Alone in the Park - it's the Prem 2020-21 thread

if I had £100m spare I would spend it on something else

I would mostly buy cheeseburgers

they could spend that on the construction of an alternative "angel of the north" 300ft statue of Shaun Goater next to the Etihad, to always remind them of when they used to be a proper club!

As silky as grealish is, moving with the ball, I refuse to believe his qualities are in the 100 million category player. His desire to fuel the 'grealish is the next gazza' brit fantasy is totally naff. Juries out, for me, on whether he's the gazza (chasing one eyed, criminals with snacks) or the gazza (sublime and ridiculous on the pitch). He doesn't seem to have Gazza's excesses, but watch this space....

Less of the Brit there.

Isn't he more Beckham anyway?

only the hair

Are Animated Dads Getting Hotter? (Tom D.) at 2:31 26 Jun 21

Less of the Brit there.

well, thats me told, no more britbantz about britball, going to listen to some britpop and britrock to chillax

on a serious note, who does grealish replace in the man city squad, is it a death knell for G.Jesus, his performances seem to pass me by, but was surprised the other day when looking at the prem team of the season on 'whoscored' and G.Jesus was rated as the best player in the league last season in his position.

As silky as grealish is, moving with the ball, I refuse to believe his qualities are in the 100 million category player.

you are so wrong but it suits me for people and pundits to keep repeating this - maybe he'll get slated for being shit for England this Tuesday and City will lose interest! i doubt it though. he is the best player in the vast majority of games he plays in. possibly you need to be watching Villa on the weekly to appreciate how consistently excellent he is.

idk if "replacing" someone in the City lineup is necessarily the right way to think of it - he will be an option on the left wing or in that left-sided number 8 role, and i guess he could probably work ok out wide on the right, although he rarely plays there for Villa. In other words he could probably fit in somewhere instead of Sterling, Mahrez, Bernardo Silva, all of whom are apparently free to leave to raise some cash?

praying he doesn't go but it's looking increasingly likely.

idg the Gabriel Jesus point - what is his position according to Whoscored? as a first choice striker he feels like a busted flush at this point, hence the overtures to Kane

He's a bit of a false 9 isn't he? Drops deep a fair bit whenever I watch them, maybe he's just looking for the ball but he defo no longer appears to be the out and out goalscorer he looked when he started out with city

He often kinda seems a bit lost

Windsor Davies at 3:20 26 Jun 21

"idg the Gabriel Jesus point - what is his position according to Whoscored? as a first choice striker he feels like a busted flush at this point, hence the overtures to Kane"

an idle, off the cuff point, badly made *hands up*

I guess while reading the posts about the Grealish to Mancity thing, just remembered that g.jesus anomaly on whoscored, I mean, grealish is more of a replacement for an 'out of favour' Sterling or Bernardo, for sure...G.Jesus getting enough good ratings over the season to be considered top 2nd striker position in a team of the season seemed to contradict my thoughts over the season, but they are not my club and I guess I don't watch enough!!

any needle about the brit thing is a bit of a take on the latest tabloid fueled hype beast of an english born player that seems before they really have convinced consistantly on the pitch, I see grealish as a talented performer but the gazza comparisons/fanboying/ 100 mil valuations seem off to me..he scored 6 goals last season

Grealish is overwhelming

I was the other way about him when spurs were linked initially, going way back, but i had an eye on him thereafter and there just aren't any other players with his combination of positive characteristics out there as a ball carrier, creator, nuisance, end product.

100 million isnt what it was and hes every bit in that range

Scored six goals but created how many chances? Anyway you don’t get the whole picture from stats with Grealish, the key thing with him is how rarely he fails to do something good and positive with the ball when he receives it. This has a multiplier effect on even his most mediocre teammates who visibly gain confidence by feeding off Grealish.

Idk I’m torn cause obviously I believe he is secretly the next best player in the world and people still haven’t quite caught up to it, otoh there is much to dislike about his current explosion onto the wider national consciousness and yeah the Gazza comparisons and all that stuff is tedious

Basically can you all fuck off and leave Aston Villa to enjoy the greatest player of his generation in peace, thank you

Yeah, think notably all his mercurial aspects are off the pitch w/r/t his potentially degrading shins and disgraceful antics; he very consistently causes something positive to happen when he gets the ball at his feet, although this is frequently "going to ground easily" to "win a free kick" because some cunt clatters him

His finishing isn't great and he's not that much of a crosser so much as he gets into such dangerous positions in the area and pulls so many players with him that a simple square ball puts somebody else in with a great chance

I wish he would just actually score the Maradona goal at some point though

lol at Windsor, I'd like grealish a lot more if he stuck by villa a while long, in their resurgent moment.....darragh, well, I think saka is a player as talented as grealish and maybe more... but crucially, he isn't as palatable to tabloid journo's..... I wish he played for Nigeria.

before they really have convinced consistantly on the pitch

you're missing the point tho, he has been the best player in c. 90% of games he's played in for the last 3 or 4 years. he has convinced consistently on the pitch, no one moreso. you've just not been watching.

