soccerball 22/23, t...
 

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soccerball 22/23, the WC hump season

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Wrexham will win this.

And I’m a Blade

That aged well!


 
Posted : 07/02/2023 9:43 pm
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Should’ve had faith in your team TAFKASTR! They were two great counter attacking goals…

They were indeed, but I can guarantee you most Blades could see that game going against us. No complaints though and another cracking game - especially for the neutral


 
Posted : 07/02/2023 9:56 pm
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I see Spursey fun fumbler Lloris is out for 6 months, I wonder if he's out out or just out, whilst they push on with a less bowlegged keeper.


 
Posted : 08/02/2023 2:53 pm
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I see Billy 'not so' Sharp spat his dummy out after the game and made a total prat of himself on live TV. Tremendous example of a pure bred idiot letting his ill-informed tongue off the leash from the one brain cell he owns.

Maybe the hump and dummy spit was due to the fact a non league striker outperformed him and made him look like the washed up has been he is?

Seems everyone bar Sheff Utd fans (who are bizarrely applauding his car crash interview as if it was some stroke of genius and wisdom) and Billy the brain cell are still completely baffled by the outburst as he couldn't bring himself to muster up any details or specifics.


 
Posted : 08/02/2023 4:05 pm
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joao felix is a proper player. Chelsea may well have tapped up a genuine worldy.


 
Posted : 11/02/2023 12:51 pm
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Mmmm, not so sure about that. What is he - a striker, winger, attacking midfielder. Undoubtedly a very talented player but I’d be wanting more goals and assists. He was about 1 in 4 for Athletico?


 
Posted : 11/02/2023 2:16 pm
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Chelsea may well have tapped up a genuine worldy

yet after spending the same as the GDP of Spain, still can’t beat a team presently in a relegation scrap

anyway… Spurs being properly Spurs


 
Posted : 11/02/2023 4:48 pm
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It’s Potterball though isn’t it? Lots of the ball, well organised, no threat. It’s what Brighton were under him so Chelsea can’t complain.


 
Posted : 11/02/2023 7:16 pm
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I see Billy ‘not so’ Sharp spat his dummy out after the game and made a total prat of himself on live TV. Tremendous example of a pure bred idiot letting his ill-informed tongue off the leash from the one brain cell he owns.

Maybe the hump and dummy spit was due to the fact a non league striker outperformed him and made him look like the washed up has been he is?

Seems everyone bar Sheff Utd fans (who are bizarrely applauding his car crash interview as if it was some stroke of genius and wisdom) and Billy the brain cell are still completely baffled by the outburst as he couldn’t bring himself to muster up any details or specifics.

As a Blade, I was a bit baffled by the interview, but seeing Billy week in week out, it was out of character. He's had a lot of shit off people throughout his career including online and pitchside bullying about his baby boy that passed away at 2 days old. He's always handled himself professionally, so something has obviously happened to rattle him. We don't know the facts

As for washed up has been. You do know he's broken numerous goal scoring records and is the most prolific English striker in all leagues this century? Don't you?


 
Posted : 11/02/2023 8:12 pm
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Well I'm always curious as to how Chelsea stay away from the fair play rule that got City in a spin. I've no love for Chelsea since they took Kerry Dixon from us in the 80s. He could have had a long and distinguished career in the second division.


 
Posted : 11/02/2023 9:08 pm
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It’s about revenues versus expenditure over a period of time - hence Chelsea signing a lot of these players on long contracts and paying the fees over the course of the contract.

Seems a lot of the allegations about City relate to hiding their spending - not on players, but on things like Mancini’s salary etc. One for the lawyers and accountants!


 
Posted : 11/02/2023 10:40 pm
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Ah ok.


 
Posted : 11/02/2023 10:43 pm
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Having just watched MOTD I can’t comprehend how Spurs are still potentially in the running for a top 4 finish

They were an absolute shambles today. It wouldn’t have flattered Leicester if they’d have won by 6 or 7


 
Posted : 11/02/2023 11:55 pm
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Well I’m always curious as to how Chelsea stay away from the fair play rule that got City in a spin

Chelsea make a lot of money from signing young talent, sending them all over Europe on loan, then selling them on. It’s a (very profitable) production line

Citeh just get another company owned by their owners to sponsor the naming rights to the toilets for seven hundred  squillion pounds

Anyway… VAR. covered itself in glory again today. Just when you think it might be getting better they come up with some absolute shockers


 
Posted : 11/02/2023 11:59 pm
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Because family was out I had the chance to sit and watch the Newcastle match properly. They've gone right off the boil, so much that I think a top 4 finish is a tough ask and the Cup Final in two weeks should be where all their eggs go.

