That was absolutely fascinating to watch. There was no other strategy other than to get it as high and as far up the park as possible. They look like NFL punters, but it used to be the norm. I doubt that it will ever return. Law changes and keeper confidence with a ball at their feet aren't going away. As someone who grew up watching and playing football in post Heysel England, I experienced first-hand all the changes that the game went through. I have to say that the changes were for the better, although would stadiums have modernised as quicky as they did without the Taylor report? Going to Ewood as a 10 or 11 year old was a surreal experience. Barbed wire. High fences. The worst toilets imaginable. But it was the norm for the game at the time. Players have changed too. Individual fitness and technique has improved across the board* General thuggery is no longer part of the game. Although I do agree that individual flair has been sacrificed. I had a chat with a Premier league coach (maybe former now) a few years back. One of the things he said was that Riyad Mahrez was a throwback to a bygone era. His summation as to why was because he was picked up relatively late so was able to develop skills without interruption from others. The irony of the conversation was not lost on me when he signed for Guardiola who preaches system above all. *I'm not saying that players who played in the past wouldn't now, they would as they had enough skill to be a professional. That would not change.

I liked this article on Kalvin Phillips' state of play; ESPN: Phillips needs to play. It sounds like he wants to move. Unlike with Maguire Southgate has no alternatives to Phillips. He won't play Stones there. I also think that the 4-2-3-1 formation Southgate is now deploying makes England more attacking. The extra cover gives the front 4 more license to go, and it frees up Bellingham. It's roughly 9 months before the tournament starts. I'd say that Southgate already has the vast majority of his squad written down. The Qatar 2002 squad; Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford, Nick Pope, Aaron Ramsdale - It's 2 of three from Nick Pope, Aaron Ramsdale, Sam Johnstone to join Pickford. Defenders: Ben White, Kyle Walker, Kieran Trippier, Trent Alexander-Arnold, John Stones, Eric Dier, Harry Maguire, Conor Coady, Luke Shaw. - replaced by Guehi, Colwill, Tomori. Chilwell and James were both injured last year. Will they both be back? There should be a spot open as Southgate lists Trent Alexander-Arnold as a midfielder. Midfielders: Declan Rice, Jordan Henderson, Jude Bellingham, Mason Mount, Connor Gallagher, Kalvin Phillips. - he hasn't played since France last year and is struggling in a dodgy Man U team. Forwards: Harry Kane, Raheem Sterling, Bukayo Saka, Phil Foden, Marcus Rashford, Callum Wilson, Jack Grealish, James Maddison - Sterling has been a Southgate favourite but has had a spotty year. If Pochettino gets him going he may be back. I think Wilson is done. Watkins? Calvert-Lewin?

Phillips showed his lack of match time. He looked off the pace and was lucky not to be sent off. Southgate will play 2 holding midfielders. Who would you play instead of Phillips? I don't know who else can do it. Ward-Prowse? Gallagher? Alexander-Arnold? There's no point in me commenting on Maguire. I've said my piece on him repeatedly. Tripper is only playing there because Shaw and Chilwell are injured. He's another who Southgate trusts so will play more than others but wouldn't be there if either of the first two are fit.

Southgate is going with a 4-2-3-1. Pickford Walker Stones Maguire Tripper Rice Phillips Rashford Bellingham Foden Kane I've said it before and I'll say it again; it's Maguire's spot to lose. Now will he move in January to play games, or does he think he'll keep it no matter what?

They were a good side but they had a few left over from 1994 who were past their prime. Dunga, Aldair, and Bebeto all played a lot and were all well past 30. They were all on their way down. They also had a massive central defender who was not very good. Ronaldo's panic attack/injury/who knows what before the final took the sting out of the game before it started. They never got going. I'll look it up but I think that Kluivert missed a sitter for the Dutch in semi final extra time that would have put them out They also got lucky against Denmark in the quarter final. Roberto Carlos pulled off a comedy move for the ages. It still makes me laugh now when I see it. He tried an overhead kick clearance in his own box instead of heading it. He missed the ball by a country mile and it fell to Brian Laudrup who equalised.

Minutes in the sense that they got a taste of international football. Any player can get injured at any time.

The game was turgid so the story moves to Henderson getting booed. He moved to Saudi Arabia. He can claim footballing reasons all he likes but he's getting paid silly money for playing with and against substandard players watched by very few interested people. Maguire gets stick as he's not playing. Henderson cannot be as sharp either. He has done well for England but has tarnished hid legacy by moving. Anyway, the B team won and played like strangers. Minutes under their belt won't hurt.

