The English Football Thread

[Jase 43,479]

20 hours ago, Stats said:

This is why I was angry when United and Liverpool was postponed. That timing was suitable for us and they put out their strongest available team. Even if they do the same on Thursday, they will be fatigued.

Apparently, West Brom didn't want to move that fixture. Hence, Man United v Liverpool got slapped onto that Thursday.

Solskjaer already came out and said that he will rotate his squad and may end upsetting a few teams with his selection. I assume he will rotate heavily against Leicester and play his strongest XI against Liverpool, for obvious reasons.

[Atomiswave 6,118]

33 minutes ago, chippy said:

Some new players for sure, but not a huge rebuild.

Ali is showing a few signs of life here and there. If the new manager can get him ticking  again ( look at the huge difference to Rudi since TT arrived) and Bale gets fitter, they'd have have enough creativity and goals. Obviously need to keep Kane and Son though.

They are just desperately short of quality defenders and look like conceeding every game. There's also the age old problem of them being mentally weak when the crunch time really comes. Even Jose showed no signs of being able to fix that.

 

They are shit up the creek mate, too many past it players, lack of quality etc. They really need a big rebuild. Lets see which name comes in as manager, cuz so far several managers have declined......maybe Sarii

[NikkiCFC 8,337]

I didn't expect Utd to take something from Liverpool anyway. They played in Rome just 2 and a half days before previously scheduled fixture. So not much difference. 

[Jase 43,479]

2 minutes ago, NikkiCFC said:

I didn't expect Utd to take something from Liverpool anyway. They played in Rome just 2 and a half days before previously scheduled fixture. So not much difference. 

Worth noting that Klopp has never won at Old Trafford. 

[Vesper 30,224]

2020-21 English Premier League

Liverpool               
Southampton       

http://www.sportnews.to/mysports/2021/premier-league-liverpool-vs-southampton-s1/

https://www.totalsportek.com/page-5/

[Vesper 30,224]

no Ings, fuck

[Strike 7,494]

Southampton miss a sitter and Liverpool score at the other end

[Magic Lamps 11,692]

2 minutes ago, Strike said:

Southampton miss a sitter and Liverpool score at the other end

Story of their respective seasons 

[Fulham Broadway 17,333]

United have missed out on a proposed new training kit deal worth £200m over 10 years after the Manchester-based company The Hut Group had concerns about the supporters’ campaign to boycott the club’s commercial partners in protest at the Glazers’ ownership

[Vesper 30,224]

6 hours ago, Fulham Broadway said:

United have missed out on a proposed new training kit deal worth £200m over 10 years after the Manchester-based company The Hut Group had concerns about the supporters’ campaign to boycott the club’s commercial partners in protest at the Glazers’ ownership

lol, The Hut Co ships a tonne of our clothing, etc we buy online from the UK

they just sent this

Edited May 9, 2021 by Vesper

[Vesper 30,224]

