I think I would have to agree with you; he has been a superb buy for Manchester United.
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The 2022-2023 Football Thread
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I think I would have to agree with you; he has been a superb buy for Manchester United.
You think that this was deliberate?
Of course, the foul was deliberate (and merited a red card), but do you think that this was planned in order to ensure that he was able to take a break from playing at a time where this was of strategic use to United?
It would have been very damaging for United to drop many points in the three league matches Casemiro missed due to a somewhat questionable red card for an action that looked far worse than it actually was. (It was dumb to give the referee and VAR any chance to make that call, as I said earlier.) Thankfully they worked around it well enough, though maybe they would've got all 3 points in the first match against Leeds if he was available. He also didn't miss out on the EL tie against Barca, so he wasn't exactly holding himself out for Wembley.
Personal bias aside, yeah — I can't think of a more impactful transfer this season than Case. Funny, for quite a few years whenever I'd watch Real play, I'd pretty much focus my attention on him, and mutter under my breath about how nice it must be to have such a great player anchoring your midfield. If anything at United, he's unlocked even more of his game and become even better, and Real are clearly missing him this season.
The comments from the Spurs fan are interesting, because now Newcastle and Spurs will be locked in a pitched battle for 4th place at the last UCL spot. Spurs have started playing better, and Newcastle looks a bit flat. Spurs also have better attacking talent, which is an area Newcastle has to improve upon if they want to step up. Howe has done a great job, and their executives have done well to not over-rush the process, but they're a little short as it is. It may be harder for them to take that next step if they don't achieve UCL for next season.
I sincerely hope the past 6+ years have wrung the sense of entitlement out of the United fanbase, but there are clueless folk in every fanbase. Of all my fellow fans, I don't think I've ever seen the collective so grateful to win a League Cup before.
Pleased for Karius to come out unscathed, actually: none of the goals were his fault and he played pretty well overall.
Well - after the weekend's shennanigans, I am resigned to watching Championship football next season.
Saints needed to beat Leeds (and to be honest, after Chelsea, I though we would) but failed to turn up.
Lacklustre from both teams and a generally dull match to watch.
I wonder how many of the young stars in our side we'll lose when we're relegated?
JWP is too good for the Championship and would do himself a massive disservice to stay at Saints - he could go on to become an England legend at a big club, as much as it pains me to say.
The question now is, who will come down with us? A couple of wins or losses could see any of the bottom 5 or 6 relegated or safe. hmm...not a fun time to be a Saints fan (again)
Saints needed to beat Leeds (and to be honest, after Chelsea, I though we would) but failed to turn up.
Lacklustre from both teams and a generally dull match to watch.
I wonder how many of the young stars in our side we'll lose when we're relegated?
JWP is too good for the Championship and would do himself a massive disservice to stay at Saints - he could go on to become an England legend at a big club, as much as it pains me to say.
The question now is, who will come down with us? A couple of wins or losses could see any of the bottom 5 or 6 relegated or safe. hmm...not a fun time to be a Saints fan (again)
I feel your pain. But I don’t think you are gone yet. There are a lot of points between now and May. I was very glad for the win on Saturday from my lot, but any week you lose, you’re going right back into the bottom three. It’s super tight. Plus we have the stupid Europa League Conference starting up again. We could do without that.
Not fashionable I know. But it seems like the wheels have at least buckled and are about to fall off Argyle's LG1 promotion push. All of this time at the top of the table and now we decide to capitulate.😆
Licha isn't nearly "shy shy" enough for that band. And probably not tall enough for the "eye to eye" bit.
I expect more twists and turns at the bottom of the table before the end of the season. Don't give up all hope just yet.
Need to see more from the Waine Train - He scored some lovely goals for Wellington Phoenix - should be right at home in League 1.
Charlton and Derby - next two fixtures aren't easy...
The SELC is going to be a distraction you'll want to remove yourselves from ASAP, I think. Unless you have another squad I don't know about that can play the European games and leave your Prem squad fresh?
If I was choosing the team it would be the under 18’s in the FA cup against Man Utd and in the Europa game.
The team would fall foul to football rules in that a team must field their strongest team possible and if they do not they must give a good credible reason as to why an understrength side was put out otherwise the team would get fined.
Easy. Third tier competition. Do we played our third tier team. I’m sure the fine would be peanuts compared to PL relegation.
