General Football Nonsense

[Ollie the Optimist]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/67619756

Come on FFS every game should be available for legitimate broadcast in the home country of the league ffs

footybite.to for the uninitiated

I actually agree. I find it a joke that if you live in America for example, you can watch every single premier league game (subject paying the relevant subscription) yet in this country i can only watch what Sky/TNT decide i can watch.

I understand they want to protect the 3pm league kick offs but these days there are more games at other times on the weekend then 3pms. They should show all games, it wont really damage attendances i dont think. Certainly I dont know many who think as they cant watch the arsenal game at 3pm on tv, they’ll go to another game.

[Mac76]

I don't agree, it would undoubtedly damage lower league football attendances, lots of lower league fans also support PL teams, or certainly take a lot of interest in the PL, so if they had a choice on a freezing saturday aftenoon between watching their PL team in a pub or freezing their nuts off in the stands of some dodgy stasium watching shite football...

[Letters]

Due to some weird quirk of the rules involving qualification for the Olympics, Scotland's women are now directly incentivised to lose by as many goals as possible to England on Tuesday :lol:
4-0 to England ar half time :lol:

[Letters]

Ended 6-0, but we didn't qualify because reasons.

[WMUG]

Needed to win by 3 more goals than the Netherlands.

Netherlands - Belgium was 2-0 until the 90th minute, and they scored 2 in stoppage time to take it.

[Letters]

Ah :good:

[Mac76]

Ended 6-0, but we didn't qualify because reasons.

total fuckup really, clearly we didn't do well enough in other games and left it too late - San Marino all over again (without the comedy opening goal ofc :lol:)

[Letters]

Luckily, I don't really care.

[Mac76]

:lol:

[HCZ_Reborn]

Genius of women’s football. If they do well it’s like oh well good for them, if they lose it’s like oh well who gives a fuck


It’s the lithium of sport

[The Wengerbabies]

Joey Barton has been getting some stick recently for talking out about the amount of women commentators/pundits and I have to say I'm actually with him on this.

As someone who had been totally out of the game until the last year the proliferation of female commentators/pundits had been very noticeable. They're alright for presenting, so long as they look good but for main commentary a woman's voice just doesn't have the right cadence, it's shrill and difficult to listen to. As co-commentators or pundits, while there are many moronic males doing this, the women never played at the highest level it's a bit like having Dave from the weekly park kick about being on Sky Sports as an expert.

[Letters]

the women never played at the highest level.
Unlike Jonathan Pearce and John Motson of course, those giants of the game.

[The Wengerbabies]

Unlike Jonathan Pearce and John Motson of course, those giants of the game.
There is a difference between main commentator and co-commentator. I addressed this in the other post, the problem with women as main commentators is the voice, it has the wrong cadence and just sounds shrill.

[Letters]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tv0ueEI4OBQ

[Letters]

(I sort of agree about the shrill tone by the way, it just doesn’t sound…right. But maybe that’s just because of what I’m used to)

[The Wengerbabies]

Another annoying thing about the pushing of the women's game I've noticed on my return is that they do very little to differentiate between the teams now. You'll see on Soccer Saturday etc. The score will just say Tottenham 1-0 Arsenal for instance, then I'm always doing a double take and confusing myself thinking "wait are we playing today?"

[The Wengerbabies]

Also next week we'll have a women referee in the PL, I guess this is just to avail any criticism as they'll just pull the sexism card if you try to doubt her decisions.

[Letters]

Mary Earps wins SPOTY :haha:

[Letters]

Oh, and Chelsea dump Newcastle out of the league cup on pels.

[Mac76]

Mary Earps wins SPOTY :haha:

And that's funny because...?

[Mac76]

Oh, and Chelsea dump Newcastle out of the league cup on pels.

And that is just funny

If they get knocked out of the FAC early Howe must.be under pressure, injuries or not

[Letters]

And that's funny because...?

What has she achieved this year to deserve that?

