November football: The Sack Race

[niko_cee]

'keepers are always slow as shit and none of them can actually play.

Stick Kyle Walker in nets.

[Shindig]

I wish I could remember who went in goal that time Kluivert scored to beat Chelsea. It can't have been John Terry.

On a serious note, how does FM deal with keeper attributes for outfield players? Pro Evo just defaults them all to 40 (the lowest) and leaves it like that across the board.

[phonics]

1325491317066117125

[Jimmy Floyd]

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/nov/10/fa-chairman-greg-clarke-resigns-after-unacceptable-comments

There's something so cartoonishly predictable about sports administrators and it is so consistent across different sports. How is it that only the shittest brand of two-bit villain ends up in those roles? Is it just the person who was happy to cross the right palms with silver on the way up, and therefore has zero moral fibre?

[Lewis]

God that's pathetic. The old boy at work said 'negro' the other day and time stood still.

[Manc]

Early retirement. :drool:

[Don]

You'll completely understand the geezer when we're losing our jobs in our 50s for disgustingly incorrect use of pronouns in regards to whatever creatures are floating around by then.

[Giggles]

Could do a little presentation for Rice tomorrow night as he never came back to collect his 2019 young player of the year award.

[Queenslander]

Right wing PM Scott Morrison has congratulated Biden on his win. :|

Trump TV is going to be amazing.

[Jimmy Floyd]

International pressure is one of many reasons why this apparent attempt by Trump to stay in post is not going to work on any level.

[Queenslander]

Fark wrong thread.

[niko_cee]

It is sort of about getting the sack, run with it.

[Queenslander]

Phew

[Jimmy Floyd]

Let's just carry on.

Great win for the Republicans in Carolina.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Can Gomez and his dopey looking self not do his ACL or something?

Looks like you've got your wish, Gomez death confirmed in England training.

[Gray Fox]

People are dying. Null and void is the only way.

[Manc]

Leicester for the league.

[Don]

Fucking hell, that is such good news. You don't get impact injuries in training (unless Raheem's stabbed him) so fingers crossed it's fucking serious.

[Waffdon]

Fabinho back anyway so it’s definitely good news assuming Matip can stay for a game a week

[Don]

His misguided belief that he can make long passes results in us wasting possession half a dozen times a game. Get Nat King in who is equally shambolic but at least has the humility to recognise it.

[niko_cee]

assuming Matip can stay for a game a week

:roflol:

[Manc]

Ashley Williams is a free agent. The committee may have to disband.

[niko_cee]

Some sort of knee tendon injury, surgery, out for [a significant portion of] the season.

Second time he's had a bad one with England. He's the new Jamie Redknapp.

[Don]

:joy:

[Gray Fox]

So he's done his ACL twice and broken his leg and he's only 23. That's impressive. Is it the same knee as last time too?

[mugbull]

I like this reversion to the mean, Liverpool being nearly injury-free for multiple consecutive seasons was getting annoying

[niko_cee]

So he's done his ACL twice and broken his leg and he's only 23. That's impressive. Is it the same knee as last time too?

Not ACL, no ligament damage.


I like this reversion to the mean, Liverpool being nearly injury-free for multiple consecutive seasons was getting annoying

Also a complete myth.

[Jimmy Floyd]

No PEDs in the England camp, so his bones get all brittle.

[mugbull]

Also a complete myth.

Ok, let's do this for the Liverpool Best XI then

Games missed over the last 2 seasons due to injury:
Mane - 3
van Dijk - 0
Firmino - 5
Salah - 2
Henderson - 12
Wijnaldum - 0
Trent - 5
Robertson - 0

Alisson and Fabinho both had one medium-term injury that kept them out for about a dozen games.

Matip has been injured a fair bit

And Ox is Ox, I'll give you him.

With your star players you have been insanely lucky

[Gray Fox]

I'm pretty sure Van Dijk has missed a game or two lately. You might have heard about it.

[mugbull]

Yeah, which was my point in the OP. Liverpool finally feeling God’s wrath. This data was from the previous 2 seasons

[niko_cee]

The front three, and Robertson have been remarkably durable [although the greatest victory within the period came without Salah or Firmino], Van Dijk obviously pre-Pickford, every other department of the pitch has had injuries. Keita has literally never been fit, Ox has never really come back after blowing his ACL up against Roma, Allison missed a fair chunk of last season and is probably the most important player in the squad, Fabinho missed a fuckton of games as he was injured during the November-January insanity period (another player without an easy direct alternative for his DM role), Matip injured all the time, Mané has missed games (injured on Intl duty) although I think that falls outside your time parameter. So yeah, Liverpool haven't had their entire team injured for two years plus constantly, if that's the standard, but they've had enough. Not even to get into the likes of Shaqiri who's continued absence last season reeked of recreational drug misuse or something. Gomez before that when he broke his leg/foot and was out for 6 months (those 6 being within the 2 year time frame). I'm sure Henderson has been more absent than those stats suggest.

