Napoli are a great team. Their front three is one of the best in the world.

 

Feel a bit sorry for AVB. You know he's getting sacked. He's a good manager, but the job at Chelsea is a long term one. They've too many big time Charlie's running the show, and lots of areas they need to strengthen. I get the impression AVB is not liked.

There's no sign of the job at Chelsea being a long term one as long as Abramovic is in charge.

Watching Arsenal, United and Chelsea in Europe this season has really shown how far the Premier League has fallen. Not one of them has produced a good performance, bar except Chelsea beating Valencia. Real & Barca are way too far ahead, and the Serie A and especially Bundesliga teams are getting much much stronger. Three years ago Napoli stuffing Chelsea like that would have been laughable, United would never have gone out of that group and Arsenal would at least have (probably) performed better against AC. As long as there is TV money, the English teams will be strong, their problem is the other leagues are now catching up with them.

I think these things go round in cycles really. For 4-5 years he Premier League really was the best league in the world. The Champions Leagues were all contested by Liverpool, Man Utd, Arsenal, Chelsea & Barcelona. Tactically a lot of the bigger teams have changed. If you look back, however much stick Rafa Benitez gets it is his doing why English teams did so well in the Champions League constantly. The formation he used with Liverpool, and his tactics brought great success to a very average team. Wenger & Fergie then started using the same tactics in the Champions League, and worked to great effect.

 

The Bundesliga now concentrates a lot on homegrown talent. Bayern have a very good squad. The likes of Inter Milan, AC Milan, Juventus etc. will always do well because of the club. Players are attracted to go there. AC Milan have a brilliant team, quite the backbone is made up of players that have flopped at other clubs. Napoli have got a good manager, but they will be very lucky to hold on to Hamisk, Lavezzi and Cavani past the summer. That's where the Premier League can improve. But really in the Premier League if you think about it:

 

Man Utd - good team, some good raw young players, but no money to spend at all.

Arsenal - skint. Some good players, but in need of an over-haul of the squad

Chelsea - useless. I can count about 3/4 good players that perform well. In need of a complete re-haul.

Liverpool - will be a force again in 3-4 years time. Major transition period atm, need to keep their best players aswell

Man City - will be dominant for a while

Spurs - have got the best team they will have for a long time. They would have done well in the ECL if they were in it this season.

The other top leagues have caught up this season. If you look at the last 5 seasons there have been 16 English sides in the Quarter Finals of the Champions League, out of a possible 20. England 16, Spain 7, Italy & Germany 5, France 2, Portugal, Holland, Turkey, Russia & Ukraine 1. That's incredible domination over a 5 year period, although it's only gone to England in one of those years. However 5 finals in 5 years, and 7 in 7 too. This will be the 2nd year in just 8 without an English side in the final.

 

The way Abramovic has run Chelsea post-Mourinho has finally caught up with them and they now need consistency and stability. Arsenal need a transition period too, Liverpool are in one. United are in one of Fergie's average times but you sense in the next couple of years this will develop into another, and final, great team of his, Man City were very unlucky with their group really. Group of Death right from when it was drawn.

The other top leagues have caught up this season. If you look at the last 5 seasons there have been 16 English sides in the Quarter Finals of the Champions League, out of a possible 20. England 16, Spain 7, Italy & Germany 5, France 2, Portugal, Holland, Turkey, Russia & Ukraine 1. That's incredible domination over a 5 year period, although it's only gone to England in one of those years. However 5 finals in 5 years, and 7 in 7 too. This will be the 2nd year in just 8 without an English side in the final.

 

The way Abramovic has run Chelsea post-Mourinho has finally caught up with them and they now need consistency and stability. Arsenal need a transition period too, Liverpool are in one. United are in one of Fergie's average times but you sense in the next couple of years this will develop into another, and final, great team of his, Man City were very unlucky with their group really. Group of Death right from when it was drawn.

I think you mean a possible 40.

I think you mean a possible 40.

