General Premier League Thread 2024-25

ronjo · 21-01-2025 07:36AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123079176#Comment_123079176

I think a lot of the current squad would. That squad wasnt anything like the one 2002-04. had Bergkamp, Overmars, Vieira, Adams and maybe Petit. Wright was on his way down and Anelka just breaking in.

Quazzie · 21-01-2025 07:51AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123079176#Comment_123079176

Martin Keown made 18 league appearances that year. Saliba makes the team ahead of him any day, and possibly also ahead of an aging Steve Bould who was first choice making 21 starts. Saka, Odegaard and Rice all start ahead of Parlour depending on which of the roles he was playing in. Gilles Grimandi also started 16 games, and he would struggle to make the bench of the current Arsenal team. That whole team was famous for how they rotated players, and how they used the squad throughout the year.

8-10 · 21-01-2025 07:59AM

Manu Petit is one of the most underrated players in PL history

Absolutely excellent player. Camavinga reminds me of him. Could just do anything.

I remember seeing him play centre back at Anfield (hybrid left/centre back, still got forward a lot) and he was flawless in a massive European game (we still won)

noodler · 21-01-2025 08:02AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123076631#Comment_123076631

The previous month against pool was 6-3 though.

That felt fairly.kamikazee

eagle eye · 21-01-2025 10:14AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123079473#Comment_123079473

His partnership with Viera was incredible.

jacool · 21-01-2025 12:10PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123079210#Comment_123079210

He was booked a week too early to see what Potter was getting up to!

FreshG · 21-01-2025 12:26PM

From ready both here and various other online platforms, I can't get over the leeway that Ruben Amorin has been given by Man Utd fans for franky terrible results.

Why? All because he came out with some guff about to expect bad results?! He's basically telling the fans that we are going to lose game, just to try and excuse himself for poor performances and results, before they happen. He has absolved himself of any blame whatsoever. It's funny really as it's con artist stuff.

He came in with all this talk of systems and hype and high profile name. But he hasn't delivered anything yet. There is no style of play being implemented, no uptick in attacking transitions and there is no default Man Utd goal now that people can recognise. All the top teams have a typical goal that they score repeatedly throughout the season. Don't get me started on celebrating draws before they scrape a win against the worst ever PL team and lose again the next day out. That's a bad reflection on the players moreso that they can raise their game and "mentality" against the big boys and play their hearts out against them like it's a cup final before reverting to type the next week. It's a typical bottom half clubs "mentality" as Martinez was so happy to parrot and say how great they are at.

He has to start getting results now, and stop this charade of needing time to implement "my way" or no way. Lots of top managers come into a team mid season and implement their style instantly and get results.

McFly85 · 21-01-2025 12:53PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123080318#Comment_123080318

Well the club is organisationally a complete mess. They kept Ten Hag on when it was clear he wasn’t the right man and then sacked their brand new sporting director months into the job for disagreeing with the owners on the replacement. Now it seems their back to square one, another new manager with a preferred playing style not suited to the current squad and seemingly up to him to decide what players are required for him to improve the team.

So I get it, bad results are expected because the squad need to learn what he wants and half the players need to be out the door.

But it’s not going to be as easy as just getting the players he wants in. Getting players off the books is paramount, and having a comprehensive list of the types of players required is really important too - we’ve seen United overpay for players before and get stuck with them, it could easily happen again with Amorim’s targets. They need to learn to walk away and find an option that fits their budget - they’re not going to make the savings required by Big Jim cutting payrolled staff again. And doing that is going to be incredibly difficult without a sporting director.

So they have to move players on, get players in, have those players fit a budget and have an incredibly high hit rate of players improving the team to at least allow Amorim to show consistent improvement. I’d be skeptical that it will happen considering what we see from the background. Could easily just be gone in 18 months with United looking for another manager with another new style.

