The English Football Thread

[BlueLyon 9,359]

And I thought international breaks are bad...

This no football is killing me 😂

[Vesper 29,202]

 

[Vesper 29,202]

32 minutes ago, Vesper said:

 

lolol

I just got banned from an American political chat board for posting that in the sports section

the FUCKING CUNTS said I advocating HOARDING!!!!!!

WTF!!!!!!

probably was a butthurt spuds fan

 

[Vesper 29,202]

Friday March 20 2020 Football Nerd

Can Jose Mourinho's teams still defend properly? By Daniel Zeqiri Jose Mourinho has not solidified Tottenham's defence CREDIT: PA Throughout football's coronavirus hiatus, we remain committed to providing a weekly newsletter of football facts, analysis and retrospectives. If there is a topic you are keen for us to cover please email [email protected]. Above all, stay safe. The question of whether Jose Mourinho's teams are too defensive has been debated to the point of tedium - the more pertinent enquiry in 2020 is whether Jose Mourinho's teams can still defend. Tottenham have a wretched defensive record since Mourinho's arrival, and while doubts remain over his ability to coach repeatable and choreographed attacking moves, the failure to solidify Spurs is just as troubling. Following Mourinho's first Premier League match in charge at West Ham, Tottenham conceded two goals or more in eight of 17 games. Only three teams - Aston Villa, Bournemouth and Newcastle - have conceded more shots on goal than Tottenham's 240 in that period. Moving from quantity of shots to quality of chances, the picture is no less bleak. Tottenham have conceded 1.55 Expected Goals per game under Mourinho, with only Villa, Newcastle, Bournemouth and West Ham allowing a higher total. This is not a 'pragmatic' way of playing; it is plain dysfunctional. Mourinho's best teams may have dropped into a mid or low block and shown little interest in dominating possession, but they suffocated opponents in the final third and suppressed shots and chances. This Tottenham team are not doing that   CREDIT: OPTA Admittedly, individual quality is part of the picture. Defenders such as John Terry, Ricardo Carvalho and Walter Samuel formed the foundation of Mourinho's tightest defences and they do not grow in trees. In Mourinho's first two title-winning seasons at Chelsea - between 2004 and 2006 - they conceded a remarkable 2.2 and 2.5 shots on target per game in the Premier League. Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen are in the autumn of their careers while a position that was once Tottenham's strength under Mauricio Pochetinno, full-back, has become a weakness. Kyle Walker, Kieran Trippier and Danny Rose have all departed while Ben Davies was lost to injury early in Mourinho's reign. The result has been frequent switches between a back four and a back five, with promising young centre-back Japhet Tanganga asked to play out position. There were signs at Manchester United though, that teams were slicing through Mourinho's low block with alarming ease. Although United finished second and conceded just 28 goals in 2017-18, that season was built on the superhuman and unsustainable performances of goalkeeper David De Gea. United conceded 3.9 shots on target per game that season, the highest of Mourinho's league career aside from his disastrous half-season at Chelsea in 2015-16. At Tottenham as at United, Mourinho is in charge of a top-heavy squad whose talent is stacked in the attacking third. Performances at Spurs and United have fallen into two categories: abjectly reactive displays that isolate the attacking talent, or hell-for-leather attacking performances that expose the defence. Mourinho is yet to show he can strike a balance in the modern game.

[chippy 342]

13 hours ago, Vesper said:

lolol

I just got banned from an American political chat board for posting that in the sports section

the FUCKING CUNTS said I advocating HOARDING!!!!!!

WTF!!!!!!

probably was a butthurt spuds fan

 

A lot of Yanks don't get the British sense of humour. Especially our wonderful ability to laugh in the face of adversity.

Nobody is making light of this truly dreadful virus by seeing the funny side. It's just people trying to put on smile on peoples faces during this dark time.

 

[Vesper 29,202]

Premier League clubs told to pay back £762m if they fail to finish season

https://theathletic.com/1687633/2020/03/19/premier-league-clubs-cost-762m-fail-to-finish-season/

Premier League executives have been told it will cost them £762 million in lost broadcast revenue if the 2019-20 season fails to finish due to the coronavirus, The Athletic can reveal.

The huge figure would come due to a breach of contract in terms agreed for domestic and international rights and was communicated to all 20 clubs during the crisis meeting at Premier League headquarters in London on Thursday morning.

The suspension is understood to be costing Sky, one of the two main domestic broadcasters, huge amounts per day as they are not charging many sports customers and cannot attract the same in advertising.

The clubs receive broadcast money twice a year, in August and February, so only recently received the cash for the end of the season.

Some clubs are determined to get games played behind doors so they don’t lose the broadcast money, such is their vulnerable financial position. Their outgoings — players’ wages in particular — are so high that they fear they cannot survive without it. They want games to go ahead and players to be regularly tested. Training grounds would be sealed off and players “wrapped in cotton wool” to protect them from contracting the virus.

They feel it is not long until staff at Premier League clubs would have to be laid off, as has been the case at Lyon in France today. Some players in Germany have donated their wages so non-playing staff can stay employed. This is something many Premier League clubs would be in favour of.

Other clubs feel games behind closed doors is unrealistic and that the players will refuse to play if they feel their health or those around them is at risk, especially if the rest of the country is isolating to prevent the spread of the virus.

