December football: bald men hold sway

[Kikó]

Scoring directly from a corner is probably negative 100xG. I'm glad the way we play mate has a chance to win a trophy. He should get it done.

[niko_cee]

Yeah, that's just nonsense. That game was won by the least shit of 2 very shit goalkeepers, but let's not pretend Spurs weren't the better team.

Gary Neville's momemtum-o-meter on Sky had it right. United looked better in the first half, but chucked the first one in and then faded a bit towards half time. Then they went to bits. Then Spurs went to bits. Then he went to bits every time Spurs took a short goal kick. It was disarray all round.

[niko_cee]

Dias is out for 3 to 4 weeks apparently.

City are actually completely fucked.

[Baz]

Been made aware of this (https://evertonway.com/#/book/select-products) which is surely a lovely chance to troll, if you can get something to slip through the undoubtedly lax quality control?

Hit me with your best lol and I’ll see if it’s worth £100 of my money.

[Gray Fox]

I'm sure we were meant to have similar outside of Anfield, but then the constructor went bust and the plans were revised. Unsure if they're in yet/will be at all.

[Luke Emia]

I'm sure we were meant to have similar outside of Anfield, but then the constructor went bust and the plans were revised. Unsure if they're in yet/will be at all.

There is isn’t there was outside the main stand on the corner with the Anfield Road? I’m sure there’s bricks in the ground with people’s names on.

[Mike]

There’s the ‘Wall of Champions’ outside the ground/club shop. I only know this because my wife got a picture of myself, Baz and our Dad added.

https://backend.liverpoolfc.com/sites/default/files/styles/xl/public/2022-11/The%20Champions%20Wall.webp?itok=3uKWwTyP

[Luke Emia]

1-0 Villa against the Bald Fraud.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Get fucked City.

[igor_balis]

That was a a great goal.

[Gray Fox]

You can see the issue. They just cannot press with these midfielders. Foden and Grealish can't defend and Haaland just doesnt bother trying. Gundogan and Kovacic don't have the legs to run players down. This was fine when the best player in the world was behind them to mop up, but he's not there now.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Bald fraud confirmed :drool:

[Shindig]

Reinstate his binman status.

[Gray Fox]

Big fan of this Rogers lad just running at people with the ball. Too little of it in the modern game.

[-james-]

This second division kit City are wearing is apt.

[John Arne]

Villa need to get McGinn replaced with someone who can actually run. He's such a plodder.

[phonics]

I've just seen the kits. We're losing.

[phonics]

Thats appalling from the rapist. Doesn't bother tracking.

[phonics]

Carraghers audible annoyance at Palace fucking up a counter attack :drool:

[Dan]

Interesting one against Wullie’s boys today.

We hadn’t noticed that it had been moved to 12:30 for Sky until about 11:45, so my mate had to get a cab from Chichester, only to discover the driver doesn’t take card & neither of us have any cash or any way to get some.

Managed to get it resolved & arrived just about a minute before kickoff, only for us to concede in the first three minutes & almost go two down because for some reason we were playing the Spurs line with a CB pairing of a 33 year old CM with no legs & our fourth choice CB who we’re trying to loan out in Jan.

Thankfully their keeper had a moment of goalkeeping incompetence similar to the sort you’d see from your mate at the park, diving over a very saveable shot, and that pretty much turned the game, with Cov not really doing much else going forward & us pressing them to death.

Callum Lang obviously MOTM, but Ephraim Mason-Clark looks pretty interesting out on the left for Coventry, like Harry Aikines-Aryeetey with 5 star skills. Cov fans were really good too considering the result, but both sides would probably agree the officials were shocking - the Coventry goal was probably offside & the linesman on that side didn’t seem to have any idea on a few decisions. Felt like the ref was randomly blowing the whistle at times too, particularly in the first half, so hopefully we don’t get Dean Whitestone & crew again for a while.

[Waffdon]

Not surprised to see Saka finally get what looks to be a pretty bad muscle injury. 250+ games at 23 in England is utterly mental. Arteta should be blamed as well, plays far too often.

You could say the best players want to be playing every week (ie Ronaldo and Messi) but most of them aren’t doing bleep tests down the touch line all game like Arteta has him doing

[wullie]

Interesting one against Wullie’s boys today.

We hadn’t noticed that it had been moved to 12:30 for Sky until about 11:45, so my mate had to get a cab from Chichester, only to discover the driver doesn’t take card & neither of us have any cash or any way to get some.

Managed to get it resolved & arrived just about a minute before kickoff, only for us to concede in the first three minutes & almost go two down because for some reason we were playing the Spurs line with a CB pairing of a 33 year old CM with no legs & our fourth choice CB who we’re trying to loan out in Jan.

