Longest Thread For Sport Talk

[Romey 1878]

That was some win for Broady at Wimbledon today.

[Romey 1878]

Andy Murray looks like he’s getting ready to put us through another marathon. 

[Romey 1878]

20 hours ago, Romey 1878 said:

Andy Murray looks like he’s getting ready to put us through another marathon. 

Shame for him that there was an 11pm curfew last night because all the momentum was with him last night and I think he'd have won if they'd played the next set.

[MikeO]

Pleased Djokovic got beaten, great player but not a likeable person for me.

Alcaraz is one hell of a player!

[Hafnia]

25 minutes ago, MikeO said:

Pleased Djokovic got beaten, great player but not a likeable person for me.

Alcaraz is one hell of a player!

The kid is amazing. So good to watch. You think he’s lost a point and boom he pulls out some magic. 

[Romey 1878]

On 05/07/2023 at 13:35, MikeO said:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/66105649

Good luck to her!

It was very interim.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/jul/17/hannah-dingley-to-step-down-with-forest-green-ready-to-appoint-coach

[Romey 1878]

 

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/jul/21/football-match-called-off-after-hearse-spins-circles-on-tyne-and-wear-pitch

[msloan78]

Apparently Al Hilal have made a £259m bid for Mbappe.

This feels like a man city esque build, but for a whole league. I wonder how long until the Premier League is under serious threat.

[Palfy]

Al Hilal make £259m offer for Mbappe, could this season be the start of football heading in same direction as Golf, with the oil richer Middle Eastern states starting to try and muscle in on the world football stage with an agenda of trying to take control. It might seem silly but they bought the World Cup and interrupted most domestic leagues in world football due to the money they threw at FIFA.

[Palfy]

2 minutes ago, msloan78 said:

Apparently Al Hilal have made a £259m bid for Mbappe.

This feels like a man city esque build, but for a whole league. I wonder how long until the Premier League is under serious threat.

Beat me to it you posted as I was still compiling mine. I think we both find it a worry situation. 

[msloan78]

PSG have accepted the offer

[Romey 1878]

2 minutes ago, msloan78 said:

PSG have accepted the offer

They were never going to do anything else, they want him sold.

[Palfy]

Hopefully he turns the move down. 

[dunlopp9987]

I'd be shocked if he went. Moussa Diaby turned down a move to SA to go to Villa because he cares about playing for France. 

My friend just said "Haaland is gonna be over here winning trebles and multiple Ballon d'ors and Mbappe's just gonna be chilling in SA"

[Romey 1878]

Just now, dunlopp9987 said:

I'd be shocked if he went. Moussa Diaby turned down a move to SA to go to Villa because he cares about playing for France. 

My friend just said "Haaland is gonna be over here winning trebles and multiple Ballon d'ors and Mbappe's just gonna be chilling in SA"

I think it'd be a surprise if he turned it down tbh. The contract is only for a year, £13m a week, and then he signs for Real Madrid in a year for nothing.

Plus, he's a snakey bastard who is nowhere near as good as he thinks he is. Not saying he's not a good player but he's not in the same league as the likes of Ronaldo and Messi, and never will be.

[Matt]

7 minutes ago, Romey 1878 said:

I think it'd be a surprise if he turned it down tbh. The contract is only for a year, £13m a week, and then he signs for Real Madrid in a year for nothing.

Plus, he's a snakey bastard who is nowhere near as good as he thinks he is. Not saying he's not a good player but he's not in the same league as the likes of Ronaldo and Messi, and never will be.

Exactly. I don't know much about him but I'd argue anyone who stays at PSG is only about the money and not the game.

[Romey 1878]

We're not the only ones with a dodgy owner.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/jul/25/tottenham-hotspur-owner-joe-lewis-charged-insider-trading

[Cornish Steve]

Two of my sons bought me tickets for Mercedes-Benz stadium in Atlanta this evening (we'll all three be going). Chelsea play Newcastle, and then Brighton play Brentford. I shall write up a report tomorrow.

[Cornish Steve]

Here's what I learned from watching Brentford play Brighton and then Chelsea play Newcastle.

