The Barclays Premier League thread 2015/2016

[Whisper]

Don't worry lads. We'll win the cup, LVG will keep his job, and we'll get this shitshow for another year.

[MJB]

Free kick number 4,304,393

Pathetic.

West Ham's behaviour has been embarrassing, but I don't feel like I'm saying anything that everyone doesn't already know.

[Whisper]

Only one pathetic team on the park and they are wearing white.

[Baddar]

We've allowed them to play to their strengths by giving too many fouls away. Even free kicks conceded in their half have been lumped to the box. LVG can't defend this.

Another free kick. This is so shit.

[Whisper]

1 minute ago, Baddar said:

We've allowed them to play to their strengths by giving too many fouls away. Even free kicks conceded in their half have been lumped to the box. LVG can't defend this.

Something he has in common with our back 4.

[Szumi]

Curious if there will be a pitch invasion after this

Pretty good last match for The Boleyn

[Sam]

My consolation is that should be it for Van Gaal now. If we'd got 4th there was the danger he'd stay on, we won't now and he can go. Awful defensive display tonight. 

[Lineker]

Bloody pikeys.

Let the demolition begin.

[peteypirahna]

Are City and United having a game of who can choke the most? 4th place should really be tied up by now.

[The Lusophone]

If this is the end for LVG, I eagerly await being able to say "I told you so" when you're all bitching about Jose's anti-football.

[Sam]

Can we get any more anti football than 46 goals in a season? It's been awful all season. Chelsea scored 73 goals last season, I'd much rather have that than this. 

Edited May 10, 2016 by Sam

[Baddar]

I know what you are saying about Jose. But whether it's him or not, I think a change is needed. 

[Arjen Robben]

[Whisper]

19 minutes ago, Work Experience Jack said:

If this is the end for LVG, I eagerly await being able to say "I told you so" when you're all bitching about Jose's anti-football.

We don't play any sort of football at the moment so there's that. Our goalkeeper and two teenagers have been the difference between finishing 5th and finishing mid table. We haven't shown any sign of improvement since day one under Van Gaal. I couldn't even tell you what style of football we are trying to play. If it's to keep possession then why do our back 4 ping so many balls up to a lone front man, or aimlessly into the channels? If it's to keep things tight away from home and nick a goal on the break, why are we forever slowing the game down and constantly having to rely on our Keeper to bail us out of trouble? There's no apparent plan to the way we set up either - Lingard at number 10 and Mata wide? Rooney contributes nothing new to the Midfield and we are still, two years later, playing a winger at full back.

At worst, nothing changes with Jose and we end up where we're already at with LVG.

[The Lusophone]

At worst, Jose reverses the progress we've made actually using our academy graduates, rather than releasing them to go win the league at other clubs (see: Drinkwater, Danny), sidelines or sells Mata and has us playing dull, plodding football that most of United's fans will accept for a season before eating him, like we did to LVG. Only by that point, the damage he's done is worse than anything that can be laid at LVGs door.

I'm not saying don't sack LVG - but we need to go out and find a manager willing to play the kind of football that gets fans enthused and rallying around the team. The team has shown glimpses of that kind of football this season, but we're not going to get with Jose.

[Arjen Robben]

When, and why, did everyone started calling it the Boleyn Ground? I'm sure when I was growing up it was always called Upton Park, and in recent years everyone's started calling it Boleyn Ground?

[stokeriño]

It was the Boleyn Ground from the start. Maybe at some point West Ham decided they'd prefer if people called it that again and sent out briefs to the media to encourage the original name's use.

[TCO]

West Ham fans and owners really are the worst. I hate seeing them get any semblance of success.

Hopefully their tax funded new stadium will be gracing the Championship sooner rather than later.

[Whisper]

7 minutes ago, Work Experience Jack said:

At worst, Jose reverses the progress we've made actually using our academy graduates, rather than releasing them to go win the league at other clubs (see: Drinkwater, Danny), sidelines or sells Mata and has us playing dull, plodding football that most of United's fans will accept for a season before eating him, like we did to LVG. Only by that point, the damage he's done is worse than anything that can be laid at LVGs door.

I'm not saying don't sack LVG - but we need to go out and find a manager willing to play the kind of football that gets fans enthused and rallying around the team. The team has shown glimpses of that kind of football this season, but we're not going to get with Jose.

Using our academy graduates extends to what though at this point? Marcus Rashford?

Borthwick-Jackson hasn't had a look in since Rojo came back and goes even further down the pecking order when Shaw returns. Fosu-Mensah and Varela can't get in at RB ahead of a winger and Januzaj has regressed even further under LVG. McNair and Blackett have barely featured this season, so LVG's successful youth policy doesn't extend to them. I'm not sure that playing the youngsters only when you're forced to (or because you don't fancy your big money signings) counts as too much progress.

I'll give him credit for keeping Rashford in the side, but he forced himself into that position after letting the likes of Hernandez and Wilson go. You can't tell me it's because he had confidence in Rashford when he wouldn't have even played had Will Keane not gotten injured.

[DavidMarrio]

Ya know what. You're just not as good as you used to be, some people need to accept that.  You aren't the Man United of old and it'll take a while before you may be able to replicate previous seasons of success 

The squad is heavily unbalanced and a lot of the players just aren't good enough. You've spent a lot of money on players like Depay who has been crap. Yet you've got players like De Gea and Martial who have helped keep you where you are and without them you'd be in a worse position 

You've still challenged for fourth despite being inconsistent (most of the prem has been inconsistsnt) and you are in a cup final. Most people would have predicted you to be 4th/5th at the start of the season.  

Yes you could have a better manager but I doubt Mourinho would work wonders with what he'd have to work with. I do agree that your style of football and performances have at times been painful to eatch in terms of entertainment value  (I've personally found some of them funny ) but that doesn't necessarily mean other managers would come in and be exciting. 

Your season hasn't been a total failure. There are teams in worse off positions than you.