Thankfully their keeper had a moment of goalkeeping incompetence similar to the sort you’d see from your mate at the park, diving over a very saveable shot, and that pretty much turned the game, with Cov not really doing much else going forward & us pressing them to death.

Callum Lang obviously MOTM, but Ephraim Mason-Clark looks pretty interesting out on the left for Coventry, like Harry Aikines-Aryeetey with 5 star skills. Cov fans were really good too considering the result, but both sides would probably agree the officials were shocking - the Coventry goal was probably offside & the linesman on that side didn’t seem to have any idea on a few decisions. Felt like the ref was randomly blowing the whistle at times too, particularly in the first half, so hopefully we don’t get Dean Whitestone & crew again for a while.

While I could compile a fairly sizable list of awful goalkeeping performances I've seen, Brad Collins from this game would now be at the top. If he's still starting on Boxing Day ahead of the Swedish international on the bench Lampard's growing bald patch is where all the sense is escaping his body.

[Gray Fox]

A good examination of title credentials today. Chelsea should be top by the time we play. They seem to always win at Goodison and the only thing that may stop them is the weather making football tricky.

Then it's just the way we play mate. We could go 3-0 up or down in this game and I have no idea which. It could also then easily finish 4-3 the other way. You just don't know with Spurs.

[Waffdon]

The wind is mental at Goodison. Scariest game of the season by far for Chelsea

[Waffdon]

A good examination of title credentials today. Chelsea should be top by the time we play. They seem to always win at Goodison and the only thing that may stop them is the weather making football tricky.

Then it's just the way we play mate. We could go 3-0 up or down in this game and I have no idea which. It could also then easily finish 4-3 the other way. You just don't know with Spurs.

What? You have literally just made that up. Chelsea never win at Everton - 5 losses, 1 draw and 1 win in the last 7 years. They’ve only scored 2 times as well

[Gray Fox]

Whoops, thought I was looking at the results from a Chelsea perspective and not Everton. Though this is probably the best Chelsea have been in those 7 years.

[Waffdon]

Two sitters missed from Jackson so far. Hopefully makes up for it like he did last week

[Kikó]

Another week of "what the fuck is zirkzee?" Comedy player.

[Manc]

That Southampton kit is an abomination.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Just to be clear, Chelsea have zero title credentials. If Liverpool don't win it from here they should close down or start playing another sport.

[niko_cee]

So coy.

Neither of the two up there really had any title credentials at the start of the season.

Good to see things going well at Man Red again

[Waffdon]

If his name wasn’t palmer he’d be off the pitch by now. Tragic performance

[Kikó]

I wouldn't be surprised if we finish around 13th/14th which is frankly incredible.

[Gray Fox]

Yeah I think it's nonsense to say they arent in it, nearly halfway through and a late goal here puts them top(points > games in hand). Though I understand it. I struggled through a lot of the Klopp era with the scars of having been nowhere near it. To find yourself back there after so long is strange and you wait for something to go wrong.

[Waffdon]

2 mins added on sums up this second half. Maresca has had an absolute nightmare

[Jimmy Floyd]

Point up there isn't a bad result.

Man U actually need Moyes now, which is up there with rain on your wedding day, a free ride when you've already paid and frankly a few other things too.

[Dark Soldier]

Absolutely rotten club from top to bottom. Genuinely don't even think if we had a prime Ferguson he could fix this.

[Shindig]

Hypothetically, let's say a Pulis/Allardyce fella comes in at Man Blue or Man Red. Would the players know what to do with that?

[Gray Fox]

On those balls over the top to Kulusevski, Trent is just letting Son run by him. It's driving me bonkers.

[Gray Fox]

And then he whips that undefendable ball in. Maddening.

[Waffdon]

Liverpool win today and they’ll win the league by double digits fairly easily. Arsenal without Saka and have a potential rough month coming up fixtures wise

[Luke Emia]

Should be 3 or 4 up already really.

[Waffdon]

Wits the goalie daeing Tam

[Ben]

Shout out to van Dijk for getting out the way of that shot.

[Waffdon]

That defending from spurs is absolutely hilarious

[Gray Fox]

Wits the goalie daeing Tam

They all fucking stopped like nah he'll give the free kick if we do. Play to the whistle lads.

[Gray Fox]

Hypothetically, let's say a Pulis/Allardyce fella comes in at Man Blue or Man Red. Would the players know what to do with that?

Go behind his back and get him fired, like the rest of them presumably.

[phonics]

I’ll never forget the absolute suck fest that Ange received on his arrival.

After the Man City game, Jacob Steinberg took 10 minutes out of his day from celebrating palestinian kids getting bombed to turn up on Second Captains and said with a straight face that Kulusevski was the best player in the league.