he's also stuck with Villa longer than many players would've done already

Yeah I mean he signed a new five year deal last year after we finished 17th! I assume there's more to that which may shake out this summer but he didn't have to

I just wish we weren't so broke and shit for so much of the time he was establishing himself, the idea of him going now just when he would have finally had another potentially deadly creative player on the other flank to share the load is :(

you know what, I do watch, I'm not a villa fan but I see a player who has great close control and dribbling ability, who can create some chances and score the odd goal, he draws fouls regularly with his dribbling style, etc....i am super happy to be the guy who says Jack grealish is a good, sometimes great player but is also riding his own hype train to nowhere......

in real terms..i'd like actually week in, week out, match winning performances terms......for a season or two...I mean, just get jack to double figures goals for a season or two...and then I, too, will shave the "i <3Jack" love heart in my pubes....

Saka?

A hoy hoy is that you?

saka at 19 has it all, he will just get better and better, he's ozil meets bergkamp, he's that crafty a playmaker and he will score consistently...ahoy, nope, wrong poster, tho recognise the name from old posts on ilf and footie threads of yore

Nah i know he posted only a week back.

But like, still

Saka?

A hoy hoy is that you?

― Eschew things thirty two times before swallowing them (darraghmac), Saturday, 26 June 2021 18:52 (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

lol don't get me involved, i'm a long way from the crap i used to say on here

lol at ozil meets bergkamp tho, i def said something as stupid about idk wilshere

Not hating on swans or saka tbc, each of whom look ok from early evidence

Nuno no then.

It's going to be Ryan Mason isn't it

With news that Nuno Espírito Santo is about to take up the manager’s role at Fenerbahce, Tottenham will now be setting up walk-in centres up and down the country for anyone interested in managing Spurs.

Just google ‘Spurs walk-in centre’ to find your local centre.

— Football Mumble (@football_mumble) June 28, 2021

I’m surprised you can’t get odds on Andre Villas-Boas at this stage.

Fenerbahce? He must be on some wage to have ended up there.

BREAKING: Patrick Vieira has agreed to become the new Crystal Palace manager.

— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) June 29, 2021

Taking the french exit a bit hard, ffs

He'll wake up next tues like wtf

Nuno back on, apparently.

Done and confirmed. Nuno Espirito Santo has signed his contract as new Tottenham manager until June 2023, official statement confirms. ⚪️ #THFC #Spurs

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 30, 2021

Two year deal sounds about right.

I like him anyway

He seems like a great guy.

The two major concerns would be whether he’s any less defensive than Mourinho and any less in the pocket of his agent but I hope it works out.

He seems to be very much in the pocket of his agent. Do Spurs fans want a team bristling with Portuguese players in that case?

Tactics are a nonsense if players can just go to the chairman and get you sacked.

He wont have anything to do with who stays or leaves.

Likeability is his best asset.

Im embracing the realities of life under this rotten fucking cunt that runs us.

Xp, Portuguese players like Neves and Podence would be a great addition to the squad. The problem has been that Spurs have taken on Mendes clients that have been a terrible fit.

I was going to say that it will be interesting to see how quickly they are linked with Sergio Oliveira, the player Gattuso was booted from Fiorentina for trying to buy, but they already were on Tuesday.

Sancho to Man U -

The deal includes £5m in add-ons but they have been described as quite difficult to reach.

The mind boggles.
Meanwhile Arsenal have signed Tavares, of "Heaven Must Be Missing A Holding Midfielder" fame.

good luck Nuno

within reason, obv

Ever Given released

Sign for centre of spurs defence obv

Vacancy: Graphic designer at Burnley FC (£15-20k 🤔)https://t.co/RR6XLNzoQY #mediajobs

— Gary Taphouse (@garytaphouse) July 5, 2021

If I had studied graphic design for 3-4 years I'd apply for a job vacancy in a Burnley cotton mill ahead of one at Burnley fc. Anyway they likely aren't the only offenders but still please finally fuck off to the little leagues where you belong etc...

That reminds me, I once had an interview for a job with Rangers! Had to go to Ibrox Park and everything. Christ, I'd forgotten all about that. I wouldn't have minded working there tbh but I'd probably have been first out the door when they had all their financial problems.

the safest employee at a football club is the Kitman, the one at our club was telling people in the bookies he was still getting paid when the club was in administration and facing possible liquidation + the players hadn't been paid for a month. Shite job though!

Excellent "Coutinho to Wolves" banter on that Twitter tonight

That reminds me, I once had an interview for a job with Rangers! Had to go to Ibrox Park and everything. Christ, I'd forgotten all about that. I wouldn't have minded working there tbh but I'd probably have been first out the door when they had all their financial problems.

― Are Animated Dads Getting Hotter? (Tom D.), Monday, July 5, 2021 3:57 AM (three days ago) bookmarkflaglink

i applied for a job at the sfa which i was eminently qualified for and didn't even get an interview.