Football MARCHes on ('cause it's March)

[SincereTheRebel]

Juventus wasting two years of Ronaldo's career with bums in charge. He should sue them.

Ronaldo turned his back in the wall for the fourth. It went through his legs. Pussy


https://youtu.be/r-1vXezf7iY

[Lofty]

Robinho sentenced to 9 years in Italian prison for a sexual assualt that happened in a Milan nightclub in 2013.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Poulsen is going to destroy Kabak and Phillips.

[Don]

Fabinho is back in midfield in case you hadn't seen. That means they won't be making it into our half and we'll run up a cricket score.

[Spoonsky]

Where they are playing? :cab:

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Where they are playing? :cab:

Budapest.

[Spoonsky]

Barcelona cunt, take the shot.

Why are they playing both legs in Budapest? I thought it was a problem with Liverpool traveling to Germany.

[Bob Sacamano]

If Dembele had a brain he'd be decent

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Barcelona cunt, take the shot.

Why are they playing both legs in Budapest? I thought it was a problem with Liverpool traveling to Germany.

Playing both legs in the same stadium and away goals count...

I assume they didn't want Liverpool complaining that Leipzig could play at home but they couldn't so neutral for both.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Just seen that Neymar is still injured, hope he has fun with his sister on her birthday tomorrow.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

How the fuck did Liverpool fail to score there?

[Waffdon]

Thunder cunt of a strike from Messi there

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

That's a quality strike from Messi.

[Waffdon]

Upamecano is fucking dreadful

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Messi :harold:

[Spoonsky]

Playing both legs in the same stadium and away goals count...

I assume they didn't want Liverpool complaining that Leipzig could play at home but they couldn't so neutral for both.

Yeah it's silly. Probably good for Liverpool to get away from Anfield given the weird curse at the moment.

Having a functional midfield :drool: and look at the wonders it does for the plebs in defense. Just need a finish and we're good.

[Reg]

Great half in the PSG Barca game. The pace of play is SO much better than most games in the past year. Champions League is the best lockdown football.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Hwang Hee Chan on :drool:

Liverpool are in trouble now.

Just get him running at them.

[Mike]

We’re set to finish 11th and win the CL :lol:

[Manc]

What a difference Fabinho playing in midfield makes. Klopp just needs to bin off Trent and they could have a fighting chance.

[niko_cee]

Leipzig are so so bad.

[Luke Emia]

What a difference Fabinho playing in midfield makes. Klopp just needs to bin off Trent and they could have a fighting chance.

I suppose in the past few weeks even there have been issues with central defenders and him being injured but you'd think looking at last night you just chuck any old shit at centre-half & hope for the best as long as he can sit in front of them. You won't beat City, Bayern or PSG I would imagine but I think we'd beat the majority of the rest of the shite.

Leipzig definitely helped though. How the fuck did United manage to get knocked out by them?

[Ian]

Because we're a bit shit. This is in the same season we could've lost about 5-0 to Brighton, let Demba Ba and his zimmer frame score after a 320 yard run down the field and whatever other crimes against football United have committed.

Or were you looking for a deeper answer than that?

[John Arne]

UEFA :face:

If this happens, I genuinely hope (but don't expect) fans to boycott this shit.

https://gyazo.com/87a472b332a55e0d6ff2220164ad9f4b.jpeg

[Ian]

You're excited about Agnelli's "last 15 minutes" subscriptions though, right???

[Jimmy Floyd]

Making a tournament format as nonsensical and downright shit as that, with the sole aim of reducing the % of the season taken up by domestic football (i.e. to reduce the Premier League's reach and power), is pretty villainous stuff and shows where their priorities are.

Our clubs should break away and play the Vaccinated Superleague against MLS clubs in midweek.

[SvN]

To be fair, I turned on Juve v Porto with 15 left and it was the most exciting football I've seen all season. Perhaps he has a point.

[Reg]

I really don't like the idea of a 36 team league where each team plays 10 games. You're in the same table as someone, but you might have nothing to do with them? Maybe it's just as fair(?), but it doesn't seem "right".

[Ian]

The main thing I liked about European football as a kid was the fact that you're playing teams you don't play that often and might go years without. This whole set up just makes what should be the most exciting games a matter of routine.

[Jimmy Floyd]

The only sport where I have seen the Swiss system used is chess, where you might have a big tournament of say 100+ people but want the tournament done in a day. However, in chess they actually use it intelligently, i.e. the results of the early matches then determine the subsequent matchups, so you end up with the best playing the best at the end as they all have winning records, while those who have lost all their games also play each other, so the final rankings are a reasonable reflection of the quality of play as it unfolded over the course of the tournament.

