Football Thread 2021/2022

[Plissken]

Watching those Supercup highlights, Dani Alves looks very, very past it. 

[Chindie]

42 minutes ago, DirkCrisis said:

Digne to Villa is probably good business for everyone but reflects badly on Benitez.

 

There was talk of Bissouma leaving us for Villa particularly as we’ve recalled our Bissouma replacement from his loan early but I guess he’ll be a Summer sale now. 

 

Bissouma is basically exactly what we need. Awkward one though - the price you've put on him (totally understandably) is probably a bit higher than we'd be comfortable with right now, he's at the AFCON, and his off field issues probably point to him staying where he is. Plus he's probably going to be beating offers off with a stick in the summer so makes sense for him to sit tight even if someone fronts the cash now for Brighton to accept.

 

I'll be disappointed if Villa don't pick up a good a DM this window either way. We need one. Luiz can do a job in that role but not as well as we'd like and he clearly doesn't want to play that role, and nobody else at the club can come close to doing it.

 

And we need a CB.

[DirkCrisis]

I’m getting to the point where I’m thinking that Bissouma can’t be the guy who was arrested late last year. We would look bad if we let him play and I can’t see how he’d be allowed to go to another country pending a criminal trial. But it’s also possible that I’m underestimating how much money talks.

 

I’m expecting him to go in the Summer probably for less than £50m. Maybe £30m. I don’t think we should let him run out his contract and go on a free.

[Fry Crayola]

Looks like if you want goals in this AFCON, you need Cameroon to play.

 

9 goals in 11 matches without them, and so far 5 in about 97 minutes with them.

[ryodi]

United live as always but at least Kidderminster and Borham Wood are on tv as well.

[Naysonymous]

Forest vs Leicester is a good tie too.  Sort of a local derby, plus Forest are in great form and provided one of the biggest stories of the third round.  

[glb]

ITV4, the home of football!

[wev]

1 hour ago, Naysonymous said:

Forest vs Leicester is a good tie too.  Sort of a local derby, plus Forest are in great form and provided one of the biggest stories of the third round.  

Except, from what I remember, the fans on either side don't really care about each other, both focused on a joint hatred of Derby

[Gabe]

Some decent ties in there. 

[Art Vandelay]

28 minutes ago, wev said:

Except, from what I remember, the fans on either side don't really care about each other, both focused on a joint hatred of Derby

The ‘Build a Bonfire’ chant at Forest does have Leicester in the middle from memory. 

[bradigor]

Xhaka 

 

Strike hard, strike first, no mercy 

 

 

[Naysonymous]

42 minutes ago, wev said:

Except, from what I remember, the fans on either side don't really care about each other, both focused on a joint hatred of Derby

Yep. It’s ‘sort of’ a derby.  I’ve got a mate who is a Derby County  season ticket holder and he says even though Derby hate Forest and Forest hate Derby, one thing they do agree on is that it’s funnier to ignore Leicester than it is to allow them to be involved in the East Midlands thing.  
 

A similar situation exists in the West Midlands with Villa and Coventry. It’s funnier not to acknowledge the one way “local” rivalry despite the cities only being ten miles or so from each other at their closest points.  
 

 

That said, I do still think Forest vs Leicester is a really good tie to put on TV. 

[wev]

I agree, some of Forests players were really good to watch against Arsenal. Alot has been made of Arsenal not turning up to that tie, but Spence controlled that side of the field.

 

As for Arsenal, I see Xhaka is up to his old tricks again 

[The Fox]

Gonna need to borrow some of Dr Klopp’s special LFTs to try and get the North London Derby postponed.

[Marlowe]

1 hour ago, wev said:

Except, from what I remember, the fans on either side don't really care about each other, both focused on a joint hatred of Derby

 

Mate of mine who's a Leicester fan loathes Forest above every other team. He grew up as a Leicester fan in Nottingham though which may have something to do with it! 

[SeanR]

Heheheheheheheh…

[humdrum]

Posted this in the arsenal thread but its just as funny here.

