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The 2023-2024 Football Thread

laptech

laptech

macrumors 601
Apr 26, 2013
4,130
4,455
Earth
Having key players out at this time of the year does affect a teams run towards winning the premiership. It has happened to Man United a number of times during their dominant years of the 1990's and early to middle 2000's. I have no doubt managers of team making a run for the title will be seriously sweating over the issue of some of their players playing in the AFCON and getting injured.
 
Scepticalscribe

Scepticalscribe

macrumors Haswell
Original poster
Jul 29, 2008
65,181
47,567
In a coffee shop.
Apple fanboy said:
You should move heaven and earth to get a striker in January. Toney maybe?
Click to expand...
I have been meaning to return to this.

No, not Ivan Toney.

I don't care how experienced he is as a Premier League player, or, how good he is at converting chances into goals, I don't like the guy and don't want him anywhere near - I was about to write Highbury - the Emirates.

His ingratitude - to a club (Brentford) that paid his wages during his eight month ban (for reasons that were entirely self-inflicted) - is breath-taking, and his self-serving and entirely selfish attitude is - I must say - quite repellant.

A quote (from him) today that has turned up in a number of media sources:

"Everybody wants to play for a top club, that is fighting for titles. Whether it's this January that is the right time for a club to come in and pay the right money, who knows?"

Now, I do understand that the old tired trope - top players are ambitious, and want to win titles and silverware.

Yes, I get that.

Nevertheless, before sounding off about his ambitions, and sending an anything but subtle come hither call to all and sundry to consider opening their cheque books and sign him - a small - very small, just a tiny, teeny-weeny, microscopic, soupçon, sliver of gratitude, a glimmer of gratitude, to a club that has stood by him, and paid his wages for the eight months while he was serving a ban (for entirely self-inflicted reasons) would seem to me to be an appropriate initial statement on his return from an eight month playing ban.

No gratitude, no grace, and no dignity or decorum, nor any decency, let alone any recognition whatsoever of what his absence may have cost the club (and I am not referring to money).

No thanks.

To my mind, he owes Brentford, owes them goodwill and utter dedication to their cause for at least several months; if he wants greener pastures, summer should suit both parties fine.
 
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laptech

laptech

macrumors 601
Apr 26, 2013
4,130
4,455
Earth
Scepticalscribe said:
I have been meaning to return to this.

No, not Ivan Toney.

I don't care how experienced he is as a Premier League player, or, how good he is at converting chances into goals, I don't like the guy and don't want him anywhere near - I was about to write Highbury - the Emirates.

His ingratitude - to a club (Brentford) that paid his wages during his eight month ban (for reasons that were entirely self-inflicted) - is breath-taking, and his self-serving and entirely selfish attitude is - I must say - quite repellant.

A quote (from him) today that has turned up in a number of media sources:

"Everybody wants to play for a top club, that is fighting for titles. Whether it's this January that is the right time for a club to come in and pay the right money, who knows?"

Now, I do understand that the old tired trope - top players are ambitious, and want to win titles and silverware.

Yes, I get that.

Nevertheless, before sounding off about his ambitions, and sending an anything but subtle come hither call to all and sundry to consider opening their cheque books and sign him - a small - very small, just a tiny, microscopic, soupçon, a glimmer of gratitude to a club that has stood by him, and paid his wages for the eight months while he was serving a ban (as a consequence of entirely self-inflicted problems) would seem to me to be an appropriate initial statement on his return from an eight month playing ban.

No gratitude, no grace, and no dignity nor any decency, let alone any recognition whatsoever of what his absence may have cost the club (and I am not referring to money).

No thanks.

To my mind, he owes Brentford, owes them goodwill and utter dedication to their cause for at least several months; if he wants greener pastures, summer should suit both parties fine.
Click to expand...
Your post immediately got me thinking of Paul Pogba and Alex Ferguson. Pogba was coming up through the United youth system very well. He was showing immense talent but Ferguson felt Pogba was not quite there yet to be put into the first team. Pogba, 17-18 at the time thought otherwise and demanded that he put into the first team. Ferguson said no, give it a bit more time but Pogba said no, first team or I quit. Ferguson again said no so Pogba decides to leave. If you go back over the years to when Pogba was a youth player at United and read articles written about him from those who were with him at the time, the club knew that had an exceptional talented youngster BUT he had a terrible attitude problem in that he believed he was better than everyone else, that he was better than some players in the first team and that he should be a first team player. Well we all know what Ferguson is like when it comes to players like that, he does not tolerate them and thus Pogba left.

