Football Thread 2021/22 Part 2 - Matt Le Tosser, Dejan Moron and Thickie Lambert

[bgmnts]

Yeah women's football is good. No complaints here.

[Kankurette]

Looking at remaining fixtures I predict Burnley to stay up on goal difference, Leeds down.

Also, Ralph 'building something here' Hasenhuttl is leading Southampton to a lower points total 2 seasons running, due a reappraisal I think.

Southampton haven't had their Obligatory 9-0 Thrashing yet.

[SpiderChrist]

Southampton haven't had their Obligatory 9-0 Thrashing yet.

I was wondering when that was going to come up.

[Kankurette]

They did get a 6-0 thrashing from Chelsea, which could have been a 9-0 if Fraser Forster hadn't been there.

[shoulders]

Ooh yes - a good hard thrashing!

[Lost Oliver]

Also, I can't quite decide what I think about how the BBC presents the women's game.  In principle I support it, as I think talking about it like it's as important and relevant as the men's game will help that become a reality, but having the women's fa cup final as the main story of /football over important prem run in games...hmmmm, i dunno, i dunno.  Probably a good thing.

I think it's more jarring when they'll run stories like "Jones signs for Man City" without specifying it's a signing for the women's side, which to me feels like it crosses the line between a smart editorial decision to normalise presenting the women's game as equally important and being outright sneaky and misleading. 

Fuck, am I Richard Keys?

I feel like an absolutely prick too, and I feel like I'm wrong and on the wrong side of goodness, but I know what you mean. I'm basing this solely on the few seconds my brain has spent getting confused and clicking on a link and then realising it's an error and then going back. Forget who's playing, it'd be the same if PSG suddenly started calling themselves Man City or something and then signed players who couldn't ever play for Man City. I'm interested in all football but the stuff I watch and obsess over is primarly the EPL, some lower league teams and occasionally some top European teams. I'd be interested in the Albanian league if I lived there or had some sort of connection to it but I don't so I don't go looking for it and probably never will. I guess the point of it is to build that connection and over time I'd have an interest, but right now my brain just says 'press back this isn't relevant'. I'm in the wrong aren't I? This is the first of hopefully and last time I stray into this kind of thinking as I get older.

[Utter Shit]

The obvious solution is to have them clearly labelled as men's football and women's football, but then you'll get a lot of fuckwits moaning that the men's football section should just be listed as football.

This does at least seem to be gradually happening though, I noticed yesterday the Ireland FA Twitter account was talking about an MU15 game, and it took me a while to realise that it meant Men's Under 15s. Which obviously doesn't make sense for a different reason, but it's a nice easy way of differentiating without it being intrusive. I'm sure it will take a while but eventually that will just become normal.

[Utter Shit]

After a week where it felt like every five minutes you were seeing a dickhead manager/dickhead fans screaming corruption about decisions that weren't wrong or even debatable, let alone bent, it was refreshing to see an actual scandalous decision in the Everton game.

I've no dog in the relegation fight and if anything as a Spurs fan I could do with Everton still being in the scrap so they have something to fight for against Arsenal on the last day...but their entire season, and quite possibly their long-term future, could have been fucked by that Richarlison penalty decision. The defender pulled his shirt so far from his body I thought he was trying to ping his bra strap, and of course not only was the penalty not given but it led directly to a red card at the other end.

Who knows what would have happened had it been given, but you have to think that 1-0 up with eleven men and a penalty is a better position to be in than 1-0 up with ten men and no penalty. That decision probably cost them the game, and guaranteed survival.

EDIT: FWIW I thought the Spurs penalty was a load of bollocks, but that seems to be the rule nowadays - if your arm is out and it hits it, regardless of context, it's a handball. No corruption, just a really, really stupid rule.

[JamesTC]

I wonder if VAR took the view that Richarlison also had a hold of the defenders short (albeit much less) so deemed it fair play. Not saying that is right, just trying to think how they may have ignored it.

