Author Topic: 2020/21 football season  (Read 67152 times)

Offline Blackpool Rock

More VAR controversy last night, how the hell was Watkins offside? His arm was out because the West Ham defender had his arms around his neck which forced Watkins own arm out and was therefore called offside according to the twats at Stockley Park.

I think we need technology, but it sure needs a few tweaks.
Anyway what about the FA cup 3rd round draw.

Will the repeat of Villa Vs Liverpool produce another 7-2 thrashing or will Liverpool be more dangerous like a wounded Tiger this time and Villa reap the whirlwind

Offline chrishornx

Seasiders v WBA far more important BR

Can we do them over ?

Offline Marmalade

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ffs.....

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Footballer launches kung-fu kick on referee as crunch game ends in mass chaos. Outrageous.

Quite funny though!

Offline george r

ffs.....

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Footballer launches kung-fu kick on referee as crunch game ends in mass chaos. Outrageous.

Quite funny though!

a few people wearing masks but not much social distancing  :D

Offline Blackpool Rock


Offline Marmalade

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Offline Marmalade

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Didn't realise Cantona was managing them  :D

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There are ‘footballers’ who would at least have the sense to do it before the other team scored a crucial goal.

Offline Jumping Jack Flash

Anyway what about the FA cup 3rd round draw.

Will the repeat of Villa Vs Liverpool produce another 7-2 thrashing or will Liverpool be more dangerous like a wounded Tiger this time and Villa reap the whirlwind

Lightning doesn’t strike twice.

Both teams won’t play their first choice and I’d expect Liverpool’s second string to comfortably beat us, their squad depth/quality is better than Villa’s.

Offline mr.bluesky

Seasiders v WBA far more important BR

Can we do them over ?

Can't imagine WBA putting out a strong team. Looking at their league position they will be concentrating on staying in the Premier league without the distraction of the FA cup. Same goes for all the teams at the bottom of the respective leagues and all the teams at the top. The FA cup doesn't hold the same attraction nowdays unfortunately it's all about the cash cow of the premier league. It's only at the later stages will the big teams think about putting out strong teams. With the likes of Klopp complaining about a hectic fixture schedule I don't suppose he's too bothered about it either. Just hope come final day fans are allowed back into Wembly
« Last Edit: December 02, 2020, 04:12:44 pm by mr.bluesky »

Offline chrishornx

Just hope come final day fans are allowed back into Wembly

and hopefully the Seasiders will be there  :yahoo: :yahoo: :yahoo:

Offline PatrickCarnes

Can the mighty Spurs finally win their first title in 60 years? 60 years! Anythings possible with Jose sorting out the defence and hitting teams on the break to sneak 1-0 wins. I hope so but my head says they'll come close but not enough true quality in reserve in midfield or defence to win it.

Offline Blackpool Rock

Can the mighty Spurs finally win their first title in 60 years? 60 years! Anythings possible with Jose sorting out the defence and hitting teams on the break to sneak 1-0 wins. I hope so but my head says they'll come close but not enough true quality in reserve in midfield or defence to win it.
Spurs best chance was the year Leicester won it when all the other big players seemed to conspire not to win it for themselves, can't believe that was all the way back in 15/16  :scare:

They were talking on 5 live last week about how wide open it is this year and how Jose has an amazing record of winning the league in his 2nd season with a club, he even took a poor Man Utd to 2nd place

Offline Gordon Bennett

Millwall fans booing BLM Knee at start of their game today



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« Last Edit: December 05, 2020, 05:30:22 pm by Gordon Bennett »

Offline Blackpool Rock

Millwall fans booing BLM Knee at start of their game today



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Not exactly a shock that, Millwall have attracted scum for years

Offline Gordon Bennett

I see they play QPR at Den on Tuesday. QPR don't take the knee, stopped doing it this season so will be probably a lot of attention and scrutiny on the pre-match rituals.
Prem clubs had the anti-homophobic laces in today too I noticed.

Offline Sparta Prada

While all of the other 3 English clubs cruised as winners of their respective Champions League groups - with a game to spare - Manchester United crashed out last night despite being leading their group for most of the campaign.

