The English Football Thread

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the wizard on it again

 

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Antoine Semenyo is a baller

blows Mudryk away

and would have cost 80m quid less!

London lad too

born in Chelsea

Edited September 30 by Vesper

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Russell Martin absolutely ripping his SOTON side

wow

said they lack courage, desire

Edited September 30 by Vesper

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Cole Palmer’s Match of the Day interview says everything about the BBC’s battle to win over Gen Z

Chelsea player’s performance against Brighton brought comparisons with Dennis Bergkamp – just do not expect him to know who that is

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2024/09/30/cole-palmer-match-of-the-day-gen-z-dennis-bergkamp/

 

Theo Walcott had compared Cole Palmer to Dennis Bergkamp. Then the BBC interviewer relayed this honorific to Palmer, after his match-winning performance against Brighton, as one offering an exquisite jewel to a young prince. Palmer, who comes across like a decent lad if not a lively mind as such, mumbled that it was all a bit before his time although he’d seen some clips online. Subtext: u wot grandad?

 

It was indicative of a problem. BBC’s Match of the Day and, let’s be fair, newspapers are covering this massively popular national obsession and extravaganza but it’s contested by people who live in a totally different entertainment landscape. It was ever thus – I doubt that William ‘Fatty’ Foulke was poring over daguerreotypes of previous footballing eras in his spare time.

 

But it’s all the starker now that the Gen Z players and, just as importantly, their peers who are supposed to be the subscribers and customers of tomorrow are engaging with sport coverage in ways that are totally alien to the people producing much of the content.

 

Dennis Bergkamp! We used to call him the Non-Flying Dutchman you know! That takedown control against Argentina! Yes yes dear, you’ll get your Ovaltine in a minute. Ah, cruel time.

For the older viewer, it was especially bracing in that Walcott himself has been an avatar of apparently endless youthfulness in football.

 

Famously, he first entered the national consciousness when the late, great Sven-Goran Eriksson named in him in England’s 2006 World Cup Squad at the tender age of 17, leading to a mildly deranged media frenzy because he had a girlfriend who was still in sixth form, and lots of articles about how “when Theo was learning how to tie his shoelaces, England team-mate Sol Campbell was already onto his THIRD set of DENTURES… and by the time Theo is old enough to SHAVE, footy fans will arrive at the stadium of the future on HOVERBOARDS” etc.

 

It’s possible that Theo’s boyish, unthreatening looks and polite, you-could-take-him-home-to-meet-mum manner helped him in a playing career that was always very much there or thereabouts without quite becoming the absolute thriller it once promised as he flashed down the wing as a slip of a lad for Southampton.

 

He was a perennial promising youngster, and he seems to have slipped into the role of protege/one for the future on the BBC as well, a recruitment drive that has incidentally become more pressing since Jermaine Jenas banjaxed his own chances.

 

Gary Lineker congratulated him on an encouraging MOTD debut at the end of Saturday’s programme in an avuncular way that you can’t quite see Gary doing with an earthier operator of similar vintage to Theo, an Andy Caroll, say, or a Jill Scott, once her total annexation of all earth’s television programming enters its crushing final phase. Strictly Come Jill Scott. Coronation Jill Scott. The News At Jill Scott.

 

 

For Palmer, Walcott might as well have been Stanley Matthews. Or Bergkamp. Same difference, whatever. The way he referred to Walcott as “Theo Walcott” was very funny, as if Cole was really having to concentrate on who the bloke was and what everyone might be on about and he was trying to cut out all unnecessary risks.

 

Palmer is clearly a player of exceptional footballing intelligence whose capacities are not competing for neurological resources with any other sort of mental inquiry. It is hard to imagine him wracked with confusion about the meaning of it all, unless the meaning of it all is a particularly tricky clue on the Take-A-Break quick crossword.

 

And why should he? He’s the one doing it, the man in the arena. And I recognise that I have fallen, in the previous sentence, into the exact trap I have outlined above. Of course he doesn’t read a newspaper or magazine or do a crossword.

