9 hours ago, Upside Down said:

I don't care who wins the premier league just as long as it's not spurs.

Shit club with actual shit fans.

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. 

18 minutes ago, superniko said:

They are optimistic about the future with Evan Ferguson and Nathan Collins, and then potentially the likes of Moran and Kelleher (if he ever leaves Liverpool).

Besides, every other nation around will qualify for these International tournaments soon. 48 teams are going to be at the 2030 World Cup. Surely even Ireland can manage that! 

Hopefully Sammie comes back with no injuries and a nice big boost to his confidence and happiness in the game.

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. 

1 hour ago, roversfan99 said:

Not great news for us, puts a key player who has played lots and could do with a rest in jeopardy of injury. Injury to him or Sigurdsson would be a huge, huge problem.

Very surprised it has taken so long though considering the dearth of talent that Ireland have, well deserved.

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?

On 30/09/2023 at 06:10, jim mk2 said:

Brilliant from the Europe team - I'm thoroughly enjoying this

The Americans think they're the best at golf and, having attended 2 Ryder Cups including the famous 1989 win at the Belfry, I know how much this means to them. Some of their supporters are grade 1 idiots. 

Get in the hole, Europe, and give them a spanking

 

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.

57 minutes ago, JHRover said:

I've said it a few times but it isn't VAR that is the issue, it is the people using it. The fiasco in the Spurs v Liverpool game was nothing to do with a technical failure or VAR being ineffective.

Taken together with other incidents including the Wolves non-penalty at Old Trafford a few weeks ago the question that should be on everyone's lips is whether these 'failings' are genuine errors / mistakes or in the alternative whether something more sinister is going on.

Again, I don't think anyone can realistically argue that technology was the issue.

You might accept the Spurs / Liverpool offside decision if it was one man sat on his own and he'd genuinely missed something or not heard something and got the complete wrong end of the stick. When they are sat with a group of other officials that possibility disappears.

My conclusion is that this is deliberate.

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. 

11 hours ago, arbitro said:

There is a story this morning that the VAR and AVAR in the Spurs v Liverpool match actually thought a goal had been awarded and therefore said 'check complete' to the on field officials thinking they were merely confirming the award of the goal. How on earth can they not be aware that the AR had his flag up clearly giving Diaz offside. It beggars belief. Apparently they realised their error once the game had restarted but clearly the law doesn't allow for them to go back once the game has restarted. Honestly I'm staggered at this level of incompetence. 

I feel sorry for Howard Webb here. He is doing his level best to improve things by being open and transparent but he simply doesn't have the quality of officials at his disposal. The offside aspect of VAR is actually an exact science so to get it wrong is unforgivable. As an old friend used to say to me 'you can't weave without weft'.

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.

21 hours ago, jim mk2 said:

The Premier League isn't "boring" but it isn't a true competition because only a select few clubs can win it. As such, you could definitely (not deffo) say that the Premier League is pointless because there will be only ever be a very small group of potential winners, while the rest are there to make up the numbers. As always, it's the relegation battle at the bottom that is far more interesting

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. 

47 minutes ago, AllRoverAsia said:

During the 90s Newcastle and others spent more than Rovers.

Rovers followed by ManU just spent it better than most especially the child killers.

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.

16 hours ago, davulsukur said:

Do you know what Chaddy, if we were taken over by the Saudi state, spent hundreds of millions and just brushed aside a newly promoted, winless team 8-0, I actually think I'd view it as a bit of a hollow victory. Effectively beating a championship side that are only there to make up the numbers and pocket as much cash as possible, with consummate ease isn't something that I'd view as worth celebrating with much vigor tbh.

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. 

2 hours ago, riverholmes said:

Doesn't make sense to me - a midfield of Onana, Gueye, Doucoure, McNeil and Danjuma should be strong.

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. 

19 hours ago, windymiller7 said:

Add to that Sancho is now training with the kids after his twitter (sorry 'X') outburst.

Yep. Another £70+ million down the drain. 

I don't know what has gone on with him. He had the world at his feet a few years ago. He's never looked right at Man U. He put on weight, looked listless, lost his England spot, and then decided that fighting with the manager would work in his favour. Ten Hag got rid of Ronaldo, what made Sancho think he'd have a chance?

He should have stayed at Dortmund for longer. 

21 hours ago, Oldgregg86 said:

Apparently the people buying it own a host of other clubs abit like the city model and their fans have been protesting to get them out. Media experts saying as bad as moshiri has been this could end up worse

The fans are already enraged, they'll meltdown if that happens. 

I've been very critical of Everton's haphazard signings over the past few years, but after reading this ESPN article Man U may have them beat; ESPN UK; Man Utd mess

They paid big money and doled out massive contracts to a whole host of bad players. Long may it continue may I add. 

From paying daft money for Di Maria, giving perma injured Phil Jones a new 4 year deal, panic buying van de Beek and never playing him adds up to millions lost. 

If the Antony stories are true that will be him gone too. They handled the Greenwod exit badly so they'll try to "fix" the issue.

3 hours ago, RoverDom said:

Gareth has a cracking selection of players at his disposal but its debatable whether it's the best England squad. We've had comparable squads if you look player for player in each position. In my life time - 96 and 2002- 2006 we've had talented squads but not gone as far in tournaments. 

 

Look at Euro 2004 starting 11 - who from the current selection (whether Gareth selects them or not) gets into that starting line up. Kane, Bellingham, Rice would be a shout and possibly one of the right backs. 

Terry, Rio, Cole, lampard, Gerrard, Beckham, 2004 Rooney and a fit Owen would all be disappointed bit to be in the starting 11 if they were playing today

 

We've got a good squad and promising future but calling it the best squad is maybe looking at it through the lens of 2010-2018 being woeful. 

