Football thread 2022/23

[deerokus]

Part Time Linesman/Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross getting some appropriate comments at Inverness.

 

 

 

[Chewylegs]

9 hours ago, Adrock said:

I enjoy watching Friday to Monday where possible. Nice to have football to look forward on a Monday, knowing you're back to work after the weekend.

That's fair enough.  I like a break from it and as @glb said, prefer Fridays than Mondays.  I still can't believe traveling supporters want to go to games on a Monday though. Also, I don't get the ad-hoc aspect of it, why are there not Monday games every week?

[Plissken]

1 hour ago, Chewylegs said:

That's fair enough.  I like a break from it and as @glb said, prefer Fridays than Mondays.  I still can't believe traveling supporters want to go to games on a Monday though. Also, I don't get the ad-hoc aspect of it, why are there not Monday games every week?

 

There usually are unless there is an international break.  (However, the disruption to the calendar thanks to Covid and Qatar has messed up the last couple of years. The pattern may well change again when we finally get to a "normal" schedule in 2024-25.)

[SMD]

I used to like Monday night games as a kid but honestly it just sucks having the season constantly shift games around. Playing league games on every day of the week during a season puts pressure on fans and puts the players out of their rhythm.

 

When there were barely any games, it was a treat. Now it's an exercise in making sure you've got the fixtures on your calendar so you don't accidentally arrange something that night when normally you'd be clear.

[Fry Crayola]

I much preferred fewer televised games, but mainly so that 3pm slot on a Saturday would be chock full of action instead of a selection of the games the broadcasters didn't want to bother with.

[Plissken]

We've already had four (maybe five) games shifted for TV before the end of September.  Given Sky gave us the thick end of £25m not to broadcast us while we were in the top division, this is a new and annoying feeling, especially as it means those games can't be on iFollow.

[davidcotton]

 

[Fry Crayola]

Being the bored sort, and somewhat inspired by Linfield throwing away a 2-0 lead in the dying minutes in their Conference League qualifier against Latvian side RFS, I wondered which nations had yet to produce a team to qualify for the group stages of any of the three main UEFA tournaments. I opted against extending it back to the Intertoto Cup, because when it had a group stage all you had to do was enter it to be in it. That's no fun.

 

Anyway, the countries gracelessly failing time and time again aren't too surprising:

• Andorra
• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Faroe Islands
• Iceland
• Kosovo
• Liechtenstein
• Lithuania
• Malta
• Montenegro
• Northern Ireland
• San Marino
• Wales (although Swansea City did play in the Europa League groups in 2013-14, no team qualifying via Welsh competition has made it)

Six of those may yet break their duck this season. Linfield's aforementioned collapse was away from home, so they bring a 2-2 scoreline to Windsor Park next week. Ballkani of Kosovo also picked up a 2-1 win over Shkupi in North Macedonia, so are reasonably well placed. Other hopefuls are Zrinjski Mostar (Bosnia), Vaduz (Liechtenstein), Zalgiris (Lithuania) and Hamrun Spartans (Malta), of whom the Maltese are the only ones who are pretty much out of the tie, having lost 4-1 to Partizan Belgrade.

 

Further facts for people also bored - the first team from each nation to qualify for a group stage, and also for the CL groups if that happened later.

 

