Tactics Bored - does the Premier League support terrorists?

Today is a sombre day, as Parliament considers the most important issue for Britain in years. It cannot help but affect football.

Are the Premier League teams terrorist sympathisers?

Today isn’t the day for jokes. Today is the day for serious, rigorous and sober analysis. There will be a full day in Parliament given over to debate the possible bombing of Syria, in response to the attacks in Paris, and elsewhere.

Already, things are stressful. The Conservative party cannot be sure that they can count on enough of their own MPs to pass a resolution in favour of bombing. There have been pieces of outspoken criticism of the Prime Minister by ex-servicemen who have become Tory politicians, scared that the relentless and inexorable drive to war, purely so the Prime Minister doesn’t feel embarrassed at the next meeting of the G20 in front of his peers.

It has become so heated that David Cameron has reportedly suggested to his own party and others, that anyone who aligns themselves with Jeremy Corbyn and his idea that joining the bombing of ISIS in Syria is a bad idea, is themselves a terrorist sympathiser. As Cameron was elected in a democratic process just a few months ago, it seems undeniable that the wisdom of the crowd makes Cameron our greatest possible leader at this time. Therefore, we must accept that, having been informed by the reliable security services of Britain and the US, that joining in the bombing campaign is the only way to keep this country safe.

Now, we all know that politics should be kept out of football, but an exception is made when it comes to the armed forces. That’s why they are invited to parade at Wembley at the FA Cup finals and semi-finals, and why players who decide not to wear the poppy are roundly castigated and abused. John Terry, Wayne Rooney and Joe Hart have all expressed support for our troops in the past.

Which is why it is expected that clubs and players should have an opinion on the matter at hand when it comes to the defence of the realm. And yet, on the matter of bombing Syria, they are silent. Just look at the graph below:

It appears that all our football clubs and football players are nothing more than terrorist sympathisers by the PM’s undeniable logic.

Schweinsteiger dropped for failing to keep possession?

Last week, an unnamed player was cited by Jason Burt as complaining that he was ‘half the player’ he could be now that he played for Louis van Gaal. Of course, everyone speculated about which player it could be. Initially it seemed liked it could be Juan Mata. Mata took most of last season to convince Van Gaal that he could be trusted, and even then he was relegated to a position on the wing because the rest of the side could not be trusted to work around him. But it was not Mata. Oh, no.

Next, the suspicion fell to Ander Herrera, who had struck up such an effective relationship with Mata last season, on the right side of midfield. It was pointed out that a rumoured move to Barcelona was becoming ever more present in Spanish newspapers, and that Herrera was another given short shrift by the manager. He was summarily dropped, and even Wayne Rooney was given a chance at number 10 before Herrera. He was, obviously, another player who would cope far better within the team than Rooney, but he often found himself on the bench. But it wasn’t him either.

No, it was Bastian Schweinsteiger. Few know this, but Schweinsteiger has been harangued by Van Gaal for the last two matches over his continual loss of possession high up the pitch. He has been this close to being dropped and transfer listed in the winter transfer window. It appears that one pass in the dying minutes of the game against Watford, see below:

And another just before half time against Leicester City:

That failed to find another player have left Van Gaal fuming, given United lost play immediately at the restart with the awarding of a kick off.

Mourinho finally loses his temper with Diego Costa

It has become clear that having arrived from the summer out of shape, Jose Mourinho has lost patience with Diego Costa’s antics. For too long he has carried on like a clown on the pitch, and each time Mourinho has excused him. It’s therefore possible to construct a handy Venn diagram of behaviours that Mourinho is willing to tolerate, and which are absolutely unacceptable.