Re: Mourinho: Get better or get lost This is just like last year when he complained of fixture congestion around the new year... mind you, we played 3 games in 7 days around that time... but he only saw fixture congestion for his team... such a self centered twat... LOOK AT ME, EVERYBODY LOOK AT ME.
Re: The Obi Mikel Thread More idiotic Mourinho rants: http://soccernet.espn.go.com/headlinenews?id=336930&cc=5901
Re: Mourinho: Get better or get lost First, great post. Brimming with vinegar and starch. Way to stick up for your side. If I were you - I would be a bit concerned about the central midfield. It is not just that Scholes or Keane are getting too old. Just that they are not capable of controlling/icing the game the way that they used to. And you have to make sure that Van Nistelrooy does recover his best form. There was something more than just coming back into full fitness that was holding him back. Not suggesting that he is past it - only that time to heal may not be all that he needs to overcome for him to "get it back". Consistent as a complementary player only. He needs to score more - or at the very least create more goals - to justify his time on the field. Given the formation that you employed last season, I would be almost as worried by the rather paltry goals total you got from Ronaldo, Giggs and Co as I would be about the goals you got (or didn't get) from your strikers. I am not suggesting he is anything remotely like your best players. Only that he provided a fixed point that gave shape to the rest of your offense. In a single striker system (regardless of how forward the wingers play), the central-forward plays a big role in holding the ball and providing a reference point for the runs and passes of the other attacking players. With Nistelrooy off-key for most of the year, it appeared to me that Smith was the player who helped give shape to your offense. That is all I was suggesting. In the absence of such a player, it sometimes appeared like Rooney, Ronaldo and others didn't really know what to do with their possession and the defense was not as intimidated as they might have been by the wide players. This was what I was trying to say above about Smith. He helped provide orientation for the other players to work off of. You cannot rely on withdrawn or wide attacking players alone to create your offense in the English Premier League. This was true of Liverpool as well. Our midfield-dominated (and withdrawn Baros) system worked far better in Europe than it did in England). I think that Alan Smith is very valuable to your side in the absence of a healthy Van Nistelrooy because amongst your forwards - he is the one best-suited to helping your squad play with the same shape it does when horse face is in the lineup. I actually despise Arsenal. I find them to be one-trick ponies who learned their trick very well. Apart from their rather amazing run, they have not had a great record against top teams (as evidenced by your comments that they reeked against your lot last season). I am not intimidated by them - the only time that they thoroughly dominated us was in our weakest season. Their follys in Europe are an embarrassment to English football, though the Inter game was a great one (the opposition has to be partly blamed for that however). M. Wenger has, however, figured out how to bring a 3-ring circus against the likes of WBA, Birmingham, etc. Even Chelsea was not as dominant against crappy sides as Arsenal was (I don't care about their record - Chelsea won plenty of games the way that Everton did last year). I would never want to constitute my team the way Arsenal has. I only suggest that in the short-term (2-3 years), I think Arsenal is very well-positioned to compete very well in a Premiership that has altogether too few very good teams. Arsenal is like a boxer with lots of glam and lots of technique and a bit of glass jaw. But there are far too few true contenders that can expose that jaw. As a result, I could easily envision a season in which Manchester United and Chelsea lose more points to draws and Arsenal (provided they sort out this mess with Vieira) play a bit more consistently and earn a few more points by winning more and drawing, losing a bit less. Fundamentally I do not think that they are a better team. Exactly. Arsenal struggled a bit due to things outside their control (injuries, goalkeepers, etc). I think it is logical to conclude that they might be able to improve a bit more quickly (if they are able to avoid so many injuries) this season than some other teams. They also have a lot of players who are playing very high caliber football at a very young age (it is safe to say that Flamini and Reyes and Van Persie and that young Spanish Fabregas will be able to ratchet their games up a level). They lost Edu and added Hleb, whom all their supporters claim will not play in central midfield, so they did not get more depth in the area they most needed it last season - until they do, its a distinct weakness and failure on their part.[/quote] Don't forget about Gilberto Silva. He was injured almost the entire season (the same year that they didn't have Parlour to fall back on) and he is a crucial part of the business of allowing Vieira to do what he does best. A healthy season from him would dramatically raise their standard because it would not leave the defense so exposed as it was when they had little seventeen year olds playing in front of it. Chelsea may very well be just as dominant if they have a better left back, if they have fewer injuries to Robben and if Crespo plays like he did for Milan. Drogba was not up to their standard. But I think it is likely that Arsenal will play a little better this season than last (depending on Vieira - I think he is a bit overrated but he is still a great player and depending on how effective Bergkamp is (or Hleb is in taking up his mantle). I think in two or three seasons that Arsenal will be more than passe and we will see either Liverpool or Manchester United subplanting them as they go through cash problems and struggle to rebuild their squad. Especially if Wenger loses the plot and decides he wants to coach the national team or gets frustrated by losing his psychological edge. If Manchester United wants to challenge for the title again next year - and in the long term - they will need an injection of real talent into center midfield (Essien for instance) to spell Keane and reinvigorate Scholes.
