[Football] Weekend Fixtures ft. European rivalries & Man City v Chelsea (2-5 March)

[Reg]

Friday
Middlesbrough 19:45 Leeds - Sky
Dundee Utd 19:45 St Mirren - BT (Postponed)
Porto 20:30 Sporting - FreeSports

Saturday
Burnley 12:30 Everton - Sky
Leicester 15:00 Bournemouth
Southampton 15:00 Stoke
Swansea 15:00 West Ham
Spurs 15:00 Huddersfield
Watford 15:00 West Brom
Liverpool 17:30 Newcastle - BT

Celtic 12:30 Greenock Morton (Cup QF) - Sky
Wolves 17:30 Reading - Sky
Napoli 19:45 Roma - BT
Real Madrid 19:45 Getafe - Sky

Sunday
Brighton 13:30 Arsenal - Sky
Man City 16:00 Chelsea - Sky

Motherwell 14:15 Hearts (Cup QF) - BBC1 Scotland
Barcelona 15:15 Atletico Madrid - Sky Sports Mix
Rangers 16:15 Falkirk (Cup QF) - Sky
Milan 19:45 Inter - BT
Valencia 19:45 Betis - Sky

Monday
Crystal Palace 20:00 Man Utd - Sky

More live http://www.live-footballontv.com

[Kikó]

My Father-in-law is going to continue to be suffering. Another defeat v St Mirren tonight.

[Waffdon]

The games been off since yesterday, mate. Should be fun having to play all these rescheduled games.

[Kikó]

Yeah I was thinking that as soon as I thought about it. Porto - Sporting is the fixture then.

[CJay]

Do we reckon there’ll be any Premier League games called off this weekend?

[Jimmy Floyd]

Called off games should be just that, a point each.

[Giggles]

Yeah that'd work and wouldn't be open to abuse at all.

[Jimmy Floyd]

- Eases fixture congestion
- Is much fairer as some teams don't have to knacker themselves catching up all their games in a week. Rochdale have 6 in hand at the moment.
- Incentive for clubs to get games on/improve facilities as otherwise they'll lose matchday revenue

Can't see the point of having backlogs of crap games.

[Lewis]

I can see why lower divisions call matches off, but what excuse can a cashed-up Premiership team have for not being able to get somewhere?

[Kikó]

Well they should be calling them off because the fans struggle to get to the fixture. The local infrastructure is out of control of the football team.

[Lewis]

And the football team is out of the control of the fans. If they can get there then great, but you can't not play a fixture because most [away] fans can't get there.

[Kikó]

I think it's pretty reckless to have people on the road to watch a fixture (a thing they've paid for).

[Lewis]

The club could presumably offer refunds/ticket swaps. Other than that, having to skip a match can't be any more inconvenient than having to plan for a re-scheduled match on a Tuesday four weeks away.

[Adamski]

The games been off since yesterday, mate. Should be fun having to play all these rescheduled games.

For the other teams, anyway.

Delicious Steven Thompson tears today :drool:

[Magic]

Of joy. Might nip in to his local and slap his baldy heid.

[Adamski]

Bet he’s in there morning noon and night since he ruined his dads legacy.

[Magic]

Bet he’s in there morning noon and night since he ruined his dads legacy.

He is. Has his own corner where sad acts vye for his attention.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

You a regular, then?

[Magic]

No it is a Dece pub though.

[Giggles]

Modric facing 5 years? Somehow I doubt it.

https://t.co/7u1dCDXVsp

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

More than likely be a big payout and a suspended sentence.

[Magic]

Another truly shocking 45 minutes.

[Magic]

Another truly shocking 45 minutes.

[Magic]

Good job GNev isn't commenting on us.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Pulis has turned Paddy Bamford into an unstoppable goal machine. God bless them both.

[Magic]

Not really. Two of his goals were offside and we've been disgusting.

[Giggles]

No Gary Neville on commentary, thank fuck. Haven't seen a match on Sky in ages because of that speech impediment cunt on them all.

[Giggles]

Sigurdsson is such a greedy twat. That was the winning of it.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Coleman blocking Pickford :D

[niko_cee]

That's some of the best marking from a corner I've ever seen.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Michael Keane and Ashley Williams are appalling.

[Jimmy Floyd]

If one of the big three wins the FA Cup, Burnley looking solid for Europe at the moment in seventh.

