The Magic of the FA Cup...

[Pleb]

...semi finals.

Man United v Tottenham - Sat - 17:15 (BBC)
Chelsea v Southampton - Sun - 15:00 (BT)

Also some Premier League stuff happening as well this weekend (http://www.live-footballontv.com/, https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/scores-fixtures/2018-04-20)

[Lewis]

In Pogba’s case, it is a penchant for being noticed — the incessant boisterous behaviour, crazy hairstyles, dance moves, elaborate handshake routines and excessive social media presence. Some members of his entourage have also made themselves unpopular. Sources describe an individual who likes to be heard above the rest of the squad and constantly seeks their attention. Pogba sits at the back of the upper deck of the team bus making a racket while Mourinho and his coaching staff mutter among themselves down below.

lol as if Mourinho is a racist.

[Kikó]

I've got tickets for tomorrow. Third game of the season. I'm a glory hunter now.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I always miss our cup semi-finals for some reason. I guess it's because cricket starts again.

We will win this 4-0 and then lose the final 3-1 to either of the others.

[Magic]

I've got tickets for tomorrow. Third game of the season. I'm a glory hunter now.

And a semi final no less. Prick.

[Magic]

Is it a one leg affair?

[Giggles]

Is it a one leg affair?

The FA Cup? It's always been for every round unless something changed this year.

[Spikey M]

The FA Cup? It's always been for every round unless something changed this year.

I imagine he means Penalties or replay in the event of a draw.

[Giggles]

Didn't realise Pelle was in China too.

[John Arne]

Always good for Moreno to give us his bi-monthly reminder of why he should be nowhere near the first XI.

Now we just need a new keeper.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Karius :D

[Magic]

Hibs game been great.

Lol fuck sake Sellick score just as I say that.

[Gray Fox]

That was a very 2015 Liverpool game. 2-0 with relative ease then come the set-pieces.

It was an odd game. It seemed to be operation get Salah a goal. When we did they all stopped trying. We went walking pace. No injuries though, so that's a positive.

[igor_balis]

Big Dave :happycry:

What a waste of a season.

[Mike]

That Klopp interview.... he isn’t happy!

[Lewis]

I was not happy with the pitch, you can imagine that. It was a difficult game, especially after the pitch got drier and drier. West Brom obviously decided not to water the pitch in half-time again. And it was quite difficult... It makes a massive difference. If the pitch is dry, you can pass the ball not really through three or four yards. That is for all teams in the world, if they play football. If you do it like West Brom, the ball is constantly in the air and you do not need a wet pitch. But that is how it is and we have to deal with that. And they can do it next year, playing football with a dry pitch in the Championship. So that is how it is and we have to deal with it.

:harold:

[Magic]

fair play. There should be rules against that shite. Encourages shit football and injuries.

[John]

I reckon Jurgen Klopp has the best seethes around. Those wonky teeth just make every one a hundred times funnier.

[igor_balis]

championship a right laugh today, maybe next season won't be so bad

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Jose wants this bad.

[Boydy]

Bristol City 5 - 5 Hull City

Fucking hell.

[SvN]

Phil Neville reckons Pogba is sometimes too over elaborolated.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Jones and Smalling are stunning.

[Gray Fox]

Bristol City 5 - 5 Hull City

Fucking hell.

Hull have a Liverpool loanee who has been doing well since he went in January. Scored 2 today, but unfortunately he has a hair band in whilst being Welsh.

[Waffdon]

Pogba :drool:

[randomlegend]

Herrera holding his Alli's foot :D

They deserve each other, those two.

[Giggles]

Before I go inside, is this on BBC?

[Disco]

Yup.

[niko_cee]

Sounds like a quality seethe from Klopp.

[SincereTheRebel]

Ive watched pogba enough times in a man utd. His performances in a juventus shirt were 100 times better. What happened?

[Lewis]

Jones and Smalling are stunning.

Antonio Valencia has been crap recently as well. He's never particularly amazing, but he's very rarely shit, so it makes you wonder whether he's fallen off a bit of a cliff.

[CJay]

Herrera is a hateful player to watch. His sole purpose is to spoil and be a snide little twat.

[Foe]

VAR not awarding a penalty for that will make Buffon feel vindicated.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Herrera is a hateful player to watch. His sole purpose is to spoil and be a snide little twat.
:drool:

[Baz]

Hull have a Liverpool loanee who has been doing well since he went in January. Scored 2 today, but unfortunately he has a hair band in whilst being Welsh.
What you mean is Harry Wilson may well go on to be as good as Joe “Solid Seven” Allen? :nod:

[Giggles]

Who's in the other semi with Chelsea?