There has always been this feeling that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is not the man to take them forward, even when he had that fantastic sequence of results as interim manager. Yes he returned them to top 4 in the Premier League last season and may well do so again in the current campaign. But now he’s been in charge for two years, is this really enough for a club of that stature?

Offline Blackpool Rock

While all of the other 3 English clubs cruised as winners of their respective Champions League groups - with a game to spare - Manchester United crashed out last night despite being leading their group for most of the campaign.

There has always been this feeling that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is not the man to take them forward, even when he had that fantastic sequence of results as interim manager. Yes he returned them to top 4 in the Premier League last season and may well do so again in the current campaign. But now he’s been in charge for two years, is this really enough for a club of that stature?
Yeah they won their 1st two CL games beating PSG away and then thrashing RB Leipzig 5-0 at home and looked to be in control of the group sure to qualify even in 2nd place

Solskjaer has a major rebuilding exercise to do but then again so does any new manager going there if they replace him.
After Fergie it was always going to be an impossible task as if they kept winning it would have been deemed on the back of Fergies work building the team / club and if results dipped they are deemed to have fucked up what Fergie built.
I believe however that a lot of people are of the opinion that the team was going to dip in form / results even if Fergie had stayed due to the lack of depth and class players in the squad if the 1st choice 11 were out for some reason as they couldn't replace a world class player with similar like they previously could.

In some leagues where there isn't as much competition or the money is more concentrated amongst a few clubs it's easier to stay at the top, look at Rangers / Celtic or Barca / Real Madrid etc but in England while the majority of money is still concentrated on some clubs and not others there are still more who have big budgets and being the Prem it has attracted rich foreign investors to pump mega bucks into a particular club, Man City were nowhere until the oil money poured in

Man Utd had 15-20 years at the top being challenged by 1 or possibly 2 clubs each season for the crown but the challengers came and went over the years, Arsenal in the late 90's and Chelsea in the early 00's and more recently Man City and now Liverpool both at a time when Utd's form has dipped.
There is a real parallel here between Man Utd now and Liverpool who were dominant in the 70's and 80's but fell off the pace, both clubs on the right day when everything clicks are capable of beating any team that they play but the only consistent thing is their inconsistency.

Empires rise and empires fall but the big money men are involved now and Utd's business model really means they need to be getting CL football every season and then having a decent run in the knock out stages, if the Glazer family start to see the cash flow running out and pull out they could be fucked if they don't get another buyer who will pump money in   

Offline mr.bluesky

Even Barcelona are struggling in La Liga this season. Only half way up the league table and loosing to teams they would normally have no trouble beating  :unknown:

Offline Blackpool Rock

West Brom have sacked Bilic despite them drawing 1-1 with Man City last night, can't believe Chris Wilder hasn't been sacked from Sheffield Utd, 1 point from 12 games must be the worst start to the Prem ever after 12 games  :unknown:

Strange results again at the top with none of the big boys seemingly wanting to take the reins, that's how I recall things from a few years back when Leicester won it so perhaps it's wide open for someone else again rather than a big money spender  :unknown:

Liverpool and Spurs tonight should be good but i wonder if Moaninho will park the bus to kill the game and settle for a point and boring 0-0 draw away from home

Offline Londonpunter30

They’ve appointed Sam Alladyce can’t see him being any better

Offline Blackpool Rock

They’ve appointed Sam Alladyce can’t see him being any better
Perhaps he can buy them a win, Big Sam knows the score  ;)

Offline mr.bluesky

They’ve appointed Sam Alladyce can’t see him being any better

Sounds like an act of desperation.  Can't see them stopping up this season. Teams in the bottom 3 at Christmas are the ones usually relegated at the end of the season.