They look tired, and the urgency of the running both in and out of possession, and movement off the ball when attacking seems to have gone. Small squad, a lot of games, predictable I guess.

It flashed briefly for the goal, and in a couple of other places but otherwise they are looking very leggy right now. And there's a lot of the season to go.

Five draws in last six, and you'd have expected really them to have got more out of at least three of them (draw vs Arsenal is a decent result, Palace away is tricky, but Leeds / WHam / Bournemouth are all winnable) but if they'd got 9 io 3 in those three games they'd be second and 4 points off top.

Lovely to see the reception Eddie Howe got after the game too. They think a lot of him down there.

Meanwhile the mighty Reading's slide towards a relegation scrap continues......


 
Posted : 12/02/2023 7:15 am
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I can't see 22 players seeing out the full match at Leeds.

Someone will get sent off shortly.


 
Posted : 12/02/2023 2:40 pm
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Nice that the Leeds fans have now added Munich songs to their usual repertoire of racism and homophobia 🙄


 
Posted : 12/02/2023 2:42 pm
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are Manu playing Leeds next week as well?


 
Posted : 12/02/2023 4:59 pm
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With any luck we can go another 16 years without playing them


 
Posted : 12/02/2023 5:09 pm
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Man U fans were chanting about Istanbul too for balance, Not that I'm defending Munich chants BTW, none of its acceptable. Probs deserved a point today IMO but there you go. Mighty tight at the bottom.


 
Posted : 12/02/2023 9:23 pm
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As a Leeds fan, I'm really struggling with keeping my allegiance.  The Munich chants are utterly awful and I don't want to be associated with a club like that.  I was hoping the behaviour of fans was improving but obviously not.  Disgusting.


 
Posted : 12/02/2023 9:30 pm
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Both sets of fans were a disgrace. I just can't fathom taunting your opponent about the deaths of their players or supporters.


 
Posted : 12/02/2023 9:35 pm
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Presumably it’s 100s, 1000s, doing this, not just a handful that would attract enough attention to be kicked out/arrested? Awful behaviour, so much hatred.

Apparently Haaland a doubt for the biggie on Wednesday…….


 
Posted : 12/02/2023 9:42 pm
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Taunting fans, especially local rivals, is as old as the hills and happens the world over and is usually nasty. For instance Reading fans taunt Swindon about their lack of literacy but they are able to drive tractors.


 
Posted : 12/02/2023 10:06 pm
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lifelong Leeds fan here. Always, always despised the shit that goes on (once called out by a fellow season ticket holder - who I’d sat next to for years - for being a ManU fan for not ‘standing up if you hate ManU’).

Let’s make football about the football- it was a great game today and we deserved something from it, but when you’re in the arse end of the league these things never seem to go for you.


 
Posted : 12/02/2023 10:57 pm
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Just saw MOTD 2 that was a shameless dive against your old club. Grealish should be ashamed of himself.


 
Posted : 13/02/2023 8:56 am
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it was a great game today and we deserved something from it, but when you’re in the arse end of the league these things never seem to go for you.

It was a proper old school match. Leeds seem to start well, then run out of steam in the second half. Looks like its going to be a proper relegation battle again this season. Its going to be interesting to see what happens tonight, whether Evertons performance was a brief 'new manager bounce' blip or something more structural. I'm sure the atmosphere will be as similarly toxic as Elland Road yesterday

Just saw MOTD 2 that was a shameless dive against your old club. Grealish should be ashamed of himself.

