WOW!!!what the heck has happened to Nottingham Forrest??? It seems like someone has stuffed a rocket up their *bleep* because they are the only team in the league who have won their last 6 games in a row, getting them to 3rd in the league, equal on points with Arsenal.
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The 2024-2025 Football Thread
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Well, maybe in Sporting and with his teammates there it was an effect. When he played in our National team during that time, he didn’t seem bothered.
As one of our Swedish commentators said, Victor never hesitates, it just hits 💥
They are this season’s breakout team. If Liverpool were not doing quite as well as they were I think Forest could do a Leicester from a few years back.
Currently watching Arsenal lose to Newcastle in the first leg. Looks like the Arsenal game plan of scoring from a corner is only any good if the team can’t defend set pieces. Newcastle have done a good job of dealing with the onslaught.
Also Graham Potter is being heavily linked to the West Ham job, even though we haven’t sacked our current manager.
I think this would be a good fit for both, but question why it wasn’t dealt with a bit sooner so he had more time in the transfer market.
Also Graham Potter is being heavily linked to the West Ham job, even though we haven’t sacked our current manager.
I think this would be a good fit for both, but question why it wasn’t dealt with a bit sooner so he had more time in the transfer market.
I suppose that I should be disappointed about tonight's defeat, but, actually, I'm not, as I expected little else.
However, I will admit that reading about Mikel Arteta talking up the importance of the Carabou Cup (the old League Cup for those of us old enough to remember what - and when - that was) occasioned a grim smile.
I have no quarrel with the Carabou Cup, but any (supposedly top tier) manager who stresses its importance (not entirely convincingly), for reasons of morale and confidence, is also conceding that it is rather unlikely that the team in question is in a position to seriously mount (or offer) a challenge in any other competition, or, for any other trophy.
However, I will admit that reading about Mikel Arteta talking up the importance of the Carabou Cup (the old League Cup for those of us old enough to remember what - and when - that was) occasioned a grim smile.
I have no quarrel with the Carabou Cup, but any (supposedly top tier) manager who stresses its importance (not entirely convincingly), for reasons of morale and confidence, is also conceding that it is rather unlikely that the team in question is in a position to seriously mount (or offer) a challenge in any other competition, or, for any other trophy.
The EFL Cup (currently called the Carabou Cup) is a way to enter European competition football in the guise of the UEFA conference league. When it first started in 2021 I believe broadcasters were not that interested in showing games because they were more interested in trying to get champions league and Europa league games. This lack of interest had a knock on effect with regards to the teams qualifying for the conference league because it did not create much financial revenue for the clubs but then things changed for the better in my opinion when West Ham won the UEFA conference league because them winning it went global. Their win was reported around the world and because West Ham are a premier league team and the premier league attracts a lot of media attention I think many fans around the world started to take an interest in the conference league. This interest caught the eye of some broadcasters who now show many of the games which they did not do before. Now that games are being broadcast around the world this peaks the interest of club sponsors and the club themselves because it means the club and the sponsors names are beamed into houses across the world.
We have seen how important PR and marketing can be for a club which is why clubs want to get into the champions league due to the leagues exposure around the world. This was not the case with the conference league but that has changed now and that is why I believe premier league club owners are now taking the EFL cup more seriously because they know it is entry into a European competition that is now beamed to houses around the world. From a pure footballing perspective the conference league is just more games in the season but from a clubs PR and marketing perspective it's a gold mine of an opportunity to get the club seen around the world.
Depends on the club cCity Chelsea, Liverpool sure it’s just more games.
But West Ham fans didn’t care when they won it a neither should they. I’m a Newcastle fan and I would give my left nut to see us win the league cup or the conference.
Hopefully Spurs beat Liverpool tomorrow and then we can beat spurs at Wembley.
Julen Lopetegui out Graham Potter in at West Ham.
www.theguardian.com
West Ham poised to sack Lopetegui after agreeing longer contract for Potter
West Ham are poised to sack Julen Lopetegui after talks progressed positively with Graham Potter
Having read about West Ham sacking their manager I looked at the wiki of West Ham and noticed they can claim fame to a sad statistic in English football which is they are the last team to win the FA Cup with a team complete of English players which was in 1975. Now we are lucky if we see one English player in a top flight team on game day.
1975. I remember it well!
Anyway I’m happy with our new manager. His predecessor never was a good fit to my mind. I think he has been unfortunate with injuries, but I think some of his selections and where he has been putting different players on the pitch were odd choices.
