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Anyway - poss could go into the disproportionately cross thread, but I suspect this is a niche gripe so I'll keep it to those that care about this stuff.
Modern goal nets. The big boxy strung out from remote stanchion types that every club has now. When they came in they were new and novel and I liked them but I now hanker for the classic days. I found this article about them which summarises nicely (I'm also impressed someone cares enough to write that much about it). I too miss Wembley's deep arcs, where the ball nestling in the bottom corner means a trip to Neasden for the goalie to retrieve it. I also miss Upton Park's compact version, presumably because as the mythical crowd on top of you ground, wembley sized nets would take up the front 5 rows of the terraces. And will we never again see the like of Trevor Brooking sticking one right into the hoop so the goalie has to push it out from the other side.
And while on this niche subject the bit that really annoys me. These standard box goal nets don't have pegs for the back of the net, they have a frame that they can then lift up after the game so they can mow around more easily. Fair enough. But the clubs that don't fix the frame down so as the ball hits the back of the onion bag, the frame lifts up a bit. It just looks shit. I'm watching MOTD as I write and West Ham have it right - rare indeed - Bournemouth groundstaff, hang your heads in shame.
https://that1980ssportsblog.blogspot.com/2016/11/goal-nets-posts-and-stanchions-of-1980s.html
And I'm on a roll.
Goalkeepers celebrating saves. Yes, I know in a game of credits and debits a goal stopped by a great save is equivalent value to a goal at the other end, but goalies are different, we just get on with it. All this fist pumping and shouting (Pickford, Donnarumma, etc...) is very unbecoming.
Roy knows the score. "It's their job"
It does seem very ‘tiki taka’ which is a bit odd after he proclaimed they wanted to play like PSG did against them last year, ie, full throttle, pace, manically pressing. You might call it gegenpressing. Like Klopps best teams. Klopp’s best Liverpool side also had a pretty functional but physically aggressive midfield, Fabinho, Wijnaldum and Henderson, whereas Slots seems more techinal but physically weaker.
Slot must have had some say in the summer recruitment, surely?
Keane and Viera are the pundits for United Arsenal later, which should be entertaining. I have absolutely no idea which United will turn up at the Emirates
Newcastle Villa should be a good’un now
Title six pointer up here - Hearts v Celtic. Hearts missing Shankland and Cammy Devlin, hopefully they can grind out at least a point and keep the cushion in place.
I’m going to be disappointed if Viera and Keane don’t have a punch up at some point this afternoon.
Great result for Villa who are struggling with injuries and a stick thin squad
Good value for the win, but they were 2 massive saves at key times by Emi M. He is such a shitehouser too
The only person better at Shithousery than Martinez is Jamie Vardy
Anyway… this is pretty edgy stuff. 2 goals from 2 defensive howlers. Both defenses look like there’s more of that in them. At least we’re looking organised like last weekend.
It’s a great win for Villa considering they were away in Europe and Newcastle were at home with an extra day recovery.
Wow! Couple of wonder goals v the usual Arsenal OG and goalmouth scramble.
Well that’s the premier league a little predictable.
Has there been some kind of glitch in the matrix this last couple of weekends? 😳
Seems a long time ago that bell end Amorim was preaching about his magic formation.
All the players have looked really organised these last 2 games and like they’re actually enjoying themselves.
The same players that looked so uncomfortable playing Amorims mad formation, which they all clearly hated!
It wasn’t just the result today it was the build up play that led to 2 absolute screamers. Really strong defensive performance too (bar Martinez’s howler). Slabhead got a well deserved MOTM
Well, as I feared, a rejuvenated Man Utd made the most of a team which has simply run of inspiration. As the commentary noted, it was three points dropped today but it also casts a cloud over the rest of the season for the Arsenal, it’s time for a bit of spontaneity. As for Man U, a classic case of how round pegs in round holes make for motivated players.
To be fair to Man U - their early season tatic of getting dumped out of all the cups seems to allow them to play less games & concentrate on the league looks to be paying dividends.
I think you’ll find that the masterplan started last season in failing to qualify for Europe
Man Utds player of the match - Zubamendi... what on earth was he thinking? A carbon copy of Gabriels a few weeks back vs Bournemouth.
I particularly liked that Arsenals big money subs Eze, Gyokres and Madueke made absolutely zero impact on the game. Eze especially did a grand total of nothing whereas at least Madueke ran past a few defenders before running it out for a goal kick.
Both teams playing with 10 when Gyokres and Sesko were on the pitch at the same time...
Sesko did at least provide us with a laugh after Bruno hoofed the ball into his face and he looked like he was going to have to go off with concussion, about 5 seconds after he’d came on 😂
I particularly liked that Arsenals big money subs Eze, Gyokres and Madueke made absolutely zero impact on the game. Eze especially did a grand total of nothing whereas at least Madueke ran past a few defenders before running it out for a goal kick.
Said this to a mate of mine, fellow Arsenal supporter. I don't think any of our signings have been that good.
Been saying it allll season (look back to previous posts), we're not winning this league. City to win it and everyone else scrambling for the remaining top 4 places.