[Mac76]

What has she achieved this year to deserve that?

remember the title of it is Sport PERSONALITY of the Year, so it's about the person as much as their achievements

I've not been watching closely but i think she came up against a lot of unfair criticism and fought through it, plus has been an inspiration to young girls wanting to be goalkeepers and forced Nike to sell the England women's GK kit, which they hadn't been. She also helped the women's team reach the, err, World Cup Final, if that happened in the men's tournament (as if) it would be regarded as an achievement

[Mac76]

It would have been good for Stuart Broad to win it, but if you take cricket off free TV that's what happens

I'd like to have seen KJT get it personally though

[Letters]

remember the title of it is Sport PERSONALITY of the Year, so it's about the person as much as their achievements
You say that, but Andy Murrey won it one year and he barely has one :lol:

It's always been a bit of a popularity contest tbf, and certainly the Lionesses' heroics have been inspirational.
I hear Ronnie O'Sullivan was grumbling about not winning it. It's a reasonable shout, winning his 7th title, winning the UK title too - becoming the oldest as well as the youngest winner - and surely sealing his place as the GOAT. But I guess Snooker isn't as popular these days as in its 1980's heyday.

EDIT: Oh yeah, the 7th World was last year. But still! :lol: :doh:

[Mac76]

By 'last year' you mean 'this year' right?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/womens-world-cup/schedule

[Letters]

By 'last year' you mean 'this year' right?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/womens-world-cup/schedule

No, I mean O'Sullivan's 7th World Title was last year. He won the UK recently, becoming the oldest person to win it - having also become the youngest at the start of his career

[Mac76]

No, I mean O'Sullivan's 7th World Title was last year. He won the UK recently, becoming the oldest person to win it - having also become the youngest at the start of his career

ah ok, fair enough...

[Letters]

Brace yourselves…

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/67783970

[WMUG]

Brace yourselves…

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/67783970

I doubt they'll try again in this country. They saw what happened last time, and that was with a pandemic keeping most people off the streets.

If they do though, we can't just be content with stopping it, we need to go after them and get them out of our clubs. Fan ownership, new owners, whatever works. We have to let them know there's a cost to attempting this.

[Mac76]

i think they'll try it again but with some small competitive element to pacify people like KDB, whose main criticism was about it being a closed shop

[Mac76]

BTW... https://www.arsenal.com/news/club-statement-2

Arsenal :bow:

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Man City v Fluninense in the Club World Cup final is on now.

TNT Sports.


Man City: Ederson, Walker, Stones, Dias, Ake, Rodrigo, Lewis, Bernardo, Foden, Grealish, Alvarez
Subs: Ortega, Carson, Phillips, Kovacic, Gomez, Gvardiol, Akanji, Nunes, Bobb, Alleyne, Susoho, Hamilton

Fluminense: Fabio, Xavier, Felipe Melo, Nino, Marcelo, Andre, Martinelli, Ganso, Keno, Jhon Arias, Cano.
Subs: Rangel, Eudes, Marlon, Alexsander, Kennedy, Daniel, Gomes, dos Santos, Gonzalez, Mendanha, David, LimaI'm.


Martinelli. :bow:

[McNamara That Ghost...]

1-0 Alvarez. After a minute in fact.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

2-0 Filho OG

[Letters]

The Metro declaring this a “Major Trophy”

:haha:

[McNamara That Ghost...]

4-0 in the end.

Football. :rose:

[Letters]

Rooney sacked :lol:

https://metro.co.uk/2024/01/02/wayne-rooney-sacked-just-15-games-birmingham-city-manager-20051353

[HCZ_Reborn]

Hearing that the Kaiser - Franz Beckenbauer has died

[Letters]

So he has :rose:

[HCZ_Reborn]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/67942943

This genuinely makes me quite sad, I don’t think his achievements with England ever matched the hype but thoroughly decent guy and seemed to have the same punching above his weight ability with women that Henry Kissinger had (without being a scumbag like Kissinger was)

Hope he lasts as long as possible and doesn’t suffer

[IBK]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/67942943

This genuinely makes me quite sad, I don’t think his achievements with England ever matched the hype but thoroughly decent guy and seemed to have the same punching above his weight ability with women that Henry Kissinger had (without being a scumbag like Kissinger was)

Hope he lasts as long as possible and doesn’t suffer

Agreed. Sad indeed.

[Mac76]

I think I'm right in saying he was our first non-English manager? "could have done worse, could have done better" i think that was the thinking at the time

but sure he's not inherently evil or anything so let's hope as you say it'sas least bad as possible

[Letters]

I was just about to post about this. It is sad. I think he was our first foreign manager.
Predictable outcry at the time, which all seemed a bit silly at the time.

