Friends in low countries
Being a Brexiteer doesn’t make me a xenophobic monster. Despite what the voices in your head might be telling you.
Our European cousins have always had a certain panache. If you don’t believe me, just watch that Vikings boxset.
The Dutch footballing authorities are postponing league games in order to give Ajax a better chance in their semifinal against us!
KNVB president Eric Gudde said: “We have looked at all kinds of ways to move games with Ajax progressing so far in the Champions League.
“We have presented our plans to all of the clubs. It is not ideal for everyone, I appreciate that, but this is not just helping Ajax. It is being done to help Dutch football as a whole because it means so much to be successful in Europe.”
The Sun
Whilst I commend these dirt tricks – will the Premier League give Spurs a similar dig out?
Ajax were scheduled to play De Graafschap 48hrs before facing us Lilywhites, but now that game won’t happen.
As it stands, Spurs are still set to play a league game 48hrs before facing the Dutch!
Isn’t about time the Premier League showed some panache themselves?!
Well, alot said their. I’ve played/fan since I could walk. Family played, I played till I couldnt any more. To be fair my team usa only have a few bright spots & most our talent is lost to other sports. I dont like the NFL & lost interest many years ago. It’s a shit game, players normal crash out in 2 years if they are lucky. the owners swap cities based on whomever will get the best tax break for a new stadium. I hope with all the money now (second only to nfl) it doesnt get worse.
KWP is our third choice right back, Skipp is 5th choice defensive midfielder. For all the talk of big squads you’ve also got to look at injuries. Not sure what’s luck or design but we’ve had more than our fair share this season. Where would Liverpool be if VVD and Salah missed 10-15 games through injury? Toby has played the most PL games but even he’s missed 5 games. Dier has managed 14 PL starts, Dele 20, Jan 20. I think the squad has proven to be decent.
Will Robertson
I tend to agree with you there, things normally go awry if we have too much time off.
I think that’s about it, if a VAR helps your team in a crucial decision then there’s no way you cut off your nose to spite your face.
VAR does work but it lacks consistency but then non VAR decisions are naturally even more inconsistent.
For me it’s just the waiting for the decision that’s the issue. They’re getting a greater percentage of key calls right with it, it’s not perfect but it’s more accurate than without.
“It’s killing the game” and shit referees kill it less? People aren’t talking sense.
Reckon Poch has worked out that we have enough chance of top 4 even with a league loss at Citeh. Give it a go on Sat but pretty sure we’ll get beaten. Their squad is too strong in this situation.
Levy doesn’t understand that you need a squad to compete rather than just 7 very good players.
Same old shit from our owners, Skipp, KWP etc. He still want’s money for NoCluedo, just admit it mate, you’re a bloody cheapskate weirdo…
It all comes around. I’m actually really curious what the next “phase of intellectual football minds” take us. It’s all high press or park the bus right now. Maybe not Barca but they have the genius of our generation (just my opinion). Game transforms like us all, but really dont know what the next phase will be.
It hasn’t always worked. Suggested the two corrections I’d make below. The latest I’ve seen was youngs red card in the fa cup reduced to a yellow on a strait up 50/50 call. Watched the replay several times & for me it could have gone either way. Point being if the rule is no irrefutable evidence, the call stands. It moves things along quicker & ref isnt stuck in a impossible position where hes wrong either way. Just says call stands
error
I agree about the artistry of breaking down a defence (not that we’ve displayed much of that this season due to lack of skill/players to properly unlock) and i don’t usually like stuff getting decided by mistakes or teams waiting for that to happen but i do also get really tired of the same old same old from every team every week looking not to concede. City came out with a fuck you attitude that they were going to go right at us from the off, Poch also set up to score (which was all great in itself) and then we got the errors which kicked it all off. Anyway, that’s how i see/saw (sic) it.
Tits were in the sky that I can’t deny.
Yeah i think so but context is everything, in a no0mark match with nothing on the line then no but at this level, when the stakes are so high and with everything usually planned to the n’th degree it was great to see al that go tits up!
But as a neutral, you’re right, i couldnt see how you could feel like a spurs or city fan would
Pep has never really care about proper defending. He still comes from the school of possession is defending. Now that that’s been found out it’s high press instead of proper defending. Maybe 10 years from now goths will be the norm & Mourinho will come back in fashion at 90 as the great savior. Haha
Would you even as a neutral think that? I can understand if your emotionally involved, a fan, but neutrals have been saying this.
