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I'd settle for my prediction at the moment....

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Has something against Spotify...

That's City out of the title race then.

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Definitely isn't inbred...has the GCSEs to prove it!

REVOLUTION PURITY LOVE SUICIDE ACCURACY

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Mod Supreme, Demon Headmaster

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Definitely isn't inbred...has the GCSEs to prove it!

REVOLUTION PURITY LOVE SUICIDE ACCURACY

http://www.thesoundofconfusion.com

Those 100-1 odds, that I took, on Swansea lifting the Europa Cup now seem a tad generous.

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Has something against Spotify...

A great result!

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Definitely isn't inbred...has the GCSEs to prove it!

REVOLUTION PURITY LOVE SUICIDE ACCURACY

http://www.thesoundofconfusion.com

Great result indeed but what a strange state of affairs when a Welsh team lines up with six Spaniards and the Spanish team has only four.

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Mod Supreme, Demon Headmaster

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Definitely isn't inbred...has the GCSEs to prove it!

REVOLUTION PURITY LOVE SUICIDE ACCURACY

http://www.thesoundofconfusion.com

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Mod Supreme, Demon Headmaster

How many English players do either Manchester team field each week?

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Has something against Spotify...

Well Man Utd could field


Ben Amos

Chris Smalling, Rio Ferdinand, Phil Jones, Johnny Evans

Michael Carrick, Tom Cleverly, Asley Young, Wilfred Zaha

Danny Wellbeck, Wayne Rooney


All are in the first team squad and all have played this season except Ben Amos. So United could field a strong team on English players. Then there are other Brits like Giggs and Fletcher.

I think if that team above was put out for any game no one would say it was weak. The only dead certs not there are RVP (who will probably be rested on occasion anyway) and De Gea.

So we do very nicely thanks!


EDIT: Just realised that all but Amos are England internationals too.

EDIT 2: Have any other Welsh players played in the Spanish top flight? I can only think of Mark Hughes at Barcelona

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Definitely isn't inbred...has the GCSEs to prove it!

REVOLUTION PURITY LOVE SUICIDE ACCURACY

http://www.thesoundofconfusion.com

Insomnia got me thinking. So I got up again (not just for this, I can't sleep in general).

I've been a bit baffled by a few of the summer signings. It seemed to me as though clubs like Chelsea & City had money to spend so they felt the need to spend it. Moyes was criticised for not doing so. He went after Fabregas who'd be a great addition to any team, but he decided to stay put. A couple of other deals didn't come off. Got Fellaini at the last minute. Don't think we needed him, but glad we got him. I actually think we've got the best squad in the league. So I've done a team of English players, and it's a strong team. Let's do a team of foreign players (assuming everyone's fit).

De Gea

Rafael, Vidic, Evra, Buttner

Valencia, Anderson, Fellaini, Nani

RVP, Hernandez

Again these are all tried and tested first team players/internationals (forgot about Ferdinand's retirement in the eprevious post by the way). So that's two strong teams. And it leaves a possible bench that looks like this:

Lindegaard (GK), Giggs, Januzaj, Kagawa, Fletcher, Fabio

Now that's not a bad bench. Then considering we've got our pre-season top scorer Lingard on loan along with Macheda, Powell, and Bebe we're not looking weak on any front really.

It hinges on Moyes. We know he's a good manager. A decade keeping Everton safe in the league (when clubs of a similar stature like Villa or Newcastle have struggled) and the odd foray into Europe. He was unlucky not to snatch a cup. I think he's good tactically and everything will hinge on his man management. Keep everyone on side and we're laughing. Any rifts or if he loses the dressing room and we're knackered. He's perhaps had the biggest test of that already. Rooney wanted out, didn't look happy at the start of the season and is now playing at his best and is looking settled - so test passed.

There we go - long after the question was asked, my semi-lucid state and Man Utd ramblings have led me to believe that we will retain the league!

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Definitely isn't inbred...has the GCSEs to prove it!

REVOLUTION PURITY LOVE SUICIDE ACCURACY

http://www.thesoundofconfusion.com

United appointing Moyes is an odd decision. And a total anomaly of an appointment in the modern game.

His 'success' at keeping Everton in the top half of the table is overstated, and his ability to manage a mid table team on a mid table budget should be of no relevance at all to United, it's as if the Glazers have hypnotized fans by stating these two points over and over again via any press possible.

He will need silverware this season or next, and will need to challenge for the league this season or he will lose the dressing room no doubt. Every player at United (bar Fellaini...) has won more than their manager has... In many cases - FAR more. Moyes has absolutely no experience winning anything, and LOTS of experience finishing outside the top 4 (and being praised for it), thus he will need to adjust to the players mindsets rather than them adjust to his. That's a massive gamble to take and an odd situation. And dare I say it, probably quite exciting too.

I hope Moyes succeeds, and it is doable, but no matter what anyone says he'll need to bring in a trophy in this season or next.

Regarding transfers, Uniteds summer was utterly shocking and how that cunt Ed Woodward kept his job is beyond me. I know Liverpool fans who by the end of the summer said they were actually angered by Woodward and felt for Moyes!

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Crazy haired surfin' slacker

Just keeping a job at a PL club for that long indicates he must have been doing something right! Everton had a few finishes that they probably wouldn't have had under another manager and avoided any relegation dogfights. He hasn't won anything, no. But I think he will. You're right he'll need a trophy this season or next, but I don't think what he achieved has been overstated.

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Definitely isn't inbred...has the GCSEs to prove it!

REVOLUTION PURITY LOVE SUICIDE ACCURACY

http://www.thesoundofconfusion.com

It's been overstated in reference to him getting a job managing a club of Man Utds size and standard. Same as the 'managing on a budget' nonsense, how is that a good thing at any top club? It just means the manager has absolutely zero experience handling big transfers - as was immediately apparent this Summer.

