Football – 2023/24 Season

When Dunk has come in for England recently he has shown far more than Maguire, Southgate’s support for Maquire is now showing disrespect for the other players who could replace him. If you have players like Stones and Lewis who can step into midfield and create an extra man in those areas when England have possession, you need the other defenders to be more disciplined and be aware of their surroundings, Maguire just won’t or can’t do that.

I know the game didn’t matter but that was shit. The collection of players there should do a load better.
While i like Southgate as a person his tactics are unambitious and we’ll win **** all. 1-1 with macedonia ffs

Same as Italy got in their game there.

Yay! Internationals can GTF until March and it’s a return to the proper stuff.

Normal service is resumed at Chelsea with them getting a proper shoeing off Newcastle. Full marks to Reese James for the most stupid sending off of the season so far.  Citeh and Liverpool cancelled each other out and Arsenal were bloody lucky to get a point at Brentford

lots of entertainment though, including this absolute peach from Olise for Palace

I expect we’ll lose to Everton today, or grind out some awful nil nil draw, seeing as we’re not so much a football club any more, more an ongoing dressing room soap opera

Spurs v Villa should be entertaining though

Was some weird stuff yesterday, watched the big game, Man City just seem a bit disjointed just now, Haaland was running round, scored and making good runs, but nobody seemed to be able to release him bar the goal, they miss De Bruyne as everything was wide, and Doku was toying with Liverpool, but had no real final product. Think the goal ruled out for City was a bit soft, keepers union strikes again!

Newcastle breezed past Chelsea, from what i saw it was tight for a long time, but Chelsea just don’t seem to have any toughness about them, that first goal, 2 newcastle players on the edge of the box without any Chelsea players near them, then the entire defence runs to Tiley and leave Isak along in the box, the other goals, a free header 6 yards out, Silva doing some weird thing to assist the third and the fourth, it just looked like the Chelsea players couldn’t care.

Full marks to Reese James for the most stupid sending off of the season so far.

I dunno, Lewis Dunk was fab. Booked for dissent and then you don’t need to be a genius to lip read him calling Anthony Taylor a ‘bald prick’ – and that wasn’t even a second yellow, straight red for that and so a longer ban than 2 yellows. Well done Lewis!

Silva doing some weird thing to assist the third 

Silva was crap for it but on looking again; Newcastle had just gone 2-1 up and could be excused for consolidating and making sure they didn’t concede back. But Joelinton started pressing hard and importantly Isak was too, Silva goes to play to the centre back, sees Isak cutting it off, hesitates the pass and that’s what enables Joelinton to nick it. Chelsea were miles off where teams need to be to get anything at SJP nowadays, given half a chance Newcastle will just overwhelm you.

Chelsea looked weak in the 2nd half, pulling out of tackles.

Trippier had an in form Sterling in his pocket.

Newcastle have some great prospects. Lewis Miley looked exceptional for his age. Apparently he has a younger brother at the academy who is also very talented.

Just read Terry Venables has died – bit of a shock. Met him once really nice bloke.

Silva goes to play to the centre back, sees Isak cutting it off, hesitates the pass and that’s what enables Joelinton to nick it

It looked like he kicked the turf on the replay 😆

 Terry Venables – He was 80, didn’t realise he was as old as that, always seemed to me to be a decent bloke

RIP El Tel.

He always seemed a decent bloke, with a slight air of Del Boy about him, and all things considered, an underrated manager

I hate to quote Piers Morgan but this was nice to read

https://x.com/piersmorgan/status/1728760390811619789?s=46&t=1lK7Dw1b6RqGJyvufO-trQ

A bit than a bit of a Del Boy!

On 14 January 1998 he was disqualified by the high court from acting as a company director for seven years under section 8 of the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986 for mismanagement of four companies – Scribes West Ltd, Edenote plc, Tottenham Hotspur plc and Tottenham Hotspur Football and Athletic Company Ltd.[76] The case was brought by the Department of Trade and Industry who cited instances of bribery, lying, deception, manipulation of accounts and taking money that should have been given to creditors

His dealings at Portsmouth were very dodgy as well.

