The English Football Thread

[Jase 43,479]

6 hours ago, Blue Armour said:

Its funny how a lot of journalists are seething at the fact that they couldn't get a straightforward United-Liverpool title race.

I remember they hyped up their recent game at Anfield and look what happened after that. 🤣

[Vesper 27,315]

41 minutes ago, Jason said:

I remember they hyped up their recent game at Anfield and look what happened after that. 🤣

I love seeing most all of my predictions come true about Liverpool's massive systemic weaknesses (lack of depth and the upcoming issues about breaking up that front 3, 2 of them, Mane and Firmino, already having a decline year over year, especially Frmino)

All 3 turn 30yo during next season (Firmino and Mane) or right after (Salah).

FSG will never spend the huge money to replace at similar level unless they dump them in summer 2021 (as their value plummets once they hit 30, so will get so much less in summer 2022)

I have no idea who they even can go after anyway

here are the 10 most valuable wingers on T-markt (Mbappe is listed at CF)

Sancho would be the only actually available option, and I do not see them dumping £100-120m or so on him

 

I think they MIGHT try for Grealish

and/or 
Mikel Oyarzabal  

other options (many problematic)

Richarlison   (would he move to Everton's arch enemy?)
Ousmane Dembélé (massive gamble)
Wilfried Zaha  (only 5 months youger than Salah)
Lucas Ocampos (I could see this)
Leon Bailey (I can see this as well, he is having a massive season, tracking to 22 goals, 18 assists over a 4000 minute season)

Pedro Neto (left footer like Bailey, would Pool roll with 2 Portuguese ex Wolves (Diogo Jota the other)?

 

CF is even slimmer pickings

Håland of course, cannot see this

and then a huge drop off

Lautaro Martínez

Dybala (more of an SS or winger)

then another huge drop off

Dominic Calvert-Lewin (same issue as Richarlison)

that's it, unless you toss in 

Victor Osimhen (Napoli just bought him though)

Matheus Cunha (could see this, he is having a breakthrough year and is similar to Firmino)

probably missed a few but not that many

 

 

 

Edited February 9, 2021 by Vesper

[Jase 43,479]

4 hours ago, Vesper said:

I love seeing most all of my predictions come true about Liverpool's massive systemic weaknesses (lack of depth and the upcoming issues about breaking up that front 3, 2 of them, Mane and Firmino, already having a decline year over year, especially Frmino)

All 3 turn 30yo during next season (Firmino and Mane) or right after (Salah).

FSG will never spend the huge money to replace at similar level unless they dump them in summer 2021 (as their value plummets once they hit 30, so will get so much less in summer 2022)

I have no idea who they even can go after anyway

here are the 10 most valuable wingers on T-markt (Mbappe is listed at CF)

Sancho would be the only actually available option, and I do not see them dumping £100-120m or so on him

 

I think they MIGHT try for Grealish

and/or 
Mikel Oyarzabal  

other options (many problematic)

Richarlison   (would he move to Everton's arch enemy?)
Ousmane Dembélé (massive gamble)
Wilfried Zaha  (only 5 months youger than Salah)
Lucas Ocampos (I could see this)
Leon Bailey (I can see this as well, he is having a massive season, tracking to 22 goals, 18 assists over a 4000 minute season)

Pedro Neto (left footer like Bailey, would Pool roll with 2 Portuguese ex Wolves (Diogo Jota the other)?

 

CF is even slimmer pickings

Håland of course, cannot see this

and then a huge drop off

Lautaro Martínez

Dybala (more of an SS or winger)

then another huge drop off

Dominic Calvert-Lewin (same issue as Richarlison)

that's it, unless you toss in 

Victor Osimhen (Napoli just bought him though)

Matheus Cunha (could see this, he is having a breakthrough year and is similar to Firmino)

probably missed a few but not that many

Obviously the likes of Mane, Salah, Firmino aren't over the hill just yet but will be interesting to see this summer if Klopp has that ruthlessness in him to potentially sell one of them and reinvest the money in his squad OR is he going to just stick with them because of what they've done for him in the last 2-3 years. Alex Ferguson was great at rebuilding squads because he knew when to ditch players and refresh the squad. Just like Guardiola at Man City, Klopp is now entering the territory of needing to do that. Can he do it or will he not be able to do it because of the emotional attachment/sentimental reasons? Am sure Klopp also knows that the Liverpool owners aren't just going to splash money freely like City. He needs to sell to buy big.

[ZAPHOD2319 3,873]

West Ham is starting a strong team and Man Utd has their second squad in today.