 

 

[Sirloin]

10 hours ago, Marlowe said:

 

Mate of mine who's a Leicester fan loathes Forest above every other team. He grew up as a Leicester fan in Nottingham though which may have something to do with it! 

I used to hate Forest but they been an irrelevance for 20 years. I just think them and Derby are funny now, competing to see who can run a football club in the most comedy way.

[Plissken]

Burnley vs Leicester is off. Clarets requested the postponement.

[dizogg]

16 hours ago, Naysonymous said:

Yep. It’s ‘sort of’ a derby.  I’ve got a mate who is a Derby County  season ticket holder and he says even though Derby hate Forest and Forest hate Derby, one thing they do agree on is that it’s funnier to ignore Leicester than it is to allow them to be involved in the East Midlands thing.  

Bet Leicester were gutted by this as they lifted the Premier League title

[Chindie]

Villa sign Kerr Smith from Dundee United. Very highly rated 17yo CB who's made some appearances on the SPL over the last year or so and impressed, apparently.

 

Not just buying players in their late 20s then... Still not quite the CB we need unless he's a beast and has ability beyond his experience though

[DirkCrisis]

Derby day! My prediction- Palace to score early and the Maupay or Welbeck gets one back in the 93rd minute which seems to be our standard operating procedure unless we’re playing Brentford this season.

[dr_manhattan^]

39 minutes ago, DirkCrisis said:

Derby day! My prediction- Palace to score early and the Maupay or Welbeck gets one back in the 93rd minute which seems to be our standard operating procedure unless we’re playing Brentford this season.

or Everton.  Brighton were unreal for parts of that game.

[skadupuk]

2 hours ago, DirkCrisis said:

Derby day! My prediction- Palace to score early and the Maupay or Welbeck gets one back in the 93rd minute which seems to be our standard operating procedure unless we’re playing Brentford this season.

 

Hmmm...

 

I think your season is going much better than ours, and no Zaha (who LOVES a goal against Brighton).

 

I think the gods have already favoured us with a couple of shithouse wins/results over the last few of seasons at your gaff so I think we are on the end of a 2-0, fucking Maupay for both goals.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Stoppy2000]

Arsenal playing the covid card - despite apparently having only one case. Injuries, suspension and afcon shouldn't be enough to get a game postponed. 

[The Fox]

None of it should be enough to get a game postponed. There shouldn’t have been a single game called off at PL level, it’s absolute nonsense given the size of squad available to these clubs. But the horse has bolted now, and Arsenal’s case is no less spurious than many others that have resulted in postponements.

[Stoppy2000]

1 minute ago, The Fox said:

None of it should be enough to get a game postponed. There shouldn’t have been a single game called off at PL level, it’s absolute nonsense given the size of squad available to these clubs. But the horse has bolted now, and Arsenal’s case is no less spurious than many others that have resulted in postponements.

They (allegedly) have one case! If xhaka hadn't got sent off then they'd be fine. Completely ludicrous if it's postponed. 

[Stoppy2000]

On the plus side it means spurs won't lose this weekend...

[The Fox]

14 minutes ago, Stoppy2000 said:

They (allegedly) have one case! If xhaka hadn't got sent off then they'd be fine. Completely ludicrous if it's postponed. 

It’s not necessarily just about Covid, it’s about how many players you have available, and Arsenal have a lot of injuries on top of Afcon absentees. How that is defined is the issue though, because clearly every PL club could have fulfilled their missed fixtures by dipping into their academies and so on. But the PL/EFL have let the genie out of the bottle now and clubs are clearly trying to game the system.

[Stoppy2000]

2 minutes ago, The Fox said:

It’s not necessarily just about Covid, it’s about how many players you have available, and Arsenal have a lot of injuries on top of Afcon absentees. How that is defined is the issue though, because clearly every PL club could have fulfilled their missed fixtures by dipping into their academies and so on. But the PL/EFL have let the genie out of the bottle now and clubs are clearly trying to game the system.

It's been the case that some teams have had to play when they've had loads of cases (which I don't agree with personally). One case though?!? And some afcon obligations which would have been here regardless? Xhaka getting sent off and some players going off with 'knocks' - this shouldn't permit a game to be moved.