- Location
- South Hampshire, UK.
Ian, as a Southampton fan and season ticket holder I can assure you that it was indeed down to schoolboy defending, as have been most of the goals we have conceded this (and last) season.
NWR General Football Thread
- Thread starter John Simson
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- football premier league soccer
Ian, as a Southampton fan and season ticket holder I can assure you that it was indeed down to schoolboy defending, as have been most of the goals we have conceded this (and last) season.
- Location
- Newcastle upon Tyne
Different sport but a similar theory. I played a bit of hockey with Suti Kehar, one of the best players ever to play for England and GB. He always taught strikers to wait until the 'keeper shifted his weight and then roll the ball just past the outside of the foot his weight had shifted onto. He made goalscoring look so simple and I can't remember seeing him score a spectacular goal ever but he was deadly when through on the 'keeper. Kane is very similar, he makes goalscoring easy, not spectacular, and that is a great skill.
- Location
- London
Well that went down like the proverbial lead balloon. Another warning to anyone who wants to challenge the conventional wisdom and think outside the box, even when objectively there as little to disagree on. Football seems to raise emotions more than wine.
Watching Match of the Day tonight it was a gritty performance by the ‘schoolboy’ Southampton defense today against Mourhinho’s boys. Quite an astonishing improvement over a few days. They must have trained hard over Christmas.
Mind you Man U don’t have a striker of the calibre of Harry Kane do they? But I think I am right in saying Man U are above Tottenham in the table? A clean sheet 150 miles further north at Old Trafford after letting in five at Wembley.
Parenthetically I saw that the Guardian’s football experts rated our Harry the fifth best footballer in the world in 2017. I agree he has a great year but really? I am with Gareth. De Bruyne I totally get in fourth.
The 100 best footballers in the world 2017
Watching Match of the Day tonight it was a gritty performance by the ‘schoolboy’ Southampton defense today against Mourhinho’s boys. Quite an astonishing improvement over a few days. They must have trained hard over Christmas.
Mind you Man U don’t have a striker of the calibre of Harry Kane do they? But I think I am right in saying Man U are above Tottenham in the table? A clean sheet 150 miles further north at Old Trafford after letting in five at Wembley.
Parenthetically I saw that the Guardian’s football experts rated our Harry the fifth best footballer in the world in 2017. I agree he has a great year but really? I am with Gareth. De Bruyne I totally get in fourth.
The 100 best footballers in the world 2017
- Location
- East Sussex
As someone on the wrong end of a good day for Liverpool I just don’t get their peaks and troughs, but they are in 4th. Notice how Chelsea have sneaked up to second!
It is a near miracle that with no wins in five my team still remain in 8th! Huddersfield next in the Xmas fixture frenzy lunacy, that time when half of Europe is resting.
It is a near miracle that with no wins in five my team still remain in 8th! Huddersfield next in the Xmas fixture frenzy lunacy, that time when half of Europe is resting.
- Location
- Newcastle upon Tyne
Alleging corruption is a little more than "thinking outside the box", isn't it?
I have to conclude that you don't watch much football. If you did you'd know that the answer to the question "do United have a striker of the calibre of Kane?" is most certainly an emphatic no. Not unless and until Ibrahimovic recovers both fitness and form. And United are in a woeful vein of form where they are struggling to score goals. Whereas Spurs have hit a rich vein of form after struggling. For Southampton, United were almost the perfect opponents, disjointed, losing their main striker (the dreadfully underperforming Lukaku) early in the game to a nasty injury they lack ideas (under Mourinho Mata is a shadow of the player he was) and mobility up front. Rashford is in a worrying slump. A striking contrast to the movement and guile of Alli (who appears to be recovering his form), Eriksen, Son and Kane.
These football experts are paid to watch football across the world. They rarely rate English players highly. If anything their bias (to the extent there is one) is against English players (not nearly hip enough). If they rate Kane that highly, it's a fair statement. One I value far more highly than a bloke who forms his views on watching MOTD and clearly doesn't watch a lot of live football. If Kane was BRazilian I have little doubt you be happy to accept him as one of the best players in the world at the moment.
- Location
- Staffordshire
I personally wouldn’t rate Kane as the fifth best player on the planet but there is no denying that he can finish exceedingly well.
Others have already alluded to his lack of genuine pace but he compensates extraordinarily with his reading of the game, positioning and timing. As an occasional observer of Premier League football not relying on pace may be a positive factor in giving him longevity in the sport, too many speed merchants (an example being Michael Owen) suddenly become more ordinary once age depletes their afterburners of fuel.
Of course, being a Wolverhampton boy I would contend that the real action is in the Championship.
