Michael* Posted March 16, 2017 Share Posted March 16, 2017 On the one hand, it's no real surprise to see Karanka given his marching orders. The apparent bust-ups with players, the club hovering around the bottom three and unable to score goals. On the other hand, it feels like strange timing from Gibson to decide that all those things are a problem now if they weren't before. The club showed remarkable patience with Karanka after he initially failed to deliver promotion, and he has a history of falling out with players in spectacular fashion, including last season when he allegedly stormed off the training ground and Steve Agnew had to take over for a week. The problem for Guardiola at the moment is that City's defensive options simply don't measure up to the ones he had at both Barca and Bayern. Eventually, he'll have to make tactical changes because his current squad is unable to make a decent fist of his favoured approach, and there probably aren't any realistic summer transfer targets that could solve things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frederick Posted March 16, 2017 Share Posted March 16, 2017 On 16/03/2017 at 1:05 PM, Michael* said: On the one hand, it's no real surprise to see Karanka given his marching orders. The apparent bust-ups with players, the club hovering around the bottom three and unable to score goals. On the other hand, it feels like strange timing from Gibson to decide that all those things are a problem now if they weren't before. The club showed remarkable patience with Karanka after he initially failed to deliver promotion, and he has a history of falling out with players in spectacular fashion, including last season when he allegedly stormed off the training ground and Steve Agnew had to take over for a week. International break coming up, theoretically gives a madhouse an opportunity to re-organise. Caretaker will get a free pass on the Man U game then a (potential) new man gets a clean run at the next three not unreasonable fixtures: Hull, Swansea and Burnley. I still think they're toast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael* Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 We're in for a treat! The #UCLdraw... pic.twitter.com/l96zXG0vDE — Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) March 17, 2017 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frederick Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 Happy to avoid the Leicester 'show' and happier to let the big beasts murder each other. Monaco are there for a reason and they score goals for fun so it could be a razor tight affair. Seeing 'Cardiff' and 'Champions League' in the same graphic makes me think I'm living in a Vincent Tan fever dream. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael* Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 Dortmund and Monaco could easily be the tie of the round. Atletico is pretty much Leicester's worst case scenario, a well organised team who are not only rock-solid at the back but also have the class to retain possession, not really suited for Leicester's 'underdog' football. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael* Posted March 19, 2017 Share Posted March 19, 2017 Unable to beat Burnley at home despite creating a host of chances in the second half. If there's one thing I've learned from our previous scrapes, it's that making predictions is a mug's game, but at the same time, there are only so many ways to keep your head above water. It's starting to look like we might have finally exhausted them all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frederick Posted March 19, 2017 Share Posted March 19, 2017 5 hours ago, Michael* said: Unable to beat Burnley at home despite creating a host of chances in the second half. If there's one thing I've learned from our previous scrapes, it's that making predictions is a mug's game, but at the same time, there are only so many ways to keep your head above water. It's starting to look like we might have finally exhausted them all. The goal drought is alarming but God help me I can just about see a way out for Moyesy's misfits. How have performances generally been since you smashed up Palace? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael* Posted March 20, 2017 Share Posted March 20, 2017 On 19/03/2017 at 5:38 PM, Frederick said: The goal drought is alarming but God help me I can just about see a way out for Moyesy's misfits. How have performances generally been since you smashed up Palace? While the only really grim performance we've turned in since the Palace victory was in the following game against Southampton, where conceding two quick goals led to us capitulating horribly in the second half, we've looked devoid of pace and attacking thrust for long stretches. On paper, Moyes' decision in January to cash in on Van Aanholt and replace him with Oviedo was the right one because the latter is by far the better all-round player, but it also removed our only secondary goal threat. Now, with half chances falling instead to crapkickers like Rodwell and Jones, it's hard to see how we're going to score if Defoe isn't firing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael* Posted March 22, 2017 Share Posted March 22, 2017 Quite enjoyed the emotional music when Lukas Podolski was subbed there. As much as I'd like to see us try it while replacing Seb Larsson with Donald Love, I can't really see it catching on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frederick Posted March 23, 2017 Share Posted March 23, 2017 12 hours ago, Michael* said: Quite enjoyed the emotional music when Lukas Podolski was subbed there. As much as I'd like to see us try it while replacing Seb Larsson with Donald Love, I can't really see it catching on. The whole daft procedure seemed fairly in keeping with Podolski's fairly weird career. Was disappointed he didn't come off to the sound of his own smash hit single. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael* Posted March 29, 2017 Share Posted March 29, 2017 Well, Ellis says David Moyes' job is secure even if we're relegated in May. No mention of what'll happen if we're relegated in April. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frederick Posted March 31, 2017 Share Posted March 31, 2017 On 29/03/2017 at 5:36 PM, Michael* said: Well, Ellis says David Moyes' job is secure even if we're relegated in May. No mention of what'll happen if we're relegated in April. And if they lost the next five games? I get that it's the all hands on deck, chest thumping rhetoric portion of the season and that continuity would do a hot house like Sunderland the world of good under the right circumstances but we've got miles of road ahead. Strap in, kids! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael* Posted March 31, 2017 Share Posted March 31, 2017 2 hours ago, Frederick said: And if they lost the next five games? I get that it's the all hands on deck, chest thumping rhetoric portion of the season and that continuity would do a hot house like Sunderland the world of good under the right circumstances but we've got miles of road ahead. Strap in, kids! I suppose we'll have to see what tomorrow against Watford brings. Overall, I feel for Short a bit, because all he'll have really gathered from a fairly lengthy spell as our owner is that throwing tons of money around and sacking managers every ten months doesn't yield significant progress. Even now, I get the impression that his heart is still more or less in the right place, but there must come a point where it all starts to feel rather futile. On a slightly different note Fred, I genuinely can't decide if it's Russell Crowe or Eddie Vedder in your avatar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frederick Posted March 31, 2017 Share Posted March 31, 2017 2 hours ago, Michael* said: I suppose we'll have to see what tomorrow against Watford brings. Overall, I feel for Short a bit, because all he'll have really gathered from a fairly lengthy spell as our owner is that throwing tons of money around and sacking managers every ten months doesn't yield significant progress. Even now, I get the impression that his heart is still more or less in the right place, but there must come a point where it all starts to feel rather futile. On a slightly different note Fred, I genuinely can't decide if it's Russell Crowe or Eddie Vedder in your avatar. I think were Sunderland to go down Moyes would be as viable a candidate to get them up as almost anyone else. Having said that, as Villa's two Championship transfer windows thus far have shown, 'continuity' as a relegated club is very hard to balance out, unless you're a Burnley and you've all yo-yo'd together before and have budgeted for such eventualities with the guiding hand of a murderously serious gravel voiced ginger man. Ha, big Russ and his rock and roll exploits always gets me a-chucklin'. He probably eats a lot of jam but he's no Eddie! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael* Posted April 10, 2017 Share Posted April 10, 2017 So it would seem that blagging job interviews in Spanish is a hidden talent of Tony Adams. Who knew? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frederick Posted April 11, 2017 Share Posted April 11, 2017 17 hours ago, Michael* said: So it would seem that blagging job interviews in Spanish is a hidden talent of Tony Adams. Who knew? Think someone's got a bit of a man crush, this geezer has now given our Tone three jobs: the aforementioned, vice-president of DDMC Football Club Management Company, which sounds like a suitably vague, blagtastic job that he's apparently keeping and sporting director at good ol' Chongqing Dangdai Lifan. Still, between his stints in Azerbaijan and his ability to make this particular rich fella smitten, at least he's a proactive blagger rather than a 'play golf, wait for a top job' moan merchants that clog up the media sewage system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael* Posted April 11, 2017 Share Posted April 11, 2017 1 hour ago, Frederick said: Think someone's got a bit of a man crush, this geezer has now given our Tone three jobs: the aforementioned, vice-president of DDMC Football Club Management Company, which sounds like a suitably vague, blagtastic job that he's apparently keeping and sporting director at good ol' Chongqing Dangdai Lifan. Still, between his stints in Azerbaijan and his ability to make this particular rich fella smitten, at least he's a proactive blagger rather than a 'play golf, wait for a top job' moan merchants that clog up the media sewage system. Looking at the La Liga table, Granada are seven points adrift in the relegation zone with seven games left, two of which are against Real Madrid and Sevilla. So you'd have to say it appears to be mission impossible for Adams, although perhaps that was part of the appeal for him. Survive and it's a miracle, go down and he walks away relatively blameless. Surely though, standing on the touchline in that suit should help bag them a few extra points. A sneaky breakaway or two while the opposition are staring at him in utter disbelief. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frederick Posted April 12, 2017 Share Posted April 12, 2017 Here comes the cavalry! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael* Posted April 12, 2017 Share Posted April 12, 2017 What with April Fools Day being almost a fortnight ago, I'm guessing it's safe to assume that this isn't some elaborate ruse by Granada and that Nigel Reo-Coker is in fact still playing. All the more bewildering is that he's somehow still only 32. Honestly, that in itself is as much of a story as anything I've heard all season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frederick Posted April 12, 2017 Share Posted April 12, 2017 5 hours ago, Michael* said: What with April Fools Day being almost a fortnight ago, I'm guessing it's safe to assume that this isn't some elaborate ruse by Granada and that Nigel Reo-Coker is in fact still playing. All the more bewildering is that he's somehow still only 32. Honestly, that in itself is as much of a story as anything I've heard all season. Reo-Coker embodies so much of the bloated, self-regarding malaise that eventually started to burn down the house during the O'Neill era. Of course the second we released him he was telling everyone he had offers from Italy and Spain and wham, a mere six years later, a trial for Tony's titans! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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