I do have sympathy for you guys. Consistently producing talents only to see them leave must be heartbreaking especially in the shadow of Benfica.On the plus side Sporting must get huge credit for nurturing talent not only in Portugal but throughout the football world.
William Carvalho
- Thread starter Rozay
- Start date
- Status
I do have sympathy for you guys. Consistently producing talents only to see them leave must be heartbreaking especially in the shadow of Benfica.On the plus side Sporting must get huge credit for nurturing talent not only in Portugal but throughout the football world.
It´s the nature of the second tier european leagues but also a recognition of the quality of our football. This year we have surpassed Italy in the Uefa coeficients. I don´t consider ourselves in the shadow of Benfica. In the last 10 to 15 we have a similiar number of trophies. We lost ground to Porto though. We do get credit for our academy work. We have been recognized by Uefa and Fifa as one of the best academies in Europe along with Ajax, Barcelona, Partizan etc. What i hope is that we start a real rentabilization (in football and financial terms) of our talents. Our new President is doing a great job at the moment. Let´s see what the future holds.
Player of the month.
http://www.101greatgoals.com/blog/m...-of-the-month-award-for-4th-time-this-season/
http://www.101greatgoals.com/blog/m...-of-the-month-award-for-4th-time-this-season/
22 today, like my son. 
Happy birthdays.
Happy birthdays.Morning
Woods being selected by the States says a helluva lot. They could have their pick from anywhere..
Must be a loss in communication mate, but i was championing Woods' credentials & he's turned out to be a plus for the club. Thats not to say Steele would have been any different - quite the opposite in my opinion.
What i like about Woods is that he's a giant of a man & he played that way. You can see the way DDG comes out & catches & punches when he needs to. Very measured decision-making, but he's turning into a tougher more confident keeper. You only have to see the way he reacts when someone fecks up in defence. For instance Rio in the Bayern game. He's a winner & thats start of our spine - Rooney's at the end of the spine. We just need to get the centre of the spine sorted & its gonna take shape.
I'm lovin DDG's developing qualities at the minute. He's growing in confidence every day & giving grief to the players in front of him. He's bulking up & that must give him a massive boost, considering he was put down as a light-weight in his 1st season here. He's gaining that "old head on young shoulders" mentality very quickly!
Thats what i heard man & it makes sense to me. Would you marry your birds best mates aswell btw?
Here's what Steele said about the backroom staff being replaced:
"In an interview with United We Stand fanzine, Steele said: 'He listened to the manager's [Ferguson] advice but he wanted to be his own man.
'I didn't want to leave. Why would I? I knew that David was coming in and wondered who he'd bring.
'You had the United perspective - the manager saying: "Keep what we've got, keep the continuity, work with them and they'll guide you through".
'You're taking on a massive machine here. You've gone from Marks and Spencers to Harrods.'
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...ester-United-departure-Sir-Alex-Ferguson.html
Privately its been mooted that Moyes agreed to keep most of the staff, then changed his mind at a late stage (after he took over), leaving Fergie rippin. Thats probably why Phil & Giggsy became onboard in my opinion - a bitta leverage so to speak...
Spot on man!
There's feck all wrong with the goal-keepin dept thats for sure, its the rest thats been the problem & who's to blame.
For me, i've always said its not just down to Moyes the way we've performed & got run outta town. Its the training process that makes players better or keeps them as good as. I dont understand why folk keep sayin its Moyes tactics / formations etc, when its more to do with they way they're trained & set up before a match. Of course tactics on the day are a massive part, but good preparation is vital too.
I've watched some games where Fergie would have set us up exactly the same way Moyes has, but we didnt have the same result. Who's to blame in that situation if everythings exactly the same as before, but the players dont have any spark?
Moyes is maybe hands on, so he takes the brunt, but if his staff (apart from Woods of course
) are advising on mid-table training methods with Champions League players - then thats just feckin rediculous & it needs a serious change in the summer, because quality players wont respect draconian training methods. Its not improving them!Our away form is a baffler compared to the home form though. I love us playin away - not to the top-4 as much in recent years, but everyone else - especially evening games on a Sat. There's many scenarios for reasons behind that. Main one being in my opinion, is the players are more relaxed away from 70k expecting United fans...