With some starters.

Edited February 9, 2021 by ZAPHOD2319

[Vesper 27,315]

2020-21 English FA Cup, 5th Round

Manchester United        
West Ham United          

http://www.sportnews.to/mysports/2021/fa-cup-manchester-united-vs-west-ham-united-s1/#!

https://www.totalsportek.com/highlights/arsenal-vs-everton-2016-match/

[Atomiswave 6,072]

46 minutes ago, ZAPHOD2319 said:

West Ham is starting a strong team and Man Utd has their second squad in today.

With some starters.

Bare Cavani Shaw Pogba ( injured anyway ) Mctominay and the little girl, they are all there.

[ZAPHOD2319 3,873]

I watched up to about 70 minutes. The West Ham attack was toothless. I’m not sure it could be classified as any kind of attacking play.

[Vesper 27,315]

what a waste of 120 minutes of my life, lol

[Jap Si. 50]

Freezing weather Old Trafford no fans in competition they are not caring about why game is a crock of poo

[Tomo 21,681]

On 08/02/2021 at 22:24, Blue Armour said:

Its funny how a lot of journalists are seething at the fact that they couldn't get a straightforward United-Liverpool title race.

I just saw an article on the Mail describing how they think its possible for City to slip up in the upcoming fixtures

OGS with Maguire as captain outsmarting Pep over 38 games. They've got a good sense of humour i'll give them that!

[Magic Lamps 11,450]

Good. More fixtures for Manure. I think TT can outsmart OGS like he did with Mourinho in the direct encounter

[Atomiswave 6,072]

15 hours ago, Vesper said:

what a waste of 120 minutes of my life, lol

I never bother to watch a stinking udt game, unless its vs us or other elite clubs. I dont give a rats ass for them cheaters.

6 hours ago, Magic Lamps said:

Good. More fixtures for Manure. I think TT can outsmart OGS like he did with Mourinho in the direct encounter

Lets hope so......would be lovely jobly.

[Vesper 27,315]

David Squires on … Manchester City's sweet hit of early-2000s nostalgia

Our resident cartoonist on Pep Guardiola’s first win at Anfield, the trends of 2003 and Sean Dyche’s lookie-likies

https://www.theguardian.com/football/ng-interactive/2021/feb/09/david-squires-on-manchester-city-liverpool-sweet-hit-of-early-2000s-nostalgia

[Vesper 27,315]

