Re: Season 2021/22
 

van Gaal was far superior to the other post Ferguson managers, though Moyes was the short straw, and needed much more time - he did well at Everton and has showed at West Ham that he can do the same thing.



Can't see Former PL Player going anywhere, isn't he still technically with Wales but Page is in charge during the case?


Don't really think Hughes or Bruce are bad calls. They are probably the best managers out of Fergie's players and have decent track records, think Bruce would do well at a big club. Rooney isn't a bad shout considering Derby don't have a pot to piss in and are still doing reasonably OK without the points deductions. Keane, no chance.

Re: Season 2021/22
 

Any decent world class manager would refuse that straight away.

Re: Season 2021/22
 

Yeah, I take no pleasure from it though, poor ole, he was doing his best...

Re: Season 2021/22
 

Yeah, had definitely been on the cards for a while, couple of 'lucky' results kept putting it off.

Re: Season 2021/22
 

In all fairness, I just don't think he's a very good manager. Good player (apart from scoring 4 against us), nice guy, but never really done anything on the touchline.

Re: Season 2021/22
 

Including one which handed spuds his obvious replacement, it's almost like he was sabotaging them in the end! Big fat Sam has ruled himself out btw, he's not sure he can save them from relegation

He's not very good, ask any Cardiff fan and I've never really got this nice guy argument, why is he nice because he's always enthusiastic and smiling, for me that's not nice it's annoying, he's a fast show sketch waiting to be written, actually didn't they have an over enthusiastic teenage character from Manchester who loudly said everything was BRILLIANT, nice guy or annoying?

Re: Season 2021/22
 

Semi-automated offsides trialled at Fifa Arab Cup and could be used at 2022 World Cup

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/59461288

It's only a trial, but we know that if FIFA want it, it will happen.

Is it a good thing that will improve the 'spectator' sport, or yet another improvement that causes frustration and slows the game down?

Is football now entering the stage where everything needs to be closely scrutinised, double checked and verified by independent officials . . . how long before referees and linesmen are redundant, and everything is decided by computers?

Re: Season 2021/22
 

It's bull shit and turns me off the game, you get the hard of thinking parroting off side is off side without stopping to think what off side is actually for, it's not because someone's arm or foot is an inch ahead of a defender, it's to stop an unfair advantage being gained

Re: Season 2021/22
 

My big bug bear is shirt pulling, why is it allowed ? Sometimes they blow for it sometimes not. Just make it illegal, start giving penalties for any tug and it will soon stop.
Oh and asking or suggesting another player to be booked automatically means you get booked.

Think I'd like to be a ref ;)

Re: Season 2021/22
 

Or Traffic Warden.:D

Re: Season 2021/22
 

And no doubt it would be full scale warfare.;)

Re: Season 2021/22
 

My main one is diving. But the issue there is that like shirt pulling (which isn't allowed) refs don't give the foul generally. Usually the foul has to be sufficient for the player to go down as opposed to have been illegally impeded for the free kick or penalty to be given.


I'd also like to see much less of this pushing around at free kicks and corners in the box, strictly it's illegal contact, so should be a foul but the ref can't give a pen for it because both teams are usually at it.



On a similar note, they need to be a bit less soft with fouls in the box and 2nd yellows. The law makes no distinction on either - if it's a foul which would be a free kick outside, in the box it's a penalty. And if a player gets 2 yellow card offences they are sent off. Might also cut back on some of this silly cheating and back chat the refs have to put up with as well. I think there was one occasion when he was in the championship before they went up where Schmeichel conceded a pen, the ref booked him for the foul, then he was time wasting/arguing on it, the ref booked him again and he had to go off, thats the kind of thing which should happen really.

Re: Season 2021/22
 

Looks like UEFA are trying to outdo the FIA for rank incompetence. The draw for next round is going to be redrawn after United got drawn against Villarreal before then being paired with PSG, piss up and brewery comes to mind.:mad:

Re: Season 2021/22
 

Is it a roll over to next week like the lottery is every Christmas? ;)

Re: Season 2021/22
 

Very poor picture quality on the Leicester v Liverpool game on Prime tonight.And sound very low too. Anyone else?

Re: Season 2021/22
 

Fine here, I always find the first few minutes of footy on Prime is poor but once it settles down its very good.

Re: Season 2021/22
 

Mines really good, the likely result not so much :shocked:

Re: Season 2021/22
 

Improved slightly but sadly not the result!

