December Football

[-james-]

Let's just do a thread for the whole month because the board is dead and I can't see there being someone to make a fresh thread every two days.



05 December Burnley - Liverpool
05 December Fulham - Leicester City
05 December Wolverhampton Wanderers - Chelsea
05 December Everton - Newcastle United
05 December Manchester United - Arsenal
05 December Tottenham Hotspur - Southampton
-
08 December AFC Bournemouth - Liverpool
08 December Arsenal - Huddersfield Town
08 December Burnley - Brighton & Hove Albion
08 December Cardiff City - Southampton
08 December Manchester United - Fulham
08 December West Ham United - Crystal Palace
08 December Chelsea - Manchester City
08 December Leicester City - Tottenham Hotspur
09 December Newcastle United - Wolverhampton Wanderers
10 December Everton - Watford
-
15 December Manchester City - Everton
15 December Crystal Palace - Leicester City
15 December Huddersfield Town - Newcastle United
15 December Tottenham Hotspur - Burnley
15 December Watford - Cardiff City
15 December Wolverhampton Wanderers - AFC Bournemouth
15 December Fulham - West Ham United
16 December Brighton & Hove Albion - Chelsea
16 December Southampton - Arsenal
16 December Liverpool - Manchester United
-
21 December Wolverhampton Wanderers - Liverpool
22 December Arsenal - Burnley
22 December AFC Bournemouth - Brighton & Hove Albion
22 December Chelsea - Leicester City
22 December Huddersfield Town - Southampton
22 December Manchester City - Crystal Palace
22 December Newcastle United - Fulham
22 December West Ham United - Watford
22 December Cardiff City - Manchester United
23 December Everton - Tottenham Hotspur
-
26 December Fulham - Wolverhampton Wanderers
26 December Burnley - Everton
26 December Crystal Palace - Cardiff City
26 December Leicester City - Manchester City
26 December Liverpool - Newcastle United
26 December Manchester United - Huddersfield Town
26 December Tottenham Hotspur - AFC Bournemouth
26 December Brighton & Hove Albion - Arsenal
26 December Watford - Chelsea
27 December Southampton - West Ham United
-
29 December Brighton & Hove Albion - Everton
29 December Fulham - Huddersfield Town
29 December Leicester City - Cardiff City
29 December Tottenham Hotspur - Wolverhampton Wanderers
29 December Watford - Newcastle United
29 December Liverpool - Arsenal
30 December Crystal Palace - Chelsea
30 December Burnley - West Ham United
30 December Southampton - Manchester City
30 December Manchester United - AFC Bournemouth
-
01 January Everton - Leicester City
01 January Arsenal - Fulham
01 January Cardiff City - Tottenham Hotspur
02 January AFC Bournemouth - Watford
02 January Chelsea - Southampton
02 January Huddersfield Town - Burnley
02 January West Ham United - Brighton & Hove Albion
02 January Wolverhampton Wanderers - Crystal Palace
02 January Newcastle United - Manchester United
03 January Manchester City - Liverpool

[Mazuuurk]

There's January football in there. But you called the thread December football.

What is wrong with you?

[niko_cee]

Complete overhaul for Liverpool much vaunted, but misfiring, front three.

Can't see this ending all that well.

[Jimmy Floyd]

We are going to get a thundercunting from City at the weekend. They will have to play very poorly not to hit five or six. Our back of midfield and centre backs basically don't exist against teams with pace and guile, and Sarri is incapable of changing even a single thing about how we play.

[niko_cee]

Also, forshame on you for omitting the World Club Cup or whatever it is called these days, where, as the local paper informed me this morning, Guernsey FC's all time leading goalscorer (Ross Allen) might be getting a game for the Wellington mob.

[Giggles]

The threat title was crying out to be 'Festivr Football', especially with January included.

[Ian]

After 5 just wasn't enough against Southampton I hope to see more central midfielders in our formation today. Maybe 8, with Shaw and Young on the flanks.

[Waffdon]

We are going to get a thundercunting from City at the weekend. They will have to play very poorly not to hit five or six. Our back of midfield and centre backs basically don't exist against teams with pace and guile, and Sarri is incapable of changing even a single thing about how we play.

Pretty sure he’s just going to have Fabregas in the middle being an even bigger slouch than Jorginho. Poor Kante.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Darmian, how wonderful.

[Ian]

Doesn't matter, Bailly is BACK.

[Shindig]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/46451720

Oh, the takeover talks are real.

[SvN]

5 at the back again. Kill me.

[Baz]

A good few years ago I’d have contemplated watching United-Arsenal over Burnley-Liverpool but there’s not a cat in hells chance nowadays. I’d rather watch my daughter play with a broken lightbulb than watch United.

[Ian]

5 at the back again. Kill me.

At least its five defenders this time. Well, four and Darmian.

It'll be nice to see the specialists fail at defending instead of makeshifts.

[Mike]

Salah on the bench and no Mane at all for Liverpool

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Darmian's a good defender, isn't he.

Savage is either on the sauce or he's attempting satire.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

De Gea :cab:

[Ian]

:face:

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

How do Iwobi and Holding let that trickle to Tony?

[phonics]

As if Arsenal were actually going to go in to half time a goal up.

[Lewis]

There is an obvious lack of QUALITY, but United look to have some sort of idea and structure here for once, so maybe Paulp Ogba can follow his mate out the door.

[Ian]

What the fuck is this game.

[Lewis]

Everything about Marcos Rojo ought to make him Jose Mourinho's favourite player, but then you remember he is a mental.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Sokratis :lol:

Or even Kolasinac.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Sarri will be gone by March, bloke doesn't have a clue.

[Shindig]

Well, I'd take a point from that, given how poor we were on Saturday. No ground lost to the bottom three.

[Lewis]

Sarriball mate Sarriball.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Sarriball mate Sarriball.

I saw a prominent person on Chelsea Twitter the other day decry the lack of 'young Registas' available for us to sign around Europe, nearly punched myself in the face.

[phonics]

The worst 2-2 ever?

[Lewis]

I saw a prominent person on Chelsea Twitter the other day decry the lack of 'young Registas' available for us to sign around Europe, nearly punched myself in the face.

Remain means Remain.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Sarri will be gone by March, bloke doesn't have a clue.

He'd make the team so much better if he just let Kante play deep.

The position he's a world beater in.

