***The Soccer (The Real Football) Thread***

[predator_05]

8 hours ago, Tezza said:

Pretty stalemate game for Chelsea at the weekend ...Maguire the fridge was all over Azi and should of been a penalty.

Still buzzing over the Gers win against Standard Liege and the tic a few weeks back.

Just found out about this thread and glad that it's not all MLS, I'll definitely be chiming in and providing a bit of patter and banter!

 

Even Americans don't watch MLS...??

 

Do you remember this:

 

[Panzer Division Marduk]

12 hours ago, Tezza said:

Pretty stalemate game for Chelsea at the weekend ...Maguire the fridge was all over Azi and should of been a penalty.

Still buzzing over the Gers win against Standard Liege and the tic a few weeks back.

Just found out about this thread and glad that it's not all MLS, I'll definitely be chiming in and providing a bit of patter and banter!

How VAR didn't call the Supertanker for a penalty is beyond me.

Just wish Defoe could have waited a week or so to score his 300th. 

[Panzer Division Marduk]

As I said elsewhere, the Jets have Gase, United have Pogba.

Two good for nothing walking sacks of human excrement, strolling around stealing a living, as everything around them crashes and burns. And they don't give two f**ks because they know they're untouchable, because their bosses refuse to pull the trigger on them.

[predator_05]

23 minutes ago, Panzer Division Marduk said:

As I said elsewhere, the Jets have Gase, United have Pogba.

Two good for nothing walking sacks of human excrement, strolling around stealing a living, as everything around them crashes and burns. And they don't give two f**ks because they know they're untouchable, because their bosses refuse to pull the trigger on them.

 

I take it you won't buy his personalized chess board? It's an adidas exclusive!!!!!!

https://www.instagram.com/p/CGXL2sGF8kH/

[Panzer Division Marduk]

On 11/2/2020 at 5:04 PM, predator_05 said:

 

I take it you won't buy his personalized chess board? It's an adidas exclusive!!!!!!

https://www.instagram.com/p/CGXL2sGF8kH/

Jesus wept.

[Irish Jet]

On 11/2/2020 at 5:04 PM, predator_05 said:

 

I take it you won't buy his personalized chess board? It's an adidas exclusive!!!!!!

https://www.instagram.com/p/CGXL2sGF8kH/

The internet was a mistake. 

[Panzer Division Marduk]

Meanwhile, in #TheGreatestLeagueInTheWorld, otherwise known as the League of Ireland, the FAI (lying cheating corrupt b*****ds that they are - even with John Delaney now hiding in a London bedsit) decided to open up applications for the First Division (known as the Graveyard, for reasons), giving teams a week's notice to do so.

Now this was clearly aimed at a team called Treaty United (based in Limerick, founded after the last Limerick team went t!ts up in 2019 leaving the area without a team - as so many Limerick teams have done so, yet all claim to be continuation of the original team - you never were, you lying sack of c***s.) Sorry, I digress.

So, this was designed for Treaty United to apply and join the league. And they have done so,

The feeling was the reason only a week's notice was to make sure nobody else could have time to get their people together and hold meetings to decide if  t was their club's turn to try and enter the madness,

However, St Francis (a Dublin based) team who left the league in 2002 decided to also apply- along with Wexford based Yola FC (No I don't know what the hell a Yola is either) who's main reason seems to be "We hate Wexford FC and we want to be the Wexford team for Wexford people - so give us their license and kick them out", and the best of all, the latest entrant: Irish Sea FC. Supposedly a couple of ex-Premier League players, and the couple who own the New Jersey Teamsters team - supposedly this consortium already tried to buy a team a few months ago. No idea where they'd even be based. In the sea? On a big boat? On a beach? A coastal county? Nobody knows. It's like "We've got a team, but we don't want to tell you where we've hidden them yet." And to top it off the two from New Jersey apparently have a tv show on the Discovery Channel stateside.

It's at times like this, I so wish my club was still in the league. Still, I'm hoping Longford beat Shels on Sunday. 

[EM31]

I don't remember a year when the EPL started off a season with so much apparent parity among so many different teams.

If the kids at Chelsea can learn to play just a teeny little bit of defense.....

[Panzer Division Marduk]

2020 just keeps being 2020. Scotland qualify for a major tournament.

Though watching their keeper wait after making that save to see if the ref says it's okay was ridiculous. VAR needs to go.

[EM31]

3 hours ago, Panzer Division Marduk said:

2020 just keeps being 2020. Scotland qualify for a major tournament.

Though watching their keeper wait after making that save to see if the ref says it's okay was ridiculous. VAR needs to go.

