November fitba: Is anything interesting happening?

[Lewis]

The fact that so many consecutive Chelsea managers have believed Ruben Loftus-Cheek to be worth persisting with is a real indictment of modern football methods.

Another :evictory: on Jose Mourinho's perfect record.

[Kikó]

Love the xG.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

ffs Wan Bissaka.

[phonics]

The fact that so many consecutive Chelsea managers have believed Ruben Loftus-Cheek to be worth persisting with is a real indictment of modern football methods.

It's because he's tall and doesn't do anything badly but he's not like great at anything either. He's Mohamed Elneny.

[Waffdon]

He’s missing this

[Jimmy Floyd]

Honestly, if I was a ref, the rat face on Bruno Fernandes would make me just send him off for no reason and if it gets me a demotion then so be it.

[randomlegend]

That was a ridiculously soft penalty.

[Waffdon]

How is Werner still on the pitch? :D

Lukaku and Havertz must be still injured

[Lewis]

If this pudding scores and does his Thierry Henry big man celebration I'm done for the season.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Fred :face:

[Lewis]

Ronaldo wasn't even annoyed.

[Jimmy Floyd]

The incompetence of the officiating there was breathtaking.

[Waffdon]

Is that an actual rule? Because he didn’t shoot the assistant can’t pull it back for offside?

[igor_balis]

Is it genuinely the rule that VAR can't change the offside if it goes out for a corner? It feels like something that would happen on a badly programmed video game.

[Lewis]

His aura kept him onside.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Hopefully that will teach Rudiger to stop thinking he can play.

[Manc]

Chelsea are utterly dreadful to watch.

[Lewis]

Chelsea need to have a word with Thomas Tuchel about his touchline clobber. Are you a Big Club if your manager dresses like a shoplifter?

[phonics]

7 points off top with a goal difference of negative two :drool:

December is hyooge now. Man Utd away and a load of absolute shitters. Make or break time.

[mo]

1465017283152125955

[phonics]

The Carragher/Keane argument is made 100x better by OG Jimmy just laughing at these two having a divorce mid show.

[randomlegend]

Carragher comes across like he has brain damage in that.

WHY HAVE THEY SIGNED HIM THEN?

To try to win a cup

YES BUT WHY HAVE THEY SIGNED HIM????REEEEEEEE

[-james-]

Carragher is clearly the winner. Keane is a mong.

[Giggles]

There is no world where both of them aren’t gobshites.

[Lewis]

Roy Keane is a crap pundit (albeit a lol one), but he is more right in that discussion than not. The other stuff he said about Carrick was good as well.

[phonics]

Carragher comes across like he has brain damage in that.

WHY HAVE THEY SIGNED HIM THEN?

To try to win a cup

YES BUT WHY HAVE THEY SIGNED HIM????REEEEEEEE

If you weren’t a United fan you would be absolutely
Lolling at the sentence ‘they’ve signed cristiano Ronaldo to win the FA cup’.

[SincereTheRebel]

1465017283152125955

Wait, they were on the same team?

[randomlegend]

If you weren’t a United fan you would be absolutely
Lolling at the sentence ‘they’ve signed cristiano Ronaldo to win the FA cup’.

I mean, it's just reality.

[Yevrah]

Might be now, but it sure as shit wasn't when you signed him.

[phonics]

I mean, it's just reality.
Arsenal have won at least 2 FA Cups since United won their last trophy. It isn’t the players holding you back mate.

This quote and calling Juventus shit is incredible stuff. You are an absolute joke when it comes to football opinions. Reddit as fuck.

[Lewis]

The standard non-deluded opinion was that they signed Ronaldo because he's Ronaldo and why not. Nobody thought that it was going to edge them the league, but, if he improves the squad/adds big goals, he might help win a cup. I'm not sure what Carragher was screeching about winning the league for.

[randomlegend]

Arsenal have won at least 2 FA Cups since United won their last trophy. It isn’t the players holding you back mate.