And once again showed the failure of VAR to overrule decisions. You'll never see a more blatant dive, but it stood


 
Posted : 13/02/2023 9:07 am
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Got to say i thought it wasn't a penalty, but watching it a couple of times i think he's done the clever thing of running across the defender and hoping to get that little clip that'll take him down.  Remember back when i played those were the most annoying fouls, barely any contact but it's your own momentum and usually your own feet that makes it look like you've been shot by a sniper 😂


 
Posted : 13/02/2023 9:09 am
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Taunting fans, especially local rivals, is as old as the hills and happens the world over and is usually nasty. For instance Reading fans taunt Swindon about their lack of literacy but they are able to drive tractors.

A bit different from Hillsborough/Munich/Istanbul type chants! Many chants are funny, and just banter (‘your coats from matalan’ by city fans toward Mourinho for instance) - these cross a line. IMO.


 
Posted : 13/02/2023 9:54 am
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There have been chants about Munich since I was a kid back in the 70's.

Like a lot of stuff around football, it didn't get the publicity as so few games were televised.

There have been chants about Hillsborough since it happened.

Making no excuse for it, it's disgusting and crosses a "line" but it's usually a small minority. The vast majority of fans find it revolting as well.


 
Posted : 13/02/2023 10:18 am
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It begs the question once again - what is the point of VAR?

Given how close the title race has been for the last couple of seasons if Arsenal lost by a point this year they would have a pretty good case I would've thought...


 
Posted : 13/02/2023 10:19 am
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I mentioned the Grealish dive because Keith Hackett was on 5live this morning and mentioned this specific incident. And the other failings of VAR this weekend. So I looked at MOTD.

Serves me right for watching the 6 nations as the rugger bunch have this insane ability to stay upright whereas delicate people like Grealish can be tripped with ease.


 
Posted : 13/02/2023 11:16 am
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Serves me right for watching the 6 nations as the rugger bunch have this insane ability to stay upright whereas delicate people like Grealish can be tripped with ease.

This is the example used all the time, but in rugby you can't clip someones heals whilst they're going full pelt, it's one of the most annoying fouls in the game when you're on the receiving end, it just unbalances you and you end up doing a comedy stumble and fall, i never tend to shout about these ones, it's the ones where they move into a challenge then lift up their feet like an undercarriage and fall over that's annoying, they get them every time, but it's too 'clever' for my liking.


 
Posted : 13/02/2023 11:45 am
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I caught bits of MOTD2, Grealish looked like a dive to me but I didn't catch whether the studio pundits picked it up.

As for "nasty" chants - I hate it. I'm an Ipswich fan and I get the jokes with Norwich, I live in between Nottingham and Derby so that's all around me, but I don't understand the hatred or using tragedies to wind up tbe opposition. Its just a ****ing game of football, no one's death justifies a mention.

I do have a Leeds supporting mate who goes on about how lovely the atmosphere around the women's game is but then spews vile hatred at Man Utd or anything that goes against Leeds in a match. If you're not actively trying to be part of the solution then you are part of the problem.

Though the same can be said about VAR!


 
Posted : 13/02/2023 12:01 pm
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Making no excuse for it, it’s disgusting and crosses a “line” but it’s usually a small minority. The vast majority of fans find it revolting as well.

Pretty sure I could hear it on the TV, so there must've been a fair few at it.


 
Posted : 13/02/2023 12:12 pm
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It begs the question once again – what is the point of VAR?

Legalised match fixing

*allegedly


 
Posted : 13/02/2023 12:13 pm
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As for “nasty” chants – I hate it.

I find them really frustrating because, as dander mentioned and gave an example of, the best football chants are comedy gold and genuinely funny. My favourite was when Rio Ferdinand got banned for missing a drugs test. It was a Manchester Derby the following week at OT and the Citeh fans in the away end were all singing 'his name is Rio and he's sitting in the stands' to the Duran Duran tune. I mean, thats bloody genius!


 
Posted : 13/02/2023 12:18 pm
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Serves me right for watching the 6 nations as the rugger bunch have this insane ability to stay upright whereas delicate people like Grealish can be tripped with ease.

I often feel players are dammed if they do & dammed if they don't. Yes some of them dive - however how many times have we seen players get fouled, stay on their feet & not get a pen?


 
Posted : 13/02/2023 1:50 pm
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Posted : 13/02/2023 4:57 pm
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"When you're sat in row Z and the ball hits your head.... that's Zamora"


 
Posted : 13/02/2023 5:47 pm
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And that was sung by his own supporters. 😂

Much like…

“Park, Park wherever you may be…”


 
Posted : 13/02/2023 6:37 pm
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“When you’re sat in row Z and the ball hits your head…. that’s Zamora”

Yeah, I heard that at Upton Park!


