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Are Man Utd going down a familiar path in their hunt for a new manager? Plus, maybe Qatar should give Ukraine their place at the World Cup…
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Man Utd’s manager search isn’t going well…
I’ve always been a fan of the phrase ‘If you’re going to do something, do it right’. As a procrastinating ‘fuck it that will do’ type person its aspirational to me and I find it can be used to justify wild excesses like buying 3 dozen burgers and half a pig for a small family barbeque. My club Man United aren’t too enamored with this phrase, or at least they have their own version of it. Something like ‘If you’re going to do something, do it in the most half arsed excruciatingly longwinded and embarrassing way possible, then do it again in 6 months’
The clubs search for a his next manager isn’t going well. I know it’s not going well because the club hierarchy have an incessant need to brief the press on everything they think or do. The story goes a bit like this… (in a thick Glaswegian accent because I’ve never heard John Murtough speak)
“We’ve been courting Poch for years and he’s available this summer but PSG are a bit of mess, perhaps not eh. Yeh and Ralf is here now and he likes Ten Hag, let’s have a go at him. Oh but Chelsea are a bit rocky at the moment so Tuchel is the guy we’ve always wanted, yeh Tuchel, but you say he doesn’t want to manage a dumpster fire, oh ok. Imagine if we could get that German, you know the snappy dresser in Munich, or Enrique, he managed Barcelona didn’t he? I don’t mind him taking time off for the world cup and we’d get loads of clicks anytime someone talks about Spain. There is also that other Spanish fella, Lopi or Lopagu something or other, never mind I’ll can’t even say it. Oh shit here come Ralf, yeh yeh lets get that Eleven Hag guy in for another interview, he was great”
Given all the all candidates have different styles and abilities you’d think they would pick the guy who best fit the clubs identity. But the club doesn’t really have an identity anymore, except the for the arrogant we’re still top dog attitude that permeates everything they do, which isn’t so much an identity as it is a teenage boy struting down the precinct wearing a ‘Top Shagger’ saying t-shirt.
I wish they would just get on with it, figure out what they want, pick the guy who best suits that and throw a load of money at him so he says yes. You don’t need to conduct this in public!!!
Dave, Manchester
Who should stand aside on moral grounds?
So Englishman Jim White of the Telegraph thinks Wales and Scotland should step aside and allow Ukraine a free pass to the World Cup on moral grounds, or some such. Nonsense, for lots of reasons which are easy to sum up succinctly. Football is a meritocracy, the proud people of Ukraine probably wouldn’t even want a sympathy pass and I bet he wouldn’t be saying that if England were in the playoffs. Oh and don’t start talking about the rights and wrongs of anything to do with a World Cup being held in Qatar.
They knew what they did with an 11.53 publish.
Short MW: This is fucking mental. https://t.co/he36emhO4d
— Football365 (@F365) March 25, 2022
About that. Here’s a far better idea – why don’t Qatar themselves give up their place to Ukraine? Or at least play them in a playoff so it’s earned (see previous point). Think about it: Qatar are farcical hosts with no football tradition who promise to be even more shit on the pitch than South Africa. Anyone with a shred of decency resents them hosting it on both sporting and human rights grounds and not a single person would miss their non-existent team. However, they obviously have the cash to make some pretty impressive stadia so let that be their contribution. Surely Qatar would be better served by being known just as competent hosts, rather than as a sporting laughing stock. Also, deferring to Ukraine would be a nice bit of PR for FIFA wouldn’t it. This would be a win for both the pro-Ukraine and anti-Qatar/human rights arguments. You could even throw in free qualification to the next World Cup for Qatar if you had to. What’s not to love?
Gareth Dix, Sutton
Smash and grab games…
Syfq Amr, Malaysia bringing up Greece’s smash and grab win in Euro 2004 was a great nostalgic trip down memory lane i would dare add that Greece may be the only team to actually smash and grab a whole international tournament it sure felt like they did.
Anyway some memorable “Smash and Grab” games that i remember are as follows:
Wolves 1-0 Man United 03/04 – SAF’s United dominated that game, truly dominated and were going for the title against a Wolves side sat in the relegation zone but Kenny Miller’s goal gave the Wolves a surprise win.
Chelsea 0-1 QPR 2012/13 – Bottom of the table QPR headed to Stamford Bridge, Chelsea had won 4 games in a row and took 26 shots and had 64% possession, naturally we lost 1-0 thanks to Shaun Wright-Phillips’ strike, oh Chelsea.
I mentioned earlier about Greece perhaps smash and grabbed Euro 2004, but that was not the only time a country smash and grabbed their way through a tournament because it happened again in 2008, okay this time this country did not win the whole competition but you would certainly have not put it past them and that country in question is Turkey and their journey to get to the final 4 is outstanding, they lost the opening group game 2-0 to Portugal and in game two they took on Switzerland it was 1-1 until the 93rd minute when Arda Turan scored an incredible goal to win the game, in the final group game they are 2-0 down to Czech Republic and heading home before Turan pulled one back in the 75th minute and then Nihat grabbed two in two minutes (87th and 89th) one of them being a screamer, finally in the Quarter Final they played a Croatia side who had already topped their group containing Germany, Croatia scored in the 119th minute of Extra Time to surely win the game before in the 122nd Turkey equalized and won on penalties.
Turkey eventually got knocked out by Germany in the Semi Final but it was another close one, Turkey took the lead before Germany went 2-1 up, Turkey equalized before Lahm scored in the 90th minute to “smash and grab” the smash and grabbers of Euro 2008.
The Admin @ At The Bridge Pod
International XI
Sorry, but I just have to ask, the letter from Brian Carty listing players who had dragged their international team “to unprecedented heights”.
What unprecedented heights did Beckham lift England to??
And that list should just consist of the Greek squad from 2004.
Pardeep
One that got away?
Not really sure you can count Serge Gnabry as one that got away. He joined us at 16 and received most of his development in Germany.
Given all of the Arsenal jobs have had with right backs before Tomi’s signing, I would say the one that got away is Luke Ayling.
He’s developed into a pretty competent right back and wouldn’t look out of place in this current Arsenal squad – particularly as we have more than a few of his fellow Hale End graduates in and around the first team.
Graham Simons, Gooner, North London
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