Football

[Hopping Mad]

Last Saturday (3/10), I went to Post Office Road to watch the relatively new Wakefield AFC, who are based at Featherstone this season. All 300 tickets (COVID capacity) were sold, though I don't think everyone turned up.

Quite strange watching footy at POR. Wakefield recorded their first win, beating 4-0 Sheffield & Hallamshire County Senior League Premier Division rivals Oughtibridge War Memorial (feel free to insert your own 'the opposition must have defended like statues' joke). Pitch held up superbly despite relentless rain. All parts of the ground open.

Free admission (donations invited), with a 28-page programme two quid.

Wakefield (based at Cudworth last season, their first) are at step 11 of the English football pyramid.

Edited October 5, 2020 by Hopping Mad

[Hopping Mad]

On 27/09/2020 at 16:10, DavidM said:

This handball situation is a big crisis for the sport . It’s making things a total farce . Will the folk behind all this ( who are they ) listen , I don’t think so 

The two penalties (both for so-called handball) awarded to Celtic at Motherwell the other week were a joke. Watch them on iplayer. Ridiculous.

Edited October 5, 2020 by Hopping Mad

[Bleep1673]

As EuroNews says, No Comment apart from 7-2

20200928_150128 by David  Hesketh, on Flickr

Edited October 6, 2020 by Bleep1673

[GUBRATS]

Has anybody heard how Eric Lamela is ? 

[DavidM]

1 hour ago, GUBRATS said:

Has anybody heard how Eric Lamela is ? 

Waiting for a facial reconstruction to fix multiple fractures 

[Bleep1673]

And Villa could've have 10 or 11

[DavidM]

5 hours ago, Bleep1673 said:

And Villa could've have 10 or 11

Easily . I enjoyed that match , I watched it right to the end which is very rare 

Edited October 6, 2020 by DavidM

[Gerrumonside ref]

On 06/10/2020 at 15:11, DavidM said:

Easily . I enjoyed that match , I watched it right to the end which is very rare 

Enjoyed it did you!

Better hope that you don’t get the backlash in the derby, although I have to admit we were a rabble against Villa by the end of the night.

Surely you can’t be bored given that Everton look to have a good team this year?

[DavidM]

19 minutes ago, Gerrumonside ref said:

Enjoyed it did you!

Better hope that you don’t get the backlash in the derby, although I have to admit we were a rabble against Villa by the end of the night.

Surely you can’t be bored given that Everton look to have a good team this year?

Been very good indeed , but I’m an Everton fan so I’m waiting for it all to go wrong . 

[Gerrumonside ref]

17 minutes ago, DavidM said:

Been very good indeed , but I’m an Everton fan so I’m waiting for it all to go wrong . 

It’s their best chance to win the league since 1987.

It is very early days, but there are one or two signs that a team could come from the chasing pack.

Personally I would welcome a wide open title race in which good coaching and teamwork trumps buying power.

Edited October 7, 2020 by Gerrumonside ref

[DavidM]

25 minutes ago, Gerrumonside ref said:

It’s their best chance to win the league since 1987.

It is very early days, but there are one or two signs that a team could come from the chasing pack.

Personally I would welcome a wide open title race in which good coaching and teamwork trumps buying power.

I’ll be interested in the Derby as i think it will be a gauge of where Everton are mentally as much as anything . They’ve had a complete mental block about playing liverpool for years n years , the nadir being the cup defeat . If they finally show up ,  play like they have been and finally have a go then that’ll be a good sign. They’ve been beaten or hoping for a 0-0 before they turn up

[Gerrumonside ref]

4 hours ago, DavidM said:

I’ll be interested in the Derby as i think it will be a gauge of where Everton are mentally as much as anything . They’ve had a complete mental block about playing liverpool for years n years , the nadir being the cup defeat . If they finally show up ,  play like they have been and finally have a go then that’ll be a good sign. They’ve been beaten or hoping for a 0-0 before they turn up

It will be an important game for Liverpool too after the humbling at Villa Park.

Lets hope for a good one!

 

Edited October 7, 2020 by Gerrumonside ref

[Damien]

Footballers get a lot of stick but well done Mo Salah:

Mo Salah defended a homeless man from a group of yobs before giving him £100 cash. 

