Premier League Thread 2023/2024

[KingsX]

Another story about the Glazers and the start of Ratcliffe’s shot at house-cleaning at Man U

     https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/39378413/whats-gone-wrong-manchester-united-glazer-ownership  

 

Most of us already know how the Glazers have taken a billion out of the club in repaying their LBO debt and by being the only PL owners to take annual cash dividends.  We know they’ve pissed another billion up the wall on crap transfers based only on social media numbers.  But the details of just how venal and petty they are blew my mind.

 

Happier to be near the Champions League final than to win and have to pay big player bonuses.  A stadium falling down, but the director's box newly refurbished with plush, heated seats and carpet.  Making MUTV commentators call the away matches from the press box at an empty OT to save all of £40,000 a year in travel expenses.  Staff having to travel in advance to the Glazers’ hotels to ensure the sheets will be laundered with a specific brand of detergent, or buy cupcakes for Glazer kids at 3 am.

 

I’m skeptical how much will change.  They still own the club.  Even if Ratcliffe makes the football decisions, he doesn’t set the budget.  And the Glazers have demonstrated for almost 20 years, they will never spend an extra cent to win.

 

[Fox in the North]

I’d be intrigued to see if the “blue card” would be used to stop the “cynical foul” where a player (looking at you Fernandinho) takes one for the team if there’s a break on (and would normally get a yellow). Would be interesting to see if players think twice on that.

[mancunianfox]

3 hours ago, KingsX said:

And the Glazers have demonstrated for almost 20 years, they will never spend an extra cent to win.

 

Yes they maintain he highest wage bill and almost outspent everyone else. They've employed some really high profile managers too. United have many problems, but not sure under investment in the squad has been one of them.

 

They've outspent the next highest club (Chelsea) by £300m over the past decade.

Edited 8 February 2024 by mancunianfox
Correction

[Lionator]

The Man Utd Stone Roses collab is unreal. 
 

only time I’ll ever praise them scum bags.

[Finnegan]

If United are genuinely willing to pay £70m for a 27 year old Ivan Toney then they aren't changing direction at all with Ratcliffe's involvement and that is good news.

[Koke]

Plenty of podcasts are doing their top 5 greatest PL managers of all time. 

 

The general consensus is 

 

1. Ferguson 

2. Pep

3. Mourinho 

4. Klopp

5. Wenger

[Nalis]

1 hour ago, Koke said:

Plenty of podcasts are doing their top 5 greatest PL managers of all time. 

 

The general consensus is 

 

1. Ferguson 

2. Pep

3. Mourinho 

4. Klopp

5. Wenger

The general consensus is probably right on the top 3 but 4 and 5 should definitely swap.

 

The only metric Klopp is ahead of Wenger on is a champions league win.

 

Wenger's won more league titles and his revolution for its time was a bigger shift change in the league than any other in terms of how to play and coaching. 

[UniFox21]

Considering they're all media trained, they don't half say some stupid shit. Liverpool trying to copyright celebrating now 

[Finnegan]

5 hours ago, UniFox21 said:

Considering they're all media trained, they don't half say some stupid shit. Liverpool trying to copyright celebrating now 

 

This is absolutely, 100% peak Liverpool. Only Liverpool could think they're so special that they own celebrating

 

[Matt]

18 hours ago, UniFox21 said:

Considering they're all media trained, they don't half say some stupid shit. Liverpool trying to copyright celebrating now 

Not like Liverpool to make everything about them.

 

Edited 10 February 2024 by Matt

[Bryn]

You can proper tell Premier League footballers live in a weird little bubble and have done since they were about 9. They don't have a clue what else is going on in the world.

[Leicesterpool]

Be interesting to see if Man Utd look to groundshare somewhere will build to the new stadium similar to Tottenham the new ground is next door to old Trafford. Considering the fan base is also over they probably dont need to to restrict to Manchester. I wouldn't rule them playing at the Principality Stadium especially as it holds 80,000 and slightly more closer than London to Manchester. Etihad groundshare i dont think is possible.

[bovril]

1 hour ago, Finnegan said:

 

This is absolutely, 100% peak Liverpool. Only Liverpool could think they're so special that they own celebrating

 

I've posted it before but considering the "Scouse not English" stuff it is ironic that if clubs were countries, Liverpool would 100% be England. 

[Brainy]

Swear Forest are on Sky every week

[Aus Fox]

On 09/02/2024 at 16:53, Koke said:

Plenty of podcasts are doing their top 5 greatest PL managers of all time. 

 

The general consensus is 

 

1. Ferguson 

2. Pep

3. Mourinho 

4. Klopp

5. Wenger

The top 3 is a given, and pretty easy to order. 4th Wenger is so far ahead of Klopp in terms of every metric you could use, he completely changed the game in a very similar way to what Pep did when he took over, he also has more league titles.

Klopp with only one title, if we are only taking into consideration their Premier League achievements is very lucky imo to be on a list with the other 4 names. - Kenny Dalglish won’t get a mention, because 3 of his 4 league titles came just before the PL, but he had to be in the top 5 for me, especially getting the way he was one of the few managers to not fall for Fergies mind games.

[Koke]

9 minutes ago, Aus Fox said:

The top 3 is a given, and pretty easy to order. 4th Wenger is so far ahead of Klopp in terms of every metric you could use, he completely changed the game in a very similar way to what Pep did when he took over, he also has more league titles.

Klopp with only one title, if we are only taking into consideration their Premier League achievements is very lucky imo to be on a list with the other 4 names. - Kenny Dalglish won’t get a mention, because 3 of his 4 league titles came just before the PL, but he had to be in the top 5 for me, especially getting the way he was one of the few managers to not fall for Fergies mind games.

 

Tbf Klopp is competing with a behemoth corporate machine in Man City. Getting 97 points and not wining the title is insanity. Also, Wenger has more titles because he spent over two decades at Arsenal.

[Arkie Bennett]

Ederson got kicked in the face there. That's a shame.

[Parafox]

The size of those advertising boards at the Etihad 

[Libertine]

2 minutes ago, Parafox said:

The size of those advertising boards at the Etihad 

Are they not two lined up behind each other? You can see the stewards in between. 

[Parafox]

3 minutes ago, Libertine said:

Are they not two lined up behind each other? You can see the stewards in between. 

You're right but even so they look ridiculously high.

[lcfcsnow]

9 minutes ago, Parafox said:

The size of those advertising boards at the Etihad 

They’ve had double boards for a while puts me off watching any of their home games 

 

And this one is like us vs most championship sides with the home fans getting frustrated when players pass back, it happens in games like this it’s not just us

[Parafox]

8 minutes ago, lcfcsnow said:

They’ve had double boards for a while puts me off watching any of their home games 

 

And this one is like us vs most championship sides with the home fans getting frustrated when players pass back, it happens in games like this it’s not just us

TBF Everton have parked the bus but Man C have had a lot of attacks particularly on their left through Doku. Entertaining game at times.

Edited 10 February 2024 by Parafox

[cruzFOX]

Dyche ball starting to make pep go potty  🤣

[Torquay Gunner]

Calvert-Lewin most overrated striker in the premier league? Not too many decent strikers go 17 games without a goal. 

[Matt]

23 minutes ago, cruzFOX said:

Dyche ball starting to make pep go potty  🤣

I dare say Pep, Rodri and co will have another episode of "They didn't play how we wanted them to play" wah wah wah.