Football Focus

[Jah Lush]

A cause of celebration - we've finally got rid of the wage thief. Good riddance to bad rubbish.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/34237362

[Otta]

Jah Lush Wrote:

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> Doesn't stop the fact that Liverpool were bloody

> awful.

Not denying that they were.

They were both awful for the vast majority of the match, that's the point.

[????]

Off to UP tonight. last two visits have been defeats so hoping to change that COYI

[JohnL]

aquarius moon Wrote:

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> Very nice JohnL and even nicer to know there are

> other Swans fans on here.

>

> Not so nice today though, but we all have the

> occasional off day. And it won't be occasional!

Most on twitter think it was the international weekend.

Most of our players were playing (which is surprising).

Monk just said the whole team had an off day.

[maxxi]

???? Wrote:

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> Off to UP tonight. last two visits have been

> defeats so hoping to change that COYI

Broken the home-hoodoo - you now have to go to all remaining home games. :)

[red devil]

maxxi Wrote:

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> ???? Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > Off to UP tonight. last two visits have been

> > defeats so hoping to change that COYI

>

> Broken the home-hoodoo - you now have to go to all

> remaining home games. :)

Wearing your lucky pants...unwashed

[????]

Noticed the Dr Declan hasn't been on asking what we think about Bilic compared to BFS recently :)

Happy to stuff Alan "Be careful what you wish for" Shearer's team....they were sh1te, really can see them struggling. Just a joy last night. Attacking football - new signings imense and Song/Valencia to come back let alone the kid from Forest.

Oh I miss BFS.

[Alan Medic]

As it happens Mr.Quids I have it on good authority that Dr.Declan is quite pleased with how things are going for WH, regardless of who is in charge. I'm not sure if he ever actually compared the two as managers as he hasn't really posted much on here and of course the season is only 5 games old.

He does think that some of you might be grateful to BFS for bringing a degree of stability to the club which others like QPR could only dream of. Progress in the PL is slow particularly for those shopping in the ? shops for a gem. Even those with money to spend quite often find their expensive ear rings just don't match the dress they were intended for.

The doctor doubts that BFS will ever get another job that matches his impression of his ability. However looking at how Pardew has got on at CP and how detested he was at NU it does make you wonder. Mind you if Rafa can get the RM job there may be hope yet.

[aquarius moon]

Re: My post at top of this page.........

Fantasy Football have just got back to me. One of the links on the site was temporarily broken and has now been fixed.

As there's been no feedback or interest shown, you probably don't care anyway.

[????]

Don't know AM it was working before this weekend's games. Hammers occupying the top spots as we've all got Payet :)

[red devil]

Alan Medic Wrote:

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> He does think that some of you might be grateful

> to BFS for bringing a degree of stability to the

> club which others like QPR could only dream of.

This. Have WHU fans forgotten that this time last year, under BFS, WHU were playing attacking football, and at New Year were lying 6th?...

[red devil]

I didn't have any probs either AqM...

[????]

red devil Wrote:

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> Alan Medic Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

>

> > He does think that some of you might be

> grateful

> > to BFS for bringing a degree of stability to

> the

> > club which others like QPR could only dream of.

>

> This. Have WHU fans forgotten that this time last

> year, under BFS, WHU were playing attacking

> football, and at New Year were lying 6th?...

Was that the Christmas when BFS rested his best players vs Chelsea away (as we never win those games) so we'd win our next two home games...guess what? we didn't and then went on to have the third worst second half of the season. Showed the scale of his ambition

In a way he's right West Ham haven't got any chance in away games against the likes Arsenal and Liverpool, oh, hang on a minute...

[Alan Medic]

I hope that post doesn't come back to haunt you ????'s. Resting players over a hectic period like Christmas and New Year is something that shouldn't be needed if the fixture schedule wasn't so manic over that period. Most countries manage to have a mid season break. Because of tradition it couldn't be done here then but perhaps in January? Bigger clubs than WH will have better players to rotate during those periods.

La Liga starts later than the PL and finishes later. As there is a WC or Euros every two years it doesn't make sense for the PL to start when it does. As they (Euros/WC) don't start until early/mid June (off the top of my head) most English players won't have kicked a ball in anger in weeks. A distinct disadvantage to England. It's all very well having plenty of time as squad together but there's nothing like the real thing.

England's supposed best player Rooney couldn't trap a bag of cement after being out for a few weeks. BFS's plan may not have gone to plan but the theory was right. Change the season and it could help both clubs and the national team.

[red devil]

There you go again Quids, accentuating perceived negative aspects of BFS management and ignoring any postives he brought...

[aquarius moon]

aquarius moon Wrote:

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> Re: My post at top of this page.........