[niko_cee]

I'm really struggling to understand the logic of that corner from Everton's perspective. Giant centre forward standing in 5 yards of space at the back post (completely in the view of Williams), barely moves and ball lands on his head. Is that Williams just being an idiot, blindly following instructions to keep his zone, or some combination of the two? A fancy foreign manager would be getting lambasted for that sort of shit.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Well at least Everton wont have to play Williams for a few games.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Williams looked like he was in some sort of trance.

I know he scored today but that Tosun is a ghastly signing. Fat lump with no qualities whatsoever. Ashley Barnes the far superior footballer but you don't see people chucking £27 million at him for a few goals in a league the standard of our Championship.

[niko_cee]

Martina must also be one of the worst players to ever get a game regularly in the Premier League. Do they not have any halfway decent youngsters they could play there instead?

Farmer Barnes continues to impress. I couldn't believe he was only 28 when I read that the other day.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Tosun makes a lovely fresh donner though.

[Baz]

Martina must also be one of the worst players to ever get a game regularly in the Premier League. Do they not have any halfway decent youngsters they could play there instead?

Farmer Barnes continues to impress. I couldn't believe he was only 28 when I read that the other day.He really is shocking.

Remember that pearler he scored past Arsenal though? :drool:

Edit: https://i.imgur.com/M7zyGp1.gif

[John]

Ashley Williams is thick as fuck.

Jamie Redknapp has just asked Thierry Henry to confirm he'd used 'prerequisite' correctly. I'm not sure where we are.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I'm not sure how I feel about Paddy Power's depiction of a 'youth IT team in Burkina Faso' being some people standing outside a straw hut with a goat bleating in the background.

[Giggles]

I'm not sure how I feel about Paddy Power's depiction of a 'youth IT team in Burkina Faso' being some people standing outside a straw hut with a goat bleating in the background.

Is it only select countries that can get the stereotypes?

[Lewis]

To be sure.

[Giggles]

Innit.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Is it only select countries that can get the stereotypes?

It's not that, it's that he's not going to be doing much IT from a straw hut, so the premise of the advert is mince.

[-james-]

West Ham are absolutely rancid. They're definitely going to get SUCKED INTO IT at this rate.

[Lewis]

I hardly ever look at the table, but Everton Twitter SEETHING at Big Sam inspired me to do so. What a load of absolute crap we have in the bottom twelve.

[Baz]

I hardly ever look at the table, but Everton Twitter SEETHING at Big Sam inspired me to do so. What a load of absolute crap we have in the bottom twelve.Aye. City’s lead is crazy too.

They have as many points now as Arsenal finished on last season. With TEN games left.

[Giggles]

Spurs are such a dire team to watch. There's patient and there's fucking glacial.

[Giggles]

Sky pushing the fuck out if RIVALRY WEEKEND next week :D

Yeah mate, the grand total of one of those actually matters.

[-james-]

I hardly ever look at the table, but Everton Twitter SEETHING at Big Sam inspired me to do so. What a load of absolute crap we have in the bottom twelve.



This gets said every season. Clubs at the bottom of the table in not being that good shocker.

[Lewis]

Yeah, but you usually have about seven clubs who could all conceivably go down with nothing lost to the league. You could relegate any of these twelve and it wouldn't matter.

[Reg]

What's been better about past bottom half - or bottom 12 in this case - clubs?

[Lewis]

They were less interchangeable.

[Giggles]

Seanie Maguire :cool:

[Jimmy Floyd]

They were less interchangeable.

I'll put it to you that it's because they all constantly sack their managers so no team ever manages to develop an identity anymore.

The ones who have come out of the pack in recent years have all had a clear identity - Burnley this year, Pulis's Stoke, and on the other end of the spectrum, Good Football Swansea of a few years back and that mad pressing team 'Poch' had at Southampton. And counter-attacking Leicester, of course.

[-james-]

I'll put it to you that it's because they all constantly sack their managers so no team ever manages to develop an identity anymore.

The ones who have come out of the pack in recent years have all had a clear identity - Burnley this year, Pulis's Stoke, and on the other end of the spectrum, Good Football Swansea of a few years back and that mad pressing team 'Poch' had at Southampton. And counter-attacking Leicester, of course.


"Identity" is just the narrative that's applied because a team is doing well.

Labelling whatever the fuck it is Burnley do as something out of the ordinary is a stretch. They did the exact same thing last season but nobody was shouting about it because they came 16th.

[phonics]

And no-one cares when they lose.

They haven't won a game since December but the analysis of how Dyche is doing would be exactly the same today as if you'd asked then.

