BigFatCoward Posted June 29, 2023 Share Posted June 29, 2023 (edited) 32 minutes ago, Spockydog said: And now I wouldn't swap our squad and manager for any other in the PL. You wouldn't swap your squad and manager with Man City? Shite. They have a much deeper squad and a proven rather than prospective very good manager (I think Pep is a bit overated but he is still clearly a step above Arteta at the minute). They also probably have 3 players (and definitely 2) better than your best one. You do have the slightly better, less vile rapist though. Edited June 29, 2023 by BigFatCoward baxus and Mark Antony 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spockydog Posted June 29, 2023 Share Posted June 29, 2023 38 minutes ago, BigFatCoward said: You wouldn't swap your squad and manager with Man City? Shite. That's fair. Let's instead say I wouldn't swap our first team with any other. Squad depth needs to improve, but I'm sure it will. And as for Pep, I'd take Arteta over him every day. Pep's a good manager, but, fuck, he's basically had everything handed to him on a plate. How do you think Arteta would have done with Pep's Barcelona, Bayern, and City squads? And how do you think Pep would have done with the horror squad that Arteta inherited from Emery? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigFatCoward Posted June 29, 2023 Share Posted June 29, 2023 7 minutes ago, Spockydog said: That's fair. Let's instead say I wouldn't swap our first team with any other. Squad depth needs to improve, but I'm sure it will. And as for Pep, I'd take Arteta over him every day. Pep's a good manager, but, fuck, he's basically had everything handed to him on a plate. How do you think Arteta would have done with Pep's Barcelona, Bayern, and City squads? And how do you think Pep would have done with the horror squad that Arteta inherited from Emery? Like i said, i think Pep is vastly over rated, i think Steve Bruce could have won stuff with the squads he's had handed to him. Wilbur and ants 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spockydog Posted June 29, 2023 Share Posted June 29, 2023 5 minutes ago, BigFatCoward said: i think Steve Bruce could have won stuff with the squads he's had handed to him. Lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heartofice Posted June 29, 2023 Share Posted June 29, 2023 What would Arteta do if he couldn't copy what Pep was doing a year ago? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Consigliere Posted June 29, 2023 Share Posted June 29, 2023 Meanwhile, United are still faffing about and haven't made a single signing. Made a hash of De Gea's contract and the proposed takeover has turned into a complete and utter farce. This is not a serious operation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polishgenius Posted June 29, 2023 Share Posted June 29, 2023 1 hour ago, Spockydog said: I think perhaps some of the criticism around Arsenal's transfer business is tinted with a hint of jealousy. Being fair to me, I was saying the exact same things about Rice when we were supposed to be buying him to replace McFred. 5 hours ago, baxus said: Yesterday I had a laugh like I haven't had for a long time when reading about player transfers. Supposedly, there's another club interested in signing Mbappe this summer for 250M€ and of all the clubs the press could drag into that debate, they picked Liverpool. As if Liverpool would pay that much for a single player. Hell, I'd be surprised if they spent that much in a single transfer window or even over a whole year. Hey, in a world where the once-frugal Arsenal are about to spend over a hundred million on basically Gareth Barry, it's plausible. Mark Antony and baxus 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spockydog Posted June 29, 2023 Share Posted June 29, 2023 4 minutes ago, Heartofice said: What would Arteta do if he couldn't copy what Pep was doing a year ago? I dunno. But what would Pep do, I wonder, if he couldn't copy what Johann Cruyff was doing fifty years ago, eh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Sunland Lord Posted June 29, 2023 Share Posted June 29, 2023 Pep won a treble in his first season as a manager. Barcelona were amazing under him. Let's not forget that he also had a house to clear there, he moved some declining star players elsewhere (Ronaldinho, Deco) cause prior to his appointment Barcelona had two underwhelming seasons while having Messi and the rest of the players Pep relied on for years to come. Pep is a coach that you'll never know how he'd do with lesser teams, because so far he didn't have to do that, and who knows if he'll ever fall from grace in his career. He keeps his teams motivated, no matter how much they win, all the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heartofice Posted June 29, 2023 Share Posted June 29, 2023 3 minutes ago, Spockydog said: I dunno. But what would Pep do, I wonder, if he couldn't copy what Johann Cruyff was doing fifty years ago, eh? It would amazing if you could win as much as Pep has done by just 'copying what Cruyff did 50 years ago'. Why didn't anyone else think