It doesn't matter, as that's why you have squads of players, but the idea that Liverpool have just coasted by playing the same XI for 2 years plus is just plain wrong. I think it is more noticeable as Klopp doesn't mix the approach up like a twat so you always pretty much know what Liverpool are going to line-up like in 9+ positions (sometimes all 11).

[Waffdon]

All he’s arguing is you’ve been lucky with Harley any injuries to your key players. Allison and maybe Fabinho are the only two. Van Dijk, both your full backs, Wijnaldun and the front 3 have barley missed any games.

Clearly the peds have worn off

[niko_cee]

Not really [re: peds] as most of the key players remain uninjured [for now]. Almost as if that's an actual quality. What do they say, the biggest predictor of injury is past injury? The current defensive 'crisis' is only really Van Dijk having been murdered, the other two [and Lovren when he was still there] were constantly injured much of the time.

[Giggles]

Forgot about this shit tonight.

[niko_cee]

Interesting looking England team. I wish he'd fuck-off with this 3/5 at the back shit. I know it's perhaps situational but that side's getting eaten alive by anyone with a functioning midfield.

[Don]

Grealish :drool:

Winks and Mount :happycry:

[Mellberg]

He needs sacking. All that attacking talent and he has the handbrake on to accomodate Michael Keane.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Winks and Mount :happycry:
It's nice of Southgate to help the special kids from Make-A-Wish.

[Giggles]

Interesting looking England team. I wish he'd fuck-off with this 3/5 at the back shit. I know it's perhaps situational but that side's getting eaten alive by anyone with a functioning midfield.

Safe enough tonight then.

[Waffdon]

He needs sacking. All that attacking talent and he has the handbrake on to accomodate Michael Keane.

That back three is nearly as bad as Scotland’s

[Giggles]

Is it on the telly at all? Can’t see it listed anywhere.

[Jimmy Floyd]

He needs sacking. All that attacking talent and he has the handbrake on to accomodate Michael Keane.

The way the FA are he's got at least another 4 tournaments in him.

[-james-]

They've probably got Aidy Boothroyd earmarked for if he loses 4-0 to Skopje in the group next summer.

[Manc]

Ashley Cole. :facepalm:

[Don]

I check soccerway more often than I do whatsapp with my gash and I can safely say I still don't have the slightest clue what's going on with this nations league bollocks. It seems like there's about 6 different routes to qualification, with 18 finals and 2 simultaneous tournaments. Scotland have to beat Serbia to qualify but "North Macedonia" qualify after 37 year old Pandev scores and Kinkladze misses a pen.

[Jimmy Floyd]

The worst aspect of it is the bit that Macedonia have just won which is the reserved spot at the Euros for D-league teams (presumably to buy the votes of the smaller nations at election time).

[Yevrah]

It's all convoluted wank of the highest order. I didn't even know qualification for the Euros hadn't finished by the time we locked down. How in the hell not?

[Spikey M]

Is it on the telly at all? Can’t see it listed anywhere.

Itv over here

[phonics]

It's all convoluted wank of the highest order. I didn't even know qualification for the Euros hadn't finished by the time we locked down. How in the hell not?

I was about to make a smug post about how it’s really quite simple and did a quick check to make sure I was correct only to find I was completely wrong and having done the reading, am more confused than before.

[Disco]

It's now harder not to qualify for the Euros than it is to get there, which makes all the wank about Scotland finally making a tournament all the more lol.

[Don]

Yep, it's a mess and one that goes against all logic in purposely allowing qualification spots for weaker teams. I have no motivation whatsoever to watch any of it (obviously understand if people watch their own team but I won't stand for anything beyond that).

[Pen]

Nations league is brilliant. Probably isn’t as good if you support a team that always qualifies, but for countries like Finland it’s great.

Decent games with something to play for and an outside chance for qualifying. I think this campaign is the only time you have a chance of qualifying from the D group, and probably purely to get votes as someone said.

[Shindig]

I'd say it's even better for the bigger nations because they're not wasting 9 months battering the likes of Moldova.

[Yevrah]

I was about to make a smug post about how it’s really quite simple and did a quick check to make sure I was correct only to find I was completely wrong and having done the reading, am more confused than before.

Haha. I thought exactly the same originally and then these playoffs came from nowhere. Jim's covered why, but without a generational change in players, North Macedonia should never be playing Georgia in a playoff to qualify. Utter nonsense.

[Yevrah]

I'd say it's even better for the bigger nations because they're not wasting 9 months battering the likes of Moldova.

If they weren't playing never-ending meaningless friendlies instead, I'd agree.

[Yevrah]

Yep, it's a mess and one that goes against all logic in purposely allowing qualification spots for weaker teams. I have no motivation whatsoever to watch any of it (obviously understand if people watch their own team but I won't stand for anything beyond that).

It's similar to when Pavel nicked my greatest 100 TV shows idea (which I'd obviously nicked from elsewhere in the first place) and completely cunted it by deliberately putting films from each decade in the same group so that some representation of that time went through.

[Waffdon]

Scotland :D

[Baz]

:D

[Ian]

What a very Scotland thing to do.

[Baz]

That's what you get for celebrating a 0-0 with Israel like you've just beaten West Germany 12-0 in a World Cup semi.