[Jimmy Floyd]

"Identity" is just the narrative that's applied because a team is doing well.

Labelling whatever the fuck it is Burnley do as something out of the ordinary is a stretch. They did the exact same thing last season but nobody was shouting about it because they came 16th.

It's not out of the ordinary, they just know what they are as a team and the coach knows what sort of players fit into it. Identity gives you an idea of what you're supposed to be doing and a reason to keep doing it week after week. It's the same thing that makes Manchester City good. They had the same money and mostly same players last season but the Guardiola identity hadn't yet seeped through in the way it now has.

Watford, for example, exists purely for these little 8-game bursts of form before the players get bored and the manager is sacked after a decline. There is no other purpose to that football club at the moment.

[Raoul Duke]

"Identity" is just the narrative that's applied because a team is doing well.

Labelling whatever the fuck it is Burnley do as something out of the ordinary is a stretch. They did the exact same thing last season but nobody was shouting about it because they came 16th.

They've added some extra quality this season and have nudged their way up the table

[phonics]

Because everyone else has been wank.

[Raoul Duke]

Because everyone else has been wank.

Same as Leicester winning the league. Everyone else has been total balls.

[Shindig]

What's depressing is how little investment would've probably seen us safely in 12th or something.

[John Arne]

Firmino is so, so good.

[-james-]

It's not out of the ordinary, they just know what they are as a team and the coach knows what sort of players fit into it. Identity gives you an idea of what you're supposed to be doing and a reason to keep doing it week after week. It's the same thing that makes Manchester City good. They had the same money and mostly same players last season but the Guardiola identity hadn't yet seeped through in the way it now has.

Watford, for example, exists purely for these little 8-game bursts of form before the players get bored and the manager is sacked after a decline. There is no other purpose to that football club at the moment.

Nobody would be claiming Burnley have an "identity" if they were in the bottom half, which they probably deserve to be. They certainly aren't one of the best ten sides in the country, but being seventh in the league apparently means Strepsils has overseen a revolution.

Chelsea won the league last season because they happened to find a system that worked really well and played better than anyone else. They tried to do the same again this season with fairly similar personnel and it didn't work. There's no need to apply a narrative.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Nobody would be claiming Burnley have an "identity" if they were in the bottom half, which they probably deserve to be. They certainly aren't one of the best ten sides in the country, but being seventh in the league apparently means Strepsils has overseen a revolution.

Chelsea won the league last season because they happened to find a system that worked really well and played better than anyone else. They tried to do the same again this season with fairly similar personnel and it didn't work. There's no need to apply a narrative.

You're trying to decipher football with maths, it doesn't work that way. Footballers aren't machines that need to be plugged in the right way, they are humans who make illogical and unpredictable decisions. Teams that have an overriding sense of who they are (whether successful or otherwise) are going to do better in the long run.

The last ten years of Stoke City is the best example.

[-james-]

You're trying to decipher football with maths, it doesn't work that way. Footballers aren't machines that need to be plugged in the right way, they are humans who make illogical and unpredictable decisions. Teams that have an overriding sense of who they are (whether successful or otherwise) are going to do better in the long run.

The last ten years of Stoke City is the best example.

I just think there is a tendency to look for patterns where it's just variance. West Brom have had a similar spell in the top flight having gone through about ten managers. Watford are doing pretty well by doing their utmost to avoid acquiring an identity.

[Yevrah]

Jim, is Ross Barkley likely to play for Chelsea this season?

[niko_cee]

I see George Weah's son made his debut for PSG today. Is Enzo Zidane still kicking around in Real's B team? How many sons have gone on to outdo their successful footballing fathers? Lampard? There can't be that many (and many more Callum Bests).

[Yevrah]

It stands to reason that so few of them get anywhere near to where their parents did as for the most part they probably only get their chance due to who their father was rather than through their footballing ability alone.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Leroy Sane?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Souleyman_San%C3%A9

His Dad did get 55 international caps.

[Giggles]

Jim, is Ross Barkley likely to play for Chelsea this season?

He already has.

[Reg]

Firmino is so, so good.
His link up play is great. Brazil could be frightening in the summer if Neymar accepts he should pass sometimes.

[niko_cee]

He won't, and Firmino won't even get a game.

[Yevrah]

He already has.

I should have said 'much'.

[Reg]

Oh that's true - I was thinking he plays up front for them but that's Jesus.

This Napoli-Roma game is good fun already.

