Match Day Thread 2017/18 Premier League, Cups & Euro Watch

Trying to be clever and play for 2nd is a #nailedon #jinx though

 

Didn’t you know, I don’t have a sense of humour!!

 

Klopp managed it in those finals with Liverpool.

 

He wasn't aiming for second in those finals.

If he was aiming for second, he was successful.

But well done for at least trying PJ

 

I think you're going to win.
















Two can play at that game

 

Kyle Walker sale showed Tottenham's 'small club mentality', says Jamie Redknapp
http://www.skysports.com/football/n...hams-small-club-mentality-says-jamie-redknapp

 

Klopp nominated for PL Manager of the Month award
http://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/first-team/283108-klopp-nominated-for-pl-manager-of-the-month-award

 

Yes he was a success.

 

Mike Smith and Bobby Gould both English.

 

Oh, maybe they have had enough of English failures.

 

Why oh why did P Neville have to over emphasise the "spit and non connecting punch"?
Bottles, spit and coins are a constant for LFC players taking throws or corners at Goodison, yes it's all wrong and all those doing it should face consequences but to highlight one side's imbeciles doing it paints the wrong picture to those reading the article that don't know the full script when it comes to the Merseyside derby, there's more to this game than what he highlighted.

Phil Neville describes the differences between the Manchester and Merseyside derbies


http://www.skysports.com/football/n...between-the-manchester-and-merseyside-derbies

PS, they game might be in doubt looking at the latest weather forecast for Sunday, I hope not.

 

He says:

No, it's because you're Phil Neville.

 

He lifted the lid on the FEAR in the Everton dressing room at Anfield and admitted the inferiority complex, so that'll be us and the blues fans that "hate" him.

 

"unnamed club", it was us.

Man Utd v Man City: Old Trafford block on City's documentary cameras

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/42260564

 

Some Chelsea supporter posted the article below on the utd board

Once the country's best stadium, tired Old Trafford is now showing its age

• JIM WHITE
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6 DECEMBER 2017 • 3:00PM
On Sunday the eyes of the world will be focussed on Manchester. As the cross-town rivals go head to head at the top of the Premier League, in a match that will have a huge bearing on the direction of the title, updates from the match will spin round the globe. Or at least they would if the WiFi in the Old Trafford press box actually worked.

Everywhere reporters go in the Premier League these days, at the Emirates and the Etihad, at Anfield and the Amex, the WiFi works like a dream. Except at the Theatre of Dreams. There it drifts in and out, stops unexpectedly, disappears entirely from view, making the delivery of reports - so straight-forward elsewhere - a source of constant frustration. And it has been like that for the past five years at least.

This may seem the most niche of complaints. Really, what does it matter that a few journalists are inconvenienced when the product on the pitch is as compelling as this? Except the shabby state of communications at the country’s largest club venue is indicative of a wider issue: this is a sporting institution in urgent need of investment. Frankly, it would not take much in the way of cash to sort out the problem. But at United for the past decade, when it comes to funding improvements, there has been an institutionalised reluctance for hands to go anywhere near pockets.


And that is a story that can be seen all round the stadium. When the Manchester City fans file into their rivals’ home on Sunday it will be a familiar trip. While the Etihad is a place subject to almost constant upgrade and redevelopment, Old Trafford has not changed at all in more than 10 years. Nothing has been added, nothing rebuilt, nothing improved. The capacity has not been increased, the facilities have not been overhauled, even the pies remain as inedible as they have long been.


Once Old Trafford was the leader of stadium development, the shining light of modernism. After the Taylor Report demanded football be dragged kicking and screaming into the modern world, the Manchester United board quicker than anyone else appreciated the commercial returns that could come from developing their infrastructure. Blessed with the room to expand, they built upwards and outwards. It wasn’t cheap, but soon they had the grandest stadium in the country, capable of accommodating more of the club’s vast supporter base than ever before. By the time the quadrants were extended in 2005 to take the capacity up to over 75,000, United were so far ahead they could entertain 30,000 more paying customers than any of their main rivals.

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An aerial view of Old Trafford in 2006 CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES
In the past decade, however, as Old Trafford has remained pickled in aspic, so the rest have been playing catch up. Arsenal have moved into the Emirates, Spurs will move into the state-of-the-art new White Hart Lane next season, Chelsea have plans for a super stadium at Stamford Bridge. Meanwhile, Liverpool and Manchester City have hugely increased their capacity with grand new stands, West Ham can now play to 20,000 more people since they purloined the London Stadium, even Crystal Palace are in the process of a sizeable expansion. Everywhere corporate revenues are increasing from adventurous new facilities like City’s Tunnel Club. Meanwhile, United’s premium offer remains as it has for the past 10 years: steak, chips and a pre-match live appearance by Clayton Blackmore.

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Manchester City's Tunnel Club CREDIT: MCFC
The lack of investment is indicative. At Old Trafford, under the Glazer ownership, everything is focussed on the present not the future. All initiatives are concentrated on upping the revenues from global corporate partnerships in order to pare down the debt. These are not owners interested in investing. After all, they have not put a penny of their own money into the club, preferring to use others’ cash to pay off the cost of buying the place. Blessed with taking on a property that was then the market leader, they have sat back and done nothing to keep it ahead of the game.

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The Glazers have failed to invest in the stadium CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES
Everywhere you look at United it is the same. Once the training ground was the best around. Now it has been overtaken by those at Arsenal, Spurs and Everton, never mind the magnificent facility that has bloomed across town at the Etihad. Likewise, the Academy that once produced the Class of '92 is now lingering in the shadow of City and Chelsea. While the rest of the game has invested to improve, at United the roof has remained unrepaired as the sun has shone.



There are those working within the club who are more than aware of the need to upgrade in order to recover the lost distance from the pack. Recently there has been talk of looking into expansion of the Sir Bobby Charlton stand, to take capacity up to 88,000. The trouble is, with a railway line running behind, this would be a hugely complicated, expensive project. And with owners who have proven reluctant ever to do anything other than extract money from the coffers, the cost of funding it has thus far kept the idea on the drawing board. One day, of couse, there might be news of development on that front. Though possibly not if we are dependent on the Old Trafford WiFi system to deliver it.

 

^^^^ I'm not sure I want it 'infecting' our board either

 

If it's slagging the ****s off, it's alright by me

 

He hit the nail firmly on the head when he stated how easy it was for man u to expand their ground, most of the rest of the top clubs grounds are/were in built up areas, their yard is in an industrial area with a railway station on its doorstep and one a few minutes walk away.
Oh, and their WiFi is crap.

 

AND it's in Trafford, not Manchester

 

The BBC starting on the "Couthinho's future" malarky, no better than a tabloid these days.

"17:06
Countdown to the Ballon d'Or number one!!
Joint 29th to 25th


PA
So, on to the countdown to number one. This feels like the TOTP Christmas Special...

It's a 30-man shortlist (Harry Kane was the only English player present) so let's see how the 173 journalists made their picks:

There's no number 30, so in joint 29th it's Napoli's Dries Mertens and Liverpool midfielder (for how long?) Philippe Coutinho.

At 28 it's Roma's aerial attack king Edin Dzeko.

Coming in at 27 it's dependable Bayern Munich and Germany defender Mats Hummels.

And at 26 it's Atletico Madrid keeper Jan "set for the Europa League"Oblak.

Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema is in 25th position."

As far as I'm aware he's contracted for another 4 seasons after this and our owners have said he's not for sale.