[Waffdon]

What a very Scotland thing to do.

They’ve been decent too. Terrible substitutes though. No one left on the park to get a goal. Best hope is somehow getting to penalties.

[Foe]

Free header from a corner. And now all hopes pin on Ollie mcburnie up front. :(

[Shindig]

Can they not naturalise someone like James Tavernier?

[Ian]

Yeah I've got the live text on for it and it all sounded like you were pretty much in control.

[Shindig]

Woah. North Macedonia are going to the Euros.

[Mellberg]

That is so typically Scotland. Uphill now.

[Foe]

Looked absolutely in control with dykes up top and mcginn and jack in midfield.

Have reverted to typical Scotland since he’s come off. Horrendous subs.

[Don]

I could take the Nation League bollocks, I could take desperately arranging your neighbours to bus it down to Wembley for a friendly after your intial opponents pulled out because there's a fucking pandemic going on and you stand to lose ££££ but Henderson for Pope at HT against the most toothless side in world football has sent me. I'm this close to strapping a nailbomb to myself and heading down to St George's Park.

[Yevrah]

Looks like two penalty shoot-outs coming up with a 5 minute delay between them. :drool:

[Don]

What the fuck is Stuart Armstrong doing on the Scotland bench? Has he lost a limb? If so, let me ask again, what the sweet fuck is Stuart Armstrong doing on the Scotland bench?

[Yevrah]

Northern Irish hearts broken.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Has this bloke who commentates on Scotland/Scottish football for Sky (and has done for about 65 years) ever considered whether maybe he is the problem.

[Waffdon]

What the fuck is Stuart Armstrong doing on the Scotland bench? Has he lost a limb? If so, let me ask again, what the sweet fuck is Stuart Armstrong doing on the Scotland bench?

Joke.

Losing on pens will be the most glorious failure thing ever after conceding in the 90th

[Waffdon]

Robertson to hit it over

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

That's a top quality penalty from McTominay.

[Boydy]

We're out. :(

[Yevrah]

Ridiculous penalties so far.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Fulham players on penalties...

[Yevrah]

That was quite predictable.

[Waffdon]

HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAH mon.

[Ian]

Tournament to get cancelled then, yeah? Because THAT would be the most Scotland thing to happen.

Good set of penalties though for the most part.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Always an absolute delight to see Serbia lose, a perennially horrible bunch of pricks.

[Spikey M]

Now I can see why Giggles hates the Slavic twats.

[Spoonsky]

That was a fantastic save.

Scotland in a tournament :cool:

[Jimmy Floyd]

Actually, would that have been Serbia v Croatia in our group? Now I'm slightly regretting it.

Croatia-Scotland-Czech Republic all at Wembley has serious potential for Southgate's bloodsoaked waistcoat to be all that's left of him after a results-based lynching.

[Shindig]

Can you not still squeeze through in 3rd these days?

[Giggles]

Northern Irish hearts broken.

Tonight had to have one redeeming feature.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Now that the Irish teams are both out we should scrap the ridiculous venue system and let them co-host the whole thing.

[Giggles]

Now that the Irish teams are both out we should scrap the ridiculous venue system and let them co-host the whole thing.

Isn’t the shared venue thing not all but gone already?

[Mellberg]

Be an interesting 8 stadiums.

Croke Park
Lansdowne Road
Windsor Park

...

Craggy Island Stadium?

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

At least there would be plenty of tea on offer.

[Shindig]

Biscuit or cake.

[Spoonsky]

I've got a lot of time for 37-year-old Goran Pandev scoring the goal to take Macedonia to their first ever tournament and then breaking into tears at the final whistle. What a man.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Be an interesting 8 stadiums.

Croke Park
Lansdowne Road
Windsor Park

...

Craggy Island Stadium?

They'll find a way. 5 star hotel in the local village, it'll be 'grand'.

[Giggles]

Croke Park most likely wouldn’t be available for anything like that down the road so you’d have Lansdowne, Windsor, and two rugby stadiums if they could get them. NI should do a future bid with Scotland.

Hopefully 2021 ends up in Russia or something. The seats in the Aviva are too new to risk the English over.

[Kikó]

22 years. The in laws are delighted.

[Giggles]

22 years. The in laws are delighted.

Italscotugal?

[Jimmy Floyd]

I remember their World Cup opener vs Brazil so clearly. Cesar Sampaio headed in the opener, John Collins scored a penalty for 1-1. Brazil were a bit shit and then won with the Boyd og. Tosh McKinlay came off the bench late but this did not faze Cafu.

[Lewis]

You almost want the kung flu to linger around so none of them can travel.

[Shindig]

I had to revisit their scores because I thought they beat Norway. Just a point and then demolished by Henri Michel's Morocco.

[Ian]

I was meant to be doing homework but was sat with the below book open:
https://productimages.worldofbooks.com/0752524186.jpg

Every team in the tournament had at least one player in there so it featured superstars such as Erik Mykland, Colin Hendry and Eric Wynalda.

[Mellberg]

Sure I had that book, Welbz.

