Weekend Football

[Jimmy Floyd]

I see our game brought a flood of posts in. Enjoyed that, and good to feel the ground so happy at full time. A portion of our fans are still obsessed about the supposed striker issue (I swear this has been the main topic of discussion since Bobby Zamora first left a decade and a half ago); even after Hemed scored again today there's people going on about it.

Still think we'll stay up. Newcastle too, they were just a little lethargic today.

It's not really a striker issue, it's an issue of playing pretty clogging, one dimensional football and lacking creativity - mainly the fact that Knockaert is considerably less effective at this level. You probably will stay up though for the reasons we saw today: home wins to nil. Especially if that Australian settles in.

Obviously if you had a top, top striker then life would be easier, but how many teams at that level do.

[Reg]

I'm not sure the "clogging" claim is valid, lots of our goals were counter attacks last year.

[niko_cee]

It was a fairly San Marino style effort again today towards the end.

Just about deserved the win, and it's a way to stay up (I think they will), but it can go wrong (conceding first basically fucks everything). Fair play to Ryan for not letting any of the shots at him in (and making some good ones as well) and to Hemed for his goal. Gross looks surprisingly decent, even if he is wrecking Knockaert's effectiveness from set pieces, from a fantasy perspective.

[ScousePig]

Sunderland are dreadful (surprise). Yesterday we were at home to a pretty awful, but joint top, Neil Warnock led Cardiff City. They had a lump up front who held it up but was otherwise a compete donkey, and a load of other dross. They wasted time from about 20 minutes in, but probably shaded it.

We were without loads of players, but there's no idea. We started with something akin to 3-5-2 with Brian Oviedo and Adam Matthews at wing back (easily our best two players yesterday), and when it became clear it wasn't working, and also clear Oviedo was our biggest threat going forward, Grayson shifted to 4-4-2 with Oviedo on the wing.

Any sort of confidence and a decent system and we'd be absolutely fine as the league is complete bobbins, but at the moment it's going horribly wrong.

[Adramelch]

In more important news, we were losing 0-2 at home to Olympiacos and scored 3 in the last 30 minutes. Marin (the ex-Chelsea winger some would say) scored with a lovely finish for them too.



(Quality is a bit shit)

With their manager all but gone, that'll make it 16 different managers (well less, but some of them had multiple spells) in the last 10 years. Years in which Olympiakos won 9 league titles. Pretty mental.

[niko_cee]

I believe the proper epithet for Marko Marin is 'The German Messi'.

[Adramelch]

Lazaros also scored a fucking beauty.

http://www.dailymotion.com/embed/video/x61u6x2 (3 minutes 55 seconds in)

[niko_cee]

He's made the 'keeper look a bit of a twat there.

[Waffdon]

Apparently Everton bid €75m for Costa in the summer but he only wanted to go to Atletico. Sheeeesh.

[mugbull]

Lol @ Everton thinking they're big like us

[Jimmy Floyd]

I can't think of a better option than a Vincent Tan/Neil Warnock combination leading Cardiff back to the promised land, one long ball at a time.

[Lufcdanny]

Amazing. This doesn't feel like a 'run' it genuinely feels like a record breaking season coming up.

*loses next 5 games*

When we played Burton I said the exact same thing. We play such good football. Against Millwall I just think he got it wrong playing the small skillful players instead of the big cunts like Grot. But had he changed the team and we lost he would have got stick for changing an unbeaten team so cant complain. Tomorrow nights a huge game!

[Magic]

When we played Burton I said the exact same thing. We play such good football. Against Millwall I just think he got it wrong playing the small skillful players instead of the big cunts like Grot. But had he changed the team and we lost he would have got stick for changing an unbeaten team so cant complain. Tomorrow nights a huge game!

It is, tbh I wouldn't be surprised at a shitty 1-0 defeat against those shitcunts.

[-james-]

I've just looked at the Premier League table for the first time this season. Lol Palace. Looks a decent bet that they'll be pointless and goal-less after eight games.

Only game I watched this weekend was Dortmund completely molesting Gladbach. Pulisic is already the best American player ever by a mile.

[mugbull]

Only game I watched this weekend was Dortmund completely molesting Gladbach. Pulisic is already the best American player ever by a mile.

He didn't have a great game there though, as much as an attacker on a team that scored 6 can have not had a 'great game'.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Who was America's best player before him, Claudio Reyna?

[-james-]

He didn't have a great game there though, as much as an attacker on a team that scored 6 can have not had a 'great game'.

Philipp outshone him a bit but I thought he was still very good. I just love his confidence, beats his man all the time.