In the first game, Brentford appeared to dominate in midfield, but they rarely took advantage of it. Clearly, they are in a similar position to us upfront: lacking. More than once, players failed to communicate, and they missed obvious chances. To me, despite mostly accurate passing, they looked pedantic and rusty. Brighton, on the other hand, played patiently and relied on a rapid break-away strategy. Their defense held strong, and their offense was impressive. Here's the guy to watch: Simon Adingra. He scored both goals (excellent goals) in Brighton's 2-0 win, he's sharp, he's clinical, and he was the big difference between the two teams. From Cote d'Ivoire and only 21, I suspect he may be a name to watch. I suspect Brentford will struggle this year; it's a team we ought to beat.

In the second game, Newcastle played most of their starters whereas about half the Chelsea team were new faces to me. The game ended 1-1. Chelsea opened the scoring with a decent goal from Nicolas Jackson, while Newcastle equalized through Miguel Almiron. Of course, the stadium erupted when Almiron scored since he was the team star when Atlanta United won the MLS league. They made him MOTM, but that's because 70,000 spectators would have booed any other outcome, but I don't think he contributed that much other than his goal. On the Chelsea side, Reece James and Trevoh Chalobah were solid, whereas I was less impressed with Marc Cucurella. Other than one smart shot that was well saved, Conor Gallagher was a waste of space (and deservedly booked). For Newcastle, I thought Joelinton was their strongest player (appears to be built like a tank). Fabian Schar went off injured early on. MOTM for me was Nick Pope. He came on for the second half and made at least three excellent saves to keep Chelsea at bay. Anthony Gordon played the entire game for Newcastle. My eldest son thought he had an excellent first half and poor second half, but I thought he was rather poor throughout - but with one exception: He made the Newcastle goal with a brilliant run from the left, through the center, and a peach of a pass to hand the goal to Almiron on a plate. Gordon played mostly on the left, although he moved more to the center in the second half - clearly because Newcastle (like Brentford in the first game) were rather impotent upfront. Gordon was unimpressive in the center.

Across both games, three things were noticeable: (i) all teams played from the back, making what appeared to be risky passes in their own penalty boxes. I strongly suspect this tournament had a rule that goal kicks could not leave the penalty box, but playing from the back is now the norm. (ii) I didn't see a headed shot attempted by any team at any time. Everything was played along the ground. We rely heavily on DC-L's strength in the air, but this is not a strategy being pursued by the four teams that played last night. Almost all the danger came from quick-fire breakaways, not from long balls or crosses in the air. (iii) Other than corners, there were almost no set pieces. Despite one or two exceptions (that were wasted), free kicks were taken quickly before players changed position.

The stadium, despite 70,000 people, was boringly silent. The American spectators were more interested in trying to get a wave going than actually watching the game. There were oohs and aahs when shots went close, but most of the time it was strangely silent - no real atmosphere. Other than Almiron's goal, the loudest noise happened midway in each half of both games when the referee signaled a "hydration break". This is a covered, air-conditioned stadium: There was no need for such breaks. It looks to me like advertisers have found a way to add commercials during games. (IMO, one of the reasons soccer has not succeeded in the US is in large part because they can't get funding from advertisers without having commercial breaks every five minutes.) These breaks wreck the momentum of the game, and I hope they don't become the norm. And there was little patience among the crowd for players constantly making a meal of every contact, falling to the ground, rolling around or playing dead while physios rush on the field. This practice is really spoiling the game.

I enjoyed watching these two games. The ground staff replaced artificial turf with real grass, apparently an early preparation for the next World Cup, and that really helped. Without an atmosphere, though, it seemed all too academic.

[Gwlad]

Pre-season, B & H going well, Brentford not so much.

[Cornish Steve]

21 hours ago, Cornish Steve said:

Here's what I learned from watching Brentford play Brighton and then Chelsea play Newcastle.

In the first game, Brentford appeared to dominate in midfield, but they rarely took advantage of it. Clearly, they are in a similar position to us upfront: lacking. More than once, players failed to communicate, and they missed obvious chances. To me, despite mostly accurate passing, they looked pedantic and rusty. Brighton, on the other hand, played patiently and relied on a rapid break-away strategy. Their defense held strong, and their offense was impressive. Here's the guy to watch: Simon Adingra. He scored both goals (excellent goals) in Brighton's 2-0 win, he's sharp, he's clinical, and he was the big difference between the two teams. From Cote d'Ivoire and only 21, I suspect he may be a name to watch. I suspect Brentford will struggle this year; it's a team we ought to beat.

