Football – 2023/24 Season

Absolutely top notch sarcasm from the UEFA spokesman there who said they have no intention of disputing the ruling and wished the best of luck to the two clubs presently in the new Superleague 😂

Bbc report a new super league proposal just in.   On the bright side any competition that shakes up the bent established ones (uefa and fifa) might just help, even if their intentions aren’t good

So much money involved that one corrupt organisation will replace another one. At least we know FIFA and UEFA.

I can’t see many clubs fancying having things dictated to them by Barca and Real who we all know are having this last desperate roll of the dice as they’re both essentially bankrupt

Excellent win for Man City, I remember a great Liverpool side getting pummeled in this competition but not sure they took it too seriously.
I expect City will now go into overdrive and win their 4th premiership in a row.

Having had the misfortune of watching the Liverpool/Man U game last week I thought I’d seen the worst game of the season. That was until I watched the first half of West Ham/Man U. How Man U are still up there in the top half is beyond me, they’re the most pedestrian team I’ve seen since Sam Allerdyce managed the toon.

I think pedestrian is a good description of them dazh. I’m sure Binners has a more Anglo Saxon version mind…..

The atmosphere at West Ham is terrible.

Both West Ham and United were awful for the first hour. A turgid pre-season friendly at best. Then we go a goal down and show no desire to get back into it. Diabolical, but totally expected.

Cracking result at Luton.

Then we go a goal down and show no desire to get back into it. Diabolical, but totally expected

Par for the course. Nobody in a United shirt looks like they give a toss whether they win or lose.

I’m honestly past caring. Didn’t even bother watching it and went out for a nice lunch instead. I knew they’d lose. I expect they’ll now sack Ten Hag, get Graham Potter in (if rumours are to be believed) and the same overpaid, half-arsed, bone-idle mediocrities will restart the same cycle until they get him sacked too.

Rinse and repeat

ManU need to get back to doing the talking on the pitch, i’ve just not seen Ten Hag as being good enough with the way he’s constantly fallen out with players and his lack of getting any real confidence back in the team, Spurs were similar and they managed to turn it around a bit this year, they need someone who the fans can really get behind and who can play good football, no clue who’s out there that can do that for them though.

Anyway, Liverpool vs Arsenal is good to watch, 1-1 so far, with more chances either way, think it might explode a bit in the second half, sendings off, manager meltdown, this game could have them.

i’ve just not seen Ten Hag as being good enough with the way he’s constantly fallen out with players

As has every other manager. More precisely the players have all collectively downed tools like a bunch of sulky teenagers because they’re being asked to do their ****ing jobs in return for the vast quantities of money they’re paid.

Look at Sancho. Out of the team because the manager wasn’t prepared to tolerate him constantly turning up late for training having stayed up all night playing Grand Theft Auto. He’s on 340 grand a week and he can’t be arsed to turn up for training! That just sums up the attitude of the players at United

Cracking game this Arsenal Liverpool. That’s got to be the bizarrest injury ever though? Going off with a shoulder injury after colliding with your own manager on the touchline

There was a point in that half where the camera focussed on the ref, and he looked nackered, I think he might need subbing off after 60 mins.

The penalty decision is one of the weirdest as well, VAR will be getting a kicking again over this, as the reason sounds very much like VAR refereeing the match, which it isn’t meant to be doing!

I am watching German sky, so might be getting a different commentary (even though it is English) so I didn’t hear an official var reason. He slipped and I do think the handball was accidental, however according to what we normally see getting given, I think 80-90% of the time that is a penalty (100% for a European match).

Does anyone actually have a clue what the handball rule is at the moment though? Sometimes they’re given, sometimes they’re not. You may as well toss a coin to see which it’ll be.

Absolutely zero consistency on handball decisions this season

I’ve stopped thinking about it, was one last night i think where the guy swipes the ball away and it was all about the shirt line, today’s is all about the arm going back to the body so all ok, they just make it up to suit their mood.

Think VAR is not selling itself well this year, could be an overhaul incoming, hopefully!

Good weekend for City! Watch them win 14 on the spin now.

Both West Ham and United were awful for the first hour.

Fair, but one of the uniteds got better.

Paquetá Was the game changer again. He’s some player!