[Danny]

Southampton

[Giggles]

Jaysus. The on-the-beach semi.

[Giggles]

Spurs look fucking septic. Such a cumbersome team attacking.

[mugbull]

Would help if Kane and Son wren't having the most useless games of their yung lives

[Giggles]

Rashford :D

How do you even have enough neck to argue with the ref about that?

[Giggles]

Spurs could play until Tuesday and wouldn't create a clear cut chance. Though utd are playing like a real Mourinho organised team.

[Lewis]

Yeah, United have been really good. Tottenham looked to have PRESSED themselves out after forty minutes.

[CJay]

Was Kane not fit? He didn't seem interested.

[Lewis]

He just got donned by quality centre-backs.

[mugbull]

The FA Cup really is useless innit

[niko_cee]

Was Kane not fit? He didn't seem interested.

Goals wouldn't have counted.

[ScousePig]

championship a right laugh today, maybe next season won't be so bad

It was class while it lasted.

[Boydy]

What were Jones and Smalling having a go at each other about towards the end?

[Gray Fox]

What you mean is Harry Wilson may well go on to be as good as Joe “Solid Seven” Allen? :nod:

To be fair to him. He's proved useful to at least 1 team in his career. That's more than Allen ever did. Except maybe when he scored that penalty the once.

[igor_balis]

It was class while it lasted.

Towards the end of Pardew's reign a lot of our fans reckoned we could have a similar fate to you lot next year. Not sure I agree.

What's going on with your lot anyway?! The rumours of alcoholism and totally dysfunctional and toxic dressing room accurate you think?

[Danny]

What were Jones and Smalling having a go at each other about towards the end?

I thought Jones was just trying to hype him up.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Goals wouldn't have counted.

I'm telling you, that business has done him in. He'll be back on loan at Swindon or something within two years.

[Giggles]

I'm telling you, that business has done him in. He'll be back on loan at Swindon or something within two years.

I'm with you on this one, it's fucked him. Who the fuck is running things there that thought it would be a good idea?

[Shindig]

Towards the end of Pardew's reign a lot of our fans reckoned we could have a similar fate to you lot next year. Not sure I agree.

What's going on with your lot anyway?! The rumours of alcoholism and totally dysfunctional and toxic dressing room accurate you think?

The business end sounds knackered as well. £32m in player sales. £750k reinvested into actual players. I heard weeks back Niall Quinn was looking to lead a consortium back to the club but I think that's died a death.

[Kikó]

United!

[SincereTheRebel]

Thats kane done for me at spurs. This is the fourth year in a row he has dropped 30 without anything to show for it. I suspect he will be out of here in the summer. Tottenham are just following the model Arsenal set of six years ago

[niko_cee]

The FA Cup wouldn't have been 'something to show for it'. This fascinitation with having to win something is a major anachronism. There are only two trophies really worth winning for 'elite' players, and both are a fairly closed shop. A problem only exacerbated by the (apparent) need to migrate to win things. The continental titans are on the wane anyway, so at least the European Cup may become more attainable for a Spurs tier team in the near to medium term (see Liverpool and Roma this season, although one will have to make the step which has proved difficult in recent years and beat one of the big teams in the final).

Fair enough, maybe he needs to leave if he doesn't want to be mired with serial bottlers for the rest of his career, but where's he going to go? City? Would he be allowed to take penalties?

[SincereTheRebel]

Kane is that good, he could fuck off overseas to germany or even spain and chase a league title.

[niko_cee]

Yeah. I'd give it all, for just one Bundesliga title.

[Spikey M]

Harry Kane is finished because of some salty scousers? :D

He’s just come back from injury and he always takes a bit of time to do so.

[niko_cee]

More likely he's just getting himself primed and ready for the World Cup.

In other news, how come Coutinho took a penalty for Barcelona last night, with Messi on the pitch and Suarez on a hattrick? Bagged himself some of that sweet sweet silverware too.

[Spikey M]

None of the useless cunts will be primed for it.

[niko_cee]

That was my point, getting himself into the swing of things by being useless.

[Spikey M]

Ahhh. Then yes.

He’s probably only been training Corner Taking and Freekicks.

[Magic]

Just seen RENO'S team lose at home against fucking 10 man Benevento. :harold:

[Lewis]

Whether or not FA Cup wins are enough to keep Harry 'Harry Kane' Kane around, it is still lol how Smallpockets claims not to care about them. They should sack him next year if they have another season like this (and the last however many).

