2010/2011 Season Thread

[Lemonade]

Tired and lacklustre before the season's even started? Woo and indeed, hoo!

[Murrr]

I'm a fan of structured football, and playing to strengths. Pulis does this down to a fucking T, and he deserves a lot of praise for it. In my view, he is a better manager than most in the English Premier League.

When Middlesborough were "exciting" (i.e. when they tried to buy their way to success), they were an utter shambles. Sure, decent for the neutral to watch; but not a fuckwit like me, who prefers a meticulous and disciplined approach to football.

I fucking love a one-nil scoreline.

I think you're spot on. A lot of people rag on managers like Pulis for playing the long ball game but I think he's a clever manager. It's a system that suits the players at his disposal, it gets him results, and he doesn't really have the resources to go out and buy the players he'd need to play a more fluid system. Why change? Some people have this idea that the only way to play football is with short passing and a high tempo. Complete and utter bullshit. I have much more respect for a team like Stoke City than a team like West Brom, who get relegated every time they come into the Premiership because they "try to play football the right way".

[Soda Jerk]

I definitely agree. Arsenal get so many plaudits for again, "playing the right way". Why exactly is it the right way though? They're doing okay but it hasn't really brought them a great deal of success for quite some time. Possession hogging isn't really good to watch either unless you're a supporter of the team. As a neutral, you want to see end-to-end stuff, or at least an even battle. Not just spraying it about sideways and backwards until the team spots a gap. Because when they do find the gap, the ball is played to Bendtner, and nothing happens.

[Johnny Mac]

I'm currently considering buying a season ticket for Pittodrie, I go onto the official AFC website and read:

A tired and lacklustre Dons lost their final match of their pre-season tour of England as Mark McGhee's former side Brighton deservedly won one nil this afternoon.

One season ticket for that please.

I'm considering it too.....

Not fully convinced yet though.

Do I really want to watch Kilmarnock, Hamilton, St Johnstone etc etc..... not to mention the Dons!

[Paranoid Android]

I too respect what he's done, he's achieved pretty much the most he could have.

I dislike him and find him annoying for much pettier and illogical reasons than his football style, things like that stupid cap he wears!!

Also, as well as Stoke have done I think their (relatively) high positions of the last couple of seasons shows just how poor the premiership is at the bottom end of the table these days.

[Alphas]

I think you're spot on. A lot of people rag on managers like Pulis for playing the long ball game but I think he's a clever manager. It's a system that suits the players at his disposal, it gets him results, and he doesn't really have the resources to go out and buy the players he'd need to play a more fluid system. Why change? Some people have this idea that the only way to play football is with short passing and a high tempo. Complete and utter bullshit. I have much more respect for a team like Stoke City than a team like West Brom, who get relegated every time they come into the Premiership because they "try to play football the right way".

Exactly this. Pulis knows he can't compete against a lot of teams by getting ball down and passing it so he plays to his strengths. Play to your strengths and try and find weaknesses in your opponents and enjoy your three points!

I also like tactical games and seeing how managers out-think opponents. I had a conversation/arguement with my brother after the Champions League final as he claimed Mourinho played anti-football and went through the campaign without really attacking teams. Fact is he recognised he needed players behind the ball as he didn't think Inter Milan could get back quick enough to cover if they committed to going forwards to much. Two chances...bingo bango...and I'll take my winners medal to Madrid thank you very much.

Actually, fuck that. Let's have teams charging at each other racking up table football scores. 14-10 to us!

[Free Korps]

I'm considering it too.....

Not fully convinced yet though.

Do I really want to watch Kilmarnock, Hamilton, St Johnstone etc etc..... not to mention the Dons!

Do it. not for the football though. obviously. willie miller needs your cash to fund another failed business venture. Skippers rules.

if you're gonna get one with yer "student" card then it's nae bad value really.

