I know you laugh and its quite funny that Jose has dismissed it in the past But give me a europey league win than coming 2nd in the league any day of the week (only if said Europey league is guaranteed). You win a pot and you get into the CL which is the same as 2nd but more. More excitement and more medals.
I'd agree. Unfortunately EL is not guaranteed. Utd could be left EL again next season if Ajax win, so much riding on 1 game. I dodgy ref call, a defender having a brain freeze at the wrong time, and it's over. With the league it is in the bag possibly several weeks out and 1 bad result isn't the end.
Mourinho tries to win every trophy that he can. That's one thing that I can't criticise him for. He already has one piece of silverware. Two would turn a largely disappointing season into very good one.
Comparing what's success for Spurs and United at this point in time is worthwhile. Whilst United can give Raiola £45m, buy the worst ever value World's Most Expensive Player and play in the EL for the next decade and still take in half a billion quid annually, Spurs need the money the CL provides. Borrowing hsums that dwarf your annual disposable income by a factor of thirty or so will do that. When Daniel Levy and Mauricio Pochettino set out the season's aims, the PL and Top 4 comes first, second and probably third too. If our owner was going to pick up the tab for the new stadium and stick in £1.5 billion for new players, things might be a bit different. We'd probably give the cups more resources. We've done that in the FA Cup this season and with a bigger squad next season we'll probably give the CL a bit more effort too. However, if come next March we're 5th, I fully expect us to concentrate on Wenger's Top 4 Trophy. It paid for The Emirates. Football is a business too for all but 3 clubs in England.
It will seem more of an achievement with the passage of time. In years to come it would be remembered as the season Utd won two trophies and completed the full set of all major honours. It won't be remembered as a season in which a very expensively assembled team generally misfired and underperformed and were 20 points off the pace in the league - which is certainly the prevailing view now. Utd fans have been spoiled with the success under SAF. And it wasn't just the trophies, it was the way the team played. Succession of the club hasn't been well managed and so expectations have to be adjusted. Winning a trophy of any kind is not something to be sniffed at by any club, however it is achieved.
It wasn't necessarily a criticism of Spurs not prioritising the League, it was more that someone was deriding Uniteds season even if they pick up a Europy. Make no mistake, now that it offers a way into the CL, it is definitely better than a top 4 place. Of course i can understand why you don't put your eggs into one competition that doesn't necessarily the best team (to be fair you shouldn't have gone out to Gent). It's a tough one to juggle and one you could argue that Arsenal haven't really done well in the last 8 years (or maybe its just wengers poor coaching/tactics) as they never really compete in either It just goes to show that competing for silverware has taken a back seat to winning the top 4 trophy for clubs and some fans.
It shouldn't but the money is Sooooo important, especially to those who have to earn it. Plus all the players who win you that trophy then **** off to play in the CL. Watch any Leicester player who can now get a move disappear into the dust. Most of them were going to leave last season until Vardy and Mahrez were bribed not to when Kante ****ed off. Klopp's having a meltdown at possibly not getting Wenger's 4th Place Trophy, slagging off Southampton for trying and getting a point. Even Pep's been saying how difficult it is. Even the money printing machine that is United will have to cut back on agent's fees if their kit supplier pays them £75m less for back-to-back failures to get into the CL. United aren't playing for glory, their owners couldn't give a **** about the Europa League but their owners wouldn't want to miss out on The £125m it would cost them not to qualify and the angry little Portuguese will be on a mighty bonus to achieve it. Most fans of most clubs want to win trophies. I've been at the ground to see Spurs win 2 European trophies, 3 FA Cups, 3 League Cups and dearly want to see us do it again. Unfortunately, football's changed. Owners are rich business men first and want a financial return of some kind. Trophies mean less to Kroenke, John Henry, Joe Lewis', etc., etc ., than good old hard cash. The only fan running a club who gives not a **** about the money is Abramovic. Even Citeh's owners are in it for the money in the end. If the rest could get relegated and earn the same, they'd sell their entire first team squads tomorrow.
I don't think anyone bar Chelsea fans remembers anything about their CL triumph in 2012, so coma-inducing were their performances. Whereas by contrast everyone remembers yours in 99 and Pool's in 05. The manner in which they are won definitely counts for a tremendous amount - just ask Di Matteo.
Pass? McDirty? Better to go with......"See that round thing? Pretend it's a Spurs players head. Rondon wants to eat it. Get it over to him using your foot. Okay?"
There's another reason Man Utd want Champions League football - the money from qualification might mean the club are less reliant in whoring their players out to advertise whatever 20th Century Fox have out in the cinemas at the moment. Oh yes, I have sources for that... http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/...the-red-devils-are-not-the-film-a6815421.html http://www.denofgeek.com/uk/movies/...ted-and-its-bizarre-movie-promotions-continue
Next year sees the first Fox/Rooney movie collaboration in the remake of........... 'Dude, Where's My Car(eer)?'
It looks like he's pulled out of "Lost In China" He might get a role in the remake of "On The Fringe"