In the second game, Newcastle played most of their starters whereas about half the Chelsea team were new faces to me. The game ended 1-1. Chelsea opened the scoring with a decent goal from Nicolas Jackson, while Newcastle equalized through Miguel Almiron. Of course, the stadium erupted when Almiron scored since he was the team star when Atlanta United won the MLS league. They made him MOTM, but that's because 70,000 spectators would have booed any other outcome, but I don't think he contributed that much other than his goal. On the Chelsea side, Reece James and Trevoh Chalobah were solid, whereas I was less impressed with Marc Cucurella. Other than one smart shot that was well saved, Conor Gallagher was a waste of space (and deservedly booked). For Newcastle, I thought Joelinton was their strongest player (appears to be built like a tank). Fabian Schar went off injured early on. MOTM for me was Nick Pope. He came on for the second half and made at least three excellent saves to keep Chelsea at bay. Anthony Gordon played the entire game for Newcastle. My eldest son thought he had an excellent first half and poor second half, but I thought he was rather poor throughout - but with one exception: He made the Newcastle goal with a brilliant run from the left, through the center, and a peach of a pass to hand the goal to Almiron on a plate. Gordon played mostly on the left, although he moved more to the center in the second half - clearly because Newcastle (like Brentford in the first game) were rather impotent upfront. Gordon was unimpressive in the center.

Across both games, three things were noticeable: (i) all teams played from the back, making what appeared to be risky passes in their own penalty boxes. I strongly suspect this tournament had a rule that goal kicks could not leave the penalty box, but playing from the back is now the norm. (ii) I didn't see a headed shot attempted by any team at any time. Everything was played along the ground. We rely heavily on DC-L's strength in the air, but this is not a strategy being pursued by the four teams that played last night. Almost all the danger came from quick-fire breakaways, not from long balls or crosses in the air. (iii) Other than corners, there were almost no set pieces. Despite one or two exceptions (that were wasted), free kicks were taken quickly before players changed position.

The stadium, despite 70,000 people, was boringly silent. The American spectators were more interested in trying to get a wave going than actually watching the game. There were oohs and aahs when shots went close, but most of the time it was strangely silent - no real atmosphere. Other than Almiron's goal, the loudest noise happened midway in each half of both games when the referee signaled a "hydration break". This is a covered, air-conditioned stadium: There was no need for such breaks. It looks to me like advertisers have found a way to add commercials during games. (IMO, one of the reasons soccer has not succeeded in the US is in large part because they can't get funding from advertisers without having commercial breaks every five minutes.) These breaks wreck the momentum of the game, and I hope they don't become the norm. And there was little patience among the crowd for players constantly making a meal of every contact, falling to the ground, rolling around or playing dead while physios rush on the field. This practice is really spoiling the game.

I enjoyed watching these two games. The ground staff replaced artificial turf with real grass, apparently an early preparation for the next World Cup, and that really helped. Without an atmosphere, though, it seemed all too academic.

Here's the Almiron goal. You don't see all of Gordon's run, since he took the ball on the left in his own half. All credit to him for a wonderful run and pass.

 

[Cornish Steve]

Look at these goals from Adingra: the first is at 1:26; the second is at 3:50. The first goal was a real beauty.

 

 

[Romey 1878]

Looks like Wolves will soon be getting a new manager.

[Matt]

22 minutes ago, Romey 1878 said:

Looks like Wolves will soon be getting a new manager.

Again? Thought he'd signed an extension already?

[dunlopp9987]

44 minutes ago, Matt said:

Again? Thought he'd signed an extension already?

He's unhappy with how they've handled this window.

Think we could get him once he leaves??

[Matt]

1 hour ago, dunlopp9987 said:

He's unhappy with how they've handled this window.

Think we could get him once he leaves??

Fucking hope not! 

[Bailey]

Crazy!

[Matt]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/66470820

I might be done with the game. This isn't football anymore, it's a re-enactment of Football Manager. 

[Romey 1878]

57 minutes ago, Matt said:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/66470820

I might be done with the game. This isn't football anymore, it's a re-enactment of Football Manager. 

Klopp will be handing in his resignation if this happens surely? I mean he did say when they start spending £100m+ on players then he's out.

[dunlopp9987]

Newcastle getting grouped with PSG, Dortmund and Milan in the CL