[HCZ_Reborn]

I think I'm right in saying he was our first non-English manager? "could have done worse, could have done better" i think that was the thinking at the time

but sure he's not inherently evil or anything so let's hope as you say it'sas least bad as possible


Well we only actually had two non English coaches of the England team. Sven and Fabio Capello

And you’re right his time as coach probably best summed up as could have been worse, could have been better. Consistent but only ever reached a certain level (three consecutive 1/4 finals in tournaments)

[HCZ_Reborn]

I was just about to post about this. It is sad. I think he was our first foreign manager.
Predictable outcry at the time, which all seemed a bit silly at the time.

I don’t think there was that much of an outcry, it was considered unusual but I wouldn’t say there was hostility. But the fact is, it was an unusual appointment…hired off the back of winning the scudetto with Lazio in 2000….having a team with players like Crespo, Veron and Nedved in the team

[Letters]

I don’t think there was that much of an outcry, it was considered unusual but I wouldn’t say there was hostility. But the fact is, it was an unusual appointment…hired off the back of winning the scudetto with Lazio in 2000….having a team with players like Crespo, Veron and Nedved in the team

Maybe outcry is overstating it, but I certainly heard a fair amount of harrumphing about how England should have an English manager.

[GP]

Sadio Mane, 31, has just married his long term girlfriend, who has just turned 18.

:coffee:

[HCZ_Reborn]

Sadio Mane, 31, has just married his long term girlfriend, who has just turned 18.

:coffee:

Who cares.

18 isn’t a child. This isn’t an arranged marriage

There is a point at which this just becomes prudishness. Would I marry an 18 year old? Probably not. Would I frown a bit at a 40 or 50 year old man or older marrying an 18 year old? Yeah probably. But this isn’t really that big an age gap

[Letters]

Who cares.
Anyone who understands the phrase "long term"?

[Letters]

Actually...having read a bit. It does sound like it was a bit arranged, but not against her will. And it doesn't sound like they'd been doing anything much before they got married. So while it does all seem a bit weird it's obviously a cultural thing so I'm reverting to not caring.

[Letters]

The silence over City and Chelsea becomes ever more deafening

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/67978537

[HCZ_Reborn]

The silence over City and Chelsea becomes ever more deafening

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/67978537

Frankly, not quite sure how we’ve got away without making a loss of over 105 million in a three year period. Our net Transfer spend in that period is in triplicate. And I’m not buying that gate receipts and sponsorship dented that deficit especially with day to day running costs and the wage bill

[IBK]

Frankly, not quite sure how we’ve got away without making a loss of over 105 million in a three year period. Our net Transfer spend in that period is in triplicate. And I’m not buying that gate receipts and sponsorship dented that deficit especially with day to day running costs and the wage bill

Amortising/clever accounting I guess.

[HCZ_Reborn]

Amortising/clever accounting I guess.

Amortisation did come to mind

[WMUG]

The silence over City and Chelsea becomes ever more deafening

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/67978537

City's trial is set for September this year, not sure about Chelsea.

[Letters]

City's trial is set for September this year, not sure about Chelsea.

:good:

I know you have explained some of this before and how they've not exactly been cooperative.

[WMUG]

Huh, looks like the date has been set but not released yet. I'm sure I read September somewhere.

[HCZ_Reborn]

Huh, looks like the date has been set but not released yet. I'm sure I read September somewhere.

Yes I don’t know if that’s confirmed or just reading between the lines but I’ve seen that as well

[WMUG]

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2024/01/16/manchester-city-charges-premier-league-will-not-reveal-date/

Breaking news!

News might break next week!

[Niall_Quinn]

Football's cancer explained in plain terms.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r97WqheJVd4

Pep has always had the cash to make his bullshit work by buying up the very best. For other teams who bought into his bullshit, Arsenal being the primary culprit, when you don't have the cash to buy the best all you end up doing is tap, tap, tapping. Yawn.

Pep is now branded as the greatest there ever was, thanks to the chequebook. But think back to Wenger's greatest teams. Not a hint of tippety-tap, just outright aggression, pace, precision and joy, never to be repeated now the dark continent of Europe has been explored. Once the map was filled in, the only way to repeat it was cash. And so, we ended up with cash deficient Arsenal tapping it around while the chavs and the gypos stocked up on the talent that allows Guardiola's bore-ball to actually work.

