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The 2015-2016 Football Thread
- Thread starter Lord Blackadder
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Chelsea dumped out of the FA Cup by the striker they foolishly sold to Everton a couple seasons ago. If Martinez brings home a cup it might go a long way towards mending his relationship with the fans.
Diego Costa got sent off for a headbutt that also included what looked like a weirdly sensual bite on Gareth Barry (who was himself later shown red for a second yellow)...could be a big ban coming up for the dirtiest player in England.
Messi with another penalty miss today (albeit in a 6 goal rout of Getafe)...he has a rather patchy record with spot kicks, its probably the only visible weakness in his game.
EDIT: Rafa Benitez is a good manager, and I generally wish him well, but I have so little respect for Mike Ashley that I still hope Newcastle go down.
Diego Costa got sent off for a headbutt that also included what looked like a weirdly sensual bite on Gareth Barry (who was himself later shown red for a second yellow)...could be a big ban coming up for the dirtiest player in England.
Messi with another penalty miss today (albeit in a 6 goal rout of Getafe)...he has a rather patchy record with spot kicks, its probably the only visible weakness in his game.
EDIT: Rafa Benitez is a good manager, and I generally wish him well, but I have so little respect for Mike Ashley that I still hope Newcastle go down.
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A real shock result as Watford dump Arsenal of the FA Cup.
Some seem to be suggesting that Arsenal have nothing to play for, but they could still win the league and/or finish above Spurs. Not to mention that their Champions League qualification is hardly set in stone. They need to pull their finger out...
Columbus 1-2 Philadelphia
We lost the MLS Cup 2-1. The we went to Portland to start the season and got beaten 2-1 again. Now we lose to Philly 2-1 in our home opener. Bad start to the season, to put it mildly. I am still upset about the way we lost MLS Cup, and I think Crew fans are just dying for a win to bring some positivity to the beginning of the season. Looks like we'll have to wait a bit longer for that.
Some seem to be suggesting that Arsenal have nothing to play for, but they could still win the league and/or finish above Spurs. Not to mention that their Champions League qualification is hardly set in stone. They need to pull their finger out...
Columbus 1-2 Philadelphia
We lost the MLS Cup 2-1. The we went to Portland to start the season and got beaten 2-1 again. Now we lose to Philly 2-1 in our home opener. Bad start to the season, to put it mildly. I am still upset about the way we lost MLS Cup, and I think Crew fans are just dying for a win to bring some positivity to the beginning of the season. Looks like we'll have to wait a bit longer for that.
Poor Wenger, fields his strongest side and was still let down. Players need to look at themselves. Probably time to cut losses on some of the players.
Wenger during the interview really didn't look that bothered tho to be honest , I think he has his head set on other things .
Man Utd get a replay at West Ham after a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford. Personally I am not very confident on us getting through considering our away record this season. However, we are now the only "big team" left in the competition which just shows how abnormal this season has been.
The players should be blamed but if the team bottles the season in the same way every single year, questions have to be asked of Wenger. Wenger had the chance to buy players for a title challenge in the summer but chose to only buy Cech, who is a very good signing admittedly but it wasn't enough for Arsenal.
West Ham did the double over Liverpool this season and at the time I was angry they won those matches. Now, looking back, It's clear that they deserve to be above Liverpool and Man Utd in the table because they are better than either team! They have a good manager, a clear plan and everyone does their job.
Man Utd were slightly lucky not to go out, though they looked better today than they did at Anfield last Thursday. West Ham might not have the squad depth but they have earned their place, and I would not be at all surprised if they won the cup this season.
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Definately a foul for uniteds equaliser
Agree, if Martial doesn't score then the penalty is awarded for Antonio's foul on Schweinsteiger.
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Lord Blackadder; add Moreno to Flanagan for players up for it - both seem to enter the young nutter mode the likes of Rooney had.
Cheers,
OW
Moreno is far too fond of the flying tackle. It's not dirty so much as reckless. Somehow he makes even a routine tackle look wild and desperate. He's also not really a defender - more of a wing player who runs from deep positions and defends when he has to. His attacking play can be quite good. Clyne has begun to look like a long-term solution at fullback but I'm not sure Moreno will reach the same level of reliability.
I'm not sure if he's really amped about playing for Liverpool or just a hyperactive character in general.
Agreed. Much of the commentary this season re Arsenal has focussed on Arsene Wenger, but players are paid handsomely, and one assumes that subjective stuff such as professional pride, and ambition can still motivate them.
Personally, I would be more than happy to see none of the 'big' teams win any of the trophies this season. They don't deserve to do so.
Agree completely. West Ham and Leicester deserve their places; they both have a very good work ethic, professional pride, a good manager, a proper plan, and they play for each other. Good luck to them both.
And, another bonus, Leicester City won again tonight. (Against Newcastle). Hurray. Five points clear at the top of the table again…..
It's fair to say that Leicester have been very lucky to avoid injuries this season. However, I would argue that the "big" clubs still have no excuse - they are far richer than Leicester and can afford to build a much deeper talent pool.
