WORLD CUP .......

[Redchic12]

Good point AB!

Yeah I read that Real Madrid beat Bayern this morning in the semi. Another big controversy with the Ref.

So it looks like Dortmund against Madrid for the final. Go Dortmund!!!!
Someone has got to smash Madrid one of these days. Would love to see Dortmund do the job.

[Altair]

Originally Posted by AngelBlue

Sir Alex Ferguson is probably the most successful manger ever in English football....
BUT..
Is that because he was with them for 26 years and not just 26 days ?!!!!

Well they did give him the time. He started managing them in 1986 and won the first title in 1993...

[AngelBlue]

Originally Posted by Altair

Well they did give him the time. He started managing them in 1986 and won the first title in 1993...

And that's what I mean , they didn't sack him did they , they gave him 7 years to win that title !
( They sack em now if they don't win a game never mind the title !)...

Wonder if sir Alex has finished chewing that wasp yet LOL.

[Altair]

Originally Posted by AngelBlue

Wonder if sir Alex has finished chewing that wasp yet LOL.

Nah, he wouldn't. It's a different time. Results have to be there quickly. Having said that, I don't think Ten Hag is a fit. I obviously don't know what the club is like on a daily basis, but from the outside their manager comes across as grumpy and uninspirational (not really a people manager?) and his tactics aren't all that spectacular.

[Sir Neil]

Originally Posted by AngelBlue

Sir Alex Ferguson is probably the most successful manger ever in English football....
BUT..
Is that because he was with them for 26 years and not just 26 days ?!!!!

That much is true, but he had some degree of success straight away. He came in part-way through the 1986-87 season, and though they didn’t do too well, he worked on the team’s fitness. The following season, they improved a great deal and finished 2nd to a fantastic Liverpool side, so tangible signs of progress there.

But then came another trough which lasted into the 1989-90 season. It’s a kind of football folklore that if they had lost to Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup, then Ferguson would have been sacked. I’m not so sure about exactly then, but there were definitely calls for him to be sacked a bit later on in the season, but the club’s flotation on the stock exchange took the focus away from the football, and took the pressure off the players. They won 2 games and made themselves safe for the season, then won the FA Cup. That probably kept Ferguson in a job.

Then they went on a very long winning streak, with at least one trophy in most of the subsequent seasons, until he retired.

[Sir Neil]

Originally Posted by Altair

Nah, he wouldn't. Results have to be there quickly. Having said that, I don't think Ten Hag is a fit.

Not really, no. But then, which recent Man Utd manager has been? They have had several since Ferguson left, and only really Mourinho has got a tune out of them, finishing 2nd and winning two trophies. (But with him, you know he will fall out with someone and then leave after 3 seasons).

What it shows is how good Ferguson was, and how difficult he has been to replace, even with elite managers.

I think there is also something wrong with the club and the way it has been run. Although the Glazers were successful in their early years, in recent seasons, there doesn’t seem to be a kind of overarching vision for the club to follow. I don’t mean this as waffling management-speak either. Clubs like Liverpool, Man City and the Man Utd of old had a particular way they wanted to play, and recruited players according to that. They were laser-like in identifying players of a ‘profile’ they wanted, buying them in, and then coaching them in that way.

Although Liverpool and Man City have had money to spend (which successful team doesn’t?) they have bought really well. Not just superstars like Haaland, but lesser-known players like Ake, Wijnaldum, Robertson, who can make the step up.

I don’t think Man Utd have been laser-like in the last decade; their recruitment has been poor. But maybe the new owners could be thinking along more ‘visionary’ lines. They have been getting the good back-room staff in, so they seem to be building up slowly. It will take a while for them to get there, but they will.

[AngelBlue]

Sir Neil, yes, they went on a winning spree for many years winning everything seemingly.
I think it was quite different back in the 70,s and 80,s before a lot of things changed in football.
I'm sure that Ferguson would have been sacked somewhere along the way in his latter man U years if they hadn't been so consistently good.
They seemed to fall apart after he left.

Altair, very true that's it's a different time and results need to seen very quickly now. That's all to do with money I expect. There is such a lot at financial stake nowadays .
It's a far cry from when they used to roll around in the mud for 90 minutes for a couple of hundred pound a week !

[Sir Neil]

Originally Posted by Redchic12

Another big controversy with the Ref.

So it looks like Dortmund against Madrid for the final. Would love to see Dortmund do the job.

Nah no controversy, Joselu was still onside. As for Dortmund, I don’t think they will win the final, as Madrid have so much quality and just don’t give up. But you never know. Dortmund are certainly well-organised, and play like a team.

[Redchic12]

Yeah your right SirN Madrid have all the best players and are well drilled but you never know with football and it’s never over til it’s over. Look at when Barca came to Anfield three nil up and we had no Firmino and no Salah. But we won four nil against one of the best teams in the world. So I’m really Hoping that this can happen to Dortmund.

Would be good to see Madrid knocked off their perch ha

[Altair]

I like Real Madrid, don't mind if they win. I like managers like Ancelotti (and also Hiddink), they give trust to their players and get the best out of them. Prefer this over managers with strict tactics, managers that clash with players that don't fit the 'hard worker' stereotype. And there's something about the club, their royalty, that's appealing.

Dortmund is of course also a great club with fantastic support.

All in all, a good final for the game. No PSG and no City.