I know what you are saying but I think Italy is important for a few reasons. England rarely beat Italy, doing so in a competitive match is a worthy achievement. A win will give England top spot which, after the Nations League relegation, will help with group seeding. We'll see what side Southgate puts out today. I understand the grief Maguire gets but Southgate will play him. Phillips needs a new club. His move to City was puzzling, it's looking worse now. If he'd have signed for Liverpool he'd be much better off. Henderson should be banished.

You've given me a nice new discussion point for my American friends, and not anything I've really thought about before. The USA has an inordinate amount of athletic talent and facilities to match. A lot of the rest of the world's best use America as their base. At least half of the European Ryder Cup team live in America. They have done much better at women's team sports; football, volleyball, gymnastics (they do have a team event) to name a few, primarily down to universities having to fund women's sport programs to the same level as they do American football. They are still top dogs at basketball, now a global sport. But they are being caught up. The current best player in the NBA is Serbian, a Greek is not far behind, and a French lad is being tipped as the next superstar. Edit; I've been saying this for years but if they manage to seriously crack into Latino and urban black kids they'll win a World Cup. However, it's not looking likely any time soon. Football in the USA still values speed and athleticism over football brains, all coached by substandard people.

Pickford has not put a foot wrong. He's not Dino Zoff but he's better that what England have had in a long time. I mentioned this before but I don't think England have had good keepers in my era. I saw the back end of Shilton, who was past his best but played due to a lack of alternatives. After him has been a succession of mediocrity. Chris Woods. David Seaman, David James Joe Hart, and Paul Robinson all had a decent amount of caps but I doubt anyone would stick them in an elite group. Then the barrel scraping really starts. Rob Green. Nigel Martyn. Richard Wright. Chris Kirland. All bang average. I like Colwill but if Maguire moves in January he'll be playing. If he stays at Man U to be 4th choice Southgate may not have a choice but to drop him.

International week is upon us. England have a friendly against Australia on Friday then a big qualifier against Italy next Tuesday. Southgate's picks here; BBC - England squad No Sterling or Mount, but Southgate staples Maguire, Henderson, Phillips, and Stones are in. Stones, unlike the others, has been injured all season but he's another who Southgate trusts, and, who is a likely starter when fully fit. Will Southgate go with the formation he went with against Scotland? Letting Bellingham cause havoc can only be good for England, and playing 2 holding midfielders gives Southgate the cover he likes. I fully expect that Maguire will play as will at least one of Henderson and Phillips will be alongside Rice in midfield. Saka is out so who'll play wide?

I'm late to this one. I was going to post it last week but got sidetracked and forgot. Here is the punch up; Derby v Leeds Nov. 1975 - YouTube I've seen it loads of times but never paid it much attention and it really shows changes in football and life. Hunter thought that Lee dived for the penalty. What amazes me is that Lee is at most 31. He looks like he's in his 50's. His paunch and balding head belie his talent.

They won't. They'll revert to type soon enough. Luck and easy games have propelled their good start. They've beaten Bournemouth, Luton, Burnley, Sheff Utd, Man U (who aren't good), and were very much looking second best against Liverpool until VAR intervened. They also got knocked out of the Carabao cup by Fulham.

Ferguson could really help. He has potential to be a top player. I watched a bit of the Liverpool game yesterday, he was anonymous, but ran all over Newcastle a few weeks ago. Kelleher looks like he's not bothered about anything but is a good keeper.

I guess he preferred Ireland to Hungary? Players can get injured anywhere. He'd still be training if he hadn't have been called up. I doubt that he'll play either. He's a solid player, and Ireland are struggling, but he's not up there international quality wise. Good luck to him, I think that it will do him good. Irish football is in a bad spot. The FAI have been under scrutiny for a few years and it seems to have permeated down the pyramid. Long gone are the days of Jack Charlton scouring family tress, and they haven't had a "local" top class talent like Keane, Keane, or Duff for ages.

League 2 Bradford City fired Mark Hughes; BBC: Mark Hughes fired by Bradford City He once had the world at his feet. What happened to him? This must be it for him, right? Who'd hire him now?

I feared the worst after kicking Europe got in Wisconsin 2 years ago but I was gladly proven wrong. There was some excellent golf played, and although it got a bit nervy toward the end Europe came through. The LIV experiment helped Europe. It forced a changing of the guard in both players and captains which refreshed the team. Cantlay himself played very well but his caddy's actions were stupid and he (the caddy) deserved all the grief he got. 2025 is in New York, expect a hostile crowd and a talented American team.

It's not deliberate. It's rank incompetence on the part of VAR officials. Every week there are VAR errors unrelated to the technology. I've said time and again that the Premier League followed the NFL replay model and it isn't working. I'd change 3 things ASAP. Get rid of VAR officials sat in a room at Stockley Park. Have them at each game instead. They will automatically pay more attention as they only have 1 game to watch, will have a better understanding of how the game is going, and will make better decisions. Like @arbitro says; have ex pro's in there with the ref. The League doesn't need FIFA level officials to look at replays. Remove "clear and obvious error" from the VAR remit. It is open to far too much interpretation.