FreshG · 21-01-2025 01:11PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123080435#Comment_123080435

Amorin needing time to fully implement his playing style and system, with players better equipped to it is fine and normal. But a very large part of his job is to get results in the here and now, which he is not doing. And I don't think that he is implementing a playing style using the current players. That's part of his job too.

This carte blanche is doing an awful lot of heavy lifting with him. this whole idea of 'well todays loss is fine because we are learning a new system' is covering over that the players are not actually implementing a new system at all. There is no defensive solidity, no attacking patterns of play, and bar Ugarte the other midfielders don't know what they are meant to be doing. And that's down to Amorin. He has bluffed his way to avoid blame so far in the Premier League.

No owners in their right mind will allow Amorin to dictate which players should be signed. He's achieved absolutely nothing to suggest that he deserves that right to dictate who the club buy. He can say that he needs atheltic wing backs, fine. but he can't pick and choose the players.

McFly85 · 21-01-2025 01:23PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123080496#Comment_123080496

But that’s how United have operated in the recent past - they’ve gone and gotten players that the manager at the time requested them to get, usually at huge expense. There was talk when Amorim was mooted for the Liverpool/West Ham jobs that authority over transfers was one of his requests so he’d probably be happy enough having it at United.

And I do agree that it’s up to him to improve what they have now - I never see the point in giving managers time if you’re not at least seeing that there’s a solid direction the team is going and there’s continuous improvement. But the team has been so mismanaged that there is a huge cultural issue there, an apathy that seeps though the whole team when they don’t or can’t play the manager wants them to. Without getting any players out or any of his preferred players in and some of the bigger earners out, I think he can’t be judged too harshly.

eagle eye · 21-01-2025 02:09PM

Firstly it's very clear that there are a lot of issues with the United squad and we are talking attitude and putting in a genuine effort on the field.

As regards picking out specific players to bring in, Amorim may have one or two players he'd like but I'm pretty sure it's more that he requires players who can play the positions.

Buying square pegs for round holes has become synonymous with United over the last 10 or so years. They've been buying big names who don't suit the style of play the managers want to implement.

He needs at least a couple of players for the spine to get his system working. If that doesn't happen this month then he can be excused for the performances.

There's ten days left in the window and they've signed nobody yet.

8-10 · 21-01-2025 02:15PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123080798#Comment_123080798

13 days left I think and nobody in the league has made signings that would make any sort of major short term impact in fairness.

Summer is the big window for the likes of Amorim, Slot, Ange, Arteta, Pep and Maresca

It could be a bloodbath. All 6 looking for serious upgrades across the pitch

eigrod · 21-01-2025 02:23PM

https://twitter.com/f365/status/1881707708702982566?s=46

Angry manager.

eagle eye · 21-01-2025 02:34PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123080881#Comment_123080881

Reminds me of Fergie.

ronjo · 21-01-2025 04:59PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123080829#Comment_123080829

Thats a good point. You would think then if possibly it might be worth paying a bit extra to get a player in now especially where its getting critical to buy in that position (eg Arsenal and Sesko)

giveitholly · 21-01-2025 05:21PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123080881#Comment_123080881

The cutbacks also continue at the club

https://twitter.com/MikeKeegan_DM/status/1881685081259147307?t=vv_p1G3bOgq-XKlsatKTJA&s=19

golfball37 · 21-01-2025 10:20PM

Alex Manninger in goal after Xmas- no Seaman. He was instrumental in double win , had a memorable night in Upton Park in fa cup.

Necro · 23-01-2025 06:02AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123080829#Comment_123080829

I'd be stunned if Ange is still managing Spurs this summer tbh. Who knows what Chelsea will do either sure they sacked Poch last summer. Though manager be damned, they will never have enough wide forwards😅

doc_17 · 23-01-2025 01:02PM

My

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123079473#Comment_123079473

I don’t remember him being underrated? Everyone was full of praise for him at the time 🤷🏻‍♂️

ronjo · 23-01-2025 01:05PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123089086#Comment_123089086

He was excellent for Arsenal and then the Barcelona move was a disaster for him.. I remember an interview with him at the end of the season with Barca and he said he regretted pushing for the move.