Away fans are the heartbeat of every club in the world - win lose or draw & not a prawn sandwich in sight
Carvalho will be a fantastic player for us if he comes - we'll have that spine we need in CM, with a few more additions too..
It honestly will be better to see Sporting in the CL than the likes of PSG who just are buying their way to the top.
Agree mucker!
This is gonna sicken you - if you dont already know, but PSG were only founded in 1970 & have only won 3 league titles in their history. They're a nothing club, same as City, Chelsea, Monaco etc, but for the black gold money!
Big clubs are about history & not buying success without earning it!
I honestly didn't know that. Just goes to show what mockery it is and a slap on the face of traditional clubs like Sporting that they have to play second/third fiddle to these lottery winners.
Not alot of people do man, so dont fret about it.
Problem is, this FFP shizzle is supposed to combat the likes of PSG, Chelsea, City, Monaco, the Russians etc.. buying success, but it doesnt help that cause if Platini's son is an executive lawyer or some shit like that, with PSG & its Qatari owners. Its widely known that Platini changed his World Cup vote from the USA, in favour of Qatar 2022, after he had dinner with a Qatari Prince the week before the voting began...
Moyes is responsible for all of this though. He's the man in charge, he appointed these coaches, he can tell them what to do or what not do and he can get rid of them if they aren't doing the job. It is his responsibility to make sure that the team is coached well, and if our faltering performances this season are down to poor coaching then ultimately that is on Moyes. Also, if "everything is exactly the same" but we're not getting the same results as we did with Ferguson, then isn't it obvious that Moyes is the difference? Everything being the same but without that "spark" surely indicates a problem with the manager.Spot on man!
There's feck all wrong with the goal-keepin dept thats for sure, its the rest thats been the problem & who's to blame.
For me, i've always said its not just down to Moyes the way we've performed & got run outta town. Its the training process that makes players better or keeps them as good as. I dont understand why folk keep sayin its Moyes tactics / formations etc, when its more to do with they way they're trained & set up before a match. Of course tactics on the day are a massive part, but good preparation is vital too.
I've watched some games where Fergie would have set us up exactly the same way Moyes has, but we didnt have the same result. Who's to blame in that situation if everythings exactly the same as before, but the players dont have any spark?
Moyes is maybe hands on, so he takes the brunt, but if his staff (apart from Woods of course
Anyway, that's a little off topic and probably belongs in another thread. Regarding William Carvalho, I'm pretty excited now about the possibility of him playing for us. I haven't seen him but it sounds like he's a proper player, and a very intelligent one at that. As someone else said, the time for worrying about our squad size and having too many options is after we've made the signings - we need to get midfield quality first and foremost and this guy seems like a good bet
What sort of concrete info do we have that we are actually interested in this guy?
He seems like the type of player we need, but I don't see where the speculation has come from.
He seems like the type of player we need, but I don't see where the speculation has come from.
If the other CM we are getting is Kroos then do NOT want this chap. Two not very mobile players to add to our awful movement and not very fast frontline.
You're kidding me right?
We've scouted him more than a dozen times this season. There've been weekly reports in the English and Portuguese Media about our interest in him.
Yup he is massive - we are going to need a lot of people to kidnap this one!
This is usually the start of the caf denial phase after our targets go elsewhere. Come a bit early this time though!
I often wonder what kind of 'concrete evidence' people expect though. I mean, short of Moyes saying in a press conference 'I am trying to sign William Carvalho', it will all only be circumstancial, with some choosing to believe/disbelieve as they choose.
Morning
Woods being selected by the States says a helluva lot. They could have their pick from anywhere..
Must be a loss in communication mate, but i was championing Woods' credentials & he's turned out to be a plus for the club. Thats not to say Steele would have been any different - quite the opposite in my opinion.
What i like about Woods is that he's a giant of a man & he played that way. You can see the way DDG comes out & catches & punches when he needs to. Very measured decision-making, but he's turning into a tougher more confident keeper. You only have to see the way he reacts when someone fecks up in defence. For instance Rio in the Bayern game. He's a winner & thats start of our spine - Rooney's at the end of the spine. We just need to get the centre of the spine sorted & its gonna take shape.
I'm lovin DDG's developing qualities at the minute. He's growing in confidence every day & giving grief to the players in front of him. He's bulking up & that must give him a massive boost, considering he was put down as a light-weight in his 1st season here. He's gaining that "old head on young shoulders" mentality very quickly!