Probably an unpopular opinion among toon fans but I really do wonder what people see in Nick Pope. His distribution is better suited to a rugby field, he flails at crosses, and whilst a decent shot stopper he often switches off like he did yesterday for Sterling’s free kick which was very saveable. Dubravka must be pretty pissed at not getting more of a chance.

RIP Tel. COYS!  Thanks for some great memories!

Full marks to Reese James for the most stupid sending off of the season so far.

Lewis Dunk – hold my beer!

@gobuchul – between Big Sam and his brown envelopes of cash handed over in motorway service station car parks and ‘Arry and his offshore bank accounts in his dogs name, seems like it was just the ‘Old School’ way of doing football management

in all honesty I don’t see the present one as necessarily being any better

The first 10 minutes of this game has been crazy.

Another injury ffs!  So sad for Bentancur when he’s only just back from 9 months out!

Probably an unpopular opinion among toon fans but I really do wonder what people see in Nick Pope.

I tend to agree a bit, particularly ball at feet. Ramsdale had a profile ‘mare yesterday but I wonder if in agreeing to make the Raya move permanent Arsenal may be willing to let him go.

Disagree on the free kick though, that was great although I hate to watch anyone just wave it in…. I was taught even if you have no chance you have to try anyway.

Disagree on the free kick though, that was great although I hate to watch anyone just wave it in…

It was definitely saveable. Not easy by any means but it was at head height, well within the post and on the side of the goal which Pope was expecting it to go. He was even moving in that direction but stopped for some reason. I suppose to give him the benefit of the doubt the flight of the ball could have fooled him into thinking it was going to the other side. Anyway, his woeful kicking alone means there are better options. The number of times I see him boot the ball into touch is bloody frustrating. Not sure a new GK is a priority though, a striker is definitely more required. Wonder if a bank-busting offer for Ferguson at Brighton would be a goer? 😀

I’d imagine quite a few clubs will be looking at Ferguson

Maybe he’ll sign for one of your Saudi feeder clubs for a hundred squillion quid then get sold on to you for a tenner?

back to today… how has kulusevski not been booked for diving. Absolutely top draw shithousery from him for the entire game

A good win for Villa, that. As Keano just summed up… Spursy 😂

I didn’t think that the Reese James challenge on Gordon was worth a 2nd yellow, unless it was for a totting up of incidents, he barely touched him. Same for the couple of incidents in the city match where the ref was rather over protective of Alison. the first one I can perhaps see that the ref saw a hand on him, but there was no pressure and it wasn’t the reason Alison fumbled the ball, but the other one where Alison flopped over the line because Akanji was near him was a pretty clear reffing error.

Whatever happened to that initiative at the start of last season, that the refs weren’t going to give a foul just because someone was looked at with a mean stare.

Goal of the season!

I’d imagine quite a few clubs will be looking at Ferguson

Yeah but they don’t have a bottomless pit of money. As soon as the toon figure out how to get round FFP the financial gloves will come off. 😉

One up in five minutes with an absolute worldy?

I’m completely out of my comfort zone here 

Good to see normal service has resumed and we’re back to being absolutely rubbish after that initial flash of brilliance. Good job Everton have got nobody who could hit a cows arse with a banjo… so far… 

@genesiscore502011 – I think we can agree that Garnacho’s beats the Rooney overhead as he didn’t shin it 😂

Not sure what Young and Dyche are complaining about there, the instant he did it it he looked as guilty as a puppy next to a poo.

One thing that is boring is Gary Neville now, he’s not a commentator, he just talks so much rubbish throughout the match now, yesterday it was how much can i talk about Trent, today it’s all about Mainoo.

