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

[imitationleather]

Well that sucked. Useless bunch of wankers.

No, no, no. It absolutely fucking ruled mate.

[Utter Shit]

Arteta making a cunt of himself in the post-match yesterday, I see. I wish the interviewers in this country felt able to contradict them a bit more often.

The absolute worst spin Arteta can put on the referee's performance yesterday is that the penalty was debatable, in that it's obviously a foul but occasionally defenders do get away with that sort of challenge if they're a bit more subtle about it. The red card was about as clear-cut a second yellow as you'll ever get, and the waffle about Son elbowing Holding might be worth a moment's consideration if Holding hadn't already kicked Son off the ball earlier on. Any ref that gives a red for the elbow would also give a red for the earlier kick. The referee got every major decision right.

Arsenal weren't beaten yesterday by bad refereeing decisions, they were beaten because two of their players completely lost their heads, turning a tight game into an unwinnable one. We weren't even that good, we just took advantage of a couple of moments of stupidity and then knocked the ball about for an hour and let Arsenal chase it. Arteta's reaction suggests the pressure has got to him as well, and for an intelligent man it seemed to me like a very stupid move given they're still favourites to get fourth.

They have two very winnable games left (and even if they do drop points, we are absolutely capable of shitting the bed and dropping points ourselves), and Arteta making a fool of himself like that by making it so obvious the pressure has got to him is unlikely to help them. If they drop points against Newcastle on Monday and end up losing out on fourth, that interview will be lumped in with Keegan's famous rant.

[Beagle 2]

https://twitter.com/YorkCityFC/status/1524873699245056003?s=20&t=T7gyUDkrtqeV2S6uiHHClA

Couple of absolute clangers from the Chorley keeper here. Amazing atmosphere, I don't hold out a lot of hope they can get through the play offs given their season but let's dare to dream of the Vanarama National League.

[Inspector Norse]

Arsenal weren't beaten yesterday by bad refereeing decisions, they were beaten because two of their players completely lost their heads, turning a tight game into an unwinnable one. We weren't even that good, we just took advantage of a couple of moments of stupidity and then knocked the ball about for an hour and let Arsenal chase it. Arteta's reaction suggests the pressure has got to him as well, and for an intelligent man it seemed to me like a very stupid move given they're still favourites to get fourth.

The biggest issue Arsenal have* is a lack of experience, grit and smarts and it really showed last night. They have a lot of young players who are very talented but no real leaders or players who know how to knuckle down and get a grip in a game like that. Partey I suppose but his injury record is starting to feel like a problem. I think that extends to the manager, too - he's a smart guy like you say and seems to have developed a lot compared to certain other big-name ex-players who've waltzed into top jobs - but he doesn't come across as a guy who can do the hairdresser thing.
Holding's performance was a thing of extraordinary comic beauty, deluded self-defeating aggression straight out of the Rob McElhenney playbook.

*apart from needing a new striker and central midfielder and proper defensive cover, because outside the first-choice Tomiyasu-White-Gabriel-Tierney back four they've got a bunch of comedians; some smart young signings they've made of late suggest they have a decent plan and scouting system so I'd imagine they'll know what they need to improve.

[Utter Shit]

The biggest issue Arsenal have* is a lack of experience, grit and smarts and it really showed last night. They have a lot of young players who are very talented but no real leaders or players who know how to knuckle down and get a grip in a game like that.

To be honest, I'm not sure it's true that they have many good players

I was thinking - quietly, to myself, in utter terror of us losing to a side I'd deemed crap - looking at Arsenal's side last night that there were only a handful of good players there. Saka, Martinelli, Odegaard, Smith Rowe and Gabriel. The rest are either pretty average (Cedric, Holding, Nketiah, Elneny, Xhaka, Lacazette, Pepe) or talented but unproven/inconsistent (Tomiyasu, Ramsdale, Tavares).

In that respect I think Arteta's done a good job getting them where they are, though in mitigation Spurs aren't much better and United are worse so it's no great achievement to be fighting for fourth. The lack of leadership is definitely an issue - Odegaard was captain and had about three or four wild shots from distance that did not suggest someone who others should be taking their leas from. Obviously they were missing a few good players as well (Partey, White, Tierney...I feel like I'm forgetting someone else) which didn't help, but it's a pretty weak squad IMO.

[Inspector Norse]

To be honest, I'm not sure it's true that they have many good players

I was thinking - quietly, to myself, in utter terror of us losing to a side I'd deemed crap - looking at Arsenal's side last night that there were only a handful of good players there. Saka, Martinelli, Odegaard, Smith Rowe and Gabriel. The rest are either pretty average (Cedric, Holding, Nketiah, Elneny, Xhaka, Lacazette, Pepe) or talented but unproven/inconsistent (Tomiyasu, Ramsdale, Tavares). 