Absolutely. But it is nice to see Lady Luck favouring the less wealthy, and less powerful, for a change. I, for one, will not find fault with that.
They - the wealthy clubs - have a strength in depth - rather, a theoretical strength in depth - that should be completely embarrassing in the degree of its unrealised potential.
Some weeks ago, I saw a piece which compared and contrasted the cost of the respective squads of Leicester City with those of some of the far better financially endowed clubs. A factor of ten in the difference - Leicester's entire squad cost not much more than £20 million - which is strikingly less than the £200 million or so some of the other 'top flight' teams have cost to assemble.
And it does go to show that some things - professional and personal pride, emotion, fellowship, playing for each other - that wonderful old 'Three Musketeers' cry (All For One And One For All) - sound management, generosity, a proper plan, a solid work ethic, mastery of some basic footballing skills and executing them properly and professionally - all still have a role to play in modern football.
These are things that cannot be bought, but must be painstakingly put together - things such as what motivates people - a football team - to want to do things, and play, unselfishly, for one another.
How marvellously and wonderfully uplifting. And what a terrific message to be able to send to youngsters. That not everything has a price, and that pride, and emotion, and idealism, and ambition and honest work can all have a positive effect on possible outcomes, too.
And, a further comment: I read Gary Lineker's ecstatic and emotional (and uplifting) and uninhibited expression of pure and honest joy at the success of Leicester City (he penned a piece in yesterday's Observer) writing that "Nothing compares to this truly magical title charge by my Leicester."
A good message for the youngsters - as long as you add "...but don't be racist like Jamie Vardy."
Man Utd, Chelsea, Man City and Liverpool have each wasted more on useless/average players in the last couple seasons than Leicester have spent on their entire squad several times over.
Man Utd, Chelsea, Man City and Liverpool have each wasted more on useless/average players in the last couple seasons than Leicester have spent on their entire squad several times over.
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fully agree but on the other side you are rather undervalueing the leicester squad: sure there are utter surprise break out players like Vardy and Mahrez which came out of nowhere but their squad also includes very established players like Huth, Okazaki,Fuchs, Inler and also invested in younger players from other leagues like Kanté (for whom they payed 8+ million BTW)
their scouting and ability to seal deals with players out of contract sure was very successful in the last summer break
The figure I quoted was not mine, as far as I recall it came from the BBC, (I think) from a few weeks ago when they made the point that Leicester's squad cost a lot less than that of most of the other top flight clubs by a considerable margin.
And, yes, it is wonderful to see surprise 'break out' players such as Vardy and Mahrez alongside the more established players; and yes, also wonderful to see the more established players get an opportunity to demonstrate that the old journeymen virtues of hard work, consistency, team work, playing to a proper plan, a welcome lack of ego all still have and hold some degree of value.
And yes, nice, too to see them scout successfully, too, and buy intelligently.
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Arsenal will surely lose today, though a 2-1 win would be just the kind of too-little-too-late moral victory for which Wenger is often criticized.
Meanwhile, in the courts...
FIFA is launching multiple legal actions to recover tens of millions of dollars from various disgraced former ExCo members such as Jack Warner, Chuck Blazer, and many others.
One the one hand this is a necessary step to expose what was going on and try to recover some embezzled money. On the other hand, the cynical side of me just sees this as a strategy for those FIFA suits who survived the purge to cover their asses and try to draw a line under the corruptions scandal. Some guilty people will doubtless escape, but hopefully we will at least catch the big fish.
Meanwhile, in the courts...
FIFA is launching multiple legal actions to recover tens of millions of dollars from various disgraced former ExCo members such as Jack Warner, Chuck Blazer, and many others.
One the one hand this is a necessary step to expose what was going on and try to recover some embezzled money. On the other hand, the cynical side of me just sees this as a strategy for those FIFA suits who survived the purge to cover their asses and try to draw a line under the corruptions scandal. Some guilty people will doubtless escape, but hopefully we will at least catch the big fish.
I'm not sure that this will allow for the catching of 'the big fish'. Not all of them.
Personally, I would regard it as a good day's work if even some of the 'big fish' were hooked on this occasion, and if certain….procedures were put in place that would allow for the deployment of an able angler's equipment on a regular basis in the seasons where such fishing is actually permitted and allowed and protected by law.
To be fair, most of the top criminals at FIFA have already been exposed. I'm sure there are a lot of lesser figures who will escape, but at least this may prevent similar behavior in the future.
With the money, power and influence they enjoy, in the absence of regulation (and appropriate sanctions), it may be difficult to prevent a recurrence, - the temptations are so great - short of a re-wiring of certain heads to install ethical sub-routines.
Or, failing that, perhaps ensuring that the miscreants may incur a massive financial penalty which might serve as a deterrent, and/or, better still establishing bodies with sufficiently empowered and experienced staff and equipping them with appropriate oversight and regulatory powers to ensure that football is held accountable and can be said to run its affairs in a transparent manner.