 

Why should he? Why would he? That all belongs to a complete different era. Not Cole’s problem, not his bread and butter, not his area of concern. Like Dennis Bergkamp. Or, horrifyingly, like ickle Theo Walcott.

 

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Riccardo Calafiori is Arsenal’s wild horse – his chaos can complement their calmness

Italian defender has had an all-action start to life at the Emirates since his summer move from Bologna

 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2024/09/29/riccardo-calafiori-arsenals-wild-horse-chaos-defence/

 

 

With his galloping stride and flowing mane of hair, Arsenal’s Riccardo Calafiori played against Leicester City like a wild horse on the loose. The Italian is the buccaneering sort, an all-action defender, and for the Emirates Stadium crowd it was a thrill to watch him charging into tackles and flying forward to join attacks.

 

As Arsenal dominated Leicester, but somehow still required a stoppage-time goal to win the game, Calafiori was at the centre of the drama throughout. No player had more shots on target than the left-back, who signed from Bologna for an initial £34 million, and no player won more duels or headers. Over 90 minutes, no player triggered more excitement.

 

To be clear, it was a long way from being a perfect performance by the 22-year-old. Calafiori is not yet a refined defensive product and, in his first few appearances for Arsenal, there has been a rawness to his game that has occasionally put him and his team in trouble.

 

Against Manchester City last week, for example, he erroneously dived into a challenge in advance of Erling Haaland’s goal. And then against Leicester on Saturday, he was fortunate not to be sent off for a second yellow card, after tripping Facundo Buonanotte in the second half. “I got really worried when that happened,” Mikel Arteta admitted afterwards.

 

 

Calafiori’s slightly reckless nature, though, seems to be a significant part of his charm, and it also helps him to stand out as a different option for Arteta. In a defence full of ice-cool individuals — the likes of William Saliba, David Raya and Ben White are rarely ruffled or rattled — Calafiori is the one who can offer a blazing fire.

 

Indeed, one of Calafiori’s competitors for the left-back position is Oleksandr Zinchenko, who is loved by Arteta for his precise distribution and clever passing angles. Zinchenko is the sort of player who helps Arsenal to pick a defensive lock. It seems that Calafiori, by contrast, would rather smash the entire door off its hinges.

 

His goal at City last weekend was a vivid demonstration of these wildcard qualities. When the ball came to him on the edge of the penalty area, most observers would have expected the Italian to cross the ball. Instead, he curled it into the top corner.

 

There is also a stylistic contrast with Jurrien Timber, another full-back in Arteta’s squad. The former Ajax player was excellent against Leicester at right-back. Strong and technical, Timber thrives in small spaces and congested areas. Calafiori, on the other hand, seems to enjoy striding into open turf, eating up the ground in front of him.

 

Calafiori certainly does not lack courage and it is this fearlessness that has endeared him to Arsenal’s coaching staff since his arrival. The trip to face City marked his first start for the club, after all, and Arteta said last week that he would not have thrown anyone else into the deep end in such a way.

 

“With another player, probably I would not do it,” said Arteta. “But because I know how he copes and, when I explained to him, he really wants it, I decided to do it. He has adapted really well to the group, his understanding is exceptional and you see he is a player with an enormous courage and personality to play. He is going to give us a lot.”

 

It is a measure of Calafiori’s personality that he has so quickly embraced life at a new club, in a new country. When a fashion show was held pitchside at the Emirates earlier this month, Calafiori was more than happy to get involved, wearing an eye-catching denim outfit and posing for pictures. The club, as well as the supporters, appreciate such an attitude.

 

 

Over time, Arteta and his coaches will no doubt smooth out the rough edges in Calafiori’s game, bringing him more into line with the slick collective approach they have installed in recent seasons. If they can do so, while retaining Calafiori’s admirable sense of adventure, then they could have one of the Premier League’s most effective and entertaining defenders at their disposal.

[NikkiCFC 8,058]

7 hours ago, Vesper said:

the wizard on it again

 

Cold Potter 🥶 

 

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Former Arsenal striker Fabian Caballero dies aged 46 after collapsing during match

https://metro.co.uk/2024/09/28/former-arsenal-striker-fabian-caballero-dies-aged-46-21695181/

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Man United fans explode in rage as ‘outrageous’ new Bruno Fernandes angle emerges

https://www.footballinsider247.com/man-united-fans-explode-as-outrageous-new-bruno-fernandes-angle-emerges/

 

lololol

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How important is matchday revenue to Premier League clubs?

