14 hours ago, Victor90 said:

Fergie never had the resources that Pep has had at City. Pep once spent over 200 million in one transfer window just on fullbacks. 

Just simply not true, Fergie was breaking transfer records for CB's:

16 hours ago, strider6004 said:

I actually thought we were 4-4-3 under Mourinho for a while.

No wonder we won so much with an extra body on the pitch

1 hour ago, RIP Mourinho said:

Just simply not true, Fergie was breaking transfer records for CB's:

There is absolutely no way Fergie was spending close to what Pep was spending, not buying it for a second. 

1 hour ago, RIP Mourinho said:

No wonder we won so much with an extra body on the pitch

Cech was upfront ? 

15 minutes ago, Victor90 said:

There is absolutely no way Fergie was spending close to what Pep was spending, not buying it for a second. 

When you compare inflation and the values of the market back then he absolutely was. £30m for a CB in 2002 was astronomical.

An amusing fact from last night, Emerson now is the first man to have the clean sweep of medals by adding the conference medal.

Of course we know the others have come under his CFC period. 

WHo decides what is a "major" trophy? Conference league is nothing, literlaly only created a few years ago for teams not good enough for the already minor Europa League, But apparently West Ham are now a "major european champion". 😂

1 hour ago, RIP Mourinho said:

When you compare inflation and the values of the market back then he absolutely was. £30m for a CB in 2002 was astronomical.

I can't subscribe to this narrative that Ferguson had the spending power that Pep had, not even with relative timelines, it just wasn't. Even by the end with the Glazors United still had us to contend with and City, and they were never close to our budget. His team post-Ronaldo was very average, yet he was still getting to European finals and winning the title and cups along with it. Everywhere Pep has gone he's always had the best team and best resources. Not saying he isn't one of the greatest managers to be in the game, but it's a fact, he has. City was the best team in the PL he walked into, player-wise and resources. He definitely took them to the next level, a level they should've been at with Mancini and Pellegrini but it isn't like he didn't come into an already great side and didn't get to pick all the players he wanted is it? 

Plus Ferguson had to sell some of his best players over the years and made bang-average players into world beaters, for me, as much as I hate the bloke, Fergie was absolutely ridiculous. I think if Pep had to play with the likes of Wes Brown, Ji-Sung Park, Gary Neville, Darren Fletcher, John O'shea, late 30's and early 40's Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs every last hair follicle on his head that's hanging on for dear life would be gone. I very much doubt he would be winning the league with them. I remember he even made the likes of Danny Welbeck and Nani look world-class at one point. 

 

Sums up the intelligence of Spurs fans.

9 minutes ago, Victor90 said:

I can't subscribe to this narrative that Ferguson had the spending power that Pep had, not even with relative timelines, it just wasn't. Even by the end with the Glazors United still had us to contend with and City, and they were never close to our budget. His team post-Ronaldo was very average, yet he was still getting to European finals and winning the title and cups along with it. Everywhere Pep has gone he's always had the best team and best resources. Not saying he isn't one of the greatest managers to be in the game, but it's a fact, he has. City was the best team in the PL he walked into, player-wise and resources. He definitely took them to the next level, a level they should've been at with Mancini and Pellegrini but it isn't like he didn't come into an already great side and didn't get to pick all the players he wanted is it? 

Plus Ferguson had to sell some of his best players over the years and made bang-average players into world beaters, for me, as much as I hate the bloke, Fergie was absolutely ridiculous. I think if Pep had to play with the likes of Wes Brown, Ji-Sung Park, Gary Neville, Darren Fletcher, John O'shea, late 30's and early 40's Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs every last hair follicle on his head that's hanging on for dear life would be gone. I very much doubt he would be winning the league with them. I remember he even made the likes of Danny Welbeck and Nani look world-class at one point. 

 

Just because you don't want to believe it, doesn't make it not true. You've got evidence above about how Fergie was spending in the early noughties. 

Pep had the best team and resources because he built the best teams and when you're good enough obviously the big clubs with the resources want you. He came into Barca and shifted out Eto'o, Ronaldinho, Deco etc. and put emphasis of La Masia and built arguably the greatest footballing team ever playing Pep's brand of football that pretty much secured 3 back to back titles for Spain internationally. Same with City, he rebuilt that team from ground up pretty much into the force they are today that looks set to dominate in England for the next decade. 

Fergie's man management was sublime and had average players playing at a higher level than should have been possible, but tactically Pep is lightyears ahead. Even when they faced eachother in the CL final, Messi v Ronaldo, Pep outclassed him. Can you name a single revolutionary tactic that Fergie developed that was half as successful as Pep's view on tiki-taka? Not to mention what he's doing in England now with inverted full backs. Genius. 

