[vamsi.kona]

Really a fairy tale moment for football as well as sport in general, when leave alone underdogs, a team which wasn't even considered as a threat achieved the unthinkable.

I believe it is a combination of Leicester playing some great football and the quality of other teams, especially top teams declining sharply.

[Chetan_Rao]

You know you're well-loved when your ex-club's fans are raucously chanting your name and holding up placards for you, and their players are playing harder than they've played for themselves all season (though that could also be attributed to the local London rivalry with Spurs).

Ranieri has been redeemed, finally, and it couldn't happen to a nicer chap!

[naveenroy]

So, boring, boring Arsenal managed to squeak into 2nd place in the EPL. Finished above Spu*s too. However, their manager is a bore and their team is a bore too. They had a lousy season. They keep finishing in top 4 every year - such a bore!

On the other hand, Spu*s are an amazing team that had an amazing season!

[bhargavgunreddy]

Originally Posted by naveenroy

So, boring, boring Arsenal managed to squeak into 2nd place in the EPL. Finished above Spu*s too. However, their manager is a bore and their team is a bore too. They had a lousy season. They keep finishing in top 4 every year - such a bore!

On the other hand, Spu*s are an amazing team that had an amazing season!

What do you call a team, which

• will finish in top 4,
• will play in champions league,
• will get knocked out in last 16.

Performs the above cycle consistently for past 5-6 years even with world class players like Ozil, Alexis, Cazorla, Cech, Welbeck ??.

[naveenroy]

Originally Posted by bhargavgunreddy

What do you call a team, which

• will finish in top 4,
• will play in champions league,
• will get knocked out in last 16.

Performs the above cycle consistently for past 5-6 years even with world class players like Ozil, Alexis, Cazorla, Cech, Welbeck ??.

Yes, that is what I said. They are a boring team. Some other world class teams don't even make it to the top 4 in the EPL.

[joslicx]

Originally Posted by naveenroy

Yes, that is what I said. They are a boring team. Some other world class teams don't even make it to the top 4 in the EPL.

Not to get into a sarcasm contest, but really as an arsenal fan you have to ask if the extent of their ambitions (to get into CL) is enough? This year they should have won the league, esp when everybody around them just imploded (teams like Chelsea, City etc) When was the last time Arsenal won the league really. If I am not wrong Arsenal were top of the league at the start of this year! Then not winning it is a failure really, as nobody really challenged for the title.

But if the fans are happy with just progressing into CL then yea, who are we to say anything! But to me, as a united fan, Arsenal do not look like making any progress. Thats mediocrity (something I fear we also will have to get used to, the way our management itself is sounding - the target at united is also to get into CL!!!)

[Liverpool_Red]

We need to question the board of Arsenal for sticking with Wenger and not showing any ambition. It must be a frustrating time to be a Gooner currently considering that they pay the highest ticket fee in Europe. Kroenke & Usmanov really must be put under the pump by the fans for lacking ambition. The big teams like Arsenal not performing up to their full potential is causing the Premier League to lose its sheen in Europe.

[TorqueyTechie]

Arsenal really lost the EPL this year and they have nobody else but themselves to blame. Coach who is really past his prime , players who suddenly lose the intensity or lack vision and board who is not helping the cause by atleast being vocal in what the vision is. Guess they are happy being in the top 4 year on year and winning FA or league cups here and there.

Liverpool had a golden opportunity to win the Europa league crown but poor defending and lack of good strikers did them in. Sevilla played like a champion team though.

Congratulations to Liecester for winning the crown. Winning might have been easy but the coming season will define how well they can follow it up. Playing EPL and CL takes a toll generally on both manager and players but thats the least worry. First they have to hold on to their players as well as buy some good reinforcements so that they can challenge for the crown again. Should wait and watch.

Coming to the team I support, ManU I think will let go of LVG (there are rumours that he might be asked to take up a position in the board) and hire a good manager who can up the motivation of the players and supporters and also plan for improving the team. Team needs overhaul in most of the positions and hope they do a smart buying rather than going for expensive which has backfired spectacularly over the past couple of seasons.

