Fútbol, Le Foot, Voetbal, ποδόσφαιρο

[Husky]

Just when you thought Sensible Soccer was a thing of the past.

[DeeCee]

Only one English player on the pitch.

[bazza]

13 hours ago, philipl said:

I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I just squandered.

In 1969 I gave up women and alcohol - it was the worst 20 minutes of my life.

I used to go missing a lot... Miss Canada, Miss United Kingdom, Miss World.

 

The wit and wisdom of George Best

There, but for the grace of God, go us.

[Husky]

My Uefa final half time report:

"Thank God the Cricket World Cup starts tomorrow".

[philipl]

I thought this Chelsea v Arsenal game would be sterile and it is.

[Proudtobeblue&white]

A goal at least.

[Proudtobeblue&white]

Looks like a Chelsea win.

[matt83]

It feels like a pre-season friendly in a developing nation. 

[Proudtobeblue&white]

It's woken up a bit.

[Proudtobeblue&white]

4-1. The Arse are awful.

[Husky]

Seems like the commentators couldn't get to Baku. Seemingly commentating from a toilet cubicle in, probably Milton Keynes.

[Proudtobeblue&white]

Just now, Husky said:

Seems like the commentators couldn't get to Baku. Seemingly commentating from a toilet cubicle in, probably Milton Keynes.

Robbie S seems to be in the ladies.

[Husky]

Ozil off ?
I didn't even realise he was playing. Give me J-Lo any day.

[speeeeeeedie]

It was an easy win for Chelsea at the end of it.

I can't decide between did Hazard decide to start playing in the second half? Or did Arsenal manage to Arsenal it up?

If Hazard does leave, as is expected, Chelsea will be much much poorer next season. Mediocre talent such as Pedro, Kovacic (if he stays), Jorginho, and Giroud aren't going to drag them through games.

Arsenal need players too. Aubameyang and Lacazatte are talented strikers but their supporting cast includes the brilliant but becoming more and more anonymous Ozil, Xhaka, Elneny, and their dodgy defence.

[Husky]

Where's David May?

[philipl]

That was a brilliant demolition job by Chelsea and Sarri sorted them to cut out their vulnerability to Arsenal getting round them at the back.

In the end a good advert for the strength of the Premier League top 6.

[Mattyblue]

A good advert to show how they are a million miles away from the rest of English football, you mean?

Edited May 30, 2019 by Mattyblue

[Stuart]

Just now, Mattyblue said:

A good advert to show how they are a million miles away from the rest of English football, you mean?

The only devil’s advocate argument I can put up is that it used to be top 2, and then top 4 and now top 6. Plus Leicester and Everton both have decent sides now. It’s getting closer to a 10 team division argument than a European Super League, where 2 or 3 English teams might now vote against anyway as they would miss out.

Just can’t see an Anglo-Franco-Spanglitalian 20 team league and the German fan-led model sure wouldn’t allow their participation.

With the new style TV deals meaning that top teams will get a much bigger share (so I’ve read) maybe that’s the next step. City v Liverpool four times per season anyone?

[philipl]

1 minute ago, Mattyblue said:

A good advert to show how they are a million miles away from the rest of English football, you mean?

of European football actually.

Quite possibly the likes of Wolves, Leicester and West Ham could begin bridging the gap next season. 

 

Edited May 30, 2019 by philipl

[Mattyblue]

Leicester are a decent side, as are Wolves and they would’ve been right up there in years gone by.

However, the financial muscle of the top 6 now leaves them miles away.

[philipl]

26 minutes ago, Mattyblue said:

Leicester are a decent side, as are Wolves and they would’ve been right up there in years gone by.

However, the financial muscle of the top 6 now leaves them miles away.

I forgot Everton too.

Financial muscle has to come together behind the scenes and on the football field.

The Premier League makes all its players multi-millionaires so where does a player want to be? On the park at Molyneux or occasionally making the bench at the Etihad?

Signs of Wolves, Leicester, Everton having got their act together at a time when there are clear fundamental issues at Arsenal and Man U while Spurs and Chelsea were hardly invulnerable. Spurs lost 13 games last season- almost one in every three played. West Ham are third in the average attendance rankings by the way.

 

[Mattyblue]

They are, much cheaper season tickets though.

[Claytons Left Boot]

On one of the football Facebook sites I follow, some bloke was defending the choice of venue for last night’s game. Baku is in Europe, he stated and it’s a fine stadium.

He was correct on the Europe side of things. Whilst Baku is, indeed, in Europe (by the skin of its teeth admittedly), it is still further east than a sizeable portion of Iran and the next country east of Iran is Afghanistan! The logistics of actually getting there were mind boggling.

Little wonder that both Arsenal and Chelsea returned ‘thousands’ of tickets from their allocations. Someone must have been given a more than generous backhander.

 

 

[Vinjay]

4 hours ago, Claytons Left Boot said:

On one of the football Facebook sites I follow, some bloke was defending the choice of venue for last night’s game. Baku is in Europe, he stated and it’s a fine stadium.

He was correct on the Europe side of things. Whilst Baku is, indeed, in Europe (by the skin of its teeth admittedly), it is still further east than a sizeable portion of Iran and the next country east of Iran is Afghanistan! The logistics of actually getting there were mind boggling.

Little wonder that both Arsenal and Chelsea returned ‘thousands’ of tickets from their allocations. Someone must have been given a more than generous backhander.

 

 

FUP with UEFA? Never!

[philipl]

https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2019/05/29/how-english-clubs-re-conquered-european-football?cid1=cust/dailypicks/n/bl/n/20190530n/owned/n/n/dailypicks/n/n/uk/247665/n