Football season 2015/16

Chris Dolan posted:

Kevin-W posted:

Chris, I would like to thank your team for choking again and gifting us fifth place.

Just noticed this

It was posted some time ago, so hardly fair. Although the final choke against Stoke had a certain inevitabilirty about it. But thanks for gifting us a great victory in our final game at The Boleyn!

.... and being kind enough to gift you European football for your new stadium even after your fans' behaviour 

Interesting to see this evening's announcement that Benitez is staying at Newcastle. Thought he'd bail out after the relegation.  I don't think he's got any experience of managing in the Championship. Could be harder than he thinks. 

The Hammers donate £12.5k to the Conservative Party. Really? Chelsea I might believe but a club with an East-end fan base? I bet this sticks in the throat of a few fans (Kevin-W?) 

MDS posted:

Interesting to see this evening's announcement that Benitez is staying at Newcastle. Thought he'd bail out after the relegation.  I don't think he's got any experience of managing in the Championship. Could be harder than he thinks. 

Apparently the Barcodes' fans love him Mike, and have been very vocal about their affection. Given the torrid time he was given by Real and Chelsea fans, I'm not surprised he's gone where he seems to be loved.

I agree, it will be fascinating to see how he copes with the Championship - I hope the Toon come back up straightaway, and all credit to Rafa for staying.

Kevin-W posted:

MDS posted:

Interesting to see this evening's announcement that Benitez is staying at Newcastle. Thought he'd bail out after the relegation.  I don't think he's got any experience of managing in the Championship. Could be harder than he thinks. 

Apparently the Barcodes' fans love him Mike, and have been very vocal about their affection. Given the torrid time he was given by Real and Chelsea fans, I'm not surprised he's gone where he seems to be loved.

I agree, it will be fascinating to see how he copes with the Championship - I hope the Toon come back up straightaway, and all credit to Rafa for staying.

+1, he's a man of both emotion and honour, I suspect he will do well for Newcastle.  He is still very well thought of on Merseyside, and not just for the trophies he won.

"the Barcodes".  First time I've heard them called that, Kevin. Made me laugh.  I think I'll steal it for use when I'm next ribbing a Newcastle fan. 

Mike

MDS posted:

The Hammers donate £12.5k to the Conservative Party. Really? Chelsea I might believe but a club with an East-end fan base? I bet this sticks in the throat of a few fans (Kevin-W?) 

Didn't know about that Mike. That'll be "Lady" Brady I expect, she is a Tory peer and a well-known Conservative voter.

Kevin-W posted:

MDS posted:

The Hammers donate £12.5k to the Conservative Party. Really? Chelsea I might believe but a club with an East-end fan base? I bet this sticks in the throat of a few fans (Kevin-W?) 

Didn't know about that Mike. That'll be "Lady" Brady I expect, she is a Tory peer and a well-known Conservative voter.

Read it in the i today which carried a photo of Ms Brady and Boris sitting under the Hammers' badge. The article quoted a WHU "spokeswoman" as saying "West Ham United is a private company. As such we make donations to whatever causes we deem fit, whether that's a political party or one of the numerous charities the club supports.".

I thought it odd to bracket charities with giving money to the Tories. 

MDS posted:

I thought it odd to bracket charities with giving money to the Tories. 

Why?

Special educational needs perhaps?

The Strat (Fender) posted:

MDS posted:

I thought it odd to bracket charities with giving money to the Tories. 

Why?

Lindsay - because I suspect most people would regard giving to charities as a corporate being socially responsible and something unlikely to divide opinion.  Giving money to a political party, any party, is most certainly not neutral. So leaving aside political allegiances, I think odd that a someone speaking on behalf of WHU would chose to defend the political donation by comparing it to charity donations.  That doesn't sound like the thing a competent press office or PR dept would do.

Mike 

Ok - Kevin's answer is funnier and probably truer than mine 

I didn't see it like that I just read it that they chose to donate money as they thought appropriate. But your point about neutrality is fair although many charities are political 

I'll grant Kevin some credit for a half decent sound bite but it's Labour that need basic arithmetic lessons - I might argue.  

The Strat (Fender) posted:

I'll grant Kevin some credit for a half decent sound bite but it's Labour that need basic arithmetic lessons - I might argue.  

Who said I was Labour Lindsay? I might be on the (libertarian) Left, but that doesn't mean I'm a supporter of the official opposition...

MDS posted:

 That doesn't sound like the thing a competent press office or PR dept would do.

Mike, you are assuming that WHU are competent in the dark arts of PR. I can assure you from professional experience they are most certainly not!

Didn't say you were Kevin - I was passing my opinion on Labour's economic competence. 

Lindsay & Kevin: This is so NOT how we conduct political debate in the States. 

I'm not a football manager, and not much of a football fan really but watching a bit of the last few England friendlies it seems to me that if I was a manager I would pick players for a tournament on the basis of 3 steps to start with

a) people who were fully fit

b) people to play in their usual position

c) people who ended the season in form

There goes about a third of the squad/team then. Do we never learn? We never seem to start a tournament with our best players fit or firing and we seem to shoehorn new talent into positions with which they are not familiar in an attempt to get them in the team come what may. They then 'underperform' and who can blame them.

My euro prediction: W1 D1 L1. Damp squib. Home early.

Bruce

At least England will be out of Europe come June 24.

Cheers,

OW

Bruce Woodhouse posted:

I'm not a football manager, and not much of a football fan really but watching a bit of the last few England friendlies it seems to me that if I was a manager I would pick players for a tournament on the basis of 3 steps to start with

a) people who were fully fit

b) people to play in their usual position

c) people who ended the season in form

There goes about a third of the squad/team then. Do we never learn? We never seem to start a tournament with our best players fit or firing and we seem to shoehorn new talent into positions with which they are not familiar in an attempt to get them in the team come what may. They then 'underperform' and who can blame them.

My euro prediction: W1 D1 L1. Damp squib. Home early.

Bruce

Your prediction would be in keeping with England's usual performance at Euros and World Cups, Bruce.  It would be a pity if it happened on this occasion due to conservative tactics & formation.  Expectations for this squad are lower than they usually are, and the squad is full of young, very talented but inexperienced players.  It would be good if Hodgson simply picked an adventurous team and told them 'nobody expects you to win the tournament so if you lose you'll still be in my plans for Russia so just go out and express yourselves'.  If this young squad really went for it using the pace and intensity that they are used to in the Premier League I think they have the potential  to scare some teams to death.

Mike 

On a more parochial level, I'm expecting to hear Koeman's move to Goodison confirmed soon. But hope to be wrong.

C.

Christopher_M posted:

On a more parochial level, I'm expecting to hear Koeman's move to Goodison confirmed soon. But hope to be wrong.

C.

I think Koeman would do better to stay put. Even as Pompey fan I can see that Southampton's prospects are upward, and more so that the Toffees.

Thing is, Mike, Everton's new owner appears to want to spend big, a phrase you will never hear at St Mary's. it points to the lack of Saints' ambition really. C.

From the BBC website it looks like you're right, Chris.  I guess Everton might be paying him a lot more than he gets at Soton but this still looks like a risky gamble on his part. He knows what he's got at the Saints, and it looks good, while at Everton it the prospect of what might happen.

So who's on your shortlist for replacing him? Martinez? Moyes?