Ah, I meant 16/20 as in 4 English clubs enter per season over 5 seasons, easy to see how that was misunderstood.

Ah, I meant 16/20 as in 4 English clubs enter per season over 5 seasons, easy to see how that was misunderstood.

I see what you meant now :lol:

Wolves have promoted assistant boss, Terry Connor as their manager until the end of the season.

 

See more at:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/17153404

Probably their 5th choice.

 

Should never have sacked Mick. Think it says a lot that a lot of managers (bar Steve Bruce) have rejected the job.

phraps you could borrow steve coppell for a week until he gives up and doesnt have the passion lol

I'm surprised at the likes of Curbishley turning down the Wolves job, they have a squad strong enough to stay up and could potentially push on. I do still think Mick could have kept them up, but he was never going to get the time given the run they are on.

I really like Mick McCarthy but can't disagree with his sacking really. He'd taken them as far as he could and they have stagnated massively, they'd been in awful form since the third game of the season and were only getting relegated with him. Will they stay up? It'll be just as hard, but I do think they needed a change. Curbishley is an idiot if he thinks he's ever going to get a better opportunity.

I'm surprised at the likes of Curbishley turning down the Wolves job, they have a squad strong enough to stay up and could potentially push on. I do still think Mick could have kept them up, but he was never going to get the time given the run they are on.

 

Problem is I don't think they'll stay up. They have got some good players, but I think they have the weakest squad out of the teams down the bottom. Staying in the Premier League is vital to them, I imagine Curbishley had a long-term vision, probably one that differed with the Chairman's.

I'd say Wigan, Blackburn and Bolton have weaker squads than Wolves personally, even Norwich despite them performing well this season. It says a lot about how far Steve Bruce's star has fallen that he hasn't already been appointed.

But sacking an experienced manager, and then placing his assistant in charge? That's an awful decision. Some of these intelligent businesmen that run football clubs, have no idea. Absolutely stupid decision, whether Mick McCarthy had to go or not. It's well and truly back-fired on them now. I think their fans wanted a young manager, but none of them will touch the club with a bargepole at the moment. I don't think the fans were very happy about appointing Steve Bruce.

I agree about fans not wanting Steve Bruce, if I were them I'd go for Lee Clark. Young and upcoming manager, and currently out of work, and despite Huddersfield fans thinking he should have done better (!?), he did have a massive unbeaten run almost on a par with the Invincibles. Anyone who appoints the assistant until the end of the season tends to fare horribly, non? The only instance I can recall it really working is Jol at Spurs (I am sure there are others, but this is the only one that immediately springs to mind).

In Your Face Manchester!

I agree about fans not wanting Steve Bruce, if I were them I'd go for Lee Clark. Young and upcoming manager, and currently out of work, and despite Huddersfield fans thinking he should have done better (!?), he did have a massive unbeaten run almost on a par with the Invincibles. Anyone who appoints the assistant until the end of the season tends to fare horribly, non? The only instance I can recall it really working is Jol at Spurs (I am sure there are others, but this is the only one that immediately springs to mind).

When Forest sacked Gary Megson we were about 17th in League 1, we appointed Frank Barlow (his assistant) and Charlie McParland (reserve team coach) until the end of the season, and finished 7th. Chris Hughton should count I guess?

 

Steve Kean! :D

 

Sammy Lee and Chris Hutchings are the two massive flops I immediately thing of, at Wigan and Bolton, but both of them were replacing managers who left in summer.

Forgot about Chris Houghton, he would definitely fit the good category, and another man who turned down Wolves. Sbragia was another massive flop. Who could forget Kean :lol:

 

Also, Arshavin is being loaned back to Zenit as we speak, can't say I'm entirely surprised, but I fail to see how this is good for Arsenal. I know he is in dire dire form, but he still has the ability to spark a game into life if he wants. :(

Arsenal's defence is like a sitcom.

 

I always thought Arshavin was disliked by the other Arsenal players. Wenger might have done it for the good of the dressing room.