He ruined football.

[Letters]

You can take the boy out of Spurs, but...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/68047681

[Niall_Quinn]

You can take the boy out of Spurs, but...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/68047681

Apart from the fact he's scored a ton of goals and done brilliantly over there. Ha, ha. You so funny.

I mean it's absolutely pathetic, right? To even take the time to make such a pointless "point".

Ha, ha - just a joke.

But no. It's actually a pathetic tribal plea for acceptance. Look at me. I tagged the enemy. Give me a pat on the head.

Surely you are more than this?

[IBK]

Apart from the fact he's scored a ton of goals and done brilliantly over there. Ha, ha. You so funny.

I mean it's absolutely pathetic, right? To even take the time to make such a pointless "point".

Ha, ha - just a joke.

But no. It's actually a pathetic tribal plea for acceptance. Look at me. I tagged the enemy. Give me a pat on the head.

Surely you are more than this?

Come on Mate - lighten up?

[Letters]

Come on Mate - lighten up?

:lol: Have you not met NQ before?

[Marc Overmars]

Fabrizio Romano is reporting that Klopp has decided to leave Liverpool at the end of the season. :faint:

[HCZ_Reborn]

Fabrizio Romano is reporting that Klopp has decided to leave Liverpool at the end of the season. :faint:

Klopp has confirmed this

[Marc Overmars]

Imagine if Pep buggers off too if City are punished. Would open the league up nicely but I’m sure we’d still find a way to not win it.

[KSE Comedy Club]

We might have a chance of winning the league then

[Niall_Quinn]

Come on Mate - lighten up?

Okay. But to reciprocate, could we ask others to develop at least the appearance of substance? Fair trade?

[Letters]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-68228130

:pal:

[WMUG]

An American YouTuber/ author I like sponsors AFC Wimbledon (long story but here if you want it: https://youtu.be/9cxPqgyljKc?si=zxkz04TN7ljlUUol ) flew across the ocean and went to Mansfield away.

I'll let him take it from here: https://youtube.com/shorts/L0763qDqABQ?si=iwSZNIbAMZv2gFvr

[Letters]

Bayern lost again, and now trail Leverkusen by 8 points.
You can take the boy out of Spurs, but…

[GP]

Bayern lost again, and now trail Leverkusen by 8 points.
You can take the boy out of Spurs, but…

...he'll still be a cunt?

[Letters]

Woy hangs up his...what does a manager hang up?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/68341602

[HCZ_Reborn]

Andy Brehme has snuffed it.

Mainly remember him for scoring the penalty in the final of the 1990 World Cup in which was probably not only the most World Cup final but arguably the worst game of football I’ve ever watched.

[Mac76]

Woy hangs up his...what does a manager hang up?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/68341602

his tracksuit apparently

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/68045257

[HCZ_Reborn]

his tracksuit apparently

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/68045257

You mean his twacksuit

[HCZ_Reborn]

https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/13078092/dani-alves-ex-barcelona-and-brazil-defender-sentenced-to-four-and-a-half-years-in-prison-after-being-found-guilty-of-sexual-assault

It feels to me that by denying sexual contact happened and then changing to say it was consensual….Alves rather screwed himself here. His wife seperated from him, presumably after he admitted that he’d shagged this woman.

[HCZ_Reborn]

https://youtu.be/qdfaj8G4U2c?si=pVpwLq-nan5IvVaS

What a goal from Xhaka

[Letters]

Stan Bowles :rose:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/68394453

[HCZ_Reborn]

Stan Bowles :rose:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/68394453

I must say I put him in the category of people I didn’t even realise were still alive. Assumed he was older somehow

[HCZ_Reborn]

https://www.skysports.com/watch/video/13083480/fulhams-bruno-fernandes-tiktok-that-infuriated-erik-ten-hag


Yes Erik, Fulham should apologise for pointing out that your player is a play acting cheat.

[Letters]

Gazza update (he’s not dead, surprisingly)

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2024/mar/06/paul-gascoigne-sad-drunk-agent-spare-room

Never liked him or thought his “antics” funny.
Anyone else and they’d get arrested, but good old Gazza and everyone hoots and guffaws.
Spare me :rolleyes:

But it is sad how he’s ended up.

