Football
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21 hours ago, Michael* said:
A bit of a curious case is Elmo. We played him at full-back, where he looked like an out of position winger and at right midfield, where he looked like an out of position full-back. It wasn't until he followed Steve Bruce to Hull that the idea of trying him as a wing-back was belatedly hit upon, and he seemingly became a decent performer. A lot of our fans would have probably turned their noses up at the prospect of re-signing him, but honestly, I'd take him over a crapkicker like Billy Jones in a heartbeat.
Saw that Sunderland have been linked with Elphick and McCormack, both wholesale calamities that we need to bin immediately. Can't see a deal involving the latter that doesn't involve taking a deep financial kick to the nuggets but it would honestly be worth it.
22 hours ago, Frederick said:Saw that Sunderland have been linked with Elphick and McCormack, both wholesale calamities that we need to bin immediately. Can't see a deal involving the latter that doesn't involve taking a deep financial kick to the nuggets but it would honestly be worth it.
There's always the chance I suppose that Grayson, having managed him at Leeds, could again unlock something in McCormack, but we'd probably have to find an unsuspecting mark willing to take Lens or Kone off our hands before we were able to pull out anything resembling a significant fee.
Same presumably goes for Elphick, who I must confess, I don't know a great deal about. It's hard to imagine him lowering the overall quality of our backline too much though, the entirety of which appeared to be comprised of holograms rather than humans during the Celtic game.
12 hours ago, jkjk said:^^ Maybe the FFP stuff will end up being wrong, no reason to dwell on it until it happens, I guess.
It would be funny if that UEFA issued FFP sanctions against PSG and it angers QSI. Then QSI buys a Qatari club and buys a PSG player for the amount that they need to sell to satisfy FFP. Then the Qatari club loans back the player to PSG for the remainder of their contract. 
12 hours ago, jkjk said:The funniest way this could go, to me anyway, is if Neymar goes and Barcelona turns around and quickly picks up Mbappe right from under Real Madrid. Maybe it's just me, but I think that would be funny.
That would be hilarious.
15 hours ago, Stromboli1 said:
Where's IRS when you need him? 
Early August is upon us, dare I ask if there is an appetite for fantasy football among the brethren? It's the only way us lower league fans stay in touch with the razzle dazzle upstairs!
On 03/08/2017 at 10:51 AM, Frederick said:Early August is upon us, dare I ask if there is an appetite for fantasy football among the brethren? It's the only way us lower league fans stay in touch with the razzle dazzle upstairs!
Yes indeed, for all those who remain down for a spot of Fantasy Premier League, I've renewed it for our eighth annual throwdown. As always, players from last season are automatically entered into the Classic League upon registering a team. For what it's worth, since there's no longer any moral obligation to pick Sunderland players, I'm expecting an improved overall showing from my lads this year. 
Bellazon Classic: 1829582-438455
Bellazon Head-to-Head: 1829582-438488
All welcome!
Even by Bruce's sub-neolithic standards, chucking Chris Samba upfront during the first game of the season is beyond the pale. 45 to go!
2 hours ago, Frederick said:Even by Bruce's sub-neolithic standards, chucking Chris Samba upfront during the first game of the season is beyond the pale. 45 to go!
Takes me right back to my days playing the old Football Manager game, when Samba would get annoyed with me for not playing him up front and ask for a transfer.
Do you think Hogan is going to work out, Fred? Clearly, he's a man in desperate need of a goal, but it seemed like most of the service he was receiving would have been better suited to more of a target man type.
2 hours ago, Michael* said:Do you think Hogan is going to work out, Fred? Clearly, he's a man in desperate need of a goal, but it seemed like most of the service he was receiving would have been better suited to more of a target man type.
I don't see a plan with Hogan at all and if there is one they certainly forgot to tell him what it is. I'd love him to come good but he seems to want link up play and fast feet and that just isn't our way. Bundling one in from the ensuing anarchy of an Alan Hutton insurgency is about the only way any of our lads can score, unless you're Kodjia and you wisely choose to ignore the other hopeless buggers and do it all yourself.
The forcing of the Arsenal narrative was very evident throughout last night's Sky coverage, especially with commentators like Carragher, who seem to have it in for them at the best of times, picking holes in everything. Yet somehow you just know, when Arsene Wenger finally does get around to going and they're stuck watching a Pulis-ball tribute act instead, that the media and the fans will find themselves pining for games like that one.
How did Burnley nearly throw that away? 
Also, Huddersfield Town in first place 
Well, the honeymoon after scraping past Colchester in the Carabao Cup is certainly over! Before kick-off I couldn't see a goal for us today, I just didn't dare expect such a resounding whooping. Same soft centre, same 'it's been a horrible one' aw-shucks post-match Bruce remarks, same unnerving sense that we're a long way off from figuring this league out.