[-james-]

Coutinho - Casemiro - Fernandinho

Willian - Firmino - Neymar



They could easily do something like this, which is pretty scary. Fred, Douglas Costa and that Jesus bloke off the bench.

[niko_cee]

They could, but won't.

Players like Willian and Firmino are criminally underrated and so will be bench bound.

[Lewis]

It's not out of the ordinary, they just know what they are as a team and the coach knows what sort of players fit into it. Identity gives you an idea of what you're supposed to be doing and a reason to keep doing it week after week. It's the same thing that makes Manchester City good. They had the same money and mostly same players last season but the Guardiola identity hadn't yet seeped through in the way it now has.

Watford, for example, exists purely for these little 8-game bursts of form before the players get bored and the manager is sacked after a decline. There is no other purpose to that football club at the moment.

Watching Everton earlier I was trying to understand the feeling of pointlessness around any club that brings Theo Walcott in to make them more attacking/exciting. I couldn't even begin to imagine.

[Reg]

This has been very good from Roma. But Juventus winning a seventh title in the row would be tiresome.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Jim, is Ross Barkley likely to play for Chelsea this season?

He's done a hamstring again I think. I'm reasonably optimistic about him but not this season.

[Reg]

I think we're going to win today.

[Andy]

Saints vs Stoke was the lowest quality game ive seen for years. Terrible. I have tickets for West Ham at the end of the month, I'm sure that will run it close.

Genuinely think our league one side would beat this current team.

Only chance we have of staying up is if there are 3 really crap teams. Man City away on the last day will be fun.

[SincereTheRebel]

Alex Scott is tidy

[Andy]

He really is shocking.

Remember that pearler he scored past Arsenal though? :drool:

Edit: https://i.imgur.com/M7zyGp1.gif

We beat Arsenal 4-0 that day and they where in a bit of a purple patch. Unreal to think how much we've declined since then.


Stekelenburg, Fonte, VvD, Wanyama and Mane all sold from that team and we haven't come close to upgrading any of them.

[Pleb]

Oh shit :drool:

[phonics]

Not the most important thing going on in the match but does Schelotto have massive sideburns?

[Pleb]

RIP the dream.

[Disco]

Why would you ever want to get rid of Wenger, this is great fun and you might as well enjoy it before the club inevitably turns into Everton.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Stay on the battlements, Ty. Never surrender.

[Giggles]

Just realised there's soccer on Sky. Arsenal really have chucked in the towel haven't they?

[Yevrah]

Why would you ever want to get rid of Wenger, this is great fun and you might as well enjoy it before the club inevitably turns into Everton.

It is hilarious watching him ruin any player that goes anywhere near the club.

It's got to the stage where he could manage to nerf Ronaldo and Messi, the stealing a living twat.

[Giggles]

Limp wrist.

[Lewis]

How come the Arsenal are shit commentary always comes with the caveat that their attacking players are good? Oezil could still do the business in a good side, but the rest of them are either crap or pathetic.

[-james-]

I do wonder what goes on during these half time team talks. They must be awful. There can't be much respect left for him in that room

[phonics]

I do wonder what goes on during these half time team talks. They must be awful. There can't be much respect left for him in that room

From years of reading about it he just tells the players to think about what they did wrong, not tell them, think about, their mistakes and then sits in silence for 7 minutes.

Which is fine if you're dedicating 3 minutes to Tony Adams pinning Lee Dixon to the wall of the dressing room or 5 to Jens Lehmann telling everyone they're shit but not when Laurent Koscielny is bursting into tears telling everyone even his kids think he's rubbish.

[SincereTheRebel]

Ive just been told that wilshere is a more graceful dribbler than tottenham dembele. That's an arsenal stan for you.

[John Arne]

How on earth is that not even a free kick? :D

Shoulder barging someone in the head is apparently ok on Atwell's watch....

[Jimmy Floyd]

No Kanté means we could lose this by any number. Any less than six will be a poor afternoon for City.

[-james-]

Claudio Pizzaro has just scored for Köln. :cool:

[phonics]

Brighton managing to ruin my Arsenal supporting and my fantasy team self in the same weekend is rock solid stuff. I need Chelsea to lose by 4 to cheer myself up.

[-james-]

Brilliant from Brighton. Up to tenth now as they edge towards an identity.

[Ian]

Wenger in.

[Baz]

Alex Scott is tidyYep, top 10 worldy.

