The English Football Thread

[chelsea_4_eva 1,144]

So how long until the liverpool wanfest passes? 

[Magic Lamps 11,457]

12 minutes ago, chelsea_4_eva said:

So how long until the liverpool wanfest passes? 

Not till we put them in their place by winning the PL ourselves next year.

[Vesper 27,361]

[NikkiCFC 7,596]

What I want now is that Wolves grab that 5th place and United miss out on CL. 

They would still have EL chance tho...

[coolhead23 1,146]

6 hours ago, NikkiCFC said:

What I want now is that Wolves grab that 5th place and United miss out on CL. 

They would still have EL chance tho...

United has much simple games in hand compared to Wolves & Chelsea. And with them firing all cylinders they look favourite for finishing in top 4 currently. 

But fingers crossed!!! 

[Vesper 27,361]

Australia slams England for voting against Women's World Cup bid

https://www.espn.co.uk/football/fifa-womens-world-cup/story/4121829/australia-slams-england-for-voting-against-womens-world-cup-bid

Australia's football chief James Johnson has described England's decision to vote against the ultimately successful trans-Tasman bid for the 2023 Women's World Cup as "disrespectful."

English FA Chairman Greg Clarke voted for Colombia at Thursday's FIFA Council meeting as part of a block voting decision by European governing body UEFA.

Australia and New Zealand's bid won with 22 votes to 13 but Football Federation Australia boss Johnson was unimpressed by England's snub.

"I think that was quite disrespectful to be perfectly honest with you," Johnson told Australian broadcaster Fox Sports.

A report by world governing body FIFA rated the joint Australia/New Zealand bid as the best to host the tournament, with a score of 4.1 points out of five, while Colombia received a rating of 2.8.

[Special Juan 27,104]

Check out the shit and rubbish left outside of Anflied last night, it won't make the news though because it's not a beach and the agenda doesn't suit.

[Magic Lamps 11,457]

3 hours ago, coolhead23 said:

United has much simple games in hand compared to Wolves & Chelsea. And with them firing all cylinders they look favourite for finishing in top 4 currently. 

But fingers crossed!!! 

The result yesterday has put us firmly in the driving seat. I reckon we need 15 points to ensure 4th place realistically (17 mathematically but I expect Utd and Wolves to slip up at leat once each). If we win the next 5 matches, the really hard ones, namely Anfield and at home vs Wolves will be irrelevant. Ultimately it comes down to beat Westham, watford, palace, sheffield and norwich. With the squad we have and the form we are in 15 points here are a realistic target IMO. If we fuck this up we do not really deserve CL but I am pretty confident we will see this out.

[coolhead23 1,146]

1 hour ago, Magic Lamps said:

The result yesterday has put us firmly in the driving seat. I reckon we need 15 points to ensure 4th place realistically (17 mathematically but I expect Utd and Wolves to slip up at leat once each). If we win the next 5 matches, the really hard ones, namely Anfield and at home vs Wolves will be irrelevant. Ultimately it comes down to beat Westham, watford, palace, sheffield and norwich. With the squad we have and the form we are in 15 points here are a realistic target IMO. If we fuck this up we do not really deserve CL but I am pretty confident we will see this out.

I dont think we're in the driver seat because of the games coming up ... atleast on paper they are tougher than United. What we have in our hand is a buffer of 5 points or how u put, win the next 5 games... but yes we will need to win the not so tough games to ensure we maintain our position ... 

Yes Fingers crossed!! 

[Special Juan 27,104]

Scouse Sports News going off the scale today

[Laylabelle 9,304]

23 minutes ago, Special Juan said:

Scouse Sports News going off the scale today

This is why before when we had Euros wouldnt have been so bad..

They deserve it dont get me wrong theyve been amazing this season but..bit boring haha. Maybe cause it was near enough won in January and heard about it for months

[Atomiswave 6,072]

Open top bus parade - negative

Trophy presentation in front of a packed Anfield - aint happening

Win it whilst actually playing - LOL

Remember the shit Terry got for wearing his kit when we won the Champions League? 