Rather than attend in person, a representative from each club dialled in to the conference chaired by Claudia Arney, the Premier League interim chair, to limit the potential spread of the disease, and the response to the massive price of curtailing the campaign early was said to be sanguine rather than shock. Those in charge of top-flight clubs accepted the consequences of being unable to fulfil fixtures would be significant.

That is why, along with issues around competitive integrity, there remains a “100 per cent” commitment to completing the season whatever it may take, including the prospect of staging matches behind closed doors. The Athletic has previously reported on the potential for litigation if there is no relegation or promotion, aside from matters of European qualification.

“We need to look outside accepted boundaries in football for a solution,” said a source. “Normal service won’t be resumed.”

As per expectations, the postponement to the professional football calendar was pushed back from April 4 to April 30 at the earliest but a joint-statement between the FA, the Premier League, the EFL and women’s professional game, together with the PFA and LMA, made plain that further, drastic action could yet be taken.

It read: “The FA’s Rules and Regulations state that ‘the season shall terminate not later than the 1 June’ and ‘each competition shall, within the limit laid down by The FA, determine the length of its own playing season’. However, The FA’s Board has agreed for this limit to be extended indefinitely for the 2019/20 season in relation to Professional Football.”

Those words confirmed the possibility that games could be played into June and even July if necessary and the consensus on that extension was described as “unanimous” in a “far from dramatic” meeting. “Clubs had decided for themselves about the best way forward before they spoke,” said a source. “Any attempt top go with table as it is now would cause uproar.”

Others, however, said there are administrators who “may get nervous” if football is not resumed by mid-May as there “wouldn’t seem to be time to get things done.”

There are also reservations among players, many of whom feel they will be left in limbo and as the delays go on, with some wondering whether it is really feasible to finish off the season after such a long break. It will be seven weeks by the time May begins.

Manchester United and Liverpool have announced they will be paying all casual staff irrespective of whether games are cancelled or go ahead behind closed doors.

In Liverpool’s case the pledge relates to the postponed homes games up to the end of April at a cost of £250,000 per match, while for United some 3,000 staff will be paid for each of the four remaining Premier League matches at the time they were scheduled to happen. It will cost United about £1 million in total. Should the games then go ahead at a subsequent date any staff working will be paid again.

The joint statement from football’s authorities concluded: “The progress of COVID-19 remains unclear and we can reassure everyone the health and welfare of players, staff and supporters are our priority. We will continue to follow Government advice and work collaboratively to keep the situation under review and explore all options available to find ways of resuming the season when the conditions allow. We would all like to re-emphasise that our thoughts are with everyone affected by COVID-19.”

[Fulham Broadway 16,977]

At least the Beeb are showing classic FA Cup and League games 

[Fulham Broadway 16,977]

The main thing about watching these old games is that you don't feel anything when they score, until you realise…..there is no VAR !! 

Then you realise VAR is killing the fucking game

[chippy 342]

3 hours ago, Fulham Broadway said:

The main thing about watching these old games is that you don't feel anything when they score, until you realise…..there is no VAR !! 

Then you realise VAR is killing the fucking game

They should show the Chelsea vs Leeds Cup final replay. Make the younger generations eyes pop out.

I think you had to murder someone to get sent off in that game.

[NikkiCFC 8,081]

20 minutes ago, chippy said:

They should show the Chelsea vs Leeds Cup final replay. Make the younger generations eyes pop out.

I think you had to murder someone to get sent off in that game.

Why many people hate Leeds?

[Fulham Broadway 16,977]

1 hour ago, chippy said:

They should show the Chelsea vs Leeds Cup final replay. Make the younger generations eyes pop out.

I think you had to murder someone to get sent off in that game.

The 5-0 in 84 was lively too

[Fulham Broadway 16,977]

 

55 minutes ago, NikkiCFC said:

Why many people hate Leeds?

Goes way back

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2249634/Leeds-v-Chelsea-A-history-hatred.html

[BlueLyon 9,359]

2 hours ago, Fulham Broadway said:

 

Goes way back

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2249634/Leeds-v-Chelsea-A-history-hatred.html

Would you want them back in PL so that we could beat them again?

Would the fans today be any more hostile than for example in derbies vs Spuds or Arse?

[Fulham Broadway 16,977]

3 hours ago, BlueLyon said:

Would you want them back in PL so that we could beat them again?

Would the fans today be any more hostile than for example in derbies vs Spuds or Arse?

Yes think it would be good to beat them again, the rivalry would still be there. In the early 70s we were polar opposites -they were the Northern machine under Don Revie, practically unbeatable like Klopps Liverpool today. We were the young pretenders, stylish, young, fashionable with Ossie, Hudson, Hutch -players with Kings Road swagger

[NikkiCFC 8,081]

The Premier League's new 'plan to finish the season': Start again on June 1, play all of the matches in just SIX weeks and begin the 2020-21 campaign in early August to stave off financial disaster

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-8139437/Start-June-1-play-matches-SIX-weeks-Premier-Leagues-plan-save-season.html#comments

Probably BS. Why 6 weeks? If you play games every three days like you normally do you can play 9 games in 25 days. But I guess you have European comps and FA cup as well.

[Vesper 29,202]

16 hours ago, NikkiCFC said:

Start again on June 1

[MoroccanBlue 5,320]

I think FA Cup and European competition will be voided. 

[Milan 17,878]