In this instance however it sounds like the fixture list would be set from the start, which just makes it a nonsensical crap shoot. Between this, the 24 team Euros and the 48 team World Cup, they will have destroyed the competitive integrity of elite football in the desperate pursuit of quite small amounts of greed (I mean, the CL has been lucrative for the last 20 years, hasn't it?)

[Ian]

I'll give 'em this though, I didn't really think they would implement an even more boring version of the group stage but they're doing it.

[niko_cee]

I don't even really understand how this will harm the Premier League. They won't reduce from 20 to 18 so it'll just be the league cup that goes in the bin which will leave, what, 1 extra fixture on the calendar for the teams competing in Europe?

Why would you not just have 6 groups of 6 in a 36 team format, or is it necessary for Barcelona to play as many different teams as possible in the group phase?

[Jimmy Floyd]

Probably because Agnelli (or whoever is driving the boat here) knows that the TV deals aren't going to expand any further and may well contract, so the European section of the Big Clubs desperately need to muscle in for a greater proportion of whatever there is.

[Ian]

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/mar/11/the-unlikely-story-of-how-dundee-united-became-an-insult-in-nigeria

I like this.

[Waffdon]

:cool:

[Ian]

No Lindelof. :drool:

[Ian]

All the hallmarks of a Great European Night so far, this.

[Lewis]

That looks a bit dodgy. Oh well.

[Ian]

That yellow card for whichever of their players was lol as well.

[Lewis]

Milan are comprehensively out-tacticking Ole Gunnar Binman here, so this hinges on all of their players actually being crap.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Amad about to don Milan :drool:

[Lewis]

Martial coming off donning City to turn that shit in really does sum him up.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Amad about to don Milan :drool:

:cool:

[Ian]

:drool:


Martial coming off donning City to turn that shit in really does sum him up.

Am I the only person who didn't think his performance was anything special other than by his own very low standards?

[randomlegend]

Diallo

:drool::drool::drool::drool::drool::drool::drool:: drool::drool::drool::drool::drool::drool::drool:

[Luca]

:drool:



Am I the only person who didn't think his performance was anything special other than by his own very low standards?

His movement was good, but him flubbing two easy finishes makes it an overall shit performance for me.

[Lewis]

Am I the only person who didn't think his performance was anything special other than by his own very low standards?

He missed a couple of sitters like a dickhead but everything else was exactly what they needed.

[Don]

Amad and James prolonging their first team minutes :happycry:

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Awful from Henderson.

[Ian]

Beautiful.

[SvN]

That limp wrist is why he isn't good enough.

Should've been a hand ball before the goal, mind

[Don]

Kessie has come along real nice. Like a Pogba regen. He's clearly the single reason why they're a respectable outfit again.

[Luca]

Bringing on 2 and a half defenders to not concede late, and still conceding late, is starting to become a theme.

[Mellberg]

United struggling to get past any half decent side in Europe. It's like the mid-nineties all over again.

[Lofty]

Pound shop De Gea in nets for Olympiakos lives up to his lookalike's gaffe potential from an Odegaard rocket, meanwhile Luiz tries to perform an almost carbon copy of the Xhaka mistake against Burnley.

[phonics]

Chris Wilder sacked.

[Don]

Absolutely clueless decision from the Saudi cunts.

How's it gone down with the fans?

[Jimmy Floyd]

If he was the problem, surely you'd sack him months ago when there was a chance of avoiding relegation. Now you've lost the fans and booted out someone who knows how to get them promoted.

[Mellberg]

:lol:

Muppets. Burnley rode out a relegation with Sean Dyche and look what happened there. Norwich with Farke too. He's the perfect fit.

[Ian]

Sounds like those typical woke Saudis let the lefties and do-gooders who were out to get Wilder win.

RIP Chris. :(

[Jimmy Floyd]

RIP? Have they got the bonesaw out again?

[Ian]

No, I was just exaggerating to amuse myself.

[Ian]

That said we should probably keep an eye out and see if his next public appearances seem suspicious in any way.

[niko_cee]

So is he actually going because I saw a revised story earlier saying he might not? Utterly mental but, at the same, time, utterly predictable.

What it shows you is there is no value in loyalty in football. He should have left them high and dry last season when his stock was high and he could have walked into a better job.

[Smjffy]

Poor decision. League One football en route again.

[Spammer]

Only reports I've seen is that's he's 'set to leave', at which point loads of players and pundits have banged on about 'good luck top manager' etc. There was then meant to be a news conference at 5pm to explain everything.

Then, about 4pm, it was announced that the news conference is cancelled due to 'unforeseen circumstances'.

