So I guess it’s started with Chelsea naming Frank Lampard as manager – how long do we think he’ll be in the job?

I’m definitely having a fiver on him being the first Premiership manager to get the boot next season. Gone by Christmas, I reckon

He will get a bit of grace being a local hero and the fact is a transfer embargo.

However, if he isn’t top 6 at Christmas he will probably go.

The problem they have is with the transfer embargo, who would want to manage there?

Better odds for Ole surely?
🙂

Nah… we’re resigned to being a mid-table side by now 😉

At Chelski you can win the Champions League and still get sacked

It will be a good race – which club legend will get sacked first –

Ole or Frank?

Ole.

Ole or Frank?

Having the same conversation in the office. I think it is an absurd appointment – not nearly enough experience to manage a top club.

I agree with John Doh. He should have had at least another season at Derby.
I read somewhere Jody Morris is coming over too ,as assistant – who’d have thought he would be in line for the temp managers job.

I think Frank might actually do ok. Given the transfer ban he could not be joining at a better time in terms of being given some leeway by the owner. He is an intelligent guy and Morris has a great record at youth team level. I think that getting top 4 would be enough to keep him in the job.
I would back them to finish above United so if they can finish above Arsenal or Spurs then job done.

The battle between City and Liverpool will be fascinating. I think City will miss Kompany plus Silva and Fernandinho are not getting any younger. If KDB stays fit for the season then I think they will make it three in a row but I would not put any money on it at the current odds.

Frank is probably a bit too soon, but as above top 4 and into the knockout phase of the CL (I think Roman likes to rub shoulders with the big boys of European football) should keep him his job.

Frank will do just fine I think. Ole will struggle if Pogba throws his rattle out, which he probably will, plus his defence is average and he has no 20 plus a season striker. Liverpool need to remain injury free as do spurs. Whoever the toon employ will be the first to go, followed by the blades manager and the hammers manager when he gets an offer from China.

Macguire to Utd could be good for them if it goes through, I reckon. 70 mil seems like LOL money for a centre half who is evidently not a world class talent, but there are a lot of intangibles at that position. Tony Adams and Vincent Kompany were miles off world class ability but the first names on the team sheet, Steve Bruce as well going back a bit – bloke couldn’t run ten yards. Macguire is good at a minimum and could step up and run the show.

Rumour mill says Maguire wants champions league football, and is very unsure about united being able to deliver. But he signed a new contract without a reasonable release clause, so may have priced himself out of a move to any other club, Leicester may be a better prospect for him to stay another year.

Rodri is a good signing for city, and is perhaps a lesson in not overpaying, if they had allowed themselves to get in a bidding war for Fred 18 months ago or Jorgino last year, and won they probably wouldn’t have been in the market any more for someone who looks a much better player than those 2. I think they will take the same position on Maguire, 70 mill is too much, never mind going beyond that, he’s a decent player, but even with current player inflation he isn’t worth anything like the figures being bandied around.

I also think Frank will probably do OK at Chelsea, he always came across as being a bit smarter than the average player, and the timing is right to probably get a bit of leeway. They have a lot of quality young players there, I think they could surprise some, it’s about getting the team ethics right, maybe dumping some of the old hands and blooding the youth, even if enforced, could really raise the team.

Frank Lampard takes temp job on the Fulham Road

😂

We won’t get fooled again ..hah ..not much we won’t..
Rafa’s gone and as usual the masses are taken in by the fact that Ashley actually wants to sell the club ( what a fkn joke) ..
Perez at £30m is great business ..if it was re-invested ..but the fat lad will just trouser that..
Relegation ..here we come !

Season starts tonight, transfer window is clo9sed so no one is strengthening now, but some still might lose a player or 2 until other windows close.

Time for predictions

1 City
2 Liverpool
3 Spurs
4 Arsenal

Top 3 are kind of easy to predict really, Liverpool could win it, but I think city are more likely and by a bigger margin than last year probably by 6 or more points.

The race for fourth could be interesting, united, Chelsea and the gooners might get their acts together or could fail miserably, there is a real chance for Leicester wolves and Everton to further disrupt the status qua.

