2022-23 Football season

[sparkus]

I remember when that thuggish mob s***wall came to Luton in 1985, absolute mayhem that day!

I blame that plastic pitch.

[webpunter]

I blame that plastic pitch.

IIRC QPR had a shite one too
The school 'astro' pitches were like a faded green slippy carpet on top of concrete 

I've played 5 a side on the new 4G 5G pitches whatever they are called
Not that much different to grass apart from harder hitting the deck & sliding tackles best avoided unless its raining
& you get the black rubber pellets in your boots / trainers

Oh for the days of waterlogged pitches @ school starting the slider a couple of yards away
Being on the receiving end jumping was advisable as the oppo came right through you
Looking back some the matches when it had been pissing it down wouldn't be played now, elf & safety bollox
Pass it on the deck yeah right, you had to get the ball over the puddles for starters 
It was just like the matches on the box in the olden days where there wasn't much grass
I digress [edit: & reminisce], apologies

[mr.bluesky]

I can remember watching "star soccer"  football highlights on a Sunday afternoon back in the 80's and Derby County's baseball ground had more sand on it than blades of grass in the winter  . Like you say the plastic pitches Luton and QPR had were just like rubber mats, the ball would bounce all over the place like a bloody beach ball. These only lasted a couple of seasons before they were banned in England.  Raith Rovers in Scotland however play on an artificial pitch. When Coventry had problems with their pitch at the start of the season caused by the Commonwealth games Rugby 7's tournament they had to bring in a special machine at great expense that implants artificial blades of grass in the bald patch areas.  I know these artificial plastic pitches are more common in the USA's Major League Soccer,  Atlanta utd and Vancouver play on them. A couple of Rugby teams including my own team Coventry Rugby play on them . A lot of players wear leggings to stop getting friction burns on their legs from sliding along the ground.

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[ulstersubbie]

Rooting for my wee team Partick Thistle, playing Ross County in the play off final to reach the Premiership. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[mr.bluesky]

Rooting for my wee team Partick Thistle, playing Ross County in the play off final to reach the Premiership. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

  good luck ulstersubbie and Partick Thistle . I just hope it doesn't go to extra time and penalties  (ps I've always liked Partick Thistles hooped shirts of red and yellow) Up the Jags  I myself have a soft spot for Raith Rovers

[Blackpool Rock]

Rooting for my wee team Partick Thistle, playing Ross County in the play off final to reach the Premiership. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Premiership, these teams are lucky to get 3000 turn up for a home game 

[ulstersubbie]

Premiership, these teams are lucky to get 3000 turn up for a home game 

Sometimes 300 if we're lucky!   

[mr.bluesky]

Sometimes 300 if we're lucky!   

I notice the game is over two legs Home and away, I'd have thought they could have played it at Hampden Park. A day out for these smaller clubs and their fans    It's on Sky football channel on Thursday

[catweazle]

In years gone by, I and some colleagues would have to travel all around the country (individually) for work. One football-mad workmate would always try to find a match to attend  wherever he was - but he gave that idea up after ending up watching Inverness Caledonian Thistle reserves  play Ross County reserves on a bitterly cold snowy night. He and ( he reckons) 9 others were the nights total attendance.

[Blackpool Rock]

Probably best to put this on the footy thread rather than start a new one, not sure when these guys were actually busted but it's saying 5 men have been jailed for streaming Prem games between 2016 and 2021, OK so 2021 by the looks of it but the bodycam shot has a date stamp saying 2018.

£10 a month for all the Prem games including the 3.00 kick off's compared to £80 a month for the legal services which don't show half the games, no wonder 50K people were signed up

I know it's an illegal activity therefore i'm not condoning it as such however it's easy to see why so many people would jump at this service for such a cheap price and the arguments against it will simply be waved away by the majority of people -

3.00 games can't be shown in the UK but if you are on holiday abroad then you can watch them, apparently it's to stop people watching at home and not going to the game which years ago may have been an issue when football violence was rife and crowds were dropping off but these days people struggle to get match tickets

It's organised crime and they aren't paying taxes, well plenty of big international businesses aren't paying their fair share of UK tax either such as the big energy / petroleum companies, Vodafone, A##zon, Starbucks etc. If that is the extent of the organised crime then it isn't that far reaching unlike buying even soft drugs like weed which will have negative effects on 1000's as the ripples spread out

You may be at risk if they sell your details on, OK i'll accept that as a negative risk for the individual purchasing but the streaming sites being riddled with porn sounds like a +ive 

"The Premier League's substantial financial contribution to the entire football pyramid is made possible through the ability to sell our broadcast rights," - Well there are plenty of mega rich players but the price is being paid by the fans turning up to watch the games live or paying an expensive subscription every month.