Just listened to Goldbridge, love hearing him and seeing how McTominay is at fault for all ManU’s woes, he’s going off on him for both goals, if you’ve seen the highlights then watch Antony at that first goal, absolutely sums up the issue with ManU just now, Mainoo was just a pure mistake, still unreal how Kudus got from there to score though, but ManU have no CBs just now.

Just listened to Goldbridge,

I’ve been a Talksport listener for 20 years and endured some terrible presenters (amongst the really good stuff), but this geezer and that Chelsea idiot Jennings have got me running towards Podcasts. Rarely listen now.

At 85 million, Antony has to be the worst buy in Premier League history. And United have had quite a few contenders for that title

He provides absolutely nothing!

Oh, and Leeds were ace today, absolutely spanked the tractor boys. Game on!

At 85 million, Antony has to be the worst buy in Premier League history. And United have had quite a few contenders for that title

He provides absolutely nothing!

I was going to suggest Aaronsson, who we bought last season but Antony really is terrible. Ponces around with the ball at his feet before ‘any’ defender just plucks it off him!

Wouldn’t say he’s terrible, but there’s no drive in him there, he’s doing nothing for them without the ball and it’s not a good sign, Ronaldo was prone to this and chased out a while ago, but it’s the same with Rashford, Garnacho and a few others just now, you watch that Liverpool game and even when struggling, both sides had their flair players back and pressing

Oh, and Leeds were ace today, absolutely spanked the tractor boys. Game on!

Yeah, was grateful for the 10 point cushion. Could be a 4 point cushion by 27th since we have Leicester on Boxing day. I said up there that mid-December on was going to a tough one for us

19 games for Antony this season, no goals or assists yet. 1 goal for Rashford. Garnacho living off his wondergoal. Hojlund never scored in the league. Spurs fourth choice left back coming on as sub. Reliant on Jonny Evans and Maguire. Difficult to see what the plan or strategy is, pining for the feel good days of Ole. 

Paquetá Was the game changer again. He’s some player!

He divides his time between brilliance, and giving the ball away in dangerous areas.

I expect they’ll now sack Ten Hag, get Graham Potter in (if rumours are to be believed) and the same overpaid, half-arsed, bone-idle mediocrities will restart the same cycle until they get him sacked too.

I heard ETH being interviewed earlier and he said we were solid other than conceding 2 goals. Now, I’ve been trying to give him the benefit of the doubt for a while now, but if he honestly considers that inept horror show as solid, then I fear he’s genuinely incapable of setting the standards expected of this (and indeed any professional) club.

Oh, and Leeds were ace today, absolutely spanked the tractor boys. Game on!

We’ve started our traditional New Year crash in some style. I can’t wait to catch up with my Leeds supporting mate for the lunchtime drink I now owe him. His live updates from the ground were bad enough.

I saw the Notts Forest sending off on MoTD. Truly ridiculous!

ransos
Free Member
I saw the Notts Forest sending off on MoTD. Truly ridiculous!

Was listening to 5Live – a mystery what the ref and assistant thought they saw.

It wasn’t even a foul. It was a perfectly timed challenge. To be sent off for that was absolutely ludicrous

But my understanding is that because it’s a yellow card VAR can’t intervene, so even if the ref and VAR thought they’d made a mistake, they’re not allowed to go back and correct it. It’s still VAR that’s the issue more than the refs themselves IMO.

Two or three times yesterday VAR was basically refereeing the game, it’s not meant to be up to them, it’s meant to be about whether it was clear and obvious and whether to send the referee to view it again, not to be given a synopsis of why they think the referee doesn’t need to see it.

I honestly think the worst thing for VAR is having referees as the VAR assistants, someone who knows the rules should be part of the team, but having a current referee in the hotseat is just giving them the option to referee the match remotely.

But still, how was it not handball by arsenal?

I guess not looked as Odegaard fell? But yeah, surprised to see it not even checked. Perhaps Arteta ranting about VAR for weeks has worked?

Because the arsenal player slipped, I would normally expect handball to be given, but I can see why it wasn’t, and it isn’t a terrible decision, just one that is probably just over the line of being wrong with consistency.

There was also a lot of “yellows” requested by both sets of players in the match, which should have earned the requestor a yellow as has been happening this season.

On the actual football, TAA looks to be actually defending pretty well recently, it is like something has clicked and his defensive positioning and work rate has really improved.