The Court of Arbitrary Arbitration - Random Facts, Thoughts, Etc.

Saw this yesterday. Seems fitting considering today's performance

Ronay's description of Moyes though

Squint and you can still just about see his pale, frazzled ghost wandering about on the touchline, still looking like a doomed wedding cake figurine in his sad blue suit, shouting at shadows, pointing at things that never happened, feeling the ground beneath his shiny little shoes shift and fall away.

Mata-Marouane: the Moyesian odd couple nearing a United redemption

https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...oyes-manchester-united-mata-marouane-fellaini

 

A headline in search of a thesis.

Fellaini and Mata are not indispensable players on this squad. Did they score three goals between them today? Yes, against Crystal Palace, an opponent we knew were going to park the bus against (which they did) allowing us to scorch them with crosses and loose balls in the box.

At Old Trafford, Moyes never used Fellaini as a target man. He tried to convert him into a deep-lying midfielder, which is simply not in his DNA and it proved to the disaster that it was obviously going to be as we saw the experiment unfold. Mata has always been useful, but hardly indispensable.

That Fellaini and Mata are survivors of the Moyes era is obvious, but what of it? We still have survivors of the Ferguson era -- Valencia, Young, Smalling, Jones, De Gea, and Carrick.

If the point of the article is to credit Moyes with two of his buys still having an important role for United, that's great, but pointing this out should be an appendix to the broader point that Moyes misused his two buys and that he left a wrecked squad that has taken three seasons to sort out.

 

The video of this incident is just scary stuff...

www.bbc.com/sport/football/41456324

 

Great piece on this week's "60mins" on Christian Pulisic. Learned some pretty interesting things about the kid and it only reaffirms that he could end up being a big deal.
Did not know he spoke German fluently either, which is very telling. The similarities with Landon Donovan are striking in many aspects, but Pulisic clearly looks like he's going to really maximize his potential. Had Donovan stuck it thru when he was with Leverkusen, there's no doubt he would have been even better than he end up being.
In that aspect the maturity and poise Pulisic is showing is pretty remarkable.

 

Donovan should have stayed at Everton, he was clearly doing well.

 

Yes, he should have, but the point re Leverkusen was that it was 10yrs earlier at the start of his pro career. There's no telling how it would have impacted his career then, in ters of asking an even better player.
His stint in Everton, merely confirmed that fact for me, as it proved that he always had the talent to, at the very least, carve out a solid career in Europe.

 

Not sure if this is the right thread, but I found this on Twitter:

Fellaini is demanding a pay rise from 80k a week to 130k a week to sign a new contract at United.

Ridiculous for a bench player or Fair?

 

Saw that tweet there is no source behind it so it's probably bull shit

 

Back on a laptop now. This comes from a British tabloid, Metro:

Fellaini currently earns somewhere in the region of £80,000 per week, but wants a pay packet to reflect his growing importance to the team.

After filling in so well for the injured Paul Pogba so far this season, Fellaini is said to be asking for wages of as much as £130,000 per week, according to The Sun.​

http://metro.co.uk/2017/10/03/manch...pay-rise-in-new-contract-6973103/?ito=cbshare

Other news reports say the same, probably all coming originally from...The Sun.

And it's likely this is true. We know Fellaini is in the last year of his contract. We know he's on 80k/week. And we know, based on past experience, that professional athletes tend to overperform when playing for a new contract (and who can deny that's been useful of late?) And we know that he knows that this is last big contract gambit. It's very likely he's shooting for a massive pay raise (or rise, if you prefer). Where it settles is anyone's guess, but if we reprobates were in his shoes right now we would be, right now, shooting big too.

 

sell

 

Prem clubs are meeting to discuss the allocation of overseas tv money.

www.skysports.com/football/news/11661/11065902/premier-league-to-discuss-overseas-money-at-london-meeting

 

It's the international break and the Metro quoting the S*n (two of the least reliable rags in England), its bollox.

That being said he's doesn't deserve that wage increase after only a month of good form.

 

I know my twin went there in the summer when there were no games and stayed there, she loved it. But if you get a membership online for like 50 pounds then you are able to find tickets. They only sell tickets to members if the game is in high demand. You gotta get them as you soon as you can too.

Also, it depends on your budget and the length of the stay.

 

Excellent documentary currently on Netflix, "Planet FIFA" about the history of the organization and the depths of the corruption within in, right up until the recent shake up caused by the recent FBI investigation.

 

Possibly, but wouldn't it be criminal negligence on the part of Fellain's agent if he didn't seek a contract extension with a wage increase right now?

Woody may laugh, but it appears that Fellaini has the support of his manager. Based on the belief that Mourinho highly values Fellaini it's a pretty good bet that Fellaini will win a contract extension -- probably one season with a club option for a second season...I'll say 100k/week. All things considered -- and it's well known, especially to Ashur, that I'm no fan of Fellaini -- that's probably a fair agreement for both club and player.

 

Simply put, that £130k/wk figure is probably made up. But given he's a solid squad member and is greatly valued by Jose, it stands to reason he will probably see some kind of increase of his salary.

 

Predictably, the Prem clubs have rejected the proposal from the top clubs to change how the tv money is to be distributed among themselves.

www.bbc.com/sport/football/41497079

 

I totally disagree with this.

130k p/w isnt much on our wage scale. Players like Lingard, Young, Jones, Herrera and a few others are making around that much and he's outperformed them on a more consistent basis. He deserves it if we extend his contract.

One month of good form? I realise Fellaini isnt anyones (including myself) cup of tea, but fans really go overboard.

One month of good form? Are you serious?

 

Yea one month of good consistent form. He's had good games but has not been that consistent. Also saying that he out performed Ander is a stretch to say the least.

 

Apart from his gaffe vs Everton, Fellaini was solid as a squad guy last season and he played a part in United winning trophies in the last couple of seasons...

 

One month of consistently good form is correct, but it's also correct to say that Fellaini has put in some very good performances, albeit inconsistently, during Mourinho's tenure.

But he's also put in some shockers, such as the late pk he conceded to Everton that, if I recall correctly, took a win to a draw.

In the grand scheme of things, however, 100k or even 130k, isn't much for United these days. Lingard scored a 100k/week contract (going off recollection only) and it's reasonable to argue that Fellaini is more important to Mourinho than in Lingard.

 

A look at Juan Mata's Common Goal foundation and their ambitious plans.

www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/11067592/juan-mata8217s-common-goal-and-the-ambitious-plans-to-change-football

 

Old Trafford, 1931.

What an image. 📸 pic.twitter.com/hM45qvl4Qf

— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Football__Tweet) October 12, 2017