[Mac76]

Gazza update (he’s not dead, surprisingly)

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2024/mar/06/paul-gascoigne-sad-drunk-agent-spare-room

Never liked him or thought his “antics” funny.
Anyone else and they’d get arrested, but good old Gazza and everyone hoots and guffaws.
Spare me :rolleyes:

But it is sad how he’s ended up.

totally agree, he was a spud lager lout who scored one good goal against Scotland, sure it's sad bt maybe some good will come of it if it's a warning to people

[Letters]

He didn’t score a bad one against us either :lol: :ilt:

[Niall_Quinn]

Gazza update (he’s not dead, surprisingly)

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2024/mar/06/paul-gascoigne-sad-drunk-agent-spare-room

Never liked him or thought his “antics” funny.
Anyone else and they’d get arrested, but good old Gazza and everyone hoots and guffaws.
Spare me :rolleyes:

But it is sad how he’s ended up.

You don't like real people, do you? You prefer manufactured people.

[Niall_Quinn]

totally agree, he was a spud lager lout who scored one good goal against Scotland, sure it's sad bt maybe some good will come of it if it's a warning to people

Absolutely. Unlike all the stand-up, paragons of virtue who play the game today - and by "play the game", I mean play the game. Our modern heroes are pure, says so in their bios. Let's trust that and use it to point a finger at a bloke who just happened to be a million times more talented than the beautiful people. Fat bastard, eh? Nowhere near as virtuous as your modern day spit-roaster or rapist.

[Letters]

You don't like real people, do you? You prefer manufactured people.
What exactly makes him a “real person”?
Drinking alone at 3am?

:coffee:


I didn’t like him because I never found his antics funny - which is subjective of course - and he squandered his talent.

[Letters]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/68594865

Forest :rose:

[Mac76]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/68594865

Forest :rose:

Can't say I'm sorry, while they have a strong tradition, Cloughie etc, they literally cleared out the whole squad when they got promoted which didn't sit well with me, by contrast Luton have for the most part used the squad they had and while they might go down they're at least putting up a fight

As for Burnley though ... :lol:

[HCZ_Reborn]

I tend to agree, obviously you need additions to help you in the premier league but there should be some attempt to keep faith with the core of the team that got you there to begin with.

And well it’s doing the opposite of this that’s caused them this problem.

Burnley I find interesting because there’s clearly a mismatch between the results and the performances…especially away from home. I think Kompany is a bit naïve, but I remember watching their first game against City…they struggled but they did try and take the game to City but it was clear that City were in a different class.


I think Burnley showed much more attacking intent against us than a lot of teams that have come to the Emirates this season that are established premier league teams. And that game was the first real glimpse you saw of how we targeted set pieces when other avenues of attack were blocked off. Burnley didn’t just sit deep they came forward when they had the ball…but I think we bamboozled them from corners


Sheffield United are a basket case of a club. I actually feel a bit sorry for their fans. I think Luton’s season was characterised by the 4-3 game at Bournemouth. They’ll try their best but eventually reality reasserts itself

[Mac76]

Sheff U is indeed a basket case, I've no idea why Chris Wilder is still there, except that I suppose they have accepted that they're going down and don't want to pay him off

[HCZ_Reborn]

Local lad innit

[HCZ_Reborn]

https://www.gbnews.com/sport/football/manchester-united-confident-gareth-southgate-sir-jim-ratcliffe


:haha: please let this be true

[Mac76]

https://www.gbnews.com/sport/football/manchester-united-confident-gareth-southgate-sir-jim-ratcliffe


:haha: please let this be true

you honestly believe any of the clickbite shite that gutter 'news service' provides?

I pity you

[HCZ_Reborn]

you honestly believe any of the clickbite shite that gutter 'news service' provides?

I pity you

And I pity anyone who is so steeped in tribalism that they can point to the problems on the other side but not their own so I guess we are even.

No I don’t believe the story, not because GB News has published it (given it’s not about vaccine conspiracies) but because I don’t believe anyone would be stupid enough to appoint Southgate as boss.

The joke about GB News is that the mainstream media lends what is ostensibly a right wing populist punditry organisation…a British Fox News if you will credibility it absolutely doesn’t deserve.