[Jimmy Floyd]

He's been questioned on this numerous times, and he just has tantrums and says you need someone with 'technical ability' to play centrally (by which he means slow and white). I don't know if he's just arrived on a time-travelling Lambretta from the midst of the 1981/82 Serie A season, but I'm pretty sure that physically dynamic players with some defensive capability have been known to play at the back of midfield.

Hazard has seriously papered over the cracks, but we're still on course to finish 6th even with him.

[SincereTheRebel]

Wolves pulling it out when they needed it most.

[niko_cee]

The worst 2-2 ever?

It was fucking quality.

What's the score with that Lascazette business? Is he not allowed to do that? Burnley guy against Liverpool can kick it out of "arguably" the goalkeepers two hands but you can't do head it out of one? They didn't address it on MotD so I assume it is 100% not allowed nowadays, which is, by the way, a travesty. What's the world coming to?

[Gray Fox]

You cant take it off the keeper when he has control of the ball or impede him in throwing or kicking it. Thanks to Thierry Henry we now know control extends all the way to getting rid of the ball.

Playground rules say one hand is not control but they don't carry on to the serious stuff. They Burnley goal would have been an interesting case for VAR to look at.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I've just been roped in (by an old family friend who won a charity auction to this effect) to have dinner with Norman Hunter and Ron 'Chopper' Harris. I don't know if I should be delighted or terrified at this prospect.

[SincereTheRebel]

Didnt you say you're an umpire? Those type of diner events sounds perfect for you lad. Eating prawn sandwiches with a team full of weirdo's. Boring as fuck.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Perceptive as always, Sincere.

I also hadn't noticed that almost the whole round of Ligue 1 has been cancelled. lol at the French.

[Disco]

There will come a point (fairly early on if you're anything like me) when it just turns into a dinner with two old men who need the money.

[niko_cee]

In my mind this is Jimmy, his mate, and those two around a cosy bistro table, an that's how it's going to stay.

[bruhnaldo]

Inter and Juventus on at the moment for those inclined

[Jimmy Floyd]

Watching West Brom, Harvey Barnes looks way too good for this league, both in terms of electric physicality and finesse. Will be around the England squad by the next tournament.

[phonics]

Watching West Brom, Harvey Barnes looks way too good for this league, both in terms of electric physicality and finesse. Will be around the England squad by the next tournament.

My Dad refuses to rate any of the youth players (I know this ones on loan) after Chelsea and Tottenham stole the last group and never played them. Izzy Brown, the highest rated of them, left a month after making his debut at West Brom and becoming the second youngest player to ever play a Premier League match. Izzy Brown is still only 21 and on his 5th loan spell in as many years. Having only made over 15 appearances in a season twice (4 years ago).

[Lewis]

United should be winning those home games against shit teams, but that Cardiff away is a late kick-off, which means them and their assembled crowd of retards being UP FOR IT and getting at least a draw (then losing their next ten), and 'Rafa' is probably already planning an ambush. The less said about Liverpool the better. If the club suddenly reversed its approach towards the immediacy of modern life then matey could find himself in a bit of trouble.

[Jimmy Floyd]

United is a weird one. At the start of last season they looked and felt ready to at least mix it with 'Pep' and his possession-having acolytes, and now here they are, after not really losing anyone, slotting in behind Eddie Howe's AFC Bournemouth as we enter December.

[Lewis]

It is an odd one, hence the weekly NARRATIVE switches between only needing a bit more QUALITY in key areas to needing ten new players, and it all being on the manager to him doing his best between Chris Smalling and a clueless board. I'm not even sure where I stand at this exact moment in time.

[Mazuuurk]

One thing I definitely feel with United right now - which I can't explain very well - is that I'm not sure how good most of the players in the team actually are.

Yeah, we know what Fellaini can and cannot do, pretty much, and some others like Mata, Young, Matic, Smalling probably. And De Gea is just outstanding regardless.

But the others you have an idea, but I just can't tell if "this is it, they aren't actually that good" or they have much more to give - Pogba (great for France), Martial (who comes and goes but constantly seems underrated), Lindelöf (great for Sweden), Rashford (I dunno, poor mans Owen?), Bailly, Matic (is he just past it? he looked like signing of the season last year), Fred (wait, he's started like 4 games)...

[niko_cee]

United have got as much chance of getting a good result against Liverpool as they have of beating any of the other assembled crap they have to face in the next few weeks.

Grind it out, hope Liverpool freeze as they have become prone to in the fixture, and have one of their 1 in 10 spaztards turn up for the day.

On the flipside, Mitrovic and co could cause all sorts of havoc tomorrow.

[niko_cee]

Quality handball effort from Jay 'not a racist, honest' Rodriguez there, think he managed to get both arms in on the act.

[Kikó]

United are shit and full of lazy turds. The coaching is clearly abysmal but most of them have zero professional pride.

[bruhnaldo]

One thing I definitely feel with United right now - which I can't explain very well - is that I'm not sure how good most of the players in the team actually are.

Apparently I agree with you:

WDYTOE - Man United

David de Gea - Outstanding human, prone to silly error once every 5 matches.
Victor Lindelöf - Inconsistent as fuck, looks lost a majority of the time for the club but makes a nice tackle every now and then that makes you think "oh wait maybe he's finally coming good?"
Eric Bailly - Seems to be hurt more than not. An absolute fucking madman which at times is awesome but at others fucks us up entirely.
Phil Jones - Bless his heart
Paul Pogba - Needs to move on. It's just not going to happen at United, is it? At least we tried.
Alexis Sánchez - I've maintained he's been shit for years and nothing is going to change that fact.
Juan Mata - Should be playing for Valencia again let's be real.
Romelu Lukaku - What's happened to you, son? At the World Cup all I could think of was thank fuck we've already spent millions on this lad he'd be worth 10x that now.
Marcus Rashford - The flashes of brilliance come and go. I don't really know what to think anymore. Was surprised he was given the #10 tbqh.
Anthony Martial - I fucking love Anthony Martial and can't say a bad word about him.
Chris Smalling - My boy you try so so so hard but it's time to fuck off to West Ham or something.
Lee Grant - Enjoy your wages, papa.
Jesse Lingard - Never understood the hype but love the little fucker anyways. Used to bemoan he only scored 1 in every 30 appearances and then he said "no really, watch how I only score 1 in 26" just to piss me off. Sweet dance moves though.
Andreas Pereira - Who fucking knows? I've never seen it but apparently it exists. It being immense talent.
Marcos Rojo - Psycho like Bailly but 10x less talented. Not a bad squad player I reckon.
Fred - See Andreas Pereira.
Ashley Young - Greatest crosser of a football of his generation. Stand up individual. Should've been knighted but Harry Kane can't score sitters in the World Cup the fucking prick.
Diogo Dalot - Too early to tell but did well in the couple appearances I've seen.
Ander Herrera - Great rotational player. Has a nice eye for a slick pass every now and then.
Sergio Romero - lol ok
Luke Shaw - Love the lad. Hopefully he keeps progressing.
Timothy Fosu-Mensah - Nah.
Antonio Valencia(c) - Probably should've moved on by now tbh but he's a good rotational player to have when fit.
Marouane Fellaini - One of the greatest midfielders of all time if you really think about it.
Nemanja Matić - His debut was amazing and then it's been basically shit ever since.
Matteo Darmian - Why are you still here lad?
Axel Tuanzebe - Who knows?
Scott McTominay - I really have no idea what he does well.
Joel Castro Pereira - I like this guy but anyways who really cares


