The 2025-2026 Football Thread

[Lord Blackadder]

True, but I think Alonso’s record of building an over performing team with limited means at Leverkusen rather suits where Man Utd find themselves.

Any manager that over-performs builds a lot of capital. That's the sort of thing that launched Mourinho's career. Ferguson himself beat the Old Firm with an outside team - still the last manager to do so. Ranieri was an elder stateman by the time he won the league with Leicester, but that performance greatly increased his profile, at least outside of Italy.

The problem is that a one-off title campaign with an unexpected underdog is NOT the same thing as turning around a wealthy, high-profile, but misfiring club that has big, unforgiving expectations. In fact, it's sort of the opposite scenario.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Arsenal will always be Arsenal’s worst enemy.

And they are so good at it, alas.

 

[Silencio]

I can never see Alonso at Utd due to the Liverpool connection.

My question is if he can be successful in a tougher league with a more illustrious squad, though he's far from the first manager to not succeed at the three ring circus that is Real Madrid. Liverpool is not an easy gig, but nowhere near the minefield he just departed.

I don't have any strong opinions yet on permanent managers for Utd. There will be more options in the summer / after the World Cup. If Luis Enrique fancies a new challenge, he'd be a very good choice.

"Ferguson himself beat the Old Firm with an outside team - still the last manager to do so." — Hearts may very well break that streak this season, still at the top of the SPL table currently.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Honestly, I can see the back pages of the news papers already come May, if we don't win the Premier League. "Arsenal bottled it..."

Sabotaged themselves, and failed to learn from mistakes - egregious errors - that they have been endlessly repeating, with tedious and inevitable regularity, for the latter part of the past few seasons.

2. The faults today, with giving the ball away with poor passes and then giving the goals away, we cannot win the league like that.

I couldn't agree more.

The poor passes - and we used to be good at passing and possession - and frequent, and careless, loss of possession - meant that the manner of defeat was at least as depressing as the fact of the defeat.

3. I don't have the answers. But, we need to do something about our forwards. Something, and I don't know what exactly, is simply not gelling up front.

Agreed.

However, this is not, not in any way, a new problem.

4. Lastly, Havertz. I feel a lot of fans are awaiting his return, thinking he will "save us". Alas, if he is not supplied the ball, well, you know the rest...

COYG!

Havertz is an excellent and hard working player; his positional sense is very good and his distribution excellent (neither of which can be said for Gyokeres).

However, and irrespective of the devout wishes of Mikel Arteta, we must acknowledge that he is not a natural goalscorer; that is not where his talents lie, and to wilfully insist on interpreting his role as such is to do a massive disservice both to the player and to the team.

 

[Bodhitree]

I don't have any strong opinions yet on permanent managers for Utd. There will be more options in the summer / after the World Cup. If Luis Enrique fancies a new challenge, he'd be a very good choice.

No doubt, but that’s about as likely as poaching Mikael Arteta away from Arsenal…

 

[Lord Blackadder]

I can never see Alonso at Utd due to the Liverpool connection.

My question is if he can be successful in a tougher league with a more illustrious squad, though he's far from the first manager to not succeed at the three ring circus that is Real Madrid. Liverpool is not an easy gig, but nowhere near the minefield he just departed.

I don't have any strong opinions yet on permanent managers for Utd. There will be more options in the summer / after the World Cup. If Luis Enrique fancies a new challenge, he'd be a very good choice.

Agreed, I think the club rivalry probably scuppers any Man Utd connection for Alonso. Liverpool still maintain a reputation for sticking with managers, a habit I agree with. Football clubs of that stature are too big to turn on a dime. Mid-season sackings rarely do any good - apart from deflecting negative attention away from owners and sporting directors...

The market always realigns after a World Cup - though perhaps more in the player market than the managerial market. Still, there will be changes in national team leadership after. Fancy Poch?

"Ferguson himself beat the Old Firm with an outside team - still the last manager to do so." — Hearts may very well break that streak this season, still at the top of the SPL table currently.

Yes, and everyone outside Glasgow should be rooting for Hearts this season. If the SPL ever wants to grow beyond where it is now, the Old Firm duopoly has to be broken. Unfortunately this is more of a blip than a trend - and very possibly not going to happen at all.

 

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

Hearts may very well break that streak this season, still at the top of the SPL table currently.

I hope this happens.

Not that I have any strong stake in the Scottish Premiere League, but anyone breaking the Glasgow hegemony would be a nice surprise, and with Hearts it's the added bonus that one of the best local players from Bergen, arguably one of the best players Norway ever had, "Kniksen", played several season for Hearts. This was before my time, but Kniksen - who unfortunately died way too young - is still a legend here.

 

[Lord Blackadder]

I hope this happens.

Not that I have any strong stake in the Scottish Premiere League, but anyone breaking the Glasgow hegemony would be a nice surprise, and with Hearts it's the added bonus that one of the best local players from Bergen, arguably one of the best players Norway ever had, "Kniksen", played several season for Hearts. This was before my time, but Kniksen - who unfortunately died way too young - is still a legend here.

I also don't have a strong stake in the SPL - largely because the dominance of the Old Firm, and the relative weakness of the other teams, makes it less interesting as a competition. There's no real story for the neutral to get interested in.