Zamarano and Salas
Lillian Thuram
The Reggae Boyz
Cuauhtemoc Blanco's bunny hop
Ronaldo's seizure
David Batty
Dennis Bergkamp, Dennis Bergkamp, Dennis Bergkamp, Dennis Bergkamp

Class tournament.

[phonics]

Me too actually. Did they sell it in school or with those England coins or something?

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

I had that book too.

[igor_balis]

Uh, I'd also like to express my fondness for that particular book.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

That book and this:

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71lE-BzxynL.jpg

Were a lot of my childhood.

[Spoonsky]

This one for me. Might have just been American though.

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.chrishunt.biz%2FResources%2Fco vertcbofus.jpeg&f=1&nofb=1

[Lewis]

The best non-fiction book ever written for children is Incredible Comparisons by Russell Ash. FACT.

[John Arne]

Not a book, but this always brings back the memories of school playground swapsies.

https://gyazo.com/d0e461636cda7b643a75281397d21d58.jpeg

[niko_cee]

Scotland did well in that shootout considering their entire team appears to be left-footed.

[Kikó]

Italscotugal?

I know it's incredible to comprehend but people can be born in different places.

Just like you're top/bottom irish.

[Shindig]

All my copies of Black and White Magazine are lost to time. Or somewhere at my parents'. I want to find Football '95 which had all the Euro 96 hype that went with it. Cantona was on the cover and a smiling Kenny Dalglish.

[Kikó]

https://productimages.worldofbooks.com/0091814073.jpg

I think I had this at home. It has my chicken shit handwriting in it as I update the scores and the scores go from the actual games to things like Man United 9 Chelsea 2.

[Giggles]

I know it's incredible to comprehend but people can be born in different places.

Just like you're top/bottom irish.

I’m what? There’s no planter blood in me.

Also, I’d be pretty certain you can only be born in one place. Did you mean something different?

[SvN]

I had the World Cup 98 book as well. I think my mum bought it from Sainsburys.

I reckon I might still have it in the loft.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I had the Euro 96 equivalent of that book as well, which profiled the 'star' of each team. I can remember half of them to this day. Julen Guerrero for Spain. Stoichkov for Bulgaria. Florin Radicioiu for Romania (why?). Djorkaeff for France. Shearer for England (it's easy to forget, looking back, just how massive a star Shearer was at this time. Almost bigger than the team. Had arguably waned a touch by '98 because no one cares about Newcastle). Colin Hendry for Scotland. Turkyilmaz for Switzerland.

[Ian]

I remember going into CM and looking up all the players I expected to be mega and I'd just not heard of them because they played in exotic foreign countries.

Turns out Eric Wynalda was not a goal machine.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Oh yeah, and because of a misprint somewhere (or maybe just me mis-reading it) I spent a good 3 or 4 years believing that the Turkey manager was called 'Faith' Terim, like a shit R&B singer, rather than the sabre-wielding patriarch he is.

[Ian]

I wish I still had the book so I could look through and see who the most lol inclusions were but it must be long gone. This is the sixth place I've lived since then and my parents have moved too.

[Lofty]

On of the Ireland players who did 90 minutes last night has tested positive :D

[Don]

Your man Vida for Croatia played the first half against Turkey too and was then informed at HT that he was positive as that's when their results came through.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

:D

dots.

[Lofty]

No mention of this unnamed PL player who has been arrested on suspicion of false imprisonment and rape?

[Kikó]

It's not the person people think it is.

[Giggles]

It's not the person people think it is.

Most of them?

[Don]

It's a white player? :eek:

[Ian]

Who do people think it is, then? I assume the Twitter mob have their prime suspect.

[Don]

It's Gomez innit? Fucking tendons, my arse.

[niko_cee]

Is Raheem the victim in that scenario?

[Waffdon]

Who do people think it is, then? I assume the Twitter mob have their prime suspect.

Greenwood

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Jordan Henderson.

[niko_cee]

I saw Willian mentioned.

Who was the wrong'un from Southampton (?) who was up to no good against a partner/former-partner recently?

[Baz]

Yan Valery.

[Kikó]

My ITK sources saying the person mentioned in the Mail story is based at the other Manchester club.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I heard it was Garry Flitcroft (christ how old is that reference now).

[Kikó]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/sportsnews/article-8943867/Premier-League-star-arrested-suspicion-rape-false-imprisonment.html

"Player in his 20s"

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

If it is indeed City you have the following in their 20's:

Foden (20)
Ferran Torres (20)
Ruben Dias (23)
Gabriel Jesus (23)
Zinchenko (23)
Rodri (24)
Ake (25)
Sterling (25)
Stones (26)
Laporte (26)
Silva (26)
Mendy (26)
Cancelo (26)
Ederson (27)
De Bruyne (29)
Mahrez (29)
Plus a handful of other no name chumps.

My money would be on Ruben Dias.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Christ, imagine being raped by Kevin De Bruyne.

[Baz]

It’s definitely Benjamin Mendy.

[Spikey M]

Christ, imagine being raped by Kevin De Bruyne.