If you actually read any of this thanks for helping me kill my last 15 minutes at work xx

[Lewis]

Something like that. You want to sympathise with Mourinho, because he is still a massive legend, but doing things like playing Scott McTominay in defence to prove some sort of point, or setting up with six defenders because two attackers are out, robs him of any potential goodwill. 'LvG' used similar circumstances to bring the likes of Marcus Rashford through. If you knew your defensive options were toilet why not keep Axel Tuanzebe around as a project?

[igor_balis]

Rodriquez :happycry:

[Kikó]

Watch Too good to go down on BT, https://youtu.be/nBM_bzgw6QE

[Jimmy Floyd]

Now I think about it, wasting so much of their budget on Sanchez was the mistake. I have no idea why they had to do that. It seems to stand completely against the moneywank way that Ed Woodward seems to do the rest of his business as well.

I think the answer is they've got a massive complex about Manchester City being the city's leading club now.

[phonics]

United should be winning those home games against shit teams, but that Cardiff away is a late kick-off, which means them and their assembled crowd of retards being UP FOR IT and getting at least a draw (then losing their next ten), and 'Rafa' is probably already planning an ambush. The less said about Liverpool the better. If the club suddenly reversed its approach towards the immediacy of modern life then matey could find himself in a bit of trouble.

Even at Arsene's lowest ebb when fans were refusing to show up having paid for the tickets in their tens of thousands, those that did bother to show up saw 21 wins, 4 draws and 3 losses. The sheer amount of draws is just a disgrace and that's the manager.

When you have a shit (whether through quality or tactics) defense the best form of it is attack where you've got a couple of hundred quid invested in just two of them. You've got 8 creative/attacking players that individually would all be parts of almost every other squad at their level or dragging a smaller team up the table.

The problem you arrive at is that Mourinho is known for showing you how to prevent mistakes and breakdowns in play, not attack, so you just get 6 players forming a low block out of possession and standing idle about their positions when in possession so Pogba ends up dribbling into the opposition man or it gets pinged forward.

Not to suck Unai Emery off but the big difference between the time we shall refer to as 'Wengers Brown Period' and now is that when playing around the d of the penalty area, they still switch it round side to side and I want to die at the pointlessness of it but now each time one player receives the ball, 3 sprint into a new position at the same time and eventually it ends up in a ball across the 6 yard box and a tap-in. We stopped scoring cutbacks for years and I always wondered why the opposition was in position for them. Now I see it's because they only had to cover one type of runner.

But yeah at the end of the day it's also a bit of what Kiko says a la lazy turds and a Harry Redknapp tactics talk to "fucking run around a bit".

I think United are lowest in the league in sprints per match and distance covered.

[Lewis]

That is a bit telling that one, since, defensive structure or not, even he can't be sending the side out with instructions to just amble around like wankers.

I think weirdly everything being so bollocks this season gives him a better case for more TIME than if they had just bored their way into second or third again, since it has lifted the stone and revealed all the shambolic goings on that you never heard about last season.

[phonics]

It's rip the plaster off time.

[Jimmy Floyd]

For absolutely years before Mourinho was appointed I (wrongly, as it turned out) said they would never appoint him in a million years, for the simple reason that they are just too big for him. That isn't to say he isn't one of the best managers of all time, because he is, but he's a guerrilla manager. He's like one of those charismatic revolutionary leaders of the past. He needs to be the biggest show in town and he needs to mould his players completely around the fact that he is the biggest show in town. It's no coincidence that he then falls to bits once he has shoved his initial bayonet into the bourgeoisie, because people then want to live happily ever after, and how can you live happily ever after with Che Guevara as mayor?

It's no good him being at a club, like Real Madrid or Manchester United, where he is not bigger than the club. Chelsea 1 was so perfect for him because the club hadn't won the title for 50 years, a perfect nemesis in Wenger was there to be shot at, and so he had complete freedom (helped by cash) to shape this immense team. Porto was the same, albeit he probably did the best job of all there because he had to build himself up as well.

At modern United - let's call it post-Ferguson United - he is not the biggest thing at the club because the biggest thing at United is money and marketing. Football exists to serve those things (not so at City - football exists only to serve itself at the glory of Abu Dhabi) and I imagine they are keeping him around at the moment because he's a famous name and he keeps them talked about. If it was David Moyes producing the same results he would be out. They probably look around, think 'hey, there's no one as big as Jose on the market' and say whatever, we'll come 4th or 6th and try again next year. The problem is that it won't get better next year, not only because City will probably now win 5-7 in a row easily, but because Mourinho won't change. He is what he is. He'd be awesome if he went somewhere like West Ham and got given no cash. Wolves would be amazing with him, a whole Brexit-voting, shithole city rallying behind him, and dirty money on top of that. He'd probably come as close to City there as he would with United.

I've done a lot of reading into Clough recently and there are so many parallels it's almost spooky. I suppose the main difference was that Clough had been a good player and so didn't harbour the complete resentment against the universe that Mourinho does.

As for United's side, they really should cut ties and find their Klopp, someone of a lesser existing stature who fits in with the ethos of the club and can grow back with them. I don't know who that is but he's out there somewhere. This won't happen because the Woodward club exists only as a brand, and Woodward himself strikes me as a man on an ego trip.

[Lewis]

If Smallpockets is available then fine, chuck him; but otherwise they might as well just install the Director of Football (or whatever they call them now) that they need anyway and let the two of them burn through a load more cash.