This quote and calling Juventus shit is incredible stuff. You are an absolute joke when it comes to football opinions. Reddit as fuck.

Juventus are shit and United are not going to win the league.

[Shindig]

The standard non-deluded opinion was that they signed Ronaldo because he's Ronaldo and why not. Nobody thought that it was going to edge them the league, but, if he improves the squad/adds big goals, he might help win a cup. I'm not sure what Carragher was screeching about winning the league for.

I always thought this as well. He was available and why not? Hell, he might wind up retiring in red and he's not going to half-arse it.

[Boydy]

Can barely see the ball in the Leicester Watford highlights.

[Spikey M]

Awwww lil' Maddy has put his dad's suit on.

[Don]

Apparently it's a gammon take but Alex Scott needs culling. That constant fucking voice of talking through a forced grin is intolerable. "Ooo but she wears leather leggings"...fuck off, love.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Ronaldo's goals are the reason they aren't out of the CL and bottom half of the league. Now, you can say his presence is a retrograde step and means they don't press, but if you're a shit team and don't press anyway then you might as well have Ronaldo.

[Waffdon]

They should just leave him for the CL games. He’s been a bit useless in the majority of their league games.

Rarcus Mashford will out score him in the league

[phonics]

Ronaldo's goals are the reason they aren't out of the CL and bottom half of the league. Now, you can say his presence is a retrograde step and means they don't press, but if you're a shit team and don't press anyway then you might as well have Ronaldo.

They finished 2nd last year. This is an insane take. It’s really not hard to do well at football if you buy better players than everyone else. Wenger managed it on half their budget. You just buy better players and it doesn’t matter whether you set up in a 4-1-3-2 or a 4-2-3-1. You’ll win. They’ve been managed by an absolute nobody for years and finished 2nd because their budget is bigger than everyone else.

[Spikey M]

Carragher comes across like he has brain damage in that.

WHY HAVE THEY SIGNED HIM THEN?

To try to win a cup

YES BUT WHY HAVE THEY SIGNED HIM????REEEEEEEE

They signed him because it's Ronaldo and it's "Romantic".

[Kikó]

They finished 2nd last year. This is an insane take. It’s really not hard to do well at football if you buy better players than everyone else. Wenger managed it on half their budget. You just buy better players and it doesn’t matter whether you set up in a 4-1-3-2 or a 4-2-3-1. You’ll win. They’ve been managed by an absolute nobody for years and finished 2nd because their budget is bigger than everyone else.

Jesus, give the guy some credit. Not like Chelsea and Liverpool suddenly had no money last season.


The standard non-deluded opinion was that they signed Ronaldo because he's Ronaldo and why not. Nobody thought that it was going to edge them the league, but, if he improves the squad/adds big goals, he might help win a cup. I'm not sure what Carragher was screeching about winning the league for.

This is it. Maybe a sensible club wouldn't have become nostalgic over an old great but we did even if he didn't fit what had given Solskjear some success.

[niko_cee]

7 points off top with a goal difference of negative two :drool:

December is hyooge now. Man Utd away and a load of absolute shitters. Make or break time.

Just looking at the table, I hadn't really appreciate how much filth there is going on. Wolves, Spurs and Brighton 6th, 7th and 9th with none of them averaging more than a goal a game and none with positive goal difference. Your mob not much better. :sick:

Top 3 out of sight already.

[Spikey M]

It is looking a bit La Liga.

[Jimmy Floyd]

We will come third. It'll be a very good third, though, and we'll be close in Europe again too.

[phonics]

Jesus, give the guy some credit. Not like Chelsea and Liverpool suddenly had no money last season.

Chelsea were also managed by an absolute nobody for half the season. Your budget is miles more than Liverpool.

[Spikey M]

1464262466679062533?t=yGmh2gHfUEhKJKLjsIIlAg&s=19

[Manc]

Good one.

[Spikey M]

I meant to include a reply to the tweet but I've fucked it and now I can't find it.