Who was America's best player before him, Claudio Reyna?

Yeah exactly. DaMarcus Beasley.

[mugbull]

Dono & Demp

[Jimmy Floyd]

I forgot about Landy cakes. A true ambassador for the United States of America.

[phonics]

Meanwhile, the REAL STORY in football carries on

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You could find a less petulant group of under-7s.

[John Arne]

[phonics]

You need to take out everything after .jpg John.

[Mazuuurk]

It really fucking makes me so happy that Neymar went to PSG to be "THE MAN" and is getting owned by fucking Cavani who, I suppose, has HAD it with never being number one at anything anywhere.

It's equally amusing how PSG's leadership, unsurprisingly, is trying to solve the problem by throwing money at it.

[Lewis]

Brian McBride mate. Best headerer in the history of soccer.

[mugbull]

Brian McBride was pretty good, probably the best center-forward we've had (at least as long as I've been alive_

[John]

Cavani who, I suppose, has HAD it with never being number one at anything anywhere.

Six years in Italy and last year at PSG aside.

Unai Emery must be a proper coward if the Qataris are having to get involved. Either tell Neymar to shut the fuck up or tell Cavani he's off penalties.

[Mazuuurk]

Six years in Italy and last year at PSG aside.

Unai Emery must be a proper coward if the Qataris are having to get involved. Either tell Neymar to shut the fuck up or tell Cavani he's off penalties.

Yeah thats the point, as soon as it looks like he's going to be the lone star, someone else comes along and steals the spotlight.

Napoli was a million years ago, noone cares about that now.

[bruhnaldo]

Either tell Neymar to shut the fuck up or tell Cavani he's off penalties.

I'm sure that would solve it.

[Reg]

Do we just believe every tweet we see now?

[Mazuuurk]

Err, yes. Duh.

[Waffdon]

West Brom team is disgusting. Five defenders and three defensive midfielders. The slowest team in history.

[Weaver]

West Brom team is disgusting. Five defenders and three defensive midfielders. The slowest team in history.

I thought that, too. Kanu isn't exactly the most mobile so I'm guessing it's going to be Jay Rodriguez who's the 'speed' in attack.

[Samadini]

It's amazing, I love it. The league needs cunts like Pulis to balance things out a bit.

[Samadini]

I'm currently watching Cack Jolback fail to 'dictate the tempo' in an U23s game against Wolves. No wonder we couldn't even flog him to the Championship.

[Mazuuurk]

Don't understand why Ramsey is being fielded in the front 3 now, when he was praised so much by Wenger for his positional play in the middle against Chelsea last week.

It seems against a solid West Brom, you might actually benefit from having a more offensive central midfielder and playing someone else up front.

Then again, not playing Ozil is probably a good idea in general, so.

[niko_cee]

Could he not be playing 'in the hole' (insert MicMac gif) behind Sanchez and Lacazette?

[Waffdon]

That’s such a horrendous decision from the referee.

[SincereTheRebel]

It's amazing, I love it. The league needs cunts like Pulis to balance things out a bit.

+1

[Kikó]

Could he not be playing 'in the hole' (insert MicMac gif) behind Sanchez and Lacazette?

[Samadini]

Terry Connor

His was the saddest managerial stint I can remember.

[Shindig]

Sadder than Sammy Lee?

[igor_balis]

I actually love this lineup. 4-5-1 at Brighton with a centre back at right back and right back at left back and 3 DMs was infuriating, but for this game the 5 defenders, 3 DMs and 2 workhorses up front is ace. Unlucky to be losing.

[igor_balis]

I wish we could keep Pulis for these games but get someone more fun for the games against shit teams.

[Pen]

That Polish loanee from PSG has looked really good here and he was great for Sevilla too. Wonder how mimuch he would cost to lure away from PSG.

[CJay]

That Polish loanee from PSG has looked really good here and he was great for Sevilla too. Wonder how mimuch he would cost to lure away from PSG.

Not much surely if he's on loan at West Brom?

[igor_balis]

I think barry and krychowiak could come close to the halcyon double-pivot days of mulumbu and yacob 2012/13.

[Pen]

Not much surely if he's on loan at West Brom?

That was what I was thinking too. Surprising that no one bigger/better went for him.

[igor_balis]

Not much surely if he's on loan at West Brom?

fuck off mate, we am bostin

[CJay]

That was what I was thinking too. Surprising that no one bigger/better went for him.

Yeah, I don't think he fit in very well last season at PSG, but it does seem an odd move for a 27 year old who was at the top of his game a year and a half ago.

[igor_balis]

brainless defending