[Jimmy Floyd]

They have been owned by Americans for over a decade, if they were going to have a GM they would have hired one by now. Woodward is playing at being one.

The Glazers are probably the root of it all, actually, because they don't provide any meaningful leadership, nor does Woodward, and so all the extra-curriculars that Ferguson used to bring off the pitch (never mind on it) have just melted away.

[SincereTheRebel]

Wolves would be amazing with him, a whole Brexit-voting, shithole city rallying behind him, and dirty money on top of that.

Better check your tone lad.

[Kikó]

The Glazers are probably the root of it all, actually, because they don't provide any meaningful leadership, nor does Woodward, and so all the extra-curriculars that Ferguson used to bring off the pitch (never mind on it) have just melted away.

Ding ding.

Ultimately it's Ferguson's fault for losing his focus and falling into an argument over a horse.

Liked your post about Mourinho. The team are protected by the brand (of likes and shares) so in the summer when Mourinho tried to be the boss, Woodward should have either backed him or sacked him. His genius was improving Mourinho's contract and then undermining him.

The players not running is a complete disgrace and there's nothing likeable about any of them.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Better check your tone lad.

Have you seen Wolves Twitter? It's amazing, they make Mendes out to be a benevolent messiah.

[Mike]

Super James Milner is playing right back this week. He’s amazing.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I would have agreed with you, but Klopp repeatedly called him 'Milly' in pre match interview and that has ruined both their legacies.

[Mike]

Salah is just messing about on his third. What a player!

[Mike]

Top!

[Shindig]

Cheers, Mourinho. Keep Fulham down there.

[John Arne]

Persebaya Surabaya fans lighting it up this evening...

1071408724009353216

[randomlegend]

Dalot is brilliant, he'll be one of the best full-backs of the next 10 years.

[Lewis]

Mourinho freezing Paulp Ogba out and saving the season would be pretty hilarious.

[John Arne]

Sancho scores again in the Revierderby

https://gyazo.com/1996bd1a4398554c7d5f2b4c0047c91e.gif

[Lewis]

Revierderby mate.

[John Arne]

cut and paste mate

[Jimmy Floyd]

I'm sure I spend my whole life looking at videos of various Premier League princes across the water scoring in ever more prestigious German derbies. Imagine the sort of damage Theo Walcott would have wreaked on a loan spell at Stuttgart in 05/06.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

997 minutes.

[Disco]

One vaguely decent showing at the World Cup and suddenly we're exporting total football to continent.

[randomlegend]

Terrible refereeing is back it seems. Neither a penalty against Herrera, nor a second yellow for Anguissa.

[Shindig]

Aye, we should've shifted Rolando Aarons to Schalke.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I'm an Arsenal winner away from my biggest accumulator for years coming in, so no doubt they've all been on the laughing gas at half time.

[Lewis]

Dalot is brilliant, he'll be one of the best full-backs of the next 10 years.

I would like to see him hold up the play a bit more and start kicking it straight into the first man.

[Danny]

if it makes you feel any better he has given it away a few times when trying to pass inside?

Rashford has a very good game today. Needs to finish other chance he had though.

[randomlegend]

Fulham are genuinely fucking awful, Sessegnon should get out ASAP.

[Danny]

I'm an Arsenal winner away from my biggest accumulator for years coming in, so no doubt they've all been on the laughing gas at half time.

Go on then. How much?

[SvN]

I was waiting on Arsenal too. Norwich nearly fucked me, but they redeemed themselves. I won £260ish.

[Boydy]

Sheffield Wednesday dicked me over by failing to beat Rotherham. Useless wankers.

[Giggles]

Sheffield Wednesday dicked me over by failing to beat Rotherham. Useless wankers.

Richie 'Richard' Towell :cool:

[Shindig]

Warnock keeping a side up might split the universe in two.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Go on then. How much?

Five hundred, although there was a subplot in which Norwich fucked it by dropping a last minute equaliser, only to unfuck it again via Teemu Pukki deep in added on time. I'll be sending 50% of the winnings to Pen.

Like SvN then, but probably with a more irresponsible stake.

[Pen]

Pukki bring great this season has been superb for our national team. Would love to see Norwich come up so we could have a player in the Premier league again.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Not the foggiest how we've mugged them off there, but regardless, stick it up your jumper 'Pep'.

[Lewis]

In reference to the BT Sport debate, in which Robbie Savage appears to have cursed them, I reckon a few previous title winners - namely Ronaldo-led United and the first Mourinho Chelsea team, but also the Arsenal Invincibles - would munch this City team eight times out of ten. I think even the Liverpool side that went close in 2009 would do them most weeks as well. City are ace, but every 'Pep' team is getatable if you can defend and have an outlet. None of those were.

[Gray Fox]

Pep has been able to walk his way to titles by consistently beating the shitters and binmen of the league he's in. For example it doesn't matter if Dortmund would have beaten him in Germany as he'd just win the next 10 games anyway. That, he is very good at.

[niko_cee]

City are quite reliant on their old guard, particularly Aguero and Fernandinho. They really miss actual forwards when they don't play any, which makes Pep's initial anti-Aguero witch-hunt all the more lol. Shame he didn't succeed really.

They can weather virtually every other absence fairly seamlessly, but they're so much sharper and more of a threat with Aguero in the side. Jesus never seems to have taken off despite obviously being quite good.

[mugbull]

Lol. City are so much better than every Manchester United team there ever was.

[Shindig]

https://www.dreamteamfc.com/c/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2017/03/United_1998.jpg

[Giggles]

Who's between Sheringham and Irwin? Blomqvist (as I don't see Giggs)?

[Shindig]

That's who I reckon as well. I just picked a side from the treble season but not the whole squad. There's no Cole in that picture either.

[niko_cee]

I think I voted for the Invincible Arsenal team in the BBC vote on the matter (https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/45759826) but that 98/99 United side was pretty decent as well.

Current City are the closest to CM-style perfection though.

[Shindig]

It just heightens the importance of a manager and a focal point on the pitch, really. Real minus Zidane and Ronaldo, PSG with their expensive ensemble cast being undone by mercenary managers, Barca losing the engine room of Xavi and Iniesta, etc.

[Lewis]

United 1998/99 would more than likely be given the runaround, since they were hardly the most sophisticated side (not that anybody was back then), but the 2007/08 team would defend them to death and then run them over.

[Spikey M]

Can't wait for SUPER SUNDAY today.