It was indeed the best of ones though. You've all missed out.

[Andy]

We will come third. It'll be a very good third, though, and we'll be close in Europe again too.

I think it will depend on how Liverpool get on during the Afcon.

[Kikó]

Chelsea were also managed by an absolute nobody for half the season. Your budget is miles more than Liverpool.

So was United apparently. Liverpool had blown the league away and been unbelievable for 3 seasons. You're allowed to give people credit.

[Spikey M]

Phonics realising he's been handed another opportunity to be an insufferable nonce:

1465024912842756108?t=xol62goUxO9M8G3HPRnkVw&s=19

[Baz]

Does anyone else play Premkiller (https://premkiller.blogspot.com/?m=1)? £5 entry and you pick a team to win every week and the last man standing wins the entire lot. Can’t pick the same team more than once.

Recent winner won nearly £8k.

[Giggles]

I’m going to guess that link sends on bank details to you or something.

[igor_balis]

I think I agree with Carragher, but it's very much a hindsight is 20/20 thing isn't it. As it stands now, my gut instinct is that if you're gonna be flapping around in and around the last CL spot, you might as well have given time to the young up-and-comers, and tried to put together something more coherent tactically (and spent the Ronaldo money on a CM, obvz...oh, and gotten a proper manager in), but when they signed him I was very much one of the idiots who thought WOW look at all those good players, maybe an outside shot at the title.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Far be it from me to care who wins the balloon of gold, but how has Lionel Messi won it? I can think of at least five more deserving off the top of my head: Lewandowski, Jorginho, Chiesa, Salah, De Bruyne.

[Lewis]

Remember when Neymar went to PSG to get out of Messi's shadow solely so he could win this lol.

[Danny]

https://media.giphy.com/media/8rEVtjWcJoNI5miInv/giphy.gif

[Giggles]

That QPR winner was a lovely finish.

[Spikey M]

Far be it from me to care who wins the balloon of gold, but how has Lionel Messi won it? I can think of at least five more deserving off the top of my head: Lewandowski, Jorginho, Chiesa, Salah, De Bruyne.

He cried because he loves his club and the big meanies made him leave. Then he was good again. It's a heart warming tale.

[phonics]

Phonics realising he's been handed another opportunity to be an insufferable nonce:

1465024912842756108?t=xol62goUxO9M8G3HPRnkVw&s=19

Hairline seems far closer to you than me, buddy.

[Don]

Assuming it's the award for the best footballer of the year, he should have won every single one for the last 15 years.

https://i.ibb.co/kDBkT7h/Screenshot-20211129-220427-Gallery.jpg

Man said Jorginho :D don't get me wrong, it's fantastic to see a white man not get laughed out of CM on the back of his ability to make 5 yard passes but get a grip.

[Lewis]

'Copa America top assister'.

[John Arne]

107 recoveries... Well, definitely deserves it.

[Spikey M]

The most glaring thing on that list is Benzema being on it.

[niko_cee]

For one of the established two to not win it a player has to have an exceptional season for a club that wins virtually everything they are in. De Bruyne probably gets it if City don't meff up the Champions League final. That said, is this the one voted for by international captains or the French Journalists? There's literally not a chance Messi or Ronaldo don't win it until the end of time with the captain one, and now Messi has dignified France with his presence I guess he's got them all sewn up as well.

[Manc]

Messi winning in 2010 was the beginning of the end.

[Ian]

The most glaring thing on that list is Benzema being on it.

Well we know he's not above a bit of extortion now.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I think the voters at large are still under the mistaken impression that Barcelona/Real Madrid remain the pinnacle of club football. They do not.

[CJay]

I imagine the only reason Messi won this year is because he won the Copa America. But yeah the fact that Jorginho was a contender says a lot

Although I do agree with Taz. Messi should have won it every year since he first won it.

[SincereTheRebel]

They gave Modric the sympathy d'or and Lewandowski is still waiting for his....

