Football

[EggFace]

8 minutes ago, HawkMan said:

Well done Newcastle,  phew what a tense last 10 minutes and I'm not even a Newcastle fan, betcha @EggFacewas a bag of nerves!

I don't think I can handle the next few weeks around here so I might have to move somewhere which will bring me peace and tranqulity like .........Sunderland.

[The Masked Poster]

Delighted for Newcastle and their long suffering fans, deserved the win.

 

[Gerrumonside ref]

Newcastle totally deserved their win against us today.

Edited March 16 by Gerrumonside ref

[RayCee]

3 hours ago, Gerrumonside ref said:

Newcastle totally deserved their win against us today.

Agreed and I'm a Liverpool fan. This is a good Liverpool squad but not a great one.

There aren't any great teams in the EPL this season. Liverpool is succeeding in the league due to having a balanced and settled squad and finding ways to win. The contenders are helping due to their inconsistency. I hope LFC can hold their form to take the league but it's not done and dusted. 

[Father Gascoigne]

8 hours ago, RayCee said:

Agreed and I'm a Liverpool fan. This is a good Liverpool squad but not a great one.

There aren't any great teams in the EPL this season. Liverpool is succeeding in the league due to having a balanced and settled squad and finding ways to win. The contenders are helping due to their inconsistency. I hope LFC can hold their form to take the league but it's not done and dusted. 

12 points ahead, easier remaining fixtures compared to Arsenal, and hosting Arsenal at Anfield...for a club that has lost a solitary game all season. It's about as dusted as it gets. 

You know it's over when there's more interest in the CL qualification race than the title. 

[Gerrumonside ref]

Liverpool’s fixtures in April are easier than Arsenal’s, but the run in for May is tricky.  I think Liverpool winning all the home games in April (Everton, West Ham, Spurs) and beating Leicester away will define the rest of the run in.

There's reasons to be nervous and not complacent, two performances against PSG were control was lost and a really bad defeat to Newcastle just gone.  TAA has picked up a nasty injury and the goal threat from Jota, Diaz and Nunez has faltered.

It’s not often wise to look beyond the next game which is the Merseyside derby at Anfield and a rejuvenated Everton - it’s critical for lots of reasons to win this game before any sense of panic sets in.

 

[ivans82]

I think it shows that standards in the Premier League this season have dropped . Despite Arsenals dire injury problems , sending offs and suspensions they are still somehow clear 2nd .

[The Hallucinating Goose]

Well England won 2-0 tonight but it was a poor performance in my opinion. 74% possession with most of that on the edge of Albania's box but very indecisive in that area with only 12 shots in the entire game; just passing side to side rather than being positive and driving forward. The passing was very hard and loose and England didn't look to be particularly in control of the ball as a result. Almost seemed to be a bit too much energy in them. They really need to calm things down.

[Gerrumonside ref]

11 hours ago, The Hallucinating Goose said:

Well England won 2-0 tonight but it was a poor performance in my opinion. 74% possession with most of that on the edge of Albania's box but very indecisive in that area with only 12 shots in the entire game; just passing side to side rather than being positive and driving forward. The passing was very hard and loose and England didn't look to be particularly in control of the ball as a result. Almost seemed to be a bit too much energy in them. They really need to calm things down.

I didn’t see it but it’s early days.

[Father Gascoigne]

Women's football has had lots of great attendances over the years, but this is noteworthy as it happened in the second division. 

Crowd of 38,502 for the Tyne-Wear derby

[RayCee]

England 3-0 Latvia. Some suggest a poor result but unlike RL where superiority is clearly reflected on the scoresheet, not always in football. So five goals and two clean sheets is OK. The Tuchel era has only just begun and will take longer to assess than two games against lower ranked sides. Sterner opposition will come and how they handle that will say a lot more. 

[Father Gascoigne]

5 hours ago, RayCee said:

England 3-0 Latvia. Some suggest a poor result but unlike RL where superiority is clearly reflected on the scoresheet, not always in football. So five goals and two clean sheets is OK. The Tuchel era has only just begun and will take longer to assess than two games against lower ranked sides. Sterner opposition will come and how they handle that will say a lot more. 

Tuchel's era will be defined by whether England can win their inevitable quarter-final at the WC. 

To win that game, they'll have to be solid defensively and clinical in transition. Knockout football is often turgid, even more-so at international level, and you'll rarely outplay the other team. Problem is, no qualifier will allow them to play in that way, as they are significantly better than any team in that group, which makes these possession-heavy, camping-outside-the-opposition-box matches largely a waste of time for everyone, as they have been for decades. 

Other than that, I'm not sure what more anyone could ask for (goals, I presume). It takes roughly 3 shots to get a shot on target. It takes roughly three shots on target to get a goal. England had 27 shots, 8 on target, for 3 goals. That's textbook. Almost 30 shots taken is about as good as it gets, and they scored exactly the amount you'd expect from that volume. 

