speeeeeeedie

Every game will be sold out. If I didn't live here there is no way I would travel to the USA for the World Cup. Prices for flights and hotels will be astronomical. Not to mention the hassle people will get from immigration wither at customs or wandering around. Atmospheres will be good, you'll be surprised with the amount of country fans live in the USA. Haiti will have loads. Some stadiums aren't set up to amplify it. Met Life in New York (well New Jersey but NY teams play there) is too open. Stadiums in LA, Dallas, and Atlanta will be good, as will Seattle. It's also a sad indictment of today's world that the USA is linked to Qatar and Russia.

Americans are used to paying silly prices to go to sporting events. The average NBA ticket price is £100, NFL is £120 with concerts being smuch steeper, so spending big money on a once in a lifetime event won't phase an American populace getting more and more interested in watching football. FIFA know this so have priced accordingly. It's not right, but they have a captive audience. Also factor in that the country has immigrants from everywhere who also want to see their country play, and that football fans in America tend to be higher than average earners you have a recipe for FIFA to maximise profits.

Whether it lack of form, a lack of intensity, or innumerable other scenarios it's hard to pinpoint what Liverpool are doing wrong as seemingly every game it's something new. Against PSV last week they were woefully lazy, yet last night it was van Dijk making 2 mistakes in short time that cost them a goal. Slot has to fix it, but I think he's struggling too. What I see is a team that isn't working hard without the ball, and a team that's ponderous with it. For many minutes last night with Liverpool in possession is was like watching a handball match. They kept the ball for long periods passing it to the middle, out wide, then back to the middle again without ever getting the ball into the box. It's so easy to defend against. Last season Diaz and Nunez offered lots of running off the ball, but the midfield behind them did too and the personnel there has not changed, so why is it so bad? I can't see an upturn anytime soon. Slot needs to go back to early Klopp and go for 5-4 wins rather than last season's suffocation tactics.

I have to say I have no idea. It was 20 odd years ago. Maybe even 30. I did go in there last year. Some younger lad had it. Not too sure if he still does. I'd start at the Woodlands. Then work all along Revidge. It was a straight-ish line. West View, Dog, Corporation, Sportsman's, Royal Oak, Knowles, Brownhill, Rising Dead, Bull's Head. As I said yesterday I only did the extras, Wilpshire Hotel and Bonny Inn once. Dukes Brow had 4 pubs, counting the Dog Inn, from the top to East Lancs CC. How far is that? Less than a mile? Amazing to think of now.

I happened to be driving into Blackburn when the Thwaites workers changed the sign after the closure was announced; LET; Thwaites sign changed I used to love the Revidge run. I once made it from the Woodlands to the Bonny Inn in time for one before closing. I also spent a good few nights in Jazzy's too. It was a great place. Tequila shots for £1 some nights. They were awful, but cheap. Sorry for the distraction. Back to the Championship. If PNE are in a playoff spot the overall quality of the division is sorely lacking.

I checked the table for the first time this season yesterday. Rovers are 6 points off 6th, and 6 points off a relegation spot. It looks like a typical Championship year table. 1 team, Coventry, running away with top spot. 1 team, Sheff Wed, miles away at the bottom. The rest are fighting in the middle.

Agreed. It was deja vu from my comments after the City game. Too many players were mis controlling balls, playing errant passes, and generally playing scared. The ball dinged off Konate's shin twice before going out for the corner that Forest scored their first goal from. Mac Allister missed a simple tackle for the second, and Robertson got turned inside out for the third. Their current predicament can be nicely summed up by 2 incidents in the first half. Gakpo pitifully pulling out of a challenge he was favoured to win, and with 20 seconds to go before the halftime whistle instead of getting the ball into the box they played a couple of backwards passes on the left side and the ball ended up going out of play for a Forest throw. They have no heart, desire, or graft. They are ponderous going forward too. They play too many deliberate, safe passes in and around the middle of the opposition half without anyone trying to make anything happen. None of their wide players - full backs or wingers ever get in behind. Salah and Gakpo cut inside at every opportunity further decreasing space. They are very easy to play against. Sit off them and let them pass around in front of the back line.

A good summation. PNE should have had at least 1 sent off. Their number 10 really should have gone late on for a studs up challenge on I can't remember who's calf. Pears is still Pears. Toth being out is not good.