Re: Season 2021/22
 

The Premier League need to get far more involved in these postponements. They need to independently test the players to see who can play and who can’t play, and if it’s the latter, they then need to determine whether they can’t play because of Covid, suspension or injury. By all means get a game postponed but for the rescheduled fixture, only the players who were originally fit, or who had Covid for the first game, should be eligible for the rescheduled fixture. No team should be gaining an advantage by allowing players time to regain fitness, or to come back from suspension, or time to buy new players, in time for the rescheduled game. This approach should be applied to all teams in the league, not just Saints and Newcastle. To be honest, this idea is not rocket science, the fact that it’s not been implemented so far does hint at the quality (or lack of quality) of the people involved in the governance of the league. Best league in the world we are told!

Re: Season 2021/22
 

You make a fair point

Re: Season 2021/22
 

Is wrighty correct about the disrespect shown to the African nations cup? Discuss

Re: Season 2021/22
 

It gets more attention in the UK than Copa America, or the AFC Asian Cup, both of which are older. IMO, hes just flapping his lips with nonsense coming out.

Re: Season 2021/22
 

Why is it every two years, they've had to change it to odd year numbers as it used to clash with world cups iirc, they should bring it into line with the other 4 year competitions and they might get a bit more respect

Re: Season 2021/22
 

Play it every 4 years and at the same time as the Euros then it's not a problem really ,is it?

Re: Season 2021/22
 

Don't think it can be played at the same time as Euros, its to hot!

Re: Season 2021/22
 

I wonder if our friend nffc will put in an appearance tonight.:D

Re: Season 2021/22
 

:D


This was better than the 4-2 because they never looked like scoring.

Re: Season 2021/22
 

And what a plum draw for your next game!!!

Re: Season 2021/22
 

Ah, the real East Midlands Derby with the sheep going down the river...

Re: Season 2021/22
 

Just watched Man city v Chelsea,found the rather large advertising boards around the ground distracting. Anybody else?

Re: Season 2021/22
 

The Tottenham v Arsenal game is off as Arsenal don't have enough players available

Re: Season 2021/22
 

Wow, can't believe Sky Sports just did a ITV and went to an advert break whilst the Villa v Utd game!

Re: Season 2021/22
 

That's the point of them.

Re: Season 2021/22
 

What I was saying ,badly I guess,is that they seemed larger than normal . I'm currently watching the Hull v Stoke game and they're not half as intrusive. Is there some sort of rules regarding how big the advertising hoardings can be?

Re: Season 2021/22
 

We've been waiting for it, now it's happened. Doubtful that anyone even blinked when the news was announced.


Claudio Ranieri: Watford sack Italian after less than four months in charge

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/60092479


had to chuckle at this snippet though . .

:D :rofl:

Re: Season 2021/22
 

I’ll bet he is wetting himself just now.:shocked:

Re: Season 2021/22
 

Haha bin dippers lol


Scrutty Hudds in the next round, cooties aplenty

Re: Season 2021/22
 

Its a happy Day in my household today as well :D

Re: Season 2021/22
 

I was totally expecting that we'd get hammered.


Top scorer is out for 6 weeks and we score 4 goals.



10m more added to Brennan's price tag.


Play like that every week (we won't) and we'll be playing the bin dippers twice next season. Hopefully their chavs won't invade the pitch (he was no doubt cacking it when Ryan got onto him) and trash bars again.

Re: Season 2021/22
 

An interesting 4 days coming up.

Will Derby County announce a buyer for the club?

Will the administrators submit proof of funding for the rest of the season?

Will the football authorities once again show how pathetic they are by extending the 'deadline' by a further month?




Feel free to copy this post and paste again it at the end of March ;)

Re: Season 2021/22
 

It's getting ridiculous.


We had the transfer window where they just sold a bunch of kids and kept vodka man Lawrence and Sibley and all the other players they could get money for.



Not sure where the funding is coming from because they're losing loads each month.


They don't own the ground, Academy, or the training ground so don't really have much in the way of non-playing assets to sell.


And that is really why no-one wants to buy it.


The EFL should just boot them and end it.

Re: Season 2021/22
 

Absolutely scandalous decision at Goodison, stonewall penalty.:mad:

Re: Season 2021/22
 

Totally agree,makes you wonder what the VAR officials are looking at, doesn't it? Certainly not the pictures we were looking at

Re: Season 2021/22
 

I'd have bet the house on it being a penalty, good job I'm not a gambler, a truly ludicrous decision. The VAR person needs to get to specsavers pronto.

Re: Season 2021/22
 

Thought VAR was meant to stop all of this shit, and the EFL are talking about adding it...