I think that's the same point I'm making, though - all the players you name as weak links are the backups, the ones in areas they'll have noted need improving. Whether they have the market power these days to get what they need, I don't know - I very much got the feeling Vlahovic just used their interest as leverage to get the terms he wanted at Juventus in January, for example - but they seem to be doing something right with scouting because signings like Ramsdale and Tomiyasu have looked really good for them and together with the Sakas and Odegaards make a coherent and promising core that can only get better.

A first XI that looks like this:

Ramsdale
Tomiyasu-White-Gabriel-Tierney
Partey-NEW SIGNING
Saka-Odegaard-Martinelli/Smith-Rowe
NEW SIGNING

will give anyone a game but those NEW SIGNINGS need to be the right people and at least one of them needs to have a few years and scraps under his belt.

[Captain Z]

Put it this way, they would all be pointless answers in 5 years time.

[Utter Shit]

I think that's the same point I'm making, though - all the players you name as weak links are the backups, the ones in areas they'll have noted need improving. Whether they have the market power these days to get what they need, I don't know - I very much got the feeling Vlahovic just used their interest as leverage to get the terms he wanted at Juventus in January, for example - but they seem to be doing something right with scouting because signings like Ramsdale and Tomiyasu have looked really good for them and together with the Sakas and Odegaards make a coherent and promising core that can only get better.

A first XI that looks like this:

Ramsdale
Tomiyasu-White-Gabriel-Tierney
Partey-NEW SIGNING
Saka-Odegaard-Martinelli/Smith-Rowe
NEW SIGNING

will give anyone a game but those NEW SIGNINGS need to be the right people and at least one of them needs to have a few years and scraps under his belt.

Yeah fair point. But then it's very difficult to find and then sign an elite level striker. Which is why it's extremely annoying that Spurs have two of them but spent the past decade surrounding them with dickheads.

[Inspector Norse]

They've been linked with Gabriel Jesus who is definitely a cut above what they have, but the reason he's never quite worked out at City is that his finishing is weak, which basically makes him just a minor improvement on Lacazette. Same with Alexander Isak, really talented guy, can create chaos in defences, but actually sticking it in the auld onion bag isn't his strength. Might be worth their going all out to land Dybala on a free (rumour is Spurs are first in the queue?), he's not a proper striker but if any team was made to line up with five trequartistas playing clever passes to one another on the edge of the penalty area then it's Arsenal
Tielemans in midfield would be a good upgrade on Xhaka.

[Thursday]

That interview with Arteta was utterly embarrassing. He went down in my estimation after that. When you say that about a man like Son Heung-min. He's got to go to Newcastle and get something, and I tell you, I would love it if they fail to qualify for the Champions League. Love it.

[Vitamin C]

It's not really a Keegan moment though. Mostly because Arteta is pissing and moaning like this after every game where things don't go his way, and also because the epic battle for fourth and fifth spots is of little interest to anyone other than the clubs involved in it.

[DrGreggles]

10 Manager's team loses
20 Manager moans to the media
30 GOTO 10

[shoulders]

They've been linked with Gabriel Jesus who is definitely a cut above what they have, but the reason he's never quite worked out at City is that his finishing is weak, which basically makes him just a minor improvement on Lacazette. Same with Alexander Isak, really talented guy, can create chaos in defences, but actually sticking it in the auld onion bag isn't his strength. Might be worth their going all out to land Dybala on a free (rumour is Spurs are first in the queue?), he's not a proper striker but if any team was made to line up with five trequartistas playing clever passes to one another on the edge of the penalty area then it's Arsenal
Tielemans in midfield would be a good upgrade on Xhaka.

I think Leicester fans are fed up with the standard of Tielemans' performances lately. He has been coming near the bottom of the fans player ratings in all their many recent losses, anyway.

[shoulders]

The Aguero statue is a shocker, somehow neither capturing the likeness nor the energy and importance of the moment. It is just some low res half finished CGI model made flesh.

[Dark Sexy Dangerous]

They've been linked with Gabriel Jesus who is definitely a cut above what they have, but the reason he's never quite worked out at City is that his finishing is weak, which basically makes him just a minor improvement on Lacazette. Same with Alexander Isak, really talented guy, can create chaos in defences, but actually sticking it in the auld onion bag isn't his strength.

On that basis, I wouldn't be surprised if they take Ollie Watkins off our hands. He can be an unremitting menace in all sorts of other areas but, despite his goal tally last season, not really one for spanking it into the net.

He's already admitted his dream is to play for the Arse, being a boyhood fan and all, though I think his style may be a better fit for West Ham as a less injury-prone version of Antonio's.

[Inspector Norse]

I think Leicester fans are fed up with the standard of Tielemans' performances lately. He has been coming near the bottom of the fans player ratings in all their many recent losses, anyway.

