https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/feb/05/bruno-guimaraes-newcastle-arsenal-carabao-cup
Perhaps the most visible gulf between the two sides, though, was right in the centre, where Guimarães and Sandro Tonali were taking Declan Rice back to school. Rice is a fine, gutsy, intelligent player, but he simply has insufficient dawg in him for games such as this. He wants it calmer and simpler, he wants the extra split second that doesn’t exist. Trust the processes. Do the processes. Next thing he knows – yoink! – Guimarães has not only read the pass and won the ball but pinged it 35 yards and given you a sharp but inexplicable pain in the kidneys.
Wait a minute - a few days ago we were proclaiming Rice as world class!
Spurs have gone City.
Spurs have gone City.
Spurs have gone City.
a few days ago we were proclaiming Rice as world class!
Not me - I think he's the football equivalent of a flat track bully; give him the chance and for sure he'll put on a show but get after him and he loses the plot. For sure Bruno in particular is no angel, but he's physical and nasty while playing the game. Rice was just hacking players down by the end.
Wow, 3 posts. I'm not obsessed, t'was this odd new forum.
So tonight, given that our home form is absolutely appalling, we’ve nobody up front who could hit a barn door with a shovel, Martinez is now out injured, we’ve got a returning temporary manager (and iconic player), who was unceremoniously punted on to make way for this one, I’m going to have a bet on a comfortable win for Leicester
I see the left wing back you desperately needed is playing on the right 🤔
Par for the course. Keane summed it up nicely at half time saying that the United players need it explaining to them that the point of the game is to try and get the round thing into the netty thing at the other end of the pitch, as they’d shown no particular interest in doing so in the first half.
Absolutely dire!
Well Garnacho changed that game! Utd stole that having been dreadful for most of it. And Maguire was well offside too, but it’s so much better without VAR even with the mistakes…
Garnacho was the only United player who bothered to turn up tonight and Maguire was indeed well off. But, hey, we fluked the FA Cup last season with performances like that. We were truly awful but we’re still through 😃
Come on the O's!
Loving the Orient match, cue "proper FA Cup" clichés.
Couple of times Orient just needed a bit more belief on the attack, but all their players have been fantastic.
VAR & Goal line technology are having a good weekend
Yep, not convinced that was over the line, but what a proper blood and guts cup tie. Impressed by Sandro again when he came on, just had half a second more on the ball tonight than anyone else.
They'll be passing the ice packs and arnica round in the changing room.
Looks like Arne Slot might learn a valuable lesson today about the FA Cup - as soon as I saw the Liverpool side I thought this could be an opportunity for Plymouth.
Lesson learned, well done the Pilgrims.
His important lesson was that he doesn’t really give a shit about the FA Cup. PL and UCL are the priorities.
It’s men and boys with this Villa Spurs game. Villa should be out of sight by now. Spurs are actually worse than us, and that’s saying something
Citeh v Real tonight
Any predictions?
I predict I will spend most of the match with hands covering my face, just occasionally peaking through the gaps in my fingers.
2-2 I think. Would not be surprised by 5-5 though given City’s defending, and the defenders Real have absent.
Don't like Real. An artificially inflated club who was backed by dubious money with appalling human rights. As opposed to city who...em.
Is there a return leg or is it settled tonight?
This new champion's league format is too confusing
Two legged games now - knockout time.
It goes from bad to worse for Pep. Now he's been banned from owning a dog by the RSPCA.
Seems he's incapable of holding on to a lead.
The worst thing about last night is they we the architects of their own downfall.
The last 10mins were so sloppy.
FA Cup giant killers Plymouth Argyle probably cannot wait to play them.
If matches were 70 minutes long, we'd probably be top. Story of the season is Liverpool finding ways to win late and us finding ways to lose.
Oops, Havertz out for the rest of the season apparently - according to The Athletic. I think that's the end of any sort of Arsenal title or Champion's League challenge right there. Kind of frustrating that we have about ten left backs and no centre forwards. Sigh...
They were paying 2M a year to Ferguson for his 'ambassador' role???
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/feb/12/sir-jim-ratcliffe-manchester-united-job-cuts-ineos
That’s a shame for Havertz. Gets loads of flak but he’s having to play as striker when it’s maybe not his best position (I don’t know what is though!) - his goal record isn’t bad, at nearly 1 every 2 games.
Loved the guardian headline:
Ratcliffe believes latest Manchester United job cuts will help club avoid going bust
Maybe not continually paying 70 - 90 million quid for a succession of absolute donkeys who are actually worth a tiny fraction of that may also help? Just a thought.
Lets sack a few hundred people on minimum wage instead though.
Modern capitalism in a nutshell
A few discussions took place at the end of that game.
As a half-interested Everton fan, I'm pretty glad that was the one game of the season I'll watch. Properly jumped off the sofa when Tarkowski smashed that in and then bit my nails while they VARd it. And THEN it kicked off.
Football eh.
Still think there’s mileage in this title race. After Wolves Liverpool have got Villa and City away then Newcastle at home. Five games in 15 days then only one league game in March before the run in, which includes Arsenal at home in May.
indeed. All it takes is a couple of bad games and things can look very different. Ask Kevin Keegan
And the battle between us and Spurs for that much cherished 13th spot is hotting up too. Superleague anyone? 😀
indeed. All it takes is a couple of bad games and things can look very different. Ask Kevin Keegan
And the battle between us and Spurs for that much cherished 13th spot is hotting up too. Superleague anyone? 😀
Amazing that twice European Player of the Year Keegan, will mainly be remembered for that rant.
Still don't see Liverpool throwing this one away, although it would be hilarious.
They should have enough to scramble home. 8 of their remaining 14 games are at home so win all them and they’d be on 81 points. That would leave Arsenal needing to win 10 or 11 of their games, minimum. Not convinced they’ll manage that.
Weird to have a title race without the ominous City machine closing in!
That's the difference, normally at this point City would win pretty much all of their remaining games, can't see Arsenal doing that.
Lets sack a few hundred people on minimum wage instead though.
Hey, at £350k a week Casemiro only earns as much as 778 minimum wages. That's a bargain in anyone's money.
What's up with Chelsea?! Todd Boehly will be getting twitchy if this carries on a few more games.
