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

And congratulations to Granit! We still love you!

He is getting all the love from Gladbach Twitter tonight

It ended up being a very bad weekend for me sports' wise since all 3 of my teams lost.

It is sad that Arbroath are going down but we've had a good 5 years in the Championship which isn't bad at all for a part-time team. We've been hit by a lot of injury issues this season which hasn't helped at all either, as well as players retiring or moving on and we did initially thing we would be straight down the year after going up. We even almost won the league one year, that was a heartbreaking one but I think we would have been utterly humped in the Premiership. Everyone is calling for a change of management again so we'll see what next season brings us I suppose!

That was embarrassing and I can't even be bothered to get angry, sigh

Surprised at that win! Thought we would set a new record with so many games and 2 conceded as was on a roll to but wasn't to be....

Silly penalty drama

Chelsea pulled out a good result but that penalty stuff highlights part of the reason they are where they are in the table. It’s a bunch of individual players playing for themselves. The team and the brotherhood is nonexistent.

You get the impression at Newcastle that they’re all one big family, everyone is ‘brother’ and Eddie Howe has cultivated this culture of all for one and one for all. I’ve watched the City documentary on Netflix and Pep has done exactly the same. It makes a huge difference and Poch really needs to work on it at Chelsea otherwise they’re not going to get any kind of consistency going.

Spurs awful against Newcastle.
Liverpool lost, Arsenal lost.
Now watching Barcelona v PSG.

Can’t believe PSG pulled that off. Their luck has been in ever since they cheated us out of our win at the Parc de Prince.

Well, that was fairly predictable. We're being shot shy again, trying to take the extra touch, the extra pass instead of having the shot.

Bayern are also a bit, shall we say, divey. But the refs were all up for that. And as for that corner that wasn't given! (Not that we would have scored from it).

Oh well, hopefully we'll learn from it. Although I hope we don't become another divey team just because that's what gets result in Europe.

And I still don't see why he took Martinelli off - he was by far our most dangerous player. Saka has been well below his usual standards in the last couple of games - I'd have rather taken him off.

I'm glad Laimer eventually got a yellow card, after constantly fouling Ødegaard over both legs. But it was too little too late.

Man City out on penalties

Shame, I’d have liked to have see them win it again. I’ll be backing Dortmund from now.

I wanted them to get through so they'd have more games to get tired and injured. But I still laughed...

Me too @YouOnlyCameToSeeEboue

Gutted but we need to stop by Dubai on our way home (well maybe not because of the flooding) but we need that rejuvenation asap.
They just look knackered.
I think twitter very toxic at times like this-such a young team doing incredibly well. Aston Villa worse than this for me.
We are also a bit naive as Bayern have def mastered the dark arts of fouling and surrounding the ref every damn time.
And that last corner we should have been awarded-just frustrating as it was clear and obvious and leaves us feeling hard done by.

But we go on!!!!

I was reading an article in the newspaper today and it said that Areteta hardly rotates his team (as we know) so it is hardly surprising that we are so mentally and physically exhausted at the end of each season.

It is as if he only trusts a few select players.

Yes and then he says things in interviews like how much ESR my fav part of his plans and messes with his head but doesn't play him. Surely some of those big scoring games a few weeks ago would have been ideal game time for him?
Throwing him on at the end of the CL first leg is not the way.
And ppl were calling for Partey-again almost no game time.

Those games-IMO- were a lost opportunity to properly rest some and play some of the bench.

Frustrating. Hope Kroneke bankrolls some transfer money asap. Because right now we are very light on the bench and difficult to match the "spending" of some of the other clubs.

Or 115 FFP infractions get punished. For a start...

So much for helping lower leagues

The end of FA Cup replays from the first round onwards due, the FA says, to expanded UEFA competitions

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/68844583

Exactly and that is why so many good players leave. I lover ESR too.

He needs to start rotating even if it means we lose the odd game early on.

Surely that is better than losing game after game at the end of the season.

I am livid about this, the gulf between the PL and EFL just keeps growing. I'm sorry but the FA are total cunts.

EFL says it will seek compensation over "frustrating and disappointing" decision to scrap FA Cup replays

It’s pretty shit. Replays don’t affect many clubs on such a regular basis that they need removing entirely. It has destroyed a little bit more of the magic of the cup for the benefit of a very small minority.

It's just a joke, the majority of the PL clubs aren't even affected by the "fixture congestion" and those that are have the squad depth to compete in these comps, they fly all over the place for irrelevant mini tournaments ffs.

It won't happen but I think going forward the smaller clubs should get to pick what ground the FA cup matches get played at. This will at least make sure they get a half decent payout from the gate receipts.

Tranmere Rovers have released a statement, sticking it at the PL anf FA for lack of involvement & consultation of EFL, National League clubs and fans in relation to scrapping of FA Cup replays. 👏

https://x.com/TranmereRovers/status/1780983443968373075

Be nice but doubtful this could go the same way Super league did and a Uturn on this decision.. just bonkers and sad in a way