I did think it was interesting on the news when interviewing fans and asking them if they had ever illegally streamed, most said no as it was going to be broadcast which basically gave you the answer but some Yanks were quite open about the fact that it would never happen in the States as for $5 a month you would be able to watch every game so wouldn't have to illegally stream.

And IMO this is the crux of it, I personally won't pay the stupid money they want but surely if they made it way cheaper then Millions more people would sign up  I'd happily pay £10 a month myself and could possibly stretch to £15 or £20 but any more than that is a rip off.
Last I heard a PPV event was something like £12 or £15 which is just a con, make it £2 and i'm in

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[southcoastpunter]

It's organised crime and they aren't paying taxes, well plenty of big international businesses aren't paying their fair share of UK tax either such as the big energy / petroleum companies, Vodafone, A##zon, Starbucks etc. If that is the extent of the organised crime then it isn't that far reaching unlike buying even soft drugs like weed which will have negative effects on 1000's as the ripples spread out

i fail to see what this paragraph has to do with either football or this illegal (football) streaming story. it seems to me just an opportunity for you to put in your own political view - which i think most of us already know so you don't need to keep re-stating it. If i or anyone else disagreed with it and commented, we would take the thread off topic very quickly.

[Blackpool Rock]

i fail to see what this paragraph has to do with either football or this illegal (football) streaming story. it seems to me just an opportunity for you to put in your own political view - which i think most of us already know so you don't need to keep re-stating it. If i or anyone else disagreed with it and commented, we would take the thread off topic very quickly.

It wasn't but ironically you have taken the thread / post OT and made it so

[WASA38]

Probably best to put this on the footy thread rather than start a new one, not sure when these guys were actually busted but it's saying 5 men have been jailed for streaming Prem games between 2016 and 2021.

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The sentence of eleven years seems inordinately steep to me. Guidelines state that you can get away with as little as 3 years for GBH. Yet another example of how the judiciary in this country value money above an individual's personal well-being.

Sorry; I know -nothing to do with football !

[daviemac]

The sentence of eleven years seems inordinately steep to me. Guidelines state that you can get away with as little as 3 years for GBH. Yet another example of how the judiciary in this country value money above an individual's personal well-being.

Sorry; I know -nothing to do with football !

Maybe you should post things like this on the dedicated political thread and not here.

As an aside they weren't prosecuted for tax evasion so that aspect has nothing to do with it. I have no doubt they paid tax on the goods they bought the same as the rest of us.

[Stretfordender]

£10 a month? I get it off my guy for £30 a year 

[mr.bluesky]

£10 a month? I get it off my guy for £30 a year 

Can you post a link please  ( not that I condone such unlawful behaviour) 

[alftupper]

No, it's only a minimum of 3,000 for stadiums over 30,000 capacity, those below it's 10%. So only 1.000 at Luton. Bournemouth only give out 1,500.

The City Ground's capacity is 30,332.

I stand corrected.

I'm also wrong about the ground sharing, as they started work on upgrading the ground straight away.

[radioman33]

Can you post a link please  ( not that I condone such unlawful behaviour) 

I just got one of them in time for the next premier season but when I opened the box to set it up there was no Leeds in it.

[StingRay]

Maybe Luton ground share with Coventry, it's only 60 miles........ what? 

[mr.bluesky]

Maybe Luton ground share with Coventry, it's only 60 miles........ what? 

They better ask Mike Ashley,  he owns the stadium now.   

[Blackpool Rock]

They better ask Mike Ashley,  he owns the stadium now.   

Shouldn't be a problem if there's a few quid in it for him 

[daviemac]

They better ask Mike Ashley the fat cockney bastard,  he owns the stadium now.   

Corrected that for you.   

I feel sorry for anyone associated with anything he owns, he ran Newcastle into the ground. 18 months of building work at a multi million pound cost and we've managed to get the training ground, that he left at league one standards, to a slightly better than championship requirements, more building work over the summer and it'll be fit for purpose at premier league level.

