2020/2021 Football Season

[greybeard]

Can we make it 3 wins on the bounce tonight against WBA, I'm sure big Sam will have a plan or a bus to park

COYG!

 

[greybeard]

Not a big enough bus   Well played lads, 4-0 away from home, not to be sniffed at, whoever it is!

 

[Bazzer]

Funny old season this , City who I'd forgotten about have suddenly come alive .

 

[greybeard]

Funny old season this , City who I'd forgotten about have suddenly come alive .

And now Southampton beating Liverpool! Anyone in the top half is in with a shout this year. (that does not include my team  )

 

[bencat]

Well Liverpool still stuttering along held to a first half draw by a team of Aston Villa youngsters who showed up the lack of attacking force Liverpool currently have . Introduction of Thiago improved things but in the end it was tiredness and lack of experience that defeated Villa . The Villa team were a credit to the club and deserve any plaudits they receive Liverpool will be happy they are in the next round but not happy with that performance .

Man Utd must be really happy that they play us next as if this is the level of performance we can offer I do not see anything better than a draw .

 

[Hap Hazzard]

Now I know who is playing who this week.

 

[greybeard]

Well as holders of the FA Cup we struggled to beat Newcastle in the 3rd round, and if Carroll had not missed a sitter, as well as bringing out a top class save from Leno in the 2nd half we would be out. But credit to Arsenal they stuck at it, and eventually got their reward with a well taken goal by Emile Smith Rowe, another product of our academy and tap in by Aubameyang for the 2nd. Also good to see VAR used to rescind a red card, that would have been a travesty if it had been allowed to stand, I understand it happened in another tie too  :^

 

[Bazzer]

Funny ol' season , Liverpool 4 consecutive Prem matches without scoring , what's odds would have you got for that ?

 

[Non-Smoking Man]

I note that Darren Fletcher has recently joined the coaching staff at Old Trafford. A month ago he was promoted from youth team duties to an assistant coach to the first team with special responsibilities for Paul Pogba. I had been wondering what was contributing to Pogba's recent good form - now I know.

Last time I watched Man U. was against West Brom when we lost 1-0 at home. Sanchez was still in the side (that's how long ago it was!) but Pogba was a dominating presence, and easily the best player on the pitch.

I clicked onto the Wikipedia biography and noticed that apart from his 4 or 5 League title wins with Juventus, his individual man of the match awards and World Cup winning medal, (which everyone knows about), he was a Man U. player before he signed for Juventus, coming up through the youth ranks. I had forgotten that.

He famously fell out of favour with Jose M. and suffered a recurring ankle injury, both contributing to his benching. Now under Ole Gunnar's lighter touch perhaps, we are seeing his talent reignited.

I believe Pogba really wants a Premiership title b4 he ships out. Now he is fit and being mentored by the doughty Scot, he is to be feared. United are not a one man band (Fernandes) as has been claimed - just look at Pogba's record! He is the most decorated player in British football and still only 27.

Jack NSM (Man U. supporter)

 

[Bazzer]

Schadenfreude moi ?  

 

[lower bullens]

Schadenfreude moi ?  

Now, Baz, you know it’s all our fault 

 

[Non-Smoking Man]

Funny ol' season , Liverpool 4 consecutive Prem matches without scoring , what's odds would have you got for that ?

About 250/1.

Jack

 

[awkwardbydesign]

Jack NSM (Man U. supporter)

Really?

 

[Non-Smoking Man]

Ha ha, BUT this particular southern bastard went to study in Manchester and lived off Ayres Road in Old Trafford. I have supported them since I was a teenager and  regularly attended home games. Also I  witnessed at first hand the European Cup win against Eusebio and co. Probably one of the club's proudest moments.

So, yes, really.