Well it’s be a typically mismanaged transfer window by Man U. Overpaid for a CB and did so too late for him to have a pre-season with them, good purchase at RB and then a punt with Dan James.

They’ve managed to get rid of their second best midfielder (Herrera), Fellani, Lukaku and not replaced them.

I read today the Glazers have taken a cumulative £1bn out of the club.

Tottenham have strengthened well so should be nailed on for third. Arsenal will have their usual blip so it’s them or Chelsea for 4th and Utd 5th or 6th

As above, Wolves are going to be interesting to watch. Everton could have pushed for top 4 if they’d managed to buy Zaha but they’re still a strong team

Change of mind since I posted a month ago ..
I really think we have had a good transfer window and might well surprise a few teams ..no way will we go down!
I’m not saying that we are going to be a top six side or anything daft like that..but we ( on paper at least ) have improved the squad ..with a lot of pace up front ..
I went up to Edinburgh to see the pre-season friendly against Hibs and was well impressed with Joelinton & Almiron up front and we’ve added Saint Maximin since then …and of course Big Andy has come back home and Im over the moon that he has ..if ( and it might be a big if ) we can get him fit and keep him fit he could well turn out to be the bargain of the season ..
Sean Longstaff is pure class ..but long term I reckon his younger brother Matty will be the better of the two ..
Still feel the same about Ashley ..but he has gone a little way towards repairing things in this window ..
Rafa’s gone ..and I’m actually warming to Steve Bruce
Howay The Lads ..

I’m looking forward to fighting it out for 6th or 7th

Once again our delightful owners and that **** Woodward continue in their clueless, scattergun approach to transfers, while sucking hundreds of millions out of the club

They’re Mike Ashley with financial Tourette’s. Spaffing ludicrous sums on last minute desperate transfers

I pity Ole trying to polish this turd.

It’s going to be ****ing embarrassing when Everton, Leicester and Wolves finish above us

This did make me laugh. With apologies to Mike and the rest of the toon faithful

😂

Good business (for the Glazers) in getting £75m for Lukaka. Not so clever when it means Sanchez may need to play more!

@Binners..that made me laugh too😂.
Obviously re-signing Andy is a gamble ..but from what’s been written he is on a pay as you play kind of deal and if this ankle surgery finally cures his injury woes we have nowt to lose and everything to gain ..
Realistically I don’t think anyone is expecting him to play every week ..but fk.me even if he doesn’t play a single game he is an upgrade already on that donkey Joselu ..😉

BBC on their annual wankfest over Liverpool again the last few days 🙄

When we had a quiet transfer window last year it was because we were in money trouble and manager/chairman disagreement, Liverpool do the same and according to BBC it’s a smart thing to save money and keep the team together.

I’m going to try and stay away from news media as much as possible this season, social is nearly as bad with negativity from fans being the loudest voice.

Getting ready now to go to WHL later with my grandson to actually enjoy some footie.

COYS!

Just reading an interview with Ole and apparently Sanchez is nowhere near match fit. He must have tripped over the wheelbarrow his wages were delivered in.

Not that it’ll make any odds anyway. I’d have got rid of him before any other player. He’s absolutely hopeless! But we can’t, because who’d have him? So he’ll carry on draining the best part of half a mil a week out of the club. A great bit of business, that

I’m also half-expecting the icing on the cake being Pogba leaving before the European transfer window shuts

As you can tell, I’m really confident about this season

There’s only 2 teams in it again this season. I think city will edge it again. Spurs are nailed on for third.

Fourth? Arsenal, I reckon. Just because of the goals Aubamayang and Lacazette have got in them. That’s a quality strike force

After that it’s going to be a mix of us, Chelski, Everton, Wolves and Leicester, who could finish in any order

statements of intent from City and Liverpool, can anyone else put a marker down?

I was a bit amused by the var offside decision, they are using thinner lines than they used to, if they had used the old graphics, that would have been onside 🙂

Had a bet on city putting 3+ past West Haaaaaaaaam so I was most disgruntled by the VAR decision

Be interesting to see if Spurs batter Villa by a similar amount

I hate Villa! There’s no rational reason for this. I just remember the years of them loitering around at the bottom of premiership like a bad smell, while somehow just escaping being relegated. Time after time.