An interesting point. I would take 3 of the 2004 back 4 as Walker is better than Gary Neville. I'd have Pickford over James too. 

Ferdinand was either banned or injured for Euro 2004, not that it mattered as there was talent in abundance for that position back then.

After that the fun starts. What if the 2004 team played today's formation, or vice versa?

Could Beckham do the same job as a wide forward? Or would he compete with Scholes, Gerrard and Lampard for a midfield 3 spot?

Or a 4-4-2 with Kane and Rashford up top. Foden or Saka as true left midfielders. Bellingham and Rice in the middle. Grealish on the right?

To the 90's/2000's v. now debate.

Today's squad is better than what we've had. Results have proven it. Yet we all know that every single one of the other teams lost by very small margins.

I think Hoddle would have done well if he'd had been able to carry on.

As mentioned, the Man U/Liverpool/Chelsea feuds within Sven and Capello's squads put any pay to success they could have had. Also, their era started with Zidane's France and ended with Spain's all conquering teams. There was a chance in 2006 but Owen's injury and ultimately Rooney's sending off were the deciding factors.

Keegan and McClaren weren't good enough, and Hodgson came in during a changing of the guard.

Here are the squads, most of them were very strong but I see a drop off after 2010. Euro 2012 looked particularly bleak. It was also enjoyable going through them to see names I'd forgotten who were in.

Euro 2000 

WC 2002 

Euro 2004

WC 2006

WC 2010

Euro 2012

WC 2014

Euro 2016

Pickford gets some stick too. He has been an excellent performer for England for over 5 years now. After looking through those squads I'd pick him ahead of any of the other keepers. Seaman wasn't great shakes. David James. Joe Hart. Paul Robinson. All dodgy.

4 hours ago, riverholmes said:

Ben White will be a big miss if he doesn't go to the Euros because of the fall-out or disagreement with England management.

 

He won't be. He's now a right back. England has loads of them, with Kyle Walker and Reece James being two of the world's best. 

Everton are on the verge of being sold; BBC: Moshiri selling to US investment firm

Their fans have been agitating for this, let's see what happens.

USA investment firms are in it to make money and tellingly once the sale goes through half of current Prem clubs will be owned by Americans. 

Is anyone else having flashbacks to when Venkys brought in their Brazilian chicken supremo to lick the club into shape?

He didn't last long. 

Although this new bloke looks to be a lot closer to their inner circle. 

5 hours ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

Apart from one shot Saka was equally bad. How many times did he lose the ball.

 

I watched the Rugby Union after. My God that was a hard watch. If you think VAR is bad you haven’t seen the “ Bunker “ system. An England player gets a yellow card for an accidentally clash of heads. EIGHT minutes later it’s changed to a red card. An Argentina player totally wipes out an England player after the ball has gone. He gets a yellow, TEN minutes later the “ Bunker “ decides a yellow is sufficient !

I agree with you on Saka, He had a bad day too. Although he was inches away from winning it. He's not started well for Arsenal either.

The BBC's summary was fair.; BBC -Ukraine v. England match report

Maddison is a good player, but his best position isn't wide left in a front 3. Bellingham spent a lot of time out there because Maddison drifted inside. Grealish's injury aside I'd play Rashford on the left. I'd also tell him to put in a transfer request and leave Man U. His talent has, and will continue to be, wasted there. 

As a side, living in the USA rugby, darts, and cricket are sports I like but have no coverage at all, and as the years have gone by I've lost any real knowledge or understanding of them. 

It was a very disjointed performance. Bellingham had his worst game in an England shirt. 

Not enough chances were created. 

Ukraine scored a good goal but it was their only chance of the game. 

Maguire had a solid game.

5 hours ago, Mattyblue said:

Which is fair enough, but does completely contradict his very public pronouncements over time that if you aren’t playing for your club, you won’t be playing for England.

Like all things in public life, don’t make daft claims that will only make you a hostage to fortune.

Southgate can say what he likes. His words aren't legal contracts. However, it does leave him open to questioning.

Maguire is trusted by Southgate, but like any international manager he wants his players playing regularly so that they are up to fitness and ready for action. 

Would Maguire have been in the squad if Stones was fit? Southgate has used those two for the past 5 years. All the other central defenders have very little experience (although Colwill looks like he has a chance).

If Maguire is still sat on the subs bench by the end of the year I reckon he'll angle for a loan move in January as Southgate won't play him in a tournament coming off a full season without playing.

11 minutes ago, DeeCee said:

Chelsea?

I should have added that they were games I saw all or a part of. Over here NBC does a great job on Prem coverage but it doesn't have a Saturday or Sunday evening Match of the Day type show. Straight after the late Sunday game they do a post weekend analysis showing all the weekend's goals but by then I'm off out to do something. 

Chelsea played on Friday and I didn't see any of it nor did I see a minute of the Brentford v. Palace draw either. Spurs easily beat Bournemouth as well.  

VAR again was an issue, but not as controversial as some weeks. I don't think van Dijk should have been sent off, or Worrall for Forest. Yet both times the ref brandished a red and the VAR official decided not to intervene. Neither decision was a clear or obvious error - van Dijk did catch Isak, and Worrall grabbed Fernandes' shorts - so nothing was said. Alexander-Arnold was a lucky lad. Booked early for throwing the ball back on the pitch after he was fouled, he then deliberately stopped Gordon but the ref let it go. 

Man U, Man City, and Liverpool all had wins over the weekend. Liverpool's was the impressive one. Man U benefitted from a couple of questionable refereeing decisions whilst City did what City do and force a winner despite being average.

Arsenal faltered to a draw. 

Everton lost again. Burnley came out slow and were punished.

West Ham battered Brighton.