I feel a bit sorry for these two; ESPN: Pompey fans banned for impersonating stewards. 2 brothers have been fined £700 each and are subject to a 3 year banning order for impersonating stewards at the Southampton v. Portsmouth match in September. They donned high-viz vests with "steward" on them, and had walkie talkies. I thought that it was quite inventive.

I think Slot will be fine. Liverpool paid a fortune for what is hoped to be a team for the next 5 years. FSG will give him time to implement that. He came in last year, changed relatively little from Klopp and cantered to the league title. I agree that something is off this year. I'm sure all of new personnel, losing 2 stalwarts, Jota's death, backroom staff changes, and other teams strengthening has had an affect but what I've seen is that too many established players aren't in form. Mac Allister and Salah have fallen off a cliff. Konate looks like he's playing on ice (City let him have the ball yesterday and it worked in their favour). Even van Dijk has had iffy games. This lack of form has led to far too many mis-controlled balls, bad passes, dodgy headers, and wayward shots.

Rovers were never going to score from long throws and badly taken corners. Derby scored 2 headers and were miles better in the air. The second half was better than the first but as has been pointed out a John Eustace team isn't going to capitulate at 2-0 up. A lot of huff and puff with nobody who can finish, its' been the same story since Szmodics was sold. Last season's Rovers with Carlton Morris would have had a chance to go up. Gueye is not a footballer.

Here is the full squad; Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), Nick Pope (Newcastle United) Defenders: Dan Burn (Newcastle United), Marc Guéhi (Crystal Palace), Reece James (Chelsea), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Nico O'Reilly (Manchester City), Jarell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen), Djed Spence (Tottenham Hotspur), John Stones (Manchester City). Midfielders: Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Jordan Henderson (Brentford), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa), Alex Scott (AFC Bournemouth), Adam Wharton (Crystal Palace). Forwards: Jarrod Bowen (West Ham United), Eberechi Eze (Arsenal), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle United), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Marcus Rashford (Barcelona, loan from Manchester United), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal). Trafford, Loftus-Cheek, Lewis-Skelly, Gibbs-White, Watkins lose out this time. All those, excluding Loftus-Cheek, were in Tuchel's squad for the September fixtures. It looks like Tuchel is settled on 18-20 players. There is a long way to go before the final squad is picked yet are Palmer, Grealish, and Alexander-Arnold on the outs?

I assume that Williams is real, however his trustworthiness, motives, plans, and financial muscle seem to have been questionable. I suspect that he lost any money he may have had in the 2007/08 financial crisis. After his Rovers attempt he moved on to the Rochester Rhinos in the USA. Here is an article that quotes him; Williams Rhinos bid. He never completed his Rhinos takeover. His "friend" or "10's of million of dollars" never materialised. The Rhinos no longer exist. Edit; it's hard to imagine but Venkys look to have been the best of a truly awful bunch. They competed against a fantasist and an alleged international scam artist. Who was doing the due diligence? Did they propose mugs on purpose so Venkys would look good?

I am one of few who think that Wolves should have kept O'Neil in the first place. Looking at where they are 12 months on from potting him seems like it was only putting off the inevitable. As has been pointed out selling the club's best players and replacing them with inferior replacements leads to trouble.

Dyche confirmed as Forest manager; BBC: Forest appoint Dyche Whether it will work or not will be seen in results, but Forest now has a manager who's style is similar to Nuno's, and should be able to get a tune out of the players at his disposal. Expect a return to resolute defending and long balls up to Chris Wood.

I agree. It was an utterly bonkers decision to hire Postecoglou in the first place as I noted last week. I watched the last 20 minutes of their game today and it was blatantly obvious that he knew his time was up once the final whistle went. The only credit I'll give the Forest owner is that he cut bait quickly. Dyche or Mancini are apparent front runners.

