I think MSP is bang on about Amorim only being there to spare Sir Jim’s blushes. He can’t admit that he got it wrong yet again. I predicted at the start of the season that he’d be gone before Christmas and under normal circumstances he would have been.
By reverting back to his totally failed experiment with a formation that just doesn’t work in this league he is virtually crying out to be sacked. If you can’t grind out a result at home, playing that system, against the worst squad in premier league history, yet still stubbornly refusing to change it, then you’re done.
My prediction now is that he’ll be given yet more money to spend in the January transfer window and then he’ll be promptly sacked when that (predictably due to his ‘system’) fails to deliver any improvements. That’s the order in which things tend to get done at Old Trafford. Utter madness!
Anyway. enough of talking about that dross, this City Sunderland game is a right old ding dong. How on earth is it still nil nil?
I'd keep it but use it similar to the way they use it in cricket;
I wouldn't. It sucks all the joy and spontaneity out of the game. Cricket is stop/ start anyway so much less of an issue.
Disappointing result, but fair play to Sunderland. And I thought the ref was excellent tonight as well, let the right amount of stuff go, could easily have descended into a yellow card bonanza, but the game was competitive without being overly dirty and the ref helped make it a proper hard fought 0-0, best 0-0 I have seen for quite a while.
That was a cracking game. As entertaining a nil nil draw as you’ll ever see.
Another amazing performance by Sunderland. It doesn’t look like anyone can get a result at the Stadium of Light. Granit Xhaka looks like the shrewdest buy of the season. He’s been superb!
When you're own travelling away fans, the die hards, are singing for half a dozen long gone players, singing, 'We want our money back!' And singing, 'Boring boring Tottenham!' It can't be long.
Frank is not tne messiah.
For me it's Glasner (realistically) or time for a return of the Prodigal Poch (nostalgically). The later may not work out, but my My it'll improve the mood in N17
Daniel Sturridge looks like it’s his first day at school and his mum has bought a uniform 3 sizes too big for him so he’ll grow into it.
Why Sky keep using him as a pundit, I have no idea. He’s an absolute idiot!
Liverpool board are pretty patient, generally don’t do knee jerk reactions, but Slot will test their patience. So dull. Pass, pass, pass, mainly sideways. No urgency. The way the leagues gone, being a bit more direct and end to end, more physical, makes the contrast between Klopp and Slot even starker.
Why Sky keep using him as a pundit, I have no idea. He’s an absolute idiot!
Who do we think are the worst pundits?
My money would be on Sturridge and Lescot with Rooney running them close. I used to enjoy the Micah Richards/ Roy Keane double act but Richards has had far too much screentime and is just annoying now,
Who do we think are the worst pundits?
Rooney for the win. I personally can’t watch or listen to the bloke. Micah’s quite good fun I think.
And the best? Or better ones?
I don’t mind Carragher. Says what he thinks at least, but gobs at kids.
He’s mainly on Five live but Nedum Onouha is good. Pretty insightful I find and measured.
Yeah I like Nedum Onouha, like you say I think he brings good insights without being too biased. Carragher and Neville can be ok in commentary, but way too biased and indoctrinate into the "big 3" mythology for the post match analysis, especially Carragher.
Nedum Onouha is great on Five Live. Very dry and genuinely funny. I think Keane is great despite becoming a pantomime version of himself. “It’s his job”. The Carragher/Neville double act works, as long as they’re kept away from United and Liverpool games. Micah is always value for money. Rooney is awful.
Yeah, Onouha is always worth a listen when he pops up on The Guardian Football Weekly podcast.
Decent point for Leeds was that. Ekitike looked dangerous but him aside Liverpool looked toothless. Hopefully get a result against Binners mob next.
Great point at Anfield (what an atmosphere - could hear a penny drop) whilst fielding a weakened side in preparation for Sunday. Thought the lads who stepped in (Bornauw, Justin & Gruev) were excellent and probably did enough to stake a claim for a starting place in the next game especially with the absence of Ampadu (ball bounces up, hits his upper arm - yellow card). The ref was pretty poor yesterday with things like that...
Well if Wolves got a point at Old Trafford and were pushing for all 3 in the second half, I don’t fancy our chances at Elland Road with Leeds on their present form.
We’ve got Citeh and Arsenal in the next few games too, which could both be embarrassing, as well as Brighton in the FA Cup, who always seem to turn us over.
Unfortunately, it looks like we could be about to replicate the second half of last season, along with Spurs, scrapping it out with them for that much cherished 14th spot.
Amorim seems keen on the definition of madness - repeating the same exercise and expecting different results. Everyone apart from him can see that it’s just not working.
Everyone apart from him can see that it’s just not working.
Its even worse than that, everyone can see it isn't working and he has stated that is now the reason for him sticking to his guns, he thinks he will look weak if he does the right thing after everyone else has noticed he is ****ing it up, pretty much the same reason for Ratcliff not replacing him.
All everyone else has to do now is publicly give them good advice, and the chuckle twins will take it as a challenge to do the opposite. In fact you could even tell them that is what you are doing and they would just spend the rest of the season standing on the spot vibrating with indecision.
He’s starting to swither though, isn’t he? Didn’t they play four at the back recently? After being so dogmatic about his special formation, that can’t instill much confidence in the players. Leeds favourites on Sunday for sure!
