The Rolling Football Thread, season 2023-24 Part 2

[DuncinToffee]

Continuation from this thread

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/sports/4855370-the-rolling-football-thread-season-2023-24?page=40&reply=132530310

Phew! "Sixty Million down the drain"...

As for the commentators - "Everyone was expecting an easy Arsenal win" - Er, no. Brentford are always a tricky one, all Arsenal fans knew that.

Honestly I have had covid this week but this match came closer to doing me in!!!

Martinelli on crutches a slight concern. Dubai apparently gave Ben White back his superpowers!!

Porto on tuesday...

Hope you feel better soon MrsMitford3

3 weeks without Everton now, bliss. It feels like players and fans lost all confidence with everything that is going on.

Thanks @DuncinToffee hopefully on the mend.

Is Everton going away for a camp during the break?
Can recommend Dubai...

How are you doing now @MrsMitford3 - I was speaking to you on the Call the Midwife thread as I've had Covid too.

DH has informed me that 3 of the 4 times we've had Covid, we've caught it after being at Gayfield when Raith have come up to play us. Not sure what the chances are of that but I might have to avoid home games against Raith now. Another time I was there I had my hat stolen by Raith fans as I was walking back to town.

We played away at Dundee Utd today and lost 4-0 but kinda expected that since they're top and we're bottom. The result against Raith was obviously an anomaly.

Morning @Tarkan Think a bit better -although know it is very up and down. How are you? Can't believe you have had it so many times. Is it the same every time?

I love the idea of Raith bringing covid to Gayfield !! Low level chemical warfare? Although in seriousness I did think open air transmission not as common?
I guess you are crowded and lots of screaming?

Obviously Arsenal have provided me with a lift so that's perked me up!

hope the Covid afflicted are feeling better today than yesterday.

It was our big Derby (against Cologne) yesterday. We lost the away match 3-0 but drew 3-3 yesterday in an absolute thriller. (my current favourite player - Robin Hack - was subbed on in the 70th minute, scored in the 71st and again in the 73rd.

There was a huge fracas on the evening before the match with police involvement - pepper spray, injuries to police, youth being escorted home - and as a result our home end didn't do the Choreo they had been preparing when the Cologne idiots attacked them at the stadium, and left all their flags at home. At least there wasn't a pitch invasion this time and the actual day of the match went off without incident. My takeaway from the match: offensively we were good, played some nice one touch football. My two favourites scored our goals, and our defence is a load of old bollocks and they really need to work on it.

In PL news: I saw a table yesterday of the teams who have scored the most at Bramall Lane this season and Sheffield United are 4th.

@Brefugee thanks-I am a bit and Arsenal def cheered me up!

wow. so disappointing/scary when stuff like that happens-are they fans or just assholes looking to agitate? I find it so frustrating when things like this become the headlines and all of the genuine fans who want a good atmosphere have it spoiled.

Just had a look at Robin Hack-does he usually start or is he an off the bench player?

Today an exciting day of football in the PL...

oh and that Sheffield stat-ouch

they are the more rabid members of the Ultra fan groups. Mostly the fan clubs (including the ultras) have regular and good dialogue with the club. And Gladbach is pretty typical of the normal clubs in that blocks 15, 16 and 17 (standing area in lower stand behind our goal - our "kop" which is the Nordkurve) so that is where the ultras will stand, they make the noise - if you're standing there and not singing etc, they will literally push you out. They have all the flags etc, and banners and if there is a choreo - it is organised by the ultras not the club (obvs they need access etc). Our most rabid ultra group had to be disbanded about 12 years ago because there was a lot of trouble at Cologne (theirs was disbanded too) and a couple ended up in prison.

I get annoyed with them a lot of the time, the protests recently about a league investor where they were throwing first chocolate coins then tennis balls on the pitch (but all the clubs were doing it, and the investor thing is now not happening). But unless they are being really childish around me i just ignore or enjoy or whatever. When they do good things, and they do charity work too, they are brilliant. Our ultras were the ones who started the cardboard cut out thing during lockdown. It was to keep the 2 permanent fan club employees working (and being paid) and kept a small printing work in Mönchengladbach solvent. In the end there were 20,000 of them, and the away end was full - many from UK This is us vs Man City. I'm in the bottom left corner of the B

Forgot to say. We only signed Hack this season - he has usually been on the bench but is getting more and more starts. He works really well with our defender Luca Netz but they weren't both on the pitch at the same time yesterday. I love watching him - he really puts the effort in.

@MrsMitford3 - I'm guessing it's more likely to be the pubs before and after the match to be fair. 😁 There's one smallish pub that has also been a common denominator 3 times now. It had been closed for a while and literally just reopened the day of the recent Raith match so we decided to go along for old times' sake. I think we'll go back to our new pre- and post-match haunts instead. 😁

I'm feeling a little better today. Not enough to go see my mum like had originally been planned for the day but I think I should be back to normal in a couple of days. The first time I had it I could barely move for 2 weeks then it was another week before I was able to leave the house, and I really struggled to breathe so it was maybe another week before I felt back to normal. The second and third time I was badly ill for around a week but didn't have the same breathing issues afterwards at least. This time has technically been the best and fastest but I still don't recommend it. 🤣 Had three really bad days and three still ill but slightly more functional days so far.

Sorry to hear about all the trouble @Brefugee - that's one thing I'm glad that we don't get too much of here. There was one time some away Ultras started kicking off and were trying to throw wheely bins at us, that's the only time I've felt scared by anything but we also had my youngest with us (must have been a young teen at the time). Weirdly I think that was also a Raith match. Starting to sense a theme here when something happens. 🤔🤣

Brilliant displays-that stuff gives me goosebumps.

Villa v Spurs match result I'm really pleased with. I didn't think Villa looked their normal selves.

And that little Bentancur nip on Matty cash was the icing on the cake.

Come on you Reds!

Think that has to be one of our best 2nd halves of the season. Feared the worst after VDV went off injured but those 2 early goals completely unnerved Villa. Sarr was absolute class today, MOM for me.
McGinn should've walked himself off the pitch after that horror tackle on Udogie, no attempt to play the ball.

After a midweek defeat away, Gills drew 1-1 with Tranmere yesterday, thought Gills had won it at the end but a foul in the build up ruled it out. Still clinging onto that last playoff place atm.

we're watching the Liverpool/City match. As a neutral it is hugely entertaining.

Excellent! Come on the draw!

Excellent result for us!

Could have done with a few red cards and things though...

Liverpool played City off the park - how did we not win that? And can anyone explain how you can kick a player in the CHEST and it isn't a penalty?!

Well, you can apparently grab them round the neck as well.

As a neutral enjoyed the Liverpool v man city game.

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Brilliant!