Rather him than Yaya ��

[Kikó]

Christ, imagine being raped by Kevin De Bruyne.

Aren't most premier league defences familiar with this? #andygray

[Jimmy Floyd]

Aren't most premier league defences familiar with this? #andygray

'And he says to De Bruyne: 'Go on, son, rape me', and Kevin says: 'Thank you very much.'

[Waffdon]

If it is indeed City you have the following in their 20's:

Foden (20)
Ferran Torres (20)
Ruben Dias (23)
Gabriel Jesus (23)
Zinchenko (23)
Rodri (24)
Ake (25)
Sterling (25)
Stones (26)
Laporte (26)
Silva (26)
Mendy (26)
Cancelo (26)
Ederson (27)
De Bruyne (29)
Mahrez (29)
Plus a handful of other no name chumps.

My money would be on Ruben Dias.

Zinchenko looks a bit rapey

[Waffdon]

Salah had tested positive for COVID. Dirty Scouse bastards. Half their team seem to have caught it all at different times

[John Arne]

My ITK sources saying the person mentioned in the Mail story is based at the other Manchester club.

Why the coyness? Who have you heard? I'm going Ake, Stones or a complete no-hoper like Sandler.

[niko_cee]

Salah had tested positive for COVID. Dirty Scouse bastards. Half their team seem to have caught it all at different times

Salah, Mané, Thiago, who else? Did Keita get it on international duty? Shaqiri too?

A fairly :sherlock: number of them seem to get it during international windows.

[Kikó]

Why the coyness? Who have you heard? I'm going Ake, Stones or a complete no-hoper like Sandler.

I'm a big fan of not being sued.

[-james-]

https://twitter.com/EgyptTodayMag/status/1326560697594109953?s=19

flol

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

I'm a big fan of not being sued.

Pussy.

[Don]

He's out of Leicester, right? Fucking dirty Arab.

[John Arne]

I'm a big fan of not being sued.

PM me, and I'll tell everyone.

Either that, or tell me... Does he have moustache?

[John Arne]

Zinchenko looks a bit rapey

He is currently on International duty, and apparently this bloke was arrested on Wednesday.

[Luca]

Of the City players in their 20s not selected for duty (and thus not travelling/away from home) we have:

Mendy
Stones
Laporte

Did it say first team player? Could be a reserve or a player out on loan, I suppose.

[Giggles]

My ITK sources saying the person mentioned in the Mail story is based at the other Manchester club.

Pogba?

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Phillipe Sandler and Zack Steffen are the no name 20s chumps in the first team squad.

It's going to be one of them isn't it? :(

[SvN]

Most of these stories with the headline "PREMIER LEAGUE STAR" are about some youth mong at a no-mark club who's come off the bench a handful of times.

[Kikó]

It seems to be someone relatively well known.

[Don]

Well that's Pellistri out the running.

[John Arne]

Phillipe Sandler and Zack Steffen are the no name 20s chumps in the first team squad.

It's going to be one of them isn't it? :(

Steffen was playing for the USA last night.

Mendy or Sandler it is.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Benjamin Mendy it is then.

Congrats whoever had him in the sweepstake, please PM Bamster for your prize.

[niko_cee]

Presumably a lapse in concentration allowed the victim to escape.

[niko_cee]

I've no idea what the covid rules are now, but Salah might get away without missing any games if the requirement is still 7 day isolation and a negative test thereafter (as it was for positive cases earlier in the season) - whereas any of his 'contacts' will be stuffed for 14 days but I guess there aren't any of those who are overly relevant.

[Spikey M]

10 days I thought.

[Mellberg]

Phil Foden's in his 20s. Unlucky, Phil.

[niko_cee]

10 days I thought.

Yeah, I think I was reading the project restart rules:


Players are to be tested for Covid‑19 twice a week during a first stage of return, with a positive test requiring the player to isolate for seven days under Public Health England guidelines. PHE rules, however, also require that a “contact” of a known case should isolate, as someone would if they were living in the same house. That quarantine period should last for 14 days.

Which have probably been beefed up seeing as they were written when case numbers were pretty low. I think PHE is now 10 days.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/54932314

BBC and Amazon Prime will get games now until January. PPV SCRAPPED.

[niko_cee]

Liverpool - Leicester being moved to get Salah an extra day to fix his covid test result (if it was yesterday he might just make it).

:drool:

[phonics]

I wonder if Fulham v Everton on BBC doing United v Liverpool numbers on Sky/BT will affect future decision making.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Of course it won't, that's why Sky never publish their numbers.

Free to air TV breathes gallons of life into any sport but the admins don't want that, they want cash right now.

[phonics]

It’s amazing to me that English Cricket saw the whole country give a shit about a test match for the first time since the 1900s and immediately put it behind a sky paywall never to be thing of by the public again.

Literally couldn’t name you a cricketer outside of Brian Lara and then Freddie Flintoff and Kevin Pieterson.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Every sport has done the same. Even football to some extent. No one watches the Champions League in this country.

The only sport I can think of that has outright resisted the dollar is touring cars, which enjoys a strong cult following as a result. On Sky it would be dead with everything else.

