The European Football Season 15/16

[Jedi_Master]

Mourinho and Wegner still hissing at each other after FA discipline decisions

I tend to agree with Mourinho. Rescinding Gabriel"s red card is setting a precedent. He retaliated and flicked out at Costa. A stupid decision by the FA.

I am of two minds about this...

Provocation deliberately designed to lead a player to retaliate and get a red card is a real problem. A dedicated troll who is smart and canny would be able to seriously impact the play of the opposing team and help his team win. A team could even end up having a designated "troll" player who's job it is to create problems and try to get an opposing player red-carded.
That is something the FA has to tackle aggressively. So suspension of the instigator and rescission of the red card is about the best they can do - they can't give Arsenal the 3 points but I imagine should Costa strike again, they might come down even harder.

But I also see your point - retaliation is bad full stop. Don't do it - no matter what. Perhaps the FA thought that Arsenal's loss was the real punishment and thus the point was made?

I don't know. An odd decision all around.

 

[hux]

You think what ? That there is something wrong with the PL ?

I think that when Sideshow Bob is praised in France, it reflects badly on the French league.

I am of two minds about this...

Provocation deliberately designed to lead a player to retaliate and get a red card is a real problem. A dedicated troll who is smart and canny would be able to seriously impact the play of the opposing team and help his team win. A team could even end up having a designated "troll" player who's job it is to create problems and try to get an opposing player red-carded.
That is something the FA has to tackle aggressively. So suspension of the instigator and rescission of the red card is about the best they can do - they can't give Arsenal the 3 points but I imagine should Costa strike again, they might come down even harder.

But I also see your point - retaliation is bad full stop. Don't do it - no matter what. Perhaps the FA thought that Arsenal's loss was the real punishment and thus the point was made?

I don't know. An odd decision all around.

I like strikers who wind up defenders and I don't think what Costa did was especially out of order. He got to Gabriel. That's what he was trying to do. Defenders need to learn how to deal with that. I don't have a major problem with the FA giving Costa a three match ban (I wouldn't have but hey). Rescinding Gabriel's card however is a mistake. He got trolled. He reacted. Better luck next time. Learn from it.

At some point in the season, somebody will flick out a leg, get sent off then the club will appeal but it WON'T be rescinded. That's the problem the FA have given themselves. Apparently the decision was based on ESPN Brazil footage because none of the English broadcasters caught it. The whole thing is a little weird.

 

[Shaytan]

I think that when Sideshow Bob is praised in France, it reflects badly on the French league.

Ah ok. It doesn't matter, we know it's not a very exciting league
You are taking the wrong approach.

 

[Starkers]

League Cup Results

Martial scores again. Expectation really will start to pile up on this kid (not what he needs).

Bof, 49 games with Monaco and only 11 goals.

After Ayew player of the month, I seriously think that there is someting wrong with the PL.

Playing in a different team that plays in a different way, with better quality midfielders, played an out and out attacker rather than as a winger/attacking midfielder, weaker opposition, or just sheer luck, he wouldn't be the first player to suddenly find his goal scoring touch in a different environment, what was Thierry Henry's goal scoring record like prior to Arsenal after all?

Plus for all we know he won't score another goal till January

 

[hux]

Plus for all we know he won't score another goal till January

I have terrible feeling that could be true.

I'm reminded of Diego Forlan. Everyone loved him at United. Worked his socks off but just couldn't score goals to save his life then he moved to Spain and started scoring goals for fun. Sometimes you just don't fit. Sometimes it just clicks.

 

[Starkers]

Was out with a friend last night and we were discussing how many players have left Man Utd and suddenly looked very ordinary.

 

[BigJake]

Provocation deliberately designed to lead a player to retaliate and get a red card is a real problem . . . That is something the FA has to tackle aggressively.

Particularly when the provocation is violent, I think. Winding your opponent up with a little chatter and psychological warfare is one thing, being assertively physical is another thing... but straight up laying hands on them like some kind of perverse parody of a faith healer is something else.

I think George Graham was probably right that Costa's going to be a marked man by officials for some time.

 

[Kilana2]

Plus for all we know he won't score another goal till January

I have terrible feeling that could be true.

I'm reminded of Diego Forlan. Everyone loved him at United. Worked his socks off but just couldn't score goals to save his life then he moved to Spain and started scoring goals for fun. Sometimes you just don't fit. Sometimes it just clicks.

I remember Diego Forlan winning the Golden Ball at the WC in South Africa 2010. No one expected it. It isn't just Messi and Ronaldo.

And I remember a player with the name Shabalala (-aaaaaaaaaaaaah, when he scored )

 

[hux]

World Cup 2022 in Qatar to be held from November to December

Well that won't be disruptive to the football calendar... much.