Offline webpunter

Don't want Solskjaer to be too shite
van Gaal & Moyes ticked this box
And they were gorne
So the special one arrives & there is an improvement
Would prefer a reasonable performance from Solskjaer
A cup run, just missing out on the finals or semis
And finishing 5th / 6th so they get the Europa
This pisses off the fans coz more sunday matches
[not so important with lockdown - no Sat footy outings etc], costs them money & generally fucks the season
Given the level of investment fantastically crap
Much prefer the scum to dwell just above mediocrity
Long may it continue  :lol:

Solskjaer has a major rebuilding exercise to do but then again so does any new manager going there if they replace him.
After Fergie it was always going to be an impossible task as if they kept winning it would have been deemed on the back of Fergies work building the team / club and if results dipped they are deemed to have fucked up what Fergie built.
I believe however that a lot of people are of the opinion that the team was going to dip in form / results even if Fergie had stayed due to the lack of depth and class players in the squad if the 1st choice 11 were out for some reason as they couldn't replace a world class player with similar like they previously could.

Fergie was shrewd, breaking the transfer policy to sign van Persie
It was time for him to move on after being the most successful manager, ever
He knew it [he'd served his time, no doubt wanted to retire, somewhat influenced with the outlook not looking promising]
vP sure helped get the final title
Then Fergie was gorne too 
Timing is everything

Offline The Film Director

West Brom have sacked Bilic despite them drawing 1-1 with Man City last night,

Disgraceful, now I will definitely be hoping they go down.  :thumbsdown:

Offline mr.bluesky

Perhaps he can buy them a win, Big Sam knows the score  ;)


Looking in one of todays papers it seems that Big Sam does have a remarkable record of taking over teams that are in the shit and getting them out of the relegation zone . As a long term solution he might not be the answer but as a quick fix he may just save them. Mind you he doesn't come cheap.

Offline paper7


Offline Blackpool Rock


Looking in one of todays papers it seems that Big Sam does have a remarkable record of taking over teams that are in the shit and getting them out of the relegation zone . As a long term solution he might not be the answer but as a quick fix he may just save them. Mind you he doesn't come cheap.
I thought Big Sam did a great job at Bolton where he got them to consistently finish around 6th - 8th without spending big money so they were punching above their weight.

Offline Jumping Jack Flash

I thought Big Sam did a great job at Bolton where he got them to consistently finish around 6th - 8th without spending big money so they were punching above their weight.

He did and Bolton were an attractive side to watch back then. That was 20 years ago and he’s not managed it since at several clubs. Football has evolved since then but Sam hasn’t evolved with it.

Offline Londonpunter30

He did and Bolton were an attractive side to watch back then. That was 20 years ago and he’s not managed it since at several clubs. Football has evolved since then but Sam hasn’t evolved with it.

Exactly my thoughts.  He’s an old school manager.  May get results for a few games, but can’t see him doing better than Bilic

Offline Blackpool Rock

Exactly my thoughts.  He’s an old school manager.  May get results for a few games, but can’t see him doing better than Bilic
Impressive record as England Manager though, in fact the best ever in terms of win %  :D

Offline Blackpool Rock

Listened to the early game today on the radio, Liverpool haven't been good away from home this season however it sounded like shooting fish in a barrel today where they put 7 past Palace who very often give them a good run, palace were the last side to beat them at Anfield in the league with Big Sam as the manager

Offline paper7

Listened to the early game today on the radio, Liverpool haven't been good away from home this season however it sounded like shooting fish in a barrel today where they put 7 past Palace who very often give them a good run, palace were the last side to beat them at Anfield in the league with Big Sam as the manager
Watched it on TV. Liverpool were clinical, Palace had no answer. Seriously, HOW does any manager 'pick' the side up mentally for the next game after a comprehensive drubbing like that?

Offline Gordon Bennett

Watched it on TV. Liverpool were clinical, Palace had no answer. Seriously, HOW does any manager 'pick' the side up mentally for the next game after a comprehensive drubbing like that?

7 goals but was it really a drubbing? Palace never looked hapless, outplayed and battered. Just one of those games that everything clicks for one team and everything flies in the net for them too. Was it substantially different to Liverpool game at Villa when they shipped 7. I don't think there's much for Woy to do, just forget it and move on.

Offline ratedj

7 goals but was it really a drubbing? Palace never looked hapless, outplayed and battered. Just one of those games that everything clicks for one team and everything flies in the net for them too. Was it substantially different to Liverpool game at Villa when they shipped 7. I don't think there's much for Woy to do, just forget it and move on.