Total waste of time.

Re: Season 2021/22
 

Yeah supposed to but has just thrown up more controversy

Re: Season 2021/22
 

It's progression though . . . now it's both the ref and VAR getting it wrong :erm:

Re: Season 2021/22
 

EFL statement on the Derby situation:

https://www.efl.com/news/2022/februa...county-update/

:shocked:

Could be all over by midnight then . . . about time a decision was made.

Re: Season 2021/22
 

Just kick them out.

Re: Season 2021/22
 

:D

Re: Season 2021/22
 

And the Derby situation drags on . . and on. . . and on :rolleyes:

Latest rumour/speculation/guesswork is (still) that Potential Buyers are offering under the going price until they find out if they'll own a Championship club or a League one club.


Many calls for that from fans up & down the country :D
However, kicking them out at this late stage of the season has potential repercussions due to points then being deducted from the clubs that gained a result against Derby . . and could alter play-off positions . . which may lead to even more legal wrangling from clubs that lose out.

What a sad and sorry state of affairs football has become :(

Re: Season 2021/22
 

Well today saw them officially relegated to League One.
Late goals saw them lose at QPR, and Reading get an unlikely 4-4 draw.
Those results mean the gap is 10 points, but Derby can now only get 9 points.

:angel:

Re: Season 2021/22
 

:D

Re: Season 2021/22
 

Amazing attendance at Old Trafford last night for the U18’s FA Cup to watch United play Forest.
Nearly 67,500 there, the biggest crowd for a football match anywhere in England apart from Wembley and 1st team home games this season.

United won 3-1 but Forest played really well and have some very promising juniors.

Re: Season 2021/22
 

Yes, it was a good match. Just a shame that Zach Abbott (who is only fifteen) conceded a penalty for a foul outside the area...

Re: Season 2021/22
 

A very dodgy penalty for sure but if the rules had been strictly applied he could have got a straight red for preventing a goalscoring opportunity.😉

Re: Season 2021/22
 

Lost me a bit with the bold.


I thought they changed that recently, in some cases they give a pen/fk and then a yellow not a red?

Re: Season 2021/22
 

Not sure, interpretation keeps changing. Possibly didn't want to send the young lad off for that which is fair enough.

Re: Season 2021/22
 

Aside from that nffc, are you optimistic about your play off chances?

Re: Season 2021/22
 

I honestly don't know. We have a few players out and SU are a decent side on parachute payments. Both league matches were draws...

Re: Season 2021/22
 

The finances of Luton are tiny compared to the other three. Amazing feat to even get that far.

I can still remember the FA Cup final between Forest and Luton. :D

Re: Season 2021/22
 

Was that FA cup? Thought it league cup

Re: Season 2021/22
 

Nope, FA Cup 1958/9. At that time I was a football mad lad. I could rhyme off the FA Cup winners for several years. It’s amazing to think back as to just how big the FA Cup was in those days. Virtually all the days TV given over to coverage. ITV would be on one team bus, BBC on the other. It’s A Knockout type competitions between both teams towns or cities.

The last time Forest won it.

Re: Season 2021/22
 

Who'd have thought back then they'd meet again a mere 30 years later in the league cup final and Luton would lose again mind you they did beat arsenal the year before

Re: Season 2021/22
 

Great result for NFFC today.

Great result for Liverpool in the F A Cup. It's never the best to have a game decided on penalties but it was an absolute joy to see mount fail to score his. :D

Re: Season 2021/22
 

Sheff Utd came down last year and I don't think it's too long since Hudds stopped receiving parachute payments from their time in the PL. Fulham also seem to swap between going up and down (like Norwich and Watford) and I think Bournemouth are still on parachute payments too.


I don't think last time we went down from the PL the parachute payments even existed, we've been in L1 more recently than the PL, and I think Luton have been non league since then.


Nathan Jones has certainly done well to get them into the playoffs but they're a cynical side with a very lower-league ground (though it has character) clearly punching above their weight in terms of resources etc.



Forest could have - and probably should have - had more than 1 first half, will this end up mattering? Only Liverpool has beaten us at home in 2022 and we've had Arsenal and Leicester there too. Sheff Utd need to win by 1 to get extra time and 2 to go through.

Re: Season 2021/22
 

Was pleased Forest won and Liverpool too. The cup final was a poor game I thought. Regarding parachute payments,does anyone else think it's an unfair advantage against the rest of the league? I do.

