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Original poster

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

999 replies

DuncinToffee · 12/01/2025 18:13

The season continues ⚽

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Original poster
DuncinToffee · 30/04/2025 20:06

What a cheeky goal from Thuram 😄

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MaybeNotBob · 30/04/2025 21:38

This game is mental!

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DuncinToffee · 30/04/2025 21:59

I enjoyed that very much

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burblish · 01/05/2025 08:13

Incredibly entertaining match - Yamal has no business playing like that at 17!

Tiswa · 01/05/2025 10:40

Youngest Ballon D’or winner - given Ronaldo (Brazilian) was 21 it is certainly doable.

DS showed me an interesting video where it basically said the game plan of PSG was to score early and get the crowd down- that atmosphere have gone down in the premier league as tourists visiting has gone up.

the matches I have been to recently don’t compare to ones I went to in the 1990s I have to say but not sure if that is tourism/VAR/people on phones etc

Oblomov25 · 01/05/2025 20:16

Dh is at Spurs. Ds2 and I are watching.

JasonTindallsTan · 01/05/2025 22:59

That either Spurs or Manchester Reds are going to end up in the champions league next season despite their respective places in the league is ridiculous!

Tiswa · 02/05/2025 08:14

JasonTindallsTan · 01/05/2025 22:59

That either Spurs or Manchester Reds are going to end up in the champions league next season despite their respective places in the league is ridiculous!

Because for all the talk about how weak the Premier League is the opposite is true, take Bournemouth 3rd season in the league 8th in history and they have players that all the best teams are after. They have taken points off every team I think other than Brentford Brighton and Liverpool - and the first two have also been amazing.
the quality is high and there are no easy games anymore

Chelsea as well could win the conference league

MustTryHarderAndHarder · 02/05/2025 09:04

Tiswa · 02/05/2025 08:14

Because for all the talk about how weak the Premier League is the opposite is true, take Bournemouth 3rd season in the league 8th in history and they have players that all the best teams are after. They have taken points off every team I think other than Brentford Brighton and Liverpool - and the first two have also been amazing.
the quality is high and there are no easy games anymore

Chelsea as well could win the conference league

Show quote history

What about Arsenal? We could win the CL 😂and it would be a clean sweep

It could even be a London clean sweep!

Tiswa · 02/05/2025 09:13

@MustTryHarderAndHarder they could but they need to play like they are the underdogs put in a plan of action to stifle the opposition and see what they can do on the break - recognise that they are not favourites to go through and plan accordingly. PSG can be arrogant as well the right game plan could work.

it is just whether they can implement it! But PSG for me have been the UCL winners for awhile - something clicked for them November and they have been amazing ever since. Lamont Yamal could stop it but inter at home isn’t easy

That said Bodo/Glint home record is amazing clearly playing there is a difficult task and if any team can throw a 3 goal lead away….
actually there is another team that could and they are also in the semi final!

Original poster
DuncinToffee · 02/05/2025 09:18

There are just too many European leagues.

Don't get me wrong, I would love to win one but it has diminished the meaning of being the country's best.

It's a money maker.

Not to mention the Nations League, expansion of the WC, club world cup....

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MustTryHarderAndHarder · 02/05/2025 09:38

DuncinToffee · 02/05/2025 09:18

There are just too many European leagues.

Don't get me wrong, I would love to win one but it has diminished the meaning of being the country's best.

It's a money maker.

Not to mention the Nations League, expansion of the WC, club world cup....

I agree about the latter 3 cups (although I think that the NL is better than friendlies) but I don't really mind the European cups especially now that winning the EL means you earn a place in the CL.

Also, winning the conference league gives you a EL place so is worth having.

Tiswa · 02/05/2025 09:38

Agree there could be 6 teams in the Champions League 2/3 in Europa League (I think depending on Chelsea) and 1 Conference - that is 10!

I am sure @DuncinToffee you remember the controversy of Everton finishing 4th and Liverpool winning the Champions League which made a rule that meant Spurs missed out in 2012.

yet suddenly the above is all ok? It will I think benefit the teams not in Europe to take on some that do.

and now there is no movement between them as well

Ally McCoist called it last night though for Manchester United it is all about the Champions League spot not winning the trophy

Original poster
DuncinToffee · 02/05/2025 10:02

I also remember that you had to win the league to qualify for the European Cup pre Champions League

Not sure what 2012 has to do with my view on the current European leagues, I have already said I would love Everton to win one but that doesn't mean I think it is a good thing for football.

Money talks

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Original poster
DuncinToffee · 02/05/2025 10:10

And last time we finished 4th was in 2005......

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Tiswa · 02/05/2025 10:18

DuncinToffee · 02/05/2025 10:10

And last time we finished 4th was in 2005......

Everton finishing 4th and Liverpool winning meant 5 times in the Champions League - UEFA hated it back then but couldn’t change it as it never occurred to them a team might win that hadn’t qualified in the league. So both were allowed in so 5 teams. A rule was then made that only 4 teams per country/association was allowed so if a club won it that didn’t automatically qualify they would take the place of the 4th placed club. Chelsea won in 2012 meaning 4th placed Spurs were bumped down.

now we are looking at a real possibility of 6

Original poster
DuncinToffee · 02/05/2025 10:32

I don't understand what point you are trying to make.

