The English Football Thread

[Blues Forever 1,232]

 

[Blues Forever 1,232]

 

[Blues Forever 1,232]

 

[OneMoSalah 8,812]

Reappointing Pochettino after sacking him 18 months later really sums up Spurs.

I hope he’s on a huge fuck off sized contract and it costs them a fortune.

Either way, they are going to lose Kane without a shadow of a doubt. And even then why would Pochettino want to leave PSG after they've just won 2 trophies, are in the CL and have a league crown to get back next year to go m back to a club who will be looking to break into the top 4/6 again? With limited funds? Who will lose their star player? Who probably need a major rebuild? 

I don’t get why he would be so desperate to go back there, I really don’t. If competing for top 4/6 instead of trying to reclaim a league title and win trophies is the sort of manager he wants to be then he will never ever achieve half as much as I think someone of his obvious coaching ability should. I get people will say Ligue 1 is poor but PSG didn’t win it this season, he should have every motivation to want to win it back next season no?

Edited May 27, 2021 by OneMoSalah

[Vesper 29,251]

Villarreal torpedo their far wealthier and more illustrious opponents    Big Vase and, with it, a Big Cup spot to boot. Photograph: Maja Hitij/AFP/Getty Images Barry Glendenning  @bglendenning THE RULLI WILD SHOW Following 120 minutes of largely sterile and low-rent football, Wednesday night’s Big Vase final was eventually settled by a penalty shoot-out of the highest quality, with 20 of the 22 players on the pitch stepping up and scoring before it came down to the two goalkeepers. Proving as incapable of taking spot-kicks as he is of saving them, David de Gea missed No 11 for Manchester United and bore the countenance of an extremely forlorn werewolf lost in a cloud of mustard gas as the players of Villarreal’s “Yellow Submarine” swarmed past him, submerging their own keeper Gerónimo Rulli in a celebratory pile-on after torpedoing their far wealthier and more illustrious English opponents. While victory quite clearly meant the world to a well-run Spanish club from a small town whose entire population could fit in three of Old Trafford’s stands, the implications of defeat for Ole Gunnar Solskjær and United are less clear. The Norwegian’s many supporters could justifiably point out that this season has been a success, considering his side finished one place higher in the league and made it a step further in Big Vase. For all that, though, his over-reliance on counter-attacking football and his team’s chronic inability to break down teams who sit back and invite pressure remain a costly problem he appears no closer to solving. Solskjær’s lack of a cohesive attacking structure has been brutally exposed | Jonathan Wilson Read more While many United fans remain hopeful that success is just around the corner and are content to have Ole at the wheel, it almost certainly fair to say that if he were to suddenly become available, the stampede for his services from other big English or European clubs almost certainly wouldn’t prompt so much as a flicker on the Richter scale. Of course, employed as he is by owners who prioritise official noodle partnerships and Big Cup qualification ahead of actually winning things, he is unlikely to find himself out of work any time soon, at least until a top-four spot looks like it might be hanging in the balance. The Fiver’s saying January. “We didn’t turn up, we didn’t play as well as we can,” sighed a downbeat and downtrodden Ole. “They made it hard for us. We didn’t create enough big chances. Now is not the time to discuss what I might have done differently, but when you go home without a trophy you haven’t done everything right.” By contrast, his opposite number Unai Emery had done everything right and, on an evening that should have been all about Villarreal, was predictably asked if his fourth Big Vase victory with two different Spanish sides made up for his failure at Arsenal. “Winning today is a satisfaction but for my club,” he tooted. “When I was at Arsenal we played a [Big Vase] final and could not win, but it is a process. From that one I learned a lot to win this one, maybe.” It will come as no small comfort to Gooners everywhere to learn his time at their club wasn’t entirely misspent. QUOTE OF THE DAY “[Gianni] Infantino’s ideas were very clear. With the $uper £eague, [he] would manage to get the Club World Cup and the participation of the big teams and he will get their support to ensure that we can have a biennial World Cup. It means what they can do is empty the assets from the national leagues. The Super League ideology is now within Fifa – it’s as if they also believe in that, and it’s affecting football negatively in general” – La Liga head honcho Javier Tebas claims Fifa’s top dog was fully on board with the plans for a €uropean $uper £eague. Fifa declined to comment.  Hot football admin chat, earlier. Photograph: Susana Vera/Reuters RECOMMENDED LISTENING Football Weekly Extra is here for you. RECOMMENDED BOOKING Speaking of which, tickets are available now for Football Weekly Live’s Euro Not 2020 preview special on 10 June. Get them while they’re hot. FIVER LETTERS “The Europa Conference League (Fiver letters passim) being renamed the ‘Tin Pot’ has a certain ring to it, while the inclusion of the word ‘Tin’ couldn’t be more appropriate. If ever a competition could drive someone to an unhealthy relationship with drink, etc” – Mike Kilner. “I know that double standards are rarely far from the surface when it comes to The Fiver, but yesterday’s edition takes the cake. On the one hand, the letters section mocked the Europa Conference thingy, but on the other hand you quoted Unai Emery getting misty-eyed about the romance of the lower tiers of European competition. So please back off on the Conference! It’s the only chance for the minnows to dream of European glory, teams like KuPS, Mislami Orhei and Spurs” – Adam Uncamus. 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 … Rollover. NEWS, BITS AND BOBS The managerial merry-go-round is spinning wildly now that Mauricio Pochettino can name his price for Spurs … and is willing to do so.  Time for Spurs fans to dig this one out again? Photograph: Jonathan Brady/PA Antonio Conte also likes what he $ee$ at Tottenham now that he’s done one from Inter in a row over player sales. One normal day of Barclays indeed. If you’re still keeping up, Conte and Pochettino are also candidates for the top job at Real Madrid, what with Zinedine Zidane leaving for a second time. “Zidane is one of the greats of Real Madrid and his legend goes beyond what he has been as a coach and player for our club,” they cheered. PSG then? One gig that Conte’s not being linked with is the soon-to-be-confirmed vacancy with Juventus, where Max Allegri will replace Andrea Pirlo. Nor is he being mentioned around Sheffield United, who have set Slavisa Jokanovic the challenge of securing a third promotion from the Championship. Fifteen England players – but not Beth England – are in the 18-strong Team GB women’s team for Big Sports Day in Tokyo. And Reading left-back Omar Richards is swapping the Purple Turtle for the Hofbräuhaus after completing a free transfer to Bayern Munich. STILL WANT MORE? After Big Red’s defeat by the Baltic Sea, Jonathan Wilson suggests Ole isn’t up to it, while Jonathan Liew depicts a Manchester United team that so often loses the big matches. Over in Spain, Sid Lowe celebrates Villarreal, the small club from the small town whose second-choice keeper had never before taken a penalty.  Woe is Edinson Cavani. Photograph: Aleksandra Szmigiel/AFP/Getty Images It was the last big night for Big Mal’s Manchester City but most were watching another match on another channel. John Brewin sets his time machine for 1970 to recall Joe Mercer, Franny Lee and the other Neil Young. Cynical fouls and the last 20 Big Cup finals in this week’s Classic YouTube. Ben Welch speaks to players and psychologists about confidence in football – and how to cultivate it. Oh, and if it’s your thing … you can follow Big Website on Big Social FaceSpace. And INSTACHAT, TOO! SPORT ALERTS!