Now, waiting for the CL final and hoping for a RM win!

[satan's_valet]

Van Gaal has been sacked by Manchester United..

[Chetan_Rao]

There's no decency left in football. BBC Sport had their first 'LVG to be sacked' piece up TEN MINUTES after the FA Cup final ended.

Like him or not, the man led his team to their first trophy in three seasons, and at least deserves to see out the day without someone raining on his parade.

Shameful!

Re. Mourinho, pretty baffling decision to be honest; one would think if there was one person anathema to everything 'The United Way' stood for, it's Mourinho. Wonder why they didn't try to get Ancelotti while he was still available.

United may win trophies in the next few years, but unless Mourinho has completely changed in the last few months, this doesn't bode well long-term. Mata and the academy youngsters would probably be looking at the door already.

[advaninilesh]

Sir Alex Ferguson was one of the greatest football managers that the world had ever known and quite frankly, Man Utd's lacklustre performance has been painfully woeful, showing the massive talent void Fergie left behind. With the advent of "The Special One" filling in Fergie's shoes I think Man Utd now have potentially, a worthy successor for Fergie, as I personally am a big fan of Mourinho minus his troublesome arrogance.

[deetjohn]

One group who is licking their lips in anticipation is the press. Mou is click bait with his tiresome and unpleasant mind games and unfortunate comments. I personally would have preferred to not see him in premier league at all. He brings so much bitterness and hatred into the sport that we all love so much.

And he just might turn the wick up this time around especially with the much more successful Guardiola also in Manchester. Many of my long term ManU supporters are also baffled. He might bring success, but at what cost is the bigger question! Guess, we will all have to wait for 3 years or less.

[TorqueyTechie]

LVG being sacked was the right thing though the timings wasnt. Writing was on the wall for him after expensive transfer flops and nothing to show in his two years. Would he have been able to succeed in his third year? That discussion will be for some other time. Coming to the rumours bit now, if Mou is going to be the next ManU boss then all the supporters have to forget about seeing the attacking football that they were yearning for long! Mou is known was making a forged defensively tight unit (a wall basically!) and worn out the opposition. It will be worth watching both manchester clubs this time (i) for manager duel (ii) for seeing what the football philosophy is going to be.

Some of the players will be very concerned regarding the news about Mou one of them being Juan Mata! Defensive qualities will be highly appreciated out of every player which might as well suit the likes of Rooney. Have to wait and watch until the news is confirmed.

[joslicx]

I do not really understand this tag of "defensive coach" with regards to Mourinho. At his time in premier league, his team (Chelsea) had almost always outscored Fergie's United!! In la liga his team won the title beating Barcelona (that was a tall order really) while scoring 116 goals in the league (if you compare on an average Fergie's teams scored about 70-80 goals in the league). Thats pretty attacking if you ask me. I'd call Mourinho an adaptable coach or a tactical coach - someone who works as per conditions! Actually the funny thing is Fergie has admitted this in his biography as well. Before Mourinho united used to be slow starters. Fergie's regimen was built around strong finish. Mourinho came and he just led Chelsea to the top pretty much from the beginning of the season and never lost the summit so this made Fergie change his tactics - he could no longer afford to be a slack starter.

I see lot of Fergie in Mourinho. Same brashness, same mentality to win, same self belief, same charisma. Mourinho was always made for United. He should have been the one to replace Sir Alex but we made the mighty mistake of appointing Moyes. Old Trafford job is the toughest managerial job in the world and you need a strong character like Mourinho there (just as Sir Alex was). All this talk of attacking football is just nonsense. Sir Alex's teams after Ronaldo left were hardly attacking teams. Sir Alex had mastered the art of beating the smaller teams (or the outside of top 8 teams in the league) but against quality sides United were always circumspect. Thats the recipe of success really in football. You have to be tactical.

[naveenroy]

All the more reason to hate ManU now. That Mourinho fellow! Such a disgrace to the game.

In all this discussion, again I see people mention that he will get ManU the trophies but that he doesn't bode well long term. Can't understand that logic though. All a team wants to win is trophies right?