Blew money on szmodics? WTF!

3 hours ago, wilsdenrover said:

Match of the Day 2s analysis of the City Spurs game…

Plenty of criticism of the referee decision at the end - no criticism of Haaland’s mistake (missing from 10 yards).

Plenty of praise of Tottenham even though nearly every one ended with the phrase ‘it didn’t work but’.

In my opinion, this highlighted two of the problems with the modern game.

1. Where at all possible, blame the officials - possibly understandable from managers   but indefensible from pundits (maybe it would help if it wasn’t such an old boys club)

2. Style over substance - if it looks ‘right’ (who decide this?) then it doesn’t matter if it  
   works or not.

 

 

I get the criticism of the ref on this occasion. He waves play-on initially and only seems to blow after Haaland back up. On the wider point of the 'old boys club'. There is an arrogance amongst pro footballers that only those who have played the game have a valid view. Most of us have played the game - it's not rocket-science to translate our experience to the pro game. Clearly a pro footballer's insight adds value as well. Tbf to Leon Osman he did make the point right at the end that generally the ref had a good game and yet they were focussing on the big mistake.

On 30/11/2023 at 10:02, ben_the_beast said:

 I'm sure the likes of City would hate the opposition doing this. It'd limit their efforts to suffocate the opposition. 

 

Brentford always seem to give them a good game. Not much tip-tap playing from the back - good defenders and then getting the ball to quick, strong forwards seems to be their style from what I see (admittedly only on MOTD)

39 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

You didn’t write the lines for the French copper in “ Allo , Allo” did you ?

and Trav probably has 'a piss in him'!

Can only see this ending one of three ways - 1. we get to Premier League and are sensible (like Luton) and use the money to stabilise 2. we get to the Premier League and bet the bank on loads of players and then watch as that goes pear-shaped 3. we suffer death by a thousand cuts until we eventually do (at best) a Wigan or (at worst) a Bury - or somewhere in between (like Bolton)

Afraid my bet is on number 3.

2 hours ago, wilsdenrover said:

I’d say the level of tolerance to human error is markedly different depending on whether that human is an official or a player/manager.

Once saw a post-match interview with Peter Reid (I think he was manager of Sunderland at the time). He started by having a go at the referee who'd made a mistake that cost a goal. Then stopped, laughed and said something along the lines of - 'mind you I wish my defenders had only made one mistake in the game that cost a goal - not the 3 they actually made!!'

19 hours ago, simongarnerisgod said:

best game ever imo,made all the more tragic as the brazilians only had to draw to go through,their have been some fantastic brazilian teams through the years but none of them matched that side,i cried when gentile and his feral team mates triumphed,football was never the same after that

Certainly best international game I've ever seen. The Italians had scraped through the first group if I remember correctly. Then got Maradona sent off. Certainly masters of the dark arts but their will to win was formidable as well. Made all the sweeter for me as I had drawn Italy in the school world cup sweepstake!

11 hours ago, Upside Down said:

If you had to live in Stoke you'd be pretty angry. 

I was moving to live in Newcastle-under-Lyme a long while ago. Was talking to a salesperson in DFS in Hanley and she asked 'why on earth are you moving to a place like Stoke!' I said actually I'm moving to N-u-L - and she replied 'oh that's alright then - you really wouldn't want to live in Stoke!!' The A500 is the big divide!!!

1 hour ago, Cherry Blue said:

Baxendale??

 

Clearly a mashup between Baxenden and Rossendale!

My granddad worked for a rival Rossendale bakers (Cordeys I think) and taught us this as kids:

Hollands Pies, full of flies

Concrete bottom, rubber sides

Rusty meat and iron jelly

All to go inside your belly

Happy memories!!

13 hours ago, Upside Down said:

I started going in the 90s and it's been happening since then. Predominantly in the Riverside.

It's always happened in the Riverside since it was rebuilt. However it is really obvious when the way out is by the front of the stand. If I was a bit tight for time I used to walk down to the corner but still stayed and watched until the final whistle (along with many others. Plenty of people leave from the other stands as well - just not as obvious.

1 hour ago, smiller14 said:

Love to read this sort of stuff. Being born in 1992 I was spoilt growing up, so perhaps didn't appreciate it as much as I should. As I posted earlier in the thread, I'll never forget the tributes before the Norwich game in 2000. Barely a dry eye in the stadium. 

Your Dad sounds like a great man, as was Uncle Jack - the world was clearly a poorer place that week with their passing.

Oh - and a very happy birthday to you! 

Not so sure my mum always agreed about how great my dad was 😉 'We need tea at 4pm today as have to leave by 5 tonight' would sometimes be his parting shot at breakfast. Or 'can you make us some sandwiches for later' when we were off to football in the afternoon followed by speedway (or another match!) at night!!

8 hours ago, oldjamfan1 said:

It’s easy to forget that Norwich were actually top of the league before kick off that day!

My dad was unconvinced by the Shearer signing. Thought it was way too much money. At half time he turned to me, grinned, and said "he'll do I suppose"

On 03/08/2023 at 20:39, Upside Down said:

In my top five ever games this.