Under Paul Lambert they’d set out to grind our a nil nil draw every single game. Last game on MOTD every single week. A sort of non-football football. 11 men camped around their own box. I cheered when they finally went down, hopefully never to return.

And now John Terry is there…

Still hate them! I hope they go straight back down again

An interesting point raised by one of my United supporting mates…

He reckons that Liverpool are ****ed with VAR because they’ve always relied on getting so many referee decisions at Anfield.

I pointed out that as a United fan we might be on pretty thin ice here, but he’s got a point

I can see VAR being a big thing this season in who wins it

I can see VAR being a big thing this season in who wins it

What will be interesting is the difference in points between the top and bottom of the table and how that compares with previous seasons.

An interesting point raised by one of my United supporting mates…

He reckons that Liverpool are ****ed with VAR because they’ve always relied on getting so many referee decisions at Anfield.

I pointed out that as a United fan we might be on pretty thin ice here, but he’s got a point

I can see VAR being a big thing this season in who wins it

interesting that Anfeild and Old Trafford are the only grounds that won’t be showing a clip demonstrating the reason for the var decision, it is as if they know they get a lot of decisions, and want to keep the crowd hostile to the referee.

for city i think it will be a good thing, over the past few years we have had a lot of offside decisions go against us, where actually the run was good. but the thing with the rules now, where they are told to let the play go on and check later, I can see it appearing to be a negative experience with some goals being disallowed for var checks, with many fans not realising we will get more goals that are just quickly checked and verified. having said that, we still got flagged for offside yesterday, when we shouldn’t have been and it was a clear goal scoring opportunity.

City and Liverpool will end up miles ahead, maybe Spurs, Man U, Chelsea following 15 points behind, then a massive gap to everyone else. I think it’s only a matter of time until the PL splinters and there is a pan European league. The situation is unsustainable.
The PL is no longer competitive – what’s the point in turning up at your local club to see your side spanked 5.0 before half-time?

interesting that Anfeild and Old Trafford are the only grounds that won’t be showing a clip demonstrating the reason for the var decision, it is as if they know they get a lot of decisions, and want to keep the crowd hostile to the referee.

It could be that Liverpool don’t have a screen?

The PL is no longer competitive

No longer????

During the fergie years no European domestic league was dominated as much as the epl by united. The notion that it has now become uncompetitive is frankly ludicrous,

we have had just 2 years of exceptional football by city (the year before guardiola was labelled as a flop), and 1 year by Liverpool, we might get it for a couple more years, but it will change.

Liverpool don’t have a screen. Neither do United.

I’m with MSP on the competitive thing. It comes in cycles.

It’s not long back that there was a period where it was all United or Arsenal. No-one else in it. That’s ancient history now. Now that’s City and Liverpool and the best United and Arsenal can hope for us fourth.

How many times did Chelski win it?

Did you miss the bit where Leicester won it, only a couple of seasons ago? 😉

It’s the most competitive league in the world, with the possible exception of the Championship, which is mental!

Teams like Wolves, Leicester and Everton are going to be mixing it up and taking points off the big boys this season

I’m enjoying this rather more than I thought I would 😃

Frank at the wheel!! Gone before bonfire night.

I’ve not been watching the game but the stats are odd for a 4-0 humping – Chelsea have more possession, shots and shots on target. 4-0 is 4-0 though!

Does Old Trafford still have the dugouts that look like they were built by a reliable but unimaginative Brickie in the 1990s?

Chelski’s defence were all over the shop in the second half.

4 nil flatters is, but we kept a clean sheet (not too many of those last season) and the new signings have hit the ground running

I’m not getting too exited just yet – we’re still way off Liverpool and City – but it’s a great start!

Loved all the united fans singing ‘Jose Mourhino’ at the end because they knew he was in the Sky pundits box 😂

Maguire doesn’t look quite as expensive as he did this morning,it’s a lot of money,but it’s worth it not to have to watch Smalling etc.