Are you blaming Everton finishing 4th in 2005 for Spurs missing out in 2012?

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JasonTindallsTan · 02/05/2025 10:39

Tiswa · 02/05/2025 08:14

Because for all the talk about how weak the Premier League is the opposite is true, take Bournemouth 3rd season in the league 8th in history and they have players that all the best teams are after. They have taken points off every team I think other than Brentford Brighton and Liverpool - and the first two have also been amazing.
the quality is high and there are no easy games anymore

Chelsea as well could win the conference league

Show quote history

Who says the Premier League is weak? It’s widely acknowledged to be probably the best league in the world. Most players want to play here whereas in other leagues you have a couple of outliers, your madrids, your barcas, your Milan’s, PSG’s etc but rarely does a player grow up in Brazil dreaming of playing in La Liga or Serie A or Ligue 1.

Hellohah · 02/05/2025 10:39

Tiswa · 02/05/2025 09:38

Agree there could be 6 teams in the Champions League 2/3 in Europa League (I think depending on Chelsea) and 1 Conference - that is 10!

I am sure @DuncinToffee you remember the controversy of Everton finishing 4th and Liverpool winning the Champions League which made a rule that meant Spurs missed out in 2012.

yet suddenly the above is all ok? It will I think benefit the teams not in Europe to take on some that do.

and now there is no movement between them as well

Ally McCoist called it last night though for Manchester United it is all about the Champions League spot not winning the trophy

This makes me really sad.

For me, it's 100% about winning the thing. And I imagine for all the other United (and Spurs?) fans that are currently trying to find the best way to get to Bilbao on the 21 May, it is too.

There is no greater feeling than watching your team lift a trophy.

MaybeNotBob · 02/05/2025 11:44

JasonTindallsTan · 02/05/2025 10:39

Who says the Premier League is weak? It’s widely acknowledged to be probably the best league in the world. Most players want to play here whereas in other leagues you have a couple of outliers, your madrids, your barcas, your Milan’s, PSG’s etc but rarely does a player grow up in Brazil dreaming of playing in La Liga or Serie A or Ligue 1.

Show quote history

Agreed, and it's by far the toughest league. That's why so many people around the world want to watch it, because any team can beat any other team if things go their way, whereas in most leagues it's pretty much a foregone conclusion.

And that's why it brings the money in...

Tiswa · 02/05/2025 11:55

JasonTindallsTan · 02/05/2025 10:39

Who says the Premier League is weak? It’s widely acknowledged to be probably the best league in the world. Most players want to play here whereas in other leagues you have a couple of outliers, your madrids, your barcas, your Milan’s, PSG’s etc but rarely does a player grow up in Brazil dreaming of playing in La Liga or Serie A or Ligue 1.

Show quote history

A surprising number of people (tbf mainly talksport!) whereas it is the exact opposite and I fear for those coming up - 4 years uninterrupted in the league gives you momentum

La Liga is the other one and they could
very well walk away with 2 European Trophies (I guess 3 if an early goal occurs at Old Trafford!). Although 2 sides do dominate there

just hope Crystal Palace can win

burblish · 02/05/2025 15:46

@JasonTindallsTan @Tiswa most of the chatter I've heard about the Premier League being weak is from people desperate to explain Liverpool's title win by claiming it's because every single other contending club in the Prem has had an out-of-character season-long slump, i.e. the PL has been strong for decades but weak this one season. Nonsense, of course, and a real insult to the quality we see throughout the table.

Tiswa · 02/05/2025 18:49

burblish · 02/05/2025 15:46

@JasonTindallsTan @Tiswa most of the chatter I've heard about the Premier League being weak is from people desperate to explain Liverpool's title win by claiming it's because every single other contending club in the Prem has had an out-of-character season-long slump, i.e. the PL has been strong for decades but weak this one season. Nonsense, of course, and a real insult to the quality we see throughout the table.

Yep definitely a lot in on TikTok that my teenagers show me.
personally it is the complete opposite - it’s hard to pick winners which makes FPL so tricky

MaybeNotBob · 02/05/2025 19:56

The fact that the PL is in with even a chance of a clean sweep at semi finals stage in Europe this season suggests it's not particularly weak...

Tiswa · 03/05/2025 08:48

MaybeNotBob · 02/05/2025 19:56

The fact that the PL is in with even a chance of a clean sweep at semi finals stage in Europe this season suggests it's not particularly weak...

But also shows what happens when you don’t have a cascade effect of champions league teams dropping in and you take the top 4/5 teams of the top leagues out of it.

Both Manchester United and Tottenham have had uncharacteristically bad seasons - the latter hit by injuries I think the most of anyone - especially if Maddison is out for the semi final second leg.

Injuries are an interesting one - is it luck/training/too many matches or a combination of all 3. How many other teams are going to look at Ruben Peeters role at Liverpool (and Feyenoord before) and bring in something similar