[RossP]

No Dons saviour in the Scotland squad v. Sweden next Wednesday:

Four changes to Scotland squad for Sweden friendly | Scotland | STV Sport

My match ticket arrived the other day; looking forward to the inevitable call-offs with 'injury', inflated drinks prices and Ibrahimovic tearing McManus a new one

[Bigsby]

No Dons saviour in the Scotland squad v. Sweden next Wednesday:

Four changes to Scotland squad for Sweden friendly | Scotland | STV Sport

My match ticket arrived the other day; looking forward to the inevitable call-offs with 'injury', inflated drinks prices and Ibrahimovic tearing McManus a new one

If I was Levein I would put Iwelumo on ahead of Boyd, for laughs.

[Soda Jerk]

IAlso, as well as Stoke have done I think their (relatively) high positions of the last couple of seasons shows just how poor the premiership is at the bottom end of the table these days.

That probably goes across the board in most top flights though. Then again, you've got teams like Wigan and Blackburn down there who took points off the likes of Chelsea and Arsenal last season, and West Ham who scraped some wins and draws against top half teams, but couldn't finish off teams in the same position as themselves. Burnley beat Man United. Portsmouth beat Liverpool. Surely it's very even if anything?

[Guest Gladstone]

BBC Sport - Football - Celtic winger Aiden McGeady set for Spartak talks

Spartak have apparently bid 9.5million for McGeady.

Are they fucking mental?

9.5m for a guy who can do lots of step overs but barely ever crosses the ball into the box? I'd snap their hand off for that. We've already got Maloney who can pretty much do what McGeady does with the added bonus that he scores a spectacular free kick once every 4 seasons (and gets the "dead ball expert" tag as a result).

[Soda Jerk]

Wenger and Fergie nearly entered a bidding war for McGeady a few years ago. 15million was being branded about. I bet when United play Arsenal, they both share a wry, slightly embarassed smile over that one.

[Guest Gladstone]

Wenger and Fergie nearly entered a bidding war for McGeady a few years ago. 15million was being branded about. I bet when United play Arsenal, they both share a wry, slightly embarassed smile over that one.

I don't think there was much truth in the 15million figure quoted in the papers. McGeady has had one fantastic season for Celtic, the rest have been pretty up and down. He's a very talented player, but he's almost always lacked effectiveness, bar that one season where he had learnt to release the ball at the right moment. He seems to have forgotten how to do that now.

In a better team, he might actually be brilliant, in that he'll have proper support round about him and not skin a guy, look up and see his only option is to pass to Scott Brown, and decide he'd be better off trying to take on 12 players than pass to Scott Brown.

How good are Spartak Moscow these days?

[Guest idol_wild]

How good are Spartak Moscow these days?

Not very, if they're desperate to sign McGeady.

Neil Lennon must be spunking against the wall over that one, with a massive smile on his napper.

[Guest Gladstone]

Not very, if they're desperate to sign McGeady.

Neil Lennon must be spunking against the wall over that one, with a massive smile on his napper.

It just seems bizarre. If they can afford to buy a player like McGeady for 9.5 million and no doubt pay him some pretty good wages, why can't they build a good team?

If this sale goes through it will be the best bit of business Celtic has done for years.

[Lemonade]

Thought McGeady could do better than the Rushkie league like. Could see him playing for someone like Fulham, Birmingham, West Ham etc.

[Soda Jerk]

It could well depend on what sort of deal they are willing to propose. An initial bid rarely indicates how much money a club has. If the bid is accepted, they could go in to talks and reveal that Spartak are wanting to pay that back over 5 years. It happens all the time, and is quite a big reason why you hear about "talks breaking down" and "clubs not agreeing to terms". At least that's what I've always been led to believe anyway.

[Guest Gladstone]

Thought McGeady could do better than the Rushkie league like. Could see him playing for someone like Fulham, Birmingham, West Ham etc.

It appears that no other club has tabled any interest in him.

I think we accepted a bid from Spartak at least a week ago, and the reason McGeady's not really featured in our games is he's known about it, but doesn't really fancy going to Russia. They'll have to offer him serious money to go there I reckon, which they might do.

If Premiership (any Premiership) clubs came in and made an offer acceptable to Celtic, and then gave him anything like the money Spartak offered him, I've no doubt he'd head for England.

[Paranoid Android]

That probably goes across the board in most top flights though. Then again, you've got teams like Wigan and Blackburn down there who took points off the likes of Chelsea and Arsenal last season, and West Ham who scraped some wins and draws against top half teams, but couldn't finish off teams in the same position as themselves. Burnley beat Man United. Portsmouth beat Liverpool. Surely it's very even if anything?

