English Premier League Season 2023/24

Man United need a complete rebuild their recruitment, their management and even Old Trafford itself have been allowed to fall into disrepair and behind their competitors. The new ‘owner’ needs to first employ the right people to help him select the right manager and that manager needs to be given at least 5 years without the pressure of winning titles or even qualifying for The Champions League to build a totally new squad capable of competing again.

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It is in love with its past, and needs to shake this off, it can’t help any manager having Ferguson turn up all the time

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Agreed. Only 3 shots in total and 1 on target (admittedly a great goal).
It’s going to be a very long haul indeed. The ground, the manager and his assistants, and at least half the team need a complete shake-up.
Despite the obvious superiority, what I will say though is that both ManC and Liverpool benefitted from very helpful refereeing decisions which could so easily have gone the other way. Particularly the Liverpool one, which frankly was a disgrace. They could have a huge impact on the final league standings.

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The problems at OT start, imo, with the owners who are not ‘fit and proper’ in any sense of the description fans would understand. Even now, as I understand it, they’ve only sold 25% to Ratcliffe. That feels like another botched job.

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Just turned on to find I might as well turn off. What’s the point in promotion if humiliation is the reward? Gooners certainly know where the goal is.

It’s strange to be 5-0 up again and not feel like gloating hopefully Arteta takes pity and brings Nketiah and co on at half time.

@TheKevster I’ll take back my comment about walking out at halftime after watching the Sheffield v Arsenal game this morning.

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Any Blades fan here, I feel for you mate. Saints fans have been there too.

(You kept it to one in the second half, mind.)

@Jamiewednesday what do you make of Owen Eastwood and Whakapapa?

Only one goal in the second half? Arsenal bottled it again!

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To paraphrase the great Sid Waddell…

There’s only one word for that… abysmal Sheffield United.

Well, he’s been recruited to provide the team with an identity. I kind of get that, because since Roman left we haven’t had one. In fact I’d go so far as to suggest we haven’t really had a firm identity since the days of Lampard, Drogba, Terry et al.

We started to get something back in Lamps’ first stint as manager, when he brought through a lot of youngsters after the transfer ban and we finished 4th, kind of against the odds. But that all fizzled out when we could start spending money on more players again and I don’t think we’ve found our way since, despite the Champions League under TT.

As bad as Sheff Utd where I thought for 30 minutes Arsenal where devastatingly good again if we beat Brentford on Saturday evening we then go top, on Sunday one or both of Liverpool and the cheats will drop points.

Unfortunately though after that we do not play in the PL again until the 31st March when we go up to The Emptyhad really, really cannot wait for that game.

Here is a stat for you until tonight never before in the history of The English Football League in all four tiers so we are talking tens of thousands of games has a football team won three consecutive away games by five or more goals.

No they don’t give out a trophy for that but they do put you in the History books.

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The gulf between the premier league and championship widens by the season.
With all the recent investment from the states I can see a call for a closed shop any time soon.
I thought Norwich had set an all time low bar when we were last relegated but I see teams have since lowered it further.
It’ll be terrible news for the majority of English league clubs because it’ll destroy the dream of your club ever sitting at the top table.
The European super league might not be a bad idea after all as it will enable the rest of us to fight it out for a place in the restructured premiership.

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It is a bit of a sh… show.

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And “belonging” according to yesterday’s i newspaper. He’s worked with Southgate at England, the European Ryder Cup team and Nato. Refers to himself as a performance coach. He has told The Guardian: “Belonging has such a profound effect on behaviour…We have this need to belong. …Our communication skills, particularly for males, are much better when you feel you belong.”

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Blimey – encapsulated by there’s ‘no I in team’ - can anyone apply :thinking:

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And talking of performance coaches, I’m reminded of Harry Redknapp’s time at Saints as manager. Clive Woodward had brought in a South African ‘vision coach’ because he was concerned about the players’ peripheral vision, and wondered if improving it could improve their passing options.

At a subsequent press conference, Harry was asked what he thought of Sir Clive’s decision to bring in a vision coach? 'Arry reportedly replied: “Ain’t nothin wrong with my peepers.”

A calamitous season, and down we went.

I am half in favour of the European football league, if it got rid of the over-endowed, over-entitled, over-Premiered lot. Let them go and play with themselves, and leave the rest of us to go back to enjoying football on a Saturday afternoon….without all the media bollox that surrounds the game in this country!

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