[Blofelds Cat]

I wonder if VAR took the view that Richarlison also had a hold of the defenders short (albeit much less) so deemed it fair play. Not saying that is right, just trying to think how they may have ignored it.

https://mobile.twitter.com/MattJFootball/status/1525898795082448896

WHERE exactly is Richarlison holding his shirt??

Corruption or incompetence---you decide...

As to bent decisions--Everton are on the receiving end of these every week

[Joe Qunt]

Would love for Duncan Ferguson to go down. That is all.

[Utter Shit]

Every single person who claims a bad decision is evidence of corruption should be made to explain - at gunpoint - the specifics of their conspiracy theory.

Who is behind the conspiracy theory? Who benefits from it? What are the potential consequences of the conspiracy being exposed? Are they outweighed by the potential benefits of it being successfully pulled off? Is the conspiracy theory a more likely explanation than incompetence on the part of the decision-makers? Is it a more likely explanation than the bias/stupidity of the person making the conspiracy claims?

It's so fucking easy for Twitter idiots - many of them with substantial followings, and thus a degree of implied legitimacy - to just post some nonsense decontextualised screenshot of an incident and scream corruption.

The idea that anyone would be actively conspiring to remove Everton from the league makes zero sense. Even if there WAS some shady Premier League plot behind the scenes, logic tells you to follow the money. Everton are a huge establishment with a large fanbase and a rivalry with one of the biggest clubs in the world, if there was a plan to stitch up the relegation - and obviously there fucking isn't, but IF there was - logically it would be designed to keep a team like Everton in the league, not remove them from it.

[Blofelds Cat]

You have been presented with visual evidence of a clear foul on Richarlison with Oliver looking right at it...its either incompetence or corruption...

[Utter Shit]

So incompetence.

[Lord Mandrake]

The bbc misrepresent articles to push womens football because that's all they can afford the rights to. If it elevates the game in some abstract long term way - great but I wonder how sustainable artificial inflation is when it's confined to state broadcasting. Also I've lost literally seconds having to backspace out of their blatant clickbait. 

[Blofelds Cat]

So incompetence.

So--why isn`t the ref censured---he has a history of poor decision making---you have made the point yourself that due to his ineptitude had an adverse affect on the game for Everton...this was the same ref at an Anfield derby had Steven Gerrard screaming in his face `you fcking schithouse!` after he awarded a throw in the other way---Gerrard received no punishment--

[DrGreggles]

I wonder if VAR took the view that Richarlison also had a hold of the defenders short (albeit much less) so deemed it fair play. Not saying that is right, just trying to think how they may have ignored it.

That's what I thought too, they were clearly both at it.
Defender had Richarlison's shirt, but Richarlison was pulling the defender's arm.
6 and two 3s for me, Clive.

[Utter Shit]

So--why isn`t the ref censured---he has a history of poor decision making---you have made the point yourself that due to his ineptitude had an adverse affect on the game for Everton...this was the same ref at an Anfield derby had Steven Gerrard screaming in his face `you fcking schithouse!` after he awarded a throw in the other way---Gerrard received no punishment--

I don't know why. Maybe he has been spoken to before, they don't broadcast these decisions - the first you know of it is when they're fucked off to the lower leagues for a couple of weeks. I know Michael Oliver is generally seen as - and in my opinion definitely is - one of the better refs in the league, so perhaps they are more protective of him.

The fact you're talking about some nothing incident from a game however many years ago underlines my point with regard to fan bias. Players shout abuse at referees all the time. It's terrible, and should be dealt with much more harshly in my opinion, but it happens all the time and the only reason you find that decision notable is because it was a player you dislike, playing for a club you dislike, against your club. The idea that that your overwhelming evidence that Oliver is corrupt amounts to "he didn't sent someone off for swearing at him and then ten years later made a bad decision"...do you not see how laughable that is? Why would anyone take that seriously?

[Utter Shit]

That's what I thought too, they were clearly both at it.
Defender had Richarlison's shirt, but Richarlison was pulling the defender's arm.
6 and two 3s for me, Clive.

