Have you seen the pictures of Amorim out and about with his wife this afternoon? He looks like a bloke who’s been rescued from a hostage situation 😂
City have been getting some serious injuries in recent years that look like nothing when they happen. De Bruyne had one first a few years back, then it was Gabriel Jesus when the idiot ref told him to stop messing about and tried to drag him to his feet for an injury that kept him out for months, last year it was Rodri and that other prize idiot Keown in commentary was spouting off that he was faking it. And yesterday it was Gvardiol, again didn't look like much, maybe a rolled ankle, but now it turns out he fractured his leg and will be out for the season.
And if you look at yesterday incident it isn't a direct impact injury it just seems to be the twisting force of his momentum as he gets knocked off his stride that causes the damage. It just goes to show how some of these small knocks that takes a players down at game pace isn't just because they are a bunch of softies (always).
The blokes (and it is always blokes) accusing players of being soft are the type who never actually watch football anyway and instead prefer sports where not being ‘soft’ means being in with a serious chance of incurring a pretty major brain injury
Looks like Chelsea have the next fall guy lined up. Lets see if he lasts the season.
Is it time we stopped referrring to them as managers, as thats not really what they are any more, in anymeaningful sense of the word? As Amorim just found out.
They're head coaches and best not get any ideas above their station. There to simply oversea training and stand on the sidelines and take the flack when it all goes wrong, while the owners and their representatives on earth dictate all the important decisions from on high.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cp37zvxgg9ko
I expect the Chelsea fans will be frothing. It does seem to be the model now, with a sporting director, and then the coach. Good though that a young English manager is getting one of the bigger jobs, and also his ethnicity.
Just call them what they really are: temporary contractors.
Was listening to The Guardian Football weekly the other day and they were discussing the fact that the sporting directors seem to basically be the managers these days but without the flack or looming sack. Said it's been this way for years in Italy and Spain but there SD are expected to give news conferences and tip up to meet the press.
Celtic sacked their’s, but he did appoint Nancy 😬😀.
Interesting that Richard Hughes at Liverpool seems to be getting more flak than Slot for the lopsided squad they’ve ended up with, despite the splurge. Online at least.
Solksjaer's in line for a return.
When you read his record at United first time round, you'd take that over what has come since - but it's not the same club or league as way back in ~2019.
His record does seem to be subject to a fair bit of revisionism. Martial up front! I had a look back and they were good value for goals at both ends, but I do remember them sitting quite deep with a counter attacking style?
A good night for Arsenal. The City juggernaut seems to be mid-firing, especially when Haaland isn’t scoring.
3 on the bounce for Newcastle with a routine win* against Dirty Leeds at SJP, now up to 6th.
* **** my nerves, I've aged 5 years watching some of the 'defending' tonight. Thiaw, Pope, Botman...must have all had the Liverpool Method video on over the holidays
Game of the season at Newcastle, just mad. And I’m not up to speed with things at Leeds but whether it is players or system but they look transformed from their early season incarnation.
Save of the season, Pickford 🙁
Good second half from Wolves, but they really needed 3 points. What Keane thought he was doing with his hair pulling antics, Ive no idea.
His record does seem to be subject to a fair bit of revisionism. Martial up front! I had a look back and they were good value for goals at both ends, but I do remember them sitting quite deep with a counter attacking style?
To be fair to him, he was making the most of the squad he had. It was entertaining to watch though and more often than not, it worked. I think it was more about Ole’s attitude though. We finished 2nd under him and he apologised to the fans and said it wasn’t good enough. Oh what we’d give to be sat in 2nd now and watching some decent attacking football, with a manager who appeared to care. We've been a long way off that since his departure. I don't need reminding of where we finished last season.
Hanlon's razor and all that (cock-up or conspiracy) but someone at Bournemouth's played a blinder here. "We never noticed that the coffee cup Arsenal left behind had an Arsenal badge on it, and it's purely accidental that it got given to the Spurs manager when he arrived at the ground"
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cp37w009dwlo
Game of the season at Newcastle, just mad. And I’m not up to speed with things at Leeds but whether it is players or system but they look transformed from their early season incarnation.
On the edge of my seat to the very end and gutted to lose that one, but yes, totally transformed around from pre December ish. Full of confidence and some great performances over the past few games.