Anyway hopefully Graham Potter can get us back to where we were under David Moyes 😀
Moyes was a good fit for West Ham in my opinion. Once he settled the boat when he joined in 2019, he got the club to a top 7 place 2 seasons in a row but the next season the team struggled and the fans turned on him with the excuse he was playing 'negative' football, even though they had won the UEFA conference league. If Moyes played 'negative' football then how was it that he got the team to top 7 place in the league 2 years in a row? That is not negative football. Personally I think the majority of West Ham fans got greedy with the top 7 league finishes and when the club struggled to maintain that form the fans turned on him.
It will be interesting to see how Potter will do. The best he could achieve when at Brighton was 9th place. His time at Chelsea is irrelevant in my opinion because he was the wrong man for the job and getting sacked 7 months later. Chelsea was in 11th when they sacked Potter. Moyes in his 4 year stint at West Ham got them to a 6th and 7th place in the league and won them the UEFA Conference league. Can Potter better that? In my opinion no.
The almost ageless (38 yes) Marta signs new 2 yr contract.
www.espn.com
Marta signs 2-year extension with Orlando Pride
Brazil forward Marta has extended her stay with the NWSL's Orlando Pride, putting pen to paper on a new contract that will see her stay in Florida until the end of the 2027 season.
Hmm...I'm not convinced Moyes can get more out of our current squad than Dyche...but then again, I don't think anyone else - that are willing to take the job - are, either.
No I’m not either, but he has a strong link to the club and I don’t think he feels he is done.
I can understand West Ham sacking Lopetegui because they actually spent money, and perhaps their players could be improved by a different manager
I however do not understand what Everton are playing at. They never really backed Dyche with any transfers. They've had roughly the same average players for about 6-7yrs.
And all their decent players (Onana, Gordon) they quickly sell to the highest bidder.
Even if you're building a stadium you can still do better with recruitment.
Their striker has failed to score double figures since COVID season. Heck BOTH of their strikers have scored 4 goals between them so far this season. At this point you'd probably win a bet about them failing to convert a chance.
A chunk of their squad have players on the wrong side of 30 incl a 39yr old full back...in the EPL.
You can argue Dyche was too negative. My counter arguement would be that, he realised the only way he'd get points was to make his team hard to beat. Since they were very unlikely to play anyone off the park.
I however do not understand what Everton are playing at. They never really backed Dyche with any transfers. They've had roughly the same average players for about 6-7yrs.
And all their decent players (Onana, Gordon) they quickly sell to the highest bidder.
Even if you're building a stadium you can still do better with recruitment.
Their striker has failed to score double figures since COVID season. Heck BOTH of their strikers have scored 4 goals between them so far this season. At this point you'd probably win a bet about them failing to convert a chance.
A chunk of their squad have players on the wrong side of 30 incl a 39yr old full back...in the EPL.
You can argue Dyche was too negative. My counter arguement would be that, he realised the only way he'd get points was to make his team hard to beat. Since they were very unlikely to play anyone off the park.
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In your interesting and thoughtful analysis (with which I am broadly in agreement), you have overlooked the role played by Jordan Pickford who has been outstanding in goal for Everton, almost invariably making several superb saves during the course of each game.
In fact, I would argue that Everton might not have survived some recent relegation battles were it not for Pickford, who has saved the team on numerous occasions.
Your post reminds me of David De Gea when he was at Man United. He saved that team year after year with his exploits in goal and was let go because he is not a 'ball playing' goalkeeper which critics feel is the need just because both Man City and Liverpool had/have 'ball playing' goalkeepers.
I’d agree with that. I’m surprised a bigger club hasn’t plucked him away.
Half of the ‘ball playing’ GK and defenders for that matter are a liability. Give away far more chances than they create.
David Moyes all but confirmed as Everton’s new manager. If it happens I wish him every success. He was a good manager for us who brought much needed silverware our way.
Meanwhile we play Villa tonight. I’m not rating our chances even with a new (hopefully better!) manager in the dug out.
Meanwhile we play Villa tonight. I’m not rating our chances even with a new (hopefully better!) manager in the dug out.
Moyes did extremely well when he was last at Everton. He took a struggling mid to bottom end table team with very little money available to him and made them into European contenders.
West Ham started the strongest but Villa came into it as the half went on.
Could have done without loosing Fulkrig for a month though.
Academy left back Oliver Scarles is having a brilliant game at just 19. Hope he gets a run in the team.
Somerville also coming off with a hamstring injury. Not good with all our other injuries.
Could have done without loosing Fulkrig for a month though.
Academy left back Oliver Scarles is having a brilliant game at just 19. Hope he gets a run in the team.
Somerville also coming off with a hamstring injury. Not good with all our other injuries.