Football 2021 -2022

[Nearly Sane]

Amazingly this is actually a couple weeks late in being started as a thread.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/57888796

[ad_orientem]

Amazingly this is actually a couple weeks late in being started as a thread.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/57888796

HJK V Rangers would be good. Could go and watch that in Helsinki.

[Roses]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-57899127

A premier league footballer has been arrested on allegations of child sex abuse.

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https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-57899127

A premier league footballer has been arrested on allegations of child sex abuse.

The rumour is it's Sigurdsson of Everton.

[Sebastian Toe]

The rumour is it's Sigurdsson of Everton.

It is, according to all of the foreign press.

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Fucking hate our owners with a passion. Slags the lot of them. They're the football equivalent of AIDS.

[Nearly Sane]

The Scottish League Cup group stages have been going on for about 12 days, 6 matches so fsr cancelled and forfeited due to Covid.

[jeremyp]

Will he stay or will he go...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/58053653

I think he was probably the difference that meant there was no St Totteringham's Day last season.

[Outrider]

Not looking good for the Swans this season - manager's left, first two (possibly three) selections to replace him have turned it down, no evidence of any new blood coming through and a raft of established players either returning to their parent clubs, out of contract or retiring.

After two play-off finals in two seasons we could be looking at a relegation battle this year.

And that's not even thinking about the possibility of revelations regarding Gylfi Sigurdsson, who was at the Liberty for two stints in the last decade...

O.

[Nearly Sane]

Love this


https://twitter.com/AndrewBloch/status/1423345346516852739?s=19

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West Ham just won the Betway Cup beating Atalanta 2-0.One to remember! LOL!

Still hate our owners with a passion. Not only are they the football equivalent of AIDS, they're the football equivalent of having AIDS and coronavirus at the same time. Been offered 500 million for the club but won't sell. Neither will they invest in the squad. More games this season but with a paper thin squad. Hopefully there's a special place reserved in hell for GSB, the dirty, lying, thieving slags.

[jeremyp]

West Ham just won the Betway Cup beating Atalanta 2-0.One to remember! LOL!

Still hate our owners with a passion. Not only are they the football equivalent of AIDS, they're the football equivalent of having AIDS and coronavirus at the same time. Been offered 500 million for the club but won't sell. Neither will they invest in the squad. More games this season but with a paper thin squad. Hopefully there's a special place reserved in hell for GSB, the dirty, lying, thieving slags.

Sixth last year in the Premiership under these owners. They can't be all that bad.

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Sixth last year in the Premiership under these owners. They can't be all that bad.

Even a broken clock is right twice a day. Last season was solely down to Moyes and the players.

[Nearly Sane]

Cristiano Ronaldo back to Man Utd


https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/58359561

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Completely unreasonable this situation. Under normal circumstances I understand the FIFA rule; but these aren't normal circunstances.  The only way they could have played is if they had gone two weeks early, therefore missing two or three games, and then miss two games after the intermational break. Totally crazy. The clubs have every right not to release their players under those circumstaces. They pay their bloody wages. And it could affect where they finish in the league and other competitions.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/58486811

[jeremyp]

Completely unreasonable this situation. Under normal circumstances I understand the FIFA rule; but these aren't normal circunstances.  The only way they could have played is if they had gone two weeks early, therefore missing two or three games, and then miss two games after the intermational break. Totally crazy. The clubs have every right not to release their players under those circumstaces. They pay their bloody wages. And it could affect where they finish in the league and other competitions.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/58486811

Especially as Brazilian quarantine rules would have prevented any players from English clubs from taking part in their home matches. That's why the Argentina match was cancelled.

[ad_orientem]

How the hell are Belgium still ranked first in the world? FIFA rankings make no sense.

[jeremyp]

More managerial nonsense for Spurs

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/58714078

Nuno Espirito Santo is the fifth choice for the post and it looks like he may not survive as long as Arteta.

[ProfessorDavey]

How the hell are Belgium still ranked first in the world? FIFA rankings make no sense.

Because their results over the past 4 years have been exceptional.