[phonics]

Sky Sports fucking loves Speedway, anytime I put it on at a random hour it seems there's some Speedway going on and it baffles me. As someone who has woken up at 4am in the morning to watch South Koreans play Starcraft 2 I'm not one to talk, but there's so much Speedway. Is it secretly the worlds most successful sport no-ones ever heard of?

[randomlegend]

I'm a big fan of not being sued.

Seems about as likely as getting sued for scrawling it on the wall of a bog in a closed down Asda.

[Shindig]

I might have Trials down as a bigger no-name motorsport. I can name one Trials rider and that's only because of watching way too much Eurosport as a kid.

[Disco]

Dougie Lampkin (and the Spanish guy who was always runner up), I wonder what he's doing now.

[Shindig]

Living on the Isle of Man which seems fitting.

[Luke Emia]

Regarding the rapist. Surely they play for Chelsea and nearly thought about moving to Bayern?

[Giggles]

Every sport has done the same. Even football to some extent. No one watches the Champions League in this country.

The only sport I can think of that has outright resisted the dollar is touring cars, which enjoys a strong cult following as a result. On Sky it would be dead with everything else.

We’re eventually going to lose our games the same way. They’ve already sold out some to sky.

[phonics]

Regarding the rapist. Surely they play for Chelsea and nearly thought about moving to Bayern?

He was cleared months ago.

[Mellberg]

Our Jack starting tonight according to Sky.

[Don]

Be Gareth's scapegoat when they get fucked sideways.

[Waffdon]

Scotland with 8 lefties in the starting 11 :sick:

[niko_cee]

It's madness isn't it? And yet 10 out of 10 in crucial penalty shoot-outs, so maybe the ghost of Chris Waddle's 1990 effort has finally moved on.

[igor_balis]

Scotland with 8 lefties in the starting 11 :sick:

Clarke out.

[Don]

Robertson missing out due to cramp/tight hamstring? I reckon we could squeeze in another international break in December if they get their act together :happycry:

[Giggles]

Daniel James is a scumbag, but from the team that deliberately did Coleman then couldn’t expect much better. Morals of their manager.

[Giggles]

Should be down to 9 now. McClean or someone does that and they’re gone.

[Ian]

Walker playing as one of the middle three at the back again. :sick:

[Giggles]

1328056721844162561

[Spikey M]

There must be others, presumably countries surrounding the big leagues.

[Don]

Walker playing as one of the middle three at the back again. :sick:

Unpopular opinion but he's literally one of the best in Europe in that position.

Of course, I'm not having it waved in my face tonight when it's 9-0 to Bobby's Boys :drool:

[Lewis]

That's interesting. Is the implication there that everyone half decent gets picked up by a British team at a young enough age not to have made their international debut? In that case, I can't work out whether the national team should be a bit better or a lot worse.

[Pen]

Were you close to getting an equalizer in the end Giggles? Could’ve done with your lot holding Wales tonight.

Our win in Bulgaria was nervy and came with a price as our captain will miss the Wales game due to a suspension and one of our starting strikers went off injured in the first half.

[Manc]

Possibly one of the most dominant England performances I've ever seen. Bizarre result.

[-james-]

Spare a thought for Belgium. Never going to see a generation like this again and the window has probably closed now that Eden Hazard is a fat fuck.

[Lewis]

The window to do what? 2016 was a balls up losing to Wales, but third in the World Cup was reasonable in the non-shit side of the knockouts. Nobody actually thought they would win anything.

[Shindig]

And they narrowly lost to the eventual winners. They've probably got the Euros and another big tournament run in them. If they lost to Japan it might've been a bigger setback.

[-james-]

The window to do what? 2016 was a balls up losing to Wales, but third in the World Cup was reasonable in the non-shit side of the knockouts. Nobody actually thought they would win anything.

You love an aftertime. If nobody thought they would do anything it's because they're managed by a bum. Could absolutely have won either of those tournaments. England are also managed by a bum but at least there's enough time to have a good few stabs at it.

[Mellberg]

Your formation's still a pile of wank, Gareth.

[Manc]

I still don't know what Jadon Sancho is.

[Don]

I put it on and saw a Mason Mount free-kick that was truly spectacular :D

Apparently Grealish was quite good, should be a fantastic option off the bench once the JLS boys are back fit.

[Lewis]

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-y5T_I9EB6HhmWJpY5DGYg/videos

Jesus they're works of art them.

[John Arne]

Just watched the highlights from last night. The freekick that Belgium scored from should have been a freekick to England. Rice kicks the ball away and then KDB kicks him.

[Giggles]

Were you close to getting an equalizer in the end @Giggles (https://www.thethirdhalf.co.uk/member.php?u=26)? Could’ve done with your lot holding Wales tonight.

Our win in Bulgaria was nervy and came with a price as our captain will miss the Wales game due to a suspension and one of our starting strikers went off injured in the first half.

I stopped watching as there was so much other stuff on, but I'm going to hazard a guess that they never came close to scoring.

