The Rolling Footbal Thread: Season 2026/27

[DuncinToffee]

New season, new thread

All things football ⚽

@DuncinToffee You're getting an absolute gem in Noorgard- I wish we would have kept him for another year.

Apparently a fantastic figure in the changing room-a real leader and mentor and an absolute professional.
I don't think we utilised him enough on the pitch but he is leaving as a fan favourite and I hope he has a smashing time at Everton!!

Not a good first week for Arbroath, lost 2-0 away at Ayr.

Hi there SG 🙋‍♀️, I've been down Gillingham many a time over the years 🙂 We've not really had a long throw specialist before so hopefully it's a useful new tool for the box 🙏

Good luck for the season. I'll keep an aye out for your results 😍

Hi ILG 🙋Yes, Josh and Ruel are both on board. I'm looking forward to seeing how they settle in. And you have Armando Dobra from us. He's an absolute gem. We love him. Watch out for his dad in the crowd: very animated and entertaining 😍

Good luck for the season 😘

Thanks! I will look out for Dobra’s dad! Sounds fun. We were a bit sad to see Happy Dan (Happe) go to Aberdeen and are wondering which salon will now manage his eyebrows! The Dom Ballard saga continues for us. Sure he will leave but hopefully in time for us to get a replacement. Or better still he stays for the season!

Ah well, that’s Bruno away then. I don’t wish him well at all.

Any West Ham fans? Looks like you’re going to sign Joel Veltman apparently. Absolutely brilliant player.

I’m torn tbh. He has been good for us. But given we’ve lost many of our best players, he knows it’ll be a minor miracle if we win anything soon. He’s at the age where he probably has only one more World Cup in him so his club career is what matters.
I agree with a lot of the comments on the socials though, he’s not a legend, but someone who was good for us for a while.
Also can’t believe they’ve taken this long to unveil the new Manager. Sounds like it’s chaotic behind the scenes.

About time we had a signing. Seems all the transfer news I’ve seen is yet another one leaving!

I expect more from a captain than hiring a super agent who plays things out on social media to drive down the price. He was happy to take the pay rise and cache of becoming captain, kissing the badge, professed all this adopted Geordie bullshit, yet at the first sign of difficulty he’s pimping himself out. I’m not saying I hold him in the same level of disdain as I do Isak but he’s no club legend to me. And I hope he gets a surprise at the level of vitriol at SJP this season because he’s such an emotional player I think he’ll lose his head. I hope he wins nothing again in his career 🤷🏼‍♀️ ps Arsenal, he’s shit at pens, can’t run for toffee and is fond of throwing himself to the floor to win fouls he’s never going to get.

Petty? Moi? Maybe 😂

To be honest, I would much rather you kept him than we sign him!

I admit to feeling the same.

I have always found him a thoroughly unlikable player-remember that elbow to Jorginho's head?

I appreciate some of that is tribal rivalry and I would grow to love him in an Arsenal shirt but remain unconvinced. He feels disruptive.

I wish there was no social media and the transfer window would go on quietly in the background and when a player was signed we had an announcement.

I think now-whether he is the right fit for the team or not-it would be considered a failure not to sign him.

The game playing and hype with agents etc is getting very silly and the media sensationalise things so much.
And sometimes the competitive capturing of the signature becomes bigger than if they are actually the right player.

Twitter is a cesspit of despair-wild speculation often being ramped up by a 14 yo ITK who is actually in bed at home in Finchley 😂and not at the airport to see Vini Jr and Father Christmas on a flight to London.

I agree, I don't think he comes across as a 'nice' guy, and I can't help but think he will be a disrupter a bit like Aubameyang. If we do end up signing him I do hope I am wrong.

Yes, I never liked him at Newcastle. He never came across as a decent player at all.

But I think that Arsenal are deliberately signing players like him so that we aren't considered to be soft southerners any more. I hope that it doesn't backfire.

Yes, I remember what he did to Jorginho.

Perhaps that's why we bought him, to stop him attacking our players!

I wonder if he will continue to escape censure for those flying elbows if he is wearing red 😉

Yes, we are always told that it is a physical game when we object to being kicked off the pitch. However, I am sure that they will soon start handing out cards for being physical if we start to do it.

Ohhh I dunno. I seem to recall Sean Longstaff being near snapped in two by Kai Havertz in that very same game and he remained on the pitch. And let’s not forget Gabriel’s headbutt on Haaland or his flying fists in Woltemade’s face.

I imagine you’ll be just fine as you always are… but let’s not let the truth get in the way of a good story 😂

I don't want any of our players to play dirty and I am fine if they are punished if they do.

What I object to is being told that it is a physical game when players do play dirty.