Has he gone? Is he staying? Fuck knows. If he was gone you'd think you'd just have anyone in front of the cameras making a quick statement about it. I'm wondering if he's sticking around and, as a result, they've pretty much got fuck all to announce.

God knows though. Basket case of a club.

THE MIGHTY BLADES.

[Shindig]

He'll be at St. James' Park within 3 months.

[Jimmy Floyd]

The Saudis read Sir Henry Winter's scathing tweet and thought ah, bollocks, better reinstate him.

[Dquincy]

He'll be at St. James' Park within 3 months.

* Sports Direct Arena

[Shindig]

I mean, if there's ever a time to try that again, the lost revenues from the pandemic would be a nice excuse.

[Lofty]

Obviously Sheff Utd trying for the sacking fakeout in order to win the league next season.

[Shindig]

Respect the point.

[Spammer]

Here's the Facebook post from the Prince's old right hand man (below).

I reckon he's literally posting the Prince's thoughts and is being used as a litmus test to see what fans think of his decision making. He's not technically been a part of the club in many years but he's obviously in the Prince's pocket. He's gotten a lot of shit for this post on Facebook, so I wouldn't honestly put it past this shithouse of a club to go back on its decision to bin him if fan reaction to this post is overwhelmingly negative (which it has been). Personally I think he comes across well enough, but whatevs.


The first message I received when I woke this morning was from a Blade, telling me it was a sad day for the Blades.
Since this morning, I've been asked a lot, if I know what's happening. I don't. We'll have to wait for the presser to find out.
I had hoped that the owner and Chris Wilder would reach some sort of understanding that would enable their partnership to continue on, but as Chris Wilder's statements at recent pressers made clear, that was not an outcome that could be taken as a given.

If Chris Wilder is leaving the Club, my sense is that he'll be out for these four reasons:

1. The abysmal results after the restart last Summer and all season long this season;
2. The resignation saga that played out over a period of months and through the holidays, despite the owner's extraordinary public & private expressions of support even, if necessary, beyond relegation;
3. Chris Wilder's demand for control of recruitment and player dispositions, despite #1 and despite his recruitment shortcomings: e.g., a. spending big on players he didn't use much; & b. choosing his own way & turning down offered players, who performed well when acquired by other PL clubs); &
4. Chris Wilder's obliquely badmouthing the owner in public: a. implying that the owner was set on breaking from a "plan," the assumptions of which likely did not assume the results would be anywhere near as dire as they have been -- amongst the worst in PL history; & b. issuing publicly what seemed to be an ultimatum spelling out the conditions on which he would stay at the Club.
I am not sure how Chris Wilder expected he'd recover from his public anti-owner outbursts? Or from his own publicly issuing of ultimata to the owner? Some have surmised that maybe Chris Wilder didn't. Maybe he knew he wouldn't get his way. Maybe he was just setting himself up to leave the Club as a kind of permanent living martyr.

I don't know about that; indeed, I find it a bit harsh; but I am sad Chris Wilder did not find a way to embrace the owner's publicly expressed willingness to keeping him on even if we are relegated.
Sure, doing so would have involved some changes in the way we do things, but the playing and recruiting results absolutely demanded changes. The definition of madness, they say, is to continue doing the same thing, while expecting different results. Change is part of the continuing improvement process .

I reckon with a little flexibility or openness to change, Chris Wilder would be looking at a continuing in his role (with some tweaks) at SUFC, despite #1 & #2. Instead, Chris Wilder chose #3 & #4 and, by so doing, chose to bring to a close one of the most happy, prosperous eras in the Club's long history.

This not to say there will be no bright days ahead for us Blades. There will be. It is just to acknowledge that if Chris Wilder is parting ways with the Club that he will have played a big part in making that decision.
Whatever his reasons, I wish to express my heartfelt gratitude and profound admiration for this giant of a Blade -- as a boy, as a pro, as a manager -- he has always been a Blade. May Chris Wilder always be remembered as one of the greatest managers to ever grace our touchline and as a true Blades legend.

[Don]

Mad to think installing Mustafi at the heart of your defence and Kolasinac as a holding midfielder hasn't stopped the rot at Schalke.

[Shindig]

Brighton are basically a slightly more fashionable Stoke. Guess it's just between us and Fulham. :moop:

[Reg]

We're capable of Stoking it up (if you mean sitting back with a load of tall defenders/midfielders?) but our default is pretty far away from Pulis Stoke.

I wouldn't class us as safe yet - only 3 points ahead of Fulham, and sadly games in hand don't truly guarantee 3 points. :(

[Spammer]

THE MIGHTY BLADES :cool:

[Shindig]

Playing last year's EFL trophy yesterday really confused me. :D

[phonics]

I know it makes me a filthy casual but watching this match with no crowd noise...