of that! Mark Antony 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Consigliere Posted June 29, 2023 Share Posted June 29, 2023 22 minutes ago, BigFatCoward said: i think Steve Bruce could have won stuff with the squads he's had handed to him. I'm gonna give you the benefit of the doubt and say that you are just being hyperbolic. But this sort of opinion has been expressed before. Just because a manager does well on a modest budget at a mid-level club does not necessarily mean they would do even better with more resources. There's very different pressures and egos to deal with at top clubs. Lots of managers who did great jobs at mid-level clubs have been found wanting at bigger clubs with greater resources and better squads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heartofice Posted June 29, 2023 Share Posted June 29, 2023 Just now, Consigliere said: I'm gonna give you the benefit of the doubt and say that you are just being hyperbolic. But this sort of opinion has been expressed before. Just because a manager does well on a modest budget at a mid-level club does not necessarily mean they would do even better with more resources. There's very different pressures and egos to deal with at top clubs. Lots of managers who did great jobs at mid-level clubs have been found wanting at bigger clubs with greater resources and better squads. Also the tactical ask is just different for top teams. Bruce basically comes into a squad and works out how to drill them to defend for their life and pray they get a goal. Pep's entire job is mostly working out how to unlock teams who are playing like Steve Bruce teams. Someone like Bruce wouldn't have a clue what to do at a big club, thats why those PFM's get parachuted into the teams facing relegation every year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigFatCoward Posted June 29, 2023 Share Posted June 29, 2023 33 minutes ago, Heartofice said: Also the tactical ask is just different for top teams. Bruce basically comes into a squad and works out how to drill them to defend for their life and pray they get a goal. Pep's entire job is mostly working out how to unlock teams who are playing like Steve Bruce teams. They each work with the players they have. I was being facetious, but if you think Pep would have been playing expansive football with those Newcastle squads...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heartofice Posted June 29, 2023 Share Posted June 29, 2023 1 minute ago, BigFatCoward said: They each work with the players they have. I was being facetious, but if you think Pep would have been playing expansive football with those Newcastle squads...... No but he wouldn’t have played like Bruce either. Howe has hardly brought in world beaters but has completely upended what Bruce was doing. Pep does work with the elites and has money to spend but he’s also shown time and again he’s able to adapt to what players he has. His football intelligence is on another planet to Bruce. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Consigliere Posted June 29, 2023 Share Posted June 29, 2023 Mount deal finally done. In a surprise to no-one we overpaid. Can't keep crying about 'United tax' when we repeatedly faff about only to eventually cave. Every club knows that United is an easy mark ripe for the fleecing and we always prove them right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mexal Posted June 29, 2023 Share Posted June 29, 2023 Pep is great. Arteta is doing something insane right now with Arsenal, akin to what Klopp did with Liverpool. Honestly, I don’t care to compare, as an Arsenal fan, I’m thrilled we are relevant again (with an incredibly young squad) and I believe in the whole club (manager, front office, youth set up) in a way I haven’t in my time following them. That’s Arteta and he has my complete loyalty. Spockydog 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Antony Posted June 29, 2023 Share Posted June 29, 2023 Chelsea getting like 120+ for havertz and mount. Premier league clubs should be investigated for funding them Nas! and baxus 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mexal Posted June 29, 2023 Share Posted June 29, 2023 And yet still taking a massive loss on Havertz. Hilarious really but then we spent 70m on Pepe and are getting nothing back from that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Sunland Lord Posted June 29, 2023 Share Posted June 29, 2023 10 minutes ago, Mexal said: And yet still taking a massive loss on Havertz. Hilarious really but then we spent 70m on Pepe and are getting nothing back from that. I don't think they'll write it down as a loss in their books, as he spent three years there, yet his transfer to Arsenal is for a fee similar to what Chelsea paid to Bayer Leverkusen to sign him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Consigliere Posted June 29, 2023 Share Posted June 29, 2023 Mike Verweij reporting that Arsenal and Ajax have reached an agreement for Timber - €42m + €5m in add-ons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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