[SincereTheRebel]

Noticed that ross barkley has removed his arm tattoos. I seem to picture him with a large neck tattoo but I cant find any evidence of it.



http://beta.ems.ladbiblegroup.com/s3/content/808x455/e6d5dee05bce82a7be34997e6771ed23.png

[SvN]

Yeah, I remember reading about it a few months ago. Apparently he's been covering them up for years because he was so embarrassed by them.

[SincereTheRebel]

Sounds like the right thing to do.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Dimitar Berbatov is on Goals on Sunday and is wonderfully entertaining. He said earlier that Guendouzi 'pissed him off' due to being good at 19, and the presenters had to jump in apologising for foul language. Ofcom can fuck right off, such a load of shit.

[SincereTheRebel]

I wouldn't say Guendouzi is good. He just seems completely average to me. He does nothing great. He is just Wilshere with locks.

[Jimmy Floyd]

He's playing regularly for one of the top Premier League clubs, I'd say he's quite good.

[Lewis]

Berbatoss. :cool:

They would have won the 2011/12 title had he not been weirdly sidelined for Danny fucking Welbeck.

[phonics]

Sterlings made a statement about the racist stuff yesterday and The Sun have cropped out about 3/4s of it that talks about the media's role in it all.

[phonics]

Dimitar Berbatov is on Goals on Sunday and is wonderfully entertaining. He said earlier that Guendouzi 'pissed him off' due to being good at 19, and the presenters had to jump in apologising for foul language. Ofcom can fuck right off, such a load of shit.

I twitter searched this for a clip and I did not know there are scores of people VERY ANGRY at goals on sunday all the time. Like one of every team accusing them of bias.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Football twitter is absolutely septic. Worse than politics twitter. Fans of every club (right down to tiny tinpot teams in League Two) think there is a massive media conspiracy against them. They always support the club propaganda unit against journalists (no matter what).

'Same old, same old: there's one rule for Swindon Town, one rule for everyone else :rolleyes:'

I think the worst club twitters I have seen are Leeds (vile people), Wolves, and probably Brentford (smug cunts on the horrendous losing run they so richly deserve).

[igor_balis]

I'm so glad I grew out of that. Until I was about 16 I was similarly convinced the media/referees/whoever were out to get West Brom, then realised nobody gives a fuck about West Brom.

[Shindig]

Well, that's kinda shit. With a full squad, we probably go on to win that.

[SincereTheRebel]

Doherty is the best right wing back that ever lived.

[Spikey M]

Football twitter is absolutely septic. Worse than politics twitter. Fans of every club (right down to tiny tinpot teams in League Two) think there is a massive media conspiracy against them. They always support the club propaganda unit against journalists (no matter what).

'Same old, same old: there's one rule for Swindon Town, one rule for everyone else :rolleyes:'

I think the worst club twitters I have seen are Leeds (vile people), Wolves, and probably Brentford (smug cunts on the horrendous losing run they so richly deserve).

The worst are Liverpool and Arsenal by a comfortable margin.

Liverpool Twitted invented the victim complex and taught it to the rest of them. Arsenal Twitter is bi-polar. All of them.

[SvN]

Someone I went to uni with was absolutely 100% adamant that the FA, and by extension the refs, had an agenda against Villa. If you queried it, he'd speak to you as if you were a total mentalist for not agreeing with him.

Watching a Villa match in the same room as him was a nightmare. Every decision or goal that went against them was "absolutely ridiculous". If a replay showed it to be right, then the argument would change to "What about 6 weeks ago when we didn't get a similar decision?". I haven't spoken to him in about 5 years, so I've no idea if being relegated has made him worse or made him chill out a bit.

[Lewis]

Chelsea Twitter is probably the worst these days. The Arsenal lot are finally happy; United are resigned to just talking Dave Gayer up and moaning; City Twitter is staffed entirely by thirteen year olds and 'Pep' fan accounts; and the Scousers bring too much of their general insufferableness into it to condemn them merely on football grounds. Meanwhile, the Chelsea accounts all seem to operate from the same script, presumably because they're all the work of a particular sort of identikit tosser called Rich/Will/Sam.

[phonics]

I’m watching the ‘Copa’ and the 5 minutes of extra time I’ve seen means I’m going to declare River the better team.

[phonics]

I posted that before they scored.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Chelsea Twitter is probably the worst these days. The Arsenal lot are finally happy; United are resigned to just talking Dave Gayer up and moaning; City Twitter is staffed entirely by thirteen year olds and 'Pep' fan accounts; and the Scousers bring too much of their general insufferableness into it to condemn them merely on football grounds. Meanwhile, the Chelsea accounts all seem to operate from the same script, presumably because they're all the work of a particular sort of identikit tosser called Rich/Will/Sam.

I find Chelsea twitter to be full of straight up weirdos. It's a bit like Arsenal Twitter circa 2010, but with fewer ethnic minorities.

[Lewis]

They seem to have declared victory on the Eden Hazard issue, so they've all moved on to a concerted effort to boast the best 'keeper in the league. Speaking of which, I like the style of this Boca maniac between the sticks.

[Disco]

I’m watching the ‘Copa’ and the 5 minutes of extra time I’ve seen means I’m going to declare River the better team.

The extra player helps.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Our keeper (he has no name) is quite fun but he isn't better than De Gea.

The Hazard issue remains but Kanté signing a five year deal was a pleasant surprise. I thought twatalona would be in for him.

[phonics]

Our keeper (he has no name) is quite fun but he isn't better than De Gea.

The Hazard issue remains but Kanté signing a five year deal was a pleasant surprise. I thought twatalona would be in for him.

Top man Kante wouldn't accept their tax arrangements.

[phonics]

The extra player helps.

And they still nearly made me look like a dick when they suddenly let Boca back into it and they hit the post.

[Lewis]

Kante is a mug. When he ends up kipping on floors like Emmanuel Eboue he deserves no sympathy whatsoever.

[mugbull]

Are you serious?

[Jimmy Floyd]

The theory goes we're overpaying to nail down our players because we (and Manchester City) have hefty transfer bans incoming.

[Shindig]

That'd be great. It's a shame neither side has a monopoly on young talent to fall back on.

[SincereTheRebel]

Chelsea have 813 players out on loan. Surely the next John Terry is on their books somewhere..

[Mazuuurk]

I always used to think Sterling was a massive little twat before but I like him more and more as he seems to mature.