Of course it was, just as Liverpool's defeat to Villa was a drubbing. However, in this case you have to take into account the opposition, and because of that I doubt that Palace will dwell too much too much on the result. There was actually a period during the first half when Palace had sustained pressure, but there was that moment where Ayew inexplicably failed to find Zaha. After that they got exactly what they deserved.

Offline Blackpool Rock

Just looked at the Prem table and despite many people saying Ollie is for the chop and that Man Utd aren't very good ATM they currently sit 3rd after taking Leeds apart yesterday.
If they win their game in hand then they go 2nd only 2 points behind Liverpool and looking at the last 5 results they have the best form in the league, i'm thinking these guys have been flying under the radar  :unknown:

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The biggest under performers this season are Arsenal with 14 points from 14 games it's their worst start since 74/75  :scare:

Offline mr.bluesky



The biggest under performers this season are Arsenal with 14 points from 14 games it's their worst start since 74/75  :scare:

One of the few top flight teams to have never been relegated. Could this be the year they go down with Sheffield Utd and West Brom. I think a change of manager and they will turn their season round. I think Sheffield Utd are suffering from 2nd season syndrome.  Teams have now sussed them out. The Baggies are going to do their usual trick of yo yo ing between the divisions.

Offline threechilliman

Just looked at the Prem table and despite many people saying Ollie is for the chop and that Man Utd aren't very good ATM they currently sit 3rd after taking Leeds apart yesterday.
If they win their game in hand then they go 2nd only 2 points behind Liverpool and looking at the last 5 results they have the best form in the league, i'm thinking these guys have been flying under the radar  :unknown:

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The biggest under performers this season are Arsenal with 14 points from 14 games it's their worst start since 74/75  :scare:

Strange indeed. The media love to concentrate on the negatives with Man (until yesterday our home form was poor) whilst ignoring the positibes (tremendous away form if you ignore the first half of games).

In all honesty none of the so-called 'big' teams have covered themselves in glory this season. I suspect the lack of crowds is a bit of a leveller here. Teams that deal with it best will be the one's to watch as I doubt crowds in full will be back before next season at the earliest.

Offline Blackpool Rock

Strange indeed. The media love to concentrate on the negatives with Man (until yesterday our home form was poor) whilst ignoring the positibes (tremendous away form if you ignore the first half of games).

In all honesty none of the so-called 'big' teams have covered themselves in glory this season. I suspect the lack of crowds is a bit of a leveller here. Teams that deal with it best will be the one's to watch as I doubt crowds in full will be back before next season at the earliest.
Yeah i'm sure I heard a week or so ago that this season more teams have won away from home than at home, lack of crowds to lift the home side but also lack of crowd to get on the backs of the away players and influence the officials

Offline Londonpunter30

One of the few top flight teams to have never been relegated. Could this be the year they go down with Sheffield Utd and West Brom. I think a change of manager and they will turn their season round. I think Sheffield Utd are suffering from 2nd season syndrome.  Teams have now sussed them out. The Baggies are going to do their usual trick of yo yo ing between the divisions.

They’ve certainly been poor, but can’t see them dropping into the relegation zone.  Give it a few more games and they will overtake palace and a few others. 

A low finish and no crowds could affect them financially though

Offline Gordon Bennett

I see that Villa v Palace is on BBC1 live at 3pm today. Also, Sky One is showing Rangers game and Celtic game live today.... A bit of footy not behind a paywall. Also, there are games on Amazon Prime this coming week.

Offline Marmalade

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If you travel a lot and don’t have a baked-in allegiance to one team, it’s very hard not to be at least a nominal supporter of Man United. They are a global brand and the British team most celebrated and shown on foreign tv. The only other club I hear mentioned quite often when travelling is Arsenal, which I find an embarrassment. As a Scot, I have to point out that they are an “English team”.

When watching at home or in the pub with mates, I’m just interested in who’s playing well. It’s one of the advantages of coming from a country where our football is mostly pretty shit. Same for our lager (though there are some people who drink it even on here). Don’t vaunt your weaknesses. Know your strengths. And those of others.