[ZAPHOD2319 4,561]

Brentford is being talked up big time on the ESPN feed. Also talking about Guehi being a superstar player of the future. When will he challenge for place for Chelsea?

[Laylabelle 9,412]

2-0 brentford

[ZAPHOD2319 4,561]

Brentford is all over Swansea, fun to watch so far 

[ZAPHOD2319 4,561]

Im just not seeing superstar in Guehi. Not tall, not fast, not aware of where Brentford players are.

[Laylabelle 9,412]

Awwww Brentford have made it

[Jase 43,479]

Kudos to Brentford on the promotion. At least we'll have a new team in the league next season.

[Nero 1,852]

 

[Magic Lamps 11,677]

2 minutes ago, Patrick Bamford said:

 

lol. Tomlinson is the one who is ugly enough to believably impersonate Vardy^^

[milka 3,365]

Carlo Ancelotti is set to be appointed the new Real Madrid manager. The last step before the completion of the deal is terminating Ancelotti's Everton contract.

He will not cause any problems for Real Madrid in regards to personal terms.

 

Everton are out of luck

they thought he would take them to the Champions League and now bam bye  after just one season 

[Blues Forever 1,232]

What an underwhelming lists. 😂 

Edited June 1, 2021 by Blues Forever

[Jase 43,479]

3 minutes ago, Blues Forever said:

What an underwhelming lists. 😂 

TBF, Ancelotti does always feel too big of a manager for Everton. No offence. I know it's Real Madrid but a tad surprised he bailed out on Everton somewhat suddenly.

[R2D2 368]

Shame wanted to see what he can do at Everton, he was just starting to buy his players and put his mark on the team. Wonder what James is feeling right now, I think he came to Everton because of Ancelotti and now he is stuck there couple more years.

[milka 3,365]

This will be interesting   Nuno Santo in Palace