[Spikey M]

Fair play to him for calling the media on their shit. It's ridiculous the way he is portrayed.

[phonics]

Fair play to him for calling the media on their shit. It's ridiculous the way he is portrayed.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DuCYizkW4AA2thQ.jpg

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DtjvNANXQAEiYtn.jpg

Same bloke less than a week apart. Incredible.

[John Arne]

I keep reading that this is "normal" and "it never disappeared"... if that's the case (it may well be), why wasn't Martin Samuel writing about it last week?

[Disco]

I'll never understand how people can generate so much hatred over a game of football.

[Baz]

Raheeeeeeem!

Bloody love that little rascal.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I'll never understand how people can generate so much hatred over a game of football.

Football just seems to have a natural culture of violent aggression. You can see it at any level of the game. Look what we all subject referees to just for making a vague attempt to do their job.

I've always thought it's because it's a working class game and often all people have in their lives, but there are other working class games which seem to manage ok.

[Spikey M]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DuCYizkW4AA2thQ.jpg

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DtjvNANXQAEiYtn.jpg

Same bloke less than a week apart. Incredible.

Huh?

[Lewis]

It seems like a bit of a non sequitur to me. The media bullshit around him can still be bullshit without necessarily being to blame for that bloke there showing himself up. Something tells me he is not a particularly well-adjusted individual away from the sidelines.

[Jimmy Floyd]

If he didn't read the Daily Sun he would be a nobel laureate and UN peace ambassador. The press has corrupted his views.

[John]

False start in the Everton game. This already feels like a refereeing performance worth watching.

[niko_cee]

Good call.

Another officiating horror show which only hastens the approach of the VARpocalypse. Offside goal, probably should have sent Mina off at the end there. Oh dear.

[niko_cee]

That one's on me Everton, forgot to move Foster off the bench for my fantasy team.

[niko_cee]

Kabisele must have had a fairly big lay on his own team tonight.

What a div.

For all the promise Everton have apparently been showing this season they weren't half dreadful tonight, and, I assume, probably the other night as well.

[Lewis]

I expect to see a ten minute emergency broadcast of this Sky Sports racism debate across all available channels. Hopefully Richard Keys and Andy Gray have a crack at calling him a soft cunt who should go home if he has a problem.

[niko_cee]

Gary Neville was well and truly disappearing down the rabbit hole at points during his monologue.

Racist abuse, Brexit, did he get the rise of Trump in there?

[Jimmy Floyd]

Gary Neville monologues are the low point of current national life.

[Lewis]

He very probably started it all himself with the dismissive tone he took towards foreign muck displacing good, honest bread and butter in ordinary, decent restaurants.

[Lewis]

Gary Neville monologues are the low point of current national life.

Steady on. James O'Brien.

[Jimmy Floyd]

James O'Brien is at least honest about his motives. Gary Neville is just this (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQDeU6dHX-c) twat writ massive.

[phonics]

James O'Brien is at least honest about his motives. Gary Neville is just this (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQDeU6dHX-c) twat writ massive.

fixed:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywsktRooBFc

[Lewis]

Oh yeah, Andy Tate has done a Christmas song.

[Mike]

All set for a big night at Anfield :cool2:

[John]

There was a difficult choice to be made between the Liverpool and Barcelona games until the commentators were displayed and the latter had Robbie Savage.

Noted FM hero Carles Aleña started for Barcelona though.

[Mazuuurk]

Not convinced Salah tried to score that one, reckon that was a botched cross.

[Gray Fox]

I can see this being 2-0 in the last 10 minutes with subs being sent on to shut up shop.

Great first 45 though. Salah is mugging off their left-back all over the place.

[Mike]

Mo Salah doesn’t botch!

[Jimmy Floyd]

Is 2-1 loss good enough for Napoli on head to head, or any win will do for Liverpool?

[Spoonsky]

2-1 is good enough for Napoli as the head to head counts away goals.

Is Mo Salah BACK?

[Pen]

I think Liverpool need 1-0 or if Napoli score, then a win by two to go through.

[Gray Fox]

Very much into, if Napoli score, we're fucked territory now.

[Mazuuurk]

What's Napolis obsession with having Premier League rejects in goal by the way?

[Mike]

Getting a bit scary this

[Mike]

Mane has his shoes on the wrong feet

[Mike]

Never in doubt!

[Gray Fox]

Whatever Alisson is on fucking triple it.

[SvN]

Whatever Alisson is on fucking triple it.
It was miss rather than a great save, despite the commentary team jizzing over their microphones. It was right at him.

[Lewis]

Plus he's a grown man with acne.

[mugbull]

Oh fuck yes. Had to miss the last half hour of the Spurs game due to work but just came back and i'm fucking cumming

[Mazuuurk]

It was miss rather than a great save, despite the commentary team jizzing over their microphones. It was right at him.

Agreed. He did about as well as any keeper can do in those situations I suppose, as in come out quick and get as close as possible to the striker. But at the end of the day Milik or whoever it was botched it really, he did a bad touch at first I think and should have been able to get a bit more angle on the shot really.

[Mazuuurk]

It seems so weird today that at one point in time, Milner was basically playing as some sort of Winger for Man City.

[niko_cee]

Whether the striker should do better or not, Allison has been the absolute difference in Liverpool's defensive output (and therefore team progress) this season, as Carragher tried to point out on Monday Night Football in between Gary Neville's state of the nation segments. He's made three or four match-winning/saving saves in the last week alone. I was a massive sceptic about spending all that money on him, but he's probably repaid at least half of it tonight. He's been immense.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I've always thought teams underspend on goalkeepers, especially when compared to flighty wingers and the like. A good keeper as opposed to Mignolet must be worth 8-10 league points in the average season.

[Spoonsky]

Whether the striker should do better or not, Allison has been the absolute difference in Liverpool's defensive output (and therefore team progress) this season, as Carragher tried to point out on Monday Night Football in between Gary Neville's state of the nation segments. He's made three or four match-winning/saving saves in the last week alone. I was a massive sceptic about spending all that money on him, but he's probably repaid at least half of it tonight. He's been immense.

Thought Van Dijk was brilliant tonight and in general. To me the difference between the first and second half of last season was much more dramatic than between last season and now. Allison is great but I thought we were quite solid defensively ever since Van Dijk came in, which people forget because of Karius-gate.

[Mike]

I think the biggest change with the keeper is I now have confidence we can keep a clean sheet against anyone. Last season we’d have won last night but it would have been a 5-3. Now we can win 1-0 and not have to worry about it.

