gerblod

I was shouting at the screen that someone should have been running down his throat. Instead he had all the time necessary to set himself up for the shot. It's galling when you see other teams maintaining the discipline to have two lines defending - whereas here they seem to think they're defending a corner. Maybe it's because the 'big' Premier teams are so packed with foreign players that do know what they're doing that, without them, our boys are lost. That's the big mistake English football has made - selling out to the TV concerns, who only want the football which attracts subscriptions. Foreign players make up c. 70% of Premier squads - it's no wonder kids affiliated to Premier clubs don't get a look in. My sister's grandson has not long signed a professional contract with a big London team (he's been with them since he was eight). I'm waiting to see if he gets a first team game or gets sold to a Championship side. There's a link between the failures of our national side and this one-sided employment of foreign players. Maybe this is ehy German national teams are getting less successful. At present 15 Argentine players belong to Premier clubs.

Ramsey called them "animals" which is an insult to animals. They, Uruguay and Paraguay are stuck out at the arse-end of the world revelling in the macho idea that they are all gauchos. They're mostly descended from Spanish conquistadors and Italian immigrants - a volatile mix. Martinez and his cock extension display with the WC last time round shows the mentality - no-one had the awareness to stop him. I suspect Spain will send them weeping back home.

You're all forgetting the penalty - which I thought was soft. After that French heads dropped quicker than they did when the aristocracy met Madame Guillotine. They were doing ok up to that point. Just piss poor passing and ineffective runs after that. Rabiot was a huge loss. Spain smothered them out of the game. England won't fold like that, but it'll be down to Kane and Bellingham to take the few chances that turn up. Saka should start automatically. We need to starve Messi of opportunities. He's the difference in a lacklustre Argentine side. Hard to believe, but we've snuck in almost imperceptibly again.

I don't believe the 'average' Argentinian gave a flying fvck about the Falklands/las Malvinas - they were too busy dealing with inflation and the cost of living. Galtieri and his gang of generals thought they could distract the people from their dissatisfaction with the regime by starting a 'righteous' war. But people were killed (just 3 islanders btw out of 900 or so military) and so a vendetta amongst those few who like to nurse a grudge begins. It's ironic that the islanders relied upon the 'Argies' before the war for essential medical evacuations, education, mail, fresh food, and transport to the outside world. I suspect that a good many past and present countries have good reason to dislike England (but not the English) as an entity - that includes the Irish, Scots, French, Germans, Yanks, Italians, India, Afghanistan and half of Africa. The Scottish national anthem is based on the thraping Edward II received at Bannockburn in 1314 ffs! That stated I still nurse a vigorous dislike of Maradona, not just for the Hand of God, but the unclassy berk he was. I therefore hope that 'we' give Messi and company the same thrashing that Germany gave Brasil in their 2014 semi-final.

That line opens the famous poem "And did those feet in ancient time" by William Blake, published around 1808. It is more commonly known as the stirring hymn "Jerusalem" after being set to music by Sir Hubert Parry in 1916. Blake was alluding to an apocryphal legend that a young Jesus traveled to Britain with Joseph of Arimathea.

That line opens the famous poem "And did those feet in ancient time" by William Blake, published around 1808. It is more commonly known as the stirring hymn "Jerusalem" after being set to music by Sir Hubert Parry in 1916.Blake was alluding to an apocryphal legend that a young Jesus traveled to Britain with Joseph of Arimathea. 🤣 Haha

I'm thinking the same way you are. If he could come out of his quiet shell we might see qualities hitherto concealed.

"And did those feet in ancient times walk upon England's green and pleasant land?"

Three anthems that give me that tingle down the spine - the Marseillaise; the State Anthem of the USSR/Russian Federation; the Deutschlandlied. God Save is hopelessly servile and religious, Jerusalem could serve musically but the lyrics are embarrassing. Land of Hope and Glory - ditto but ponderous too. They all belong to the bygone Empire days. Flower of Scotland is something like what a modern national anthem should be. Subject matter is a bit controversial for the English but nae bother. Considering there might be a 'northern parliament' on the cards 'On Ilkley Moor Bar Tat' might do on an interim basis until the government ask for a selection of new ideas from modern composer's of which the winner could then be our entry at the next Eurovision Song Contest.

Looks like the powers that be decided to let some ice hockey tactics into the game for this WC. As for shirt pulling - unforgivable. Barging players off the ball before they even reach it, pushing players in the back. The amount of sly treading on feet that goes on. Maybe it's time for a 5/10 minute sin bin followed by a compulsory seat on the subs' bench for the next game. Managers indulge themselves in defending dirty play. It makes watching the game much less appealing.

Kuenssberg. More properly Künßberg. Fascinating background - paternal grandfather slipped out of Germany (more properly Deutschland) when invited to join the SS (they didn't know he was part Jewish on his mother's side). Smart move. His father's side traces its ancestry back to Charlemagne (748-814). Slow football news morning - thought I'd pep it up with something completely different 😊 .

