Football 2024/25

[FeverDream]

1 hour ago, charlierc said:

Le sigh. A few good wins in a row for Newcastle followed up by a home faceplant against a West Ham side who spent most of the international break being the focus of "manager set to be sacked" rumours. Should really have known better.

Such a frustrating game. If Isak wasn’t off-side for that first half goal I’m confident we’d have gone on to take all 3 points. We really struggle against low block teams and it’s clear that’s one of Howe’s weaknesses. This was an absolute must win match and would have had us 2 points off 2nd place… only saving grace is our fixture run remains fairly generous into Jan.
 

I’m not one for singling out individual players… but Lloyd Kelly man. I thought it was a good bit of business initially given he was a free, but I am starting to worry with Krafth injured and Botman seemingly no closer to return. At least Burn is back next match. 

[charlierc]

10 hours ago, FeverDream said:

Such a frustrating game. If Isak wasn’t off-side for that first half goal I’m confident we’d have gone on to take all 3 points. We really struggle against low block teams and it’s clear that’s one of Howe’s weaknesses. This was an absolute must win match and would have had us 2 points off 2nd place… only saving grace is our fixture run remains fairly generous into Jan.
 

I’m not one for singling out individual players… but Lloyd Kelly man. I thought it was a good bit of business initially given he was a free, but I am starting to worry with Krafth injured and Botman seemingly no closer to return. At least Burn is back next match. 

Botman I think is back ahead of schedule - it's a long term injury that was mismanaged last season so he is apparently potentially available soon. But yeah defence is a concern.

 

Plus yeah, the inability to break down the low block, incoherent substitutions and missing chances all counted against us. And ofc what is football if not a sport where you lose the games you think you should win.

[charlierc]

12 hours ago, kaosmark2 said:

Yeah definitely. There's quite a few games they could've pinched - the Liverpool one I remember thinking they possibly deserved more - but they've got enough about them that I'm hoping they just don't have a season-ruining run of bad form.

 

Palace are the one I find most curious - I think they've been really missing Wharton and Eze's looked a bit isolated creatively at times - but they've got enough else that I can't help but think they'll surely sort themselves out at some point. The rest of the bottom 6 I all thought would be around there from before but I just think they've got too much quality to be mired there all season. Having said/thought this about other teams that have gone down in the past...

It's a fairly open field at the bottom imo. But we'll see what happens. Football is ofc not predictable - I don't think I saw Leicester and Leeds going down in the season before last ,yet they did, while I thought Wolves would go down but their bizarre sequence of playing all the big teams then all the teams around then may yet work in their favour.

 

Certainly I'm going to hope Palace are beatable given that's where Newcastle go next.

[FeverDream]

47 minutes ago, charlierc said:

Botman I think is back ahead of schedule - it's a long term injury that was mismanaged last season so he is apparently potentially available soon. But yeah defence is a concern.

 

Plus yeah, the inability to break down the low block, incoherent substitutions and missing chances all counted against us. And ofc what is football if not a sport where you lose the games you think you should win.

Ah wonderful news, I’ve deleted X and don’t tend to keep up with press conferences so miss a fair bit of injury news, so nice to see he’s ahead of schedule. Hopefully Palace is a win and we get back on track as I’m not expecting anything from the Liverpool game 🤞🏻😬

[thetime]

2 hours ago, charlierc said:

It's a fairly open field at the bottom imo. 

 

You would fully expect Everton in the bottom 3 on Boxing Day, nasty run in December. 

 

 

[charlierc]

3 hours ago, FeverDream said:

Ah wonderful news, I’ve deleted X and don’t tend to keep up with press conferences so miss a fair bit of injury news, so nice to see he’s ahead of schedule. Hopefully Palace is a win and we get back on track as I’m not expecting anything from the Liverpool game 🤞🏻😬

Well I knew it was long term for Botman - making him play on an injured ACL between Christmas and Easter last season was a terrible idea so it made sense it would be a while. But hopefully it'll be ok.

 

Admittedly Howe has in the past been one of those managers who tends to be selective with the info in press conferences.

[charlierc]

1 hour ago, thetime said:

 

You would fully expect Everton in the bottom 3 on Boxing Day, nasty run in December. 

 

 

Yikes. And given how much Everton found breaking down a 10 man Brentford on Saturday to be hard work, this isn't promising.

[thetime]

6 hours ago, charlierc said:

Yikes. And given how much Everton found breaking down a 10 man Brentford on Saturday to be hard work, this isn't promising.

 

On the brightside, they have utd at the weekend. 😂

[charlierc]

Man City just blew a 3-0 lead to draw with Feyernoord in the Champions League... the f**k is happening to them?

[thetime]

1 hour ago, charlierc said:

Man City just blew a 3-0 lead to draw with Feyernoord in the Champions League... the f**k is happening to them?

 

f**king Liverpool fans are going to be more annoying than usual. 

