English Premier League EPL Thread

greygoose said:

If you could guarantee Sturridge could stay fit for the whole season than he'd work fine at the top of Rodgers 4-3-3 system. Problem is Sturridge is injury prone.

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The Tuggernaut said:

That value, though.

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And the new Chelsea kit is looking pretty nice.

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If it came to that, I'd certainly take Hummels over Kagawa, despite his potential.

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thecorsair said:

Ed Woodward should have been sacked for that monumental screwup and he's still to make up for it. The only reason they got Juan Mata was because Woodward shat his pants at the thought of having to talk to Abramovich and Fergie did all the negotiating.

The problem Kagawa has is that Mata, Januzaj and when he can be arsed, Rooney can all play in his preferred role so he's usually been shunted out to the left wing where he's too lightweight.

But that was Moyes in a nutshell. He couldn't even get basic things like playing people in their natural positions right. He was seen at The Open yesterday and when a reporter asked how he was he mentioned that he's had plenty of time to work on his golf game recently.....the dumbass probably tees off with a putter

If Dortmund wanted him back as part of a deal for Hummels then so be it but if not then van Gaal could potentially save the club a few million by fitting Kagawa into whatever system he's going to have United playing.

Here's one paper's translation of van Gaal's first press conference,

Said: "This is the biggest club in the world"

Meant: "Assuming Moyes hasn't totally messed it up, this is still a big club."

Said: "I am democratic".

Meant: "I am democratic, like the Democratic People's Republic of Korea."

Said: "We are looking at finding a role for Phil Neville."

Meant: "My car definitely needs washing."

Said: "Tactically the Dutch league is the best and we proved that in Brazil."

Meant: "God I'm good."

Said: "I want to look at the players already present."

Meant: "And try to find a buyer for Nani at all costs."

Said: "I did not take a long holiday because when you get a chance like this club you cannot pass it up."

Meant: "It was either this or two weeks of Jägerbombs and Silk Cut with Jack Wilshere in Vegas and I promised the wife I'd never do that again, not after last time."

Said: "I am empathetic."

Meant: "People often come round to my point of view."

Said: "It's not just Wayne Rooney, there are lots of experienced players here."

Meant: "Some of whom are not even fat."

Said: "The owners came to me and I explained my philosophy."

Meant: "The owners came to me and asked if I could undo David Moyes's philosophy."

Said: "I will drink a cup of coffee with Sir Alex."

Meant: "As long as he does not offer any suggestions while we do so."

Said: "I know how important the sponsors are."

Meant: "If this all goes wrong I'm totally blaming the meddling board."

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The Tuggernaut said:

Yeah, Kagawa is unlucky in that regard. Already multiple players in that position, and he will most likely not get the chance to prove himself in a role that suits him.

I'm sure Moyes will have plenty more time to work on his golf. Unless some club is mad enough to hire him.

And that translation is brilliant.

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thecorsair said:

Moyes will eventually land a gig at a team in the lower reaches of the Premier League or maybe the Championship and will probably do alright at that level. He's killed his chances of getting another top job though, not that he needs the money.

Dortmund have apparently signed another central defender which has lead to increased speculation about Mats Hummels.

Roma's medical team are saying Kevin Strootman's recovery from the cruciate ligament injury that kept him out of the World Cup is progressing well so van Gaal will obviously be keeping his eye on that. United also play Roma on their US tour so it would be an opportune moment to start making enquiries about his availability for a move in January.

Daley Blind's name has been linked with the club again. From what I saw in the World Cup he seems to be a rare case of the son of a great player who's not awful and can play in several different defensive positions. Another decent defender is a must have and he'd not be that expensive.

I guess it depends who impresses the new boss on the US tour.

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The Tuggernaut said:

The Hummels transfer is looking like it might be getting close at the moment. Although the Vidal deal was supposedly "close" as well, so we'll see.

Blind would be a good signing, and for around £17m, it would be decent value for a guy who can fill a variety of roles. Although United face tough competition from Barca in trying to sign him.

There's also some speculation going around the Van Gaal might replace Rooney with Cavani, depending on how Rooney adapts to Van Gaal's philosophy. I'd take Cavani over Rooney. Even though Rooney has been praised for his work rate in the past, Cavani is just as hard a worker, if not moreso, and I'd say he's a better finisher.

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thecorsair said:

If United had signed every player they've been reported to be "close" to completing deals for they'd have a first team squad of about 200 players

Daley Blind is supposed to have been spotted out and about in Barcelona. If true United can probably forget about that one, they again pay the price for dithering.

If van Gaal can get Rooney off the books, for whatever reason then he'll be doing them a huge favor.

He was once an important player but at this point he's nothing but a drain on resources, his stats show a marked decline in end product in the last 3 years yet he's being paid 300 grand a week

Cavani would be a fresh face that'd be hungry to prove something at his new club.

Another player who continues to be linked with a move is Thomas Vermaelen, particularly after he was seen chatting with RVP as they're both having a break with their families in Barbados.

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The Tuggernaut said:

If he was spotted in Barcelona then it looks like a lost cause. There's always a chance he could just be there on holiday and not to sign a contract, but... ah, who am I kidding.

I still can't get over that 300k a week. There are few players who deserve anywhere near that kind of money, and Rooney isn't one of them.

On the topic of Vermaelen, it looks like United are set to bid £10m for him. Whilst I think he is an improvement over someone like Smalling, he's not enough. Hummels and Vermaelen as a potential partnership would be promising, though.

