The Rolling Football Thread: season 2024/25 - part 2

[DuncinToffee]

The season continues ⚽

We haven’t had that connection since Nuno left. It feels good. I feel hopeful for next season.

gosh yes - all the people around us at Gladbach join in when i sing "we know where your car is" (in English) at the ref.

I agree that moaning about the ref is part of the game, as long as it doesn't descend into awful insults ("who's the bastard in the black/yellow/blue" is fine for me, "i hope you die in a car crash" is not). But actually going on and on and on about incidents and conspiracy theories? at some point I'm just going to say "put a sock in it"

There’s something life affirming about the entire crowd joining together to sing ‘you’re not fit to referee’ 😂

But they have a tough job (parent of a young ref here who gets dogs abuse sometimes) and I genuinely believe they do their best and like all humans, they get it wrong at times. It’s a good job, well paid and pretty aspirational, why fans think they would fuck that up because they don’t like a particular team is beyond me.

community singing at it's best - i love it in Germany when we're having (yet another) dig at the Football League (DFB) when away and home fans ding together!

I do think that refs need to be protected though. They are ok, i think in the leagues, but when you get much lower than 2nd division more needs to be done.

Funnily enough, we've had no cause to complain about the refereeing in Europe (soft penalty for Inter aside).

Strange how that happens...

but i have a huge (massive) soft spot for Inter right now so - sorrynotsorry
(and yes that huge soft spot is the goalie)

Been so busy at the theatre I’ve hardly had the chance to check scores never mind watching any matches or highlights. Did manage to see some of West Ham U18s as they won their premier league cup last night though. At least they’re doing better than the main team. 🙈

I think that there is an issue with how we almost make the referees celebrities nowadays - apart from Pierluigi Collina I cannot remember a single ref pre 2010 and that is an awful lot of football watching!

And with that I think with certain referees (Michael Oliver in particular I am looking at you in particular) there comes a need to be the focal point of the game - where that is not a referee job and they live off the infamy so look for making choices that can bring them into the spotlight. And I think with how Arsenal react that feeds into it a little bit more perhaps but nothing beyond that.
coupled with MLS needing to mature and stop making silly decisions.

Collina, to say he is not an Everton fan favourite would be an understatement 😅

Yes quite! But it got him remembered! Which I think half the time is the whole point.

because let’s face it of all the owners who are not gojng to spend money bribing it is Liverpool - particularly as from a financial perspective winning the league isn’t the aim it is top 5! Champions league is where the money is.

And when we went to the Euros who reffed it wasn’t important at all!

Brighton have that with our owner- he sometimes sits in with the fans when we are playing away and has been seen on trains with fans after matches too. Truly loves the club.

Ah Collina, now his name invokes memories of the greatest footballing night of my life ❤️

I wonder if Ruben fancies a pint in the local, we absolutely wouldn't want to drink with our owners though!

before the site went mad, there used to be a good (German) twitter account called "Collina's Heirs" (Collinas Erben) who explained controversial bundesliga refereeing decisions. It was really interesting.

👏Gladbach

Borussia Mönchengladbach are the latest German club to leave Twitter.
Gladbach say the platform doesn’t represent their values, citing the owner‘s influencing of the algorithm & the promotion of hate, violence & conspiracy theories.

The club is assessing alternatives for keeping fans informed.

👏 indeed. Twitter is a cesspit and does not align with my values either.

Dangerous when the only media people are willing to consume is that which aligns to their values.

All SM is so controlled by the owner, the algorithms and acceptable discourse. I am terrified by how quickly people support the suppression of different views.

But that is for another thread.

Looking forward to the game tomorrow, will be there enjoying the last few moments of th PL. I actually don't want to come back up next year, we need time to build.

We didn't play well, slightly better 2nd half and still disappointed not to get the draw.

Ipswich relegation confirmed.

I am enjoying the FA Cup match, lovely goal from Eze.

Oh dear, what a miss 😅

Pickford was my goalkeeper this week but did get 4 points which shows I think the game he had!
stopped watching the fa cup for the controversy that is the NFL draft 2025 it is insane.

Fully deserved victory for Crystal Palace, 3-0

Back from Gillingham's last home game of the season, 1-1 against Swindon which extends our unbeaten run to 11 games 🙌Would have liked to have ended the home campaign with a win, especially as there is no love lost between the 2 clubs, but at least we didn't lose. Nice to be in attendance for our captain and centre back, Max Ehmer's send off. He's played nearly 500 games for the club and I will miss him.
Disappointed to see Carlisle relegated to the National League. Their fans are always pleasant to chat to.

@AndNobbyDancing im not sure why my reluctance to indulge in a platform that offers up racist and misogynistic views to me on a regular basis makes me the bad guy. It’s a nope from me. Especially when the owner of that platform proves himself, daily, to be opposed to everything I stand for.

But yeah, as you say, your lecture about my social media habits is undoubtedly for another thread.

I prefer to focus on yet another victory for the mighty Wolves. Six in a row in the top flight for the first time in 55 years. Absolutely incredible. I can’t smile wide enough.

Vitor must win MOTM surely,?

And I am thrilled for palace. Isn’t it refreshing to see the fa cup bring dominated by clubs other than the usual suspects? I think the entire football community - apart from die-hard City fans - will be cheering Nottingham Forest tomorrow. I love Nuno and I’m so happy to see him doing so well there

Was interesting to see Wrexham go up (as Cardiff go down) 3 in a row promotions