Game of the season at Newcastle, just mad. And I’m not up to speed with things at Leeds but whether it is players or system but they look transformed from their early season incarnation.
On the edge of my seat to the very end and gutted to lose that one, but yes, totally transformed around from pre December ish. Full of confidence and some great performances over the past few games.
Just unfortunate we still have the pirate in defence, missing easy headers to put us 1-0 up and then pulling out of the challenge to let Newcastle come back to 1-1. Oh and the pirates mate, the plank in goal.
What Keane thought he was doing with his hair pulling antics, Ive no idea.
I imagine he grabbed onto whatever was close which ordinarily would be a shirt. Bit unlikely to have been deliberately aiming to pull his hair. But maybe we need a rule about players needing to tie girly hair in a bun, or else rule that it’s part of the kit.
Bring Back the Alice Band!
Marc Cucurella is a player who is often open to a decent hair pull. Watched the Leeds game - what a seesaw. Not heard the the 'Dirty Leeds tag since I was very young.
Not heard the the 'Dirty Leeds tag since I was very young.
I hear it all the time. I have long-since stopped being annoyed that people still say it (often without even knowing why) just because they heard their dads and grandads say it. We are Dirty Leeds and we are here to stay. MOT ALAW.
Ohh, and, should anyone care, here's this year's current Fair Play League Table (inserts a Middle Finger emoji).
Not heard the the 'Dirty Leeds tag since I was very young.
Apologies / not apologies...I started watching in the 70s when that was a (valid) tag, and these things stick. I almost can't say Leeds without saying Dirty Leeds, and likewise it'll always be Boring Arsenal even though neither are fair or relevant nowadays.
Plus, it annoys my Leeds and Arsenal supporting mates, and that's part of what football fans do!
I started watching in the 70s when that was a (valid) tag
But it wasn't though – it was earlier in the 1960s (namely the Battle of Goodison Park in 1964) that we got the tag. But, as you say, these things stick.
Not heard the the 'Dirty Leeds tag since I was very young.
I hear it all the time. I have long-since stopped being annoyed that people still say it (often without even knowing why) just because they heard their dads and grandads say it. We are Dirty Leeds and we are here to stay. MOT ALAW.
Ohh, and, should anyone care, here's this year's current Fair Play League Table (inserts a Middle Finger emoji).
We are Leeds, we are vile! 😎
I dunno @theotherjonv Arsenal remain pretty boring, suffocating teams rather than tearing them apart, seemingly reliant on own goals and set pieces. Fancy them to wallop Liverpool tonight though.
Talking of vile, the BBC gossip page this morning said Liverpool were looking at Mason Greenwood.
I can take "Boring, Boring Arsenal", but I have to admit "Same old Arsenal, always cheating" does wind me up - particularly as *checks notes*, we're apparently the cleanest team according to the Fair Play league table above.
The teams with most possession will always be the ones with least cards, fouls tend to be committed against the team in possession of the ball.
Not heard the the 'Dirty Leeds tag since I was very young.
Apologies / not apologies...I started watching in the 70s when that was a (valid) tag, and these things stick. I almost can't say Leeds without saying Dirty Leeds, and likewise it'll always be Boring Arsenal even though neither are fair or relevant nowadays.
Plus, it annoys my Leeds and Arsenal supporting mates, and that's part of what football fans do!
Thing is Leeds were probably one of the most consistently best teams in Europe from 65-74, Yes Celtic and ManU won European cups but Leeds were strong for a long time. I'd say they were cynical rather than dirty - rather like Inter and the Italian teams of the time. They were masters of the dark arts. They played on the edge because that’s what elite teams did in the late 60s and early 70s.
They were robbed by that ref in the '74 European final.
The Leeds team of 91-92 with that midfield were fantastic to watch.
It was definitely an era where no-one took a back step and Leeds probably weren't much different to most others. But no-one's going to convince me they were angels either 😉
And I didn't realise it was 'that' contentious - my mates don't have a major problem, and indeed is there not unofficial merch with exactly that on worn as a badge of pride?
Arsenal might be top of the fair play league right now but they keep winning. When they get the runaround there was a discipline problem, heads were lost regularly - remains to be seen if that still happens. And yeah, winning a league by having the best set piece coach is still boring.
and indeed is there not unofficial merch with exactly that on worn as a badge of pride?
Absolutely, We Are Dirty Leeds.