English football 2024-25

[sussexpob]

The real problem for United is, who in this side currently would you pick at a top 4 club?

Onana is ok, but makes a lot of errors. Garnacho is a fallible player, but there is some quality there - if Guardiola was his coach, id be positive he'd end up being very good. Yoro looks a decent prospect, but too young at the moment. Bruno I think is over-rated by some people who claim him one of the best players in the world, but he is very good, he is a definite.

Anyone else? Nope. You look at this squad and think 12th? Not surprised. Are they under-achieving or are they just a 12th placed side level of quality? 12th maybe is too low, but I look at Brighton's team and seem more exciting players for the future.

Ugarte... another player who flopped in a big move that Man United paid PSG a profit on to get rid of... just why!!

Zirkzee? My god, I seen a 32 year Union defender who moved at the speed of a battleship turning that had Zirkzee in his pocket the 6 times we played him that year he started at Anderlecht. The Belgian press could not believe that one. Anderlecht didn't want him basically for free after that year.... and low and behold, a few months later hes going United? I mean, he wasn't terrible, but there are levels... being sort of good in the upper mid-table of Belgium while other strikers look much better around you doesn't scream bringing back the biggest club in world football to the top table.

Amrabat too.....couldn't get a game at Brugge a few years back. Like what the hell is he coming into a side like United for? He's just a talentless thug... no quality at all.

Antony.... worst transfer in PL history, bar none. The slowest winger in the league... rubbish.

Hojlund... ok hes young so maybe he has time to improve, but does anyone see anything in him? He looks like a clumsy big man with no touch, no composure, and no distribution off the ball. Sluggish, not that strong... hes the petrol station bargain bin Haaland.

Mason Mount ... said it when he was at Chelsea, most overrated player of his generation. He is bang average, and a big move away from a decent side... yep, average.

Rashford... doesn't seem to want to be there anymore.

Erikson... was finished after the heart attack

Casemiro.... Offering a massive deal, wage and transfer fee to a 31 year old with no pace left and nothing of the engine he had. Terrible, Terrible, Terrible transfer.

And don't get me started on Jonny Evans. How the hell is Jonny Evans even still a PL player, let alone Man United?

Could go on all night. I feel for Amorin, because not even God could get this team anywhere near where the fans are going to be happy, and no one is going to give him the 1 billion quid and 7 years he needs to make this team a viable candidate.

[sussexpob]

The first thing the club can do is get rid of that charlatan Brailsford. Marginal gains my a*se.... Football isn't as simple as getting your hands on the best drugs and mailing them to your team while they hid on mountains somewhere. Brailsford has zero sporting legacy for me, its quite clear he was overseeing a sophisticated doping program.... let alone any heritage in football ( I write that and hear Mourinho repeating the word heritage at that press conference - everyone thought Jose had gone crazy, but hindsight is wonderful).....

I read Brailsford took a year to make a report - the report said we aren't very good, our transfers haven't been very good, we need to improve. Millions of pounds and lots of hours well spent. Looking for Salazar to get the job of physio, and Man United to suddenly run teams off the park.

Football isn't that complicated is it? Like you want to get better, hiring an expert in Cycling with at the very least a hugely questionable history with potential cheating.... well I guess only Radcliffe is the one who thinks thats a good idea.

[Durhamfootman]

Ratcliffe is a big daft barmpot. I mean he made these comments earlier in the season about the need to rebuild OT, but then the things he then said appeared to suggest that he'd convinced himself that somehow the FA ought to pay for it.... because.... I don't know... because it's important, or because Man U are that important, or because he's a great big t1t, or something

[mikesiva]

Amad!

Manchester City 1-2 Manchester United

[Durhamfootman]

Man City are a shambles atm. I wonder if the legal stuff is getting in the way, somehow. why it would, I couldn't say

In much more important news, Newcastle gave Leicester a damned good thrashing. The scoreline should probably have been double the 4-0 it actually was. Pope is out for a while, so didn't play and suddenly Newcastle didn't ship 3 or 4 goals...... although Leicester were terrible. Away to Ipswich next... what could go wrong

[Durhamfootman]

Away to Ipswich next... what could go wrong

actually that isn't true. There is the small matter of a league cup QF against Brentford at SJP on Wednesday, which I'd forgotten about

[andy]

That was a horrendous game of football to watch, I'm glad united won purely because I like the way amorim is trying to play both teams were awful truly awful

[mikesiva]

Arsenal, Newcastle and Liverpool all advance to the semi-finals of the League Cup....

[Durhamfootman]

It's going to be a loaded SF draw

[Durhamfootman]

League Cup SF's

Arsenal v Newcastle
Spurs v Liverpool

[Durhamfootman]

Newcastle are back scoring goals aplenty and hardly conceding. 3 matches this week, 3 wins, 11-1 in goals and a place in the league cup SF's.

Now okay, the 2 PL games were against Leicester and Ipswich, but they're playing well, they're creating chances by the bucketful and confidence will be high. That confidence will stand them in good stead going into the Christmas fixtures where they meet Villa (H), Man U and Spurs (both A). There's only a couple of wins between 5th and 13th in the table, so this next 2 weeks could see a lot of changes in fortune

Inconsistency has been the problem this season, so it would be nice to finally get on a roll

[Durhamfootman]

Bournemouth give Man Utd another OT kicking

I wonder who Ratcliffe will sack this week? I probably just need to check to see who has just been handed an extended contract and assume it'll be them..... tea lady perhaps

[mikesiva]

Bournemouth give Man Utd another OT kicking

I wonder who Ratcliffe will sack this week? I probably just need to check to see who has just been handed an extended contract and assume it'll be them..... tea lady perhaps

Aston villa 2-1 Manchester City

Down to sixth!

[Durhamfootman]

or even 7th

it's odd, really. If somebody had said to me, at the start of the season, that by Christmas Newcastle would be 1 point behind Man C, I'd have assumed we'd be storming our way to Champions League football next season

just goes to show that when the wheels come off, it's hard to put them back on again.

[Durhamfootman]

I did fancy a win today for Newcastle today. Villa might have had a couple of high flying seasons but their record at SJP hasn't been great in the Howe era. Newcastle may have won 3-0, but they had the ball in the back of the net six times and hit the woodwork in a dominant display. Villa were reduced to 10 in the first half, but they were getting a thumping today no matter what.

Across the last 4 matches, Newcastle are winning 14-1 and they've squandered as many glorious chances as they've scored. Up to 5th in the table, with Man Utd at OT next up