Premier League fixtures 14/15/16th October

SwansonsTache said:
This season will be a true test on the caf with Kult Of Pep followers from Bayern, Barcelona and other random teams popping out with their praises of their messiah.

Actually the Citeh fans are the most sober of the lot.
Click to expand...

When Pep was being announced as next City manager, I went on blue moon and generally, City fans were not excited about his appointment. In fact many over there weren't too happy about Peligrini being swapped out for Pep.
I remember this being backed up, when Pep had his first Q+A and very few people turned up. Basically, they were luke warm towards him.
Meanwhile, back on redcafe, Pep was being heralded as the greatest manager who ever lived.
IMO, he is the definition of a cheque book manager. Give him a squad which isn't by far the best in the league and he won't win anything.
 
sunama said:
When Pep was being announced as next City manager, I went on blue moon and generally, City fans were not excited about his appointment. In fact many over there weren't too happy about Peligrini being swapped out for Pep.
I remember this being backed up, when Pep had his first Q+A and very few people turned up. Basically, they were luke warm towards him.
Meanwhile, back on redcafe, Pep was being heralded as the greatest manager who ever lived.
IMO, he is the definition of a cheque book manager. Give him a squad which isn't by far the best in the league and he won't win anything.
Click to expand...
It's hard to argue against that. He's a very good manager with clear limitations. I can't place him amongst the greatest managers (Fergie, Shankly, Mourinho etc) because he's never been in a challenging job before. Every job he's been in he's had big funds available and world class players already at his disposal.
 
Tom Van Persie said:
It's hard to argue against that. He's a very good manager with clear limitations. I can't place him amongst the greatest managers (Fergie, Shankly, Mourinho etc) because he's never been in a challenging job before. Every job he's been in he's had big funds available and world class players already at his disposal.
Click to expand...
He did a great job at Barca as their academy was then producing great players, Bayern and City he has just spent money. City have a great academy, if he would actually start bringing their own kids through he would be then prove his credentials.
 
DomesticTadpole said:
He did a great job at Barca as their academy was then producing great players, Bayern and City he has just spent money. City have a great academy, if he would actually start bringing their own kids through he would be then prove his credentials.
Click to expand...

Gets wayyyyy too much credit for barca. He came in after Riijkaard had already laid the foundations and won multiple trophies. Coinciding with the rise and rise of messi too.
 
sunama said:
When Pep was being announced as next City manager, I went on blue moon and generally, City fans were not excited about his appointment. In fact many over there weren't too happy about Peligrini being swapped out for Pep.
I remember this being backed up, when Pep had his first Q+A and very few people turned up. Basically, they were luke warm towards him.
Meanwhile, back on redcafe, Pep was being heralded as the greatest manager who ever lived.
IMO, he is the definition of a cheque book manager. Give him a squad which isn't by far the best in the league and he won't win anything.
Click to expand...

This. If he does win the league this season, which looks more and more likely by the week then it'll go down as his hype was justified and he just needed a settling in period to adjust. History will forget he took over a really talented squad which by rights should have won the league anyway and then spent an absolute fortune adding even more talent to the already hugely talented squad. He's playing Championship manager on easy mode with a infinite money cheat code. His managerial abilities were on show last season when he couldn't get the best out of what he had and looked clueless in some games, that's his true level.

As much as I dislike Mourinho, he managed to eke out two cups and a marked improvement from a far less talented squad in his first season, Guardiola got bugger all but a CL place and he was damn close to missing out on that as well.
 
sunama said:
When Pep was being announced as next City manager, I went on blue moon and generally, City fans were not excited about his appointment. In fact many over there weren't too happy about Peligrini being swapped out for Pep.
I remember this being backed up, when Pep had his first Q+A and very few people turned up. Basically, they were luke warm towards him.
Meanwhile, back on redcafe, Pep was being heralded as the greatest manager who ever lived.
IMO, he is the definition of a cheque book manager. Give him a squad which isn't by far the best in the league and he won't win anything.
Click to expand...

So far he's worked with very good, very rich teams, yes. But I think 'cheque book manager' is too pejorative. That makes it sound like he just buys players to bully opponents into submission when I think it's rather that he's bought the players he needs to create a team he's though about very carefully.

In motor racing terms it's good to occasionally see a team small team held together with rusty screws take on the grandees but it's also good to see a team refine every part of itself to become as close to perfect as possible. Edit: spelling
 
Last edited:
squiggle said:
So far he's worked with very good, very rich teams, yes. But I think 'cheque book manager' is too perjorative. That makes it sound like he just buys players to bully opponents into submission when I think it's rather that he's bought the players he needs to create a team he's though about very carefully.

In motor racing terms it's good to occasionally see a team small team held together with rusty screws take on the grandees but it's also good to see a team refine every part of itself to become as close to perfect as possible.
Click to expand...
To be fair the big teams always spend money and he will always be at a big team. It's spending the money wisely.
 
Three times now David Pleat has raised the "cosmopolitan" make up of this Watford team, worries over their identity, harking back to the Graham Taylor years.

Let it go man.

EDIT: And again, how many European stereotypes can he fit into one half? "Walter Matzarri a real technical area theatrics specialist".

Co commentator seems embarrassed.
 
Arsenal will win this. For some reason i have a massive dislike for Watford.
 
First away goal of the season. Sums up how dire they have been.

Good goal from mertesacker though. Puts them in a great position to win this match.
 
DevilRed said:
Gets wayyyyy too much credit for barca. He came in after Riijkaard had already laid the foundations and won multiple trophies. Coinciding with the rise and rise of messi too.
Click to expand...

And selling the two (/three after the first season) of Rijkaard's most influential players after his Barça side had fallen off badly, promoting Pedro and Sergio to replace them.

Anyone who actually remembers how poor Barça were in 2007-08 knows that what Guardiola was coming in to was far from an easy job.
 
El cagrejo said:
And selling the two (/three after the first season) of Rijkaard's most influential players after his Barça side had fallen off badly, promoting Pedro and Sergio to replace them.

Anyone who actually remembers how poor Barça were in 2007-08 knows that what Guardiola was coming in to was far from an easy job.
Click to expand...

I remember them very well as we snuck past them in the CL semi finals on the way to winning the cup. They had an incredible squad.
 
El cagrejo said:
And selling the two (/three after the first season) of Rijkaard's most influential players after his Barça side had fallen off badly, promoting Pedro and Sergio to replace them.

Anyone who actually remembers how poor Barça were in 2007-08 knows that what Guardiola was coming in to was far from an easy job.
Click to expand...
Not easy but not far from easy, either. Luiz Aragones showed example of how to build a team around Xavi and Iniesta. Pep did the right thing remove those influential players to build around Xavi. Messi being Messi. He was no scrub finishing runner up in Ballon Dor even in so called underwhelming Barcelona. Player like this can lift a team several level, let alone Barcelona who have been full of stars player for years.

Watford is useless. Pretty much play into Arsenal hand.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.