The Liverpool forward confronted a group of men who were heckling the victim at a petrol station after his team's 3-1 win against Arsenal on September 28. 

The 28-year-old was captured on CCTV coming to the aid of David Craig, who sleeps rough around Liverpool's stadium.  

The heartwarming moment came just three months after the Egyptian King paid for everyone's fuel at a petrol station.  

CCTV footage from September 28 shows Salah pulling up at the station in his Bentley. 

He then stands up for Mr Craig as he is harassed by the men walking past the forecourt. 

The 50-year-old former labourer told The Sun: 'Mo was every bit as wonderful as he is for Liverpool on the pitch.

'He heard what a group of lads were saying to me, then turned to them and said, "That could be you in a few years".

'I only knew I wasn't hallucinating when Mo incredibly handed me £100. What a complete legend.' 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8813901/Liverpool-star-Mo-Salah-confronts-yobs-harassing-homeless-man.html

Edited October 8, 2020 by Damien

[Gerrumonside ref]

PPV for Premier League football to start this month.

Early reports suggesting it could be £15 per match(!) and not surprisingly the move has sparked outrage amongst many fans of Premier League clubs.

Is it the thin end of the wedge, will there be a compromise over pricing or will it fail like Premplus?

 

Edited October 9, 2020 by Gerrumonside ref

[gingerjon]

13 hours ago, Gerrumonside ref said:

PPV for Premier League football to start this month.

Early reports suggesting it could be £15 per match(!) and not surprisingly the move has sparked outrage amongst many fans of Premier League clubs.

Is it the thin end of the wedge, will there be a compromise over pricing or will it fail like Premplus?

 

Premier League fans who would pay a minimum of £25 per person per game if they wanted to see a match not covered by the TV deal now complaining that £15 per household per game is outrageous.

The poor dears.

[Gerrumonside ref]

Just now, gingerjon said:

Premier League fans who would pay a minimum of £25 per person per game if they wanted to see a match not covered by the TV deal now complaining that £15 per household per game is outrageous.

The poor dears.

Can you really compare the two experiences though? TV versus the actual experience of being at the match?

I can’t to be honest although I guess if you’ve never been in person to a big Premier League match you might not know the difference.

I believe it to be the thin end of the wedge as if successful they will attempt to move the bigger clashes to the PPV slots over time.  They’re not going to make a lot of money showing the teams with the smaller fanbases.

 

[gingerjon]

Just now, Gerrumonside ref said:

Can you really compare the two experiences though? TV versus the actual experience of being at the match?

I can’t to be honest although I guess if you’ve never been in person to a big Premier League match you might not know the difference.

I believe it to be the thin end of the wedge as if successful they will attempt to move the bigger clashes to the PPV slots over time.  They’re not going to make a lot of money showing the teams with the smaller fanbases.

 

Been to several, though not for a few years as I don't much care for Brighton and they're the nearest team.

I can compare the experiences. Hence the reason one would cost over £100 for a group of four to watch before spending £5 on a cup of tea, and the other is £15 and you get to bring in your own cheap booze.

[Gerrumonside ref]

Just now, gingerjon said:

Been to several, though not for a few years as I don't much care for Brighton and they're the nearest team.

I can compare the experiences. Hence the reason one would cost over £100 for a group of four to watch before spending £5 on a cup of tea, and the other is £15 and you get to bring in your own cheap booze.

It must have been a poor experience at Brighton if watching on TV seems any equivalent to being there therefore justifying the pricing structure.

I was referring more to the big clashes such Liverpool vs Man Utd etc or a situational big match in a title run in or a cup final.  

These are the games that television does not replicate the excitement of being there in person or going through the prematch ritual.

I suppose you can argue that these games are currently not slated to be PPV (that’s on top of the regular subscription), but there’s no doubt to me that it would be the logical direction of travel if there is no backlash from fans over this.

[gingerjon]

5 minutes ago, Gerrumonside ref said:

It must have been a poor experience at Brighton if watching on TV seems any equivalent to being there therefore justifying the pricing structure.