[Mellberg]

I've been searching for a post either on here, or possibly somewhere else, from I think a few years back comparing Grealish to Gazza (as every fucker is now doing it and I'd like to be smug).

There's quite a lot of gold, but this beauty is my favourite from the year we were going down:


Some clubs you could say a relegation might be good for them in the long run, but Villa are one that you'd fear may never come back.

:eyemouth:

We desperately needed relegation and a reboot.

[SvN]

Alright Smiff

[Mellberg]

:D

Get fucked. Found the post. It was only a year ago and I had a dig at Ross Barkley. Smug mode disengaged.

[Spikey M]

I once predicted Harry Kane would see his days out at Yeovil.

[Disco]

There's still time.

[Giggles]

When was that? I can’t even remember when they were relegated.

[Giggles]

Doherty and McClean down with Covid now :face:

[Giggles]

As ropey as it normally is that’s a thin looking squad now. Sorry Pen, that’s not beating Bulgaria.


Darren Randolph (West Ham United), Caoimhín Kelleher (Liverpool), Mark Travers (AFC Bournemouth)

Kevin Long (Burnley), Shane Duffy (Celtic), Dara O'Shea (West Bromwich Albion), Cyrus Christie (Nottingham Forest), Ciaran Clark (Newcastle United), Darragh Lenihan (Blackburn Rovers), Ryan Manning (Swansea City).


Conor Hourihane (Aston Villa), Robbie Brady (Burnley), Jack Byrne (Shamrock Rovers), Jason Knight (Derby County), Josh Cullen (Anderlecht), Aaron McEneff (Shamrock Rovers), Jack Taylor (Peterborough United).

James Collins (Luton Town), Ronan Curtis (Portsmouth), Callum O'Dowda (Bristol City), Daryl Horgan (Wycombe Wanderers), Sean Maguire (Preston North End), Graham Burke (Shamrock Rovers), Troy Parrott (Millwall, on loan from Tottenham Hotspur).

[Adamski]

Doherty and McClean down with Covid now :face:

Hope Doherty makes a quick recovery :D

[Pen]

That game doesn’t really matter for us as we’re ten points clear of you both. Would’ve needed you to hold Wales to a draw again on Sunday. Still hope Bulgaria get relegated rather than your lot.

Giggles

[Pen]

Also good to see Bruhnaldo is doing well :)
https://youtu.be/-KT45yNltwM?list=PLDbSvEZka6GEF5kRloeUpkMa5EOkqDcat

[Giggles]

That game doesn’t really matter for us as we’re ten points clear of you both. Would’ve needed you to hold Wales to a draw again on Sunday. Still hope Bulgaria get relegated rather than your lot.

Giggles

I hope we do. Might score one against the lot below. Might.

[mo]

Also good to see Bruhnaldo is doing well :)
https://youtu.be/-KT45yNltwM?list=PLDbSvEZka6GEF5kRloeUpkMa5EOkqDcat

Love the top comment on this - 'as a white british man I finally understand what cultural appropriation is'.

[Shindig]

So he's a Mexican manlet who started his own gang of one?

Get another hobby, mate. Or a gun.

[Don]

The Grealish hype does remind me most people don't actually bother watching football that much.

The fucking scenes when they see Tariq on his debut :happycry:

[Jimmy Floyd]

Spain 4-0 Germany currently is not a great advertisement for Jonathan Wilson's thesis in this article: https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2020/nov/07/manchester-citys-faltering-press-at-risk-against-klopps-relentless-liverpool

I believed him as well, like a stupid fuck.

[Don]

Both those sides have gone to shit. International football is now just France, Belgium and Brazil and the latter two are an injury or two away from mediocrity like the rest. 2022 may well be the year for Senegal or Iran.

[Giggles]

Probably not though.

[Lewis]

Spain 4-0 Germany currently is not a great advertisement for Jonathan Wilson's thesis in this article: https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2020/nov/07/manchester-citys-faltering-press-at-risk-against-klopps-relentless-liverpool

I believed him as well, like a stupid fuck.

Somebody wrote that exact article (possibly without the Wikibashed history wank) when Bayern monstered Barcelona in 2013. Tiki-taka is fucking DEAD. The new style of footba... 'Pep' wins fifty trophies. That said, I can't explain Real Madrid and Barcelona being worse than before. Have they lost any significant players over the past few years?

[Ian]

I assume it isn't but I'd really like this Balotelli-to-Barnsley story to have something to it.

[Ian]

They had Marvin Sordell on Football Weekly and mentioned him being in the GB Olympics team. Had absolutely no recollection of this so looked it up:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Britain_Olympic_football_team#Squads

Did that team even seem that promising/exciting a team at the time?

Also learned that one of Jack Cork's middle names is 'Porteous.'

[Jimmy Floyd]

I was at Wembley for our glorious 3-1 victory over UAE, and to be honest I have a much better memory of Abdulrahman being great for UAE than I do of any British players.