[Jimmy Floyd]

Modric played for RM at the time, Lewandowski's goals don't count until he bangs five past Atletico Torremolinos.

[Boydy]

FIFA is trialling limb-tracking tech to catch offside players (https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/30/22809396/fifa-limb-tracking-arab-cup-world-offside-technology)

Oh ffs.

[Don]

Seems good, reduction of decision time and increase in accuracy. The current system is just a holocaust/apartheid/pigs in blankets shortage.

[Ian]

FIFA is trialling limb-tracking tech to catch offside players (https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/30/22809396/fifa-limb-tracking-arab-cup-world-offside-technology)

Oh ffs.

I've often thought in the last few years, what we need is for the offside rule to be MORE convoluted.

[-james-]

It's the obvious evolution. The current system of having to refer to David Coote at Stockley Park is going to look proper stone age in about ten years time.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I can't see how David Coote won't always be needed for non-line calls.

[Don]

As with everything, AI, famalam. Anything with an xFoul of over 0.75 to be called.

[Adramelch]

The thing is that how offsides are currently done on VAR feels silly. You got the guy going pixel by pixel and determining what part of the arm counts as the shoulder and whatnot in order to draw some lines that are then presented as if they came from a highly sophisticated software. If you are at that point, you might as well get said sophisticated software instead.

[Raoul Duke]

It's a computer vision/ML problem, probably quite a nice one to think about. Lots of training data available but hard to programme in the intricacies of things like deflected passes etc.

[Adramelch]

Given the use of the term "semi-automatic" I just assume it will handle the lines part but it'll still be down to the VAR to decide whether it's an offside or not.

[Spikey M]

The worst of both worlds.

[niko_cee]

I see the United Champions League game is coming into doubt. All of these new restrictions are going to be a massive ballache on that front. Considering the risk of getting a bit of Omicron I'd be amazed if the likes of Liverpool even considered sending their first team out. Useful cover for a week's rest. Could be a real boon for acey-meelan.

[randomlegend]

They're just talking about moving it rather than cancelling it aren't they? Or has that discussion moved on?

[niko_cee]

Aye, moving or rescheduling, but why would United want to have to travel and expose themselves to avoidable risks when they are already through and top of the group?

[Giggles]

I’m going to guess that link sends on bank details to you or something.

Hadn't noticed the neg for this til now :D

[Giggles]

Only heard today about the Man Utd lad being on the books of Locomotiv Moscow. Did Utd pay them as well as paying him 30 months wages for 6 months work?

[Offshore Toon]

What's the best website to find out what games are on? BBC pushing women's football over PL games is just stupid.

[Giggles]

What's the best website to find out what games are on? BBC pushing women's football over PL games is just stupid.

https://www.livescore.com/en/

https://www.live-footballontv.com/ (https://www.live-footballontv.com/)

[Jimmy Floyd]

Just put on Amazon for the miners v canaries game, first thing I hear is Peter Drury saying 'How St James's thirsts for a local hero tonight'. The guy is truly irreplaceable.

[Shindig]

I probably should've activated that prime trial for that. Gatesehead are on ITV4 on Friday. Sam Matterface will be trotting those same lines out.

[Giggles]

I used to get these on Prime but not any more. Probably has something to do with Premier Sport getting rights here now for games.

[Spikey M]

I used to get these on Prime but not any more. Probably has something to do with Premier Sport getting rights here now for games.

I'm not sure these fixtures are worth the bother, but I'm sure a VPN would sort you out.

[Jimmy Floyd]

You've just missed a thick as shit barcode red card that has made Alan Shearer seethe. Worth the annual fee alone.

[Giggles]

Seems to go by the location associated to your Amazon account now so a vpn doesn’t work. There’s very little they actually work for any more.

[Boydy]

Extremely stupid sending off tbf.

[Spikey M]

Seems to go by the location associated to your Amazon account now so a vpn doesn’t work. There’s very little they actually work for any more.

Ah. That's shit.