[mr.bluesky]

Corrected that for you.   

I feel sorry for anyone associated with anything he owns, he ran Newcastle into the ground. 18 months of building work at a multi million pound cost and we've managed to get the training ground, that he left at league one standards, to a slightly better than championship requirements, more building work over the summer and it'll be fit for purpose at premier league level.

  

[myothernameis]

Tottenham looks to be ready to step up talks with Ange Postecoglou as there new manager

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[jackdaw]

Tottenham looks to be ready to step up talks with Ange Postecoglou as there new manager

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“I’ve never planned anything in my life”.

Alas, he sounds like good fit for Spurs.

[shaft10]

Corrected that for you.   

I feel sorry for anyone associated with anything he owns, he ran Newcastle into the ground. 18 months of building work at a multi million pound cost and we've managed to get the training ground, that he left at league one standards, to a slightly better than championship requirements, more building work over the summer and it'll be fit for purpose at premier league level.

Is this a 'stop gap' ?

I thought I'd read somewhere that they were looking into building a brand new state of art training complex with academy etc ..

[daviemac]

Is this a 'stop gap' ?

I thought I'd read somewhere that they were looking into building a brand new state of art training complex with academy etc ..

They are going to build something on the lines of Man City's, they're looking for land but the training facilities, like the stadium, have been neglected for years and were well below the required standard for modern premier league players so something had to be done.  At the moment the academy is at a different location and the long term plan is to have the first team, academy and women's team all in one place

Wholesale changes have been made to the club's training facility after a damning assessment that the old space was arguably below Championship standard. Years of decline by Mike Ashley have been swiftly underdone in the last 18 months as the ownership made it a priority upon arrival.

Newcastle have introduced a bigger main dressing room, hydrotherapy and plunge pools, new outdoor pitches, a new state of the art kitchen, upgraded offices and a brand new building exterior to name just a few changes. Eddie Howe recently admitted players returning from loan stints elsewhere have been left shocked by the vast alterations in such a short space of time.

Newcastle have drawn up and submitted further plans to improve the training ground in the coming months. Drafted proposals have been sent off for a single storey side extension to the north elevation of the building with the purpose of extending the gym area and creating additional office space - to be used by recruitment staff.

In the recent application, Newcastle explained the need for additional gym space and added offices, writing: "Modern professional football demands the provision of bespoke dedicated training facilities to enable teams to compete successfully at the highest levels nationally and internationally."

Newcastle co-owner Amanda Staveley recently admitted plans were being made in regards to a brand new training ground. However, Howe is satisfied with the changes implemented at Benton since his arrival.

[shaft10]

Exciting times for Newcastle fans, what City have done with respect to their training facilities/academy etc is pretty impressive so anything of that ilk will be a massive draw for top players.

[shed]

Dig those bell-bottoms on Kev and the bonnet hair.



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[mr.bluesky]

Dig those bell-bottoms on Kev and the bonnet hair.



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Is that Revie at the airport on his way to the United Arab Emirates after deserting the England job 

[mr.bluesky]

Phil Neville has been sacked as manager of Inter Miami, I would imagine that would be an ideal job for Big Sam , Fat Frank or Stevie G. What's not to like about managing a football team in Sunny Miami 
As expected Lionel Messi is leaving PSG and wants to return to Barcelona but Barca have a transfer imbargo and wouldn't be able to sign him however the talk is of Inter Miami signing him then loaning him out to Barcelona to get round this. Messi would perhaps have one more season in Barcelona before returning to Inter Miami to see out his career in the retirement league of MLS

[WARSZAWA16]

"The best of Saint and Greavsie" is on ITV4 tomorrow at 10.25 am.

[george r]

"The best of Saint and Greavsie" is on ITV4 tomorrow at 10.25 am.

well worth a watch 

[timsussex]

Is that Revie at the airport on his way to the United Arab Emirates after deserting the England job 

No hes coming back with so much cash that he needed a sailor boy to carry half of it !

[ulstersubbie]

well worth a watch 

Very much a highlight of my teenage years. Rarely missed an episode, the banter between the two of them was memorable, especially Greavsie on Scottish goalkeepers!   

[mr.bluesky]

Very much a highlight of my teenage years. Rarely missed an episode, the banter between the two of them was memorable, especially Greavsie on Scottish goalkeepers!   