[Ian]

I'd totally forgotten that we went out on penalties. Because of course we did.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I have a weirdly strong memory of that game actually, as it was I believe on a Saturday night and I was in a curry house which had a tiny TV screen broadcasting the game (South Korea was it?) when all of a sudden, Max Clifford walked in and sat down at the next table with seven of his friends. My friends shat themselves with excitement about our celebrity visitor, trying to listen in on their conversations, and I was left glumly staring at the silent TV screen and our stupid GB kit in silence.

Needless to say, the British justice system had the last laugh.

[SvN]

My main memory of the GB team is Sturridge missing the deciding penalty and then acting like a twat afterwards.

[John Arne]

Abdulrahman :drool:

What a wasted career.

https://gyazo.com/66796e299c6682e0ecd44b76536ed7bb.jpeg

Didn't one-time Liverpool striker Steven Caulker play for GB?

[Ian]

"Caulker made his Liverpool debut on 13 January 2016 in the 3–3 draw with Arsenal at Anfield when he replaced Adam Lallana as an auxiliary striker in the 87th minute"

:drool:

EDIT: That said I assume Liverpool had some sort of injury crisis so I'm not sure what United's excuse is when we lump Mr Mykonos up there in our frequent terrible attacking performances.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Abdulrahman was mesmerising, genuinely looked like easily the best player on the park (had about 1 competent team mate unfortunately).

Sadly, as with all players from that region (and China, and arguably England), when there's an inflated amount of money paid in the local league relative to its quality, potential is never going to be fulfilled.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Spain 4-0 Germany currently is not a great advertisement for Jonathan Wilson's thesis in this article: https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2020/nov/07/manchester-citys-faltering-press-at-risk-against-klopps-relentless-liverpool

I believed him as well, like a stupid fuck.

As a postscript to this, here he is this afternoon on SI: https://www.si.com/soccer/2020/11/18/joachim-low-germany-coach-future


This was a defeat that went against every trend of modern football, and that essentially means personnel must be to blame.

:D

These thinkpieces trying to extrapolate football results out to some broader truth really are a load of wank, he isn't the only guilty party.

[Giggles]

There’s some lad called Marcus Harness in the squad for tonight against Bulgaria. New one on me.

[Don]

Probably us too, mate.

AHHHH 2 CAN PLAY THAT GAME CAN'T THEY, YOU FUCKING SHITMUNCHER.

Jesus, I legit thought Ian alerted me to the England game yesterday and that they'dalready played, such is the brutal expanse of time.

[Spikey M]

This international window really has fucked him up. :console:

[Giggles]

There’s some Taylor listed in the subs too :sorry:

[Ian]

Jesus, I legit thought Ian alerted me to the England game yesterday and that they'dalready played, such is the brutal expanse of time.

That's some extreme wishful thinking for a guy who doesn't even need to feel obliged to watch the game.

[Don]

Just seen Morecambe are beating Man Utd U21 4-0. Everyone's favourite Uruguayan getting the 90.


Penarol's president (either him or the agent, the translation was a bit garbled) quoted saying Utd asked for Pellistri to be kept in a training bubble during negotiations so he wouldn't have to isolate as they plan to use him in the first team squad straight away

:happycry:

[Baz]

Stuck England on. Don’t understand the formation at all. Mount is basically playing like when you play FIFA as one player and put him as a centre mid but then basically go everywhere, constantly asking for the ball. Grealish is the only player to go faster than a gentle stroll so far. And Harry Kane seemingly refuses to celebrate goals that aren’t scored by him. All in all, very little to enjoy.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Mason Mount should always have the ball.

[randomlegend]

Just seen Morecambe are beating Man Utd U21 4-0. Everyone's favourite Uruguayan getting the 90.



:happycry:

The average age of that team is about 17.

[Giggles]

Conor Hourihane should never see a start again. Same goes for Robbie Brady.

[Don]

Posted at 21:07
'Mount adds creative element'
England 2-0 Iceland


Matthew Upson

Former England defender on BBC Radio 5 Live

Yes England would play two in central midfield but one would sit deeper and the other one would have the freedom, as opposed to two side by side, sat in front of the back three.

And I know that happens anyway with Rice and Henderson but you just feel that someone like Mason Mount in that role, it does add more of a creative element and he will go forward and will naturally take up positions that hurt the opposition.

----------

Posted at 21:13
'Mount has shown his versatility'
England 2-0 Iceland


Matthew Upson

Former England defender on BBC Radio 5 Live

Mason Mount has shown his versatility tonight. He can play slightly different roles in and around the middle of the park or just wide. Another good performance, another goal and another opportunity to hammer home to Gareth Southgate the reason he should be in the team because he keeps coming up with the good.

--------

Make it make sense :happycry:

[Giggles]

11 hours :happycry:

[Baz]

Saka is horse shit :harold:

[phonics]

Could have done with this Iceland performance in 2016 when I was in a fanzone as it was absolutely pissing it down with rain.

That and the Algeria draw were the worst two moments I’ve had as an England fan I think.

[Don]

11 hours :happycry:

:D

Name a more iconic duo than your boys and 0-0s. Fucking hell.

[Giggles]

Brady may be redeemable in some fashion but I never want to see Conor Hourihane again.

First calendar year without a win in 49 years :drool: