Personally I think refs are getting lazy because they think VAR will catch a lot of stuff which means they do not have to be eagle eyed like they used to because ever since the introduction of VAR, refs errors have been on the increase. If VAR does not pick it up the ref lets it go even if he/she does see the incident.
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The 2024-2025 Football Thread
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I beg to differ; I don't think - not for one minute - that referees "are getting lazy".
Agreed. More likely every decision is watched back from multiple angles at super slow speed.
Current VAR does not allow for every decision to be checked. If it did the game would stop start every few minutes like American football. No way I’d want football to go that way.
Arguably a harsh Red for Bruno but they werent exactly great before the red anyway.
I'm now certain ETH isn't the man for Utd and his easy cup runs have papered over his incompetence
Roughly £1.19bn spent and Utd don't look anywhere near challenging. And we're into year 11 post-SAF
I'm now certain ETH isn't the man for Utd and his easy cup runs have papered over his incompetence
Roughly £1.19bn spent and Utd don't look anywhere near challenging. And we're into year 11 post-SAF
Watched this yesterday - Barça - Granada
Great to watch some nice goals, but Barça didn't have so much opposition 😉
Great to watch some nice goals, but Barça didn't have so much opposition 😉
Yep, I think there's no question ETH is toast after today, and the result against Twente last week was also a bad one. Always one step forward, three steps back with him, even with a mostly complete squad to choose from.
The only question is whether INEOS will turn to RVN as an interim manager, or whether they'll go back to the table with Tuchel and try to figure it out again. God help us if Southgate comes in instead.
I think I've given up on the idea of being able to build a top team around Bruno Fernandes. When he's off-song, he's really, really bad. You need a talisman player with a higher floor to improve consistency. They just signed him to a new contract, but hopefully someone like PSG can be convinced to take him on for a decent sum, I don't know.
The only question is whether INEOS will turn to RVN as an interim manager, or whether they'll go back to the table with Tuchel and try to figure it out again. God help us if Southgate comes in instead.
I think I've given up on the idea of being able to build a top team around Bruno Fernandes. When he's off-song, he's really, really bad. You need a talisman player with a higher floor to improve consistency. They just signed him to a new contract, but hopefully someone like PSG can be convinced to take him on for a decent sum, I don't know.
If ref's are not getting lazy then what is your opinion on why ref's appear to be missing a lot more incidents on the pitch than they used to? Before the introduction of VAR, I remember many many times seeing matches on TV and the commenters going 'oh, the ref is going over to the linesman, looks like the linesman spotted something'. Between then, the ref's and the linesman would catch a huge amount of incidents but now they don't. Since the introduction of VAR I have seen a steady increase of commenters going 'oh, the ref has missed that one' or 'oh, the ref has missed another one' or 'how on earth did the ref miss that?'. I've watched and still watch a lot of football, have done for many many years, either at my home, at the homes of other family members, down the pub or at my local grounds (Wolves, Shrewsbury and Telford United, now Gillingham when I can afford it) and I can tell you from first hand fan watching experience that since VAR, the amount of incidents being missed by the ref and the linesman has increased tremendously.
If it's not laziness then what it is?
United have players that are good enough to be consistent. Title consistent, no I do not think so. They are just no consistent enough. They have a very good game, then a bad game, they have a good game, a mediocre game then a very bad game. Listen the commentator and the pundits, time and time again they are calling out the players for being out of position or not concentrating enough or not focusing enough or not tracking back enough or not trying hard enough. That is a player problem, not a manager problem. The various coaches will keep them fit, the various coaches will get them running various skill and tactic patterns. The dietitians will make sure the players are eating right and drinking right. The club doctors and physio's will make sure all the players are injury prone free.
Today's managers have very little contact and control of players. Yes the manager is responsible for discipline, for picking the tactics, for picking the players and come transfer day what players he/she wants to get rid of and what players that want to bring in.
The problem United have is that the players are not listening to the manager which is compounded by the fact they do not have an effective captain who can maintain order on the pitch. I've read books by ex-managers Bobby Robson, Ron Atkinson, Brian Clough, Sir Matt Busby, Bill Shankly, Terry Venables (amazing what books the local library has) and in them you pick up on a common theme, each manager had a system in place where they would signal the captain to enact as certain change in game play/tactic. This was all worked out by the manager, the captain and the team because it's not easy for the manager to scream their head of on the side lines hoping the whole team hears their instructions. So, if the manager saw that the opposition had change their game play, the manager would signal to the captain to enact a certain game play and this would be done throughout the game. It could be as simple as waving an arm in the air or both arms in the air or crossing their arms or kicking out at the ground with their left leg or their right, something that would look like the manager was frustrated with how the game was going but in fact was a signal to the captain to enact a certain team move/change (the manager shouting the captain's name before the body movement).
United does not have a captain who can do that because the captain is the one to make sure that the players stick to the managers game plan and if they do not, the captain is supposed to give them a shouting at. Over the years we have seen some exceptional captains do that, Bryan Robson, Roy Keane and some good captains do it, Paul Ince, Dennis Irwin, Gary Pallister, Steve Bruce, Rio Ferdinand, Paul Scholes, Wayne Rooney. ALL of them we have seen at some time or another give their teammates some verbal for not doing what they are supposed to be doing or making errors/mistakes, not focusing or not concentrating. United does not have that type of captain anymore.
It is very easy for people say the problem is ETH but when you look deeper into what is going on you will see that it is not ETH that is the problem, it is the players. They have the skill, they have the ability. They are just seem to not want to do it game after game.
Every news website I look at it has front page news about ETH getting the sack. All of them are doing it. It is clearly done for click bait because when you click on the article to read it, it is then you notice the question mark at the end of their statement.
Are you lot finding the same? not that many of you look at online news sites.
Are you lot finding the same? not that many of you look at online news sites.
Alexandra Popp ends her National Team career, for Germany - What a player!
They say she ends her international career. Ah well, she will still play for Wolfsburg, and have contract until summer 2025, so it depends a bit on their success in Women's Champions League.
But again, she's been really great! See what she will do after this?
They say she ends her international career. Ah well, she will still play for Wolfsburg, and have contract until summer 2025, so it depends a bit on their success in Women's Champions League.
But again, she's been really great! See what she will do after this?
I think his time would already be up if they had a ‘better’ candidate lined up.
The problems at United go (far) deeper than the unfortunate stewardship of ETH, (the notorious Glazers, anyone?) even though (those clear, click bait,) articles shouting about the imminent demise of his managerial career at Manchester United are all too visible in the respective sports sections of newspapers, TV, and online media.
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This morning I read an online news article from a well known UK website that reported about a number of Europe's top clubs looking to sign Mason Greenwood. He is doing so well at Marseille that he has caught the attention of Barcelona, Bayern Munich and PSG. Now my question is, where do you lot stand on the issue of Mason Greenwood? The evidence from his girlfriend of him beating her and text messages of him threating her was so overwhelming that he was arrested by the police, charged with attempted rape, controlling and coercive behavior and assault occasioning actual bodily harm with the crown prosecution case set to proceed when his girlfriend at the very last minute refused to testify against Greenwood. Without her testimony the case against Greenwood could not go ahead so the case was dropped, he was free to go.
Whilst the evidence against Greenwood was very strong, evidence showing he did what his accuser (his girlfriend) she he did to her, he was a free man. From what I read at the time there was a huge out pouring of anger of many people within United, from players, to staff to some coaches. The women's team refused to be anywhere near him (they come together on training days and in the canteen) and it was rumored the women's team would quit if he was allowed to stay at the club. There was also rumors' that some of United's first team players refused to work with him. The club eventually loaned him out to a European club and was sold in this years summer transfer window.
Now, even though the court case against Greenwood never went ahead, the evidence against him still stands (police had released pictures of her beaten body and threatening text messages). With that in mind, would you want Greenwood on your team? because he is a free man remember. Therefore, do you ignore the evidence that was presented against him saying such evidence is irrelevant because it was not tested in court and thus it cannot be held over him?
Should he be forever labeled as an 'alleged rapist' and have his football career forever ruined OR because the case against him never went ahead and thus he is a free man, should everyone accept that and allow him to get on with his life as a footballer.
My view is that he should be forever vilified for what he did to his girlfriend. Just because the case against him was dropped, it still does not mean he is innocent of his crime and thus he should not be in a sport where he has the potential to be idolized.
What do you lot think?
Whilst the evidence against Greenwood was very strong, evidence showing he did what his accuser (his girlfriend) she he did to her, he was a free man. From what I read at the time there was a huge out pouring of anger of many people within United, from players, to staff to some coaches. The women's team refused to be anywhere near him (they come together on training days and in the canteen) and it was rumored the women's team would quit if he was allowed to stay at the club. There was also rumors' that some of United's first team players refused to work with him. The club eventually loaned him out to a European club and was sold in this years summer transfer window.
Now, even though the court case against Greenwood never went ahead, the evidence against him still stands (police had released pictures of her beaten body and threatening text messages). With that in mind, would you want Greenwood on your team? because he is a free man remember. Therefore, do you ignore the evidence that was presented against him saying such evidence is irrelevant because it was not tested in court and thus it cannot be held over him?
Should he be forever labeled as an 'alleged rapist' and have his football career forever ruined OR because the case against him never went ahead and thus he is a free man, should everyone accept that and allow him to get on with his life as a footballer.
My view is that he should be forever vilified for what he did to his girlfriend. Just because the case against him was dropped, it still does not mean he is innocent of his crime and thus he should not be in a sport where he has the potential to be idolized.
What do you lot think?
Looking into it deeper, I think it's made the news because apparently many years ago both clubs got warned for not doing checks on who they were allowing to be season ticket holders because a number of their Ultra's were associated with the criminal underworld and as a result both clubs were warned to improve their checking procedures. It would appear both clubs have been slack over the years in doing these checks.
OK, that make sense, as Zlatan is some kind of Senior Advisor in Milan these days.
Regardless of how a good footballer he was, he always felt suspicious to me 😂
Not surprised to be honest. There is always going to be some clubs that see the talent without seeing the issues.
Now if you have been convicted of a crime, served your time and changed your ways then perhaps that can be different (depending on the allegations of course). But personally I’d not want to see him at my club.
There are several NFL players that are still playing even though they have similar issues. Drives me nuts that they let them play.
Greenwood is the exact type of player United really needs: a ruthless finisher. However, I absolutely do not want him back at the club. He's not "innocent" or "not guilty" as he never went to trial. The recording of the assault is sufficient evidence in the court of public opinion. He blew it and needs to pay the consequences in his career if he won't pay them in prison.
He did receive a fair amount of abuse in Spain from opposing fans last season, from what I've read. It'll dog his career wherever he goes, and the more abuse he gets, the better.
He did receive a fair amount of abuse in Spain from opposing fans last season, from what I've read. It'll dog his career wherever he goes, and the more abuse he gets, the better.
He will not care, especially if Barcelona are serious about their intentions in wanting him. They will make him a millionaire and he will be sticking two fingers up at the UK and his ex partner and Man United.
We can never trust UK press but according to a couple of them, it is rumoured that United have a buy back clause on Greenwood.
Utd successfully appeal Bruno's red.
Greenwood is living his best life, partner forgave him, new kid with her. Signed for a european club and doing well and being paid handsomely. Barca knocking.
And Barca are a club desperate for good players to prevent Madrid completely dominating them.
After the Barca women 10-1, we get a Dortmund-Celtic 7-1 and Celtic continue to remind the world their level in the UCL.
Greenwood is living his best life, partner forgave him, new kid with her. Signed for a european club and doing well and being paid handsomely. Barca knocking.
And Barca are a club desperate for good players to prevent Madrid completely dominating them.
After the Barca women 10-1, we get a Dortmund-Celtic 7-1 and Celtic continue to remind the world their level in the UCL.
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Well said, all of you.
At the risk of stating the obvious, I am in complete agreement with you.
I don't care how good Greenwood is as a player; personally, I would never want to see him taking the field attired in the kit of any team I support, or like, or wish well.