You reply does not validate the use of a third team because as I said, footballing rules state that a team must field their strongest team possible. So even if a team manager thinks the competition is 'third tier', a strong team must be put out and not one based on what ones perceives the tier level of the competition to be.
These are quotes from UEFA's rules of the game for the Champions League:
These are quotes from UEFA's rules of the game for the UEFA Cup
As UEFA seem to have the same rule in place for both competitions I therefore have no doubt they will use the same rules for the Europa League Conference.
Now if clubs feel that the ELC is a 'third rate tier' competition and as such justifies playing youth players then the clubs will have to try and justify this to UEFA that the competition is meaningless and justifies clubs putting out a weakened team.
I do hear what you are saying but I do not think UEFA will go for it.
@laptech has answered this point well, both when he (or she) wrote:
and, in their subsequent - more detailed - post.
I was about to post something to the same effect, but @laptech saved me from having to do so.
Actually, I seem to recall fines having been imposed on teams for this reason in the past.
So all of this begs the question:
Who was the Europa Conference League actually created for and why do EPL/Ligue 1/La Liga/Serie A teams get to play in it, if it's truly that far down the importance ladder?
I understand European Football for "lesser" teams - seeing a small team crushed week in and week out in the UCL or Europa League is pointless and heartbreaking, but why then give the opportunity to play in Europe to teams who fall outside of the main two European competitions but are still traditionally bigger and better than the minnows that this league may have conceptually been created for?
Who was the Europa Conference League actually created for and why do EPL/Ligue 1/La Liga/Serie A teams get to play in it, if it's truly that far down the importance ladder?
I understand European Football for "lesser" teams - seeing a small team crushed week in and week out in the UCL or Europa League is pointless and heartbreaking, but why then give the opportunity to play in Europe to teams who fall outside of the main two European competitions but are still traditionally bigger and better than the minnows that this league may have conceptually been created for?
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I'd rather it didn't exist. No one is interested in it. Its just a rebranded intertoto cup. Scrap it I say.
I'm in complete agreement with you, on this.
Good question. It’s almost as if these extra completions were actually created to ensure that ‘big’ clubs are always in the limelight or competing for some sort of silverware even when they are underperforming…
But surely football isn’t that cynical or corrupt.
Who is the ECL for? in my opinion it was created to capture the 'big' teams that occasionally slip up and fall out of their league positioning for the main two European competitions because the 'big' teams attract a lot of attention. Proof in point is Manchester United of the English Premier League. When they were struggling look at how much attention the ECL (European Conference League) got when the football media got wind that United could end up finishing in a league position that would get them into the ECL. I know UEFA reasons for the ECL, I just don't buy it (to help lower ranked UEFA countries).
I think that all of these reasons are various valid explanations for the existence of the competition.
While it offers an umbrella for the "big" teams that occasionally stumble into a place on a lower European because they have underperformed, it is also designed to help lower ranked UEFA countries.
Remember, those who seek election to the football governing authorities need votes from lower ranked countries as well - they cannot hope to win otherwise - thus, they need to believe that they (or, rather, their clubs) can have access to some manner of international football competition.
In my opinion this is one of the biggest reasons. People like power and will do things that allow them to stay in power.
It is not so much that people may like power (though many do), rather, it is that one cannot hope to achieve high office in the bodies that govern football without securing the votes of many of the lower ranked UEFA countries, and that, in turn, means promising to address some of their concerns when in office.
Hence, an increased number of competitions, or, an increased number of places (and thus, matches) in existing competitions.
beIN Sports is far better than Sky Sports and BT Sports in my opinion.
Come On Arsenal
Come On Arsenal
A night of FA Cup ties, plus a few games in the Premier League.
Arsenal host Everton in the Premier League, and I devoutly hope that the "new manager bounce" has ebbed in the case of Everton.
The other Premier League game tonight (all the rest are Cup ties) is that of Liverpool against Wolves.
Elsewhere, West Ham play Manchester United in the FA Cup Fifth Round - I must say that I am rather taken by West Ham's away kit, very fetching.
Arsenal host Everton in the Premier League, and I devoutly hope that the "new manager bounce" has ebbed in the case of Everton.
The other Premier League game tonight (all the rest are Cup ties) is that of Liverpool against Wolves.
Elsewhere, West Ham play Manchester United in the FA Cup Fifth Round - I must say that I am rather taken by West Ham's away kit, very fetching.