 
Posted : 13/02/2023 9:01 pm
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Wasn't there a song about Luis Suarez's teeth being offside?


 
Posted : 13/02/2023 9:11 pm
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Carragher’s bit on the side, song about Fernando Torres. You have to hand it to United fans for their song writing talent.
I remember Wolves fans going to Old Trafford for a night game in their pyjamas because in their previous game, United had something like nine minutes Fergie time.
Football banter is great!
Everton making Liverpool look half decent.


 
Posted : 13/02/2023 9:32 pm
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You have to hand it to United fans for their song writing talent.

The Neville Neville song was genius, tbf.


 
Posted : 13/02/2023 9:54 pm
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The scousers are pretty good at them. Some personal favourites from a good few years ago

You’ll know the player straight away…

“He’s big, he’s red, his feet stick out of bed….”

“He’s fast, he’s red, he talks like Father Ted….”

They maker that look pretty comfortable. What’s going on with Mo Salahs hair? He looks like he spends his days outside a park, shouting at buses


 
Posted : 13/02/2023 10:17 pm
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https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/64631335

Liverpool deserve a very very very big apology.


 
Posted : 13/02/2023 10:26 pm
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That’s been glaringly obvious for a long time. I know a few people who were there and the whole thing was apparently a total shambles

Seems the French police took their lead from their South Yorkshire counterparts


 
Posted : 13/02/2023 11:00 pm
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It was obvious on the night itself, but at least the truth has come out fairly quickly (in comparison to the british authorities pushing a lie about Hillsborough for decades).


 
Posted : 14/02/2023 12:32 am
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And I doubt Le Monde ran a front page the next morning stating ‘la vérité!’


 
Posted : 14/02/2023 12:40 am
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Prime the Police for violence, and they shall deliver.

Nothing new under The Sun.


 
Posted : 14/02/2023 1:31 am
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Know it's old, but...


 
Posted : 14/02/2023 3:34 am
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Well Mrs Binners didn't seem overly impressed with my Valentines Day declaration that I love her even more than I love Marcus Rashford 😂


 
Posted : 14/02/2023 9:09 am
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Back to the soccer ball and it's the return of champions soccer league tonight. Spurs are at the san siro. No bale this time. In fact no hojberg, bentancur or Loris. This could be tough. I'll just cheer myself up with...
Taxi for Macon!


 
Posted : 14/02/2023 9:21 am
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Its quite interesting for the rest of us to guess which Spurs will turn up? The one that beat Citeh or the one who got absolutely walloped by Leicester less than a week later.

We've now accepted out place in the world of late and that our European football is now played on Thursday nights, but you generally assume you'll be playing in Kazakstan, not up against Barca


 
Posted : 14/02/2023 9:38 am
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It's almost as much fun for us spurs fans, 😂 in a perverse sort of way!


 
Posted : 14/02/2023 9:44 am
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AC Milan are in horrific form, lost 4 of their last 5, got humped 5-2 at home to Sassuolo and before that beat 4-0 by Lazio, they've certainly not enjoyed the WC break!


 
Posted : 14/02/2023 1:04 pm
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Well watching the Spurs game and feeling a little regret and wished I'd watched Midsomer Murders on ITV 4.


 
Posted : 14/02/2023 9:36 pm
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I opted to watch Ted Lasso. The real one, not the one who’s about to be appointed Southampton manager in a Suella Braverman paced return

Anyway, my evaluation of which spurs would likely turn up tonight appears to be (literally) on the money as far as my betting was concerned 😀


 
Posted : 14/02/2023 9:50 pm
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Just discovered Apple TV due to a 3 month trial and there's some absolute stonkers on there.


 
Posted : 14/02/2023 10:02 pm
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Only got to listen to a few snippets of 5 live commentary. Seems we had no quality in the final 3rd but a different ref would have given loads of free kicks and a penalty. Milan showed little to scare. Got a fair chance of winning at home so all to play for... Let's hope the other team turns up for that game!