Don't forget that while the FIFA ranking provide extra weighting for qualifying tournaments and more again for finals tournaments, they don't actually give anything additional for winning a tournament - it is all on the results of individual matches played. And their record in the matches that count for FIFA rankings has been exceptional.

It is possible that Italy will overtake them with the current record (finally lost their unbeaten run), but Italy's record in the early part of the 4-year FIFA ranking period was pretty woeful. That said bizarrely, in FIFA rankings terms Italy's most recent period isn't great either - they've only had one clear victory in their last 6 games, noting that winning on penalties does not afford the same FIFA ranking points as winning in normal time.

[jeremyp]

Because their results over the past 4 years have been exceptional.

Don't forget that while the FIFA ranking provide extra weighting for qualifying tournaments and more again for finals tournaments, they don't actually give anything additional for winning a tournament - it is all on the results of individual matches played. And their record in the matches that count for FIFA rankings has been exceptional.

You get more points for matches at the QF stage and beyond. Also, if you lose in the knock out stages of a major tournament the result is ignored. So, when Italy beat Belgium in the quarter finals of the Euros, Italy got loads of points, but Belgium's points were unaffected. Belgium also won all of its group matches which was worth lots.

It is possible that Italy will overtake them with the current record (finally lost their unbeaten run), but Italy's record in the early part of the 4-year FIFA ranking period was pretty woeful. That said bizarrely, in FIFA rankings terms Italy's most recent period isn't great either - they've only had one clear victory in their last 6 games, noting that winning on penalties does not afford the same FIFA ranking points as winning in normal time.

Winning on penalties counts as half a win for the winning team. So Italy got quite a nice points haul by beating England in the final (not as good, obviously, as if they had won on the pitch). England, on the other hand, would have been given points for a draw as long as they were positive (probably not since England was above Italy in the rankings before the match).

https://digitalhub.fifa.com/m/f99da4f73212220/original/edbm045h0udbwkqew35a-pdf.pdf

[ProfessorDavey]

You get more points for matches at the QF stage and beyond. Also, if you lose in the knock out stages of a major tournament the result is ignored. So, when Italy beat Belgium in the quarter finals of the Euros, Italy got loads of points, but Belgium's points were unaffected. Belgium also won all of its group matches which was worth lots.Winning on penalties counts as half a win for the winning team. So Italy got quite a nice points haul by beating England in the final (not as good, obviously, as if they had won on the pitch). England, on the other hand, would have been given points for a draw as long as they were positive (probably not since England was above Italy in the rankings before the match).

https://digitalhub.fifa.com/m/f99da4f73212220/original/edbm045h0udbwkqew35a-pdf.pdf

Yup that's correct and in line with what I said but with more detail.

I think the main point is that Belgium's failure to win one of the recent trophies (although having come close), hasn't affected their ranking too much. And on Italy, the Euros final is no different in terms of points than any of the quarter final onwards games. And England and Italy will have amassed exactly the same points total (except for tweaking due to quality of opponents) in the knock out stages of the Euros. So up to the semi-finals both teams won their games in normal or extra time. But although Italy won the tournament, both the semi and the final were victories on penalties, (each of which provides 0.75 points), England on the other hand gained 0.5 for a final defeat on penalties, but gained a full point for a semi final victory in normal or extra time.

Point being, don't focus on who actually wins a tournament, but the overall results in the run up (over years) to those tournaments as well as the tournament itself.

[Nearly Sane]

Well, this is such a huge surprise

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/58775879

[ProfessorDavey]

Well, this is such a huge surprise

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/58775879

Colour me shocked

Will be interesting to see who they replace Bruce with and whether the promise of huge cash is enough to persuade a top manager to come to Newcastle.

There is another element to this, about timing. Realistically anyone coming in won't be able to do much until next season. They will have an opportunity to strengthen the squad in the Jan transfer window but traditionally there have been pretty few quality players available then and most transfer action is largely damage limitation or desperation. So I suspect the new person will have basically the same squad for the rest of the season, and the question you have to ask is who has had the greater effect on Newcastle's poor results - the manager, or the players.

[jeremyp]

Well, this is such a huge surprise

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/58775879

Let me guess. Steve Bruce?

[Nearly Sane]

Let me guess. Steve Bruce?

Yep