Others have already alluded to his lack of genuine pace but he compensates extraordinarily with his reading of the game, positioning and timing. As an occasional observer of Premier League football not relying on pace may be a positive factor in giving him longevity in the sport, too many speed merchants (an example being Michael Owen) suddenly become more ordinary once age depletes their afterburners of fuel.
Of course, being a Wolverhampton boy I would contend that the real action is in the Championship.
- Location
- London
Whilst a Maths undergraduate I worked for a betting shop on Saturdays. The Turf Accountant told me: "Son, never bet on a horse that can talk."
- Location
- London
Well that FA Cup final was a dismal spectacle. Two hours wasted watching that. Should have watched the wedding instead. As a neutral I was pleased Chelsea scored first because it forced Mourinho to change tactics and come out and attack. I was thinking that if United scored first Mourinho would park the proverbial bus in front of his goal. But then Chelsea basically tried to run down the clock from half time. What a disgrace. Man U and Chelsea the two most boring sides on the premier league.
P.S. I take back what I wrote about Harry Kane earlier in the season and now agree that he is (Scottish accent) worrlld class.
P.S. I take back what I wrote about Harry Kane earlier in the season and now agree that he is (Scottish accent) worrlld class.
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- Location
- Bangkok
I didn’t watch it but these games are rarely the best, too much riding on it to be open.
Good preparation for a summer of inevitable national team disappointment!
As an aside though I’m getting increasingly fed up with pundits describing games as ‘lacking quality’.
It isn’t actually true, the reality is english teams have acquired far more tactical acumen and organisation (for which long time they were criticised for lacking) meaning there is a range of effective defensive approaches in the game.
The top 6 mostly have the truly world class player(s) who can turn a game or produce a bit of magic - Zaha a good exception - so many games the teams are cancelling each other out.
Sometimes dull for sure but not actually low quality as often described.
Good preparation for a summer of inevitable national team disappointment!
As an aside though I’m getting increasingly fed up with pundits describing games as ‘lacking quality’.
It isn’t actually true, the reality is english teams have acquired far more tactical acumen and organisation (for which long time they were criticised for lacking) meaning there is a range of effective defensive approaches in the game.
The top 6 mostly have the truly world class player(s) who can turn a game or produce a bit of magic - Zaha a good exception - so many games the teams are cancelling each other out.
Sometimes dull for sure but not actually low quality as often described.
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- Location
- Nottingham, UK
It's meaningless, isn't it Alex: my team, who attempted to grace the Premier League with a Championship squad this season, were constantly described as lacking quality.
Any of our players, down the local park (or even in League 1/2) would look like Maradona. There's no "lack of quality", just intense and constant pressure from better (quality) players. Only the big 6 international superbusinesses can afford the best players and then go on to buy all the next-best players so no-one else can, except at inflated prices with further sell-on clauses. If Lineker and some his braying donkeys on that show of his want "better quality", they should be moaning about the wealth distribution, not doing down lesser teams who are only lesser because 6 clubs have got all the money. It's just a game, after all, not a business.
I was at a party last week and one of these - people - used a fish knife to butter their bread. It was Horrific. They're just not like us.
Any of our players, down the local park (or even in League 1/2) would look like Maradona. There's no "lack of quality", just intense and constant pressure from better (quality) players. Only the big 6 international superbusinesses can afford the best players and then go on to buy all the next-best players so no-one else can, except at inflated prices with further sell-on clauses. If Lineker and some his braying donkeys on that show of his want "better quality", they should be moaning about the wealth distribution, not doing down lesser teams who are only lesser because 6 clubs have got all the money. It's just a game, after all, not a business.
I was at a party last week and one of these - people - used a fish knife to butter their bread. It was Horrific. They're just not like us.
- Location
- London, Europe
Ian - I agree - the FA cup final was like a festering turd that had dropped into my glass. Two teams with absolutely no ambition other than 'dont lose' and to hell with attacking, quality or entertainment. English football at its utter worst.
These FA cup finals with so called top teams are miserable, awful games. Im so glass I support a crappy little team that has no sense of entitlement to such occasions.
These FA cup finals with so called top teams are miserable, awful games. Im so glass I support a crappy little team that has no sense of entitlement to such occasions.
- Location
- East Sussex
I am actually proud of my team in their final game of the season, losing 5-4 to Spurs. It’s not that I like to see a team let in five, but it could have been a dull game and both sides decided to go for it. Just a shame we have a manager who made us play some quite dull football for almost all of the second half of the season.
- Location
- London, Europe
David - you Leicester fans have had your moment - you can dine out on that for 30 years!!! No more fun for you!!!!
I thought Mourinho shows his true colours - qualified for Champions League - could have really gone for it. His fragile ego got in the way!
I thought Mourinho shows his true colours - qualified for Champions League - could have really gone for it. His fragile ego got in the way!