If England has any issue, it's that there are too many good players who have a claim to a starting spot. Tuchel can be a tinkerman, which is a worry, as this can derail cohesion in international football. But he's also a safety-first manager, not dissimilar to Southgate, which bodes well for the knockouts. 

Assuming everyone is fit, if picking a team today for that quarter-final encounter, I'd go with: 

----------------------------------------Pickford------------------------------------------------------

R James-------------------Burn-------------------Tarkowski (criminal that he's not in the squad)---------------Lewis-Skelly

------------------------Bellingham-------------------------------Rice----------------------------------------

Saka--------------------------------------Rogers--------------------------------Gordon

----------------------------------------Kane-------------------------------------------

Not being the manager of England, my opinion doesn't count, but I will never understand how in international football, when games are so often won on set pieces and defending crosses so crucial in general, that a clearance-machine like Tarkowski can be overlooked in favour of players like Konsa or Colwill. I don't see enough of Guehi to comment, but I'd still take Tarkowski over anyone. It'd be very tough to score from corners against a team featuring Burn, Tarkowski, James, Rice, Rogers, Kane, Bellingham. 

As for Rogers, I fail to see how he doesn't feature heavily at the World Cup. Absolute work-horse who will excel if England need to press, can bully players on and off the ball, technically proficient with a good eye for passes, selfless team player, strong finisher, and good in the air. He's one player who would look better against France than Latvia. 

Unfortunately, with Saka-Rogers-Gordon, it means my favourite player in the game at the moment (Palmer) misses out, so he'll be the first one at 60 minutes with England a goal down. 

***

Now that the World Cup is at 48 teams, and likely going to 64 in a future edition, it's high time qualifiers were drastically revamped in Europe. England shouldn't be playing against both Latvia and Andorra. 

While I don't think they'll go as far as implementing pre-qualifications rounds like in Asia, the best solution might be to cut qualification groups to four teams, as Europe should have 20+ spots in a 64 team format. At the very least, it would ensure that the likes of England only have to play against one bonafide minnow.

Edited March 25 by Father Gascoigne

[RayCee]

I think your England team is about right.

As for 48 sides for the World Cup, it has opened things up. NZ used to win the Oceania Group (Australia isn’t in that) then play a best losing team from another group, meaning they usually fell at the last hurdle. They only had to win the Oceania Group this time which they did, beating New Caledonia in the final match. The highlights are on YouTube. 

[HawkMan]

@Father Gascoignethe Europe WC qualification process has been revamped for this WC. Four team groups are operating and a few five team ones. All the big teams, except England,  were in Nations League action and the likes of Italy Germany etc don't start qualification until September and finish in November!! 

Also football won't stop the likes of Andorra, Liechtenstein etc from playing the big boys. RL, RU and to some extent Cricket, make that mistake, with tier 1 and 2 nations , first class teams etc, meaning the minnows never improve because they're not deemed up to standards to get fixtures. Football doesn't do that, one day perhaps the RL authorities will realise that and give the lesser nations matches to improve their standards.

[Father Gascoigne]

3 hours ago, RayCee said:

I think your England team is about right.

As for 48 sides for the World Cup, it has opened things up. NZ used to win the Oceania Group (Australia isn’t in that) then play a best losing team from another group, meaning they usually fell at the last hurdle. They only had to win the Oceania Group this time which they did, beating New Caledonia in the final match. The highlights are on YouTube. 

Yep, saw the highlights earlier today. Took way too long to upload them, I was searching for them yesterday to no avail.

I have no issue with OFC getting a guaranteed ticket, especially as NZ won't be pushovers. I think they're on the level of Asia's second tier of national teams. 

That said, NZ would really benefit from being in Asia. In terms of building fan interest, it's a much easier sell than the island nations, and they'd also play more competitive games in general. 

3 hours ago, HawkMan said:

@Father Gascoignethe Europe WC qualification process has been revamped for this WC. Four team groups are operating and a few five team ones. All the big teams, except England,  were in Nations League action and the likes of Italy Germany etc don't start qualification until September and finish in November!! 

Also football won't stop the likes of Andorra, Liechtenstein etc from playing the big boys. RL, RU and to some extent Cricket, make that mistake, with tier 1 and 2 nations , first class teams etc, meaning the minnows never improve because they're not deemed up to standards to get fixtures. Football doesn't do that, one day perhaps the RL authorities will realise that and give the lesser nations matches to improve their standards.

Ah right, so there are six groups with only four teams. Yeah, that's much better. So the Nations League, apart from being a huge upgrade on friendlies, has also impacted qualifying. Best thing UEFA has done in decades.

On the comparison with other sports, I think both sides go to extremes. In football, England playing Serbia and Albania in their group is fine. Even Latvia is fair game despite the gap in talent. Playing Andorra, however, is absurd. That's football's extreme, and I don't think that kind of talent gap needs to see competitive fixtures. I'm really only against Andorra, Liechtenstein, San Marino, Gibraltar and the Faroe Islands participating. The rest are fine. 