Re: Season 2021/22
 

Then again, if there wasn't parachute payments, a newly promoted team would need to be reluctant to spend money in order to stay promoted in case they simply dropped down again.

Re: Season 2021/22
 

It is. There is sort of like a PL2 at the moment of teams who spend time bouncing between the two divisions. Fulham, Norwich, Bournemouth, Sheff Utd, Watford, West Brom, mostly spend their time swapping between getting promoted and going down without really changing either, though it did take Bournemouth a couple of years to get back up, they still did it within their parachute money, and they don't usually look like they would make a fair crack at staying up - Norwich seem to be happy going up, getting the year of PL TV money etc, then going down and having 3 years more to go back, and without really strengthening when they do. Fulham loaned out a fair amount of their promotion squad from 2 years back, then did the same with some of their PL players this time, Sheff did the same with Mousset who was a good player for them in the PL, etc.


It's quite rare to get non-parachute sides seriously breaking into the promotion picture, Brentford finally managed it last year, I think Swansea got Cooper straight after relegation so would be in their last year of parachute payments now, so I think they beat a parachute side in the final.



It really does give them the advantage of having the opportunity to retain players for a year or so from their PL squad to try and get back up (if Fulham had to sell Mitrovic, how well would they have done?) or gives them the opportunity to bring in a few near the end (Bournemouth fancied an extra striker, so spent £5m on Kieffer Moore, whereas Forest could only bring in Sam Surridge for much less than that and a young PL loan even when our main striker got injured) to help the promotion push.


I'm not even massively convinced by the argument it softens the blow either financially. If a big club went down (and it's happened with Newcastle a few times) how far would parachute payments go? Most of the top players would want to leave anyway as they'd drop out of the international picture in the 2nd tier.

Re: Season 2021/22
 

Thank you Julian.:D

Re: Season 2021/22
 

You put it so right. Why should the relegated teams have an unfair financial advantage?

Re: Season 2021/22
 

Because they were part of the richest league in the world and deserve their share as agreed by the members of that league, why should clubs with rich owners or loads of fans have an unfair financial advantage and why should the little people who work in the office or on match day have to bare the brunt of relegation with their jobs, you can't sack the players but you can them

Re: Season 2021/22
 

But they're no longer in that league! It's an unfair advantage. As for clubs with rich owners or large fan base,well any club can be owned by rich owners should the so called rich guys want to own them.

Re: Season 2021/22
 

No but they contributed to that leagues success and they still have the accoutrements of being in that league especially if they're a well established team like Everton, how many of their players will have relegation wage cuts in their contracts, how many of these under achievers will other clubs want, I find it unfair when a club goes bankrupt or administrator's sack the people behind the scenes or pay suppliers pennies in the pound, parachute payments help with that rather than buying players

Re: Season 2021/22
 

I don't think it's beyond the realms of possibility to suggest that most of the PL are at theoretical risk at least of getting relegated if they have a bad season.


So you'll get the promoted sides, who usually struggle, and then maybe the odd promoted side from the year before who just about managed to stay up, and then there's always the handful of other teams who are usually near the bottom such as Burnley, but apart from the likes of Man U, Leicester, Man C, Liverpool, Spurs, Arsenal, the rest usually just mix around the same midtable positions. With 2 games left there's only 8 points between Leicester in 8th and Southampton in 15th.


It's quite rare that sides will convincingly break out of those groups for more than a few years. Leicester aren't even in the euro places this year, but they have recently won the league, FA Cup and come 2nd, for a smaller club, that's quite a big achievement.


But, these teams are usually only a bad run away from being at risk of slipping out. Burnley always seem to struggle, I think Leeds are on their 2nd or 3rd season back up, Everton are the side who've broken out of the pack this year as not a usual struggler or a recent promoted side, when Brentford and Brighton have done quite well, and Newcastle have shown it is possible to get into midtable with a managerial change (and in their case plenty of money).


But it would be foolish for them not to think that there is the possibility of getting relegated, then these players would have wage drop clauses in there, or release clauses, which is how they should do it, though that doesn't solve the issue of other clubs not wanting them (though an established PL player on the cheap would potentially fit a Brentford style approach or a promoted side). I guess football has this relegation thing where the performance causes an income drop where it doesn't affect most companies, I suppose the only parallel would be a company losing a major contract, but then they would probably have to cut staff themselves if that happened. Which is exactly what clubs would be forced to do with no parachute payments, you cut your cloth according to your income and not run up millions of debt.


I suppose if they got it for a season and not three it would give the clubs time to get any high earners off the wage bill and not cause too much disruption with the other 21 clubs in the division. If we ended up with the same six teams going up and down every year it would be a bit boring.