[Waffdon]

Kulusevski would be perfect for arsenal

[phonics]

Agreed, I think he’s a very good functional player. He’s a 8/10 at all parts of the game and can give you that consistently. He’d be perfect the role we have Merino playing in. Saying he’s the best player in the league is madness.

[Waffdon]

Salah and tap ins. Crazy

[Ben]

This could/should end up 7 or 8.

[Gray Fox]

Seems we've declared at 5.

Kulusevski really is the only one trying for Spurs.

[Gray Fox]

Van Dijk has completely clocked off since our 5th.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c390p9n18mlo

Big Rubes knows what's up.

[phonics]

Proper hamstring pop for Saka is worrying. His speed comes through powerful running rather than raw pace so I'm hoping it doesn't have long term effects but considering the closest player who's minutes played over the last 5 years is Son who's 9 years older than him is always going to be a worry.

[phonics]

In other news, Ruben Amorim reacting to a 3-0 loss at home to Bournemouth and having to stop mid-sentence because the ceiling of the fucking press room is leaking water... The state of that club.

[niko_cee]

I would imagine Salah must have matched Saka for minutes over the past however many seasons, although I'm probably missing the point as he's also a fair bit older. If it's any consolation he seems to have come back pretty well from doing his hamstring last season.

[Gray Fox]

The difference between the two is that Salah only really started playing at a high level at about the age Saka is now. He took a more normal career path in that sense.

Saka has been a mainstay in the team and almost never rested, in some 5 years now. I know it's tough to leave a player out who is very good, but sometimes you have to save them from themselves or else they get Rooney'd(did Fabregas fall off a cliff at 30 or so as well?). Always easier said than done when your season isn't quite going to plan though.

[phonics]

I would imagine Salah must have matched Saka for minutes over the past however many seasons, although I'm probably missing the point as he's also a fair bit older. If it's any consolation he seems to have come back pretty well from doing his hamstring last season.

Salah started playing Saka minutes (more infact due to Liverpool being in the CL) at the age Saka is now. Saka has been doing it since he was 18. Saka started 87 Premier League games in a row before turning 21. It's madness that he's lasted this long tbh.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Almost every footballer will break with current schedule, but especially the ones who do hard running all the time like Saka. I'm amazed any full backs and wingers are left standing tbh.

[Waffdon]

Mason Mount has never recovered.

Conor Gallagher still somehow going strong. Athletic freak

[Baz]

Someone on talkSport called him Ruben Interim and it's one of the best nicknames ever

[Baz]

The difference between the two is that Salah only really started playing at a high level at about the age Saka is now. He took a more normal career path in that sense.Might as well dig this classic out:

https://i.imgur.com/knYxakP_d.webp?maxwidth=760&fidelity=grand

:cab:

Salah was 20, Hughes 18.

[Spoonsky]

Almost every footballer will break with current schedule, but especially the ones who do hard running all the time like Saka. I'm amazed any full backs and wingers are left standing tbh.

Think this is Trent’s secret. We all criticize him for not tracking back, but he’s gonna be hitting those worldie crosses deep into his 30s while all the Reece James of the world are in wheelchairs or working on promising careers in punditry.

[Luke Emia]

City’s ground looks half empty. Also what the fuck is that badge on Everton’s shirt?

[Manc]

Sumptuous.

[niko_cee]

City’s ground looks half empty. Also what the fuck is that badge on Everton’s shirt?

Give them the benefit of the doubt, festive early kick offs can be a right pest for ST holders, but there are a lot of empty seats and the atmosphere is pretty funereal.

[niko_cee]

Looked a dive, but he actually slipped and gets a bit of a kicking, so no overturn here.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Haaland :lol:

[niko_cee]

Is Gvardiol any good as a centre back? Defensively he's appalling at fullback.

[Manc]

Wasn't he the outstanding centre half in Qatar? Another player Pep has ruined.

[Baz]

Pep is a freak. Why does he constantly try to spit little bits of dehydrated white saliva off his tongue. Proper odd man.

[niko_cee]

Bit easy for Gordon there, Villa probably need to close that down.

[niko_cee]

Kris Kamara sounding like Rosie Jones is sad times.

[Jimmy Floyd]

How has that not been chalked off for Neto getting elbowed in the face?

[Waffdon]

Manager refusing to make subs yet again is to blame. Only trusts his starting 11 and a couple of others

[Jimmy Floyd]

Manager refusing to make subs yet again is to blame. Only trusts his starting 11 and a couple of others

It has gone very flat second half. It was the same at Leicester wasn't it? Went to shit in the second half of the season because everyone was knackered.

[Gray Fox]

Oh hello.

Big win please later lads.

