What is the worst decision your club has made?

[Burning Gold]

11 minutes ago, Cicero said:

Doubt it would of worked well. Torres with another partner doesn't suit him at his best. Look how poor he was when partnered with Villa on the national side or with Drogba. 

His partnership with Robbie Keane was also disappointing. Thank god we gave up on that one relatively quickly.

Suarez, though, was naturally more of a supporting player in those days, so Torres would still have been the focal point of the attack. It worked beautifully on FIFA, which should really settle the debate 

[Panna King]

Arsenal - selling the soul of the club to Stan Kroenke and creating the fan base of the modern fan.  Letting Wenger have full control of the football side has been a huge error. 

 

Ajax  biggest mistake was recommending to the young players Mino Raiola to represent them who took full advantage of the bosman ruling, encouraged players to run their contracts down so he would get them transfers to big Italian clubs. This happened in 1997 it ruined Ajax overnight and they have never recovered to how they were, they lost Patrick Kluivert, Seedorf, Davids, Rezieger, Bogarde losing millions on transfer fees and half the team and also unsettled the de Boers who went on strike as they were still under contract. 

[Cicero]

Getting rid of Ray Wilkins

[Smiley Culture]

Easy. 

The sale of the club from Barry Hearn to Francesco Becchetti and almost every decision since that day in June 2014. 

 

[Vegan Kel]

Selling to the Glazers. Easy

[Spike]

Just now, Cannabis said:

United - Hiring Mourinho ?

You could apply that to Cheslea during the second tenure, and Real Madrid. 

[Eco]

Well, Atlanta United would be easy, as it's only been 1, and that is making LGP untouchable while letting Asad go. In keeping Asad, we wouldn't have needed to get Nagbe, and thus could have invested more in the defense. 

For Portsmouth, it's a long list, which makes sense because they have been around longer than a year and a half. I watched Portsmouth when I was in college, when they were mid-table in the Premier League and fighting (and winning) the FA Cup. 

From my memory, letting Redknapp leave for the Spurs was the biggest mistake, followed by the manager roller-coaster than ensued. 

Getting involved with Antonov and the nightmare that that caused. 

I hope the Supporters Trust selling their share doesn't come back to bite us in the ass. But as of now, the past 10 years of Pompey football have included European Football, FA Cups, all the way to start to stay in business and out of Non-League Football. 

[Eco]

I can also easily do one for Inter Milan, as it's easy and it helps to have @Spike help me as we've discussed this before. Inter have historically done a massively poor job of letting go of great talent way before their peak, only to have them wildly succeed elsewhere. 

1. Sammer
2. Ronaldo
3. Bergkamp
4. Roberto Carlos
5. Pirlo
6. Seedorf
7. Bonucci
8. Countinho
9. Cannavaro

[Spike]

3 hours ago, Eco said:

I can also easily do one for Inter Milan, as it's easy and it helps to have @Spike help me as we've discussed this before. Inter have historically done a massively poor job of letting go of great talent way before their peak, only to have them wildly succeed elsewhere. 

1. Sammer
2. Ronaldo
3. Bergkamp
4. Roberto Carlos
5. Pirlo
6. Seedorf
7. Bonucci
8. Countinho
9. Cannavaro

Some of them were unavoidable but still poor decisions. It will never not be funny that Roberto Carlos left because of Roy Hodgson.

[Vegan Kel]

Selling to the Glazers, hands down

[Teso dos Bichos]

Appointing Moyes was bad enough itself but allowing him to get rid of the assistants that were more than capable of making moyes look like a decent coach is my pick. Moyes is up there with lee Cattermole and that Turkish ref cuneyt cakir on my list of cunts. 

[CaaC (John)+]

Glazers, Woody Woodpecker arriving at the club and why the fuck did SAF pick Moyes as his successor, that is all.  

[RandoEFC+]

Appointing Steve Walsh as Director of Football.

[Guest]

On 28/09/2019 at 19:48, CaaC (John) said:

Glazers, Woody Woodpecker arriving at the club and why the fuck did SAF pick Moyes as his successor, that is all.  

John you weren't in the forum back then but a lot of people on here did think Moyes was a good choice at the time. In fact I actually said he wasn't a title winning manager and someone said it was ridiculous to say he couldn't win something with better players. There was a actually a process with Moyes getting picked. Fergie has said he wasn't hand picked in the way people think he was.

