Archive for the ‘International Football’ Category

Southgate Persists With Management Style Which Can Only Be Described As Solskjær-esque!

Posted: September 29, 2022 in Arsenal, Chelsea, England, Football, International Football, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Opinion, Premier League, The Nations League, The World Cup, Tottenham Hotspur
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As England manager, the choice of decent centre backs is extensive. The England manager also has a wide variety of left backs at his disposal.

Manchester United’s manager, realistically, has to choose from four centre backs to fill two positions and two left backs for that one position. Given his limited options why would Erik ten Hag choose to start with Varane and Martinez whilst benching Maguire and Lindelof? Also, why would he choose to start Malacia over Shaw?

Having comfortably lost their first two games of the season, the above players became the manager’s preferred choice and, apart from a European hiccup when he reverted to the prior selection, United have not lost a game since.

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Gareth & Ole, The Unlikely (Maybe) Heroes!

Posted: July 7, 2021 in Arsenal, Chelsea, England, Football, International Football, Liverpool, Managers, Manchester United, Opinion, Premier League, Tottenham Hotspur
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We had to do it! After years of berating England national football team, it’s manager and it’s perpetually, but unrealistically, (most of the time), optimistic supporters, finally we have to hold up our hands and admit that they have actually played quite well in reaching the semi-final of Euro Not 2020.

Despite occasional attempts by the manager to derail the English train it has kept steadfastly on track and is on course for a first final in forever and possibly, (whisper it), a first trophy in even longer!

Well done gawpy Gareth and the boys. This was teamwork and management above and beyond. Who would have thought we would beat the Ukraine without the Stockport Iniesta and ‘Union’ Jack Grealish, arguably our two best and most creative players?

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Maradona And Swearing, What An Unlikely Combination!

Posted: November 29, 2020 in European Football, Football, International Football, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Opinion, Premier League, The Nations League, The World Cup, Tottenham Hotspur
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It has been a relatively quiet period in the football world just lately. We have taken advantage of this lull by doing…….absolutely nothing! We haven’t had reports from every international game just to perpetuate the boredom always brought on during an international break. We haven’t invented a few thousand transfer rumours linking every top club with every single player available, or otherwise.

We have just sat back and relaxed whilst not watching England fail to advance in a European competition, (nothing new or exciting about that)!

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England Look OK Against Mediocre Opposition While Manchester’s Finest Rue Injuries

Posted: September 14, 2019 in Arsenal, Chelsea, England, International Football, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Opinion, Premier League, Tottenham Hotspur
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We’re at the end of another boring international break and the English are, once again, being somewhat rapturous because their side managed to score four goals at Wembley against Bulgaria, then five goals against Kosovo at St. Marys, (who managed to get three themselves).

Mind you, it was always going to be a stroll when you consider that, again according to FIFA, England are miles better than Spain, Portugal, Italy, Germany and Holland. Reasons to be cheerful indeed! The next Euro Championship is already in the bag and the World Cup will surely follow two years later! (more…)

Bits & Pieces: American Politics, International Football And Sky’s Tribute To Frank Lampard

Posted: July 4, 2019 in Arsenal, Chelsea, England, International Football, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Opinion, Premier League, Tottenham Hotspur
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It’s the 4th of July so it’s only fitting that the good old U.S. of A’s women’s football team has reached the World Cup final. Those ever so sporting winners with always a sympathetic and kind word for their opponents celebrate independence and, with it, the freedom to elect whoever they wish as president, even Donald Trump.

Megan Rapinoe is another one who could run in the next presidential election race as she has certainly proved that mixing sport and politics is boring and, hopefully, ineffectual. Football is not a platform to air views on anything other than football and, as far as we are aware, nobody is interested in those views anyway. (more…)

Ed Continues To Annoy Everyone As Do The England Men’s Teams

Posted: June 23, 2019 in Arsenal, Chelsea, Football, International Football, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Opinion, Tottenham Hotspur, Transfers
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It’s official! Ed Woodward really is an expert on football. This may come as a bit of a surprise to the vast majority of United fans, Louis van Gaal and all the ex-players who hang around Old Trafford these days. They think he is clueless. They think he keeps buying the wrong players and failing to buy the right ones.

Wrong! Ed knows what he is doing and disagreeing with the club’s most famous manager will prove that to be the case.

On the one occasion he probably should have disagreed with Sir Alex Ferguson, he didn’t, and David Moyes was appointed as manager. We all know how that one turned out. (more…)

FIFA World Rankings Explained And The Premier League Returns

Posted: October 18, 2018 in Arsenal, Chelsea, England, Football, International Football, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Opinion, Premier League, Tottenham Hotspur
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So Belgium are the best team in the world. This is quite an achievement considering they didn’t win the World Cup which is, supposedly, a tournament to discover which is the best team in the world.

They were beaten, not in the final but in the semi-final, by France, who are the second best team in the world.

In the final, France beat Croatia who are now fourth obviously courtesy of their semi-final victory over England who, despite this loss to the Croatians, (who were four places below them at the time), have moved up to sixth. (more…)

Would This Team Even Get Into The Top Six?

Posted: October 8, 2018 in Arsenal, Chelsea, Football, International Football, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Opinion, Premier League, Tottenham Hotspur
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After publishing a recent article extolling the lack of virtues, not to mention ability, contained within the frames of Antonio Valencia and Raheem Sterling, we decided to have a go at picking a team made up of the most overrated Premier League players from the “big six”. See if you agree with our selection or, if not, then let us know who we have missed or who you would pick. So here it is, a potential relegation team: (more…)

More On Gareth Southgate’s Decision To Select Players Based On Number Of Club Appearances Rather Than Ability And United’s Future Transfer Policy Still Unresolved

Posted: September 14, 2018 in Arsenal, Chelsea, England, Football, International Football, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Opinion, Premier League, Tottenham Hotspur, Transfers
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Nice one Gareth! His latest wheeze is that anybody expecting to play for his England team in the future should be playing regularly at their club.

He did leave the statement open to a little interpretation in that if, for example, he wanted to pick a team made up entirely of players from the Championship, then this would not represent a problem.

If he sticks with Premier League players then his team will not be competing at the top, (not that it has done anyway since 1966).

If he puts his new rule into immediate practice then his next team will contain Jordan Pickford, Kyle Walker, Kieran Trippier, Harry Maguire, Dele Alli, Harry Kane and some Vanarama Conference League players. (more…)

More On The Nation’s League, Today’s Cost Of Your Favourite EPL Player And Kane Puts His Feet Up!

Posted: September 12, 2018 in Arsenal, Chelsea, England, Football, International Football, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Opinion, The Nations League, Tottenham Hotspur
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The Nation’s League appears to have been afforded a reasonable reception by the football-hungry populace of Britain. Don’t get us wrong, given the choice between Premier League and this international excuse for a competition, 99.9% would plump for the Premier League although, taking into consideration the standard of the domestic leagues in Scotland, Wales and Ireland, it is difficult to assume that the same could be said in those countries.

In fairness, Wales had a decent start in beating the Republic of Ireland but then came undone when they met Denmark, a proper team.

However, a small and remote European footballing outpost did manage a win when Scotland beat Albania 2-0. (more…)

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