[phonics]

Lacazette has missed 3 sitters and Spurs have scored with their only shot that was a rabona into the far corner. Great summary of Arsenals season.

[phonics]

Another decision that pushes my idea of giving indirect free kicks for fouls in the box that aren’t preventing a goal scoring opportunity.

[Lofty]

Lolmela

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Please stop using Daniel fucking James.

[Ian]

Another glorious exhibition of football.

[Lewis]

Everyone and everything looks knackered, so I'm writing off any cup success now.

[phonics]

I’ve heard Jenas has had a breakdown on MOTD. Can’t wait to watch that in the morning.

[Manc]

Brighton are basically a slightly more fashionable Stoke.

Jesus wept. Stick to motocross.

[-james-]

Robert Sanchez in the Spain squad. :cool:

[SvN]

Robert Sanchez sounds like the sort of name you'd make up if you were English and pretending you were Spanish.

[Baz]

Sounds like a default Master League player on Pro Evo.

[Shindig]

Nah, the defaults have kind of knackered names these days. He'd be Robent Sanchou.

[Bob Sacamano]

1371458678574956553

Why even bother?

[Shindig]

To keep venues happy?

[John Arne]

20 games to eliminate 2 teams :D

[Shindig]

I'd have done 5 knockout games to determine a group that would then decide the winners.

[Yevrah]

That is outstanding. :D

[Jimmy Floyd]

I had a dream once in which all football had been ended except for a single annual match between Paraguay and Uruguay, the winners of which were declared football champions for that year.

The dream will never die.

[Gray Fox]

Looks like it could be another fractured skull for Wolves. Patricio went down to save a shot and got kneed in the head by a full speed Connor Coady. Went down and hasn't moved for 10 minutes yet.

[Don]

The best part being it was one of those 'offside but play on for the bants' scenarios.

[John Arne]

I had no idea that concussion subs had been brought into the EPL.

[Waffdon]

Che Adams deciding to play for Scotland means they have their first decent strikers in years. If only they managed to convince a decent centre half to switch countries and they’d be decent

[Lewis]

Gareth Southgate decided he plays for Scotland.

[Don]

That's a big boy coup.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I got him to play for Antigua on an old FM. Concacaf qualifying round 1 didn't know what had hit it.

[John Arne]

Take a bow, son...

1372120952067227651

[Don]

Chelsea going out here, I reckon. Ziyech :happycry:

[Waffdon]

Yeah, I dunno how he’s managing to keep getting back into starting eleven. Atletico look much more balanced compared to last time as well.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Also helps that they can't be so passive this time.

[Jimmy Floyd]

:harold:

[Waffdon]

He’s been awful, even the finish wasn’t exactly great. Lovely goal though, Havertz and Kante have bossed it

[Jimmy Floyd]

Kante is the best player out there by a mile. He strikes me as the type we can keep going for years at this level in the big games if we give him enough rests in the shitty games.

[niko_cee]

Chelsea going out here, I reckon. Ziyech :happycry:

Seriously mate, you have been on fire these past god knows how many months.

[Kikó]

It's almost a great way to bet. Whatever he says, bet against.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Marcos Llorente looks like a right public school fluffer. Marcus Lawrence-Tay. Eeeeeoh, jolly good, you off on your hols? Sunny Spain, is it? Yahss, yahss, the parents have a yacht, you know, eighty feet, she is, round the islands. Couple of locals to keep the old dear running. You should come, Toby, bring your girlfriend, yah, yah. We can have a foursome with Cecelia, port side, yah.

[CJay]

The Atletico tears when a Chelsea player goes down injured. :drool: This is beautiful stuff.

Werner is the most dangerous player on the pitch but unfortunately has literally no control of his legs. Hard to see how he’ll ever score goals regularly again.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Werner is the most dangerous player on the pitch but unfortunately has literally no control of his legs.

https://dm0qx8t0i9gc9.cloudfront.net/watermarks/image/rDtN98Qoishumwih/portrait-of-senior-doctor-smiling-on-the-background-of-his-colleagues_SB_PM.jpg

[Gray Fox]

The seethe on Simeone is glorious. Hopefully the prick bottles La Liga too and gets the boot.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Inject that entire incident and the subsequent seethe into my veins please. Rudiger :drool:

[Waffdon]

Kante was an absolute monster

[Don]

So dominant. Tuchel is a genius.


Seriously mate, you have been on fire these past god knows how many months.

Not really, I'm just the only one posting and I don't have Kiko wanking over my top top shouts.

