Football

[OriginalMrC]

11 hours ago, OriginalMrC said:

U21s Italy who are down to nine equalise with an amazing free kick which was the last kick of the game! Don't envy them playing extra time with 9 men but they are still in the game

They went on to lose but this U21 tournament has provided a lot of entertainment so far. 

[Gerrumonside ref]

9 minutes ago, OriginalMrC said:

They went on to lose but this U21 tournament has provided a lot of entertainment so far. 

Yep, it’s been a good watch 

[17 stone giant]

17 hours ago, OriginalMrC said:

U21s Italy who are down to nine equalise with an amazing free kick which was the last kick of the game! Don't envy them playing extra time with 9 men but they are still in the game

Italy are one of the few teams that you would give half a chance of keeping the other team out with only 9 men, such is their defensive pedigree.

They'll be fuming at the two players that got themselves sent off. The first one in particular was a needless tackle in an area of the pitch that posed no danger. Utter stupidity, especially as he was already on a yellow card. Cost his team mates big time.

[The Hallucinating Goose]

Finally on my way home from camping which means I will soon be able to watch these wonderful Club World Cup games again!

[OriginalMrC]

This world club cup is just too long with too many pointless games. I wonder what the impact will be on Chelsea and Man City next season? If either of them get to the final they'll have played 7 matches when their players would likely have been on the beach.

[HawkMan]

23 hours ago, OriginalMrC said:

This world club cup is just too long with too many pointless games. I wonder what the impact will be on Chelsea and Man City next season? If either of them get to the final they'll have played 7 matches when their players would likely have been on the beach.

They would have played games anyway, pointless friendly tournaments in the Far East or The States , at least the CWC puts pay to those. I've enjoyed it,  nice to see famous teams that I've never seen before like Boca, Palmeiras,  River Plate etc. Crowds slowly building as tournament heads to knockout. We must  not be too Eurocentric,  the R.O.W is keen as mustard particularly the Latin American fans.

The ironic and slightly hypocritical thing is, if RL attempted this , a brand new comp, bringing teams hitherto never played competitively against each other before,  to a potential new audience and bringing new TV money  to the game many on here would be applauding the idea.

 

 

Edited June 26 by HawkMan

[HawkMan]

Latest- lovely old fashioned dirty Italian v Argie game last night as Inter beat River 2-0 knocking them out.

Last 16;

Saturday 

Palmeiras v Botafogo 1700

Benfica v Chelsea 2100

Sunday 

PSG v Inter Miami 1700 ( Messi v old friends)

Flamengo v Bayern 2100

Monday 

Inter Milan v Fluminense 2000

Tuesday 

Juventus/  Man City  v Salzburg/ Real Madrid/Al Hilal 0200 (Monday U.S.)

Salzburg/ Real Madrid/ Al Hilal v Juventus/ Man City 2000

Wednesday 

Dortmund v Monterrey  0200 ( Tuesday U.S.)

 

Edited June 26 by HawkMan

[Gerrumonside ref]

48 minutes ago, HawkMan said:

Latest- lovely old fashioned dirty Italian v Argie game last night as Inter beat River 2-0 knocking them out.

Last 16;

Saturday 

Palmeiras v Botafogo 1700

Benfica v Chelsea 2100

Sunday 

PSG v Inter Miami 1700 ( Messi v old friends)

Flamengo v Bayern 2100

Monday 

Inter Milan v Fluminense 2000

Tuesday 

Juventus/  Man City  v Salzburg/ Real Madrid/Al Hilal 0200 (Monday U.S.)

Salzburg/ Real Madrid/ Al Hilal v Juventus/ Man City 2000

Wednesday 

Dortmund v Monterrey  0200 ( Tuesday U.S.)

 

My pick of those games:

Palmeiras vs Botafogo - Big ‘Rio vs São Paulo ’ rivalry in Brazil 

Flamengo vs Bayern - Brazil’s best supported club vs Germany’s no.1

Real Madrid vs Man City 

PSG vs Inter Miami 

 

Edited June 26 by Gerrumonside ref

[gingerjon]

On 25/06/2025 at 10:57, HawkMan said:

The ironic and slightly hypocritical thing is, if RL attempted this , a brand new comp, bringing teams hitherto never played competitively against each other before,  to a potential new audience and bringing new TV money  to the game many on here would be applauding the idea.

