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The 2023-2024 Football Thread
- Thread starter Scepticalscribe
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Elsewhere, earlier, Liverpool defeated Everton by two goals to one, Salah superb, as has been so often the case.
Right now I have more faith in Trossard than in Arteta.
He needs to ****ing drop Raya. Three games now he been poor and today it cost us.
Two points dropped.
He needs to ****ing drop Raya. Three games now he been poor and today it cost us.
Two points dropped.
Given you were two goals down, I’d look at it more as a point gained.
I’ll catch the highlights later.
Now I’m hoping for Sheffield United to do the impossible (well unlikely) and beat United.
I think that it is becoming increasingly clear that Mikel Arteta - like his mentor, Pep - has some serious blind spots, and tends to cling tenaciously to an idea (the old "idée fixe") with a stubborn intensity that is not far from obsessive.
To be candid, we did well not to drop all three, - mid way through the second half, I was convinced that it was all over for us, we hadn't had a single decent shot on target at the time - but to claw a draw out of this encounter.
Not for the first time, I will stress that Rice was worth every penny or cent we paid for him
Yes, Raya had a shocker.
As did Sanchez for Chelsea.
My take as well.
We gained a point, clawed a draw from the fixture, and - towards the end - could actually have won the game.
Mind you, earlier, Chelsea might have put three past us.
Candidly, by the 70th minute, I had resigned myself to losing all three points and was reading about Bobby Charlton (and Jack Charlton, and their extraordinary mother Cissie Charlton - née Millburn) instead of paying close heed to what seemed to be an evening of inglorious and incompetent suffering.
Indeed.
Come on he is not better than Ramsdale.
He nearly cost us the Man City game.
Yes we were below par and Chelsea were better team.
Ramsdale has understanding with our back four and it works.
Who knows. Im just bloody fed up of going one step forward two step backwards.
I never said that Raya was better than Ramsdale; in fact, I have already said that, today, he had a shocker - an informal way of saying that he had an appalling game.
Abd, his last few games haven't been all that great, agreed.
Being able to play out from the back is irrelevant and redundant, if, when doing so, you pass the ball to, and gift the ball to (as Raya did today) your opponents.
Agree re Ramsdale, whom I think was unfairly (and excessively) blamed for the dip in form towards the end of last season. With Saliba injured, - and his replacements, though hard-working and game, were nowhere near his ability - our defence was poor, leaving the keeper exposed all too often.
And it remains a mystery - an enduring and perplexing mystery - to me why we ever purchased Havertz.
Well, Manchester United (on the day that the death of club legend Sir Bobby Charlton was announced) defeat Sheffield United (who didn't play badly, but who couldn't score from open play) by two goals to one.
Erm, it was 2-0....
Everton fans bleating on about decisions; the Merseyside derby is always full of passion, but they can't really moan given their players' poor challenges. Konaté's 'second yellow' was nowhere near; Everton player runs into him and then goes to ground far too easily, trying to make a meal of it. I think that's actually what made the ref's decision easy for him. Everton came to park the bus, always looking to get little digs in, wind Liverpool players up. Not to actually play football. Unsurprising from Everton and also Sean Dyche. So a fair result ultimately. Liverpool some way off form; would probably have had an easier game against 10 men tbh. But got the job done, 3 points. 😃
Columbus secured the number three seed in the Easter conference playoffs and will face Atlanta United in the first round.
In spite of our shaky defense, I think the Crew could go deep this season.
In spite of our shaky defense, I think the Crew could go deep this season.
I think reality is starting to set in now though. West Ham are a mid-table team, Moyes is a mid-table manager. So they're about their level. They enjoyed some early success, but the leaugue is all about consistency and grinding out results even when you're some way below par (see Liverpool yesterday, and even Arsenal rescuing a point). West Ham have spent a lot of money relative to a lot of other clubs, but the management just isn't up to the level of clubs above them. Moyes has a lot of experience, but as I've said before, just not top class in terms of tactics and ideas. Perhaps if you got a better manager in, you'd do a bit better. Perhaps not.
No.
Not good at all.
Actually, I think that Moyes has done quite well at West Ham, but must admit that Unai Emery was an inspired appointment at Villa.
Villa are in fifth now, they have quietly had a really strong start to the season.
I read today that the two nations that go furthest in Europe can earn an extra CL spot.
So 1-5 in the CL. Really daft calling it the Champions League when most of the teams in it are not champions!
When the champions league was first announced I always said to my self the format was wrong. In my opinion if they wanted such a format they should have made it that teams in every European league that finish in the top 3 of their league go into a league format that is called the European Club Cup and the winner being named European Club Cup champions because to have it just called champions league it should have just been only the league winners contesting it, just how it used to be.
His time at Everton was a long time ago.
More recently, Moyes has done well with West Ham, and they have done well with him.
Agreed. Truth is with the money the big 6 (7?) have at their disposal finishing 6th-8th is an achievement. Personally I think Moyes has done a good job. He is out of contract at the end of the year and I hope we are going to offer him a new one.
What are your thoughts/opinions on this?
I read an article in the Metro online that talks about diversity within the womens game because Arsenal women just produced their team picture and it includes no women of colour. The article also pointed out this was the same case for Everton's women team and the England u21 womens team. I have always been of the view that only the best players get picked for a team but I can see where the diversity angle is coming from when we see in the men's game players who are not at their best being picked not only for their club but for the national team as well, which contradicts the argument only the best players get picked. So, if the best players are not being picked for club and country, why isn't players of colour being picked? This is why I can see the argument for diversity, managers always come out with that they pick the best players for club and country but we know that is not the case therefore their argument for wanting the best players falls flat on it's face.
Like I said, I have always been of the view that only the best players should picked but I can see where the argument for diversity is coming from.
I read an article in the Metro online that talks about diversity within the womens game because Arsenal women just produced their team picture and it includes no women of colour. The article also pointed out this was the same case for Everton's women team and the England u21 womens team. I have always been of the view that only the best players get picked for a team but I can see where the diversity angle is coming from when we see in the men's game players who are not at their best being picked not only for their club but for the national team as well, which contradicts the argument only the best players get picked. So, if the best players are not being picked for club and country, why isn't players of colour being picked? This is why I can see the argument for diversity, managers always come out with that they pick the best players for club and country but we know that is not the case therefore their argument for wanting the best players falls flat on it's face.
Like I said, I have always been of the view that only the best players should picked but I can see where the argument for diversity is coming from.