I can only assume you never seen Woods play!
I disagree. Barca have Xavi and Busquets. Bayern themselves have Martinez, Kroos and Schweinsteger. Madrid have Modric, Alonso and Khedira. It would help to have pacy midfielders but if you dont then its not the end of the world. The above mentioned players arent exactly pacy but they get the job done. Quality > Pace at least most of the time for me.
Barca also have Messi and Neymar/Pedro. Bayern also have Ribery and Robben. Madrid also have Ronaldo, Di Mari and Bale.
Our fastest player who the midfielders will be supporting is speed demon 'well he is deceptively pacey sometimes' Januzaj. Just no. Our current frontline set up needs more speed and movement, then maybe we can afford two midfielders who can play relaxed and spread balls around to front men who can stretch their defenders.
Thats what i heard man & it makes sense to me. Would you marry your birds best mates aswell btw?
Here's what Steele said about the backroom staff being replaced:
"In an interview with United We Stand fanzine, Steele said: 'He listened to the manager's [Ferguson] advice but he wanted to be his own man.
'I didn't want to leave. Why would I? I knew that David was coming in and wondered who he'd bring.
'You had the United perspective - the manager saying: "Keep what we've got, keep the continuity, work with them and they'll guide you through".
'You're taking on a massive machine here. You've gone from Marks and Spencers to Harrods.'
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...ester-United-departure-Sir-Alex-Ferguson.html
Privately its been mooted that Moyes agreed to keep most of the staff, then changed his mind at a late stage (after he took over), leaving Fergie rippin. Thats probably why Phil & Giggsy became onboard in my opinion - a bitta leverage so to speak...
I imagine a lot of that was Fergie trying to reassure his staff that they would be okay. Didn't he make comments in pressers and interviews a few times after the announcement about it affecting peoples careers etc? Its just unreasonable to assume that the new gaffer isnt going to bring in his own people. Now I wanted him to keep the staff, well Rene anyway, for continuities sake but I find it hard to imagine that it was a caveat in him getting the job.
Been watching him again tonight. He's the one guys (well, not Diouf, the 'other' one). Get it done Woody.
Random question, but does he demand the ball of the back four whilst under pressure? I ask this because when we're under pressure, it seems all of our midfielders are scared to get on the ball, thus forcing the defenders to play it long.
And when did they buy into PSG? Before or after the meeting?
I wont be surprised if SAF recommended Moyes because he believed that he would understand how United works and wouldnt rock the boat too much. Moyes owes SAF a great deal (without him there was no chance that a manager who had never won anything would take the managerial role at Manchester United) and listening to his advice was one way to repay that
It seems Fergie, Charlton and the rest wanted a 'yes' man, someone who will be grateful for getting the job and not change things. Its backfiring. If not Moyes United were probably going to go for a foreigner and I don't think the old guard would've been too comfortable with that.
How is his technical ability on the ball and his passing quality?
Well he takes the ball off defenders regularly, but the pressure is rarely intense though. He's always available though, and starts attacks.
It is very good, and impressing me more and more every time. He has some traits of Carrick. He almost always passes is forward, he passes with both feet and long and short.
When put under pressure he can drop a shoulder and step away from his marker with a little shuffle. His confidence is growing weekly and I'm seeing different aspects of his game. The give and go burst forward that he did for his goal last week is something I saw again yesterday.
The second bolted bit is important. We need more midfielders who can get out of tight spots when pressed. Carrick might be our best midfielder but he completely wilts when pressed. It could also be a coaching thing with us in that we can't improve our players in that sense, we don't seem to be a team too keen on working in tight spaces in general but more players who are already adept at those things will be helpful.
A yes man would be pushing it a bit too much.
I believe that SAF wanted to avoid a Benitez mark 2. Moyes knew the EPL inside out. He came with a reputation of reaching his goals without spending outrageous amounts of money and that was achieved by working hard, developing youths and signing bargains. A foreigner who had clashed swords against United just 2-3 in his entire career was in no position to know what type of players and staff United had. Under such circumstances the danger of him, failing to make an impact and go in full FM mode in a bid to turn Manchester United into 'his squad' was real. In theory Moyes was supposed to be a safer bet. Unfortunately its not the case.