Bring back Archie Gemmill

[Panzer Division Marduk]

17 hours ago, EM31 said:

Bring back Archie Gemmill

Who was home before the postcards, like every other Scotland team.

Though given the fact their final group game is in Hampden, this time they could be home before the Instagram stories are posted.

[EM31]

17 minutes ago, Panzer Division Marduk said:

Who was home before the postcards, like every other Scotland team.

Though given the fact their final group game is in Hampden, this time they could be home before the Instagram stories are posted.

That was a dangerous Scotland team.  They were also a little bit screwed over by the group that they landed in.

With all of that said I get your point.  It has been a very long road for the long time faithful.

[Irish Jet]

On 11/2/2020 at 4:35 PM, Panzer Division Marduk said:

As I said elsewhere, the Jets have Gase, United have Pogba.

Two good for nothing walking sacks of human excrement, strolling around stealing a living, as everything around them crashes and burns. And they don't give two f**ks because they know they're untouchable, because their bosses refuse to pull the trigger on them.

The audacity of this ****. Every time he goes on international duty the same sh*t. He shouldn't be allowed back in the building. Imagine being a teammate of this guy, I hope Bruno snaps him in training, one of the few at the club who seems to give a sh*t.

But Jack Grealish though - Suddenly England's best player. Did I call it or what? Should have spent whatever it took but nah the Glazers and Woodward too busy complaining about the impact of Covid while still making sure to collect the dividend. 

 

[predator_05]

1 hour ago, Irish Jet said:

 

The audacity of this ****. Every time he goes on international duty the same sh*t. He shouldn't be allowed back in the building. Imagine being a teammate of this guy, I hope Bruno snaps him in training, one of the few at the club who seems to give a sh*t.

But Jack Grealish though - Suddenly England's best player. Did I call it or what? Should have spent whatever it took but nah the Glazers and Woodward too busy complaining about the impact of Covid while still making sure to collect the dividend. 

 

 

Man Utd isn't seen as a top club anymore. The younger generation of players - with their very sharp agents in the background - are always looking at Man Utd as a 'stepping stone'. This is exactly how Pogba has treated the club, a springboard, a rest-stop before the inevitable move to Real Madrid or one of the 'bigger clubs'. 

 

Man Utd, for all of its (quickly forgotten) success, is now mostly known for Cristiano Ronaldo. Pogba was signed mainly for his social media presence. The club should focus on signing younger players that actually want to be there. 

[Panzer Division Marduk]

5 hours ago, predator_05 said:

 

Man Utd isn't seen as a top club anymore. The younger generation of players - with their very sharp agents in the background - are always looking at Man Utd as a 'stepping stone'. This is exactly how Pogba has treated the club, a springboard, a rest-stop before the inevitable move to Real Madrid or one of the 'bigger clubs'. 

 

Man Utd, for all of its (quickly forgotten) success, is now mostly known for Cristiano Ronaldo. Pogba was signed mainly for his social media presence. The club should focus on signing younger players that actually want to be there. 

They've done that in the past, bought players primarily to sell shirts in their home countries, Quinton Fortune, Eric Djemba-Djemba-Djemba-Djemba-Djemba, Dong Fangzhou. The reason Pogba went to United because he and his agent would make more money from that move than any other move for the forseeable future. Basically to squeeze out as much money he can, because he didn't get it from them when Fergie called his bluff in his first spell at OT.  And if Ole had any balls, he'd have done what Arsenal did with Ozil, let him ******* rot and ship him out in the next available window. 

As for Grealish, that's the way it's been for United, pretend they're after all these players, lowball their clubs, spend weeks slightly upping and upping the money bit by bit. And then blame the other club because they didn't pay in the end. It's United's version of the Ryan Fitzpatrick cycle.

Miss out on Champions league -> Spend loads of money -> Make Champions League -> Cut spending ->Scrape into Champions League -> Cut spending a bit more -> Miss out on Champions League...

That's all they care about these days, making the CL - no interest in paying the extra to win the league, after all, you still get in the CL if you finish 4th. The Arsenal Way. Can't be cutting into the dividend the Glazer scum pay to themselves, can we?

[predator_05]

1 hour ago, Panzer Division Marduk said:

They've done that in the past, bought players primarily to sell shirts in their home countries, Quinton Fortune, Eric Djemba-Djemba-Djemba-Djemba-Djemba, Dong Fangzhou. The reason Pogba went to United because he and his agent would make more money from that move than any other move for the forseeable future. Basically to squeeze out as much money he can, because he didn't get it from them when Fergie called his bluff in his first spell at OT.  And if Ole had any balls, he'd have done what Arsenal did with Ozil, let him ******* rot and ship him out in the next available window. 