[Jimmy Floyd]

That was the first football I've watched for about three weeks. But for us lolling Simeone out it would have been shite as well. Sport is gone.

[phonics]

I’d been told Tuchel was this tactical mastermind in the Dortmund mould. Seems he’s set up to create the most boring and effective team of all time.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/56440087

Lingard, Shaw and Stones back in the England squad. Watkins and Sam Johnstone have been called up for the first time too.

[Ian]

Is Alexander-Arnold injured or has he been dropped?

[Manc]

San Marino, Albania & Poland. Cancel the sport.

[Gray Fox]

Dropped. Thank fuck for that.

[niko_cee]

J-Lingz lolling his way into tournament contention again. Just need 'Dele' to find some form and we'll be bang on to squander our best chance at winning something in a generation.

[-james-]

I doubt Alexander-Arnold goes to the Euros. Southgate (rightly) has a hardon for Reece James who will start anyway.

[Don]

Having a hard-on for Reece James and selecting Trippier over him are two very different things. Also won't reject a 2-time CL winner come Euros. Thank fuck, regardless, not a single Liv player :drool:

Bet he was gagging for any kind of reason to call up his second son Jesse. And playing it cool with his comments :D

Shame the injuries have made this an easy one.

[Lewis]

That squad is quarter-finals personified until you get to the attackers, and you can only play four of those, so wrap it all up with a shit coach and we're sunk anyway.

[Ian]

And those attackers will be playing for England and therefore do nothing special anyway.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Harry Kane can take some special corners, mate.

[Mellberg]

It's alright. Central defence would look a lot better with an actual defender in there instead of Eric Dier, whose inclusion completely fucking baffles me every time. Keeper's a bit weak, but no worse without Pickford. Centre midfield isn't good enough though. Some good regular 6/7 out of 10s, but we're short of a Kante or equivalent. Hopefully Bellingham can push on, the bluenose twat.

[Ian]

It's alright. Central defence would look a lot better with an actual defender in there instead of Eric Dier

And if Maguire wasn't a guaranteed starter.

I'm prepared to give Stones a chance to annoy me all over again as I don't watch City much but I'm prepared to believe his apparent resurgence in form might have something to do with the absolute state of the league this year and the quality ahead of him meaning he doesn't actually need to do much.

[niko_cee]

I've not seen Bellingham play (ever) but hoping he can 'push on' whilst picking him in an international squad at 17 is classic England.

Also, lol at what's going on in the UEFA Cup.

[Manc]

Mourinho on the brink.

[Danny]

1372631712711184394

[Bob Sacamano]

This Dinamo stadium is such an eyesore

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

lol at Spurs.

[Shindig]

Somebody check on Giggles.

[Don]

Dinamo are a proper side but they won't get the credit because they don't have 16 BLMs in their starting XI.

[Mellberg]

I've not seen Bellingham play (ever) but hoping he can 'push on' whilst picking him in an international squad at 17 is classic England.

Also, lol at what's going on in the UEFA Cup.

I remember him breaking through at blues and there was a lot of noise from their side about this kid, and I just thought 'alright Nathan Redmond'. Then watched him in the Championship at 16 and he was an absolute class above anyone on the pitch. Doing well at Dortmund too. The kid's got real talent and will go far, hence the repeated call ups.

Lol Spurs also. Nice of Eric Dier to ram those earlier words down my throat.

[randomlegend]

Pogba :cool:

[niko_cee]

I'm sure he's a talented kid, but I often look at how many other nations throw in their promising youngsters at such an age and wonder if it is all that good a strategy. I'm pretty sure Mata was still playing in age group tournaments whilst looking about the age he does now for Spain, for example. Bellingham, and probably Foden, should go to the U21s this summer really, but they won't.

[randomlegend]

Bellingham should go with the U21s but Foden is a fully established player for Man City, he should be with the senior squad.

[Don]

The two are key players for CL quarter finalists and one is built like a horse. I'm not sure telling them to go molest teenagers so that you can give minutes to Harry Winks is the answer.

[Kikó]

Great win for Manchester United.

[Reg]

Champs League draw at 11am and Europa from 12pm (UK time).



The runners and riders for the Champions League draw, which is coming up in half an hour. There are no seedings, it’s an open draw, so we could see some spicy Premier League on Premier League action, with three English teams in the hat:

Bayern Munich
Borussia Dortmund
Chelsea
Liverpool
Manchester City
Paris Saint-Germain
Porto
Real Madrid

Wouldn't mind another Liverpool v Man City tie.

[SvN]

City will get Porto
We'll get Roma

[Jimmy Floyd]

I want Real Madrid. We somehow haven't played them this century, despite both regularly being deep into the CL. It's about time.