Yes. It is very wise and sensible to compare a sport with two professional leagues competing for three trophies and a widespread history of failing to raise the profile of the game with the most watched sport in the world with the world's most watched tournament, world's largest income and professional clubs in every country in the world.

[HawkMan]

7 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

Yes. It is very wise and sensible to compare a sport with two professional leagues competing for three trophies and a widespread history of failing to raise the profile of the game with the most watched sport in the world with the world's most watched tournament, world's largest income and professional clubs in every country in the world.

I wasn't  comparing the sports,  but the attitude of some who think the whole idea is daft but would applaud it in RL. Unless IT IS daft in one but not the other.

[Gerrumonside ref]

12 hours ago, HawkMan said:

I wasn't  comparing the sports,  but the attitude of some who think the whole idea is daft but would applaud it in RL. Unless IT IS daft in one but not the other.

To be fair the negativity isn’t around it being new, it’s around player welfare and the sportswashing aspect.

I think they are justified as objections.

The other argument was that there’s no sporting merit, Europe was far too strong, which can be fully disregarded on the evidence of play.

 

Edited June 27 by Gerrumonside ref

[OriginalMrC]

19 minutes ago, HawkMan said:

I wasn't  comparing the sports,  but the attitude of some who think the whole idea is daft but would applaud it in RL. Unless IT IS daft in one but not the other.

I dont necessarily think its daft I have enjoyed previous world club cups. Seeing the best Europe has to offer vs South American teams has always been entertaining. This tournament has too many average teams and too many games (if it was RL I'd say the same BTW).

Man City and Chelsea players will undoubtedly be affected by not really having a break this summer. Its a big difference playing some friendlies vs higher intensity tournament games. Its good for other premier league teams though and come xmas Pep Guardiola will be moaning constantly about how tired his players are! 

 

[gingerjon]

1 hour ago, HawkMan said:

I wasn't  comparing the sports,  but the attitude of some who think the whole idea is daft but would applaud it in RL. Unless IT IS daft in one but not the other.

What do you think of the six again rule in soccer?

[lucky 7]

What a hero this soccer player is, not

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-14850397/Kian-Harratt-Oldham-Striker-Ibiza-Fight.html

 

[HawkMan]

Well done Al Hilal, Inzaghi top coach.

++ ; Channel 5

**; DAZN

Updated,

Saturday 

Palmeiras v Botafogo 1700 **

Benfica v Chelsea 2100 **

Sunday 

PSG v Inter Miami 1700 ( Messi v old friends) ++

Flamengo v Bayern 2100 ++

Monday 

Inter Milan v Fluminense 2000 ++

Tuesday 

 Man City  v Al Hilal 0200 (Monday U.S.) ++

 Real Madrid v Juventus 2000 **

Wednesday 

Dortmund v Monterrey  0200 ( Tuesday U.S.) **

Edited June 27 by HawkMan

[Gerrumonside ref]

2 hours ago, HawkMan said:

Well done Al Hilal, Inzaghi top coach.

++ ; Channel 5

**; DAZN

Updated,

Saturday 

Palmeiras v Botafogo 1700 **

Benfica v Chelsea 2100 **

Sunday 

PSG v Inter Miami 1700 ( Messi v old friends) ++

Flamengo v Bayern 2100 ++

Monday 

Inter Milan v Fluminense 2000 ++

Tuesday 

 Man City  v Al Hilal 0200 (Monday U.S.) ++

 Real Madrid v Juventus 2000 **

Wednesday 

Dortmund v Monterrey  0200 ( Tuesday U.S.) **

The final of the European Championships for the u21 on Saturday too at 8pm on Channel 4

Germany vs England 

We are loaded up with Premier League players, but they’re a good team too and already beat us in the group stage.

Definitely worth a watch.

 

[The Future is League]

40 minutes ago, Gerrumonside ref said:

The final of the European Championships for the u21 on Saturday too at 8pm on Channel 4

Germany vs England 

We are loaded up with Premier League players, but they’re a good team too and already beat us in the group stage.

Definitely worth a watch.