Offline paper7

If you travel a lot and don’t have a baked-in allegiance to one team, it’s very hard not to be at least a nominal supporter of Man United. They are a global brand and the British team most celebrated and shown on foreign tv. The only other club I hear mentioned quite often when travelling is Arsenal, which I find an embarrassment. As a Scot, I have to point out that they are an “English team”.

When watching at home or in the pub with mates, I’m just interested in who’s playing well. It’s one of the advantages of coming from a country where our football is mostly pretty shit. Same for our lager (though there are some people who drink it even on here). Don’t vaunt your weaknesses. Know your strengths. And those of others.
Wise words. I know some people who would do well to heed that.
« Last Edit: December 27, 2020, 01:26:59 am by paper7 »

Offline webpunter

Its very easy not to be a nominal scum supporting ****
Proves what the scootish know about footy  :lol:
Amongst footy fans [who support varied clubs] if you ask which team are a bunch of ***** there is one common answer

Don't want Solskjær to be too shite
Otherwise he'll be replaced
Finishing 5th or 6th will be fine
The europa fucks the season & when fans are allowed back they have to go to matches on numerous Sundays
Fucks the weekend & a big hit when it comes to matchday income especially hospitality  :yahoo:

If you travel a lot and don’t have a baked-in allegiance to one team, it’s very hard not to be at least a nominal supporter of Man United. They are a global brand and the British team most celebrated and shown on foreign tv. The only other club I hear mentioned quite often when travelling is Arsenal, which I find an embarrassment. As a Scot, I have to point out that they are an “English team”.

Offline Marmalade

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Well the Scots clearly know even less than that otherwise we’d win a game occasionally 

It’s all a matter of taste. Is it fair to roll on the ground in Neymar agony claiming foul when someone barely touched you? Or kick the fuck out of a strong opponent when goals are more important than pretty coloured cards? At the end of the day, right or wrong, it’s about winning. There’s certain styles I find less attractive than others, I’d rather watch Brazil than Japan, and I’m nominally against goal line technology. But tomorrow’s another day. Tastes can always change...

The thing with Scots we can take the piss out of ourselves faster than our friends south of the border, who seem strangely sensitive at times. Now if you’d like to take some Johnnie Walker off our hands...
 :drinks:

Offline Blackpool Rock

Its very easy not to be a nominal scum supporting ****
Proves what the scootish know about footy  :lol:
Amongst footy fans [who support varied clubs] if you ask which team are a bunch of ***** there is one common answer

Don't want Solskjær to be too shite
Otherwise he'll be replaced
Finishing 5th or 6th will be fine
The europa fucks the season & when fans are allowed back they have to go to matches on numerous Sundays
Fucks the weekend & a big hit when it comes to matchday income especially hospitality  :yahoo:
I've picked up on previous posts that you don't like Man Utd but just wonder who you follow and whether it's one of the natural foe of said team or just a general dislike of them  :unknown:

People like to follow / support winners so for many children growing up they will naturally fall behind whichever club is dominant at that moment in time.
This will more likely be the case in areas where they don't have a big club to support and / or their parents don't influence them to follow a certain club.
I can remember as a kid growing up there were quite a lot of teenagers who were older than me who followed Leeds as they had been successful in the early 70's, Man Utd and Liverpool also seemed to be supported by many and strangely Chelsea but I think they won an FA cup early 70's and recall a song about "blue is the colour"  :unknown:

Taking the country as a whole it does seem that Man Utd and Liverpool have both constantly attracted a lot of support from all over the place and this looks to be either from success at that moment or from the historical success
I've also noticed however big spikes in support for other clubs as they became successful (unless their fans simply kept quiet when they weren't winning but I doubt someone in the middle of Cumbria or Cornwall was a life long Arsenal fan until they got results  :rolleyes:)

So as Liverpool fell off the pace in the early 90's and Man Utd took up the reins even more new supporters followed them. then there were spikes in support for Arsenal; Chelsea and a few years ago Man City shirts started to be seen in public and no doubt Liverpool will now start to attract more support again.

