Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Manchester City v. West Ham United


35 comments:

  1. pull up the reaper for him I reckon. I was disappointed (god knows why!) with the performance at City- no, maybe not performance, rather Tactics. I thought he'd get them playing more. On yer bike!

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  2. Attacktics were pratctically non-existent Filthy - not one single shot from us and apart from a little argy bargy with Nobby, Hart had hardly anything to do let alone save ! with three quarters of the match played in the third in front of what ever goal we were defending - the score was actually flattering - Villa gave them more of a game and ;ost 4-0. Was expecting a verdict today, but it looks like we might have to wait ten more days - hopefully they're looking for a replacement, although word is "One Dave For and One Against"...

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  3. What about the voice of the people? For me it is clearcut, Alf = relegation dogfight with probable safety. Does that put bums on many seats in a new stadium? Sack him and spend $20 million. Money well spent even if you ain't got it!

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  4. Aces & eights !! Hopefully.
    Yeah I thought we'd have a bit more of a go, but then again maybe that's all the go we've got. I'm sure morale has got to be at an all time low.
    I agree the score line was very flattering. AC for England ? That's a laugh.

    I see lots of odds for who replaces Alf but I was looking around to see if anyone was giving odds on him staying. Anyone seen any?

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  5. It's funny Filthy, word is it's the more user friendly David Gold (PKA Happiness) that's for keeping Alf. Is he really ready to settle for hoofball, "probable safety" and unhappy punters this early ? Could it be in view of the Martin O 'Neill fiasco, he wants a new man hired before letting Tupper go ? I certainly hope so, otherwise his whole persona as presented to us is a front.

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  6. I don't think anyone worth mentioning is saying "AC for England" now Smitty, underwhelming seems to be the current verdict. Lets hope that a new manager can get more out of him, otherwise he's going to go down as one of the English games' All Time Also Rans.
    As for morale I'm surprised there has been more (has there been any ?) pissing and moaning from the players, even the straightforward Hammer of the Year Mark Noble sticks up for him when talking to the punters off the record. This may well just be Company Line, but if it is, it's very well executed. Of course at least five of them have the same agent, so they're not going to speak up are they.
    Odds on Tupper staying, I'll stick them up if i find any.

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  7. A spot of High Tech Tic Tac here Smitty, on Betfair (no personal preference it just came in first) it's evens - you find it under "No Managerial Change".

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  8. My comment from right after the game- I still think it's a good idea.

    "There's always next year, as they say in baseball. At least they only got beat 2-0 this time. Screw the sheik of araby. Maybe there is a UK version of the guy who figured out how to get players on the cheap with statistics for the Oakland A's. They made a movie about him and Jonah Hill was nominated for an academy award. So anything's possible."

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  9. Well he's in the Standbys. That says something - not sure what!!

    Lawks !! Evens? Not good.
    Looks like another season of boring dross, relegation maybes to probably half empty stands.

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  10. Don't the geezers in "Moneyball" actually achieve something Clueless ? Or is the "doing battle" with the big boys the achievement in itself ? I did watch it and enjoy it, but the old memory box isn't what it used to be. Most of us aren't asking for the world we just want to be entertained and not get relegated. Where's the enetertainment in the Citeh match for West Hams fans - ? Not one poxy shot at their goal ???

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  11. If he does slip the knock out punch and I still think he won't, I don't think the Boleyn will be half full Smitty. There will be plenty of season ticket holders missing, but they'll pull some promos if they have to. As for the last season, even in the Second Division that will be chocka, but how to fill the Olympic will be the problem. Of course there's always the chance The Brady Bunch aren't expecting that to be their problem (on Wall Street they called that the "I'll be gone You'll be gone" scenario.

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  12. Evens is still a depressing thought.
    Agreed last season at Upton will be filled regardless of the dross being played.
    You could easily be right about the OS being a closer for a big sale but it's a chancy move for anyone if there's crap on view.

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  13. Look the blokes that bought Liverpool didn't even know that relegation existed, until after they owned it. If they can find themselves a mark, or someone with real money to burn they'll be serious quids up. Some say a billion quid later Abramovich could take the loss on Chel$ki without breaking into a sweat !