Julie Bindel who I have many disagreements on, is a garden variety lefty feminist but she can only ever get a platform on GB News because what used to be genuine alternative platforms like channel 4 are afraid to have on someone who is demonised as an evil fascist transphobe. Could you call her a useful idiot for the populist right? Maybe but fact is she puts principle above tribalism.

GB News is 90% full of reactionary, self righteous wastes of space (so it’s a bit like the Guardian in that respect but I wouldn’t be afraid to share a link from there either) and I think it’s pretty loose thinking that gets it ascribed as a news channel at all. But there are people like Andrew Doyle on there who I like. And I don’t think it makes me look smart or high minded to adopt this red rag to a bull approach.

[HCZ_Reborn]

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/manutd-gareth-southgate-ten-hag-32391211


The story was also in the Mail yesterday, but now I’ve found a far more palatable source for delicate Mac

Still strains credulity. The fuck would anyone want to make Southgate their manager. Hasn’t been in club management for 15 years and that was pretty dismal.

[Mac76]

I guess when it says players would like it, they're talking about MacGuire who knows he'd be a gauranteed starter, plus thre's some other deadwood players there who know they'd be safe

[Mac76]

Only just seen last night's England result :haha:

They really ought to havr dumped Southgate by now

[HCZ_Reborn]

Only just seen last night's England result :haha:

They really ought to havr dumped Southgate by now

I think the FA haven’t really got to grips with the talent that the national side has. On a player for player basis, amongst the European nations only France remains stronger and even then that’s marginal.

It feels to them that Southgate is owed this gratitude for getting us to the finals of the last Euros, and the semis of the Russian World Cup (which was more about a favourable draw than anything)

I don’t think France were any better than us in Qatar, and I think we could have beaten Argentina and won the whole thing. And keeping Southgate is absolutely indicative of the over cautious, lacking in ambition culture that exists in the England set up.

[Mac76]

Totally, under a better manager we'd be favourites for the Euros

[Letters]

I'm always bemused that England fans perpetually seem to believe that we'd have won all of these trophies down the years were it not for these meddling managers.

[The Wengerbabies]

https://twitter.com/ThoughtFor3dom/status/1771207684273917998

[HCZ_Reborn]

I'm always bemused that England fans perpetually seem to believe that we'd have won all of these trophies down the years were it not for these meddling managers.

You can of course exaggerate the impact. I think for example the 2006 Golden Generation was vastly overhyped.

However I think we have the strongest England squad in decades, and it’s not hard to see that we employ a very negative tactical style under Southgate.

There’s also no guarantee of anything. But you see that nations that are serious about winning often try to bring in the best coach to attain this. Vicente Del Bosque brought in for Spain after Luis Aragones, Marcello Lippi brought in to get Italy to win the World Cup in 2006.

Gareth Southgate as I say, coached Middlesborough for about two-three seasons and never managed to get a job after that in club football and ended up in the u21 setup

You’re right it’s always easy to say we would have done this, if not for this. But in my mind, it’s best not to leave room for that kind of regret.

[HCZ_Reborn]

https://twitter.com/ThoughtFor3dom/status/1771207684273917998

Honestly just fuck off with this.

All this does is waste the time of people, who have to make the effort to debunk this nonsense.

Is there the potential for adverse effects with vaccines? Of course there are…but applying this pathetic infantile post hoc fallacy to everything. Including when you posted a video about Shaka Hislop fainting from heat exhaustion just makes you a trolling cunt.

And it influences credulous people to do stupid things, such as when Piers Corbyn’s accolytes trashed a mobile vaccine station about 2-3 years ago. Dont want to take it yourselves fine…do us all a favour and don’t take any medicine for any ilness. But don’t try and impact on other peoples choices

[Mac76]

I'm always bemused that England fans perpetually seem to believe that we'd have won all of these trophies down the years were it not for these meddling managers.

I promise you I'm not among the ranks of the deluded, but I do think Southgate's innately cautious approach and reliance on people like MacGuire and Henderson has cost us at times, whether or not it means we'd have won a tournament or not I'm not so sure

up until 'Whitegate' I thought he was at least someone who was trying to inject some principle and morality into football, but he's now just shown it's all a sham and he's a spineless coward and so he really can fuck off

[Letters]

Honestly just fuck off with this.