[kaosmark2]

2 hours ago, charlierc said:

Man City just blew a 3-0 lead to draw with Feyernoord in the Champions League... the f**k is happening to them?

Injury crisis, and aging squad amplifying bits of poor form. I think they'll be fine over the season but it's still a bit funny.

[charlierc]

9 hours ago, thetime said:

f**king Liverpool fans are going to be more annoying than usual. 

At this rate, they'll be disappointed if they don't beat Man City on Sunday imo.

8 hours ago, kaosmark2 said:

Injury crisis, and aging squad amplifying bits of poor form. I think they'll be fine over the season but it's still a bit funny.

I mean, lose on Sunday and the title suddenly becomes a bit of a long-shot for them. But yeah, it's still interesting. I know the fact they have no real Rodri replacement and, as has been clocked, also don't really have a Ruben Dias stand-in as he's been absent for this collapse in form of theirs.

[thetime]

16 minutes ago, charlierc said:

 

I mean, lose on Sunday and the title suddenly becomes a bit of a long-shot for them. But yeah, it's still interesting. I know the fact they have no real Rodri replacement and, as has been clocked, also don't really have a Ruben Dias stand-in as he's been absent for this collapse in form of theirs.

 

I'm unsure, Liverpool have been getting away with it so far this season. 

 

Could be very tight this season, wouldn't rule out someone like Chelsea winning it. 

 

City certainly have it to reel in one team. 

[kaosmark2]

1 hour ago, charlierc said:

At this rate, they'll be disappointed if they don't beat Man City on Sunday imo.

I mean, lose on Sunday and the title suddenly becomes a bit of a long-shot for them. But yeah, it's still interesting. I know the fact they have no real Rodri replacement and, as has been clocked, also don't really have a Ruben Dias stand-in as he's been absent for this collapse in form of theirs.

Well Kovacic is their backup to Rodri and he's been injured as well

[Skip997]

4 hours ago, thetime said:

 

I'm unsure, Liverpool have been getting away with it so far this season. 

It certainly feels that way, but remember the Ferguson Man Utd teams that seemed to produce late comebacks and get contentious decisions in their favour almost every week 

[charlierc]

9 hours ago, kaosmark2 said:

Well Kovacic is their backup to Rodri and he's been injured as well

Yeah - having the back-up to the back-up out will always be unhelpful. Hence playing Gundogan out of position as a CDM when it doesn't really work.

[charlierc]

22 hours ago, thetime said:

 

f**king Liverpool fans are going to be more annoying than usual. 

How's one going to react to news Liverpool just beat Real Madrid and indeed could've won by a bigger margin?

 

Perhaps a consolation for Sunday is that they might have defensive injury problems from that meeting with Mbappe & the gang.

[Neil]

Mam city - best bad team in the world.

[Gnomicide]

Great game last night, Bradley's tackle on Mbappe cheered nearly as loudly as a goal.

 

Very nervous for Sunday still, though obviously not as much as I would have been a few weeks ago.

[gazzared]

14 hours ago, Gnomicide said:

Great game last night, Bradley's tackle on Mbappe cheered nearly as loudly as a goal.

 

Very nervous for Sunday still, though obviously not as much as I would have been a few weeks ago.

it was magical....happened right in front off me . The first half the ref kept getting conned by all the diving and play acting but fair play he must have watched the replays at half time and second half he wised up to all the play acting

[gazzared]

On 11/27/2024 at 9:13 AM, thetime said:

 

I'm unsure, Liverpool have been getting away with it so far this season. 

 

Could be very tight this season, wouldn't rule out someone like Chelsea winning it. 

 

City certainly have it to reel in one team. 

I've read your comments for years but cant be bothered replying until now .why such hatred for Liverpool supporters ?

[thetime]

10 hours ago, gazzared said:

why such hatred for Liverpool supporters ?

 

I was raised in the 80s. 😃

 

Plus they are all frauds, don't hear a peep from them unless they are going for a title. From 1990 until klopp, quiet. Last season not a peep, that's all of them. 

 

Disclaimer my best man was a Liverpool fan. 

Edited November 29, 2024 by thetime

[gazzared]

1 hour ago, thetime said:

 

I was raised in the 80s. 😃

 

Plus they are all frauds, don't hear a peep from them unless they are going for a title. From 1990 until klopp, quiet. Last season not a peep, that's all of them. 

 

Disclaimer my best man was a Liverpool fan. 

 

[Skip997]

On 11/28/2024 at 11:41 PM, gazzared said:

I've read your comments for years but cant be bothered replying until now .why such hatred for Liverpool supporters ?

Jealousy simple as that 

[thetime]

2 hours ago, Skip997 said:

Jealousy simple as that 

 

You've won 1 title in 35 years, that's on a par with Leicester City and Blackburn.

Edited November 30, 2024 by thetime