It was going quite well until they scored, then it was game over. Before the goal Rovers had the better of the chances and aside from struggling to clear the ball now and again the defending looked OK. Rovers have nothing up front. It was slim pickings last season and top scorer Weimann left leaving the cupboard bare. I like Ohashi but he doesn't score near enough and looks isolated. Gueye is not a footballer. The new lads haven't got going, although Ismael's lack of a settled system hasn't helped. The commentator I had on said that Coventry have had the same back 4 all season, Rovers back line today was the 4th game in a row with a change of personnel. That doesn't bode well either. Overall it was a better performance than some I've seen this season, but only points matter, and it was always gong to be hard to get any away to a team who are flying. I may have said it in the Ipswich abandoned game thread but such is how this season is going it would be no surprise to me that the replay will be a must win for Rovers, and they will lose cementing relegation.

I saw the same. The next stat up was that Rovers haven't won in 9 against Coventry. 20 mins in and still 0-0 so that's a plus. A lot of kick and rush from Rovers. Coventry not offering much either so far.

England are making it look easy. It's a far cry from the 1-0 dirge fest against Andorra. What strikes me about the game, and the Wales one for that matter, is who isn't playing. James, TAA, Livramento, Wharton, Palmer, Bellingham, Foden, and Grealish, aren't even in the squad. Tuchel has some thinking to do.

I'd add Reece James to the will start list. Tuchel loves him. He can't seem to stay fit though.

Rebuilding Wembley was such a bad decision. The money spent could have been better used across the football pyramid. It could have paid for upgrades at so many clubs across the country. No national stadium would also have benefitted fans from places like Leeds and Newcastle who would have had the chance to watch an England match without travelling hours to get there. Que sera sera. Like everything else in the UK it's London first and sod the rest.

ESPN: Regulator says that bad owners may be forced to sell It's ostensibly about Sheff Wednesday. As Venkys have "always paid the bills" would they fall into this category?

Ange Postecoglou talked about his footballing philosophy in this interview that I found pretty quickly; Big Ange's football philosophy I'd say it can be summarised by this quote from it; "Winning 4-3 is more exciting than winning 1-0. The more goals we score the happier I am about the football we’re playing". Nuno's Forest last season were the absolute opposite of that. They were happy ceding 80% possession and hitting teams on the break. I watched enough Spurs games with Ange in charge to know that 5-4-1 wasn't his preferred method. He has to play that way presently as his Forest players aren't set up to play his devil may care brand of attacking football. So far though he hasn't been able to shape what he has at his disposal into a cohesive group. You are correct that Nuno left because he could not work with Edu but that has nothing to do with how Postecoglou sees football. Any sensible new manager decision should have been made knowing that the current Forest squad is used to a type of football far removed from what Ange plays. Chris Wood cannot do what Solanke and Son did. Nuno put Forest on the spot so they hired someone quickly who was out of work and had Prem experience. Not the ideal way to guarantee continuity. As to ten Hag. Leverkusen did lose players, and brought in new ones; what teams didn't? However, as the BBC noted here; ten Hag sacked Leverksuen made a strategic decision. "Nobody wanted to take this step," Leverkusen managing director Simon Rolfes told the club website”. "However, the past few weeks have shown that building a new and successful team with this set-up is not feasible." "A parting of ways at this early stage of the season is painful, but we felt it was necessary," added Leverkusen CEO Fernando Carro. Ruthless yet it's looking like the correct decision.

A few years ago Sam Allardyce left Palace at the end of the season having kept them up. They brought in Frank De Boer to replace him. He wanted to change systems away from what Allardyce did but tried it too quickly, and without the necessary players. It took the Palace hierarchy 5 games before they realised that it wasn't going to work and dispensed with his services. Nuno to Ange is a similar shift; they have opposing philosophies. It's not working so I would not be surprised if Ange got the boot soon. Forest's next 4 league fixtures are Chelsea, Bournemouth (A), Man U, Leeds. Leeds is a 6 pointer. I think that he will be in real trouble if he loses that match. Also, Leverkusen potted ten Hag after 3 games this year. I don't think that they have lost a league game since. Was that too early? Sometimes managers don't work. As a Rovers fan you should be fully aware of this.

Over the next month or so clubs will start potting managers with regularity as those in relegation form will want out quickly. Any club looking at a new manager should read a few pages on here and steer well clear of Martin. Fans don't get everything right, those in football say never, but on the ability of Russell Martin we were bang on. He's a bad manager who can seemingly talk his way into jobs. His record is not good, and his style is way too complicated and open to work effectively. Why Rangers thought he'd be the man who can overturn Celtic is baffling.