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thecorsair said:

If Rooney contributed 40 plus goals a season on a regular basis then 300 grand a week might be more justified.

But he's never been that good.

Even more baffling are the wages of Ashley Young who apparently gets in the region of 130 grand a week to overhit crosses into the crowd and do the least convincing dives this side of Arjen Robben.

If the club can afford to pay those 2 that kind of money the tight fisted approach to the Vidal deal is all the more baffling.

One of the rumors abut Vermaelen suggests Wenger wants a player in return, Smalling, Chicharito and Cleverley have been mentioned.

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The Tuggernaut said:

Hopefully Young is shown the door. His "performances" last season were the final straw.

Sounds like it would be a good deal, IMO. He can take Smalling and Cleverley if he wants.

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thecorsair said:

Young is one of several players that Fergie shouldn't have bought as he's not even close to being top class.

Smalling showed a bit of promise initially but too many injuries and constantly being played out of position has clearly shattered his confidence. Maybe van Gaal can get him going in the right direction again but if other defenders are brought in then a completely new start would probably be better for him.

Cleverley is a younger, crappier version of Carrick. He only avoids the title of Worst United Player Ever because Fellaini is on the books

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The Tuggernaut said:

This is potentially promising:
https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...er-united-ed-woodward-new-signings?CMP=twt_gu

But then again, it's not like he's going to come out and say; "Oh yeah, we won't be signing anybody."

We'll have to wait and see in the coming weeks, but when you look at teams like Chelsea who have already done their business and Arsenal who have signed a couple of players but are looking for more, it's quite concerning.

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thecorsair said:

Evra's move to Juventus is now confirmed so that's one more departure.

But there obviously needs to be a lot more than that before anyone can take Woodward's words at face value.

Apparently he's left the club's US tour for some reason which is suspiciously similar to his departure from the Australian tour last year which was alleged to be because of some "urgent transfer business". We all know how that turned out

I see 3 possible reasons,

1.He's left the gas on at home and only just realised it.
2.The Glazers have told him to make a big show of going through the motions again.
3.Something might be happening.

I wish Evra well, he's been pretty good over the years and should have been converted to a winger when he started having memory lapses and kept forgetting the defensive part of his job because he was better than Nani, Young or Valencia at beating players and getting crosses in.

The latest on Vidal is that he's put his house up for sale.

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The Tuggernaut said:

Let's hope it's reason #3, although the other two are very possible.

Evra has been a good servant, but his time was definitely up. But it's a pretty good move for him. At Juve he'll most likely win some silverware, something which is highly unlikely for United this upcoming season.

Saw the Vidal thing as well. Maybe the deal is back on.

I've also been seeing reports from a couple of places that United have moved ahead of Barca to sign Hummels, and that a fee of £16million may have been agreed.

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thecorsair said:

Serie A is a lot slower than the Premier League so Evra will get a nice paycheque, possibly some trophies in a league with a style of football that's easier on his body. Same goes for Vidic.

£16 million would be a steal for Hummels but if Barcelona are intrested then it's another one that can probably be written off

In other news Fergie has announced that he's doing an updated version of his book and he's going to give us his thoughts on the short lived tenure of David Moyes.

I expect that chapter to say "Oops!" and nothing else.

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The Tuggernaut said:

You'd think for Hummels the choice between Barca and United at the moment would be quite easy, but for some reason I remain hopeful.

That title would sum it up perfectly.

So is that all he's updating? Didn't get the book before, but might end up doing so now.

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thecorsair said:

United do have a manager with some clout again which could help. Louis van Gaal's already strong reputation was done no harm by destroying Spain 5-1 and having a World Cup that exceeded the expectations of most.

Last year the question on most foreign players lips would have been "David Who?"

In the updated version of Fergie's book there's apparently going to be some more stories from his career as well as his accounts of the various things he's got up to since retiring including his experiences doing a couple of lectures at Harvard University.

But it's what he says about Moyes and the club's treatment of him that will make the most news, I actually think he'll go easy on him as he remained supportive right until the end.

The real hatchet job on "The Chosen One" will be several years down the line when someone who obviously didn't get on with him does a book. Had he not stayed with the club I would have put money on Giggs being the one to do it as there were numerous stories about his contempt for Moyes methods but he's being lined up to follow van Gaal as manager so he'll keep quiet.

With that in mind I think Rio Ferdinand and RVP are probably the likely candidates.

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axecutioner18 said:

I think you can safely say Hummels wont be a tussle for Barca and United, as Hummels never WAS a Barca target. Its all just a bunch of speculation, Barca's current inept board sees Jeremy Matheiu as the priority defender signing. A player who is 30 years old, not the best in his position at Valencia but the first choice for Barca. Ironic? No

With Madrid buying James Rodriguez and Kroos and further strengthening an already formidable squad which is strong in all positions, I am shocked and actually amused to see how Barcelona keep chasing attackers and midfielders... positions which they really dont need to strengthen.

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The Tuggernaut said:

Van Gaal will certainly be key in attracting players. The previous bloke, not so much.

On the topic of Fergie and Moyes, I remember someone talking about how Fergie was obviously championing Moyes for the role, and that he wanted him to fulfill his position because he knew he'd fail and Ferguson's reputation as United manager would remain intact. An interesting conspiracy theory, and to be honest, the cynic in me would not be surprised if that was the case.

And I'm sure Giggs will probably do another book in the future, so it will be interesting to see what he really thought.

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