Mike Ashley and ‘dark forces’    Your man, a fair while earlier. Photograph: Kirsty O’Connor/PA Gregg Bakowski NAME THAT TOON In a week when Manchester City and Chelsea exposed Qatar FC and Real Madrid as combustible nearly men and the world’s most expensive but underpowered over-35s team, you might think we’d end it talking about one of the above superpowers. But when Mike Ashley speaks The Fiver can get its job done in half the time, giving us the opportunity to hit the Tin early and wind up barfing into our fireplace in the style of everyone’s favourite “power drinker”. And so it is that Ashley has popped the noggin above his massive pile of naff trainers and Lonsdale tat to bark wildly about “dark forces” in football that have been, wait for it, preventing Newcastle from “becoming the powerhouse that the fans deserve”. Honk indeed! It’s the kind of blather you’d expect to hear from David Icke, Richard Keys or, erm, Ashley. The Newcastle owner made the claims amid news that HMRC had discontinued a long-running investigation into alleged tax-knack at the club linked to a fraud inquiry involving Mr 15%s and transfer fees. “After four years of the club being subjected to this investigation I am pleased the criminal investigation has now been discontinued,” cheered Ashley, who didn’t go into detail about what had been holding the Magpies back prior to 2017. “It is now time for the dark forces … to step aside.” ‘Dark forces’ preventing Newcastle from being ‘powerhouse’, says Mike Ashley Read more It also emerged that Ashley has opened a can of legal whoop@ss on the Premier League, seeking damages for loss of “profit, or alternatively, opportunity” in an attempt to reverse the decision that prevented the Saudi takeover from going ahead in 2020. A deal from which he stood to trouser a shedload of cash from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, a body chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. We’re assuming Ashley hasn’t read the conclusions to that intelligence report about the prince’s own dark forces. Or perhaps he has and doesn’t give a flying one. Ashley has been unfortunate to fall foul of the old “dark forces” before. They gave him an “unpleasant surprise” when a Big Website investigation uncovered that Sports Direct staff were effectively paid less than the minimum wage in 2016. And perhaps it was “dark forces” at work in his warehouses that led to a select committee of MPs finding that staff had been subject to “appalling working practices” and treated “as commodities rather than as human beings”. Like the little kid in The Omen, “dark forces” just follow Ashley wherever he goes. What’s the common denominator here? If only we could do the moral maths. LIVE ON BIG WEBSITE! Join Tumaini Carayol from 8pm BST for hot Premier League MBM coverage of Leicester 0-0 Newcastle. QUOTE OF THE DAY “Our supporters always want to support us” – De Graafschap suit Hans Martijn Ostendorp hails fans of the club, whose nickname is the ‘Super Farmers’, as they saw them off for potential promotion to the Eredivisie later on Friday night with a pyro-infused tractor calvalcade. The Super Farmers on their way to promotion?  pic.twitter.com/2mD5oT0B4j — ESPN NL (@ESPNnl) May 7, 2021 RECOMMENDED LISTENING Here’s the latest Football Weekly Extra podcast. FIVER LETTERS “I’ve made another wallchart to raise money for the Luton & Dunstable Hospital NICU (who cared for my daughter when she was born) – any chance you could give it a mention in The Fiver please? Since I started doing them back in World Cup 2010, we’ve raised over £28,000 for the hospital – all the info on how to order is here. Thanks so much” – Elliott Quince. “Re: refereeing misadventures (Fiver letters passim). Before my first game for the Dutch in Hong Kong Division 3, the ref told me I couldn’t play in my glasses. I told him that I couldn’t see without them and, what’s more, I was a lot bigger than he was. We were 2-1 down at half-time, but before the start of the second half the ref, and both his linesmen, told me that if I took to the field again I would be sent off. I spent the second half on the sidelines drinking Heineken (we lost 7-1) and by the following Sunday I was ‘contact lensed’” – Richard Samwell. “Never mind Ed Sheeran (yesterday’s Quote of the Day). Look at next season’s Harry Kane-sponsored Orient shirt! It’s got a Tommy on the front and everything. The poppy wars will be interesting next autumn” – John De la Cruz.  It’s for a good cause, to be fair. Photograph: Leyton Orient FC/YouTube Send your letters to [email protected]. And you can always tweet The Fiver via @guardian_sport. Today’s winner of our prizeless letter o’the day is … Elliott Quince. NEWS, BITS AND BOBS A number of high-profile female players in Argentina have made allegations to Fifa of bullying, misconduct and sexual harassment against a youth-team coach working for the country’s FA. Chalk this one up for the fans. Ole Gunnar Solskjær is preparing to anger the top four-chasing clubs by giving everyone and anyone – maybe even Donny van de Beek – a game during Manchester United’s run of four games in a week after they booked their spot in the final of Big Vase. “I’ve got to look after the players,” he blathered. “That might affect whoever gets into fourth position or the [Big Cup]. That’s not my problem.” After a very Arsenaly exit from Big Vase semis against Villarreal, Mikel Arteta is starting to sweat. “I think everybody’s job is always under scrutiny,” he parped.  Oh Arsenal! Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian Emma Hayes has paid tribute to Chelsea’s approach for helping her team within touching distance of WSL and Women’s Big Cup glory. “This is the most special club in the world because of both its diversity and its togetherness as a whole,” she cheered. “It’s one club. That’s just the DNA of this place – and it breeds winning.” And Gary Lineker’s posts on Social Media Disgrace Twitter about the dismal state of politics could help him avoid a £4.9m tax bill, as part of a continuing dispute about whether he should be classed as a freelance worker for the BBC and BT Sport. STILL WANT MORE? Ten things to look out for in the Premier League this weekend, including a Big Cup final dress rehearsal, a bogey team and David Moyes looking to smash Everton with his Hammers. Chelsea and Manchester City deserve their places in Big Cup final, but let’s not forget the huge amount of £££££££s that have helped them get there, writes Barney Ronay. Even at Super Bowl-winning Tampa, the Glazers are far from loved, writes Dave Caldwell in a view from the USA! USA!! USA!!! Max Rushden on how the intense stress of promotion and relegation has the power to make fans feel their heart beat inside their foreheads.  After that 5-4 loss at Harrogate. Photograph: George Wood/Getty Images Quiz! Quiz! Quiz! Ben McAleer on the fringe players looking to squeeze into the extra places in England’s bumper Euro Not 2020 squad. Oh, and if it’s your thing … you can follow Big Website on Big Social FaceSpace. And INSTACHAT, TOO! THE MAIN STORY WASN’T WRONG. TO THE DRINKER!

