Football: Més que un thread - all boarders have been registered to post

[polishgenius]

Casemiro is a player who directly fixes our most glaring problem. There might have been more cunning, cheaper, longer-term ways to fix that problem and we should have taken them, sure, but we can afford him and we need him, and he's really damn good, so it's worth a go.

In many ways he's probably a better signing than FDJ would have been, because while he isn't as good at doing the one thing we'd assume ETH wanted him for -the passing control - he's by no means a bad passer and he is, you know, a defensive midfielder.


Not every signing has to be about the long-term future, or even the mid-term future, and resale value. We urgently need a fix now.

 

It also now means that if we do still go for a truly passing midfielder, now, in January or next year (assuming he works out), ETH would be less restricted to thinking about who can sit deep and control. I mean, FDJ would work for that anyway, but it puts more options on the table basically.

[baxus]

We already said that one way to get United out of their current situation is finding great players who have already won enough trophies and would welcome a challenge of bringing a stumbling giant back on track.

Casemiro fits the former part of the description, and I would love to think he fits the later.

[Consigliere]

Looks like Ten Hag is still obsessed with Antony. We're going to pay €80-100m for a player who is currently worth no more than half that. Giving Ten Hag this much control over transfers has contributed to this shambolic transfer window. Ajax fans will tell you that Ten Hag's judgement on transfers is not that good.

[Heartofice]

9 minutes ago, Consigliere said:

Looks like Ten Hag is still obsessed with Antony. We're going to pay €80-100m for a player who is currently worth no more than half that. Giving Ten Hag this much control over transfers has contributed to this shambolic transfer window. Ajax fans will tell you that Ten Hag's judgement on transfers is not that good.

Surely the issue is that Ten Hag has a very specific style of play in mind, and literally none of the available players he has are capable of playing that way, so he needs to completely gut the playing staff and start again. 

Or .. you know, be a bit more pragmatic and realise that a possession based pressing style is just not gonna work out with those players, and just do a Burnley.

[Consigliere]

6 minutes ago, Heartofice said:

Surely the issue is that Ten Hag has a very specific style of play in mind, and literally none of the available players he has are capable of playing that way, so he needs to completely gut the playing staff and start again. 

Or .. you know, be a bit more pragmatic and realise that a possession based pressing style is just not gonna work out with those players, and just do a Burnley.

The issue is that Ten Hag has been de Jong or bust and Antony or bust so we wasted 2+ months and made no signings to replace Matic, Pogba, Cavani and Greenwood. Even Casemiro was not his target – reports are that he did not want a specialist DM but it looks like he has eventually agreed to recommendations after it's become clear that de Jong is not leaving Barca and if he does, it will not be to United (that was obvious to most a month ago). It's really a symptom of the weak structure above the manager at United. At a well run club (like Ajax) Ten Hag was not given this much power over transfers - Overmars built that squad, not Ten Hag.

[Consigliere]

In more baffling news, Chelsea are apparently prepared to send Chalobah out on loan. For a club that's in need of another CB, that doesn't make much sense unless they are really confident of signing Fofana.

[Heartofice]

24 minutes ago, Consigliere said:

The issue is that Ten Hag has been de Jong or bust and Antony or bust so we wasted 2+ months and made no signings to replace Matic, Pogba, Cavani and Greenwood. Even Casemiro was not his target – reports are that he did not want a specialist DM but it looks like he has eventually agreed to recommendations after it's become clear that de Jong is not leaving Barca and if he does, it will not be to United (that was obvious to most a month ago). It's really a symptom of the weak structure above the manager at United. At a well run club (like Ajax) Ten Hag was not given this much power over transfers - Overmars built that squad, not Ten Hag.

Yeah, it's about having a long term plan, knowing the type of players you want to target, the style of football you want to play and the type of culture you want to build. Watching All or Nothing right now it's amazing that Arsenal seem to be on another planet when it comes to this stuff.

[A Horse Named Stranger]

36 minutes ago, Consigliere said:

In more baffling news, Chelsea are apparently prepared to send Chalobah out on loan. For a club that's in need of another CB, that doesn't make much sense unless they are really confident of signing Fofana.