[Shindig]

Wenger's got to be thinking about this being his last season. I know someone brought up earlier how he doesn't seem to have any reported bust-ups with the players. They seem more likely to just phone it in on the pitch rather than air it out.

[Foe]

Wenger's got to be thinking about this being his last season. I know someone brought up earlier how he doesn't seem to have any reported bust-ups with the players. They seem more likely to just phone it in on the pitch rather than air it out.

That's part of the problem. You need someone or a few in the team to have a right good rollicking at the others when it's not up to standard. I can't see anyone in the Arsenal squad doing so. Worse still, I can't see any of the Arsenal staff doing it either. Wenger and Bould just seem to sit on the sideline shaking their head.

[Boydy]

Just seen the Arsenal score. :lol:

[Jimmy Floyd]

Brilliant from Brighton. Up to tenth now as they edge towards an identity.

They've always had one. Well above par as I'm sure you'll agree. But they'd still have had one in 17th.

[niko_cee]

The score wasn't the half of it. A better team would have been 5 or 6 up by half time. Arsenal look like they've got the footballing equivalent of collective ptsd.

[Reg]

Best game of the season that. Never seen us beat such a big club. Atmosphere was a bit shaky first ten minutes when we couldn't get it off them, but after that it was brilliant. I'd be stunned if we went down now.

[Lewis]

Gary Neville seething about Chelsea trying to be clever about this gives some indication as to why his managerial career went how it did.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Neville rightly ripping Conte a new one, for me. Hairpiece downed tools two months ago, he's a great coach but must now be sacked as he's working against the football club.

[Shindig]

That's part of the problem. You need someone or a few in the team to have a right good rollicking at the others when it's not up to standard. I can't see anyone in the Arsenal squad doing so. Worse still, I can't see any of the Arsenal staff doing it either. Wenger and Bould just seem to sit on the sideline shaking their head.

Yup. At a push, I'd suggest Mertesacker but nobody out there in that XI scream leaders. That leaves Arsene to become one but, as we saw today, he barely got out of his seat.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Willian has gone into lazy mode straight after that Barcelona performance as well. Classic Brazilian attitude, get a few plaudits and head straight to the beach.

[Baz]

omfg

THIS IS THE WORST FOOTBALL MATCH I’VE WATCHED

[Jimmy Floyd]

If we nick a late one it will be pretty funny.

[-james-]

Morata trundling on in the 89th minute in the pissing rain. :harold:

[Jimmy Floyd]

He's trying to get sacked. I'm pretty sure of that.

[Giggles]

Near shat when Alonso hit that shot.

Too close for comfort but keeps the scouse bastards at bay and that's all that matters.

[-james-]

It's in the club's interests to throw every game from here. Arsene has the same idea. Sixth is better than fifth. Initiating the nosedive while they were still in fourth was an odd one though.

[Jimmy Floyd]

It's in the club's interests to throw every game from here. Arsene has the same idea. Sixth is better than fifth. Initiating the nosedive while they were still in fourth was an odd one though.

Even if we bin every game from here on I'm not sure Burnley and co will score enough points.

Is 6th better than 5th? Same bollocks fixture list next year with maybe an extra qualifying round. I am nostalgic for the Europa League early rounds though, hopefully we get Hapoel Tel Aviv.

[Giggles]

If you're not 4th then about 8th is where it's at.

[-james-]

Those extra 10+ games are nothing but a hinderance. Whichever of Arsenal and Chelsea finishes above the other will finish below next season.

[Lewis]

lolling about him getting MIND GAMED aside, he has still done a pretty good job with what he has. I was very much on the not all that wagon for a long time, and I still maintain that a chimp could have won those titles in Italy, but who are they going to get in to do a better job with the rubbish they are reduced to signing these days?

[Jimmy Floyd]

Those extra 10+ games are nothing but a hinderance. Whichever of Arsenal and Chelsea finishes above the other will finish below next season.

We're both in the Europa League anyway so it makes zero difference.

[Giggles]

We're both in the Europa League anyway so it makes zero difference.

I'd say he means of one of you aren't.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I'd say he means of one of you aren't.

Well we both are, because City won the league cup so it goes down to 6th (and if United/Spurs/Chelsea win the FA Cup it will go down to 7th).

[Giggles]

I was wondering where the 7th was coming from.

[Boydy]

Only 5th gets into the Europa League according to the table here (http://www.livescore.com/soccer/england/premier-league/)?

Probably depends on who wins what cups though, I guess.

