Match Day Thread PL: Stoke City vs Liverpool FC

Will be interesting to see how Clasie does. He's one of those that as been rated for a while but none of the big clubs wanted to take the plunge.

 

Lol true. We will wait and see - looking forward to Sunday now. Buzzing

 

Southampton have big challenges to come.

#not worried

 

Inter were happy to get rid of Courinho for £8m
Uniter were happy to get red of Pogba for nothing

 

Exactly...

Not that I'd do such a thing.. but pretty sure if we dug up a few posts about Lovern, before Southampton signed him, the CM brigade on here would have been spitting teeth for missing out on his signing... no?

 

Inter weren't happy to get rid of him - they needed the money.

And they wanted Pogba to stay - Pogba was the one who wanted to leave.

But not sure why you're bringing two exceptional talents into question?

Lovren is 25, bought to be a leader and first teamer - he's failed at every club he's been at, has no potential nor current ability. He's deluded just as much as the man who signed him - even went as far as blaming refs for his sh*t time in France.

 

They didn't offer him a contract until his previous one expired and Ferguson had refused to play him even when he had no fit midfielders just because he didn't want to justify giving him a pay rise. Instead he brought Scholes back.

 

They wanted the money to buy someone else, was therefore expendable, if he was a major part of their future, they'd never have sold him!
Agree on Pogba, he buggered off, not sure Utd were happy to see him go...

To say he failed is a bit harsh... if he works better in a certain set of parameters, DM ahead of him, then, when we don't play that way, he was bound to suffer/take time to adapt.
Granted, he took (still is) longer to adapt, and for such an outlay, you'd expect him to perform better..
Maybe clutching at straws, but hoping with a more mobile MF in front of him, a change to 4-3-3 with one of the middle 3 sitting in front of the defence, he'll come good..
Will he be good enough for you Jimmy... phuck knows

 

Point is, that a lot of teams are 'happy' to let players go who then perform very well down the line. Just becaus Lyon were happy to let him go doesn't mean he's a bad player.

Im sure if inter really wanted to they could have kept coutinho, 8m isn't a lot of money and could have got more for others.

United weren't playing Pogba so yes they may have thought about keeping him but if seriously didn't want him to go could have kept him.

 

Where is every ****er? There's a bastard game on Sunday

 

They were happy to let him go because he was sh*t. They touted him all over Europe and offered him around everywhere, even to us.

Lovren was bought because Carragher had publicly bigged him up after a good few months where he was carried by a top class midfield.

He can't do the basics - his positioning, his judgement, his tackling are completely off. And to rub salt into the wounds - he was bought to replace Sakho. We paid £20m for a player who is worse than our current best defender. Honestly one of the most braindead decisions Rodgers has ever made.

Lovren will never be good enough. He looked sh*te against dross in preseason as well.

 

And TBF we have 6 pages on it so far

Man Utd have 15 posts
Arsenal have 10 posts
Chelsea don't have a thread
Man City don't have a board

#smallclubs

 

You're right - a top defence needs protection from the midfield. Problem is, we don't have that and we need defenders who can hold their own when exposed.

Same with Skrtel - put them in a system which protects them, they will look good. But if you don't babysit them, then they're not good enough.

I want players to hold their own and take responsibility.

 

One small example... Matic missed the game against Newcastle.. They lost that game..
There is no defence in modern football than can hold its own if they don't have proper protection.
The whole team defends, not just the back four..!
Rather a romantic notion you have there Jimmy but I'm afraid not realistic!

 

But yoube said you want a DM to sit in front.. So make your mind up.

 

Yeah, coz Scholes was a lot cheaper

 

Yes and our midfield offers massive protection from its possession and pressing

 

Nope but Ferguson's ego and sense of what people are worth let him pay Scholes £200,000/week easier than Pogba £20,000/week

 

What are you talking about?

We need a DM but we also need competent defenders. I've been banging on the DM drum for God knows how long now.

A quality midfield can carry a defence - but that doesn't mean we can just sign any old sh*te defender.

It is possible to want better defenders and a DM.

 

You do spout some **** at times. Pogba was an 18 year old kid who demanded guaranteed first team football before he would sign his contract, even Ronaldo never had that guarantee so he had no chance of it. He refused to sign and left the club. Story is now ended.