A managerial Not-As-Good-As-Lord-Ferg derby Sign up now! Sign up now! Sign up now? Sign up now!  “Me first ref! Me first!” Photograph: Javier García/BPI/Shutterstock Barry Glendenning  @bglendenning THE FERGIE FISTBUMP Few things scream “magic of the FA Cup” louder than a fifth-round tie between Burnley and Bournemouth that kicks off at 5.30pm on a freezing Tuesday evening in February at an empty Turf Moor. Once the stuff of schoolboy daydreams, scoring the winner in an FA Cup final has long been eclipsed by more romantic football fantasies, but if you’re already out of the Milk Cup and it is beyond the capabilities of your team to qualify for Big Vase or sweep all before them in a transfer window, then the oldest national football competition in the world is still worth winning. Harry Redknapp: 'I used to have a guy at West Ham shout shake 'em up 'arry' Read more Burnley won the FA Cup for the only time in their history 107 years ago, beating Liverpool in the final at Crystal Palace and receiving the trophy from King George V. But the man in charge these days, Sean Dyche, has said that while he would like to steer Burnley into the quarter-finals for the first time in 18 years, his priority is ensuring the club remain in contention for the only slot in football that’s less glamorous than tea-time on a Tuesday – last on Match of the Day. “The kudos for a town like Burnley to have a Premier League club is very, very important,” he said. “You want to do well in the cups but you’ve got to balance that with the reality of the bigger challenge. It’s not always been easy.” So intent on reclaiming their place in the Premier League that they sacked their novice manager on the back of a minor wobble after just six months in charge, Bournemouth are unlikely to be particularly fussed about winning either, which means the outcome of Tuesday evening’s game will come down to desire and who lacks it more. In the evening’s prime time BBC slot, Manchester United and West Ham meet at Old Trafford with both sides presumably entertaining comparatively lofty hopes of making it to the last eight and beyond in a managerial Not-As-Good-As-Lord-Ferg derby. Last spotted standing in the rain dressed as Emperor Palpatine from Star Wars, David Moyes will be hoping his players can use the force to help him exact some measure of revenge on the footballing empire that cast him into the wilderness just 10 months into a six-year contract, prompting howls of protest that he just needed more time. Of course, should West Ham lose this evening, their manager may reasonably point out that they would have done better if the referee had let them play on instead of blowing the final whistle. LIVE ON BIG WEBSITE Join Nick Ames for piping hot coverage of Manchester United 4-2 West Ham at 7.30pm GMT. QUOTE OF THE DAY “It’s hard for me to comprehend sitting here as a white person in terms of actually being able to understand what she lives through every single day, what she’s experiencing. It’s disgusting, it’s utterly disgusting. When a player comes to me and says it’s kind of water off a duck’s back, that is gut-wrenching for me that she has to face that. I just cannot get my head around it all and it does upset me quite a lot” – Manchester United manager Casey Stoney condemns the racist attacks on her forward Lauren James after the 19-year-old was subjected to abuse over the weekend.  Lauren James is one of Manchester United’s brightest young talents. Photograph: Barry Coombs/PA RECOMMENDED LISTENING In today’s episode, Max Rushden and the pod squad talk Lionel Messi’s contract, over-30s and Der Hinteregger Song: “Wooooaaah, we’re Hinti Army now!” FIVER LETTERS “Surely there will be more than 1,057 pedants in the Letters page telling David Wall that it was Guardiola, and not Mourinho, who referred to Spurs as the Harry Kane team a couple of years ago. It is nice of José to prove his old buddy’s point” – Brendan Mac Carron, and 1,057 others. “Re your excellent polemic against keyboard Incels, STOP SOCIAL MEDIA!” – Rob Graham. “I think Krishna Moorthy might be being a little hasty. I’m an Oldham fan and....<checks league table>...no, he’s spot on, end it now” – Alex Metcalfe. “Sometimes the only balm for an inexplicable disappointment that leaves your favored team’s prospects looking bleak, is listening to music that is fittingly bleak - or, at least, oblique. In the aftermath of Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson’s mind-bending double of troubled passes and numbed half-attempt to block the third of a barrage of three goals in ten minutes, my gobsmacked internal jukebox settled on two defiant tunes. The Pixies’ Allison, an eccentric ode to jazz and blues legend Mose Allison (“Oh well, Allison”), and Elvis Costello’s plaintive Alison“ – Peter Oh. 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 prize is … Brendan Mac Carron.   NEWS, BITS AND BOBS Nikita Parris has been forced out of the England squad due to the UK’s Covid-19 restrictions. “Lyon didn’t want to release Nikita because of quarantine,” sighed interim manager Hege Riise. In more Covid-related travel shenanigans, the first leg of Benfica v Arsenal in Big Vase will be played in Rome. The EFL salary cap for League One and League Two clubs has been scrapped after an independent arbitration panel said it was “unlawful and unenforceable”. Ismail Soro is a doubt for the Queen’s Celtic’s match against St Mirren after crashing his car in the Glasgow snow. “Soro had a prang in his car this morning due to the adverse weather conditions,” groaned Lennon. “He looks OK. So we are just checking on him.” Aston Villa tyro Jacob Ramsey has got his best crayons out and scrawled his name all over a contract until summer 2025. And Everton’s Uncle Carlo doesn’t seem to mind that people are comparing him to a north London elite parker of buses. “It is an honour for me to be compared to José [Mourinho],” he cooed. “How I see his team play can be comparable to us.” STILL WANT MORE? The PFA has launched the Asian Inclusion Mentoring Scheme, and Paul Mac has spoken to a few of the people involved.  Kamran Kandola has just turned 17 and is hoping to win his first professional contract with Wolves. Photograph: Robbie Jay Barratt/AMA Here’s Ed Aarons on the mysterious ownership questions that have left Belgian club Mouscron facing an uncertain future. PSG are still searching for an identity under Mauricio Pochettino, write Ligue Urrrrrn aficionados Adam White and Eric Devin. Italy striker Stefano Osaka knows Valentine’s Day is coming and tells Will Unwin he just wants to be loved. Oh, and if it’s your thing … you can follow Big Website on Big Social FaceSpace. And INSTACHAT, TOO! SEEEEEEEEE YAAAAAAA

[Vesper 27,315]

2020-21 English FA Cup, 5th Round

Swansea City              
Manchester City         

http://www.sportnews.to/mysports/2021/fa-cup-swansea-city-vs-manchester-city-s1/#!

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

[Vesper 27,315]

Guehi starts

[Vesper 27,315]

Guehi shut Sterling the fuck down on a breakaway

[ZAPHOD2319 3,873]

Vardy starts for Leicester. They are not taking chances with Brighton.