[Baz]

Yeah having a goalkeeper is a lot better than just sticking a barber in net.

[Mellberg]

It seems so weird today that at one point in time, Milner was basically playing as some sort of Winger for Man City.

City didn't play to his strengths whatsoever. He played in centre mid for Villa and was an absolute sensation.

[Ian]

My abiding memory of Ye Olde Milner(e) is him being hooked for Wright-Phillips against the USA in 2010 for being a walking red card after about half an hour.

[phonics]

Glad both English teams went through last night. Might actually get a Europa win.

[SincereTheRebel]

Glad both English teams went through last night. Might actually get a Europa win.

Your mad as fuck, dont lie.

[phonics]

I'm far more annoyed at headlines like this to describe a 1-1 draw versus a second string Barcelona

https://i.imgur.com/A0WFVFB.png

[SincereTheRebel]

A second string barcelona team is still levels above any tottenham team in histyory lad.

[SincereTheRebel]

In relation to last nights results, who the fuck is the Napoli number 99? That is the second time I've seen him miss a one-on-one oppournunty that should have been scored in the last minute. Donnarumma made a super save against him last season fro point blank range.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0Xe3NhETZs

[mugbull]

A second string barcelona team is still levels above any tottenham team in histyory lad.

:D

Damn, tell me more

[Spoonsky]

In relation to last nights results, who the fuck is the Napoli number 99? That is the second time I've seen him miss a one-on-one oppournunty that should have been scored in the last minute. Donnarumma made a super save against him last season fro point blank range.

vid


That came to my mind too. Donnarumma's is a legitimately incredible save though. That probably won Juve the title last year.

[Giggles]

That went well.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-6488479/La-Liga-broadcaster-Eleven-Sports-close-UK-four-months.html

[Trancemeister]

Real Madrid - CSKA 0-3 :eek:

[Ian]

How crap a team have they put out for that to be happening?

[Lewis]

Left Ronaldo out.

[Lewis]

Why am I even watching this? Watching United is unbearable enough when the result supposedly matters.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Well Juventus are now losing so a win would put us top and get an 'easier' tie.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

That free kick by Sane :drool:

[Kikó]

I think I should just copy and paste this on a weekly basis but United are detestable. Some absolute turds in that team.

[Lewis]

That free kick by Sane :drool:

He got a bit of luck from the shittest wall ever assembled.

[randomlegend]

I think I should just copy and paste this on a weekly basis but United are detestable. Some absolute turds in that team.

This is honestly the worst Utd performance I've ever seen. Mourinho is the problem - I guarantee these players suddenly look 100x better under a progressive manager.

[Kikó]

They're all lazy fuckers and I'm not sure how much a new manager can teach them in terms of running. Mourinho needs to go obviously but the club is broken.

[randomlegend]

Also if he's going to treat this game as pointless - which he clearly has - why not at least give Garner or Greenwood a run out instead of subbing on FUCKING ASHLEY YOUNG.

I hate Mourinho.

[randomlegend]

They're all lazy fuckers and I'm not sure how much a new manager can teach them in terms of running. Mourinho needs to go obviously but the club is broken.

I simply don't believe it. I don't think Mourinho is coaching them to press like the other top teams are doing. He wants them to sit in, because that's how his teams have always done it.

Edit: calling us a top team lololol

[Kikó]

I refuse to believe they're all constant shit but they've been awful for nearly 7 years so can't really be too hopeful.

Good goal rashford.

[randomlegend]

And once again when we are down and actually start attacking we look quite good. It's so frustrating.

[bruhnaldo]

I think I should just copy and paste this on a weekly basis but United are detestable. Some absolute turds in that team.

It's literally unbearable to watch.

[Gray Fox]

This is all nicely leading towards an expertly managed 0-0 or 0-1 at Anfield and he keeps the job.

[Kikó]

I actually don't mind being shit. I just can't stand that we are bad because we are so poor in each game because they put in the bare minimum each time.

[Kikó]

This is all nicely leading towards an expertly managed 0-0 or 0-1 at Anfield and he keeps the job.

Lol no. 4-0 on Saturday.

[randomlegend]

I refuse to believe they're all constant shit but they've been awful for nearly 7 years so can't really be too hopeful.

Good goal rashford.

I still think the managers are to blame. They've all - in their own special ways - been completely terrible.

[bruhnaldo]

I actually don't mind being shit. I just can't stand that we are bad because we are so poor in each game because they put in the bare minimum each time.

This is exactly it.

I could deal with it if it seemed like they TRIED.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Can we all take a minute to lol at Juventus.

Losing 2-1 to Young Boys with this squad:

Szczesny
Cuadrado
Rugani
Bonucci
De Sciglio
Pjanic
Bentancur
Bernardeschi
Douglas Costa
Mandzukic
Cristiano Ronaldo

[Lewis]

I'm telling you there is massive scope for 'LvG' revisionism when you consider the absolute shit he had to work with. Mourinho would have melted down on the spot if he had had to field some of the makeshift sides that he did.

[randomlegend]

Out of the three LvG had the most potential to succeed given the time and investment, IMO.

Then again it was him who binned the Kroos deal after Moyes agreed it so maybe he is just as big a retard as the other two.

[Kikó]

It was HORRIBLE under van Gaal. Stop imagining something that wasn't there.

At least his post match was interesting.

[Lewis]

Yeah, it goes a bit 'Rafa' at Liverpool once you factor transfers in; but, like 'Rafa' at Liverpool, he probably had to spread what was available a bit more thinly than Mourinho has had to, so it was always going to be a bit hit and miss.

[Lewis]

Didn't he have the best record in the league in big games or something seriously lol like that? I don't think it's that wild to think that if he had been given three-hundred million to reinforce the squad with QUALITY after his FA Cup win that things might look a bit better than they do now.

[Ian]

I vaguely remember van Gael nailing it again at the rest of the top-whatever but shitting it against the... well.... shit.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Man management is a huge part of it rather than just whether the money has been spent well. You look at Klopp at Liverpool, and I'm not saying he's perfect, but they clearly all want to play for him. That sort of thing can make transfers look good.

[SincereTheRebel]

Man utd have won trophies under mourinho. Liverpool have won fuck all under klopp

[Kikó]

Yeah but it's been absolute torture. Even the Europa run was complete bollocks.

[SincereTheRebel]

Yeah but it's been absolute torture. Even the Europa run was complete bollocks.