[Kikó]

Football is all about winning trophies so Niko is comprehensively wrong.

[SincereTheRebel]

niko_cee you’re right about the only trophies that seem important are the league and champions league. You can ride a teams wave to a league title fairly conformably, but a champions league title is extremely difficult to win. Have we even had a barcelona vs real madrid final yet?

[Lewis]

lol if Arsenal blow this and the fans have to sit and seethe rather than boo them off.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Joe Hart is going to Russia :drool:

[niko_cee]

Football is all about winning trophies so Niko is comprehensively wrong.

Perhaps from a fan's perspective (although I'd say that's a bit of a big club fan view), but from a player's perspective I don't see an FA Cup or a League Cup convincing any player with great aspirations to stick with a club. In the specific case of Kane, which is what I was responding to, I would say the real reason for him to stay with Spurs would be that any success he would have with them (and the collateral of him probably going past Greaves as their all time scorer) would be worth ten times what he could accumulate elsewhere. As, I would say, was the case with Gerrard at Liverpool. That European Cup win was worth him staying for (although the botched league would have been a better example had he not botched it seeing as it came at the end of his career).

It's about the mythology, trophies can help with that, but they are not the be all and end all.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

987757611280994306

:lol:

[Waffdon]

That’s brilliant from Hazard and even better from Giroud.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Commentator wondering why the shot that hit the bar doesn't count as a shot on target :cab:

[SincereTheRebel]

Football is all about winning trophies so Niko is comprehensively wrong.

Arsenal are evidence on why you are wrong. They were not winning gold trophies and finishing in top four and it was bad. They won silver trophies and finshed outside the top four and its worse.

[Waffdon]

Morata should only ever header the ball.

[Lewis]

Perhaps from a fan's perspective (although I'd say that's a bit of a big club fan view), but from a player's perspective I don't see an FA Cup or a League Cup convincing any player with great aspirations to stick with a club. In the specific case of Kane, which is what I was responding to, I would say the real reason for him to stay with Spurs would be that any success he would have with them (and the collateral of him probably going past Greaves as their all time scorer) would be worth ten times what he could accumulate elsewhere. As, I would say, was the case with Gerrard at Liverpool. That European Cup win was worth him staying for (although the botched league would have been a better example had he not botched it seeing as it came at the end of his career).

It's about the mythology, trophies can help with that, but they are not the be all and end all.

I agree with that, but on a more practical level nobody will pay his likely transfer fee.

[Waffdon]

Morata summed up there. Absolutely useless when an easy chance arises with his feet.

[Magic]

City dismantling a woeful Swansea side.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Nothing like seeing a man in his 50s trying to dance to Madness.

[Kikó]

Arsenal are evidence on why you are wrong. They were not winning gold trophies and finishing in top four and it was bad. They won silver trophies and finshed outside the top four and its worse.

Nope.

Memories of winning trophies far outweighs the race for forth.


Perhaps from a fan's perspective (although I'd say that's a bit of a big club fan view), but from a player's perspective I don't see an FA Cup or a League Cup convincing any player with great aspirations to stick with a club. In the specific case of Kane, which is what I was responding to, I would say the real reason for him to stay with Spurs would be that any success he would have with them (and the collateral of him probably going past Greaves as their all time scorer) would be worth ten times what he could accumulate elsewhere. As, I would say, was the case with Gerrard at Liverpool. That European Cup win was worth him staying for (although the botched league would have been a better example had he not botched it seeing as it came at the end of his career).

It's about the mythology, trophies can help with that, but they are not the be all and end all.

Yeah fair. Understand that viewpoint.

[John]

Morata should have had a hat trick within about four minutes of coming on there. Azpilicueta must have more assists than anyone in that team bar Hazard.

[Lewis]

City have had eighty-three per cent possession according to the BBC website. I wonder what sort of team talk you give at half-time when you're 2-0 down like that, since before the game you presumably make out that you might 'nick one' at some point. Put another way, if you could forfeit games at half-time I wonder if teams would ever use it.

[John]

Have they changed the rules on number of appearances to qualify for a Premiership winner's medal? I'm sure it used to be ten but the commentator in the City game has just said Foden is 'getting close' to a medal having come on for his fourth appearance.

[Lewis]

I think the clubs get a couple of discretionary sympathy medals, so they will give him and whoever has been injured one.

[Browning]

Apparently they dropped it to 5 in 2012.

[John]

That's shit hot from Foden. He looks a proper player. I turned this game on just after the penalty was awarded and since I've been watching Jesus should have had at least a hat trick, and probably about five.

[Magic]

I really don't rate him.