All this does is waste the time of people, who have to make the effort to debunk this nonsense.
The fact that he posted an article which had a misleading headline but actually advocated for the vaccine and noted how safe it was, and then failed to acknowledge that when I pointed it out, tells you everything you need to know about him.
He's either thick as mince or trolling. Either way, not really worth engaging with at length.

[Letters]

You can of course exaggerate the impact. I think for example the 2006 Golden Generation was vastly overhyped.

However I think we have the strongest England squad in decades, and it’s not hard to see that we employ a very negative tactical style under Southgate.

There’s also no guarantee of anything. But you see that nations that are serious about winning often try to bring in the best coach to attain this. Vicente Del Bosque brought in for Spain after Luis Aragones, Marcello Lippi brought in to get Italy to win the World Cup in 2006.

Gareth Southgate as I say, coached Middlesborough for about two-three seasons and never managed to get a job after that in club football and ended up in the u21 setup

You’re right it’s always easy to say we would have done this, if not for this. But in my mind, it’s best not to leave room for that kind of regret.

I would note that club management and international management are quite different. I think there's a difference when you get to work with and prepare the players every day and only seeing them every few months. Plus you obviously can't sign players. It would be interesting to see how Pep would get on at international level without his chequebook.

I'm not saying the criticisms of Southgate are not valid, I'm just saying through all my time following England managers have always been hammered for our failings. In the end they're sacked, the next one gets a honeymoon period then we fail and it's the same all over again. The truth is in most of these big tournaments there are teams who are better than us, not for nothing is the PL full of foreign players. Southgate got us to the only final in my lifetime, last World Cup we lost to a better team who were eventual finalists, they would have won it but for some inspired goal keeping. (Although I do think we should have done better in that France game).

I think Southgate's done pretty well overall. I honestly don't follow football closely enough to know how our squad compares to other nations'. If we do poorly this summer we probably should be looking elsewhere.

[HCZ_Reborn]

I would note that club management and international management are quite different. I think there's a difference when you get to work with and prepare the players every day and only seeing them every few months. Plus you obviously can't sign players. It would be interesting to see how Pep would get on at international level without his chequebook.

I'm not saying the criticisms of Southgate are not valid, I'm just saying through all my time following England managers have always been hammered for our failings. In the end they're sacked, the next one gets a honeymoon period then we fail and it's the same all over again. The truth is in most of these big tournaments there are teams who are better than us, not for nothing is the PL full of foreign players. Southgate got us to the only final in my lifetime, last World Cup we lost to a better team who were eventual finalists, they would have won it but for some inspired goal keeping. (Although I do think we should have done better in that France game).

I think Southgate's done pretty well overall. I honestly don't follow football closely enough to know how our squad compares to other nations'. If we do poorly this summer we probably should be looking elsewhere.


I don’t think Southgate’s record is at all bad. But the fact is at the moment I don’t think there are exponentially better sides than England. I don’t say this out of any sense of starry eyed biased where I’m blinkered by some form of English exceptionalism.

And whilst there’s a difference between club management and managing the national side. More often than not coaches that succeed with the national teams are coaches that have achieved at club level. Either that or they are beneficiaries of a system that links club and country at academy level (which is what happens with France and Germany)

Southgate has clearly worked out better for us than was expected annd certainly better than his immediate predecessor who lasted all of one game, and who I do not think would have managed what Southgate has. But I think he has reached the limit of his ability…he’s taken us on from where we were but he should have been moved on after Qatar.

[Mac76]

He did get Middlesbrough to a European final once (the equivalent of the Europa Leageue i think, def not the big one) but predictably they lost...

[HCZ_Reborn]

He did get Middlesbrough to a European final once (the equivalent of the Europa Leageue i think, def not the big one) but predictably they lost...

Nope that was Steve McClaren just before he took over the England job

2006 UEFA cup final

[Marc Overmars]

The sooner England get a proper coach in the better. This squad has a lot of talent that should not be wasted. Whatever happens this summer it has to be Southgate’s last tournament.

[HCZ_Reborn]

The sooner England get a proper coach in the better. This squad has a lot of talent that should not be wasted. Whatever happens this summer it has to be Southgate’s last tournament.