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  14. The book & movie both were fairly accurate. I was checking the facts and they didn't win right away, you had the manager (RIP Phillip C Hoffman) refusing to take orders & then the 2nd 1/2 of the season they won 20 straight games which broke the record. Then Boston Red Sox started us ing the theory and in 2 years won the world series for the first time in 86 years or something like that. There are a lot of different theories of what was working, but there are too many variables involved over the years. It does match up with the situation you have now. The unlimited wealth of some teams and they outspend everybody. They eventually tried to even out things like put salary caps on an entire team, or the big market teams would have to share TV revenue with or something. Now they still have some teams that are the right mixture of old used up guys giving it their all and young guys coming out of nowhere, mainly pitchers and they win. The SF Giants won their first world series ever in 2010 with exactly that mix. Then they won again in 2012! But the manager is key and you guys don't seem to have a good one. Why they didn't go all out and not really even try to score is crazy. Especially on the last game with nothing to lose?

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  15. Why Clueless ? Because under the current set up, our attacking options are very predictable - a long pass to Andy Carroll and hope he can make something of it. If not that just hope the aging Nobby Nolan can nick something. That's it - everybody knows what going to happen, the team, manager and the fans and that's on both sides !

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  16. I don't get it. I think my baseball comparisons are useless and I don't know what you all are talking about most of the time anyway. How do they shake things then without having enough money? "Time to call up Robin Hood for some wealth distribution?" Maybe there's a way to change the rules and make it a more level playing field.

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  17. Right now the only way you can level the playing field Clueless is by getting as much money as the big guns. Both Manchester City and Chelsea (nicknamed Chelski because of their Russian Multi Billionaire owner) were much smaller clubs not so long ago. It's a relatively new phenomenon that will play itself out - how ? nobody knows. And don't give up on the U.S. Sports analogies, I for one am learning something !

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  18. Meanwhile on the Manager Go Round I see that Spuds are chatting up Punchinello from Southampton and Pardew is staying on Tyneside. The West Ham ITK site Claret & Hugh have Rafa Benitez and Moyes in the frame for us ! Can't see either of those myself, but as we all know - Andy "Dead Welder Walking" Pepper Don't Know !

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  19. Great seasons artwork AP. Been following the blog but normally too late to join in.

    At the end of the day the fear of relegation will prevail and they will stick with BFS, as he keeps saying he has done what they asked. Reckon he will have until Xmas and if it is not working he will go.

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    1. Sadly very possible but the very downside of Sam out at Xmas is he'll have spent the summer on more Sam players landed us up to our knees and sinking fast and who's going to come in and clear that one up.
      Admittedly, the line to take over now doesn't seem that long either.

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    2. 100% with you on that Smitty - we don't want him spend the "little" (in Premiership Football terms, not real life) we have on players to fit his system (singular not plural). For or against you can't argue for his versatility surely ?

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  20. Well thanks for the kind words on the Art George and I can only hope that your wrong on the managerial front. A couple of lucky wins from the drop is hardly what I would call security !

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  21. So The Board Meeting that will decide whether Tupper goes or not will be this Friday and according to the Claret & Hugh site, neither of the bookies favourites Poyet (staying at Sunderland) and Moyes (not approached) are in the running.

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    1. The rumor mill must have been riding your earie

      http://kumb.com/story.php?id=127552

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  22. C&H now touting a "mystery man" story with a two day deadline:

    http://www.claretandhugh.info/irons-waiting-on-response-from-mystery-man/

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  23. Brilliant, perfect for us. Will fit right in. I predict 10th or better next season for us with him at the controls.
    I'll take him.

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  24. You've got me thinking Smitty, what if he stayed a mystery man like that Mexican Revolutionary geezer, or Kendo Nagasaki and never showed his face ? Then they could change him whenever they liked and pretend it's the same bloke ?

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  25. I'd still take him / them.
    At this point the longer BFS stays the harder it's going to become to recover
    when he does eventually go.

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  26. The Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mail both now reporting he stays ! Not sure how kosher these two are when it comes to us, but judging by Karen Brady's politics they may have some kind of "special relationship" ?

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  27. C&H too.
    So not looking good.
    Bugger!!

    But he's under manners for , and promised more "flair" !!
    No idea what that means

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  28. :D
    Personally I don't think we'll get that much, nice idea though.

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  29. Bugger that! But they've insisted he play more attractive football....
    That'll do it! Sorry for being cynical, but leopards, spots and all that

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  30. I think the event is worthy of a Saitch Filthy, so I will hold back the comments until it's up - later today or tomorrow.

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