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5776720/2024/10/01/premier-league-tickets-match-day-revenue/

Aston Villa will welcome Champions League football to Villa Park for the first time on Wednesday when they host Bayern Munich.

After 41 years away, the mood ought to be one of celebration. This is a fitting first home fixture back in Europe’s premier club competition — it is a mouth-watering re-run of the 1982 European Cup final, in the tournament’s previous iteration, which Villa won 1-0. The Class of ’82 are sure to be revisited, not least with the game coming so soon after the death of Gary Shaw, one of that team’s stellar talents.

But the club’s return to this level will be tinged with anger and disappointment, too, given the price hikes for fans in attendance.

Villa revealed ticket prices for their group fixtures would start at £70 ($94) for adults, rising as high as £97. The lowest-priced ticket for those without season tickets will set them back £85. Around 27,000 of the 42,640 capacity at Villa Park is made up of season ticket holders.

The club refused a request from their fan advisory board (FAB) to cap prices at £70 and came under criticism from supporters who pointed to the lower prices for the Premier League’s other clubs involved in the competition. Liverpool and Manchester City’s most costly tickets are priced lower than the cheapest at Villa, who have also increased general admission matchday tickets by an average of 12 per cent.

The Villa Supporters Trust called the ticket structure “extremely disappointing” and urged a rethink, without success.

Villa’s president of business operations Chris Heck defended the pricing. “Achieving our sporting ambitions while complying with financial stability regulations requires difficult decisions,” he said.

“Financial fair play rules prohibit owners from covering shortfalls to finance this ambition, so we need to generate as much revenue as possible through sponsorships, merchandise and ticket sales to ensure that we can keep the club where it rightfully belongs — competing (and winning) at the top of English and European football.”

As clubs increasingly seek to diversify their revenue streams, the proportion of their income made up by matchday ticketing is changing. But despite record income from TV deals, prices are still on the rise.

Of the 20 Premier League clubs this season, 19 upped the price of a season ticket to watch their men’s team, with Crystal Palace the outlier.

Season ticket holders, who purchase an annual pass that guarantees them a seat for all 19 of their club’s home league matches, pay less per game than supporters who buy individual match tickets. The prices for individual games also change depending on the opposition, with games split into different categories.

Clubs have faced a backlash after raising the price of tickets both directly and by stealth with the reduction or alteration of eligibility for concession bands, while tickets for individual matches have risen at several clubs.

Protests were held by fans of several Premier League clubs, including Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City and Fulham. At Chelsea, there were price rises of five per cent on general admission matchday tickets, with the club citing inflationary pressures as justification after 13 years of price freezes. Their season ticket prices rose by eight per cent.

Brentford’s season ticket prices rose by 10 per cent, newly promoted Ipswich’s by eight per cent and Nottingham Forest’s by around 24 per cent — although changes to the banding and eligibility make this higher in some cases. Wolverhampton Wanderers supporters faced rises of between 17 and 23 per cent for adults, with some under-21 prices rising by as much as 46.6 per cent.

At Southampton, again restored to the Premier League, there has been a hike of 15 per cent.

West Ham United supporters petitioned their club over a decision to limit the availability of concession tickets and maintained their protests at their Carabao Cup tie at Liverpool last week, while Tottenham fans railed against the decision to raise season ticket prices by six per cent, which will generate an extra £2.5million to £3m per year.

That figure pales into comparison with income from broadcasting rights.

Typically the revenue from gate receipts includes the takings from matchday hospitality, although this is not specified in clubs’ accounts.

“Matchday income is still a core revenue function,” Dr Dan Plumley, senior lecturer in sport finance at Sheffield Hallam University, tells The Athletic.

“But what we’ve seen at the top end of the Premier League and the elite is that it’s probably less important to them in their revenue mix picture because it’s a bit more balanced.