Well if he wins it, there’s no way he’d be moved on

Of course he won’t so it’s academic

Our route of progression most likely means we play Italy or Spain in the 1/4 final. Now I think we are better than both teams but I’m not convinced we will knock them out in a crunch game

[Mac76]

Well if he wins it, there’s no way he’d be moved on

Of course he won’t so it’s academic

Our route of progression most likely means we play Italy or Spain in the 1/4 final. Now I think we are better than both teams but I’m not convinced we will knock them out in a crunch game

I'm not so sure he'd stay if England won something, if I'm him I'm quitting while I'm ahead and using that to get a job at a big club on big money

[Mac76]

Nope that was Steve McClaren just before he took over the England job

2006 UEFA cup final

Ah ok, that's me misremembering...

[HCZ_Reborn]

I'm not so sure he'd stay if England won something, if I'm him I'm quitting while I'm ahead and using that to get a job at a big club on big money

Dunno, Aragones the racist guy who called Henry a Black shit I think had already decided he was going prior to Euro 2008 for Spain, same with Lippi for Italy in 2006. Aimet Jacquet walked away from football completely after winning the World Cup with France in 98.

Southgate would also think he could win the World Cup


I suppose on the flip side we aren’t the only team with an underperforming coach. Didier Deschamps for example. France’s squad from 2018 to now has probably been the best in world football. 2016 he bottled the Euro final, five years later French team with absurd talent goes out on penalties to Switzerland. And let’s be fair they needed the Argentine defence to descend into arse spraying mayhem to even take them to a shootout. And this despite for Messi’s last hurrah, that Argentina side being inferior to the French in almost every area.

[HCZ_Reborn]

Damn it

Georgia beat Greece 4-2 on pels

Wanted Greece to go through, they would have played Turkey in their first match. Absolute carnage

[Mac76]

Poland through to the Euros

Szczesny :bow:

Kiwior :bow:

[Letters]

Just seen the Belgium goals from last night :lol:
What a mess.

[Mac76]

Just seen the Belgium goals from last night :lol:
What a mess.

Dunk was clumsy but as for Pickford... :ilt:

[The Wengerbabies]

Honestly just fuck off with this.

All this does is waste the time of people, who have to make the effort to debunk this nonsense.

Is there the potential for adverse effects with vaccines? Of course there are…but applying this pathetic infantile post hoc fallacy to everything. Including when you posted a video about Shaka Hislop fainting from heat exhaustion just makes you a trolling cunt.

And it influences credulous people to do stupid things, such as when Piers Corbyn’s accolytes trashed a mobile vaccine station about 2-3 years ago. Dont want to take it yourselves fine…do us all a favour and don’t take any medicine for any ilness. But don’t try and impact on other peoples choices

Calm down dear.

I see things I share them. I hardly think I'm an influence on about 10 people on a dying forum.

[HCZ_Reborn]

Calm down dear.

I see things I share them. I hardly think I'm an influence on about 10 people on a dying forum.

Well in fairness you have a point

The idea of you being able to influence a large group of people is hardly laudable

[Letters]

Calm down dear.

I see things I share them. I hardly think I'm an influence on about 10 people on a dying forum.

But then when I point out what utter horse shit they are you completely ignore it :shrug:
Are you just trolling with this nonsense? What’s the point?

[The Wengerbabies]

But then when I point out what utter horse shit they are you completely ignore it :shrug:
Are you just trolling with this nonsense? What’s the point?

I'm here to open your mind. Not mine.

[HCZ_Reborn]

Liverpool do not have De Zerbi on their list for Klopp replacements

I think they are going to struggle no matter who they replace Klopp with, if you compare this Liverpool team to the one of four years ago it’s inferior in almost every way. Over relies on ageing players like Van Dijk and Salah, and mediocre youth players are used as filler amongst average players.

Endo, Gakpo, MacAllister, Hungarian copy and Paste, Alexander Arnold etc


Diaz I think is top quality, Jota I think is a really good player as well. Nunez is like a Uruguayan Giroud

[Letters]

I'm here to open your mind. Not mine.
Trolling or stupidity.
It’s so hard to tell the difference.

[The Wengerbabies]

https://twitter.com/BGatesIsaPyscho/status/1779575970116014353

Climate change!

[HCZ_Reborn]

Bayer Leverkusen clearly keen to preserve their unbeaten season

Away at Dortmund today, they needed a goal in the 97th minute to get a point

[Niall_Quinn]

I'm here to open your mind. Not mine.

Your mission, if you choose to accept it. Your message will self destruct in 30 seconds.