It would also be a shame to see Everton go down, I think they're one of only a few now to have been in the PL every year and not get relegated (think there's only otherwise Man U, Arsenal, Liverpool and Spurs) but then, that's exactly what will happen if they don't do well enough. There have been plenty of bigger clubs relegated, Sheff Weds are in L1 again, as are Sunderland and Ipswich. Oldham have just been relegated from L2 but were founder PL members.

Re: Season 2021/22
 

Forest need to find something from somewhere, definitely second best in 2nd half.:shocked:

---------- Post added at 22:33 ---------- Previous post was at 21:48 ----------

Better team in extra time..Wow, some penalty shoot out.

Will you be going to Wembley nffc?

Re: Season 2021/22
 

Haha probably not (since its a sunday) but omg wow, shocking.

Re: Season 2021/22
 

Samba is our hero. :D

Re: Season 2021/22
 

He doesnt normally save them though! But you know that the gamesmanship he was doing put off the pen takers a bit didn't it.



Just can't write these lads off can you?

Re: Season 2021/22
 

And he did pull off two stunning saves during the game.

Re: Season 2021/22
 

Congratulations to NFFC.
Didn’t watch the game as I was at St Mary’s.
Not missed a home league game this season.
Yeah I know more money than sense :)

Re: Season 2021/22
 

Couldn't have put it better myself. :(
A few trips now scheduled at the other Old Trafford, thankfully Lancashire have a decent team that is playing well.

Re: Season 2021/22
 

Burnley are not everyone’s cup of tea but they have been on the end of some shocking decisions in last two games. Very dodgy VAR penalty at Spurs, clear penalty for handball denied tonight at Villa by VAR, ridiculous red card that was hardly even a yellow card. After tonight I really hope they stay up.

Re: Season 2021/22
 

At the expense of Leeds it seems.

Once again we are treated to pyrotechnics in a stadium and pitch invasions. :mad::mad:

Severe punishment needs to be meted out for this.

Everton have been an utter disgrace with time wasting and antics as well, it’s a real shame those *******s aren’t going down. :td:

Re: Season 2021/22
 

Sunderland on the way back up with 10 minutes to go. :)

Trying to think who used to be a regular here who supports the Black Cats?

Remembered it’s Dave 42. :)

Re: Season 2021/22
 

Certainly not me! Does seem like they'll do it this season though. 6 easy points for the boro next season ��

Re: Season 2021/22
 

Agree with that. Lampard now being hailed as their saviour is a bit irritating as well. They were 16th and 4 points off relegation when he took over, they're now 16th and 4 points off relegation. :rolleyes:

Re: Season 2021/22
 

Not just Everton.

Re: Season 2021/22
 

:D Well spotted.

Re: Season 2021/22
 

Interesting game in in the National League play off semi final. Wrexham 4 Grimsby 5.
More entertainment than you'll see in any Premiership match.

Re: Season 2021/22
 

Yeah gutted I didn't watch it now!

Re: Season 2021/22
 

I watched that.

Great game for a neutral, comedy defending and all end to end stuff.

Not the tiresome mancity style of boring possession.

Hopefully tonight’s final will be played like that game was 😁

Re: Season 2021/22
 

Pretty brutal for Liverpool. That team should have more to show for their quality this season, history will tell a different story to that of the season I just watched when it looks back on what they actually won alone. But they lost the league to a ruthless city that will likely spend 100s of millions more to make sure they can't come close again and a Madrid that just seem destined to win the Champions League.

Re: Season 2021/22
 

Poor finishing from start to finish plus Courtois having a blinder undid them.

Re: Season 2021/22
 

Agreed, what a bad last week after a fantastic season. Onwards and upwards with or without Mane.

Re: Season 2021/22
 

Agree 100% with you. Liverpool do tend to struggle though when teams sit back with ten men behind the ball. Either they don't get the lucky break city get at times or they don't have the player to unlock that tight defence,not sure which to be honest. As you say city will spend 100's of millions in the closed season to ensure its not as close again.

Re: Season 2021/22
 

It’s a damning stat for such a talented strike force. In three consecutive cup finals Liverpool failed to score a single goal including two periods of extra time.:confused:

Re: Season 2021/22
 

And in all three occasions,if my mind serves me correctly, they all sat back with vertually 10 men behind the ball

Re: Season 2021/22
 

Yessssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss. :hyper:

Re: Season 2021/22
 

#justcantgetenough