I was referring more to the big clashes such Liverpool vs Man Utd etc or a situational big match in a title run in or a cup final.  

These are the games that television does not replicate the excitement of being there in person or going through the prematch ritual.

I suppose you can argue that these games are currently not slated to be PPV (that’s on top of the regular subscription), but there’s no doubt to me that it would be the logical direction of travel if there is no backlash from fans over this.

I just don't like Brighton. It could be greatest matchday experience in the world, I'd still not be going.

I've been to Man U v Liverpool in the dim and distant. It was great fun.

Nobody is claiming television replicates your personal prematch rituals. But, also, if you wanted to see the games not covered by the Sky, BT and Amazon contracts you would have to pay money.

That situation hasn't changed.

If you don't think professional football clubs, their players and staff, deserve your payment for you to watch them, then you're going to need to explain how you plan on keeping having such wonderful experiences watching them.

[Route66]

Premier league football is just one giant money making machine who will be using the no supporters at games to justify something that they've wanted for years. No doubt that plenty will sign up though as the club's and their ideals move further away from my generation of supporters. 

[Gerrumonside ref]

16 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

I just don't like Brighton. It could be greatest matchday experience in the world, I'd still not be going.

I've been to Man U v Liverpool in the dim and distant. It was great fun.

Nobody is claiming television replicates your personal prematch rituals. But, also, if you wanted to see the games not covered by the Sky, BT and Amazon contracts you would have to pay money.

That situation hasn't changed.

If you don't think professional football clubs, their players and staff, deserve your payment for you to watch them, then you're going to need to explain how you plan on keeping having such wonderful experiences watching them.

£15 per game is too much money on top of already expensive yearly subs to the Premier League broadcasters and that is a view that is widely shared.

I think the argument that these are ‘extra games’ is a shortsighted one to be honest for reasons I have outlined in my previous posts.  That is why I say it is the thin end of the wedge.

It is clear that the U.K. Premier League fans have gone to extreme lengths to continue supporting their clubs, even when faced with an historic economic downturn, there has to be a line that is drawn.

I’m sure you don’t intend this, but I do detect an aspect of schadenfreude in your posts on this particular one.  

 

Edited October 10, 2020 by Gerrumonside ref

[gingerjon]

23 minutes ago, Gerrumonside ref said:

£15 per game is too much money on top of already expensive yearly subs to the Premier League broadcasters and that is a view that is widely shared.

I think the argument that these are ‘extra games’ is a shortsighted one to be honest for reasons I have outlined in my previous posts.  That is why I say it is the thin end of the wedge.

It is clear that the U.K. Premier League fans have gone to extreme lengths to continue supporting their clubs, even when faced with an historic economic downturn, there has to be a line that is drawn.

I’m sure you don’t intend this, but I do detect an aspect of schadenfreude in your posts on this particular one.  

 

No schadenfreude at all. Genuinely.

I am confused as to why paying to see matches you wouldn't ordinarily be able to see without paying is considered a red line. 

[Gerrumonside ref]

Just now, gingerjon said:

No schadenfreude at all. Genuinely.

I am confused as to why paying to see matches you wouldn't ordinarily be able to see without paying is considered a red line. 

Because supporting this plan and pricing structure will encourage the further encroachment of PPV in football.  It’s that simple.

[gingerjon]

2 minutes ago, Gerrumonside ref said:

Because supporting this plan and pricing structure will encourage the further encroachment of PPV in football.  It’s that simple.

Oh well. Not something I have an issue with so that'll be why we disagree.

[Gerrumonside ref]

9 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

Oh well. Not something I have an issue with so that'll be why we disagree.

I can understand this isn’t going to be something that affects you directly if you get your football fix via the non league fare that is served up in Sussex and I’m guessing the Premier League through television (only with a level of emotional detachment).

I’m not judging that and indeed many Premier League fans are signalling their intention to follow suit (with reference to watching non league) and it will be interesting to see how many do.

But I have ‘skin in the game’ like many others (and not as much as some) so my reaction is likely to be different.  That is why for me this is a red line and I suspect the same is true of others too judging by the initial reaction to this.

 

Edited October 10, 2020 by Gerrumonside ref