I will always remember Jimmy Greaves supporting Coventry in the 1987 FA cup final against Spurs despite him being an ex Tottenham player simply because he was big pals of then City manager John Sillet who he played alongside at Chelsea and that Coventry had never won the FA Cup before. Watching Saint and Greavsie was a must back in the day 

[mr.bluesky]

Ridiculous penalty decision against Jack Grealish in the FA cup . It seems the way football is at the moment. 

[jackdaw]

Ridiculous penalty decision against Jack Grealish in the FA cup . It seems the way football is at the moment. 

Just listened to Jack G being interviewed on radio, he’s still clearly fuming about it, interviewer steered him onto other stuff by saying something like “Cheer up, you’ve won”.

[mr.bluesky]

Just listened to Jack G being interviewed on radio, he’s still clearly fuming about it, interviewer steered him onto other stuff by saying something like “Cheer up, you’ve won”.

Perhaps with his win bonus he will be able to buy himself some proper shin pads now 
Loved the shot of the watching Alex Ferguson with a face like thunder when United went 2-1 down 

[shaft10]

Well I think City will get the job done now next week against Inter Milan ...

Will Pep leave if he wraps the treble up?

[mr.bluesky]

Well I think City will get the job done now next week against Inter Milan ...

Will Pep leave if he wraps the treble up?

I think a lot of Manchester United fans will suddenly become Inter Milan fans next week. If Man City do the treble then perhaps Pep will stay on to do a clean sweep adding the Community shield, League Cup and European super cup in one season now that would be some achievement.

[Blackpool Rock]

Well I think City will get the job done now next week against Inter Milan ...

Will Pep leave if he wraps the treble up?

I had a discussion in the pub yesterday with fans of various clubs, some said they didn't want City to do the treble and then someone else said he had been the same but thought Pep may leave if they manage to do it so now wanted them to win so it gives other clubs a chance

[dexpunt]

Pep may leave if they manage to do it so now wanted them to win so it gives other clubs a chance
[/quote]

As a Geordie I'm happy if Pep stays for a while longer. I think he raises the bar and will drag other clubs along with City. I might change my mind in a few years though

[ulstersubbie]

A most disappointed Partick Thistle fan at the moment. Always devastating to lose on penalties, but we threw the game away in normal time. 

[mr.bluesky]

A most disappointed Partick Thistle fan at the moment. Always devastating to lose on penalties, but we threw the game away in normal time. 

I know how you feel ulstersubbie, loosing on penalties is the worst way to loose. I thought 2-0 up from the first leg and 3-0 on the day  you'd be half way there. Looks like both our teams will have at least one more season in our respective championships . There's always next year

[shed]

Pep may leave if they manage to do it so now wanted them to win so it gives other clubs a chance


As a Geordie I'm happy if Pep stays for a while longer. I think he raises the bar and will drag other clubs along with City. I might change my mind in a few years though

I'd be very surprised if he was even considering leaving. City are in their peak moment whereas United, Newcastle, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool are developing or re building. In Europe Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich are having to rebuild so the PL and CL is at city's disposal for the next two to three years. At that stage he would leave when the competition has caught up or gone past them.

He did that at Barcelona moving to Bayern where he didn't win the CL and then seven years ago to city where he inherited super wealthy owners and a very decent team which has taken him seven years to get to their peak.

Personally, and this is no grudge against city, my money is on inter to beat them. Italian sides in finals are very difficult to beat. But we will see. 

[mr.bluesky]

After the way Man City destroyed Real Madrid in the Semi final I can't see Inter coping with Man City's attack. The only way I can see Inter winning is snatching an early goal then " parking the bus". Italian teams are the masters of defending a lead.

[JontyR]

Pep has been known to overthink on one off matches. Making changes which undercut his own side. Hope he has learnt his lesson in this regard.

[nwluvit]

He clearly overthought the 1st goal! Beautiful example of the long ball!!
Not usually in Citeh's armoury and certainly caught Manure out!

[jackdaw]

Pep has been known to overthink on one off matches. Making changes which undercut his own side. Hope he has learnt his lesson in this regard.

I think we could all have a go at predicting starting eleven now, and 9 of the 11 names would be same in all our picks. And the 2 differences would be marginal...whether to pick Silva or Mahrez, for example.

There won't be any surprises this time. (But then I'm often proven wrong!).

Hope City win, they deserve to.