[Don]

5 games away from glory :drool:

Real Madrid, Dortmund and Porto are dogshit so one of them please. Chelsea-PSG for Tuchel narrative and Bayern-City for Pep tears hopefully.

[Don]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EwzH7aFXIAAZsGv?format=jpg&name=medium

1372861098127425541?s=20

So good :D

[Gray Fox]

Any non English team please. So Chelsea guaranteed.

[Dquincy]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EwzH7aFXIAAZsGv?format=jpg&name=medium

1372861098127425541?s=20

So good :D

Brilliant. :D Twats.

[Waffdon]

3 English teams in the semi finals again it is.

[Kikó]

City to win it.

[Don]

A Taremi inspired 2nd leg could do Chelsea but yeah. Raping Real and 3 games away from glory :drool:

[Manc]

Tuchel can't believe his luck.

[Waffdon]

Chelsea’s FA Cup draws have been a piss take too. Sheff Utd is the biggest team they’ll be facing which is the quarters. They’ll no doubt draw Southampton or Bournemouth in the semis to top off the easiest run in history.

[Reg]

Great ties, as there should be at this stage. Haaland and Sancho should be a good test for Man City's defence and new and improved John Stones. Real Madrid v Liverpool could be an entertaining mess - neither look great and presumably both desperate to go through.

[Dquincy]

I see Man Utd have been give a bye into the next round.

[SvN]

About time we had a decent cup draw.

[Jimmy Floyd]

You could have drawn any of the other seven there and it would have been an easy draw.

[Ian]

Surely Granada, or indeed any team, can't be so bad that United can be considered to have drawn a gimme?

[Jimmy Floyd]

United are a long way ahead of any of them in terms of talent and resources. They aren't gimmes for Arsenal.

[niko_cee]

The Liverpool/Chelsea side of the draw is pretty lol.

Zidane to end up doing the League/European Cup double.

Hopefully PSG can get past Bayern and then they and City can agree to play their respective home legs in their oil state of choice.

[Shindig]

The legend of Binedine Binman must continue.

[Manc]

City bottling this would be superb.

[Spikey M]

City bottling this would be superb.

It's the only hope for what has been a dogshit season.

[niko_cee]

It's not really going to be bottling it if they lose to Bayern in the semis, is it?

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

There's no way City are beating Bayern. Lewandowski will abuse their defence.

Haaland will abuse them too first but I think City should have enough to get past them.

[Spikey M]

It's not really going to be bottling it if they lose to Bayern in the semis, is it?

I meant bottling everything. The League and the League Cup included.

[Dquincy]

There is certainly potential for a slip up by City (in the context of the quadruple). They're going to be playing a shite load of games over the next period.


March 20: Everton (away)

April 3: Leicester (away)

April 6 or 7: Dortmund (home)

April 10: Leeds (home)

April 13 or 14: Dortmund (away)

April 17: Aston Villa (away)

April 17: FA Cup semi-final (if they progress) Clashes with the above fixture

April 25: Tottenham (Carabao Cup final)

April 27 or 28: CL semi-final (if they progress)

Saturday May 1: Crystal Palace (away)

May 4 or 5: CL semi-final (if they progress)

Saturday May 8: Chelsea (home)

May 15: FA Cup Final (if they progress)

[Don]

Mad to think we'll basically be getting an open top bus tour to celebrate the league and CL even though we won't have done the double. What scenes.

[Dquincy]

Arsenal can do one for the Charity Shield.

[John Arne]

We (Ho Chi Minh City) just beat our rivals Saigon with a 98th minute penalty from Lee Nguyen :drool:


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

[Davgooner]

Arsenal can do one for the Charity Shield.

Fuck off you cunt.

[Ian]

What a way to make your first post in two years.

[Kikó]

Dave is back!

[Jimmy Floyd]

https://www.forbes.com/sites/leeigel/2021/03/19/chelsea-owner-and-billionaire-roman-abramovich-on-the-past-present-and-future-of-the-club/?sh=4614a1b51007

Absolutely loving this fluff piece in Forbes of all things.


Tackling intolerance is an issue that Abramovich also feels personally responsible to do something about.

OK, but answer me this: where is Mr A's comfort zone?


Abramovich's comfort zone is in infusing values and inspiring standards throughout Chelsea, rather than generating personal celebrity.

I know we complain about our media being cunts, but the alternative is this kind of fawning shite you get across the pond.

[Mellberg]

Dave :cool:

[Dquincy]

Fuck off you cunt.

Hi Dave. :)

[Magic]

Fuck off you cunt.