As for Grealish, that's the way it's been for United, pretend they're after all these players, lowball their clubs, spend weeks slightly upping and upping the money bit by bit. And then blame the other club because they didn't pay in the end. It's United's version of the Ryan Fitzpatrick cycle.

Miss out on Champions league -> Spend loads of money -> Make Champions League -> Cut spending ->Scrape into Champions League -> Cut spending a bit more -> Miss out on Champions League...

That's all they care about these days, making the CL - no interest in paying the extra to win the league, after all, you still get in the CL if you finish 4th. The Arsenal Way. Can't be cutting into the dividend the Glazer scum pay to themselves, can we?

But those guys are from a different era. They weren't as big as pogba currently is. The commercial aspect looms larger than ever. Fans these days don't watch as many games, but they watch all the instagram nonsense. Pogba built his profile on his social media 'coolness', which i would argue is independent of his on-field performances. 

In defense of Woodward and co, it's pointless to over-pay footballers. Highly paid players don't guarantee trophies, look at City's quest for a Champions League. Man utd, while wealthy, cannot simply burn money from a country's sovereign wealth fund. 

 A big club cannot act desperate. It must be able to do business on its own terms. Players and their agents, are more powerful than ever before, they're capable of fleecing employers like never before. Players nowadays get paid for potential, and not for performance. It's a big difference. Smart clubs cannot be over-paying for the latest flash in the pan, it doesn't make any sense from either a business or football standpoint. 

Fans demand movement and change as a knee-jerk response to bad results, but they forget that there are only a handful of truly world class footballers and managers out there, most of which are taken. The younger ones, with big potential, as more easily identified than ever. Very difficult to create a competitive advantage. 

Its like i was saying earlier, clubs might as well create multinational, transatlantic pipelines for players straight out the womb. Man City could own a player through 3 different phases of his career, from the age of 7 til the age of 30.

If players have too much control over their salaries, then it can easily be said that the modern day transfer market is broken, and in need of fixing. 

[predator_05]

Maradona.❤️

 

[Panzer Division Marduk]

And on George Best's anniversary too.

[predator_05]

13 minutes ago, Panzer Division Marduk said:

And on George Best's anniversary too.

 

Both gave so much to the game of football that when their football stopped, they had nothing to live for. 

That's when the alcoholism & drug addiction begins. You should always be prepared to move on...move on to another life, the next life. 

[Panzer Division Marduk]

Pogba yesterday:  "I’ve always fought and will always fight for @manchesterunited , my teammates and the fans."

Funny way of showing it. Didn't show much fight when he gave away the ball that led to the clinching goal midweek, did he?

 

[Panzer Division Marduk]

Dunno what was funnier, Klopp chasing after, and then running away from Dyche at half time, or Lennon last night as Livi got the equaliser.

 

[Panzer Division Marduk]

Why, oh why, does Solskjaer keep pairing Lindelof and the Supertanker?

Two more points pissed away.

[EM31]

On 11/12/2020 at 3:51 PM, EM31 said:

I don't remember a year when the EPL started off a season with so much apparent parity among so many different teams.

If the kids at Chelsea can learn to play just a teeny little bit of defense.....

Well that post aged well.  The first part about the apparent parity that is.  Looks like City in a cakewalk and everyone else scrambling for Champions league places.... again.

Chelsea playing defense, who would thunk it?

 

[Panzer Division Marduk]

 

And to think he complained about getting a red card for that.

[Panzer Division Marduk]

Hey IJ, what the hell happened to you lot tonight? Luxembourg???

[Irish Jet]

On 3/27/2021 at 10:53 PM, Panzer Division Marduk said:

Hey IJ, what the hell happened to you lot tonight? Luxembourg???

Been going that way for a while. Just been allowed to rot away because the people at the top were focused on enriching themselves instead of developing the game in the country. Obviously the English clubs moving away from British/Irish players hasn't helped as they're just not getting the development they used. 

Although seems the big six in England are trying to put the final nail in the coffin of football as it is. I've long become disinterested with top level football and how it's become all about maximising profits, even over the success of the team or the actual football itself. The super league would definitely be the end for me. I hope all 6 clubs are relegated to League Two. 

[Panzer Division Marduk]

3 hours ago, Irish Jet said:

Been going that way for a while. Just been allowed to rot away because the people at the top were focused on enriching themselves instead of developing the game in the country. Obviously the English clubs moving away from British/Irish players hasn't helped as they're just not getting the development they used. 