And still you won. Klopp and liverpool are cetified losers and fail at the final hurdle multipe times.

[Baz]

He got a bit of luck from the shittest wall ever assembled.:confused: I didn’t see McTominay crouched behind it.

[Disco]

Oh no, my trophy wins aren't exciting enough.

[mugbull]

I've always thought that is such a weird way of judging success. The only competitions that really matter if you win (as an English team) are the Premier League and Champs league, with the FA Cup a distant 3rd. The League Cup isn't too much more relevant than the International Champions Cup they play over in the States in the off-season.

And as for the posterity argument, I guarantee more people will remember this Liverpool side - even if they win nothing - than the United side winning Europa or some other big team winning the FA Cup

[Waffdon]

Says the Spurs fan.

[mugbull]

I wouldn't give a shit if we won the Carabao Competition.

[niko_cee]

Klopp is currently on course to record the most points that Liverpool have ever amassed in the top division, and yet still probably won't win the thing.

Whereas a minor Cup win would make him a success.

Hmmm.

[Spikey M]

The League Cup isn't too much more relevant than the International Champions Cup they play over in the States in the off-season.


:cab:

[SincereTheRebel]

Oh no, my trophy wins aren't exciting enough.

This is coming from Man Utd fans. This is crazy.

[Kikó]

I enjoyed going to Wembley, Stockholm and Skopje but that doesn't mean the football wasn't anything but turd and laboured. You have to be able to enjoy it and not despise everyone involved.

[phonics]

I've always thought that is such a weird way of judging success. The only competitions that really matter if you win (as an English team) are the Premier League and Champs league, with the FA Cup a distant 3rd. The League Cup isn't too much more relevant than the International Champions Cup they play over in the States in the off-season.

And as for the posterity argument, I guarantee more people will remember this Liverpool side - even if they win nothing - than the United side winning Europa or some other big team winning the FA Cup

Losers will always say winning isn't important.

[Jimmy Floyd]

If you're a recent PL follower from abroad, you'll buy into the idea that having buzz around your team is the main goal, as that's what the PL markets globally. Us native fans have been brought up wanting to see our teams win trophies. If you're a fan and you think the FA/League Cups and even Europa League don't matter, then what are you really supporting a team for? To see their bank balance and social media footprint gradually consolidate? Madness.

[Shindig]

Aye, even with daft things like the Intertoto, if you're in a match to win it, you're in a match to progress further into something else. And the alternative is not winning it. Hell, I'll celebrate our reserves winning the Checkatrade if it came around.

[SincereTheRebel]

I remember chelski one year printed those shirts that had the under 19s league title and the premier league title as a double team.

[mugbull]

If you're a recent PL follower from abroad, you'll buy into the idea that having buzz around your team is the main goal, as that's what the PL markets globally. Us native fans have been brought up wanting to see our teams win trophies. If you're a fan and you think the FA/League Cups and even Europa League don't matter, then what are you really supporting a team for? To see their bank balance and social media footprint gradually consolidate? Madness.

Competition saturation, there are 2 important competitions. You can’t have 5 or 6 of them, there’s just no way. Lol @ the bank balance thing too

[niko_cee]

There is merit in the position that winning things is a good metric of success (obviously) and any trophy is better than no trophies (obviously) but it doesn't follow that trophies are the only metric of success, and that you need to win them to avoid being judged a 'failure'.

[Ian]

It depends, surely, on what the people paying you your millions expect. Do Liverpool EXPECT trophies from his current contract?

Mourinho is probably a failure officially but if the training shirt sponsorships keep rolling in who knows if they actually care.

[Waffdon]

Celtic :cool:

[Shindig]

£300m deal agreed in principle. Kenyon's lot are going for it in installments. :uhoh:

[igor_balis]

small team fans bitterly mocking the big boys for being unsatisfied with their moderate success has always annoyed me. everything is relative. i'm a west brom fan who's experienced nowt but years of yo-yoing, except for a few years of mid-table mediocrity, yet i was always empathetic with arsenal fans bemoaning years of failure for example.

if you can see how your team is being mis-managed it's fucking well annoying regardless of your place in the pyramid. i remember moaning about post-dan ashworth transfer policy and how we were pissing away a decade of shrewd management and my cov supporting mate piped up and sarcastically said "YEAH, must be shit finishing 16th in the prem every season", and i had to say YEAH IT IS, i know your club is in a worse place, but that's not the fucking point.

i also think people are too quick to assume rival fans have delusions of grandeur, just cus it fits an easy NARRATIVE. i think you'd have to be a bit special to think the majority of west ham and newcastle fans genuinely think their teams "deserve" to be finishing top-4 every season playing swashbuckling, attacking football.

[phonics]

I'm so glad the Europa League group stage is over, just the worst. We've had a couple of non-league FA Cup opponents recently that put together a stronger opposition. It was nice to see that Saka kid though just because he seems like a nice boy.

[phonics]

I've just seen Olympiakos knocked out Milan last night.

[Jimmy Floyd]

And they got done for FFP as well. About time they were given that annual CL spot they are owed.

[Giggles]

I'm getting soccer withdrawals since the internationals. Is there anything on tonight?

[Baz]

West Brom are on tonight.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

I'd rather the withdrawals tbh.

[Ian]

West Brom are on tonight.

He's after soccer.

[Giggles]

And like clockwork I've just found Glenavon v Coleraine live on BBC2. Shit football fix sorted.

[Ian]

Well I just learned that Gareth Barry is still a thing.

[phonics]

It depends, surely, on what the people paying you your millions expect. Do Liverpool EXPECT trophies from his current contract?

Mourinho is probably a failure officially but if the training shirt sponsorships keep rolling in who knows if they actually care.

Here is the incredibly petty hill I will die on:

I'm not living through 9 years of 'Arsenal haven't won a trophy in...' and Arsene Wenger being called a fraud only for Spurs to turn up and get patted on the head because they spend less money and use more youth players than their peers.

[mugbull]

Yeah but Arsenal started the decade several tiers above Spurs, and now they're on the same level. It's obvious why one has been a success story while the other has been more or less a failure

[phonics]

Yeah but Arsenal started the decade several tiers above Spurs, and now they're on the same level. It's obvious why one has been a success story while the other has been more or less a failure

Spurs were literally not one iota relevant in the 9 years I'm addressing. Maybe the last one or two when 'Arry turned up but I'm talking the post invincibles to post Van Persie era.