I've watched her analyses on the box a couple of times now - she doesn't 'waffle'. It's clear she understands, better than more than a few male pundits I've seen, what's happening on the pitch. What she does summating for TV and how she would perform as a manager are two different issues. Best not to use a biased view about the TV job to use as an indicator of her management skills.

I thought this was a discussion about the club captain. Luke Thomas, whatever his failings (which are continually exaggerated) has acted professionally throughout his career at City. Using this thread to have a go at him is inappropriate.

For some, quite a few actually, this forum is used, not as a debating 'place', but as a means of expressing their rage. They might turn on anyone who disagrees but mostly they can't see beyond the feelings and will lash out at or ridicule those who question their outbursts. If they don't respond then it's because they're not able to think or communicate rationally.

Very different fans. It's the blokes at the men's matches (and on here) who get aggressive. I was listening to the manager of a women's refuge saying that a not insignificant minority of wives of football supporters pray that the team their husbands support, either win or draw on any particular match day - because, if they lose, then domestic violence results. Too much of their personal pride is stitched into how their team performs. I don't see that in the fans of the women's game.

I'd exonerate the players. The 'board' assemble to rubber stamp Rudkin's recommendations and the fans assemble on match days and on various forums to have a go at their favourite scapegoat. I don't imagine the players ever fixing a date and venue for a discussion about the current situation. They've had years of being told what to do rather than imposing their opinion on the world outside the dressing room. The bile aimed at individual players appears to me to have become increasingly toxic since the relegation under Rodgers. Winning the Cup masked the inadequacies of Top, but we've been pointing the finger at Rudkin (and Whelan) before that. We're immensely frustrated at how the Club has been mismanaged since Rodgers and Top fell out. Sure we got back into the Prem but the writings been on the wall for a long time and our opinions as fans have been ignored, as have our increasingly angry reactions. It's a recipe for negativity without any perceptible evidence that it could change.

You'd get bored waiting to die.

A "torrade". That's a new word for me - conflating 'tirade' and 'torrent' - it certainly works. Send it in to Susie Dent on Countdown. Could be in the next edition of the OED.

Lies, damned lies and statistics. The reality is that he became manager of Newport when they were firmly fixed to the foot of the league. He's had to turn the spirit of the squad around. Stats don't reflect what he's achieved.

Jesus Christus! He's hauled Newport to safety. That's got to be all the proof necessary. We've gone through how many managers since Maresca and all they've done is watch us slide down the greasy pole. Now a substantial number of youse are against employing him because he played for us! If I were him I'd think twice about coming back here - because, if this forum is anything to go by, he'll be expected to have secured the title by Christmas. No pleasing some people - pint glass half empty the lot.

"You don't have to be mad to work here...."

So you're assuming a certain caucus of fans need reprimanding because they're not as intelligent as you or the other critics on this forum? Why not keep your bile for those who got us into this scrape and leave people who genuinely will still support the team wholeheartedly. They may not understand the mismanagement that got us here, but they're probably more loyal fans than those who've been sniping at the players and coached for the whole season. People also seem to forget that we'd still be in with a chance had we not been saddled with a 6 point deduction. We'd all be happy enough had we got those points.

I've mentioned him but maybe later than you. I also mentioned Lookman. Kramaric was a 'keeper', yet no-one had the imagination or foresight to see his significant potential. It was a case of does he fit the team? rather than could a team be assembled around him and Vardy. Kanté was the big loss at the time. And Ranieri was held responsible for the meltdown after N'Golo left. I guess the expectation was that the team would continue pushing for top six positions when the most significant players were looking for a 'name' team to go to. Hindsight of course, but he was one that got away.

I appreciate your point and I don't believe in risking a player's health if it can be avoided. But didn't this subbing of James happen before this injury - under Cifuentes? Piper, as a former professional, didn't mitigate the substitution with your specific concern. This is a situation where that extra playing time from our most influential player could make the difference between relegation or survival in the Championship.

Kramaric, Lookman, Castagne. I don't rate football managers as a breed. They know the talk but rarely walk the walk. Everything is done to some kind of accepted formula. People expect great players to become great managers. Simeone would have been sacked after a season had he gone to Chelsea. Look at the subbing of James yesterday - Pipes on RL said he didn't understand it - neither did I. Cifuentes did the same thing - subbing him when he was creating chances. Taking your most inventive player off when the game's still winnable is crazy. I watched Everton v. Chelsea last night. KDH with his socks rolled down. I'd have him back in a trice. But when he was here he was incessantly criticised by Eeyores on this forum. And he would be if he came back. We went through what feels like scores of players after winning the Premier - it's like reading the list of the lost on the Cenotaph. With Kramaric the club should have built the team around him. But there's this ethos that 'The Team' dictates who should or should not be included. It's like when the Stattoes get their ipads out and state, trying to predict the outcome, '...well, the records show we do alright against the Constitutionals - won in 1907 and in 1936.' Meaningless drivel - different team, different manager, different executives. The past is unimportant. We failed to use the talent available to us wisely and paid out big bucks for nothing. Sorry for going off topic, but football is often mawkishly sentimental and delusional. If the supporters owned the club and could fire 'the board' would we not be in a better place🤔?