At times last season the top 3 all seemed like they just couldn't be bothered and didn't really turn up and gifted points to some lower teams. Yes Chelsea lost to Wigan but they also beat them 8-0. Also 31 points would have been enough to stay up last season, the lowest in some time.

I might just be looking back overly fondly but I remember in the past caring about the relegation battle a lot more as there were always teams I would miss if they got relegated and teams really seemed to fight hard and scrape points to stay up. The last couple of years I've looked at the table and thought I'd like bottom six all to get relegated.

And yes this McGeady thing is ridiculous but kind of hilarious that with all Rangers money problems Celtic are having this amount of cash just thrown at them!

[Free Korps]

doesn't really fancy going to Russia. If any Premiership clubs came in and made an offer acceptable to Celtic, and then gave him anything like the money Spartak offered him, I've no doubt he'd head for England.

true dat. would probably accept less wages in premeirship over move to russia as i can't see anything too glamorous about moving there for a few years for a young loon scottish through and through. (if i knew how to strike through i'd replace that with irish).

this pretty much sums it up, although whether villa go for him may depend on milner's future?

aiden-mcgeady-yet-to-decide-on-spartak-moscow-move-with

didn't realise he has a "family". i also reckon he'd have same problem as o'connor. i mean the boys never lived out of glasgow/scotland as far as i'm aware (unless i'm missing time spent in his home country of ireland?)

[Guest Gladstone]

true dat. would probably accept less wages in premeirship over move to russia as i can't see anything too glamorous about moving there for a few years for a young loon scottish through and through. (if i knew how to strike through i'd replace that with irish).

this pretty much sums it up, although whether villa go for him may depend on milner's future?

aiden-mcgeady-yet-to-decide-on-spartak-moscow-move-with

didn't realise he has a "family". i also reckon he'd have same problem as o'connor. i mean the boys never lived out of glasgow/scotland as far as i'm aware (unless i'm missing time spent in his home country of ireland?)

I think you should try harder to get more digs in about him playing for Ireland.

The boy was overlooked by the entire youth set up in Scotland and played for Ireland since he was about 14 or so. One half of his family is Irish, and it's not that much of a surprise that he played for the country that put faith in him since he was a youngster. It wasn't until he was in the first team for Celtic that Scotland showed any interest in him.

(I know this was down to the youth system in Scotland only selecting players who play for their school football team and Celtic don't allow their youth players to play for school teams, I think to avoid idiots (you do get plenty of them) in opposing teams getting wind that said player is signed for Celtic and decide to go over the ball in every tackle...)

Saying all that, I doubt McGeady would make much of a difference for Scotland anyway. We've already got players who can step over the ball 8 times and then not put a cross in. Fuck, I could do that with a bit of practise.

[Shaki]

I think you should try harder to get more digs in about him playing for Ireland.

The boy was overlooked by the entire youth set up in Scotland and played for Ireland since he was about 14 or so. One half of his family is Irish, and it's not that much of a surprise that he played for the country that put faith in him since he was a youngster. It wasn't until he was in the first team for Celtic that Scotland showed any interest in him.

(I know this was down to the youth system in Scotland only selecting players who play for their school football team and Celtic don't allow their youth players to play for school teams, I think to avoid idiots (you do get plenty of them) in opposing teams getting wind that said player is signed for Celtic and decide to go over the ball in every tackle...)

Saying all that, I doubt McGeady would make much of a difference for Scotland anyway. We've already got players who can step over the ball 8 times and then not put a cross in. Fuck, I could do that with a bit of practise.

While the above may be accurate I would still like to say fuck the wee prick.

[Guest Gladstone]

While the above may be accurate I would still like to say fuck the wee prick.

To be fair, he probably is a wee prick, so I'll let that one slide...

[Guest Gladstone]

By the way, can you please take Charlie Mulgrew back?

[Shaki]

By the way, can you please take Charlie Mulgrew back?

I suspect his assists and goals standings by December could change your mind. Beyond those abilities he is a bog standard SPL full back.