 
Posted : 14/02/2023 10:16 pm
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Where was Kane playing tonight? He was ineffective as left back against Leicester and his midfield games haven’t been that good of late


 
Posted : 14/02/2023 10:26 pm
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Kane was busy auditioning for the popular BBC documentary Ambulance.


 
Posted : 14/02/2023 10:45 pm
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I’m amazed he can still walk, he’s had his legs broken and been shot by snipers so many times

He’ll be starring in the opening scene of Casualty before long, stood next to a big drop into a quarry or a combine harvester that’s just had a safety guard removed. Jack Grealish has apparently already been signed up for a scene involving some badly constructed scaffolding above a swimming pool and a killer whale

On a tangent… Ted Lasso is absolutely bloody brilliant and infinitely preferable to watching Spurs


 
Posted : 15/02/2023 12:13 am
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Absolutely cracking first half! That was some finish by De Bruyne

I hate to say it but these two are so far clear of everyone else, it’s a definite 2 horse race. It’s certainly going to be an interesting contest to watch. Can’t see either dropping many points


 
Posted : 15/02/2023 8:35 pm
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City have just moved up another gear..not just this game but for the season. All down to superb conditioning.


 
Posted : 15/02/2023 9:20 pm
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Looks like Arsenal are done, don't think they're a match for this City side when it comes to the big games, they miss Partey in the middle and Jesus up front of course, reality is Nketiah is not a top 4 front man, Haaland has been a handful and kept the Arsenal back four and midfielders occupied, Arsenal count more on their wingers.


 
Posted : 15/02/2023 9:21 pm
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I thought Arsenal had their chances,just didn't take them. Pretty even game except for about five minutes of defensive cock ups.


 
Posted : 15/02/2023 9:27 pm
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Not a lot in it, some poor errors for City’s goals, which they took advantage of ruthlessly. May well knock the stuffing out of Arsenal, they did look a bit leggy as they haven’t the same level of squad as City so far less rotation.

More Potterball from Chelsea as well. Neat and tidy, no goals. Love it!


 
Posted : 15/02/2023 10:06 pm
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Arsenal have a game in hand, so still theoretically control their destiny. Makes the title race more interesting.


 
Posted : 15/02/2023 10:10 pm
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Arsenal have a game in hand, so still theoretically control their destiny. Makes the title race more interesting.

They still have to go to Man City, so you could say they also have control of their own destiny.

Reality is, it was a close game in terms of possession and movement, City just have players who can take their chances when they come, or do a job when it's not, Arsenal just looked like they weren't getting through tonight, Nketiah missed two open headers in front of goal, Haaland wouldn't have done the same.


 
Posted : 15/02/2023 10:15 pm
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I still think it will be very close as long as Arsenal don't crumble or suffer squad injuries. They cut through City very nicely at points tonight, just didn't finish. With a fit Gabriel Jesus, I think they would have been in a pretty dominant position by now.


 
Posted : 15/02/2023 10:26 pm
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Just like the cup game, City went up a gear in the second half. Like all great teams, the skill is built upon a high work rate.


 
Posted : 15/02/2023 11:10 pm
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Well that was fine fare for an early Thursday night. Is that Manu's normal away kit or were they teasing Barca?


 
Posted : 16/02/2023 8:01 pm
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so 15 years after the whaling from the red side of Manchester about Abu Dhabi money killing the game, we are here?


 
Posted : 17/02/2023 11:15 pm
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It’s only one bidder, I’m sure others will be after them too and Ratcliffe has already said he’ll bid.


 
Posted : 17/02/2023 11:31 pm
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After the years of the Glazers clueless parasitic ownership, bleeding the club dry, we’d welcome Fred West as a new owner as it’d represent a considerable improvement


 
Posted : 17/02/2023 11:36 pm
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Is Ratcliffe any better, he is a western Oligarch who's contribution to politics is perhaps more subtle but part of a group who has caused more damage in spreading an economic message of neoliberalism and greed that serves just a few to damage billions of lives. The american billionaire bidders will be just the same.


 
Posted : 18/02/2023 3:34 am
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I agree MSP. Depressing that these are the only types now who seem to have the means and power to take over the bigger clubs.


 
Posted : 18/02/2023 7:10 am
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