[Shindig]

You've just missed a thick as shit barcode red card that has made Alan Shearer seethe. Worth the annual fee alone.

Wonderful. This is comfortably the worst Newcastle side I've lived to see.

[Manc]

It really would be tremendous to see them relegated. Decapitating cunts.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I think this is the worst game of the season that I've seen, between two Championship sides in all but name.

[Spikey M]

Newcastle are going to have to work miracles in January to stay up. Trouble is, they have the budget to do so, but will anyone of real quality be willing to risk relegation?

[Shindig]

I almost wonder if the plan is to build for the future. This season feels like a write-off and we've got a gap to cross. I guess we'll see in a few weeks where our Saudis heads (lol) and wallet is at.

[niko_cee]

BBC pushing women's football over PL games is just stupid.

Aye. Almost as lol as the score in the England game.

:cab:

[niko_cee]

It's gone from 15-0 to 18-0 in the time it has taken me to read about 6 posts in this thread.

[Giggles]

It's gone from 15-0 to 18-0 in the time it has taken me to read about 6 posts in this thread.

I’ve just watched our lot score their 9th. Georgia look like it’s their first ever time trying the sport.

[Spikey M]

He'll miss this.

[Spikey M]

:D nearly

[Spikey M]

I'm not sure this is even Championship standard. How did Norwich get promoted? Awful football.

[Lewis]

I never got a 20-0 on Football Manager. Jesus what's the point of that.

[Spikey M]

What a goal. I made that happen :drool:

[Shindig]

I never got a 20-0 on Football Manager. Jesus what's the point of that.

I could only manage them on CM2 German Leagues. Bayern Munich were basically the Harlem Globetrotters.

[mo]

1465786330760327180

My 5 y/o daughter could probably kick it further and with greater accuracy.

[Smjffy]

As tragic as that Newcastle v Norwich game seems to have been, the Canaries are at least giving themselves a fighting chance of battling relegation as opposed to being relegated by default. I mean, they'll still go down but at least keep it interesting until the final weeks of the season so others can be dragged into it. Southampton and Brentford are my picks to join them at this point as I can see the festive period being too much for Brentford whilst Southampton miss Danny Ings's goals from the looks of things.

[Baz]

1465786330760327180

My 5 y/o daughter could probably kick it further and with greater accuracy.
:roflol:

[Spikey M]

:D fuck sake

[Baz]

I genuinely reckon 11 of us, without meeting prior, could rock up and put more than 20 past Latvia Women over 90 minutes.

[Manc]

Progressive.

[mo]

As tragic as that Newcastle v Norwich game seems to have been, the Canaries are at least giving themselves a fighting chance of battling relegation as opposed to being relegated by default. I mean, they'll still go down but at least keep it interesting until the final weeks of the season so others can be dragged into it. Southampton and Brentford are my picks to join them at this point as I can see the festive period being too much for Brentford whilst Southampton miss Danny Ings's goals from the looks of things.

Saw a good stat earlier, that Newcastle are just the fourth side in the Prem to not achieve a win in their first 14 matches. The other three were all relegated.

[Ian]

I genuinely reckon 11 of us, without meeting prior, could rock up and put more than 20 past Latvia Women over 90 minutes.

How many would you therefore beat England Women by?

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

He wouldn't.

It's coming home.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I don't understand why they have set up the women's qualifiers in the same way as the men's. England's goal difference in their group is +53 in six games. Surely a Nations League style setup would be more beneficial for all concerned.

[Don]

I don't understand why they have set up the women's _________ in the same way as the men's.

Iconic.

[phonics]

I'm shocked that a game that was banned for several decades is structurally bad.

[Lofty]

How many would you therefore beat England Women by?

I reckon we could avoid losing 20-0. I have no doubt they are all far superior footballers to me but when it comes to set pieces I'd be like Jan Koller against some oompa loompas.

[Manc]

I see Neymar has been poleaxed again. Small Pockets secretly buzzing.