[John]

Foden or Jesus?

[Magic]

Lol for every 10 passes city make Swansea make 1.

[John]

That's quality from Jesus, although the replay shows the ball got to him before he wanted it to and he basically headed it exactly opposite to how he intended.

[Giggles]

That's quality from Jesus, although the replay shows the ball got to him before he wanted it to and he basically headed it exactly opposite to how he intended.

Then it's not quality if it was the complete opposite of what he intended.

[Magic]

Then it's not quality if it was the complete opposite of what he intended.

I think that's where the 'although' really comes in to play.

[John]

Then it's not quality if it was the complete opposite of what he intended.

The run was quality. The finish would have been routine even if he'd done what he meant to.

[Magic]

MASSIVE top of the table clash in Serie A tonight.

[Giggles]

The run was quality. The finish would have been routine even if he'd done what he meant to.

I get you now. I didn't see the goal so didn't realise there was build up from him too.

[Magic]

Why the fuck have they all got period smears on their faces? :cab:

Edit: domestic violence campaign :D

[Magic]

Pretty sure even light can't escape from Koulibali. He is black as fuck.

[Magic]

Pretty sure even light can't escape from Koulibali. He is black as fuck.

WOW hes just scored in the 89th. WOW.

1 point in it now.

[Adramelch]

Napoli actually have a decent chance of winning the title after that win. Juve still have to play against Inter and Roma away while Napoli have mostly mid-table teams coming up.

Juventus:

Inter (A)
Bologna (H)
Roma (A)
Verona (H)

Napoli:

Fiorentina (A)
Torino (H)
Sampdoria (A)
Crotone (H)

[SincereTheRebel]

Insigne wouldn't be able to hold the coppa given its three times the size of him.

[SvN]

I see that Big Sam has got Everton up to 8th, when they were 18th when he took over. Yet all I seem to hear are Everton fans moaning and giving him stick. Am I missing something?

[Jimmy Floyd]

There isn't a club in the land whose supporters won't turn against Allardyce, Pulis, McCarthy (Mourinho...) once the initial objective for getting them in has been achieved. People simply don't want to watch functional football.

[SvN]

They were a right state under Koeman this season. An incorrect appointment would've seen them in a relegation battle. Entitled twats.

[Shindig]

There isn't a club in the land whose supporters won't turn against Allardyce, Pulis, McCarthy (Mourinho...) once the initial objective for getting them in has been achieved. People simply don't want to watch functional football.

They want to be entertained ... but not by the opposition. Pity the run's stopped for us. I would've liked to have seen us get as close to Burnley as humanly possible. What a sentence.

[niko_cee]

They were a right state under Koeman this season. An incorrect appointment would've seen them in a relegation battle. Entitled twats.

It wouldn't have because there is just too much dross in the league for that, sadly.

You're venturing into 4 points from 8 games country with that line of thinking.

[SvN]

I don't think so. They were 18th and 14 games into the season. My brother's a season ticket holder and he said the consensus was that were seriously in trouble.

[phonics]

They were 13th so I'm not sure how aware of the situation your brother could have been. Allardyce does this at every place he's at I swear. I remember ScousePig claiming he'd done the greatest job of all time by taking them from 18th to staying up by a point in 17th with only 30 games in charge. King of lowering expectations.

[Browning]

They were definitely 18th when Koeman left:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/41683786

Edit- though that was only 9 games in so I guess they could have been higher once Sam got there.

[SvN]

Looks like they were 18th when he took over, but he was in the stands for the first game (which they won and it took them up to 13th).

I'm not entirely sure what that has to do with what my brother said though. He just said that the people around him were preparing for a relegation battle.

[phonics]

Because people are idiots that don't realise that 28 games of a 38 game season is quite a large amount of points and get freaked out by the media telling them they're IN CRISIS. David Unsworth could have been put in charge all season and they'd have finished around Newcastle. We're less than 3 wins away from Tottenham despite playing like dogshit all year, the entire league is dross.

[SvN]

Tell that to Southampton fans. All season I've been hearing how they have too much quality to go down. Reality has hit them in the last few weeks.

[Baz]

This gonna be the thread of the biggest fame of the season, or has someone got a Europe thread planned?

Either way: :youpi:

Salah to score 4.

[Shindig]

Tell that to Southampton fans. All season I've been hearing how they have too much quality to go down. Reality has hit them in the last few weeks.

I'm sure I probably said it in 2009.

[phonics]

This gonna be the thread of the biggest fame of the season, or has someone got a Europe thread planned?

Either way: :youpi:

Salah to score 4.

You could make one