Jack NSM

 

[greybeard]

FA Cup 4th Round today, and  Southampton v Arsenal is the early Kick off (12.15) A difficult match for Arsenals defence of the cup. Beers are chilled, so here's to a good game, COYG  j:

Well what a let down that was. Well done to Southampton a deserved win. What i cannot abide is the way we went out, with a whimper, there were 2 or 3 well paid, no overpaid, seasoned professionals, playing today,who to my mind should never pull on an Arsenal shirt again. And whoever sanctioned £72 million for Pepe should fired, if they haven't already! Rant over  :grrr:

 

[Non-Smoking Man]

Injuries hit top Premiership clubs:

Jamie Vardy out (minor surgery) for Leicester and De Bruyne out (hamstring) for Man City 4-6 weeks).

 

[garn63]

Does anyone else see that football is slowly being manipulated into being a show for TV?   I love footy but caught Richard Keys suggesting that we could slot adverts in somewhere..   UTV          First time in maybe 15 seasons I have used the words "superb" and "proud" when talking about my team.   The victims know who we are now & we will be afforded respect ,which is thoroughly deserved.   It's been a tough few yrs but our supporters have great humour & irony.  If only it wasnt just about the dollars then I am sure we could put 60,000 bums on seats at Villa Park.   UTV. 

 

[garn63]

Well done Burnley.   Bit of a sickener but there is more than one way to skin a cat.  Spirit & belief wins over skill tonight.  Great game tho.  The futures good for Villa.       * Grealish world class*

Great win for Arsenal against one of the best teams in the league on their day.  Away & without their talisman. They'll give em that cup win.

Think L'pool are tired (not surprisingly) after their efforts last season. It's a tough call to win the league twice in a row nowadays.  Looks like City are on fire but United have found a belief.   Ya never naaa?   It's like the old days ....the Prem now.   Great for football.        UTV.

 

[bencat]

Seems Utd may also be a little tired given the result and performance tonight . Liverpool are most certainly mentally suffering and you can see the confidence of all of the team leaking away game by game . This is a very different game this year the early start after a short break and the continued behind closed doors it making some players blossom and other wilt . I know the media and clubs use the phrase like cliche and they will soon forget it but truthfully football is a much worse game without fans . In the UK we are spoiled in that most PL and Championship teams are used to playing in either packed or fairly packed stadiums with noise and support and appreciation . Playing your football to an echoing space with no appreciation of your work and skill is proving to be difficult for some players with the ego they need to feed them . Others who would make an error then get worse as crowds got at them are now showing more what they do in training . Nothing is really as it was home or away means nothing now and so we see the strange results .

Only side I think who has worked all of this out and has changed how they play and what they do is Man City and I fully expect them now to pull away from the rest of the teams and go on to win by a good points margin . Wish it was not so but i think Pep has sussed out the current mood and is working hard on it and i think they will prosper accordingly .

 

[Non-Smoking Man]

I really agree with your first paragraph Andrew. Many players need the support of their fans 'to feed their ego' as you put it or at least encourage them to fight. An effect of this is that there is no home advantage (or its heavily reduced) as can be seen in Man U's 'away' record. This seems to be lost on tv pundits who still describe their 'away' form as 'amazing' or some other hyperbole. The same phenomenon is true of the NFL - even more so as crowd noise is a known device to make the visiting team's quarter back's shouted instructions inaudible. Without the home crowd drowning out the quarterback the visitors are not disadvantaged so much.

I am slightly sceptical of your second para where you claim that Man City have worked this out. How do you know this? You cant have interviewed them and I havent seen Pep talking about this so how do you link their 'change in play' with the psychology?

You could argue that any team that is showing good form must have worked this out..or you could argue that Man City, or any other team, just happens to have fewer 'egos' that need support. In which case it has just happened without anybody working anything out.

Also your prediction that 'they will pull away from the rest of the teams', rests on the assumption that none of those other teams will work it out for themselves (if indeed that's what is happening) and go on to show better form and likewise climb the table.

And what does the phrase 'working hard on the current mood' mean? I can see him working hard on players' fitness and strategy as a coach and improving their ability to win matches, but how as a coach do you train them to handle silence, if by 'mood' you mean the lack of atmosphere in the ground.

I am intrigued. The second paragraph needs a bit more elucidation.

Jack