If true that is horrific. Both officials have been removed from their next assignment, but it doesn't change the result. It was a bizarrely refereed game. As has been said there were bookings galore and 2 sendings off in a game that had no malice in it at all. Jones's tackle looked bad in the freeze frame, but there was nothing else he could do. There was nowhere for his foot to go, and if he was trying to hurt Bissouma he'd have made some sort of stamping movement. There was an incident late on. A Spurs player got booked for essentially face palming Endo. If VAR crew would have done the same thing as they did with Jones I'm sure that the Spurs lad would have gone as a freeze frmae would have looked like a slap, although it was not a sending off offence. If a ref makes a decision then is asked to go to the TV and have a look its guaranteed that he will change it. You've mentioned many times about the closed shop, don't question mentality amongst top level referees, yesterday was a prime example of why it needs changing.

Leicester were a level above Rovers. 4-1 was unfair, but a win was a long shot. An awful start. Good recovery, then go in at the break down to a class goal from Vardy. Then dominate the first 20 minutes of the second half, only to give away a daft penalty. Game over. Rovers need a new keeper, some height, a midfield grafter, and someone who can score goals. Rovers won't go down, but there isn't much to look forward to.

A noon kickoff on Sunday against 2nd placed Leicester City is next up for JDT's free scoring (in the Carabao Cup anyway) team. I haven't seen a game for a few weeks but this one is on US TV so I'll be up early to watch. 2 disappointing league results mean that Rovers are coming into this one facing the prospect of a 3rd defeat on the trot. Leicester came down from the Prem and lost their best player to Spurs, but still have a lot of their squad left over and have started the season well. I watched a bit of their game with Liverpool last night. I think that Rovers will struggle. Their back 4 of Pereira-Coady-Suttar-Justin are Premier League calibre. I can't see Rovers breaking through against them, but will hope nonetheless. 0-0 draw.

The Premier League turning into a global status symbol for the uber rich has certainly propelled investment, spending, and wages to unforeseen levels. Since the Premier League's inception there have been 7 different winners. I think what distorts it is that the concentration of those winners. At the moment City seem unstoppable. 30 years ago it was Man U. 50 years ago Liverpool were top dogs. Prem winners; Rovers, Leicester, and Liverpool with 1 each. Arsenal 3. Chelsea 5. Man City 7. Man U 13. For the 30 years prior to 1992 there were 10 winners. Villa, Forest, Ipswich, Man City 1 each. Derby and Man U 2. Arsenal and Leeds 3. Everton 4. Liverpool 13. Looking at 60 years of winners and as clubs arms race themselves into ever increasing spending, finding the right manager is absolutely crucial. What stands out to me is how integral the manager was to many teams who have multiple titles. Man U won with Ferguson. City - Guardiola. Forest and Derby - Clough. Liverpool had Shankly but were able to carry that through to Dalglish. I still stand my point from yesterday that Rovers fans looking at the Prem from the outside don't view it as favourably as they did when Rovers were in it. Stating that the Premier League is stale has hints of jealousy which, given the position Rovers daft owners have put the club in, is completely understandable. The opposite was true when Jack Walker was building the club up. Other fans were envious of Rovers success so had to find a way to justify it.

I'd wager that if you ask your average football fan aged 40+ they'll say that Rovers bought the league in 1995. We know it didn't happen that way, but that is perception for you. Not one Rovers fan bemoaned Jack Walker splashing the cash on and off the pitch to make Rovers a first class club. Of course not, he was a hero that brought absolute joy to many. Now there are Rovers fans complaining at Newcastle and the rest doing it, all viewed from outside the fence. My point isn't about spending though, it's about Rovers not being in the top flight and the many frustrations that result from it. The Premier League wouldn't be sterile if Rovers were in it, and if it wasn't for Venkys and the idiocy they continue to convey Rovers would probably still be there.

I know it's been 30 years but Rovers once did what you say Newcastle are doing now. Jack Walker's millions allowed Blackburn Rovers to buy the best player in the land for a record fee in the summer of 1992. I loved watching Norwich get battered 7-0 at Ewood. Norwich recovered. If Rovers were still a Premier League team I doubt that many of views stating the soullessness of the league would be as readily espoused. Money does need to be more equally distributed throughout the pyramid. The top teams buy everybody, spend oodles on players who will never play for their first team, loan them out for extortionate fees, and reap the rewards again once they are sold.

It does to me. The first 3 are spoilers, McNeil doesn't deliver enough goals or assists , and Danjuma is one of those who looks the part but scores sparingly. Everton would be much better off if Calvert-Lewin could stay fit.