Maybe loan to Leicester as a part of the transfer.  

[BigFatCoward]

RM can fuck right off with this talk about wanting Bruno. 

[Winterfell is Burning]

1 hour ago, Consigliere said:

Looks like Ten Hag is still obsessed with Antony. We're going to pay €80-100m for a player who is currently worth no more than half that. Giving Ten Hag this much control over transfers has contributed to this shambolic transfer window. Ajax fans will tell you that Ten Hag's judgement on transfers is not that good.

Anthony is pretty good, but an in-form Sancho is better, would be a more logical investment to just try to get the best out of him. Ten Hag is clearly very good for Ajax, but it becomes increasingly clear he can't adapt to anywhere else, or doesn't seem to even try 

[Iskaral Pust]

32 minutes ago, BigFatCoward said:

RM can fuck right off with this talk about wanting Bruno. 

Guimaraes has been excellent since he arrived.  I was expecting he’d attract some covetous glances as this season goes on and the sample size expands, but I didn’t expect that to start before this transfer window closed.

It will be good to see how Newcastle get their top buyers to commit rather than using it as a stepping stone.  It wasn’t long ago that Liverpool were regularly having players unsettled by Barca and Madrid.

[l2 0 5 5]

1 hour ago, Consigliere said:

In more baffling news, Chelsea are apparently prepared to send Chalobah out on loan. For a club that's in need of another CB, that doesn't make much sense unless they are really confident of signing Fofana.

I was annoyed that he didn't start against spurs at RCB. He did pretty well there last year and that would've allowed James to play RWB instead of RLC. We're putting a lot faith in CB's over 30, one being way over 30, and I'd be resistant to let him go for the year when you consider how thin we'd be if Silva or Koulibaly get hurt. 

Looks like Fofana asked to be left out of the squad tomorrow, so this is getting legs. 

 

[Darryk]

Millwall with money:

 

 

[Consigliere]

 

[polishgenius]

3 hours ago, Winterfell is Burning said:

Ten Hag is clearly very good for Ajax, but it becomes increasingly clear he can't adapt to anywhere else, or doesn't seem to even try 

I mean, I'm very worried about his approach to transfers but he's been there like two months. It's quite possible he's just a fancy Moyes, but nowhere near clear yet. 

 

 

I'd also imagine that Antony is being chased to completement Sancho from the opposite flank, not replace him. Which is why the alternative mooted is Gakpo, since Sancho can play either side so the focus is apparently on 'a good dribbler in tight spaces' and not on a specific side. 

[mormont]

The Casemiro signing is a bit odd in that he's clearly the type of player the team has needed for a while, but at the same time it's equally clearly a panic buy. I have a feeling it'll work out tactically for the team but it's not a good sign strategically for the club.

[Winterfell is Burning]

1 minute ago, mormont said:

The Casemiro signing is a bit odd in that he's clearly the type of player the team has needed for a while, but at the same time it's equally clearly a panic buy. I have a feeling it'll work out tactically for the team but it's not a good sign strategically for the club.

There's also the matter that if he gets injured or struggles to adapt then they're back to square one.

[Corvinus85]

3 hours ago, Consigliere said:

 

Since Conte got red carded, he's also automatically banned a match, no? I'm guessing that's under appeal, too.

[BigFatCoward]

Man Utd spending 70 million on a 30 year old is absolutely mental. They have lost the fucking plot entirely. 

But not as much as good old Giggsy

‘Darling Kate. Unequivocally our love was fate.

‘I fell in love with you at first sight. I remember coz I was as high as a kite.

‘Those beautiful eyes, made me shiver.

‘I’m not gonna lie, I think of you, I dream of you. Can’t help thinking, pulling you was my greatest ever coo [sic].

‘That stomach, those abs, those pictures you sent.

‘So I can keep tabs on you, makes me feel funny down there. Especially when you are there and you look up and stare.

‘I’m beginning to think you are always right. That’s okay it will keep us tight

‘I’m gonna end by saying you are my love, my friend, my soul.

‘And most of all you believe in me. Which makes me feel as hard as a totem pole.’

 

[Wilbur]

BigFatCoward, is that the newly discovered work of e.e. cummings?