[CaaC (John)+]

58 minutes ago, Gunnersauraus said:

John you weren't in the forum back then but a lot of people on here did think Moyes was a good choice at the time. In fact I actually said he wasn't a title winning manager and someone said it was ridiculous to say he couldn't win something with better players. There was a actually a process with Moyes getting picked. Fergie has said he wasn't hand picked in the way people think he was.

I was on another forum before SAF retired and someone mentioned Moyes as his successor and me and a few other United guys laughed and bit his head off, and believe it or not I said Jose Mourinho should be the next manager as he was a serial winner.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, CaaC (John) said:

I was on another forum before SAF retired and someone mentioned Moyes as his successor and me and a few other United guys laughed and bit his head off, and believe it or not I said Jose Mourinho should be the next manager as he was a serial winner.

To be honest mate as you get older I think you go on instinct more. I mean Moyes had done well at Everton but I just didn't think he would do well at utd. Sometimes you can't necessarily explain it you just think something and it turns out to be true. I think when you are younger you maybe look at things from a more logical point of view but you don't have the life experience to know things don't always work out the way you think they should. I was saying to this 16 year old before the world cup that I would pick Germany to beat England even if we had better players because germany always beat us (in knockouts anyway) he couldn't understand it. 

[Harry]

3 hours ago, Gunnersauraus said:

To be honest mate as you get older I think you go on instinct more. I mean Moyes had done well at Everton but I just didn't think he would do well at utd. Sometimes you can't necessarily explain it you just think something and it turns out to be true. I think when you are younger you maybe look at things from a more logical point of view but you don't have the life experience to know things don't always work out the way you think they should. I was saying to this 16 year old before the world cup that I would pick Germany to beat England even if we had better players because germany always beat us (in knockouts anyway) he couldn't understand it. 

The issue for me was Moyes looked like a deer in the headlights. If that's clearly evident it's only a matter of time before the narrative plays out.

[Teso dos Bichos]

7 hours ago, CaaC (John) said:

I was on another forum before SAF retired and someone mentioned Moyes as his successor and me and a few other United guys laughed and bit his head off, and believe it or not I said Jose Mourinho should be the next manager as he was a serial winner.

Great minds think a like. The members of the other forum a few of us here are a part of, are my witnesses that although moyes got the benefit of the doubt from me, getting rid of SAF loyal assistants that knew the team and had pretty much taken over managing the team while saf enjoyed the early retirement. He would of survived longer if those people would of stayed and probably the club would of honor what SAF asked the fans during his last game as coach, to give him time and support. I was a great fan of mourinho already but few weeks into the moyes era and i changed my profile picture to Mourinho and the member title above the pic was the chosen on.. from that point on I supported Mourinho as the next man utd and got my wish eventually. Who knows what would of happened if Mourinho was given the job right after saf but one thing I do know is that Mourinho would of had it easier than taking over after moyes and lvg. Woodward's lack of transfers support  was a big factor of the downfall but the biggest one was the growing frustration of the fan base thanks to moyes, lvg, and poor transfers that was wearing thinner than ice.. Mourinho had everything against him including the media and most neutrals which was unfair because they gave him no credit for finally bringing the rebuilding process that was needed while delivering a few trophies and finishing as high as klopp's team thus far.. I dont think its farfetched to believe a league title under Mourinho would of happen if he had  been chosen ahead of moyes. 

1 hour ago, Harry said:

The issue for me was Moyes looked like a deer in the headlights. If that's clearly evident it's only a matter of time before the narrative plays out.

The transfers brought in and the ones he pushed away like thiago were red flags already but It took me very few games to notice how much of a coward he was when his pre-game tactics were failing and instead of motivating players or shouting at those that needed it,  he showed the job was too much for him. Losing is a bitxh but it makes it less painful if you can see that the team tries it's best at least and just fell short but never gave up... the way moyes had the team playing and lack of changes during the game and pussy moyes looking lost and clueless was too much and he had to go asap.

I caught hell for the #moyesout mentality I had from that point till he got fired because I wasnt giving him the patience and time... but eventually the majority realized the same exact thing as ur post.. he had to go because time and patience was the last thing moyes had earned. The thought of another transfer window literally brought fear and uncertainty instead of hope. Can you imagine what moyes would of turn the club and squad if he was given a chance to bring in more Moyes approved players ???? A full squad assembled by moyes would of literally set the team back a decade or two. He should of never been appointed . 