It's always one Glasgow club winning while the other is 'in crisis.' Yes, there is Europe too - an occasional upset win over a bigger continental or Premier League club, but usually a story of the Old Firm getting knocked out by Ludogorets or some similar cannon fodder club.

Hearts winning the league would be the first real event happening over there since I was in diapers.

 

[Madonepro]

Fulham 7th, and 2 points behind Liverpool.

 

[timber]

I can't believe what just happened.

My Benfica after a very bad beginning of the CL campaign managed to improve.

Today a very slim chance, we would have to beat Real Madrid at home and hope for a very contrived series of other teams results.

After every game plays out we are at the minute 98 winning 3-2 with a two goal advantage putting us through. In the last play Trubin (our GK ) scores the fourth in an Hail Mary and we are through to the play off.

And we'll probably play against Real Madrid again... Probably won't be able to pull it off again.

 

[Silencio]

Absolute class header from the Benfica keeper. Scenes like that are why we watch football.

 

[timber]

 

[daneoni]

One for the history books and replays, especially since it was against Madrid

 

[Lord Blackadder]

There is no club I enjoy watching lose more than Real Madrid. And goalkeepers scoring is one of the most exciting things in the game, so this match was an instant classic.

 

[MBAir2010]

There is no club I enjoy watching lose more than Real Madrid. And goalkeepers scoring is one of the most exciting things in the game, so this match was an instant classic.

My 70 year old friend born n raised near Fulham rd. who moved to the states in 1990s can't stand Tottenham.
in 2008 at a pub in Manhattan US, our support club listed the hated clubs,
me l'pool, some1 else: manu, others: arsenal oh not him he said one club Tottenham!

I don't like Real Madrid but they are fun to watch sometimes tho the Galticos can be annoying at times.
maybe PSG is my club I like to see fail for some reason.

 

[Lord Blackadder]

My 70 year old friend born n raised near Fulham rd. who moved to the states in 1990s can't stand Tottenham.

The only Spurs haters I know are all Arsenal fans, but I am sure fans of other London clubs also have beef with them.

 

[Apple fanboy]

The only Spurs haters I know are all Arsenal fans, but I am sure fans of other London clubs also have beef with them.

Not very popular in East London either!

 

[circatee]

Obviously I cannot stand Spurs! They will forever be in our shadow.

"This is the way...!"

 

[MBAir2010]

The only Spurs haters I know are all Arsenal fans, but I am sure fans of other London clubs also have beef with them.

back in the 1970s Chelsea and white heart lane did not get along, I guess.

 

[Bodhitree]

This whole sports rivalry thing, I doubt I will ever understand it. Having beef with a football club or its supporters? The very concept is bizarre.

 

[Apple fanboy]

This whole sports rivalry thing, I doubt I will ever understand it. Having beef with a football club or its supporters? The very concept is bizarre.

These days it’s just banter. But if you know the history of the club there is often genuine reasons behind it.

Rangers and Celtic fans were largely Protestant and Catholic, so a bitter rivalry that had a lot of history.

Newcastle and Sunderland have a bitter rivalry. But back when these City’s were busy making ships if one got awarded a contract the other might be laying off staff.

The Spurs and Arsenal goes back a long way to. Arsenal were originally a South London club who moved into North London. Or as Spurs fans would see it, their area.

These days with modern transport links getting around London is not that difficult. But historically you would live, work and watch football all in the same area. So different areas become more tribal. Especially when clubs become associated with a particular ethnic group or religion.

Then there were the dark years of football hooliganism. Not completely eradicated of course, but some clubs had a worse reputation than others. West Ham, Millwall, Chelsea would all come into that category.

I like a bit of football banter. But it’s just a bit of fun. Like football chants in the terraces. They can be quite funny. But they can also be racist or homophobic which (in my experience at least) has largely disappeared.

 

[Lord Blackadder]

This whole sports rivalry thing, I doubt I will ever understand it. Having beef with a football club or its supporters? The very concept is bizarre.

Tribalism is an essential feature of all team sports. It’s a product of geography, politics, class, history, you name it. Culture.

 

[Bodhitree]

Tribalism is an essential feature of all team sports. It’s a product of geography, politics, class, history, you name it. Culture.

I consider myself a citizen of the world, and I’m not a fan of those artificial constructs you mentioned. I think the Earth itself is a mostly happy place, while the world we have inside our minds contains a lot of division, strife and unnecessary suffering.

That said, football is o jogo bonito, the beautiful game… that is why I watch, not for the tribalism.

 

[MBAir2010]

That said, football is o jogo bonito, the beautiful game… that is why I watch, not for the tribalism.

last decades I went to the football pubs (100 plus) and had this concept a the person counts, not kit, jersey.
most of my social media friends were united ones and my best friend supports arsenal.
what also helped was great sense of humor and deeper wallet!

 

[Lord Blackadder]

I consider myself a citizen of the world, and I’m not a fan of those artificial constructs you mentioned. I think the Earth itself is a mostly happy place, while the world we have inside our minds contains a lot of division, strife and unnecessary suffering.

That said, football is o jogo bonito, the beautiful game… that is why I watch, not for the tribalism.

They may be artificial, but only in the sense that they are human, cultural constructs. And that makes them very real. Football tribalism is linked to cultual and individual identity, which is valid for each of us in a unqiue way. For some, it's an escape from reality, or even a key part of who they are. For others it's mere entertainment.