[Ian]

omfg

THIS IS THE WORST FOOTBALL MATCH I’VE WATCHED

It had a goal and there was only 90 minutes of it so I'm still not prepared to put it above Switzerland / Ukraine.

[-james-]

Ah of course. Leicester for the league again next season, then.

[-james-]

I'm dead excited for Burnley away at Shkendija Tetovo now.

[Pleb]

Premier League Wiki

1st-4th - Group Stage Champions League (Man City, Liverpool, Man Utd, Tottenham)
5th - Group Stage Europa League (Chelsea)
6th/7th - The winners of the 2017–18 EFL Cup (Manchester City) will finish in the top five of the Premier League. If the winners of the 2017–18 FA Cup do not finish in the top six, then this berth will be given to sixth place (Arsenal). However, if the winners of the 2017–18 FA Cup are in the top six, this berth will be given to seventh place (Burnley). If the winners of the 2017–18 FA Cup are in the top five of the Premier League, the sixth placed team will be given a berth in the Europa League group stage. Otherwise, the sixth placed team will enter the Europa League second qualifying round.

[Magic]

Check out @KalNaimar’s Tweet: https://twitter.com/KalNaimar/status/970351792897880069?s=09

:|

[Boydy]

Check out @KalNaimar’s Tweet: https://twitter.com/KalNaimar/status/970351792897880069?s=09

:|

I thought the exact same thing at that point.

[Lewis]

Check out @KalNaimar’s Tweet: https://twitter.com/KalNaimar/status/970351792897880069?s=09

:|

Good shape.

http://i63.tinypic.com/20ft2zr.png

Oof. Bernardo Silva has a bald patch as well. Poor little bastard.

[phonics]

Did Gary Neville go on a 10 minute rant or had he used up all his material last week?

[niko_cee]

I drifted him into a bit of a NOT GOOD ENOUGH rant from him around that point (may have been earlier).

[Reg]

Yup. At a push, I'd suggest Mertesacker but nobody out there in that XI scream leaders. That leaves Arsene to become one but, as we saw today, he barely got out of his seat.
This does feel like a particularly low point. Chants of 'we want Wenger out' at one stage - and from a good chunk of their support, it seemed.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-a8Qub4Vabg

I think he ends every single sentence with either 'blood' 'fam' 'man' or 'yeah'.

[Gray Fox]

What Arsenal need is some character.

https://i.gyazo.com/902ee1b9950eafa54ca3f6e02da000f0.png

[Kikó]

I don't think he'd be a bad choice.

[Giggles]

Howe.

[Lewis]

'Claude' looks utterly crushed in his video. Somebody needs to take his tickets off him.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I'm starting to think 'Robbie' is a legitimate creative genius. Claude is pure Shakespearean tragedy.

[Lewis]

According to this betting site the favourites are:

Carlo Ancelotti (what is he going to do with these losers?)
Joachim Loew (same)
Mikel Arteta (lmao)
Brendan 'Brendan' Rodgers (yes mate)

Roberto Martinez still in at 18 or 20/1. Matey at PSG seems like a decent outside bet at 40/1, and he would be a decent choice.

[Gray Fox]

Attacking team that likes to play pretty football, but devoid of any mental strength and defensive ability. Rodgers was made for this.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I want him at Chelsea, but Arsenal is a better fit. We'll end up with Carlo II: This Time It's Pointless.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

'Claude' looks utterly crushed in his video. Somebody needs to take his tickets off him.

He looks like he's just been told he has a terminal illness or his wife/kids have died.

It's a shame Ty wasn't interviewed, probably out battering teenagers who lolled at him and his tracksuit.

[Lewis]

I'm starting to think 'Robbie' is a legitimate creative genius. Claude is pure Shakespearean tragedy.

'DT' is the interesting one. His lol RANTS are actually correct, so he isn't as lol a figure as some of the others, but he always talks about taking his kids to the game. Never mind making them wait around after the match, where are they when he is filming his real-time seethes during it?

[Boydy]

They need a manager who can impose an IDENTITY on them.

Right, Jim?

[Kikó]

Dario Gradi is free.

[Lewis]

For now.

[Guybrush]

Near shat when Alonso hit that shot.

Too close for comfort but keeps the scouse bastards at bay and that's all that matters.

Fucking hell.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Wont be too long until the nonce accusations for Gradi.

[Yevrah]

According to this betting site the favourites are:

Carlo Ancelotti (what is he going to do with these losers?)

The players are losers because they're managed to be, they're not that shit.