This game is pretty crap as well, ref’s not giving Everton a thing, and on cue a penalty is given via VAR, i hate those types of penalties, he was falling over before the contact, never getting the ball and it’s boring calling it ‘clever’

It was a penalty and it’s some front for it to be Ashley Young to be protesting. We’ve never had a player who went down as easily. Someone breathes forcefully at him and he’s on the floor

As an aside: all the Everton fans seemed to have these, so was this officially sanctioned by the club?

I didn’t think that the Reese James challenge on Gordon was worth a 2nd yellow

It wasn’t for the intensity, it was because he’d given it away with Gordon to the goalside of him and with a clear run into the penalty area.

It was definitely saveable. Not easy by any means but it was at head height, well within the post and on the side of the goal which Pope was expecting it to go.

Sorry, but no. Clip here, might even have hit the underside of the bar going in, but was just under the bar. The wall did its best job, all jumped and it cleared them and dipped. And as for the side expected – you set the wall up to cover that side, and as a GK cover your side. If you then leave your side to get over and get beaten where you’ve come from, that’s terrible. If the attacker gets it up and over the wall and back down you just hold your hands up.

(thought the FK was soft in the first place mind)
And yes, Evan Ferguson looks a heck of a talent.

I didn’t think that the Reese James challenge on Gordon was worth a 2nd yellow,

Personally I didn’t think the challenge by Trippier that led to Sterlings free kick was a foul but he was booked for it

Reese James was walking before the ref even had the card out of his pocket, so he knew…

The problem wasn’t the second yellow, it was the stupid first one he picked up for booting the ball away. He’s the captain, so should know better than being so petulant and ill-disciplined. Exactly the same can be said of Lewis Dunk yesterday

Both were responsible for their teams going down to ten men through their own stupidity

The problem wasn’t the second yellow, it was the stupid first one he picked up for booting the ball away.

Yeah, same as today, Doucoure got booked for complaining about Garnacho kicking the ball away.

Anyway, looks like normal service has resumed in the EPL this weekend, LiVARpool getting a draw, Spurs being Spursy and VARchester United getting a win 😁

Well that scoreline flattered us, to say the least, and we’re now nearly into positive goal difference.

I can’t believe we’re somehow only 6 points off the top while being so absolutely bloody awful

he instant he did it it he looked as guilty as a puppy next to a poo

I’m saving that for a work related conversation

I think the pink leaflets were officially sanctioned, they had instructions on them saying when to hold them up to coordinate it – the 5Live commentary team in shock about it

I thought there was no way you could do with that without it being officially sanctioned by the club. Probably an attempt to deflect from their own incompetence

I would think Everton will be getting a hefty fine for that.

It was an interesting clash off the pitch today. Which club has the worst owners who the fans hate the most? It’s a tough call

United the form club in the league. Five wins out of six! Pretty unbelievable with a defence led by big Harry and Martial up front. 

Jota’s sending off v Spurs was pretty daft too, but not at Dunk level. 

So is that the end of the Spurs title challenge?

Don’t think anyone was really talking about them challenging, top 4 is the aim, that Chelsea game is still haunting them with the injuries and suspensions, add that to Son playing badly, and a sprinkle of bad luck with the goals they’ve lost and the timing of them.

Still, they are creating chances with a makeshift team and controlling games, that’s a positive for their fans, will be a long wait for Maddison and Van de Ven coming back, those were major losses from the heart of the defence and the talisman up front this season, Kulusevski looks like the only one up front who knows how to play just now!

There was no spurs title challenge.  We always knew we didn’t have the squad. We’ve currently got 9 or 10 players injured and another suspended.  Yesterday we started with none of our first choice midfield and no cb on the pitch. 

The better question is,  is that the end of our top 4/5 challenge?  I hope not but I think Ange learning to be pragmatic is key.   I love the attacking high line football   but learn when to change.   If we do the high line at city next week,  it will be a big scoreline.