Spoiler

• Albania - Skënderbeu Korçë, Europa League 15-16
• Armenia - Alashkert, Europa Conference League 21-22
• Austria - Casino Salzburg, Champions League 94-95
• Azerbaijan - Neftçi, EL, 12-13; Qarabag, CL 17-18
• Belarus - BATE Borisov, CL 08-09
• Belgium - Anderlecht, European Cup 91-92
• Bulgaria - CSKA, Litex, Levski Sofia, Uefa Cup 05-06; Levski Sofia, CL 06-07
• Croatia - Hajduk Split, CL 94-95
• Cyprus - Anorthosis Famagusta, CL 08-09
• Czech Republic - Spaarta Prague, EC 91-92 (representing Czechoslovakia); CL 97-98
• Denmark - Aalborg, CL 95-96
• England - Manchester United, CL 94-95
• Estonia - Flora, ECL 21-22
• Finland - HJK, CL 98-99
• France - Marseille, CL 92-93
• Georgia - Dinamo Tbilisi, UC 04-05
• Germany - Werder Bremen, CL 93-94
• Gibraltar - Lincoln Red Imps, ECL 21-22
• Greece - Panathinaikos, EC 91-92
• Hungary - Ferencvaros, CL 95-96
• Israel - Maccabi Haifa, CL 02-03
• Italy - Sampdoria, EC 91-92
• Kazakhstan - Shakhter Karagandy, EL 13-14; Astana, CL 15-16
• Latvia - Ventspils, EL 09-10
• Luxembourg - F91 Dudelange, EL 18-19
• Moldova - Sheriff Tiraspol, EL 09-10; CL 21-22
• Netherlands - PSV, CL 92-93
• North Macedonia - Vardar, EL 17-18
• Norway - Rosenborg, CL 95-96
• Poland - Legia Warsaw, CL 95-96
• Portugal - Benfica, EC 91-92
• Republic of Ireland - Shamrock Rovers, EL 11-12
• Romania - Steaua Bucuresti, CL 94-95
• Russia - CSKA Moscow, CL 92-93
• Scotland - Rangers, CL 92-93
• Serbia - Red Star Belgrade, EC 91-92 (representing Yugoslavia), Partizan Belgrade, CL 03-04 (representing Serbia and Montenegro); Partizan, UC 06-07
• Slovakia - Kosice, CL 97-98
• Slovenia - Maribor, CL 99-00
• Spain - Barcelona, EC 91-92
• Sweden - IFK Göteborg, CL 92-93
• Switzerland - Grasshopper, CL 95-96
• Turkey - Galatasaray, CL 93-94
• Ukraine - Dynamo Kyiv, EC 91-92 (representing CIS); CL 94-95

 

 

[Naysonymous]

20 hours ago, bowser123 said:

That didn’t sound right and upon checking it isn’t. ‘Yes’ are when Utd played in the Champions League

22/23

21/22- yes 

20/21- yes

19/20- 

18/19- yes

17/18- yes

16/17-

15/16- yes

14/15-

13/14- yes

 

I would also say they are one of the favourites for the Europa League though that will depend on who gets knocked out of the CL group stages.

 

 

 

Yeah, my bad there.  I was looking at their league placements, they did finish outside the top four on those occasions but the Europa League win (2016/17) got them into the Champions League when their league position (6th) wouldn't have.   

 

 

 

 

Casemiro looking like it's happening too. The photoshopped image in this tweet is hilariously bad but the signing?  It could go either way, right?   He's no spring chicken and it's a lot of money but nobody can deny he was part of one of the best midfields in Europe over the past five or six years.  It might say more about Real Madrid being prepared to sell a player they've had the best years out of for a high price now they've got Tchouameni and Camavinga in than it does about Manchester United being able to take Madrid's best players from them. 

 

[JamesTW]

I bet they didn't even want him before the Brighton game 

[davidcotton]

49 minutes ago, Naysonymous said:

 

 

Yeah, my bad there.  I was looking at their league placements, they did finish outside the top four on those occasions but the Europa League win (2016/17) got them into the Champions League when their league position (6th) wouldn't have.   

 

 

 

 

Casemiro looking like it's happening too. The photoshopped image in this tweet is hilariously bad but the signing?  It could go either way, right?   He's no spring chicken and it's a lot of money but nobody can deny he was part of one of the best midfields in Europe over the past five or six years.  It might say more about Real Madrid being prepared to sell a player they've had the best years out of for a high price now they've got Tchouameni and Camavinga in than it does about Manchester United being able to take Madrid's best players from them. 

 

Is that a smile or a grimace?  Perhaps he’s thinking “think of the £ think of the £”. 

[fatbob]

1 hour ago, Naysonymous said:

It might say more about Real Madrid being prepared to sell a player they've had the best years out of for a high price now they've got Tchouameni and Camavinga in than it does about Manchester United being able to take Madrid's best players from them. 

 

 

I mean... difficult to give any other interpretation than this to be honest!

 

Madrid in a position of power next to United's position of panicked desperation.

 

He's a good player, and given United have no other defensive midfielders at all right now, he'll definitely give them something.