On 8/12/2017 at 11:56 AM, jkjk said:Huddersfield Town in first place
It only lasted for one day, but that's longer than anyone would have predicted.
On 8/13/2017 at 6:19 PM, jkjk said:It only lasted for one day, but that's longer than anyone would have predicted.
The result went down well with Patrick Stewart, too. 
Our lads, our team, our Club - @htafcinstagram. Welcome to the Premiership, you marvels.
A post shared by Patrick Stewart ? (@sirpatstew) on
1 minute ago, Michael* said:The result went down well with Patrick Stewart, too.
That's great and a fun photo
Deep down I think we all knew a result like that one was coming, although most of us would have probably hoped for it to happen with a bit less of a whimper. A tough game to watch and a harsh lesson for all of us, but it's still very early days and Grayson needs all the support he can get.
On 21/08/2017 at 4:15 PM, Michael* said:Deep down I think we all knew a result like that one was coming, although most of us would have probably hoped for it to happen with a bit less of a whimper. A tough game to watch and a harsh lesson for all of us, but it's still very early days and Grayson needs all the support he can get.
Haven't seen them yet this season but Sunderland's start seems typified by Aiden McGeady, the definition of an 'on his day' player. I suspect Grayson would take bouncing around the 9th to 14th bracket for the next few months, unenthralling as that may sound to a fan travelling back from a shellacking at Barnsley, before finding a better groove. Regarding the assumed arrival of McCormack: such is the might of the all-too-real Villa curse that I wouldn't be too surprised if he ended up being a bit good again in different colours (notwithstanding a terrible loan spell to Forest last season).
As for us, no major surprises except the delightful emergence of Keinan Davis. Played quite well against Norwich but have otherwise bored/mildly disgraced our way to the international break. In no way convinced by Bruce, now, tomorrow or yesterday nor Terry, who's been rubbish so far. Elmohamady exists only to answer the question 'what if Alan Hutton were Egyptian?'
On 8/27/2017 at 10:51 AM, Frederick said:Haven't seen them yet this season but Sunderland's start seems typified by Aiden McGeady, the definition of an 'on his day' player. I suspect Grayson would take bouncing around the 9th to 14th bracket for the next few months, unenthralling as that may sound to a fan travelling back from a shellacking at Barnsley, before finding a better groove. Regarding the assumed arrival of McCormack: such is the might of the all-too-real Villa curse that I wouldn't be too surprised if he ended up being a bit good again in different colours (notwithstanding a terrible loan spell to Forest last season).
As for us, no major surprises except the delightful emergence of Keinan Davis. Played quite well against Norwich but have otherwise bored/mildly disgraced our way to the international break. In no way convinced by Bruce, now, tomorrow or yesterday nor Terry, who's been rubbish so far. Elmohamady exists only to answer the question 'what if Alan Hutton were Egyptian?'
I don't know if half-watching as Newcastle helped themselves to the title last season had convinced everybody that the Championship would prove similarly breezy for us this year, but it does seem like our expectations of this division are a factor in our current malaise. It's been a long time since we were last here, a lot has changed and we can't expect to beat battle-hardened sides like Leeds and Barnsley by playing off the cuff, particularly with half a squad still accustomed to treating 17th-place finishes as cause for celebration. Let Grayson get on with the job, I say, even if it has to get worse before it gets better.
My reservation about the likes of Terry is always how difficult it is to imagine them being motivated for an away trip to Burton or Bristol City in the same way they would have been for a Premier League game. Even if he's physically capable, which is up for debate as well, there can't have been many players who managed to maintain the same levels of intensity after only ever knowing the so-called 'big time'.
23 hours ago, Michael* said:My reservation about the likes of Terry is always how difficult it is to imagine them being motivated for an away trip to Burton or Bristol City in the same way they would have been for a Premier League game. Even if he's physically capable, which is up for debate as well, there can't have been many players who managed to maintain the same levels of intensity after only ever knowing the so-called 'big time'.
He still shouts and swears at refs, stamps the ground when he doesn't get a decision and generally acts like a goon so in that respect, the man we all knew and loved for all those years is still with us. He did well to not have three or four penalties given against him at Bristol City, so thank you to the presumably star struck ref for that. Bruce also madly decided to throw Samba, who looks even more punch drunk than JT, into the mix for that game and it was an absolute shambles that was predictably discarded almost immediately.
Until his brace on Saturday, I hadn't realised that Huddersfield had signed Mounie. Given how good he was last season in a fairly moderate side, it seems like a bit of a head scratcher that nobody else was in for him. Overall though, there's an awful lot of dross in the lower reaches of the Premier League, and Huddersfield play a decent brand of possession football. Crystal Palace probably won't be the only team caught out by them this year.