Hmm, Zubimendi was signed in the summer and has looked like he has always been part of the team from the off. Hardly put a foot wrong until yesterday and has helped Rice move forward. The Gyorkeres struggles have been well documented but the bigger mystery has been Eze. I really thought/hoped he might be a bit of a Cantona, with an ability to do the unexpected within an already established framework, but he has failed to change any game (although the hat trick against Tottering Hotspurs put a lot of credit in the bank). MOTD analysis was spot on in pointing out the lack of movement - Zubimendi was where he was because he felt obliged to create movement rather than thinking through the next phase of play. All good teams have movement off the ball and one of the problems of the fixation of highly choreographed play in very small cells (look at an aerial photo of top level team training facilities, the pitches are marked out into pretty small blocks) is that players get locked into their place on the pitch and lose the wider fluidity.
Yeah, you look at that team, and you think that is a team that should be scoring 6 or 7 goals in matches 4 or 5 times a season, like city were 5 or so years ago.
If they win the PL this year, I wonder if Arteta would then give them more freedom, if he wants to just get it over the line to build confidence the 1st time, because if he fails and another manager takes over it is hard to believe they wouldn't become a more attacking team with that squad.
I think city are not quite there yet, but the jigsaw is nearly complete and when they do click, I don't think arsenal will have another chance to win the PL with these tactics, but they do have the squad to really go out and put the competition to the sword.
Humour me please. Been thinking about the chaos they cause at corners, crowding the six yard box, which does naturally, not illegally most the time, impede the opposition goalie from getting hands on the corner. Like the second goal yesterday - Lammens couldn’t get near it. So would a daring tactic not be to leave three or four players up the park? It would mean Arsenal would surely have to take men out the box freeing up space for the keeper and centre halves to get first contact on the ball more easily?
With arsenal's ariel power, I think that would make them scoring more likely than a break away goal.
Yesh, it could look silly! I just wondered if it would free a path for the goalie to punch it clear but I guess they’d find a way to block him still.
I really dislike the mobbing of the goalie that has come in the past few years, I was trying to think if there was any way to write a rule that could prevent it, but the only one I could think of (all attacking players should be outside the 6 yard box when the corner is taken) probably wouldn't be a good rule in practice.
Leaving a couple of players up front when defending a corner has been done in the PL this season - can’t remember the two teams but it was commented on at the time - and it did make the attacking team hold back an extra defender or two. I think it was Mourinho who introduced when started it when he arrived at Chelsea.
Meanwhile, in Switzerland….
You really couldn’t make it up
When Sepp Blatter is on the right side you realise how far the other side have gone.
That pic of him tho made me think of the Prince Phillip just before he died. Gives the same zombie vibes.
Given that Tim Roth played Sep Blatter in "United passions", I am eagerly awaiting what Jason Statham bring to the role of Infantino.
With arsenal's ariel power, I think that would make them scoring more likely than a break away goal.
With less crowding and more space, and a keeper that is coming for everything then I'm not sure they would get so many chances, the number of times a keeper is impeded by own players, in turn being impeded by opponents.
I'd like to see some trialling on the training ground. When I played there wasn't the same blocking tactic, also not the same fast swerving flight of the ball but I always wanted a front post man, a man ahead of the front post to cut out a flick on, and generally a back post man, and then our biggest defender / best header on the 6 yard line to attack any ball outside the 6 yard box. And anything inside, I'd be coming for clearing out anything in the way.
Same with long throws - we didn't have such long throwers but equally the pitches weren't as wide in general so a decent long throw could get to the edges of the 6 yard box. So I'd station myself there and wait for it. IDK why keepers now wait on their line and get blocked from getting there.
I wonder if Rory Delap realised, when he started the whole long throw business, that it would become a premier league staple nearly 20 years later.
Personally I love all the chaos they cause
It’s a bit too much like a rugby line out for me. We’re better than that!
I think that has more to do with ballet dancing than football
I wonder if Rory Delap realised, when he started the whole long throw business, that it would become a premier league staple nearly 20 years later.
Personally I love all the chaos they cause
Shame his other lasting legacy moved to Chelsea
I wonder if Rory Delap realised, when he started the whole long throw business, that it would become a premier league staple nearly 20 years later.
Personally I love all the chaos they cause
Shame his other lasting legacy moved to Chelsea
Could have saved the money and just dressed a mannequin to sit on the bench.
Nobody lasts long at Chelsea sausage machine, amongst their squad of 1,378 players. I'm sure he'll be off to somewhere where he'll actually get a game at the end of the season
Nobody lasts long at Chelsea sausage machine, amongst their squad of 1,378 players. I'm sure he'll be off to somewhere where he'll actually get a game at the end of the season
Apparently 14 appearances this season, but most as a sub I think
Spent long periods injured. Been suspended as well I think.
Spent long periods injured. Been suspended as well I think.
Sounds like he's carried on where he left off
Agreed. For all the hype about him last year he needs to mature and not be so impulsive. I get it's a fine line but he did seem to get himself into unnessary trouble
Cracking result at Anfield. Always good to see the Saudies go down.
Nice to see you back. Have you been on a ban, or do you just go missing when your team's being a bit shit? What's that, one win in 6 now?