The Football Thread

[pierrelm]

Silva must now have a particularly jaundiced view of football club owners, considering his previous club was the bizarrely-run Hull.

I wonder how many Everton fans are now crying into their elevenses, wondering what might have been, rather than watching Big Sam turning them into an outfit who might well be safe but with a playing style lacking in anything to enjoy.

[george anson]

Originally Posted by pierrelm

Silva must now have a particularly jaundiced view of football club owners, considering his previous club was the bizarrely-run Hull.

I wonder how many Everton fans are now crying into their elevenses, wondering what might have been, rather than watching Big Sam turning them into an outfit who might well be safe but with a playing style lacking in anything to enjoy.

We are in a relegation battle and struggling to see where the next point is coming from. Part of the reason is the number of injuries. It is a long list and players like Femenia, Chalobah and Hughes are sorely missed. The defence has chopped and changed and Prodl since his injury looks a pale shadow of the player he was.

Without Femenia we have two of the worst fullbacks to 'grace' the PL. We had yet another hamstring injury yesterday. Is it the training surfaces or overtraining ? Because of the injuries players who might have had a rest are being overplayed. Doucoure is showing signs of strain for example.

But because Silva and his agent flatly refused to quash the rumours about Everton at the time the board and especially Gino Pozzo have lost faith in him. The signing of Carillo on a permanent has been refused, Slimani seems off the radar and the chief scout Giraldi has said the squad is fine as it is. That is despite so called minor muscle injuries Femenia and Hughes have seemingly disappeared into a black hole.

It's a far cry from October when we beat Arsenal and should have beaten Chelsea and were playing very well. I blame Everton, Silva and now the board for not sorting things out.

Even so Silva also deserves blame as do the players for managing to throw points away against Swansea and Palace in the same manner and poor goalkeeping against Brighton. We have had some very bad luck with regards to officiating as well.

Burnley a clear push on Richarlison not given. Burnley score.
Tottenham a clear handball by Dier in the box. No penalty.
Crystal Palace van Aanholt a red card offence against Pereyra. Just a yellow and they score.

The only fortune is that handball against Southampton despite the referee missing two penalties earlier. As a group of fans we cannot wait for this season to be over after it promised so much. Seventeenth will be taken now gladly.

Silva has proven to be far less of a man than the one we commemorated last week:

It's not that much of a surprise he has been sacked. Players seem to have lost faith in him as have the fans. Perhaps he can take a lesson in humility as well. New manager will no doubt get funds to strengthen and we can go on from there.

Elsewhere. The greed of sportspeople. Rodwell. Desperate to leave Sunderland. But unwilling to take a pay cut so happy to stay in the reserves. Joao Mario Internazionale flop refused us citing he wants European football. Okay. But then is linked with West Ham. Who are on the up and Lanzini what a player he is but still might not make a European spot. But they are offering higher wages apparently.

[victor meldrew]

Originally Posted by george anson

We have had some very bad luck with regards to officiating as well.

Burnley a clear push on Richarlison not given. Burnley score.
Tottenham a clear handball by Dier in the box. No penalty.
Crystal Palace van Aanholt a red card offence against Pereyra. Just a yellow and they score.

The only fortune is that handball against Southampton despite the referee missing two penalties earlier. As a group of fans we cannot wait for this season to be over after it promised so much. Seventeenth will be taken now gladly.


Elsewhere. The greed of sportspeople. Rodwell. Desperate to leave Sunderland. But unwilling to take a pay cut so happy to stay in the reserves. Joao Mario Internazionale flop refused us citing he wants European football. Okay. But then is linked with West Ham. Who are on the up and Lanzini what a player he is but still might not make a European spot. But they are offering higher wages apparently.

Every team suffers from poor refereeing week in week out and I no longer believe clubs can use it as an excuse.
As for Mario and us, its probably pure speculation and unless we off load we don't have the funds to pay for a loan deal or his salary. Moyes has recalled four kids from loan deals. It looks like they will play in the FA Cup and possibly a stint of bench warming as well.
I suspect the Three wise ones have locked the safe door until the summer, but as you can never trust them, they might prove me wrong.

Lanzini picked up a hamstring injury yesterday and we will find out on Monday how long he will be out for.

[george anson]

Originally Posted by victor meldrew

Every team suffers from poor refereeing week in week out and I no longer believe clubs can use it as an excuse.
As for Mario and us, its probably pure speculation and unless we off load we don't have the funds to pay for a loan deal or his salary. Moyes has recalled four kids from loan deals. It looks like they will play in the FA Cup and possibly a stint of bench warming as well.
I suspect the Three wise ones have locked the safe door until the summer, but as you can never trust them, they might prove me wrong.

Lanzini picked up a hamstring injury yesterday and we will find out on Monday how long he will be out for.

About the poor refereeing that is true but we have had far more poor decisions and at critical times in matches than most. I cite Swansea. The first goal was offside but given. Yesterday a very marginal call might have denies a momentum swinging goal. When a team is low on confidence and gets a string of poor decisions at crucial points in a match ie van Aanholt not being sent off or indeed in the Swansea game Naughtons stamp on Okaka being missed these do add up and cost points.

Shame about Lanzini he is a class player and was finding a link with Arnautovic in recent games. Perhaps he was training at London Colney ?

[victor meldrew]

Sami Nasri

[ultimatewarlord]

Heard the sad news this morning via football on Five that Rodney Fern had died. I knew the name from my youth because I remembered tv showing highlights of Rotherham 6-0 Chelsea in one of their rare forays into the lower divisions. Fern scored a hat-trick. The highlights later made it onto Danny Baker's Right Hammerings video. Here's the tv highlights.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nZfwdx9zLA

[ultimatewarlord]

Originally Posted by victor meldrew

Sami Nasri

You have my sympathy. He'll collect his wages and that's as much effort as he'll make.

[pierrelm]

Jimmy Armfield, gentleman, in his day, the best right back in the world, a genuine great, the man who took my team to their only European Cup Final, only to find that we were up against 12 men that day; as ever he behaved with great dignity.
For the past, it must be twenty years, it's been like having a favourite uncle tell you about the finer points of the game in a calm, assured modest and understated way. A wonderful commentator: "What happened was there..."

Jimmy Armfield, RIP

[Meini Again]

A very respected player, and in later years, one of the few...VERY FEW...audio/radio commentators that I respected.

Doubly respected. One can't give greater Love, than Respect, in Football.
This man deserves it.
TWICE

GordonTaylor {PFA}, who counted Armfield as a personal friend, said he was "a national hero", "football legend" and "Blackpool icon" and "will be sadly missed by all who knew him".
"He had time for everybody and made the world a better place with his love for life and all his many activities for his charities, hospitals, his church and his devotion to his wife Anne, his sons Duncan and John and their wives and his grandchildren."
Armfield's family say he "passed away peacefully" surrounded by those closest to him.
Their statement went on: "Jimmy had two great loves - first and foremost was his family, to which he was devoted and loved dearly. The other was football, especially Blackpool, England and his colleagues at the PFA."
Armfield, who played for Blackpool for 17 years, was the club's captain for more than a decade.

R.I.P.

[Meini Again]

I blame Mingolet....ooops, I mean Karius...nope...I mean Klopp.

A deserved win by Swansea

A more brutal and less effete Swansea....I noticed a few... "afters"..not seen them so obvious since Jack Charlton's days.Neither had the Ref....he was too young to realise !
Served their purpose I suppose. Liverpool's millionaires lost their confidence, and Can thought he could do 'Hollywood Goals' every match...gheezz..

Liverpool v Spurs v Arsenal for 4th Champion's League place......

..after Burnley