[Guest]

@CaaC (John) @DeadLinesman @Vegan Kel @MUFC 

Personally I think that after Moyes was sacked man utd should have gone for klopp? When you look at what he has done at Liverpool I think he would have been brilliant for you guys. The only question is whether man utd fans would have had the patience at the time? I'm think now they are prepared to be more patient now as they know it will take time. But at the time you were use to winning titles. Fans might not have been so patient. I know there are other issues at man u but Liverpool weren't doing great untill klopp was there. I think he could have been the glue who held it all together .

 

[CaaC (John)+]

From what I read a while back that actually SAF wanted Jose to take over from him when he retired and made a phone call to Jose about the matter and left a message for Jose to get back to him but he never returned the call and SAF did not bother after that.and he chose dumb arse, Moyes, and for the life of me at the time I just could not understand why.

Some people say that Moyes should have been given more time at United but that was rubbish, he had the chance at other clubs after he got the sack at United and he achieved fuck all with the other clubs.

 

[DeadLinesman]

26 minutes ago, Gunnersauraus said:

@CaaC (John) @DeadLinesman @Vegan Kel @MUFC 

Personally I think that after Moyes was sacked man utd should have gone for klopp? When you look at what he has done at Liverpool I think he would have been brilliant for you guys. The only question is whether man utd fans would have had the patience at the time? I'm think now they are prepared to be more patient now as they know it will take time. But at the time you were use to winning titles. Fans might not have been so patient. I know there are other issues at man u but Liverpool weren't doing great untill klopp was there. I think he could have been the glue who held it all together .

 

Ed Woodward CEO. Nothing more, nothing less.

[LFCMike]

2 hours ago, Gunnersauraus said:

@CaaC (John) @DeadLinesman @Vegan Kel @MUFC 

Personally I think that after Moyes was sacked man utd should have gone for klopp? When you look at what he has done at Liverpool I think he would have been brilliant for you guys. The only question is whether man utd fans would have had the patience at the time? I'm think now they are prepared to be more patient now as they know it will take time. But at the time you were use to winning titles. Fans might not have been so patient. I know there are other issues at man u but Liverpool weren't doing great untill klopp was there. I think he could have been the glue who held it all together .

 

Klopp turned them down at one point I think

[Dr. Gonzo]

For us I'd say the biggest one was letting Souness take over after Dalglish stepped down, and the board letting Souness rip apart a very good side and filling us with a bunch of average & shit players. He probably set us back years.

Also Gillett and Hicks buying the club was a poor decision - but Moore was desperate to sell and the Dubai deal broke down (although DIC, I think in the end were found out to be a bunch of frauds so it may have gone worse) but then hiring Hodgson and not sacking him earlier was also probably not great for us on the pitch. But at that point, Gillett and Hicks were killing the club off the pitch and we were looking at the possibility of going into administration - so what was happening on the pitch was less important.

[Panna King]

Arsenals worst decision was to keep Wenger so long while missing out on some World Class coaches to be left with some cock who still doesn't know his first XI after a season. 

[Dr. Gonzo]

8 hours ago, Panna King said:

Arsenals worst decision was to keep Wenger so long while missing out on some World Class coaches to be left with some cock who still doesn't know his first XI after a season. 

Whoever was going to come in after Wenger, imo, was going to have a hard time. Even at his worst, Wenger's Arsenal was just about as good as Emery's Arsenal - because Arsene Wenger is probably one of the top coaches ever in recent football and is a bona fide legend at Arsenal and English football. And I really don't think that's appreciated enough by some people, just because of how the wheels came off around the end of his time at Arsenal. But Brian Clough got Nottingham Forest relegated and he's still a Forest legend and a legend of English football - and Wenger never lost his touch with Arsenal to the point Clough did.

I don't think Emery is/will ever have the sort of tactician Wenger was. And I'm not sure how I feel about the recruitment at Arsenal (since even before Wenger left tbh) - but I do think that the first manager stepping in to replace an actual club legend would always have a hard time. Especially as the competition for the CL places, what used to be the minimum standard at Arsenal, has pretty drastically increased over the years.

I don't see Emery getting his contract extended unless Arsenal come top four and/or win silverware this season. I think he was brought in to sort of steady the ship... and he really hasn't done that.