's very funny.
@PrinceJohn - its the age old adage though innit? If you owe the banks 50 grand, that your problem, if you owe them 1.3 billion, its their problem
See also: Donald Trump
They simply need to stop buying awful players for huge fees.
Indeed, and then putting them on long contracts, with no break clauses, on absolutely insane wages. Casemiro is still occassionally hobbling around the centre circle on his zimmer frame, picking up a truly bonkers £350,000 a week
I follow some of the United Fanzine accounts and someone noted that yesterday was exactly a year since Luke Shaw last played for the club - though he was fit anough to play for Engerland in the Euro's last summer - and in that time he has picked up £8.5 million in wages. And then theres Phil Jones and his nine years of not playing - in the middle of which he was given a new contract - on £120,000 a week.
Binders, come over to Brighton, start enjoying football again 😉