He's refusing to sign a new contract and Arsenal are already heavily linked, so he's perhaps just sulking.
Either that or it's the standard drop-off in performances after a couple of years of Brodgers.

On that basis, I wouldn't be surprised if they take Ollie Watkins off our hands. He can be an unremitting menace in all sorts of other areas but, despite his goal tally last season, not really one for spanking it into the net.

He's already admitted his dream is to play for the Arse, being a boyhood fan and all, though I think his style may be a better fit for West Ham as a less injury-prone version of Antonio's.

West Ham are supposedly in for Italy striker Burn Gorman Andrea Belotti who's available on a free. Decent goal record in Serie A (not that that's saying too much these days) but mainly seems one of those forwards who's mainly good at being a pain in the arse.

[shoulders]

Serie A is more competitive than the PL these days, more games where both sides have a good chance of a result, genuine 3 horse race for the title, until Napoli caved in a few weeks back, anyway.

In recent seasons more attacking football than the PL with more teams set up to win games on the front foot rather than defending and hoping to nick one on the counter or from a set piece.

Italy doesn't have a team as impressive as Liverpool and Man City, but a lot of the PL is mediocrity with a corporate sheen applied. Quality wise, I doubt West Ham would finish in the top 8 in Serie A.

[Utter Shit]

West Ham got to the semis of the Europa, knocking out Sevilla and Lyon along the way. By comparison Napoli (3rd in Serie A), Lazio (5th) and Atalanta (8th) all went out in earlier rounds.

[shoulders]

West Ham got to the semis of the Europa, knocking out Sevilla and Lyon along the way. By comparison Napoli (3rd in Serie A), Lazio (5th) and Atalanta (8th) all went out in earlier rounds.

I wonder if Napoli, Lazio and Atalanta (or Fiorentina) won any games against supposedly bigger sides too. Checks, ah yes, they did.

[JamesTC]

I wonder if Napoli, Lazio and Atalanta (or Fiorentina) won any games against supposedly bigger sides too. Checks, ah yes, they did.

West Ham have beaten Liverpool and Chelsea this season.

[Utter Shit]

I wonder if Napoli, Lazio and Atalanta (or Fiorentina) won any games against supposedly bigger sides too. Checks, ah yes, they did.

I don't really understand the point you're making? West Ham got further than every Serie A team that was in the Europa League, all of whom are in the top 8 in Serie A.

[finnquark]

https://twitter.com/YorkCityFC/status/1524873699245056003?s=20&t=T7gyUDkrtqeV2S6uiHHClA

Couple of absolute clangers from the Chorley keeper here. Amazing atmosphere, I don't hold out a lot of hope they can get through the play offs given their season but let's dare to dream of the Vanarama National League.

Best of luck vs Brackley today! On every level much rather York than Brackley come up next season. Worst away experience I've had.

[Wonderful Butternut]

https://twitter.com/YorkCityFC/status/1524873699245056003?s=20&t=T7gyUDkrtqeV2S6uiHHClA

Couple of absolute clangers from the Chorley keeper here. Amazing atmosphere, I don't hold out a lot of hope they can get through the play offs given their season but let's dare to dream of the Vanarama National League.

Tfw you've watched Alisson and are trying to ape what he does without any of the skill.

[holyzombiejesus]

Is it easy to get dodgy streams of games that are live on Sky? Never really had the need before but the league two play offs are on tomorrow and Thursday (and hopefully a week or so after that) and I need to see them.

[bgmnts]

Just get a sky day pass or go to a pub that's showing it maybe?

[DrGreggles]

Is it easy to get dodgy streams of games that are live on Sky?

Yes

[Utter Shit]

IPTV you bunch of old biddies!

[monkfromhavana]

Is it easy to get dodgy streams of games that are live on Sky? Never really had the need before but the league two play offs are on tomorrow and Thursday (and hopefully a week or so after that) and I need to see them.

Reddit soccer streams. Don't use it on Firefox as it tends to fuck it up. There will be a lot of ads and porn to click through, so don't open it up in front of the kids.

[Wonderful Butternut]

Phil Brown has reportedly failed to agree a deal to stay at mighty League Two Barrow AFC.

I wonder did he know he was depth charging his own career when he did that stupid on pitch half time team with Hull? Been pretty much a downhill slope since.

[Morrison Lard]

IPTV you bunch of old biddies!

Innit.
Be wary though, iptv is a scammer's utopia.

I've spoken on here many moons ago about the service I use, been with em for over 10 years now,
8 quid a month and I can watch a fucking ridiculous amount of football, foreign tv, sport, pay per view, blah blah.

_{I've probably got a couple of referrals too if anyone wants, pretty sure I sent a few ppl here referrals years ago. pm me if you want some info.}