Whilst Pogba had a glittering career at Juventus, as soon as he came back to United, his attitude problems of the past came back. Take a look at Eric Cantona and his lengthy ban due to his kung fu kick at a fan, United stood by him throughout his ban and how was the club rewarded? by Cantona helping the team win a double, the premiership and the FA Cup on his immediate return to the game. That is how you pay back a club that sticks by you during troubles.

Ivan Toney has a lot to learn.
 
Apple fanboy

Apple fanboy

macrumors Ivy Bridge
Feb 21, 2012
56,989
56,005
Behind the Lens, UK
Quite a bit of talk about Phillips joining West Ham on loan. Might just be paper talk, but I think it could be a good move for both parties.
The trouble with signing for a club like City, is you may not get many first team opportunities.
 
pachyderm

pachyderm

macrumors G4
Jan 12, 2008
10,775
5,441
Smyrna, TN
Ok I have gotten hooked on the "Idle Football Manager" game. lol

It takes almost no effort to play and is free although there does appear to be some pay for upgrades. I'll never bother with that.

PACHYDERM fc, Newbie League (Division 10)

It appears that once you create a team the matches play instantly and nonstop. I'm not 100% versed in all the ins and outs yet though.

I did figure out that you should buy the 11 cheapest players available and go from there.
 
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Scepticalscribe

Scepticalscribe

macrumors Haswell
Original poster
Jul 29, 2008
65,181
47,567
In a coffee shop.
Let's see if Arsenal manage to identify, and locate the goal (even with the aid of an advanced GPS system) - and perhaps, even score from play.

Arsenal (playing at home) have just started against Crystal Palace.
 
Lord Blackadder

Lord Blackadder

macrumors P6
May 7, 2004
15,678
5,511
Sod off
Some great VAR-less action in the championship. Southampton are dominating the game against Swansea going 2-0 up and should have had more, but just leaked a goal. One of Southampton’s goals was marginally offside, while Swansea’s came off a handball. VAR would have chalked off both goals but the ‘mistakes’ cancelled each other out. Instead of a 1-0 game with ten minutes of VAR delays we have a 2-1 game.
 
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Scepticalscribe

Scepticalscribe

macrumors Haswell
Original poster
Jul 29, 2008
65,181
47,567
In a coffee shop.
Apple fanboy said:
Against Palace? Yes.
Click to expand...
Hm.

These days, I am not so sure.

Glad to see Emile Smith Rowe take the pitch; there are times when I do question the judgment of Mikel Arteta, and his marked - and continued - preference for Kai Havertz over ESR (whom he has pretty much frozen out) baffles me.
 
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Apple fanboy

Apple fanboy

macrumors Ivy Bridge
Feb 21, 2012
56,989
56,005
Behind the Lens, UK
Scepticalscribe said:
Hm.

These days, I am not so sure.

Glad to see Emile Smith Rowe take the pitch; there are times when I do question the judgment of Mikel Arteta, and his marked - and continued - preference for Kai Havertz over ESR (whom he has pretyy much frozen out) baffles me.
Click to expand...
Just putting him in the market place. I hear a few clubs offering to take him on loan etc.
 
Scepticalscribe

Scepticalscribe

macrumors Haswell
Original poster
Jul 29, 2008
65,181
47,567
In a coffee shop.
Apple fanboy said:
Just putting him in the market place.
Click to expand...
I can't imagine a sale before the summer, (given how stretched the squad is at the moment).

Well, I can, but personally, I would regret it.
Apple fanboy said:
I hear a few clubs offering to take him on loan etc.
Click to expand...
Indeed.

Anyway, I can relax now, - a happy Gunner here - and head out to collect my French bread.

Arsenal have a solid win, claiming victory by five goals to nil (should do something for what had been at risk of becoming an embarrassing goal difference table).
 
Apple fanboy

Apple fanboy

macrumors Ivy Bridge
Feb 21, 2012
56,989
56,005
Behind the Lens, UK
Scepticalscribe said:
I can't imagine a sale before the summer, (given how stretched the squad is at the moment).

Well, I can, but personally, I would regret it.

Indeed.

Anyway, I can relax now, - a happy Gunner here - and head out to collect my French bread.

Arsenal have a solid win, claiming victory by five goals to nil (should do something for what had been at risk of becoming an embarrassing goal difference table).
Click to expand...
Yup. You’ve gone from the 5th best GD to the 3rd best. Terribly embarrassing I’m sure!
 
pachyderm

pachyderm

macrumors G4
Jan 12, 2008
10,775
5,441
Smyrna, TN
[IMG]
1 - 2
[IMG]


Oh well... plenty of more fish to fry!
 
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