Although seems the big six in England are trying to put the final nail in the coffin of football as it is. I've long become disinterested with top level football and how it's become all about maximising profits, even over the success of the team or the actual football itself. The super league would definitely be the end for me. I hope all 6 clubs are relegated to League Two. 

Not just the people at the top. Following the Mons back in the day, and talking to people at other LoI clubs, you'd hear the crap that was going on behind the scenes, from the top to the bottom, votes being "managed", etc. Those comments about the League being the problem child were mild considering the actual feelings of Delaney and his clique. Clubs fell for a smooth con job, and by the time they realised the real story, it was too late. There were a couple of teams who voted against the merger back then, I think all but one are gone from the league.

Always divide and conquer. Any proper association would have had the international team first, then the national leagues, and so on. Delaney gave the schoolboy associations equal power to the national league, and let them run amok. The stories how kids were "encouraged" into joining certain schoolboy clubs, the lip service that was paid to distance rules, and why? So the big schoolboy clubs could win meaningless trophies, and then flog off a 14 year old to an English club, just to help pay for a new giant tv screen for the clubhouse. Once they got the money, who gives a damn what happens to the kid. Why do you think there was so much oppostion from these associations to the national underage leagues? 

And as you said, with the British clubs now looking all over the world, there's going to be even less opportunities for Irish kids.  Well, it's the FAI reaping what they sowed. Spend money on development? Naah, we need that for a James Bond styl;e birthday party for the CEO.

 

As for Superleague, an absolute disgrace. But then, when you've got subhuman goblins like Kroenke, FSG, Perez, the Glazers and Agnelli involved, what do you expect. Is anyone surprised that the comments coming out of Asia and Africa from so-called "Fans" of the teams are supportive? Ten years after this league is set up, United will have maybe 2 home games at Old Trafford, the rest will be in Dubai, Shanghai, New York, and there'll be Qatari and Saudi teams invited - maybe that way the super ginormous and successful Spurs might actually avoid finishing bottom.

And I now see they've already started referring to current fans of clubs as "legacy fans" and stressing the importance of "fans of the future" who want to see superstars. 

No way the Premier League will get rid of those teams though, can't afford losing that cash cow, but a 40 point deduction each season they're involved in this should suffice. 

 

 

And Mourinho to take over at Dundalk? The timing of Spurs and Dundalk's statements were just too coincidental... The Special One vs Ollie Horgan on a cold windswept night in Ballybofey- who wouldn't want to see that clash?

[Morrissey]

American's and other oversea billionaire owners destroying the beautiful game... who saw it coming

[Panzer Division Marduk]

This has been a fun evening, hasn't it? 

[Irish Jet]

11 hours ago, Panzer Division Marduk said:

This has been a fun evening, hasn't it? 

Bizarre.

Always nice to see the billionaires knocked down a peg. Woodward will not be missed although the Glazers will just hire another loyal stooge to make them money. 

[Panzer Division Marduk]

It's laughable. "Woodward resigned because he turned against the Superleague once he saw the reactions towards it." As if anyone believed that. Still he'll be gone later on this.

I see the Arsenal fans are out in force at the Emirates this evening.

 

And then we have Perez, who was crying how football will be dead by 2024, yet decided to agree a five year deal with Alaba for 400k per week, after the announcement of the superleague. This, from a club who have been run over the decades without a single ounce of financial sense (see a player, buy a player who cares about the cost), because they keep get bailed out, whether by fascist dictators, or corrupt city governments over the years.

 

 

[Panzer Division Marduk]

Another fine weekend for the abortion that is VAR. Arsenal denied a penalty because VAR deems an elbow to be a tenthopf an inch offside, yet misses the fact the penalty was given for one of the most ridiculous dives ever (and Ceballos needs to be retroactively banned by the FA for deceiving the ref for that) - because VAR ref doesn;t want to make his pal on the pitch look bad.

Then that red for West Ham.

 

[EM31]

Chelsea could have and should have been up by three goals before the rain started against Real Madrid in that Champions league semi-final.

1-1 a good result on paper but this could have been done and dusted already.

[Panzer Division Marduk]

Shame on those United fans who invaded Old Trafford yesterday. Souness was right there, and they ignored him.

(Just surprised  he didn't blame the whole thing on Paul Pogba - that must be a first for him)

 

[EM31]

City in the Champions league final.  Chelsea need to hold serve on home court to join them.  I fear they blew this whole tie when they did not score a hat full of goals in the first 25 minutes of game 1.   There were chances aplenty,  Can Real Madrid possibly be that bad twice?