I never had any issues with Arsenal and Chelsea starting to win things and to begin with at the start of their successful periods their fans were Ok and seemed to just be genuinely pleased they were competitive and won the league or a cup etc.
What I did notice however was that after a few years of being at or around the top the fans mentality changed and they started to disappear up their own arses, perhaps that's just human nature when you're used to being at the top  :unknown:
I say this as a result of observing fans reactions as I was in a phase of going to the pub to watch big matches from the mid 90's to about 2005 and talking to fans of various sides.
It's the thing that as a neutral you perhaps take a more objective view so while I thought that say Chelsea had played crap but managed to scrape a lucky 1-1 draw from a dodgy penalty decision when you talked to a Chelsea fan they would claim they were the better side and should have won.

Quite a few Liverpool fans actually seemed to be more realistic and would concede that they simply weren't good enough on the day, they'd also admit they were lucky to win / draw if the side hadn't played well

I didn't notice any change in the attitude of Man Utd fans who win; lose or draw remained up their own arses regardless and would maintain they should have won every game even if they had played shite and only got a result by intimidating the match officials (That's also called cheating  :thumbsdown:)

Obviously there are natural enemies for teams based on local or localish rivalries so London teams have rivalries such as Arsenal / Spurs and Midlands such as Derby / Forest and Villa / West Brom then you have Man Utd / City and Man Utd / Liverpool but not Man City / Liverpool  :unknown:
I'm wondering country wide where people have no local reason to dislike a team what team is generally the most disliked and why, IMO Man Utd are a bit Marmite and you either follow them or hate them  :unknown:


Offline Jumping Jack Flash

I don’t have any issue with Man Utd, at their peak they were a good side to watch. However I don’t particularly like their fans, especially those that have never set foot in Manchester let alone visited Old Trafford yet they still crow in their red shirts whenever they beat your team or less frequently these days, win a trophy. So as a result I enjoy seeing Man Utd going through a lean patch.




Offline mr.bluesky

I don’t have any issue with Man Utd, at their peak they were a good side to watch. However I don’t particularly like their fans, especially those that have never set foot in Manchester let alone visited Old Trafford yet they still crow in their red shirts whenever they beat your team or less frequently these days, win a trophy. So as a result I enjoy seeing Man Utd going through a lean patch.


Have to agree with you Jumping Jack Flash. What I hate about them is they seem to think they are the biggest club team in the world just because they sell a few million replica shirts in China. A recent question on the quiz show The Chase asked which team has the fewest % of fans who come from that area. The answer was not surprisingly Manchester Utd. I think my dislike of them simply goes back to when Alex Ferguson was in charge . When the likes of Law Charlton and Best played for them they were a team that you could admire.
« Last Edit: December 28, 2020, 03:15:56 pm by mr.bluesky »

Offline webpunter

There's only two teams which i don't particularly like
The scum, clear from posts 'above'
Agree with other comments bout their fans
It was amusing when the wheels started falling off after Fergie left
Players like Ashley Young clearly not liking being dominant any longer
Him & some of his team mates having a bad attitude on the pitch towards the oppo
And especially the the officials
The other being Arsenal, with Arsene Whinger going on & on. Not forgetting " i didn't see that "
The tear ups between these teams a decade ago was epic
If both these teams had strong characters in the squad, like they used to have, some of the performance issues would evaporate

Prefer to watch teams with a more attacking style of play
Like Spurs & City [the latter after a recent wobble]
Much more interesting with the teams at the top not producing predictable results
Like Liverpool surprisingly stumble against the Baggies with Big Sam at the helm
& its hard not to like Leicester, even tho Brodgers can be a smug twat [less so recently]

Offline Gordon Bennett

Everton v City off due to covid outbreak at city.

I reckon prem teams that catch Covid should be made to forfeit the points - makes a mockery of all the testing and social bubbling they're allegedly doing.

Offline threechilliman

Everton v City off due to covid outbreak at city.

I reckon prem teams that catch Covid should be made to forfeit the points - makes a mockery of all the testing and social bubbling they're allegedly doing.
+1.