Cant remember too much about him at Chelsea to be honest.

jacool · 23-01-2025 04:14PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123089100#Comment_123089100

Any man who scores his country's 1000th goal, as the final kick of an emphatic first World Cup Final win for his nation, has probably done alright!

8-10 · 23-01-2025 04:34PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123089982#Comment_123089982

I mean underrated now, not in 1998!

eagle eye · 23-01-2025 06:23PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123089100#Comment_123089100

I heard an interview with him a couple of years ago. He talked about Barcelona and the three dressing rooms, one for the Catalans, one for the Dutch and one for what was labeled the United colours of Benetton. He said it was a disaster with all the in fighting going on at the club.

doc_17 · 24-01-2025 07:14PM

Well he didn’t stay for long enough to be a PL all timer. I think he gets about the recognition he deserves, a fine player, but should have stayed longer. He was great at playing balls over the top with the little bit of back spin to make it easier for his forwards to collect.

IncognitoMan · 24-01-2025 07:40PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123074577#Comment_123074577

At what stage or after what formation do we actually look at what is the issue here?

It's the players. And it has has been the players for years now.

You can play 3 at the back, 4 at the back, 5 at the back. A front 2, 3 or lone striker.. It won't matter if the players who are stepping onto the pitch each week are not good enough or they don't have the character to play for a club the size of Utd then you will get the exact results we are getting now.

It was the same under ETH and under Ole and even a little under Jose and LVG. You get a good performance and it's followed up with a poor performance or non-performance the following week.

This will be the case until the end of the season, it's not an overnight fix. Hopefully by that stage Amorim and those above him have identified the biggest problem players and made plans to move them on. And also replace them with players who actually have the ability AND character to play for a club the size of Utd.

Even sometimes it's better to have a few players with better characters and a slight bit less quality but they supplement the real top quality players.

We've a squad full of chancers who think they have made it when they get to Utd and don't need to try any more.

It's a culture problem inside the club

FreshG · 24-01-2025 08:07PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123096196#Comment_123096196

Are these the same players that Man Utd fans were heralding only the summer gone and 12 or 18 months ago?

Onana best GK in the champions league. Martinez the best ball playing CB in the league who will suit the high line in a back 3. Yoro is the best young CB in his generation. De Ligt has this massive pedigree with Juventus and Bayern Munich. Mianoo is the best young midfielder in a generation who is the next Zidane. Bruno is the best attacking midfielder in the league who creates the most chances. Rashford the best winger who is capable of scoring 30 goals a year. Hojlund was called the best young striker in Europe. Diallo is one of the most exciting wingers currently.

I don't agree with the above opinions by the way, but they were all lines that were being said by Man Utd fans in the last 18 months, who really need a reality check.

I do agree that there is a toxic culture inside that dressing room. There is a few players that love to come out with interviews and statements after games because it looks good. They are more interested in that than they are with consistency on the pitch.

IncognitoMan · 24-01-2025 08:08PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123074080#Comment_123074080

I know Liverpool fans want to enjoy this as much as possible but to suggest that Amorim is as out of his depth at Utd as Roy was at Pool is nonsense.

These players need calling out and shipping out. Fergie called out plenty of players during his time and he won a few things. But that comparison doesn't fit the narrative that is trying to be built here does it?

In fact there's a very famous example of Fergie calling his players out on TV after Winning a cup final

https://talksport.com/football/1008324/sir-alex-ferguson-age-documentary-aberdeen-man-united-gary-neville/amp/

He got that group to beat Real Madrid in a European cup final they didn't down tools because he wasn't falling all over himself to protect them.

This current crop of players need to know there is accountability for them at Utd and the free ride is over. I back Amorim 100% over his comments.

The idea that we should be pandering to underperforming players in the hope that they might find it in their hearts to try then is bullshit to put it mildly and will never correct the issues at the club