https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/54816131
You're never going to be allowed into the Proper Football Man community with that attitude, Marco.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/54816131
You're never going to be allowed into the Proper Football Man community with that attitude, Marco.
How very Dutch.
Craig Gordon must be the first player to ever win a cup final and be a runner up surely? He gets a medal from Celtic if they win but obviously one too if he wins it with Hearts.
He should just stand in front of the trophy at the start and celebrate with it.
Don't you have to have played a certain number of games for the relevant team to get a medal?
I will close the door on the way out.
I was thinking it was the League Cup final they were playing as he played them for Celtic last year. Fook sake
Che Adams is one of the best signings we've made in a long time.
One of those players that always has a nack of being in the right place and the right time.
His shot leading up to the goal and the finish are both sharp af, Ings' class has rubbed off. With that physique too, christ.
And I don't like to make racial stereotypes, you know me, but Djenepo is the next Sadio (finishing as of yet undetermined but seems a real complete player).
Not that anyone would have seen what transpired earlier (thank christ) but it's getting a bit hard to see three worse teams in the division than Brighton.
Hopefully Burnley continue their woeful form, but they'll sort themselves out eventually. Same goes for Sheff Utd.
The check is complete.
It would be nice to see us string some results together but we have no consistency at the minute.
Your xPTS has you in mid-table and xG higher than City. The performances are quality I think and it's exciting what he's building but the recruitment has been piss poor, Dan Burn ain't a prem player ffs and Welbeck and Maupay between them aren't enough firepower. It'll turn tho, regression to the mean and all that.
Speaking of prem players, that Longstaff midfield pairing is a cracking base to build on for the 2026/27 League One promotion push.
I fear Burnley and Sheff Utd will sort themslves out at some point. Hopefully Burnley don't, but history suggests they tend to.
Newcastle and Palace will finish above Brighton. If United don't they'll be going down so, yeah, I like it, but I don't see it.
Agreed on West Brom and Fulham, although that's West Brom who Brighton couldn't beat, and Fulham who could move above them in the table today with a win, so it's very much in the mire.
I think for the first time ever, I want Everton to beat United.
I'm a twit
Is that xG goals for minus against? Anyway, if we can't finish the chances...
Dan Burn's a good player but a better centre back / left back than wing back. He and the other tall defenders need to occasionally win a header at an attacking set piece though. Our lack of set piece goals for the last 3 years or so is baffling. Gross needs to be taking every one whenever he's on the pitch.
We are fantastic until about 25 yards from goal. If goals were awarded for possession and territory we would rival the best. Unfortunately we don't know how to cross, pass into the box, or shoot.
Not being able to score goals absolutely is a big problem, especially when you can be relied upon to chuck one in at the other end almost every game.
If goals were awarded for idiotic defensive errors Brighton would be right up there too, unfortunately they are, but for the other team in most cases.
I think Potter's possession/press bullshit has worked about twice in his entire tenure - in the games away at Palace and Arsenal last season (may have been back-to-back). Towards the back end of last season it was more of a defence and counter set-up and it worked just as well as, if not better than, the 'good football approach'.
But you have Lallana and the greatest midget footballing talent I've ever witnessed so count your blessings. Goals amd points are meaningless with such an abundance of luxuries. Legit enjoy have Brighton up there with Leeds and Southampton as most entertaining footballing sides.
On the xPTS, I'm not actually sure how it's calculated, James might know:
https://understat.com/league/EPL
I'd hoped for more from Lallana but it's early days yet.
I never get the xPoints either - surely that has to be a whole number (worked out by using the xG to resolve games - ie 3pts for Brighton yesterday rather than the 1 they got)?
It's based on complete bollocks so just chuck a random number into the machine and that's your answer.
Brighton are one of those teams that look good every time I see them play but struggle with scoring goals and always seem to have a mistake in there at some point.
As long as they stay above one Sheffield United and Burnley they will be fine but they are two pretty bad problems to have.
FCUM v Doncaster is today's BBC Round 1 FA Cup choice today. Such a shame there isn't a crowd.
FCUM really is a dreadful abbreviation.
I'm never going to warm to that club name.
Who are F-CUM?
Really
Did they have a competition for the shittiest, most small time name available?
"It's gonna be great, lads. We'll use the old Newton Heath colour scheme for the scarfs and give it a name that really sticks it to the Glazers ...."
From memory they wanted to be called simply 'FC United' but there was a rule stating you had to include a geographical location in the name (how this tallies with Hashtag United I'm not quite sure).
Looking at that Utd XI, you imagine Poch announced by Wednesday.
You'd think today when his job must very much be on the line would be the time to maybe change something up, maybe give van de Beek a proper go (and not in a game he's just assuming he's gonna win like van de Beek's other starts) and see if he can make a difference. I love Juan Mata but that strikes me as a very 'safe' choice.
Still, the Maguire / Lindelof pairing will keep us right I'm sure.
Are there not a couple of clubs in the league with no geographical place in their name?
Who are you thinking of?
https://www.theguardian.com/football...betterfootball
"FC United" was rejected for being too generic.
Arsenal, Crystal Palace are both places in London (even though Arsenal are no longer located there). Not sure who else there might be.
There's Port Vale, but I'm sure that references somewhere in Merseyside for some reason.
That assist from Lindelof.
That is some header though.
Yeah that's a beauty of a header. Nice of them to take a leaf out of our book on the centre half-ing front.
Are Total Network Solutions still going?
As The New Saints, yes.
Fernandes is very good.
I must say it's jolly decent of Everton to have played entirely to our few strengths since going a goal up. If they'd just shut up shop we'd currently still be a goal down, playing 60 yard backpasses to Spanish Dave.
Decent enough cup tie between Bradford and Tonbridge Angels on BBC now. Bradford 3 up but TA doing their best.
Everton are still Everton, and the few results they've ever had over a big side have been entirely down to the Goodison Seethe, so this should always have been relatively straight-forward.