Football
12650 replies · 2193653 views
Dortmund and Monaco could easily be the tie of the round. Atletico is pretty much Leicester's worst case scenario, a well organised team who are not only rock-solid at the back but also have the class to retain possession, not really suited for Leicester's 'underdog' football.
Unable to beat Burnley at home despite creating a host of chances in the second half. If there's one thing I've learned from our previous scrapes, it's that making predictions is a mug's game, but at the same time, there are only so many ways to keep your head above water. It's starting to look like we might have finally exhausted them all.
5 hours ago, Michael* said:Unable to beat Burnley at home despite creating a host of chances in the second half. If there's one thing I've learned from our previous scrapes, it's that making predictions is a mug's game, but at the same time, there are only so many ways to keep your head above water. It's starting to look like we might have finally exhausted them all.
The goal drought is alarming but God help me I can just about see a way out for Moyesy's misfits. How have performances generally been since you smashed up Palace?
On 19/03/2017 at 5:38 PM, Frederick said:The goal drought is alarming but God help me I can just about see a way out for Moyesy's misfits. How have performances generally been since you smashed up Palace?
While the only really grim performance we've turned in since the Palace victory was in the following game against Southampton, where conceding two quick goals led to us capitulating horribly in the second half, we've looked devoid of pace and attacking thrust for long stretches. On paper, Moyes' decision in January to cash in on Van Aanholt and replace him with Oviedo was the right one because the latter is by far the better all-round player, but it also removed our only secondary goal threat. Now, with half chances falling instead to crapkickers like Rodwell and Jones, it's hard to see how we're going to score if Defoe isn't firing.
Quite enjoyed the emotional music when Lukas Podolski was subbed there. As much as I'd like to see us try it while replacing Seb Larsson with Donald Love, I can't really see it catching on.
12 hours ago, Michael* said:Quite enjoyed the emotional music when Lukas Podolski was subbed there. As much as I'd like to see us try it while replacing Seb Larsson with Donald Love, I can't really see it catching on.
The whole daft procedure seemed fairly in keeping with Podolski's fairly weird career. Was disappointed he didn't come off to the sound of his own smash hit single.
Well, Ellis says David Moyes' job is secure even if we're relegated in May. No mention of what'll happen if we're relegated in April. 
On 29/03/2017 at 5:36 PM, Michael* said:Well, Ellis says David Moyes' job is secure even if we're relegated in May. No mention of what'll happen if we're relegated in April.
And if they lost the next five games? I get that it's the all hands on deck, chest thumping rhetoric portion of the season and that continuity would do a hot house like Sunderland the world of good under the right circumstances but we've got miles of road ahead. Strap in, kids!
2 hours ago, Frederick said:And if they lost the next five games? I get that it's the all hands on deck, chest thumping rhetoric portion of the season and that continuity would do a hot house like Sunderland the world of good under the right circumstances but we've got miles of road ahead. Strap in, kids!
I suppose we'll have to see what tomorrow against Watford brings. Overall, I feel for Short a bit, because all he'll have really gathered from a fairly lengthy spell as our owner is that throwing tons of money around and sacking managers every ten months doesn't yield significant progress. Even now, I get the impression that his heart is still more or less in the right place, but there must come a point where it all starts to feel rather futile.
On a slightly different note Fred, I genuinely can't decide if it's Russell Crowe or Eddie Vedder in your avatar. 
2 hours ago, Michael* said:
I suppose we'll have to see what tomorrow against Watford brings. Overall, I feel for Short a bit, because all he'll have really gathered from a fairly lengthy spell as our owner is that throwing tons of money around and sacking managers every ten months doesn't yield significant progress. Even now, I get the impression that his heart is still more or less in the right place, but there must come a point where it all starts to feel rather futile.
On a slightly different note Fred, I genuinely can't decide if it's Russell Crowe or Eddie Vedder in your avatar.
I think were Sunderland to go down Moyes would be as viable a candidate to get them up as almost anyone else. Having said that, as Villa's two Championship transfer windows thus far have shown, 'continuity' as a relegated club is very hard to balance out, unless you're a Burnley and you've all yo-yo'd together before and have budgeted for such eventualities with the guiding hand of a murderously serious gravel voiced ginger man.
Ha, big Russ and his rock and roll exploits always gets me a-chucklin'. He probably eats a lot of jam but he's no Eddie!
So it would seem that blagging job interviews in Spanish is a hidden talent of Tony Adams. Who knew? 
17 hours ago, Michael* said:So it would seem that blagging job interviews in Spanish is a hidden talent of Tony Adams. Who knew?
Think someone's got a bit of a man crush, this geezer has now given our Tone three jobs: the aforementioned, vice-president of DDMC Football Club Management Company, which sounds like a suitably vague, blagtastic job that he's apparently keeping and sporting director at good ol' Chongqing Dangdai Lifan. Still, between his stints in Azerbaijan and his ability to make this particular rich fella smitten, at least he's a proactive blagger rather than a 'play golf, wait for a top job' moan merchants that clog up the media sewage system.
1 hour ago, Frederick said:Think someone's got a bit of a man crush, this geezer has now given our Tone three jobs: the aforementioned, vice-president of DDMC Football Club Management Company, which sounds like a suitably vague, blagtastic job that he's apparently keeping and sporting director at good ol' Chongqing Dangdai Lifan. Still, between his stints in Azerbaijan and his ability to make this particular rich fella smitten, at least he's a proactive blagger rather than a 'play golf, wait for a top job' moan merchants that clog up the media sewage system.
Looking at the La Liga table, Granada are seven points adrift in the relegation zone with seven games left, two of which are against Real Madrid and Sevilla. So you'd have to say it appears to be mission impossible for Adams, although perhaps that was part of the appeal for him. Survive and it's a miracle, go down and he walks away relatively blameless.
Surely though, standing on the touchline in that suit should help bag them a few extra points. A sneaky breakaway or two while the opposition are staring at him in utter disbelief.
Here comes the cavalry! 
What with April Fools Day being almost a fortnight ago, I'm guessing it's safe to assume that this isn't some elaborate ruse by Granada and that Nigel Reo-Coker is in fact still playing. All the more bewildering is that he's somehow still only 32. Honestly, that in itself is as much of a story as anything I've heard all season. 
5 hours ago, Michael* said:What with April Fools Day being almost a fortnight ago, I'm guessing it's safe to assume that this isn't some elaborate ruse by Granada and that Nigel Reo-Coker is in fact still playing. All the more bewildering is that he's somehow still only 32. Honestly, that in itself is as much of a story as anything I've heard all season.
Reo-Coker embodies so much of the bloated, self-regarding malaise that eventually started to burn down the house during the O'Neill era. Of course the second we released him he was telling everyone he had offers from Italy and Spain and wham, a mere six years later, a trial for Tony's titans!
Close game, terrible ref but should never have taken place today.
17 hours ago, Frederick said:Close game, terrible ref but should never have taken place today.
Proof (as if any more were needed) that UEFA would struggle to organise a piss-up in a brewery. A cracking game broke out in the second half, though. The lad Pulisic has a fantastic future ahead of him, looks as if he could become a real star.
Hats off as well to the Dortmund supporters' initiative to put up Monaco fans for the night. Amidst trying circumstances, a story of human kindness. Compare and contrast that with the all-too familiar scenes in Madrid and, well, you know.
Not sure what on earth Bruce was trying for today but another tactical puzzler, to say the least. Our record in televised games this season is sub-Rotherham, sub-Zola, sub-human!
You can almost feel the collective desperation this morning of a thousand football agents who wish they hadn't deleted Harry Redknapp's number.