 

The cost vs. age of the player is a bit maddening given how many great defensive midfield options have moved this summer for much, much less. Also, he doesn't seem to fit the profile of De Jong, so this again seems unplanned and desperate on every level. No real strategy in recruitment as usual.

 

I'm surprised the player would be happy to move to United, but I expect he's been told he won't play much ahead of the world cup... and United will pay him big wages until he's 34+...

 

United's squad is a shambles...  but Casemiro has been class for Madrid... so perhaps they'll lose by fewer goals on average. 

 

[Stopharage]

Man United fans are going to be seething when Nottingham Forest swoop in and sign Casemiro. 

[Jammy]

7 hours ago, Plissken said:

We've already had four (maybe five) games shifted for TV before the end of September.  Given Sky gave us the thick end of £25m not to broadcast us while we were in the top division, this is a new and annoying feeling, especially as it means those games can't be on iFollow.

The ones that are moved close to the actual game are the most annoying. A friend of mine got tickets for a Saturday 3pm game last season for him, wife, and two young kids, and about two weeks before the game it was changed to a midweek evening kickoff. I think he did manage to sell the tickets on the club’s exchange site at least.

 

But it does put me off buying tickets for my son and I.

 

[Chindie]

Palace will be absolutely dumbfounded that they've gone into the break level at Selhurst Park. Villa have been appaling.

[feltmonkey]

The idea of Anthony Gordon going to Chelsea for £50m has been mentioned several times in the BBC text updates on the Everton Vs Forest match.  What?  I know British players tend to cost extra, but that seems a bit mad, doesn't it?

 

[skadupuk]

Villa singing thr praises of VAR in the first half, less so in the second half.

 

(Not seen the handball for the penalty, but by all accounts a bit of a shit decision)

[Stoppy2000]

19 minutes ago, feltmonkey said:

The idea of Anthony Gordon going to Chelsea for £50m has been mentioned several times in the BBC text updates on the Everton Vs Forest match.  What?  I know British players tend to cost extra, but that seems a bit mad, doesn't it?

 

Yeah Everton should be all over that. He's a decent player but don't see him being worth that price. Also how much would he play at Chelsea?!

[ryodi]

Gerrard is going to be sacked before Lampard. 

[Chindie]

Steven Gerrard should be dumped outside Selhurst Park at full time.

[Naysonymous]

It's fine, he'll look serious and disappointed, then say "that's on me." in the post match interview again. The team won't get better.    False dawn officially declared and it's still only August.  

[Chindie]

He's Tim Sherwood with less effort and more front.

[bradigor]

Thanks for confirming that Pep Ljinders should replace Klopp and not Gerrard in a few years.

[wev]

Well, Forest could be disappointed in conceding so shortly after going ahead but it sounded like an even game. At least they have over a third of Derby County's 2007/2008 points haul

[wev]

I can't explain why but Scott Parker's cardigans really annoy me. Also, it's not fucking cardigan weather

[Plissken]

Burnley 3-1 up at half time, should have been 5-0 (their goal came from - to use the technical term - us fannying around at the back), then it's 3-3 in two minutes and both sides end up with ten men.

 

We used to be boring.  I'm now wondering at my age if I'm going to make it into an online commentary somewhere this season as "a medical emergency in the crowd".

[glb]

Dortmund were 2-0 up against Bremen in the 88th minute…

 

 

[skadupuk]

43 minutes ago, Chindie said:

Steven Gerrard should be dumped outside Selhurst Park at full time.

 

What was that free kick routine at the end all about, at 3-1 down and 3 men over the ball doing fakes and then poorly laying it off vs pumping it into the box with everyone in there.

 

I was fuming on Villa fans behalf.

[Chindie]

6 minutes ago, skadupuk said:

 

What was that free kick routine at the end all about, at 3-1 down and 3 men over the ball doing fakes and then poorly laying it off vs pumping it into the box with everyone in there.

 

I was fuming on Villa fans behalf.

 

We have a set piece coach, who's only contribution to the team thus far is a single very good goal, a bunch of whacky free kick/corner routines, and our becoming fucking diabolical at defending set pieces.

[layten]

If only we could play Man Utd every week.