[Shindig]

Heading to 5th with United and Spurs next. I keep expecting Forest's bubble to burst but they could just be this season's surprise 4th.

[Jimmy Floyd]

How long are Liverpool fans going to keep this charade going? You won the league in October, chaps.

[Waffdon]

It was the same last weekend and week before against Brentford. He absolutely refuses to use his bench early and even when he does it’s the same players every time. 1 sub this week, 2 subs on 77th min last week and 1 sub against Brentford. Nkunku for Jackson were 3 of them

Fulham were always winning that

[Jimmy Floyd]

I think he needs to be more willing to throw on an extra midfielder for a winger when ahead. Caicedo and Fernandez are having a good season but when they tire the game gets needlessly stretched. There was no need to have Fulham gallivanting on the break in the way they were from 60 minutes on there.

Can't complain in general.

[niko_cee]

How has that not been chalked off for Neto getting elbowed in the face?


How long are Liverpool fans going to keep this charade going? You won the league in October, chaps.

Until the actual points gap is in double figures, not just theoretical double figures.

lol at Neto's efforts to get that goal disallowed. Not quite Jorg Albertz tier, but not far off.

[Waffdon]

How long are Liverpool fans going to keep this charade going? You won the league in October, chaps.

They need to pretend they have a challenge in case they bottle another league title

Wouldn’t be too surprised if this is the year Arsenal win it after being written off

[niko_cee]

I suppose there's no great shame in losing away at Forest but it's been a bad few weeks for just the way we play mate. Be surprised if Ange can weather a bad January.

[Shindig]

History shows us you can never celebrate a title win too early. :moop:

[Manc]

A few years ago, Jim would have cried into his leftover paella at the mere thought of Fulham winning at The Bridge. Games gone.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I'll make the wanker sign at them across the fish aisle at Waitrose tomorrow.

[niko_cee]

Is Ru Binmanorim the first manager who actually has binman in his name?

Mainoo seems to have caught whatever Foden picked up on England duty in the summer.

[Gray Fox]

How long are Liverpool fans going to keep this charade going? You won the league in October, chaps.

Because the last 4 of 5 times we've had this kind of feeling at Christmas we've come up short. And the other everyone was stuck indoors.

[Giggles]

Is Ru Binmanorim the first manager who actually has binman in his name?



I don't think the board collective IQ will ever recover from that post.

[Danny]

On first viewing that looked like a terrible booking but on the replay hes lucky isnt in a red.

[Kikó]

We are lucky there are three teams worse than us because we could go down.

[John Arne]

Onana :D

[niko_cee]

United still well in this, it's been a terrible game.

[Magic]

:harold:

[Gray Fox]

Liverpool and Arsenal should be looking at this Cunha lad. He looks levels above Wolves(sorry Sincere).

[niko_cee]

Aye, he's quality. Chelsea will probably sign him. Didnt Wolves pay a fortune for him in the first place though, so the fee would be massive.

[Magic]

I thought my streams were broken but it's fucking foggy as fuck in England today?

[Gray Fox]

Gifting the other team a goal has started to creep back in. Even though the deflection didnt help.

[Waffdon]

Aye, he's quality. Chelsea will probably sign him. Didnt Wolves pay a fortune for him in the first place though, so the fee would be massive.

Nkunku to Barcelona and Cunha to Chelsea. Take it

Robertson fall off is sad to see

[niko_cee]

This is like watching ice hockey. No idea where the ball is.

[John Arne]

I can't see a fucking thing.

[Lofty]

Has the orange ball been binned off these days?

[Magic]

Cleared at Stoke now.

[Gray Fox]

If he could hook Jones and Nunez at HT that'd be lovely.

[Magic]

It's back again. :moop:

[niko_cee]

If he could hook Jones and Nunez at HT that'd be lovely.

Yeah, bit of a disasterclass from Darwin. Has the feel of one of those days at the moment.

[Gray Fox]

Bit of a reprieve that one being smashed in. Been quite off it so far, outside of Gakpo himself.

[niko_cee]

2 minutes of injury time a bit of a laugh. They must have taken about two minutes every time the ball went dead before restarting.

[John Arne]

Yay, the amount of time wasting was pretty bad. Daka received treatment for 2 minutes by himself.

[Waffdon]

That’s just not onside is it

[niko_cee]

What the fuck is VAR even doing looking that far back? Multiple phases of play before the goal, then they go hunting for a handball. :cab:

[John Arne]

That genuinely looked like they were trying to find anything to disallow it :D

[niko_cee]

This is daft in reverse, does it matter if he doesn't touch it?

[Gray Fox]

Absolute bollocks with the lines.

[John Arne]

Did the ball not go backwards / wasn't Nunez behind Salah? Genuine question as I didn't see enough replays.