I keep seeing this mentioned, but I watched the slow-mo replay and don't see any obvious shirt-pulling from Richarlison - was there another angle?

https://twitter.com/MattJFootball/status/1525898795082448896

This is the one I saw - Richarlison's arm disappears behind the defender's back for a second so it's possible another angle does show him pulling as well. But from that angle it looks one-way.

[JamesTC]

Just before that replay was shown on the broadcast, they showed another angle which showed Richarlison had a handful too. He let go long before the Brentford defender though.

[Blofelds Cat]

I don't know why. Maybe he has been spoken to before, they don't broadcast these decisions - the first you know of it is when they're fucked off to the lower leagues for a couple of weeks. I know Michael Oliver is generally seen as - and in my opinion definitely is - one of the better refs in the league, so perhaps they are more protective of him.

The fact you're talking about some nothing incident from a game however many years ago underlines my point with regard to fan bias. Players shout abuse at referees all the time. It's terrible, and should be dealt with much more harshly in my opinion, but it happens all the time and the only reason you find that decision notable is because it was a player you dislike, playing for a club you dislike, against your club. The idea that that your overwhelming evidence that Oliver is corrupt amounts to "he didn't sent someone off for swearing at him and then ten years later made a bad decision"...do you not see how laughable that is? Why would anyone take that seriously?

Where I have said he should be sent off? I made the point that there was no action against Gerrard who screamed in his face!

Forgot to mention in the same game Distin scored but Oliver blew for an imaginary foul and booked Anichebe..he`s a woeful ref and shouldn`t be near the Premier League.

As for yesterday...Is a shirt pull a foul? Yes. Is it in the box? Yes. It's a penalty.

[Blofelds Cat]

Just before that replay was shown on the broadcast, they showed another angle which showed Richarlison had a handful too. He let go long before the Brentford defender though.

Spectacularly missing the point---footage shows Richarlisons shirt being ripped off his back RIGHT IN FRONT OF OLIVER who ignores what is going on in front of his eyes---if Richarlison WAS grabbing the defenders shirt--yet to see any evidence of this---then they should have booked Richarlison

[king_tubby]

I think you should report this to the police.

[DrGreggles]

I keep seeing this mentioned, but I watched the slow-mo replay and don't see any obvious shirt-pulling from Richarlison - was there another angle?

https://twitter.com/MattJFootball/status/1525898795082448896

This is the one I saw - Richarlison's arm disappears behind the defender's back for a second so it's possible another angle does show him pulling as well. But from that angle it looks one-way.

I didn't say Richarlison was shirt-pulling, but he was pulling the defender's arm - possibly before the defender grabbed his shirt.
So either Richarlison's offence was first or the ref decided they were both at it and let it go.

[Kankurette]

If Phil Jagielka had called the ref a shithouse, Everton fans wouldn't have complained. Jags was disliked by fans for NOT screaming at refs enough.

Would love for Duncan Ferguson to go down. That is all.

On Lampard?

[Joe Qunt]

You're a fool if you think he doesn't already.

[Kankurette]

It's definitely the other way round.

[Vitamin C]

Every single person who claims a bad decision is evidence of corruption should be made to explain - at gunpoint - the specifics of their conspiracy theory.

There are officials out there who have been caught taking bribes, and for some reason are still allowed to take on high profile games now. This bloke is one of them:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felix_Zwayer

He's been assigned Champions League and Europa League matches. You can see his recent record here:

https://www.transfermarkt.us/felix-zwayer/profil/schiedsrichter/124

[shoulders]

Generally agree with Utter Shit re the above.

I thought there might be some discussion about the Liverpool fans booing Bald and the Anthem but judging by the thread I guess we all think it was the decent thing to do, if not pretty fucking cool. I know I do.

[Joe Qunt]

I thought there might be some discussion about the Liverpool fans booing Bald and the Anthem but judging by the thread I guess we all think it was the decent thing to do, if not pretty fucking cool. I know I do.

Generally have no time for scousers, especially Liverpool fans, but I have to respect their hatred of the crown.