 

That clashes with the Cas Tigers v Wigan Warriors on Sky doesn't it? 

So the Rugby League game for me.

[Gerrumonside ref]

4 minutes ago, The Future is League said:

That clashes with the Cas Tigers v Wigan Warriors on Sky doesn't it? 

So the Rugby League game for me.

Fair enough, I’m not a fan of either team, or quite as absolute in following the RL religion.

Best sporting event wins for me if it’s an either or prospect.

I do follow sport generally rather than just RL specifically but I get your argument.

 

[Father Gascoigne]

On 26/06/2025 at 19:27, Gerrumonside ref said:

My pick of those games:

Palmeiras vs Botafogo - Big ‘Rio vs São Paulo ’ rivalry in Brazil 

Flamengo vs Bayern - Brazil’s best supported club vs Germany’s no.1

Real Madrid vs Man City 

PSG vs Inter Miami 

 

It's interesting to me how massive Brazil's market actually is. You would think by all measures that Bayern, as the biggest German club and one of the most successful in Europe, would be more popular than Flamengo globally, and by some distance.

While brand recognition of Bayern is clearly higher around the world, when you look at Google stats on how many people search for those clubs online, Flamengo beats Bayern comfortably. It's impressive that it manages this while ostensibly only relying on its internal market. 

It's a bit like the whole cricket vs football popularity. Football is obviously more popular than cricket if you look at how many countries prefer football. But in gross terms, when you consider the size of India's internal market, the differences between football and cricket popularity globally shrink vastly.

[HawkMan]

Top 15 football leagues for  attendances, ranking from 1995 to 2025

 

[The Hallucinating Goose]

On 19/06/2025 at 16:23, The Hallucinating Goose said:

An update of attendances up to and including Al-Ain v Juventus:

------------

Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia - 37,446 (67,594)

Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens - 62,415 (64,767)

TQL Stadium, Cincinnati - 5,282 (26,000)

Audi Field, Washington - 18,161 (20,000)

An update of attendances from 20th June to today (just for you, @HawkMan ):

------------

Rose Bowl, Pasadena - 53,699 (92,542)

Inter&Co Stadium, Orlando - 6,730 (25,500)

Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia - 54,019 (67,594)

Geodis Park, Nashville - 13,651 (30,000)

Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens - 63,587 (64,767)

TQL Stadium, Cincinnati - 14,006 (26,000)

Lumen Field, Seattle - 25,090 (72,000)

MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford - 29,321 (82,566)

Rose Bowl, Pasadena - 57,393 (92,542)

Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia - 31,975 (67,594)

Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte - 70,248 (74,867)

Audi Field, Washington - 16,167 (20,000)

Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta - 40,392 (71,000)

Rose Bowl, Pasadena - 22,992 (92,542)

Lumen Field, Seattle - 50,628 (72,000)

MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford - 39,893 (82,566)

Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens - 60,914 (64,767)

Geodis Park, Nashville - 16,899 (30,000)

Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte - 33,287 (74,867)

Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia - 32,967 (67,594)

Camping World Stadium, Orlando - 32,933 (65,194)

TQL Stadium, Cincinnati - 8,239 (26,000)

Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens - 14,312 (64,767)

Lumen Field, Seattle - 45,135 (72,000)

Rose Bowl, Pasadena - 14,312 (92,542)

Camping World Stadium, Orlando - 54,320 (65,194)

Audi Field, Washington - 10,785 (20,000)

Geodis Park, Nashville - 14,147 (30,000)

Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia - 64,811 (67,594)

Edited June 27 by The Hallucinating Goose

[OriginalMrC]

Might pay for their signings but they'll likely pay for it with a tired squad next season 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cy7n0vmegzpo

P.s. ridiculous amounts of money being paid!

[gingerjon]

Did anyone pick Shamrock Rovers in our LoI love-in?

Looking very much like their title.

Meanwhile, two places but a lot of points behind, Bohs picked up their (our) first draw of the season in their (our) 22nd match - 12-0-9 became 12-1-9.

[The Hallucinating Goose]

C'mon England! Bring it home!

[OriginalMrC]

Palmeiras through to the quarters. Got them at 25-1 EW to win it