[niko_cee]

Nah, he was in an offside position, I just didn't think he touched the ball but probably had my brain melted by all the rocking and rolling.

[Baz]

Is David Coote on VAR?

And hopefully that’s the last we see of Darmong in a red shirt. Chris Wood in January please

[Baz]

Or just release him and give his wages to Salah.

[Dquincy]

Is David Coote on VAR?

And hopefully that’s the last we see of Darmong in a red shirt. Chris Wood in January please

Nunez gets paid 140k a week (pre tax). Fair play to the lad for being that bad and still earning that sum of money.

[niko_cee]

I think if you release him you have to give his wages to him.

I know it's understandable, but Leicester have been a bit of an embarrassment here. Diving and feigning injury whilst behind is too much

[Dquincy]

Bit of a random comment, but these days you rarely see a YTS player, who's really special (ala Fowler, Owen, Mcmanaman) come through from the youth team and start playing for the first team whilst still in their teens. I miss that with modern football. Especially when you could then go on champ/FM to take a look at them.

[niko_cee]

Liverpool have been doing too much wanky Arsenal scheming at setpieces and forgotten that the first thing you need to sort is not putting a terrible ball in every time.

[Giggles]

Terrible loss/3-1 win.

[Luke Emia]

Terrible loss/3-1 win.

Option 2.

Lovely old job. Looking at it realistically win the next two and you probably only need to get 40 points from half a season.

Edit that probably only need 37 points from half a season. Would give a lot of room for dropped points especially as I keep getting told we haven’t played anyone decent yet.

[niko_cee]

I've not really been paying attention so why is Cunha facing a lengthy ban for his actions after the Ipswich game? Is this like when Nunez was going to get banned forever by the South Americans in the summer?

[Gray Fox]

At a guess it'd be like the old referee has missed something thing. They then wait for his report to see nothing there and charge him retrospectively. So he should have seen a red card there and then really. I've only had it described to me by a Wolves fan but it sounds like he threw an arm at someone and then smacked his glasses off his face.

[AJ23]

Ange is such a Kevin Keegan-esque manager and he's being shown up like Keegan was at the top level. Only so much you can keep stubbornly going full throttle and 'This is what we do mate' before it comes undone. Especially with injuries to key defenders. To not adapt to that is mental.

Meanwhile, Nuno and Forest adapt to each game accordingly and have 2 key defenders in Milenkovic and Murillo, who both look to be Champions League quality. Milenkovic looks like the second coming of Nemanja Vidic. Murillo cost £15m and Milenkovic cost £12m. Great recruitment. They're both probably worth £50m each or more. Suddenly they're in the Champions League positions.

Crazy season so far.

[phonics]

I've not really been paying attention so why is Cunha facing a lengthy ban for his actions after the Ipswich game? Is this like when Nunez was going to get banned forever by the South Americans in the summer?

He physically assaulted a coach twice.

[Yevrah]

Could Man Utd actually get relegated?

[SincereTheRebel]

He physically assaulted a coach twice.

Without Cunha. Wolves are dooomed. 12 match ban incoming.

[Luke Emia]

Could Man Utd actually get relegated?

I wouldn’t go quite so far as saying I feel sorry for him because I think it’s fucking funny. But, strong arming him into coming part way through the busiest part of the season after letting Ten Hag spunk £200 million in the summer so there’s no money to buy more players in January for him, has to go down as a stunningly bad piece of football club management from old Brexit Jim.

He’s now in a position whereby does he keep playing this 3-4-3 even though he obviously doesn’t have the players for it in the hope that it gives him a head-start next season? Or does he change his system to get some results on the board? Because United should not be 14th in the table.

[Shindig]

Stadium repairs will probably wreck his budget anyway.

[Kikó]

United should be 14th in the table. They can't score goals.

[niko_cee]

I have some sympathy with Amorim's comments yesterday, and it does appear to an extent that results have been harsher than performances have deserved, but isn't there a danger in saying I need 2 years and £500m to sort things? Isn't that sort of what the last guy said? Is the premier league really the ideal proving ground for dogma? Fair enough, someone with the body of work of a Guardiola can come in and say trust me, but he's a bit of an outlier. Most other inflexible visionaries have fared poorly.

[Jimmy Floyd]

They really, really should have appointed Southgate. They're not in a position to demand good football or ambition or anything like that. They need to just detoxify the whole thing with a politician-coach. The sort of football played just doesn't matter at all.

[Gray Fox]

They're not in a position to demand good football or ambition or anything like that.

This is a big part of the thing that really needs to sink in there. "This is Manchester United Football Club we're talking about here!" has been the go-to, even back to when Ralf was in charge. Rather than acceptance of the position, it's that it must be X thing/persons fault and can be fixed by a simple change. Once the acceptance actually does happen, they can move forwards because they can actually start to deal with it.