 

if anyone had any doubt of media bias, that should be well and truly over

[MoroccanBlue 5,203]

Let them enjoy it. This is virtually the highest point they will experience with Klopp. All downhill from here. 

 

[DDA 9,570]

When we won the league for the first time... there was nowhere near this much of wankfest on TV. 

Liverpool and United basically run the media side of football.

It makes me hate them even more. 

 

 

[DDA 9,570]

7 hours ago, coolhead23 said:

I dont think we're in the driver seat because of the games coming up ... atleast on paper they are tougher than United. What we have in our hand is a buffer of 5 points or how u put, win the next 5 games... but yes we will need to win the not so tough games to ensure we maintain our position ... 

Yes Fingers crossed!! 

Have you looked at Leicesters remaining fixtures?? They don't have it easy at all. I'm hoping they drop out of the top 4 and let us and Wolves slip in. That would ne ideal.

[coolhead23 1,146]

32 minutes ago, DDA said:

Have you looked at Leicesters remaining fixtures?? They don't have it easy at all. I'm hoping they drop out of the top 4 and let us and Wolves slip in. That would ne ideal.

Yup ... they have got a tough run in as well ... Among all the teams United have the easiest ones. 

[DDA 9,570]

5 hours ago, coolhead23 said:

Yup ... they have got a tough run in as well ... Among all the teams United have the easiest ones. 

Hopefully Leicester fold. 

[Vesper 27,361]

Friday June 26 2020 Football Nerd

Is it time for Chris Wilder to experiment with a new formation to revive Sheffield United? By Daniel Zeqiri Sheffield United have not regained their intensity since the break CREDIT: REUTERS   A three-month stoppage in the Premier League season was bound to produce winners and losers, and Sheffield United have suffered more than most, with just one point from three games since the restart. A home FA Cup quarter-final against Arsenal tomorrow could prove welcome respite, with Chris Wilder's team keen to rediscover the stability that put them in the mix for Champions League qualification. Fate has conspired against them in recent weeks, from that scarcely believable 'ghost goal' at Aston Villa to some rare defensive absences. Before the break, George Baldock, Chris Basham, Jack O'Connell and Enda Stevens were ever-present in a fantastically reliable back five, with John Egan only missing one game. O'Connell has missed all three league games post-lockdown due to an impact injury in training, Egan missed the trip to Manchester United due to suspension with outstanding goalkeeper Dean Henderson ineligible to face his parent club. Sheffield United conceded just 12 away league goals before the break, but have shipped six in two games since. Despite this misfortune, there are indicators of diminished performance. Three of Sheffield United's four lowest expected goals totals in the Premier League this season have come since the break, with Wilder's side failing to produce more than 0.4 xG in any game. At Villa, Newcastle and Man Utd, they also fell below their season average of 47.9 successful defensive pressures per game.   The second statistic is the most pertinent, because Sheffield United win points by disrupting their opponents' rhythm. Upon promotion, there was a perception that Wilder's team would look to defend deep and frustrate, but this was misleading. Only Liverpool, Southampton, Manchester City and Chelsea have applied more defensive pressures in the attacking third than Sheffield, showing that when the opportunity is there to squeeze opponents high they take it. They are halfway up the table when it comes to midfield defensive pressures, attempting 72.8 per game. At Aston Villa this figure was 65, at Newcastle 39 (they did have a man sent off) and at Old Trafford 47. Put simply, Sheffield Utd are not getting to the ball as quickly or shutting teams down. Reduced fitness levels and warm weather make things difficult for teams who do their best work out of possession. Wilder's 5-3-2 defensive shape also puts a physical demand on his central midfielders, who must shuttle across to the ball-side of the pitch to stop their wing-backs being overloaded. As we saw with England in their 2018 World Cup semi-final against Croatia, the 5-3-2 is vulnerable to quick switches of play if the midfielders struggle to sprint as the ball travels. Wilder has not wavered from playing three centre-backs, but may be considering a change to adapt to this strange new normal.