Re: Jose "Former European Champion" Mourinho's own United thread I almost believe him here..... http://msn.foxsports.com/soccer/story/3755886
Re: Jose "Former European Champion" Mourinho's own United thread That's rich ... he's essentially saying that no one can touch his existing squad ... no matter what they do.
Re: Jose "Former European Champion" Mourinho's own United thread The funny thing is, he was talking about how they broke every record last season, was he also including fines? Off to an early start this season...
Re: Jose "Former European Champion" Mourinho's own United thread Soon we will find a quote from Mourinho, "I invented Football." After all he is "Special One." gag gag.
Re: Jose "Former European Champion" Mourinho's own United thread They've even given him his own little Gallery: http://football.guardian.co.uk/gallery/image/0,8556,-10504975492,00.html
Re: Jose "Former European Champion" Mourinho's own United thread I like this one they look so in love......
Re: Jose "Former European Champion" Mourinho's own United thread http://skysports.planetfootball.com/list.asp?hlid=291785&CPID=8&clid=&channel=football_home pwned! Opta proves that Chelsea's schedule is actually easier than Arsenal's... LOL
Re: Jose "Former European Champion" Mourinho's own United thread He's such a jerkoff...... and my candidate for :
Re: Jose "Former European Champion" Mourinho's own United thread Will someone cut his ********ing hair? He looks like a bird.
Re: Jose "Former European Champion" Mourinho's own United thread Are you sure you have the right one being the beee-itch?
Re: Jose "Former European Champion" Mourinho's own United thread Oh, by the way - Fergie backs Mourinho's fixture rant.
Re: Jose "Former European Champion" Mourinho's own United thread Didn't mention Dein's name, just backed the facts of Mourinho's complaint. I've maintained that this is what the furor over Mourinho's comments were....
Re: Jose "Former European Champion" Mourinho's own United thread You have to admire Drogba's modesty: http://skysports.planetfootball.com...tle=Drogba+blames+tactics&channel=premiership P.S Zani if you're reading this, please don't reply.
Re: Jose "Former European Champion" Mourinho's own United thread Which means that.....both of them need to have it explained to them that the FA does not schedule the matches?
Re: Jose "Former European Champion" Mourinho's own United thread They can discuss that while at their villa in Provence over a fine glass of pinot noir.
Re: Jose "Former European Champion" Mourinho's own United thread Ehh? Everyone knows Russian River Sonoma County has better pinots than France.
Re: Jose "Former European Champion" Mourinho's own United thread Well there goes my dream of being a sommelier.
Re: Jose "Former European Champion" Mourinho's own United thread No....I'm sure there are many oenophilic organizations you can join in Chicago to get that dream off the ground.
Re: Jose "Former European Champion" Mourinho's own United thread Sadly, it seems like everyone and their brother is trying to be an expert ever since Sideways was released.