You look at the squad and the mismanagement of it is clear to see. Not one of their senior players would make it into any of last seasons top 4. Then add in much improved Chelsea and you aren't getting anyone in there either. You then look at a should-be finish of in the 6th-8th region, but the teams from there to upper mid-table have been much better coached. And so even that becomes a struggle. It's far too early to know if new guy is the answer or not as the manager, but you have to let him build his team. Though you could just as easily see him having to be starting Harry Maguire after being given a new contract at the start of 2026.

[niko_cee]

Any truth in these comedy rumours that Barca might not be allowed to register Olmo and he may be available for nothing in January? Get on it Arne/Michael/Richard!

[Gray Fox]

Any truth in these comedy rumours that Barca might not be allowed to register Olmo and he may be available for nothing in January? Get on it Arne/Michael/Richard!

I am sure the 36th financial lever will be activated before it reaches that point, but at face value it seems it could happen.

[Baz]

Without Cunha. Wolves are dooomed. 12 match ban incoming.Liverpool could do a lot worse than bringing him in.

[Luke Emia]

Liverpool could do a lot worse than bringing him in.

Chris Wood?

[Baz]

Chris Wood?

Wood is genuinely preferable, but he’ll probably want a crack at the CL with Forest.

[niko_cee]

He really Woodn't.

[Lofty]

Rickie Lambert 2.0

[Lofty]

Ipswich as big as 16/1 tonight and their keeper should really be gangbanged to death by footballs so they'll inevitably win 1-0.

[Giggles]

No sign of Ferguson on the bench, injured list, or suspensions. Surely means a loan in Jan :yn:

[-james-]

He is injured apparently. But also suspect he might go out in January.

[Manc]

All three promoted sides heading for the drop for a successive season. Spells trouble for the future of English football.

[Lofty]

I'd argue all 3 are struggling due to being tactically stubborn and not adapting though.

[Shindig]

I still hold out slim hopes Leicester can string some results together.

[Ben]

Nah I think the new Wolves manager showing some semblance of ability has doomed them all.

[niko_cee]

I'd argue all 3 are struggling due to being tactically stubborn and not adapting though.

This is modern football. Arsenal have pioneered the thinking, albeit slightly differently. Everything is a set piece or prior construction. There is no room for adaptability or inventiveness. You run here, press there, pass the ball across the backline until one of the opposing drones strays out of its predetermined area of control. Watching Brighton live for the first time in ages yesterday and it is just so frustrating. They have literally no idea how to start the process of doing anything without the goalkeeper standing with his foot on it to draw an attacker in. If the attacker doesn't come he just stands there until he does. It is going beyond The Simpsons parody.

Obviously Brighton are at the extreme end as they are football data given human form.

Analysts in the stands, or probably cloud, frantically trying to crack the code of what play is being set up on opposing set pieces, the information being relayed to the little defensive set piece emissary who emerges into the technical area and seems to do nothing.

The fingerprints of the NFL over everything. All spontaneity will be crushed.

It's really not for me Clive.

[Jimmy Floyd]

In true moneyball style, the concept of adaptability as a coach and player must now be 'undervalued'. It's part of what makes Cole Palmer so effective.

[John Arne]

Memphis Depay playing for Corinthians caught me off guard. Fair play to him.

[Lofty]

There is some adaptability possible though, Brentford were free wheeling big dick attackers when they came up and adapted to not play with their arse hanging out against bigger boys so they stayed up.

[Pepe]

Imagine how happy football directors will be when robo-players are invented. iFullback 2000. Never dribbles unless there is a >92.5% chance of success.

[John Arne]

We've just had a 7 (SEVEN) minute VAR check in the ASEAN semi's between Vietnam and Singapore... and I think they still got the wrong decision.

[Shindig]

Nah I think the new Wolves manager showing some semblance of ability has doomed them all.

I'll counter that with Man City possibly taking one of the slots. Assuming that's a punishment the Premier League go with.

[Foe]

This city team with Kovacic and Lewis being very attack minded are just getting torn apart whenever they lose the ball and the other team knows they can overload forward. Leicester have had 2 or 3 four-v-threes already and they’re atrocious.

Pep should really be telling Kovacic your job today is to sit. Win the ball, pass it to KdB. There’s no need for Kovacic to go marauding forward leaving them exposed.

[Gray Fox]

They've been mostly the same on the ball since they lost Rodri, but without it it's as you mention, the midfielders they have do not have the ability to press or get it back effectively. This has lead to them choosing to be very passive off the ball. Even against United they looked terrified every time they brought the ball forwards.

I suspect Leicester might just be bad enough to be the one that finally lets them win one though.