[Vesper 30,224]

Friday May 7 2021 Football Nerd

Tired legs, less pressing and dodgy goalkeepers: Why Southampton are enduring a miserable 2021 By Daniel Zeqiri Southampton were one of the Premier League's success stories before Christmas, but things have taken a sharp turn for the worse for Ralph Hasenhuttl's team in 2021. No team has won fewer Premier League points since the turn of the year with Southampton losing 13 of their last 18 and conceding a league-high 40 goals in 2021. One reason for this decline is the physical demands of Hasenhuttl's football in a hectic season. Southampton's small squad has been stretched by injuries and the numbers suggest the intensity of their pressing has tailed off. As was the case last season, their goalkeepers have been among the league's worst performers, conceding more goals than the underlying numbers suggest they should. Hasenhuttl's stock has fallen but he remains an excellent coach. In this week's Football Nerd, I explore the numbers in search of explanations for Southampton's poor form.   The best of this week's coverage Jason Burt: Appointing Mikel Arteta was a mistake - but will Arsenal's owners sack him? Arsenal post-mortem: Sam Dean analyses in detail how Arteta could fix his broken team The making of Ruben Dias: Former coach and the scout who spotted him speak about Man City's defensive rock Exclusive news: Super League rebels will be fined substantially by Premier League Fabulous Foden: City man's balletic dribbles are the closest thing English football has to Lionel Messi 'Should he lead this Manchester City team to Champions League victory in 2021, it will rank as his greatest coaching achievement so far.'   Jamie Carragher column: This team is the fulfilment of Pep Guardiola's vision     This week's best stat   11 Number of Chelsea clean sheets in Thomas Tuchel's first 15 Premier League games. No manager has more in their first 15 games in the competition's history.     The week in a picture   No laughing matter: Spanish media turned on Real Madrid's Eden Hazard after he shared a joke with former Chelsea team-mates.

[Vesper 30,224]

2020-21 English Premier League

Aston Villa                 
Manchester United   

http://www.sportnews.to/sports/2021/premier-league-aston-villa-vs-manchester-united-s1/

https://www.totalsportek.com/page-3/

[Vesper 30,224]

1 nil Villa

agent Traore

[NikkiCFC 8,337]

At this point we can end up 2nd... Utd can lose 3 games in 5 days.

[Fulham Broadway 17,333]

4 hours ago, Vesper said:

lol, The Hut Co ships a tonne of our clothing, etc we buy online from the UK

they just sent this

Very influencing 😘

[Fulham Broadway 17,333]

8 times over the years Villa have led this fixture at HT

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8 times theyve thrown it away😲

[Laylabelle 9,536]

And here we go...penalty...

[Pizy 18,952]

Surprise, surprise. Another ridiculously soft penalty for United. Yet another Pogba dive from contact by a player half his size.

[Vesper 30,224]

of course Manure gets a fucking pen

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