Watkins misses a sitter at the start, then 40mins of dull, then a Watkins screamer!
Youri Tielemans is an absolute gem. Modric like vision.
I reckon Martin O'Neil will be back at Celtic pretty soon the way things are going up there
Has anyone been following the African cup of nations?
I haven't so far but it is the knockout stage now, so I wouldn't mind knowing if there are any tasty matches happening.
Youri Tielemans is an absolute gem. Modric like vision.
One of the most underrated players in the league. Just quietly gets on with it, with no dramas. His passing accuracy reminds me of Paul Scholes at his peak
I was at Villa Park today and Tielemans shone again, but so did a couple of others, Konsa and Rogers very noteworthy.
Sancho though... On about £250,000 a week and achieves nothing on the pitch. Mind you, he has to go and get his own balls because nobody bothers passing to him.
Tough ask, but maybe Wolves could just turn this round. Next game is a biggee, West Ham 🤞
3-0 💪
A glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel 🤞
This Arsenal Bournemouth game is another belter!
3-0
A glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel
That very much depends on which team you support! I've got to the point where I'm not even angry.
Tielemans was a huge loss when he left Leicester.
A lot of my mates in England are West Ham fans and I've sent letters of sympathy to them this evening.
Reading v West Ham next season, perhaps.
Looking forward to ManU Leeds game. Best chance Leeds have had of a win for many years.
Do managers ever put their hands up, say I’m not up to it and resign?
Losing 3 nil to wolves you would at least not take your wages for that.
Ipswich match postponed but Birmingham have done us all a favour.
The keystone cops would be confused by Liverpool's defending.
I've just had another look at the Man Utd manager stats. Amorim is now only the worst permanent manager since 1972! Things are looking up!
A few more wins under his belt and he'll be breathing down the neck of Dave Sexton and his 40% win percentage
God only knows how we’re sat in 5th and still in touch with the champions league spots. We’re awful!
Goal of the weekend has to be Reeds 97th minute equaliser against Liverpool, with only his second touch of the ball. An absolute screamer!
His post match press conference seemed to me to be inviting them to sack him, either that or the whole of the backroom set up.
Very impressed with Wisse now he's getting back to fitness, adds a different dimension to Newcastle's play and much as I like what Woltemade brings I think is actually better suited to Newcastle's style. I wonder if there's a way to play them together...but Eddie does like his wide men and overlapping full backs (Murphy, Gordon, Barnes with Livramento, Hall and even Miley, who for a fill in RB has been quality)
It's mad tight in the mid-table - assuming City beat Chelsea 10 places (5-14) are covered by 4 points, and another 3 covers 4th as well. Win 3 or 4 on the bounce and Europe's a real prospect for anyone in that pack.
Absolute screamer for the Fulham equaliser, first goal for three years, you might as well make it a memorable one! Not even Liverpool's comical defending could be blamed for that.
Not even Liverpool's comical defending could be blamed for that.
Well, if you don’t include closing down a player and putting pressure on him, you could say that, but there wasn’t a Liverpool player within 10 metres of him - it was begging to be taken. Woeful defending.
You can say that, some of us are banned from criticising Liverpool
Problem with Amorim is his system requires very specific players to play it. I feel Amad is not a wing back, and wasted there, and then there’s the Bruno issue. He’s not suited to the deeper midfield positions or the narrow forward positions where he plays Mbeumo and Cunha. Then there’s Sesko who really looks to be struggling. It does feel like it’s not going to work 😀👍
Well after today’s post-match outburst I’d imagine it’s all pretty academic anyway. It looks like the manager and the club are on completely different wavelengths about the style of football and the direction and make up of the squad. Who knew? 🤷♂️
So I suppose we just wait for him to be sacked, as he clearly wants, which I’d imagine won’t be long considering we’ve Arsenal and City up in the next few games, and then the whole farcical soap opera begins again
Something to look forward to...
You could get something against city, we lost our 2 best centre backs yesterday, and Ake is playing though an injury. Nico O'Reily also played on for the last 10 mins after picking up a knock, so we have to see how that pans out, he was already looking leggy and should have been rotated before Alt-Nouri went to the AFCON.
As with a few games this season, Would've taken a point as the start but feels more like 2 points dropped tbh
If Benjamin Sesko was a footballer and not some kind of competition winner that Man Utd inexplicably paid what, £60m+ for, it might have been a different game. In the end it kinda feels that Leeds could/should have won - DCL's header off the post, Okafor's overhead kick (good save keeper) and if Piroe's first touch of the ball had dipped that little bit more... Leeds were miles off their best today without Bogle and Ampadu (although fair play, JJ has been excellent defensively but lacks the attacking threat Bogle does) but still looked comfortable. Tanaka should have been on far earlier (started) ahead of Gruev.
Onto Newcastle...
And Amorim’s gone. Who’s next??!
His 12 million quid payoff will be some consolation, I’m sure
Line up the next mug to be sacked in 12 - 18 months time. In the meantime I wonder which former United Player they’ll get in as caretaker? I’m guessing Darren Fletcher?
Good job we’ve no big games coming up. Burnley must fancy their chances on Wednesday
Worrying. They were 6th despite playing a dogmatic system the manpower was ill suited to. With a bit more pragmatic leadership, they might even be quite good.