[Manc]

Pep should really be telling Kovacic your job today is to sit. Win the ball, pass it to KdB.

From one bald fraud to another.

[John Arne]

Forest second :drool:

Is their a bigger waste of space than Timo Werner?

[niko_cee]

Mr Nips always seems to have a blinder against Liverpool.

[Luke Emia]

What has happened to Robertson? The fall off this season has been massive.

[Gray Fox]

This is ludicrous.

[Baz]

Salah is the best player in the world at the moment. Unreal.

[Gray Fox]

Perhaps the most dominant first half I've seen from us in years. And that's even with Nipples making 3 good saves.

[Waffdon]

Salah is the best player in the world at the moment. Unreal.

The king of scoring unimportant goals. Kai Havertz close behind

[Luke Emia]

The king of scoring unimportant goals. Kai Havertz close behind

Salah?

[Lofty]

The king of scoring unimportant goals. Kai Havertz close behind

That one in Porto was pretty important.

[Magic]

Fucking hell we just scored a Barca-esque goal against Derby there. Bunch of godless cunts.

[Waffdon]

That one in Porto was pretty important.

Thanks for the reminder :drool:

[SincereTheRebel]

New manager bounce sees wolves with 7 points from three games. I suspect Cunha will face a ban for that Ipswich scuffle and teams may try and sign him in January. I still feel they will struggle. Need big defenders in january. Send us Block head on loan.

[Shindig]

Think there's any chance of Strand Larsen getting made permanent? EDIT: Obligation to buy so that's a yes. :D

[Alex]

Fucking hell we just scored a Barca-esque goal against Derby there. Bunch of godless cunts.

As nice as goal as we've scored in recent memory, that. Lovely stuff.

I hate to sound like a typical, entitled Leeds fan but we really need to just crack on and walk the league from this point. It absolutely won't be that simple because it never is with us. But it really should be.

[Ben]

There’s only yourselves stopping that happening.

[Magic]

As nice as goal as we've scored in recent memory, that. Lovely stuff.

I hate to sound like a typical, entitled Leeds fan but we really need to just crack on and walk the league from this point. It absolutely won't be that simple because it never is with us. But it really should be.

I loved the stat:

Every team that's led the table at the new year has gone on to be automatically promoted in the last 5 seasons. The last team that wasn't was Leeds. :D

[Waffdon]

Josh Acheampong wasted his time signing a new contract with this gimp in charge. Managers and their hatred of academy players will never not be odd

[Waffdon]

That Ipswich penalty is such a joke. VAR being VAR

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

This isn't going to end well.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Casemiro and Eriksen together is proper lol.

So immobile.

[Luke Emia]

Hope they create something and come back. Don’t need the useless cunts getting trounced tonight ahead of the weekend.

We won’t just play the team in 14th place we never do.

[Ben]

Lisandro Martinez getting bullied again.

[Manc]

Another forward alienated by Ruben Interim. He's going to have none left at this rate.

[Baz]

Another forward alienated by Ruben Interim. He's going to have none left at this rate.
Zirkzee is a fraud tbf.

[Manc]

Beggars can't be choosers.

[Baz]

Champions. :jayjay:

[Waffdon]

Can’t be many teams that concede to former players as much as Chelsea.

Also can’t be many managers who repeatedly play players out of position as much as this bald dickhead no matter how many mistakes said players make

[Shindig]

To be fair, Chelsea's former player pool is gigantic.

[Manc]

Bruno Guimaraes is some player.

[Luke Emia]

I see he’s now officially Sir Gareth. For services to being a bottling cunt.

[Lewis]

I like to compare every sporting knighthood to the fact that Bobby Charlton was sixty-one when he got his. People definitely shouldn't be getting them whilst they are still active.

[Luke Emia]

I like to compare every sporting knighthood to the fact that Bobby Charlton was sixty-one when he got his. People definitely shouldn't be getting them whilst they are still active.

They definitely shouldn’t be getting them when they haven’t actually achieved anything either.

[Bam]

Bobby Moore never ever got one.

[Lewis]

Bobby Moore died before Bobby Charlton got his, so you have to assume he would have got one, but the football honours list is a bit all over the place. To give Southgate one when you consider who hasn't had one.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Southgate is pure knighthood though. You can forget about comparing him to cockney chappies or north east salt of the earth, it's not the same. Middle class housewives' favourite, M&S endorsement deal. It's just how this country works I'm afraid.

Alastair Cook (pure knighthood) got one aged about 30, it'll take much longer for Joe Root (softly spoken Yorkshireman) to get one, even though he's gone past his records.

[phonics]

I’d skipped the games tonight. After looking at these people as the fucking dark side for decades, the joy that a BBC headline saying ‘Relegation is a possibility’ says Amorim. Fuck me. I almost came.