Doing 'something right', yet winning nothing year after year, and staying in that position for a decade is obviously going to ingrain itself on the managers mindset somewhat, he'll do well to shift his mindset so completely after so long.

I hope he does, it'd be great, and id like to say i think its 50/50, but if I'm honest I think it's more 70/30 that he won't, just looking at it logically as a football fan.

But it'd be a great story if it works, and I like Moyes, he's got my support, but I just think it might prove a tad too much. I truly hope I'm wrong on that.

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Crazy haired surfin' slacker

Ah, success these days makes fans terribly whiny. it's about time Man Utd were properly mediocre again. Time's up Grandads, make way for some new blood at the top. Someone who can enjoy it. Swansea coming through.

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Pukka Pie pest

Embrace the margin
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Swansea will do well!

If I can just have a final bleat about Moyes:

He made his name at Preston where he DID win a league title (not the PL obvs) which compares to what Fergie did at St Mirren.

Sir Alex then went to Aberdeen and won multiple trophies. This is the equivalent of Moyes going to Everton. But Moyes won nothing. It's a bit unfair to compare people to someone like Fergie, but still... the Scottish league 35 years ago was a lot different to the PL in the last decade. Moyes built a solid Everton team with bugger all money (I can't think of any 20m + signing's they've made off the top of my head - when clubs like Liverpool, even Middlesbrough and so on were, and not really doing much better in the league (except for those couple of years where Liverpool won some ups - quite a while ago now!). All the managers of teams above and below have long since gone (except Wenger) which shows you the regard in which he's held.

Also - Fergie knows more about football than any of us ever will, and he knows more about managing a huge football club than just about anyone. In a way, Fergie's final transfer was the signing of David Moyes. He's made some pretty amazing signings and found some great hidden talent in the past (yeah there are people like Djemba Djembe who never did much, but a great record overall). Just look at Solskjær, a player who he somehow found and cost £1.5m. This was the same season that Shearer joined Newcastle for £15m. Ole was a great player. He'd won naff all as a manager, but in his first season he won the title with Molde - their first ever, He won it again the following year. So a lack of silverwear doesn't mean it can't be achieved quickly. If Moyes had £15m to spend (or the modern equivalent) on an Alan Shearer each summer he'd maybe have won more. With limited finances he did wonders at Everton really, and also shows loyalty (something that's important at United) because he turned down offers from "bigger" clubs while at Everton. The chance to follow SAF is too good to miss though.

It'll all be settled at the end of the next few years anyway when he's either done a good job or not. I'm personally happy with the choice and glad Utd have gone for a British manager. They've never had a foreign one I don't think.

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Definitely isn't inbred...has the GCSEs to prove it!

REVOLUTION PURITY LOVE SUICIDE ACCURACY

http://www.thesoundofconfusion.com

I personally think Moyes did very well at Everton, within the most limited ambitions imaginable for a top club. He regularly balanced the books and kept his squad not only happy but largely playing beyond its suspected individual capabilities (look at how Pienaar got on after leaving them, ditto Lescott). BUT like Horses says he was never tested with the sort of premium large ego'd players that United have and will continue to chase. His dealings with Rooney were with the youngster not the experienced highly paid pro. He had no Ferdinand, Vidic, Nani, Giggs, RVP, etc. Quality players, some of whom won't take well to being 'rested' or not being the highest paid player at the club. It's possible he has the man management skills to become that manager but he's not there yet. And the Summer was a shambles, transfer wise. How much was his fault and how much Woodward's is unclear. Certainly if Purple Nose was still there it's difficult to imagine them ending up with such a PR shambles, partly because he controlled the press.

Anyway back to the original point. I wasn't criticising the Swans for having loads of Spaniards. City have loads too. It's the greatest footballing country on earth right now so naturally good ambitious clubs are going to try to cream off the best of them. It's just odd that's all when you see British sides with more Spaniards than Spanish clubs and lo and behold, giving them a good battering too. It suggests La Liga, the Big 2 aside, is actually in a slight decline compared to the PL and Bundesliga.

City's English contingent is declining, partly because we made a right hash of transfers the summer before and bought average ones at exaggerated cost. The best we could do now (and bear in mind some of these are on loan) is:

Hart
Richards, Lescott, Boyata, Wabara
Milner, Rodwell, Barry, Sinclair
Nimely, Cole

That team would be bottom 6.

Only Hart's nailed on. Richards is always injured but even if fit probably wouldn't get the nod ahead of Nastasic, Kompany or Zab. Milner wrestles with Nasri for a place so is a 50/50 starter. Lescott only plays if others are injured. Barry should be in the team but he's been allowed to go to Everton on loan and we've all seen how he's getting on there. Rodwell isn't ready yet and may never be. The rest aren't good enough and will probably never be.

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Mod Supreme, Demon Headmaster

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Mod Supreme, Demon Headmaster

The summer shambles had little to do with Moyes. He had a list of players (4 notable potential signings) - Woodward and his team should have got at least 3 of those. If it had been the staff that Fergie had then that would've happened. They did piss poor in the transfer window - perhaps due to the uncertainty of a new manager, but mostly Woodward and his team.

That said, I don't actually think the squad needed strengthening at all. Zaha was a done deal (and we're talking a long term replacement for Giggs - I'm guessing that was the idea.) Then take out Ferdinand and Evra who are knocking on a bit (but we have good cover for anyway) and the team is pretty young and full of internationals.

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Definitely isn't inbred...has the GCSEs to prove it!

REVOLUTION PURITY LOVE SUICIDE ACCURACY

http://www.thesoundofconfusion.com