:drool:

[John Arne]

Haaland is an absolute monster. Dortmund are a proper comedy outfit. Can't defend, and won't defend for shit.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Lewandowski is now up to 35 league goals this season.

5 behind Gerd Muller's record with 8 games to go.

[Lewis]

Gerd Muller probably never broke a sweat setting that record so I don't see how it can be beaten.

[Waffdon]

Man City’s kit is beautiful

[Shindig]

Christ, this is woeful. We're done. Even if we stay up, I can't see Bruce staying on. The run-in says we're going to need three points from both Sheff Utd and Fulham. And hope the latter haven't grabbed points before then.

[SincereTheRebel]

Lewandowski is now up to 35 league goals this season.

5 behind Gerd Muller's record with 8 games to go.

Embarassing that Fifa cancelled the Ballon d'Or last year. He should have won it. Is he in pole position to win it again?

[Reg]

He is indeed in Pole position. :henn0rz:

Very strange seeing us score five goals in two games. Newcastle look absolutely doomed.

[Shindig]

Our only saving grace is we have two weeks off for the big players to recover. We do have a game in hand but it's against City. And, as fighty as Fulham have been, they're not winning games.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Fulham v Newcastle final day will be in play I reckon.

[Shindig]

Their run in looks a lot more doable. Villa, Wolves, Arsenal, Chelsea, Burnley, Southampton, United, Newcastle. Realistically, we might get something from Burnley before the double-header at the end.

[SvN]

I reckon Fulham will be fine. They're in good form and have fixed a lot of the problems they had at the start of the season. Newcastle and potentially Southampton are my shouts.

[Manc]

Brighton @ 28/1 has to be worth a nibble. They have a horrendous run in.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Half the teams will probably give up on the league at a certain point, not least Man City.

[Waffdon]

I reckon Fulham will be fine. They're in good form and have fixed a lot of the problems they had at the start of the season. Newcastle and potentially Southampton are my shouts.

They’ve lost 3 of their last 4.

I do hope they stay up though. Preferably in place of Burnley or Brighton but that’s not happening

[Shindig]

Brighton's fine. Six points clear with a game in hand and a decent goal difference. Kind of sad that 32 points sees you safe but this has been an absolute shambles of a season.

[SvN]

They’ve lost 3 of their last 4.

I do hope they stay up though. Preferably in place of Burnley or Brighton but that’s not happening

"Good form" is probably the wrong phrase. But they've clicked, and they're better than their league position makes out.

[Gray Fox]

False position returns.

[Shindig]

They are capable of scoring and getting points. That's as far as I'll go.

[Andy]

I reckon Fulham will be fine. They're in good form and have fixed a lot of the problems they had at the start of the season. Newcastle and potentially Southampton are my shouts.

We have Burnley, West Brom and Palace in a row after the international break. We should get enough points from them to be safe and focus on the cup semi.

If we do get sacked into it after those three games we play Fulham towards the end of the season which will be massive.

[Jimmy Floyd]

The desperate excitement of the BBC commentator that Sheff Utd have survived 10 minutes with 'real purpose' is cute.

[Pleb]

Fucking hell Arsenal :D

[randomlegend]

Lingard :cool:

[Don]

I'm surprised Arsenal players, staff and fans are bothering celebrating goals, the other mid-table sides care for top half finishes and points tallies but what is the point of the remaining games for Arsenal?

[randomlegend]

You're not cheering Liverpool goals any more then?

[Don]

We're 5 points outside top 4 and could do with the momentum to secure number 7.

[Don]

Fucking lol at Frederick.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Tremendous assist.

[Waffdon]

Same with Maguire passing it to him with two pressing.

[Lewis]

I would swap Ole Gunnar Binman for Brendan Rodgers any day of the week.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Big Mace is back.

[niko_cee]

At what point is there going to be a critical mass of stats to show that fucking around at the back is actually a bad idea? Like wot you was told as a kid and all.

[Lewis]

United are going to end up with seventy-odd points and probably no trophy which is crap.

[randomlegend]

Utd have been shite.

[Jimmy Floyd]

They should win the Europa pretty comfortably.

[randomlegend]

Fred putting in a proper 2019 performance.

[Lewis]

If any of the remaining teams have fitness and a plan they can turn United over. Milan were the better side for eighty per cent of the tie.

[Shindig]

At the other end, Suyuncu's been pretty solid.

[Kikó]

We were dross today, seriously bad performances from Maguire, AWB, Fred, Matic and Martial. Then you've got the nearly fit people in Pogba, vdb and Telles mixed in. Leicester deserved it.

[phonics]

I’m old enough to remember Mellin saying Aston Villa were going to be part of the new top clubs and leave Spurs and Arsenal in their dust. How’s that going?