[Jimmy Floyd]

They've literally made the Ten Hag appointment again and it's glorious.

[phonics]

The fact that he’s going to build a team around 3-5-2 only to be sacked and the next guy in also buy a whole bunch of people. Fucking perfect.

[AJ23]

The elite want an image, same as why Tonya Harding was never accepted as a top level ice skater although she was the best in the United States at one stage.

Southgate ticks all the boxes, being a brown nose nodding head Churchill dog.

Brits love a plucky loser. Crucial penalty miss in Euro 96. Middlesbrough managerial record is tragic. Win percentage awful. How do you get the biggest national job based on that? He was blessed with the best generation of England players and still fucked it up.

[niko_cee]

The 35th lever is on its way!


Spanish media reports say the club is planning to sell VIP boxes at its Camp Nou stadium which could bring in over 100 million euros, but it will need the approval of La Liga.

Be so funny if they somehow lose Olmo on a free.

[Lofty]

They could loan him to Arsenal on a salary only basis til the summer to help cook the books.

[Lofty]

Rooney gone lol.

[Yevrah]

He really is the worst of the ex top level pros and by some margin.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Must have enough footage for the documentary.

[Lewis]

I get the feeling he does it purely to get out the house. Probably because his wife makes him.

[Gray Fox]

The 35th lever is on its way!



Be so funny if they somehow lose Olmo on a free.

It's like watching a gambler keep chasing to win his money back.

[Waffdon]

He really is the worst of the ex top level pros and by some margin.

That Plymouth squad is a disgrace, he was left out to dry

[Kikó]

Respect to Jim for his crusade that Sir Gareth should be the United boss but no thanks. Maybe Chelsea can have him next.

What happened to Trisha last night when he went off was disgusting. He's a young lad trying his best, it's not his fault he's not quite up to it. Hopefully he gets some support as it was brutal.

[SincereTheRebel]

Two game ban for Cunha for that Ipswich assault. Not too bad considering one of the games is in the cup. He is also injured so its a great outcome.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Respect to Jim for his crusade that Sir Gareth should be the United boss but no thanks. Maybe Chelsea can have him next.

What happened to Trisha last night when he went off was disgusting. He's a young lad trying his best, it's not his fault he's not quite up to it. Hopefully he gets some support as it was brutal.

The second paragraph is why you need Southgate. Toxic, toxic, toxic. You need a boss who combs his hair neatly and reduces the anger.

[Lewis]

They had Ole Gunnar Binman doing that, and he was a beloved club legend that bought him two years longer than he deserved. You can't out-bullshit crap performances forever, which is why he isn't England manager anymore, and why his approach would rapidly become as AIDS as any other.

[Yevrah]

Southgate would have been a terrible choice, which is why I was distraught that it didn't happen.

[Pepe]

Wasn't Mourinho in there at some point? Should have kept him forever.

[niko_cee]

2 game ban for Cunha, 1 of them an FA cup game? Disaster averted. Oh, and he's injured? Yep, Nunez type lengthy ban.

[Waffdon]

He stole a pair of glasses. Woke

[Pepe]

Have you heard that Cunha only got two games, one of them in the cup, and he is injured? Good deal.

[Manc]

The January transfer window is going to be a madness. Get a thread going, Floyd.

[Bam]

Have you heard that Cunha only got two games, one of them in the cup, and he is injured? Good deal.


No, but I did hear that he has an injury and has a cup game coming up.

Seems to have worked out well.

[Jimmy Floyd]

The January transfer window is going to be a madness. Get a thread going, Floyd.

I'll start it in January and not a moment sooner.

[Giggles]

00:01 tonight.

[niko_cee]

Apologies for missing Sincere's post in all the united chat.

[Shindig]

The Southgate knighthood doesn't bother me as much as Sadiq Khan's.

Anyway, here's a rare Gateshead update. We've settled into 4th in the table but we're two points off top. Playoffs look more likely but I think the stadium shitshow that ruled us out of last year's playoffs has been resolved.

[Gray Fox]

The 35th lever is on its way!



Be so funny if they somehow lose Olmo on a free.

Romano stating that La Liga have rejected their proposal now and he's essentially free as the terms of his contract have been broken.

I suspect some palms will be greased in order to stop it at the last minute, but he's about to have his pick of clubs if not.

[Dquincy]

Looks like Trent is heading to Madrid. Farewell, we hardly knew ye.

Such a shame, quality player.

[niko_cee]

It's alright, they've lined up Reece James to replace him.

[Waffdon]

Should sign Josh Acheampong. He’ll make Livramento and Hall look like average players in comparison

[Shindig]

Good idea. Ignore our two lads.