[Lewis]

They would be the weakest set of players he has managed in twenty years.

[Kikó]

970351792897880069

intense.

[-james-]

They'll go for some German hipster. There's loads to choose from. Tuchel, Tedesco, Herrlich, Hasenhüttl etc.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Kiko bringing the latest news as always.

[Magic]

Money is destroying football.

[Giggles]

Fucking hell.

Que?

[Kikó]

Kiko bringing the latest news as always.

They're having a four minute silence for Roger Bannister.

[Magic]

They're having a four minute silence for Roger Bannister.

Great posts m8. Fuck the RA.

[Jimmy Floyd]

They need a manager who can impose an IDENTITY on them.

Right, Jim?

Pretty much.

[Spikey M]

Is that an unpopular view or something? I mean, you can hop from ‘Fat Sam’ to ‘Pards’ and probably survive, but if you want to progress you need a manager that has some form of forward thinking, beyond immediate survival.

That said, It was Pulis’ Attempting forward thinking that will see West Brom slip from their accidental improvement to relegation (hopefully).

[Giggles]

Monk has rocked up at Birmingham.

[Magic]

A tragic decision. They're going down.

[-james-]

I liked Monk at Swansea. What happened?

[Spikey M]

Monk had Sigurdsson and Bony. I could have got them playing.

[Shindig]

Tony Adams should have a go.

[phonics]

Enlightening insight from Arsene.

"It's difficult when you have just the trousers on," the Frenchman said cryptically.

"It's easy to take the trousers off as well, but when you are naked completely you have to try and find a shirt and get dressed properly again."

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

His mind has gone.

[Spikey M]

So he looks and talks like a nonce?

[Boydy]

Is that an unpopular view or something? I mean, you can hop from ‘Fat Sam’ to ‘Pards’ and probably survive, but if you want to progress you need a manager that has some form of forward thinking, beyond immediate survival.

That said, It was Pulis’ Attempting forward thinking that will see West Brom slip from their accidental improvement to relegation (hopefully).

Nah. I was only mocking that he's been talking about it so much recently. The idea is right though.

[-james-]

Monk had Sigurdsson and Bony. I could have got them playing.

Bony has been one of the worst centre forwards in the league since his spell under Monk, so I'm not sure about that.

[Giggles]

Had to Google where he was now.

[John Arne]

LAFC played their first ever game yesterday, and beat Seattle at their gaff.

#FranchiseFootballFTW

[phonics]

Bony has been one of the worst centre forwards in the league since his spell under Monk, so I'm not sure about that.

Bony was crap for them too but the numbers looked good. Always scored the 3rd in a 3-1 win.

[Giggles]

We have re-written Law 4 of the game so that things like a poppy are OK. But things that are going to be highly divisive, and that could be strong religious symbols, it could be the Star of David, it could the hammer and sickle, it could be a swastika, anything like Robert Mugabe on your shirt, these are the things we don’t want.


:D Fucking hell, Star of David alongside a Swastika. He sounds bright.

[phonics]

Do you think Rabbis get bored of having to host roundtables with whoever famous has managed to say something anti-semitic that week?

[niko_cee]

The Mugabe reference has to be a nod to this place.

[Reg]

(Tactics nerd alert. Since there was discussion about this I thought I'd post.) Seen a few people calling United's formation v Chelsea 4-2-2-2 (in a "Brazilian box" fashion) and Mourinho himself has called it a "midfield square". Interesting to see if they go with the same and Lingard / Sanchez goes up front with Lukaku.

May have been Chelsea-specific but might have been partly Pogba based, although Mourinho said the 4-3-3 v Newcastle was perfect for him.

[Spikey M]

Bony has been one of the worst centre forwards in the league since his spell under Monk, so I'm not sure about that.

Have you won the Champions League with Southend inside 5 seasons? Didn’t think so.

[Magic]

(Tactics nerd alert. Since there was discussion about this I thought I'd post.) Seen a few people calling United's formation v Chelsea 4-2-2-2 (in a "Brazilian box" fashion) and Mourinho himself has called it a "midfield square". Interesting to see if they go with the same and Lingard / Sanchez goes up front with Lukaku.

May have been Chelsea-specific but might have been partly Pogba based, although Mourinho said the 4-3-3 v Newcastle was perfect for him.

http://www.reactiongifs.com/r/2013/07/tense.gif

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Reg's Mum has a Brazilian box, oioi.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Lindelof and Smalling inspire such confidence.