>

> Fantasy Football have just got back to me. One of

> the links on the site was temporarily broken and

> has now been fixed.

>

> As there's been no feedback or interest shown, you

> probably don't care anyway.

Thanks RD & Quids. Better late than never.

Sooner would've been better. Just so I'd known if my laptop could have been at fault, both my browsers (IE & Chrome) or the site itself (since found out it was, but no idea if this is a frequent occurence)

If I have any problems in future, I'll know not to post here.

[maxxi]

RD & Doc you are priceless - I sometimes wonder if BFS isn't working doc from behind.

We could argue til the cows come home or just agree that to some people BFS is a fine ol' manager -

-an ideal pragmatist who doesn't bend like a straw in the wind to any poncy ideas of attractive football;

-nor does he waste his time indulging in cup competitions when the odds are that his team won't win;

-or seek to climb a league to heights his team has no business aspiring to when maintaining mid table will still put bread on't table,

-or allow himself to be distracted by fans (bloody nuisance) who crave something attractive to watch, something (dare they say it) to occasionally lift their tired hearts and make them gurgle with joy,

-rather he is a grafter; an underrated toiler at football's coalface, a masterful inspirational figure, a brilliant God of a manager and any club would be lucky to have him.

To others he is a cnt.

[maxxi]

???? Wrote:

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> Don't know AM it was working before this weekend's

> games. Hammers occupying the top spots as we've

> all got Payet :)

Yep - having 3 Irons is paying off for the first time in many FF seasons (Cresswell & Sakho too) - though Mahrez is my star buy.

AqM - maybe we do need a separate FF thread (if only to annoy the non-football types "Three threads on this stupid game! Three!!! Yet when I want to post about the new post office....!") - give it a whirl?

['bout now]

I suppose RD and AM if you like your football emotionless, pragmatic, lifeless, then BFS is your man. I went pretty much every week in his first season, we got promoted and then had to stop going after around a third of the following year. The reason? It was shit, i don't watch NFL but that's what it felt like, every player was huge, Nolan kicking lumps out of everybody, dreadful.

There were high points, beating Chelsea, Spurs but the lows and the quality of the offering took any real joy from watching. It was the first time in 23 years that i didn't go.

Football to me is more than just occupying a slot in the top tier, its about entertainment, passion and to some extent comedy. I suppose it's easy to look down from upon your sofa as a United fan, so much success, money and the aforementioned good points of football and judge but it didn't happen to your club did it? BFS is anti-football, he may have got us a slot in the premier league but he killed everything I loved about West Ham, to the extent I gave up.

[Otta]

I'm not United fan, but was sorry to go to BBC Sport and see the story about Shaw's injury.

[red devil]

'bout now, I have a friend who's been a WHU season ticket holder for 35+ years, goes to all home games and a lot of away games too. His views on BFS and his appointment mirror my own. You know what you're going to get with BFS, 1D football, hard on the eye, but he gets results, so my friend was happy to put up with the shit because he saw it as a means to an end. WH had been relegated and with the move to the OS on the horizon, they needed a manager to get them back into the PL and keep them there. Once they had that stability they could then kick on with a new manager in time for the move to the OS. BFS achieved this. He may be a coont, but he's a coont that helped get you out of the mire. It's all well being idealistic about entertaining football, but you're not going to get that and attract a manager like Bilic and players like Payet if you're languishing in the Championship. My friend acknowledges all this, but for some reason WH fans on here don't. Instead we get some North Korean revisionism that BFS was shit, full stop.

Sounds like you need to sit on your sofa for a while, you've obviously missed the turgid football that Man Utd fans have had to watch the past two seasons. I'm also taking the view that it's a means to an end. After the Moyes debacle the ship needed steadying. I can find lots of faults in LVG, but so far he's achieved what he was asked to do, so it would be churlish to moan about him. Sometimes you have to pragmatic, no fan has a right to expect entertaining football all the time. Hopefully Utd's traditional entertaining football will follow in time, just like West Ham :)...

[red devil]

Otta Wrote:

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> I'm not United fan, but was sorry to go to BBC

> Sport and see the story about Shaw's injury.

Yep, bad news for England too with the Euros next year. Although LVG seems to think he might be back playing this season. Hope so, I think England have potentially a very good back four in Clyne, Stones, Smalling and Shaw...

[Otta]

Hahaha

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/scottish/smelly-celtic-fan-leads-club-to-issue-letter-to-supporters-reminding-them-to-wash-10503409.html

[red devil]

:) Standby for bars of soap being thrown at Celtic supporters this weekend...

[Mick Mac]

red devil Wrote:

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> :) Standby for bars of soap being thrown at Celtic

> supporters this weekend...

I know - embarrassing. Very bad PR - that will stick with us forever.