37 minutes ago, Zeta said:

WHo decides what is a "major" trophy? Conference league is nothing, literlaly only created a few years ago for teams not good enough for the already minor Europa League, But apparently West Ham are now a "major european champion". 😂

Although I didn't want them to win because I knew I wouldn't hear the end of it, let them have their moment, it is hardly going to go down as one of those major European football evenings. ! 

Queue the open top bus tour 😀  

 

Don't understand what everyone is so upset about. It's huge for them, it has no effect on us. I'm quite happy for them, I'm happy for Moyesy as well. 

Yes, some of their fans are being c**ts. But you can't say that we don't have or have ever had fans who are c**ts.

2 hours ago, Zeta said:

WHo decides what is a "major" trophy? Conference league is nothing, literlaly only created a few years ago for teams not good enough for the already minor Europa League, But apparently West Ham are now a "major european champion". 😂

To be honest it felt like a proper European final.

Amidst all the money in the Champions League (and in some cases the Europa League), the Conference League allows big clubs who aren't financially well off but have loads of history competing for their first silverware in years. Thought the competition would flop but it's something to be admired in the modern game. 

This win also makes West Ham have more European heritage than Arsenal now so that's always good. 😂

Random bit of trivia, never knew about this.

 

 

 

9 hours ago, Valerie said:

I disagree. It gives teams who will never reach the level of the CL nevertheless an opportunity to play in Europe and win some silverware. Plus it makes the national league a bit more interesting when there's more to fight for in terms of qualification spots. We don't say we don't take the youth team seriously because their competitions devalue the CL, do we.

Of course the Pikeys are elated, they've finally won something - which we haven't managed this season BTW. Let them be happy and sing they're champions of Europe. It won't happen again for at least 20 years after all.

PS I won't be this mellow and tolerant if City win the CL, I promise.

I can't see it as anything but rewarding failure. You failed to compete with the very best, so let's give you a competition that removes all of those teams to give you another chance. Silverware in a competition being described as a major honour should be reserved for the best, or those that are competing amongst the best, if not, then we just devalue what means to be a winner. The Europa League was already pushing things, the group stages are full of terrible teams.

I also don't think it's the same with the youth teams. They are competing with the best amongst their age group to win, so until they reach senior level, this is their highest level. I think winning the UEFA Youth League is a bigger honour than winning the Conference League.

1 hour ago, Term_X said:

Random bit of trivia, never knew about this.

 

 

 

don't give tod any ideas

Liverpool sign Mac Allister from Brighton for £35m on a five year contract.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/65842033

3 hours ago, Scott Harris said:

I can't see it as anything but rewarding failure. You failed to compete with the very best, so let's give you a competition that removes all of those teams to give you another chance. Silverware in a competition being described as a major honour should be reserved for the best, or those that are competing amongst the best, if not, then we just devalue what means to be a winner. The Europa League was already pushing things, the group stages are full of terrible teams.

I also don't think it's the same with the youth teams. They are competing with the best amongst their age group to win, so until they reach senior level, this is their highest level. I think winning the UEFA Youth League is a bigger honour than winning the Conference League.

Then we disagree 

Forza Inter!

I hope Pep and City bottle another CL final.

On 08/06/2023 at 14:13, Sconnie Blue said:

To be honest it felt like a proper European final.

Amidst all the money in the Champions League (and in some cases the Europa League), the Conference League allows big clubs who aren't financially well off but have loads of history competing for their first silverware in years. Thought the competition would flop but it's something to be admired in the modern game. 

This win also makes West Ham have more European heritage than Arsenal now so that's always good. 😂

Of course it is all about the money I didn't know about it until I realised Moyes and Mourinho were not going to meet in a Cup final and then realised there was more than the Europa.

Smacks of us winning the ZDS cup back in the day before we went on win the FA Cup.

It’s a cash cow for UEFA, something else they can sell the TV rights for/obtain sponsors. 
 

They should have brought back the cup winners cup before starting this.

No interest in watching the final or anything associated with it when you have a team who’s had so many questionable financial decisions go unpunished.

 

49 minutes ago, El regreso said:

No interest in watching the final or anything associated with it when you have a team who’s had so many questionable financial decisions go unpunished.

 

Gonna keep an eye on the beginning/first half, just in case of a football miracle. Most likely though it’ll be a solid 2-0 within 45 mins and Pep brings Kalvin Phillips on.

Worst final in years. And depressingly City will become a bigger club than us after this Treble, a treble is historic, brings immortality. 

There's a worrying amount of continuity and worryingly little nonsense in that Man City XI.

It might be over...

7 hours ago, Blue Exile said:

It’s a cash cow for UEFA, something else they can sell the TV rights for/obtain sponsors. 
 

They should have brought back the cup winners cup before starting this.

Good shout re the Cup Winners Cup.