[Pleb]

I swear a Crystal Palace defender tried to pick up the ball with his hands before the ball went out of play earlier :D

[Pleb]

Lindelof is a massive bombscare.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

That's more Smalling's fault, Lindelof couldn't really do anything about that.

Smalling should join Arsenal, he'd fit right in.

[phonics]

Chased him when he was at Fulham. Think we tried to get him in the Van Persie deal.

[Jimmy Floyd]

The Mugabe reference has to be a nod to this place.

Nike now back to the drawing board as their 18/19 away kits were going to have Robert Mugabe motifs all the way round.

[Lewis]

If this is a 4-2-2-2 then the full-backs are killing it.

[niko_cee]

Harsh on the fullbacks.

Best bits of the half have been United's top trolling of their own pair. Constantly giving Valencia impossible balls to chase, and no support, whilst systematically ignoring Young every time he's in a massive overlap situation.

Mourinho must be perma-seething having to work with at least half of this team.

First time I've seen Lindelof. I imagined he would look more skin-heady.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

This is absolute bollocks.

[Lewis]

It's not that Chris Smalling got caught out there, it's that he waited before giving chase to appeal for the offside.

[Reg]

Palace have been good to be fair but some of United's passing has indeed been dreadful.

[Magic]

:lol:

[Waffdon]

THat was amazing. Surprised the referee didn’t bottle it.

[niko_cee]

Why do they boo Young? Is it a Watford thing? That would be tenuous if it is.

[randomlegend]

He dived against them to win a penalty a while back, if I remember rightly.

[Giggles]

This is a lot less shit than most Man Utd games these days.

[Jimmy Floyd]

This Pogba v Mourinho stuff seems to have completely derailed their season. Just as pathetic as what hairpiece is getting up to with us.

[Max Power]

United getting outthought by Jeff bloody Schlupp. Amazing.

[phonics]

United getting outthought by Jeff bloody Schlupp. Amazing.

I've seen several teams that he's looked dangerous against and it always seems to be in the same way. Like they struggle with the idea that he's completely abdicating from what his role is supposed to do and is just running really fast at you and freak out.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Cool hand Rom.

[Lewis]

Who else was seething at him as he looked to shoot?

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

De Gea :drool:

[Giggles]

De Gea :drool:

Makes up for their second at least.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Lukaku confuses himself if he tries too many stepovers.

[randomlegend]

Makes up for their second at least.

https://i.imgur.com/AbeOik6.jpg

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Mourinho :D

[Lewis]

lolling it off like he wasn't absolutely fuming.

[Giggles]

Fucking hell that was good.

[Lewis]

Christ.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Fucking hell, what a peach.

I was saying don't shoot to Lukaku and Matic and they both score with said shots.

[Danny]

Not gonna lie I was thinking "please dont fucking shoot"

[phonics]

Fuck my life.

Premier League. Give me some satisfaction or I'm going to have to stop streaming misery into my eyes every weekend.

[niko_cee]

Hodgson's face.

:D

[Lewis]

I would love to see a Nemanja Matic YouTube compilation of tactical fouls and beating people at walking pace punctuated by those.

[niko_cee]

Those or that?

He shinned it as well.

[phonics]

I would love to see a Nemanja Matic YouTube compilation of tactical fouls and beating people at walking pace punctuated by those.

He really is such an odd player to watch. He seems to do largely nothing yet have massive impact on games and not in the Claude Makelele style of stepping in front of danger. Just shoving people over, shrugging his shoulders and walking off when the whistle goes.

[Lewis]

He's mega. Outfield Player of the Year.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

970778041181003776

[phonics]

He's mega. Outfield Player of the Year.

I do wonder if Wenger saw Xhaka and thought 'He'll be Matic but with a pass in him' because it's the only thing he does but not as well.

[Ian]

Macho Man Randy Matic. :cool:

[Lewis]

I never realised 'Bentekkers' was already running off celebrating when Dave Gayer made that save. Pleb.

[Kikó]

Great result in the end last night but can't help we're going to be spanked on Saturday when we have Salah running at the Twats at the back.

Shaw's been on the pizza diet again.

[Ian]

Just watched the highlights from last night. Dave is life.

[John]

I caught about fifteen minutes total spread throughout the game and from that it looked like Biggie Smalling was giving the worst defensive performance since David Luiz against Germany.

[Kikó]

And he got motm!

[Lewis]

They let Mourinho award it for some reason, so confirmed MIND GAME.