The Premier League Thread

I'm quite partial to the odd mind game, but even discounting todays comment, he has come out with some pretty outrageous things already this term. We've just got rid of Fergie, we don't need someone taking his place already. He's a clever manager, just a shame he spends time deflecting that fact.

 

That's all part of it though, isn't it? He says a lot of nonsense in the press but in doing so he usually places all the pressure and focus on himself, or other teams/managers, and not on his team. Like after the West Ham game, where they failed to score at home against one of the worst teams in the league with record numbers of attempts, all you saw in the press afterwards was about his comments on West Ham's 19th century football and all that, I saw nary a word written or spoken about how rubbish the Chelsea players had been and then later that week they beat City at the Etihad and all was well. And this season he knows his team is good enough to win the league except for the lack of a world class striker, but he still consistently writes them off as being favourites and puts it all on City to keep his players with that underdog mentality and working them to the bone, whilst City have all the pressure on them.

Sometimes I think he does it unintentionally and he is just being his natural fairly controversial self, but either way I think it works.

 

It is intentional. Its like the Gary Neville rant on Sky which is on youtube r.e. players diving / cheating. He went on a right one saying if you don't want to see cheating at an elite sport then go join a choir because elite sportsmen (and coaches) will use every possible avenue to glean that little bit extra. He referred specifically to Ferguson in that and he is quite right.

We all say we hate cheating, we are always moaning about it. It happens in every sport at the top level though from cycling (I dont mean drugs I mean the sly stuff) through to cricket and roughing up balls / creases. From football to rugby all top sportsmen are pushing the limit and often crossing the boundary in order to gain that slight advantage.

And yes we moan and moan and say it is disgusting the shout HANDBALL every time a ball happens to hit a player even though we often haven't seen whether it hit a hand or not

HANDBALL <---sorry its a habit I'm trying to kick..................HANDBALL (damned impulses)

 

Fulham appoint Magath as manager...?

 

Felix Magath named as Fulham's 'First Team Manager'.

No comment on Meulensteen and ius role though.

 

Journos were caught on the hop by that one. They'll all be running back from the pub.

 

Fulham are panicking just a bit.

 

Weird decison

 

Desperate times....

 

Meulensteen sacked.

 

Joke of a club.

Hoping they join Cardiff in relegation due to poor owners who expect instant success.

 

Can understand it, but have to feel sorry for the precarious life of managers. On the other hand, we'd all like their pay offs.

 

Magath is for sure a step up on Meulensteen. Fulham took a gamble on a good coach proving a good manager at the wrong time.

Relegation fight, club in transition in terms of its playing staff... poor planning.

 

They are still going down.

 

According to a few of his ex players he treats players like slaves. He has had 12 jobs in 12 years apparently.

 

Have heard this too, a real slave driver of a manager. Once spent 90 mins discussing one game too.

 

A Guy on five live saying that Magath is quite a character, very sarcastic humour by all accounts in interviews and such like. We'll see I guess.

 

Lewis Holtby recently said: "I wouldn't have a problem if van Gaal came in. After all, I've survived Felix Magath, too."

 

Far too late to get Fulham vets any fitter than they are. 5 wins from 12 battles, they can do it if Mitro scores a few...but probably not.

 

Also seen that at Schalke the players nicknamed him "Saddam" and Jefferson Farfan said he'd rather work in a Peruvian mine than work with Magath.