In RU, they're reluctant to have Italy play Georgia, which is like not allowing Scotland to play Finland. That's an extreme on the other end of the spectrum, and I agree that it's to union's detriment.  

 

 

Edited March 25 by Father Gascoigne

[RayCee]

2 hours ago, Father Gascoigne said:

NZ would really benefit from being in Asia. In terms of building fan interest, it's a much easier sell than the island nations, and they'd also play more competitive games in general. 

That is why Australia left the Oceania Group. It could benefit NZ too but I feel NZ staying helps the Island nations to lift their standard so I'm happy to see NZ remain in this federation.

[Winston Smith]

No doubt another day of disappointment ahead for me. Off to watch The Gas v Mansfield Town. I haven’t been this season, but I believe it’s not great watching at the Mem. Obviously, this is backed up by the league position. A win over Mansfield will give hope of staying up, defeat would make it a very difficult end to the season.

[Gerrumonside ref]

Looking forward to all four FA Cup matches this weekend for different reasons today think they all have potential to be entertaining.

Heart says:

Fulham

Brighton

Preston

Bournemouth 

 

Head says:

Palace

Brighton

Villa

City

 

 

Edited March 29 by Gerrumonside ref

[tonyXIII]

7 hours ago, Gerrumonside ref said:

Looking forward to all four FA Cup matches this weekend for different reasons today think they all have potential to be entertaining.

Heart says:

Fulham

Brighton

Preston

Bournemouth 

 

Head says:

Palace

Brighton

Villa

City

 

 

I'm not sure that City will beat Bournmouth.

[Gerrumonside ref]

24 minutes ago, tonyXIII said:

I'm not sure that City will beat Bournmouth.

I keep expecting a consistent bounce back from City to last year’s form but it’s just not happening.

Should be a cracking game whatever happens.

Edited March 29 by Gerrumonside ref

[Winston Smith]

I hate football, I hate being Gas. I’m not even from Bristol but I have been afflicted by Rovers. I blame the stupid quartered kit for making me notice them as a child

Nevermind, Fartown tomorrow…. Oh b ugger.

[Gerrumonside ref]

8 hours ago, Winston Smith said:

I hate football, I hate being Gas. I’m not even from Bristol but I have been afflicted by Rovers. I blame the stupid quartered kit for making me notice them as a child

Nevermind, Fartown tomorrow…. Oh b ugger.

I’ve known some Bristol Rovers fans in my time and at least one told me that the fans are grounded and usually pretty accepting of things.

Though no one likes losing all the time whatever.

They also told me that they thought it was Bristol City fans who had it worse as they were definitely living under the misapprehension that they could be one of England’s big clubs so it was hell being them!

Edited March 30 by Gerrumonside ref

[Father Gascoigne]

14 hours ago, Gerrumonside ref said:

I keep expecting a consistent bounce back from City to last year’s form but it’s just not happening.

Should be a cracking game whatever happens.

Number of their best players are either missing or past it, and their spine has three new players. It's definitely not happening. Could be over for the foreseeable future until they find that KDB replacement. 

If Arsenal can't pick up at least one title in the next two seasons, they should pack it in. It hasn't been this easy to win a title since mid-2010s. 

1 hour ago, Gerrumonside ref said:

I’ve known some Bristol Rovers fans in my time and at least one told me that the fans are grounded and usually pretty accepting of things.

Though no one likes losing all the time whatever.

They also told me that they thought it was Bristol City fans who had it worse as they were definitely living under the misapprehension that they could be one of England’s big clubs so it was hell being them!

You need history to be a big club, and they have nones, so misapprehension is a good word to describe it. But I do think BCFC has the most untapped potential in the country. They don't have the history to be a big club, but there's no reason they couldn't be a bigger version of BHA. 

Edited March 30 by Father Gascoigne

[Gerrumonside ref]

1 hour ago, Father Gascoigne said:

Number of their best players are either missing or past it, and their spine has three new players. It's definitely not happening. Could be over for the foreseeable future until they find that KDB replacement. 

If Arsenal can't pick up at least one title in the next two seasons, they should pack it in. It hasn't been this easy to win a title since mid-2010s. 

You need history to be a big club, and they have nones, so misapprehension is a good word to describe it. But I do think BCFC has the most untapped potential in the country. They don't have the history to be a big club, but there's no reason they couldn't be a bigger version of BHA. 

Haha, therein lies the rub doesn’t it, they’re not making it and they probably never will so it’s all heartache.

Edited March 30 by Gerrumonside ref

[Winston Smith]

15 hours ago, Gerrumonside ref said:

I’ve known some Bristol Rovers fans in my time and at least one told me that the fans are grounded and usually pretty accepting of things.

Though no one likes losing all the time whatever.

They also told me that they thought it was Bristol City fans who had it worse as they were definitely living under the misapprehension that they could be one of England’s big clubs so it was hell being them!

It's true. I mean yesterday we battled, we're just not very good. The other lot do think they're a big club, but they're no better than Championship/ League 1.