“You’ve only got broadcasting and then commercials to throw into the mix of the main three. The biggest clubs in the Premier League are less reliant on matchday income and their commercial income is probably now outstripping broadcasting.

“But if you were to drop down a little bit and into the lower tier of the Premier League, you’ll find that broadcasting money makes up probably 60 to 70 per cent of some clubs’ income.

“If you’re looking at how you can generate a little bit more revenue then moving the age brackets around, offering fewer concessions and making more people fall into what we might term a ‘general bracket’ — which is normally the highest priced tickets, depending on where you sit in the stadium — is one way of doing that.”

Bournemouth have the lowest proportion of matchday income at £5.4million compared to overall revenue of £141m, equating to just 3.8 per cent. At Brentford, the figures are 6.8 per cent of a £166.5m revenue, while Villa took £18.7m on matchdays from a £217.7m revenue — 8.6 per cent.

At the other end of the scale, and ignoring Ipswich (more on their 36.7 per cent figure later), Arsenal have the highest proportion of the established Premier League clubs at 22.1 per cent where £102.6million income represented 22.1 per cent of their £464.6m total. Tottenham’s 21.4 per cent — £117.6m from £549.6m — was close behind.

For Arsenal, that was an increase from £79.4m a year earlier. The notes in their accounts reference the return of European football to the Emirates as a contributory factor, with four Champions League matches staged at home.

Although this only meant one further home fixture than the previous season (they had played three Carabao Cup matches in 2021-22), the prestige of the Champions League meant higher prices were charged and therefore greater revenue received. Arsenal noted that it was the first time matchday revenue has returned to more than £100m since the 2014-15 season.

It shows how matchday revenue is affected by not only the number of home fixtures played in a season depending on successful cup runs, but also the type of fixture and potentially the level and glamour of the opposition. Inevitably the more in demand a match is, the more clubs will charge for tickets.

Returning to Ipswich Town’s position at the top of the table above, their 36.7 per cent is an outlier because they received significantly less from broadcasting rights due to their participation in League One in 2022-23, the season to which their latest set of accounts refer. That does, though, demonstrate the greater importance of gate receipts the lower down the pyramid you go.

Deloitte analysis revealed that, across the Premier League, revenue increased 14 per cent to £867million in 2022-23. Broadcast revenue primarily drove that rise but, with a record average league attendance of 40,291, there was a 14 per cent increase in matchday income.

That is a result of clubs increasing prices, rising attendances and more matches for clubs who progressed deeper into European competitions. Manchester City won the Champions League that season, while West Ham won the Europa Conference League.

GO DEEPER

Premier League ticket prices are rising - but how do they compare?

“We will unfortunately (see clubs continue to increase prices),” says Plumley. “That won’t appease the traditional match-going fan. What we’ve seen is that they’ll not do it in drastic steps. They do it in a way where it will slightly tip up.

“There’s examples that are kind of out of the ordinary. Villa is a good example of squeezing a little bit because of the Champions League, because of the amount of time they’ve had out of that main European competition.

“They know that people are going to want to be part of it and, therefore, they’ll feel they can justify those prices.

“The other side of that equation is always, ‘Where does it stop?’. As long as there are bums on seats, if somebody isn’t prepared to pay the ticket price but somebody else is, then clubs will think, ‘We’re still filling the ground and you’re still paying the prices’. It will be a collective look at the fanbase, not on an individual level.

“It’s very easy to add several million over eight games, especially if you’re targeting corporate hospitality.

“This upsets fans because Villa will take around £50m from the prize pot and the TV contract and the English Premier League position in the European football market. So people ask, ‘What’s an extra few million?’. But the other side of that equation is that money possibly funds someone’s wages for the year, or investment in the infrastructure. ‘We can use that money to do X, Y and Z’.”

The other factor which limits clubs’ ability to generate income on match days is their stadium size.

Bournemouth (£5.4m) and Brentford (£11.3m) have the lowest matchday incomes of any sides in the Premier League during this accounting period. The Vitality Stadium and Gtech Community Stadium hold 11,307 and 17,250 spectators. The latter, completed in 2020, has more capacity for higher end seating which makes up a chunk of the matchday income at clubs.