 

[hux]

Saturday 26th

Tottenham 4 - 1 Man City
Leicester 2 - 5 Arsenal
Liverpool 3 - 2 Aston Villa
Man United 3 - 0 Sunderland
West Ham 2 - 2 Norwich
Stoke 2 - 1 Bournmouth
Southampton 3 - 1 Swansea
Newcastle 2 - 2 Chelsea

Goals galore today. United top for the first time since Fergie left. City battered. Two goals for Sturridge on his return. Rodgers keeps his job for another day. Newcastle two goals up but only get a draw. Unlucky. Leicester finally lose in seven goal thriller.

Title is definitely up for grabs.

 

[Starkers]

Yeah it could be a surprise this year.

No one's noticed Blatter got arrested then?

 

[SPCTRE]

 

[hux]

Champions League - Week 2 - Tuesday 29th Sep

Arsenal 2 - 3 Olympiacos
Bayern Munich 5 - 0 Zagreb
Barcelona 2 - 1 Leverkusen
BATE 3 - 2 Roma
FC Porto 2 - 1 Chelsea
Maccabees Tel Aviv 0 - 2 Dinamo Kiev
Lyon 0 - 1 Valencia
Zenit 2 - 1 KAA Gent

Wenger under pressure now. Next two game against Bayern. Surely Arsenal fans can't tolerate him for much longer? Chelsea still look awful.

 

[Kilana2]

Champions League - Week 2 - Tuesday 29th Sep

Arsenal 2 - 3 Olympiacos
Bayern Munich 5 - 0 Zagreb
Barcelona 2 - 1 Leverkusen
BATE 3 - 2 Roma
FC Porto 2 - 1 Chelsea
Maccabees Tel Aviv 0 - 2 Dinamo Kiev
Lyon 0 - 1 Valencia
Zenit 2 - 1 KAA Gent

Wenger under pressure now. Next two game against Bayern. Surely Arsenal fans can't tolerate him for much longer? Chelsea still look awful.

Missed it by oversleeping. Lewandowski is not an easy man to deal with these days.

 

[hux]

Champions League - Week 2 - Wednesday 30th Sep

Man United 2 - 1 Wolfsburg
CSKA 3 - 2 PSV Eindhoven
Gladbach 1 - 2 Man City
Juventus 2 - 0 Sevilla
S Donetsk 0 - 3 PSG
Malmo 0 - 2 Real Madrid
Athletic Madrid 1 - 2 Benfica
FC Astana 2 - 2 Galatasary

City badly needed that. United get off the mark. Ronaldo scores and goes ahead in the CL scoring records.

 

[hux]

Aston Villa 0 - 1 Stoke
Bournemouth 1 - 1 Watford
Crystal Palace 2 - 0 West Brom
Man City 6 - 1 Newcastle
Norwich 1 - 2 Leicester
Sunderland 2 - 2 West Ham
Chelsea 1 - 3 Southampton

Five goals for Aguero but the real story today is Chelsea losing... again! And at home... again! Four loses from their first eight games

Mourinho: Sack me but I won't quit

Squeaky bum time?

 

[sttngfan1701d]

The situation of Chelsea is bewildering. What the hell is going on? After today's bizarre rant, I can't see Mourinho staying. Abramovich has sacked managers for much less than this before, so you have to think he won't think twice before swinging the axe. Something must be very wrong behind the scenes. Either he's lost the dressing room or fallen out with some club staff, I don't know...but this isn't Chelsea.

His rant about referees doesn't make much sense, because the referee could've easily called two penalties for Southampton today, never mind for Falcao. But he does have a point that this is a period of trial for the club. If I was a Chelsea fan, I'd say that this manager has earned support through a wobble in form. Mourinho has given Chelsea more than any other manager, so of course he deserves patience and support to somehow sort this mess out. It really wounds his ego, for sure, but this could be character-building for both him and the club to fight their way out of this hole.

Unfortunately that's not how Abramovich operates, though, and if they play badly 2 weeks from now, I think he'll be sacked. But then where does the club go from there? Ancellotti again? Klopp?

Though if it is Klopp, that means Liverpool is stuck with that idiot Rodgers.

 

[Kilana2]

Aguero's next goal: to halve his scoring time from 20 minutes to 10!!!!

 

[Kilana2]

Match of the day: Bayern vs Dormund, currently 2:1........

Now 3:1, Lewandowski again.....

Lewandowski scores again, 4:1 and has the hell of a day again....


Finito: Bayern - Dortmund 5:1

 

[hux]

Brendan Rodgers Sacked

Well it was on the cards but I didn't expect it this soon. Maybe Klopp phoned the club and told them he's ready to finish his holidays