Car broke down on the way to Ewood so had to listen on the radio!

On 27/05/2023 at 23:57, 1874 said:

Least competitive leagues based on the points per game the winners can expect to get v the highest place relegated team.

In order of least competitive to most competitive

WomensSL 2.136

Womens champ 1.86

Premier League 1.71

Scottish Prem 1.71

National league 1.36

Championship 1.239

League 1 1.21

League 2 1.02

So well done league2 on being the most competitive league and shame on the Womens Super League for creating the least competitive

 

Leagues with fewer teams will generally be less competitive in these terms. The best teams play the worst teams more frequently. That (partly) explains the discrepancy in the Women's leagues. 

19 for me - forgot about Witschge and Alan Wright

1 hour ago, JohnD said:

On one of the Easter days we'd catch 3 games in London.

We started collecting a program from each of the 92 then watching each play then visiting every ground. By that stage I'd discovered girls so didn't visit them all. Mates went on to visit all grounds in Scotland too.

The mates who went on to do all the Scottish grounds - I take it they hadn't discovered girls at that point! Did they ever? 😉

Thinking about how easy it was back then to go to matches brought back a memory of 3 games in a day with my dad on a Good Friday back in the late 70's / early 80's. Wigan Vs Bury 11am at Springfield Park, Rovers Vs somebody maybe Derby, Sunderland?) at 3pm. Back home for tea and then up to Dark Lane to watch Rossy Utd in a local derby at 7.30. My mum must have been very understanding...or had just given up by then! 

Was later than I thought - 1987. Wigan beat Bury 1-0, Rovers beat Derby 3-1

19 minutes ago, bazza said:

Joining neighbours Oldham Athletic. It's surprising the former league clubs that are there in the National League.

Wrexham, Notts County, Southend Utd, Chesterfield, Halifax Town, Gateshead, York City, Aldershot, Torquay Utd and Scunthorpe Utd; eleven of twenty four.

Add Maidstone United, Dagenham&Redbridge, and Yeovil to that list. 

Then go lower down for Kidderminster, Hereford, Chester, Darlington, Southport, etc.

Quite a few of the clubs mentioned are reformed after the originals went out of existence.

21 hours ago, Mashed Potatoes said:

Isn't it just the first £30k that is tax free ?

In the real world that's true. I'm guessing with the 'clever' world of football finance there's a loophole!!

6 minutes ago, Boz said:

Who mentioned 1987?

Have a trawl through the history books.

Multiple times too! 

Apologies Boz - my mistake. Every day's a school day!

The 1889-1890 season was bizarre. They drew 4 and lost 13 of the first 17 and then won 4 and drew 1 of the last 5!

Suspect they got some new players as they also came good in the Lancashire Cup beating us in the final. I guess we were distracted by winning the FA Cup instead 🙂 

3 minutes ago, Boz said:

Unlike Burnley, thankfully Rovers have never had to seek re-election. 😁

Burnley didn't seek re-election. They had to win on last day to avoid relegation from Div 4. If I remember correctly it was the first season of relegation from the League to the Conference (now National League). 

Much as I enjoy it when we beat Burnley (and enjoyed bragging rights at school when they were in the 4th Div) it would have seemed a bit unjust for them to get relegated on their first time at that level when teams like Rochdale and Hartlepool and many others had finished bottom multiple times but been saved by the 'old boys' network. I'm sure there will be some on this forum who disagree 😉

12 minutes ago, dingles staying down 4ever said:

The Micra and the bike could park on the barge

And afterwards, if you want to go home by train, they can go in the Cut!

2 minutes ago, rigger said:

It could have been worse, look at what happened to Notts County.

Lots of teams in there fallen on hard times - Wrexham (until recently), Grimsby, Oldham, etc. Not a great year for the city of Bristol either. By the end of the season must have been a interesting race to see who finished next to bottom - the most-depressing bragging rights ever!!

Never realised before but if Preston had drawn with Swansea they'd have stayed up at the expense of Cardiff and stopped Swansea going up - that'd made them popular in S Wales!

2 hours ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

I’ve lived in Rochdale since we moved from Blackburn when I was 5 years old. They used to be my second club but since the new board took over and destroyed the relationship between the two clubs I’ve stopped going to the football. As I said previously I’ve probably been to Spotland as often as I have to Ewood over the last 60 years. Back in the day I had several mates who played for them.  They’ll never get another penny from me now, or any members of my family, if I can help it. If the new board resign as they should do I’ll reconsider. Their treatment of Hornets has been nothing short of disgraceful. They seem to be the sort of people who know the cost of everything and the value of nothing.

Been away from the area too long and didn't realise what was happening to Hornets. What has happened there? Always look for the results (used to go with my Dad years ago - the JPL final in the 70's being one of my earliest sporting memories) and was looking forward to seeing them at Llanelli this season - until I found out the South Wales team has folded. Feels like dark days for the lower levels of the pro game.