That is becoming ever more important as clubs try to squeeze money out of fans in every way they can.

Watching football has become about more than just the 90 minutes of the game. Clubs are trying to encourage fans to spend more in the stadium rather than outside while offering more premium experiences, such as tunnel clubs. Football is becoming an event.

“The only way you can put the revenue line up is by either charging a little bit more for the tickets, expanding the stadium or building a new one. The latter two are really costly,” says Plumley.

“It is a business-focused industry and pushing up the revenue line is really important to clubs. They’ll find a way to do this as much and as often as they can. Yes, they’ve got to be careful, but the reality is that we’ll see more of those tactics (increasing ticket prices directly and by stealth). There’s a fear of missing out.”

While it may be dwarfed in comparison to broadcast income, matchday tickets will continue to play a relatively small, but significant, part in Premier League clubs’ ability to generate income. That is likely to spell bad news for match-going supporters.

GO DEEPER

Revealed: The results of our Premier League season ticket survey

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https://www.mailplus.co.uk/edition/sport/sport-comment/378699/move-over-bellingham-time-to-give-red-hot-cole-a-run-at-no10

AT a recent UEFA coaches’ conference, it was put to England’s Lee Carsley that he has too much creative talent at his disposal. Nice problem to have, as they say.

For now, Carsley’s greatest puzzle is how to fit the gilded trio of Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Cole Palmer into the same team.

In naming his squad for forthcoming Nations League games against Finland and Greece, Carsley confirmed that he envisaged a moment down the line when he would be doing it.

There are those who may baulk at the idea of Bellingham, Foden and Palmer strung across the field behind captain Harry Kane. They may wonder about a vulnerability out of possession. They may question whether we should have a ‘flyer’ on one side of the field. Anthony Gordon or Bukayo Saka, perhaps. They are all sound arguments.

England have an opportunity at the moment, though. There is almost two years before the World Cup in North America. Having been relegated to level B of the Nations League, England’s opponents — Finland, Greece and the Republic of Ireland — are not daunting. If there is a time to dispense with caution and experiment a little, then it may soon be upon us. And this feels like Palmer’s moment.

In a fast-forward year, he has established himself as one of the most astonishingly exciting attacking talents in Europe.

Chelsea paid Manchester City £40million for Palmer 13 months ago. What would his value be now? Three times that?

Where he plays for England is more complicated. He has done much of his damage for Chelsea from the right. I would like to see him play at No10, just behind Kane. Get your best player on the ball as often as possible. At the moment, that player is Palmer.

No 10 is Bellingham’s position, of course, and the Real Madrid superstar is the England squad’s alpha male.

Asking him to move or to be a ‘finisher’ from the substitutes’ bench would be an interesting call from Carsley. These are the decisions that international managers are tasked with making, though. Welcome to the game, Lee Carsley.

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England

https://thedailybriefing.io/i/149749467/england

England release official squad andDominic Solanke has been called up! 

Noni Madueke, Angel Gomes, Dean Henderson and Rico Lewis are part of the squad. 

James Maddison, Harry Maguire, Marcus Rashford, Jarrod Bowen have been left out.

 

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it is insane that we still do not have a single LB on the squad

ffs

pick one from these:

Tyrick Mitchell 
Lewis Hall 
Ben Chilwell
Rico Henry  
James Justin  
Archie Brown    

[NikkiCFC 8,058]

 

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11 minutes ago, NikkiCFC said:

 

lol

MC Pushing 20 Stone needs to follow his own advice and lay off the biryani

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https://www.vipleague.pm/epl/crystal-palace-vs-liverpool-3-live-streaming

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https://next.soccerstreams100.io/event/eng-1/liverpool-vs-c-palace-live-soccer-stats/704345

https://www.vipleague.pm/epl/crystal-palace-vs-liverpool-2-live-streaming

https://www.vipleague.pm/epl/crystal-palace-vs-liverpool-1-live-streaming

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 England. Premier League.

Сrystаl Раlасе vs Lіvеrрооl

5 October 2024 at 12:30.

 

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