Gotta disagree Gaz, it was a wonderous thing to behold and came to us courtesy of good old Mr. Context. You had the extreme pressure of the season, the players hopes, club hopes, money spent and the occasion itself and then we got multiple human errors from humans who usually don’t make that many, in a cauldron atmos that lead to even more pressure and errors. The gameplan of both teams largely went out of the window and we got what we got, a total all in slug-fest. Not that i want to see that every week but given the usual epl fayre of world class bus parking every week it was, at least for me, a hugely welcome refrain. One of the most exciting and dramatic games i’ve ever witnessed and i was happy as to completely give myself over to it, doesn’t happen that often!
I’m scared to ask what that photo is.
My opinion on var is this, with the odd calls here & there.
1. Need a ref to make the call from the booth & inform the ref on the field he missed it. They are a team & dont need the ref on the field to run over to watch several slow motion replays. It would save so much time in the game. ( NFL doesnt do that because there are so many breaks in the game so it doesnt matter. A 1hr game takes 4hrs every week)
2. If that doesnt happen, need a rule that the call on the field stands unless their is irrefutable evidence the call was wrong. Save us alot of time on 50/50 calls made that are still 50/50 in slow motion
Definitely not. It works on some decisions, but most are opinion based and its never going to solve that. Disrupting the whole flow and spontaneity of the sport for the odd right call is mad. Also theres still blatantly wrong decisions happening so…..
But your not wrong. Whatever sport your watching its slowly being catered to the casual fan tuning in for “a high scoring game”. They already know the hardcore fans are bought & paid for. Levy is def watching the model & I do hope it doesnt become as ridiculous as many of the sports here.
Are you sure you’re not confusing ‘working’ with ‘being to your liking’?
Haha. I always have to think about when to say football (soccer) & football (grid iron?) Depending on who im talking too. Tires me out. Haha
Football as in soccer. Ha!
Absolutely.
I mostly agree but
1. Its the spammers 3 days before & wouldnt be surprise at all if they came out headhunting. ( if we suffer another injury we have almost no-one but kids to fill in)
2. It does seem like a double standard to let other leagues rearrange league games to accommodate while the fa does F… all. And make no mistake, it’s only because of the TV money they might lose.
A bit hard on Americans but I get your point. The saying “offense wins you games defense wins you championships” has been lost abit especially basketball. American football the same but you could make the argument it’s to protect players. Either way the games for the most part are about letting superstars score points to make people watch them more on the TV. (I gave up watching most of it awhile ago). with that said, I wouldnt say the game was a circus per say, more like two punch happy boxers in the ring for the first few rounds. I personally playing as a defender growing up, yell just as loud when verts or toby masterfully cut off the angles & do that perfect (yet maybe dangerous tackle) to make the attacking player just look stupid. But do get your point
There’s been a lot of fuss about the City v ENIC fc match, like is it the greatest match ever etc . Darren Gough said it was a credit to the Prem. I can’t understand this, it was a freak show, the defending was so bad it was comical whether fixed or not still not good to watch. The NFL is having this too, regular massive scores cos the new rules have destroyed defence and people don’t like it, its not proper sport. Goals are all very well but theres no artistry because you don’t need to break down a defence that is a farce. It renders the whole thing a circus. If you want basketball madness style football, go and watch ya local under12’s. What we are witnessing now is not football. Its what the Americans want, that’s the entertainment inc people not proper fans. Its not for me.
Just mentioning that photo brings bile to my mouth.
He said it was looking likely but i am psychic and we’re finishing 5th mush. Would love pooh to beat Barca tho as far rather play them in the final, which we will get too, just call me mystic muggins
No rest for the wicked. I’m of the persuasion that momentum is an important factor here. Players who have extended rests tend to rest on their laurels cometh the day of the race. Are out of sorts so to speak. These fakers have a chance of playing in a Champions League final. If that isn’t motivation enough to give it their all to the cause then they fak orf sharpish. Fix bayonets with a bit of guts behind it. On that note I’m going to watch some Stanley Baxter clips from Zulu.
I take it your psychic? Who knows what will happen and would not write Liverpool off from doing the double either. Why are we more likely of 5th than Chelsea or Man Utd. I think we all look iffy
I’m not fussed about them getting a few more days, maybe will help maybe not, i know that whenever we’ve have extended gaps between matches it’s often gone a bit wrong, one of the reasons i think we tend to do so well at Xmas, no time to think, just crack on to the next one and take the momentum with you
We need to sort out how we can beat Ajax and Barca, because 5th is looking very fucking likely.
Dear Harry. Spurs play West Ham on the Saturday before our Tuesday meeting with Ajax. I cannot see any help coming our way to be honest.