[SvN]

Nice of you to wait for months until Arsenal were above Villa in the league to post that.

[phonics]

I’ve been very consistent in my ‘Arsenal are a joke made to make me sad’ point of view this whole time and yet here we are. Table doesn’t lie baby.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Nothing that happens this season is legitimate. Wipe the whole thing out and start counting again when crowds are back.

[Spikey M]

I don't know how anyone is maintaining any level of interest in it. I've only watched a few games over the last year. It just feels so empty and meaningless.

Which is probably because it is empty and meaningless, but the passion of the crowd normally covers it up.

[Kikó]

Plus one to that. Games just happen then you move on. There's very little emotional investment.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I think the difference is that in normal times the noise and engagement of the crowd makes it feel like football is happening for a reason, for the benefit of all those thousands of people (whether or not that is actually the case). Now it feels like football is happening for its own benefit. The sense is only heightened by Agnelli and Infantino prowling the media on a desperate money grab, impervious to anything.

[Ian]

Personally I find it every bit as exhilarating, even moving, to see TV contract obligations being so dutifully fulfilled.

[Shindig]

I'm usually around people for the chatter as well. No more, "Did you see the game last night!?" conversations because everyone's at home.

[Don]

2 weeks without meaningful football. I'm bloody grateful but also worried I may come out the other side of it like you disgraceful melts.

[Jimmy Floyd]

The club break has gone on way too long, it's good to have some proper international action back.

England v San Marino's futile low block with the fake noise of the band playing 'England till I die' pumped into the broadcast, I am HERE for it.

[Baz]

Frank Lebouef on tv saying Holland were a better team than Brazil in 1998 :saywhat:

[John Arne]

I'm off to the footy now... massive game v Hanoi FC... referee's always fuck us over against Hanoi - but tonight may be different. 10,000 expected in the stands :drool:

[Jimmy Floyd]

Frank Lebouef on tv saying Holland were a better team than Brazil in 1998 :saywhat:

There is a strong argument for it. Brazil were pretty lax through most of the tournament (lost to Norway, nearly ballsed up the QF against Denmark, completely tanked in the final) and the Dutch were a good side. Semi was decided on penalties.

Holland were even better in 2000 though, and really should have won that.

[Shindig]

https://planetlippstonedotcom.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/saigon-homer-simpson.jpg?w=584

"Hello, fellow communists. How about that local sports team?"

[Ian]

On what bit of Sky programming was Leboeuf offering this searingly hot take about a 23 year old World Cup semi final?

[Jimmy Floyd]

He went into acting, didn't he? Probably True Detective.

[Baz]

On what bit of Sky programming was Leboeuf offering this searingly hot take about a 23 year old World Cup semi final?Some live Zoom thingy with one of the Sky Sports News presenters.

He was asked if the France team knew about Ronaldo before kickoff and he elaborated from there. (They did.)

[Lewis]

I'm sat here trying to work out which Dutch team - 1996, 1998, or 2000 - had the reputation for letting their egos ruin the side (Jesus imagine the race angle on that now), which probably means it was all of them.

[Ian]

Wasn't the Dutch team falling out at tournaments just what they did for all of the 90s?

[Shindig]

Doesn't really help when you've got Van Gaal or Hiddink as a manager.

[Mellberg]

They were class in '98. Couple of decent pens away from the final.

Kit was incredible too.

[John Arne]

I'm off to the footy now... massive game v Hanoi FC... referee's always fuck us over against Hanoi - but tonight may be different. 10,000 expected in the stands :drool:

Well, that was shit. Our midfielder broke the leg of one of Vietnam's best players... they scored direct from the free kick, we then played shit and got beat 3-0. Since the injured player is a northerner and a bit of a darling of Vietnam footy, our midfielder has since been fined 40,000,000 dong, banned until 31st December and has to pay this bloke's hospital fees :D Proper tin pot league.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynGj7JoKci8&ab_channel=Kh%C3%A1n%C4%90%C3%A0iOnline

[Ian]

An eight month ban? Fucking hell.

[John Arne]

If it had been on another player, who wasn't very good - nobody would care. Proper mob mentality towards (Northern) national team players.

[Ian]

That said I've just actually looked at the picture on the Youtube video, has he just jumped on his ankle two-footed?

[John Arne]

That said I've just actually looked at the picture on the Youtube video, has he just jumped on his ankle two-footed?

Oh, its a terrible tackle....buuuut, they happen all the time and nobody generally cares.

[Baz]

Ooooh that's a doozy.

[Kikó]

8 month ban seems fair judging by the still. Fucking awful tackle.