If you ask me, SAF underestimated three things.
a) Moyes loyalty to his staff at Everton which is bigger to that he has towards SAF.
b) Moyes may not have spent the money at Everton not because he didn't want to but because there were none.
c) That moving to a big club like United may change people. The pressure, the targets and the constant fear of not being good enough may affect people badly.
That's why I believe that VG rumours are true. The man has achieved the targets specified in my first paragraph while managing big sides such as Ajax, Bayern and Barcelona. Under such circumstances I wont be surprised if the club decides to dispose on Mr 'I need to rebuild the squad' Moyes and turn to him.
Last edited:
Here comes the weekly Carvalho evalution. First of all it was an easy win, that puts us two points away from our Champions League direct qualification objective.
The circunstancies of the game enabled some complacency and a relaxed atitude from behalf of our players. We scored in the first minute, which made our job easier and the players took the foot off the pedal. We are approaching the end of the season and the World Cup is in the mind of some players.
Even so it was another good performance by Carvalho. Wasn´t top notch like the last two but good never the less. That´s the thing with Carvalho. He is a very regular player, like Moutinho was for us. Doesn´t play bad even when he adopts a less intense rhythm. Defensive wise, he was imperial as usual. Won every duel and ran his zone. He also made more forward runs (including going to the byline to cross a few times) and some riskier passes (missed a few). In conclusion it was the standart Carvalho good performance. Wasn´t really a challenging opponent who demanded alot of effort, and the players did the minimal services to accomplish the objective.
The circunstancies of the game enabled some complacency and a relaxed atitude from behalf of our players. We scored in the first minute, which made our job easier and the players took the foot off the pedal. We are approaching the end of the season and the World Cup is in the mind of some players.
Even so it was another good performance by Carvalho. Wasn´t top notch like the last two but good never the less. That´s the thing with Carvalho. He is a very regular player, like Moutinho was for us. Doesn´t play bad even when he adopts a less intense rhythm. Defensive wise, he was imperial as usual. Won every duel and ran his zone. He also made more forward runs (including going to the byline to cross a few times) and some riskier passes (missed a few). In conclusion it was the standart Carvalho good performance. Wasn´t really a challenging opponent who demanded alot of effort, and the players did the minimal services to accomplish the objective.
Oh and an United scout was there again at the Stadium. Why not buy a season ticket? Real Madrid, Arsenal and Málaga scouts also present.
http://www.record.xl.pt/Futebol/Nacional/1a_liga/Sporting/interior.aspx?content_id=877743
Real Madrid, Arsenal and Málaga scouts also present. http://www.record.xl.pt/Futebol/Nacional/1a_liga/Sporting/interior.aspx?content_id=877743
Oh and an United scout was there again at the Stadium. Why not buy a season ticket?
http://www.record.xl.pt/Futebol/Nacional/1a_liga/Sporting/interior.aspx?content_id=877743
Carillo was also very good I thought.
I was half hoping that with no game, Moyes, Phil or Steve Round would have gone to the game. That would have indicated a certain level of seriousness I think.
I don't think Moyes has been at any games this weekend, which is odd with the free calendar.
I agree about Carrillo. Carrillo is a peruvian internacional that could be a very good player if he gets his mind into it. He has to change his professional approach and work ethic. Technically wise he is a very good winger. Great dribbler (his nickname is "La culebra", the snake), crosser and passer (as you can see by yesterday´s assists, first a great cross and the second a great pinpoint pass). The problem is that in his next game it´s highly probable that he will be mediocre, such is the inconsistency in his game. Even so i´m extremely curious to see how he will do in the Champions League. He will obviously get motived by the prospect of playing against top clubs. It´s a shame because if he had a better mentality he could become a top player. Lets see how he evolves in the next year.
The writing's on the wall for him? Probably just wishful thinking.
Never any photos of these scouts.Oh and an United scout was there again at the Stadium. Why not buy a season ticket?
http://www.record.xl.pt/Futebol/Nacional/1a_liga/Sporting/interior.aspx?content_id=877743
Never any photos of these scouts.
What? You want photos of scouts? What for? You know how these things work? They just ask for accreditation and get a spot in stadium, that´s how they know what clubs are scouting. It´s a discret process.
Real scout? Feck
- Status