Football Focus

[lightengine]

15 hours ago, andyram said:

 

The same Wayne Rooney who has lit up the English game with quality football for a long time. Funny how, when mentioning petulant Englishman you conveniently leave out a certain Mr Gascoigne who had a similar temperament to go with his obvious skill.

 

Whether the above is meant as a joke or not it is poor taste and some of the language could be deemed offensive. Do not stoop into the gutter where some so called fans of all clubs can frequent. You are better than that surely. 

 

14 hours ago, Gareth Collier said:

I didn't realise being held up at knifepoint was a joking matter. 

I don't think its a joke either, but broadcasting the fact that by threatening players you can determine who can play seems to me to be a strange step. I would have thought a more simple explanation for their exclusion was easier.

Apparently a 2nd altercation has taken place.

 

Andy, with regards to Gazza, I certainly don't commend his behaviour but then mental health seems to have played a large part in his downfall as has alcohol.

Rooney and the Becks petulant behaviour cost us more dearly. Whilst I appreciated Becks ability to put a long ball onto a sixpence, his kicking out at Simeone was pathetic. 

We will wait to see what effect the "32" or "red 32" has on young people.  Obviously he could have worn 31 or even 33 but hey!

[lightengine]

Howay the lads you can beat the Ar5e.

I see the lovely curly locked Gwen Douzi is running around in her usual headless chicken style.

[Gareth Collier]

4 hours ago, lightengine said:

 

I don't think its a joke either, but broadcasting the fact that by threatening players you can determine who can play seems to me to be a strange step. I would have thought a more simple explanation for their exclusion was easier.

Apparently a 2nd altercation has taken place.

 

Andy, with regards to Gazza, I certainly don't commend his behaviour but then mental health seems to have played a large part in his downfall as has alcohol.

Rooney and the Becks petulant behaviour cost us more dearly. Whilst I appreciated Becks ability to put a long ball onto a sixpence, his kicking out at Simeone was pathetic. 

We will wait to see what effect the "32" or "red 32" has on young people.  Obviously he could have worn 31 or even 33 but hey!

But you still made a joke of it suggesting you'd threatened other players to affect results. 

So by your backtracking you're saying the media shouldn't have reported that 2 people, whether footballers or not, were held up at knife point and that the club should have lied or covered it up.

Interesting to note your post has now been removed.

[Gareth Collier]

I'll get this in quick as I doubt it'll ever happen again in my lifetime. We're in the Champions League places!

[Enterprisingwestern]

7 minutes ago, Gareth Collier said:

I'll get this in quick as I doubt it'll ever happen again in my lifetime. We're in the Champions League places!

 

I wouldn't mind the season ending today either!

 

Mike.

[BoD]

Any one feeling sorry for Mr Lampard?

[Hobby]

Not really. He moved too soon. But no doubt he will get a few quid severance pay!

Edited August 11, 2019 by Hobby

[kevinlms]

9 hours ago, BoD said:

Any one feeling sorry for Mr Lampard?

Hopefully things will significantly improve and he will be manager for a while. 

 

What's that I see flying by, it looks pinkish!

[south_tyne]

I was a champion of VAR. I thought it would be good for the game to get the critical decisions right. I've changed my mind. It's taking all of the joy and spontaneity out of the game. 

 

Look at the ecstasy in Daniel James' face and reaction to his goal yesterday. That's what we want to see in football. VAR means that every time a player scores there will be a doubt in the back of the mind and it ruins that shared moment between players and fans. 

 

[caradoc]

8 minutes ago, south_tyne said:

I was a champion of VAR. I thought it would be good for the game to get the critical decisions right. I've changed my mind. It's taking all of the joy and spontaneity out of the game. 

 

Look at the ecstasy in Daniel James' face and reaction to his goal yesterday. That's what we want to see in football. VAR means that every time a player scores there will be a doubt in the back of the mind and it ruins that shared moment between players and fans. 

 

 

Which is fair enough, unless a 'goal' is given which can then be seen to have been incorrectly awarded, and costs a team a championship/promotion/relegation etc. I agree that VAR does slow the game down, but surely it is better to get possibly career- and business-changing decisions right, every time ?

[Hroth]

My thoughts on foot-the-ball.

 

Football starts too soon and ends too late.

There are too many non-league competitions, especially those involving other "European" teams.

The players are greedy.

The clubs are money-pits for speculators.

The inflated domestic Football League titles are fatuous.

And so on....

 

Its as bad as Formula 1!

 

 

There, i've said it. 

 

[south_tyne]

11 minutes ago, caradoc said:

 

Which is fair enough, unless a 'goal' is given which can then be seen to have been incorrectly awarded, and costs a team a championship/promotion/relegation etc. I agree that VAR does slow the game down, but surely it is better to get possibly career- and business-changing decisions right, every time ?

 

I agree but I am just not convinced the way it is being implemented is right for the flow of the game. You also need a bit of common sense to come into play, giving someone offside when their fingernail is ahead of the defender is pretty ridiculous (in my humble opinion). Mind the Wolves goal being ruled out wasn't the fault of VAR, it is down to the silly change to the law. 

 

[2750Papyrus]

20 minutes ago, caradoc said:

 

Which is fair enough, unless a 'goal' is given which can then be seen to have been incorrectly awarded, and costs a team a championship/promotion/relegation etc. I agree that VAR does slow the game down, but surely it is better to get possibly career- and business-changing decisions right, every time ?

 

I thought that the purpose of VAR was to correct clear and obvious mistakes, which would largely meet your objective above.  However, it is not being used in this way.  I thought the replays which led to the disallowance of Raheem Sterling's goal as  "offside"  were themselves unclear meaning  it cannot really be said that the ref got his initial decision wrong.  It used to be that the attacker got the benefit of any doubt - that seems to have disappeared, and the authority of the ref has been undermined.

 

I rarely watch rugby union on TV nowadays; it has always been a bit of a stop/start game but is much worse with the use of video replays and interpretations of the laws of the game at every incident.  I hope soccer VAR does not go the same way, but it is headed in that direction.   Part of the joy of the game is the immediacy and flow of adrenalin - waiting two minutes for confirmation/denial  of every goal removes this spontaneity.

[Hobby]

The penalty review in that match was more interesting. In real life the ref can't watch two things at once, namely the goalie staying on the line and other players not encroaching into the 'box. So I suspect before VAR many players would sneak in as the penalty was being taken assuming the ref was watching the goalie... And so they got caught out yesterday when VAR spotted them! The goalie had also moved so it would have been a retake anyhow! 

 

I do feel sorry for the goalies these days when facing a penalty, they really have litle chance of saving even if they go the right way if the penalty taker hits one into the corner.

[Gareth Collier]

1 hour ago, south_tyne said:

I was a champion of VAR. I thought it would be good for the game to get the critical decisions right. I've changed my mind. It's taking all of the joy and spontaneity out of the game. 

 

Look at the ecstasy in Daniel James' face and reaction to his goal yesterday. That's what we want to see in football. VAR means that every time a player scores there will be a doubt in the back of the mind and it ruins that shared moment between players and fans. 

 

I have to agree with your sentiments, when watching a match from the terraces the outpouring of joy, excitement etc when your team scores is what most go for. Unfortunately VAR is sucking this element out of the game. Sure, you can still get excited, but once that ball crosses the line it's going to reach the point when there is no crowd or player reaction other than all turning to stare at the TV screens to await the VAR verdict. Goal celebrations once the screen says goal we be far more muted.

[BoD]

2 minutes ago, Gareth Collier said:

I have to agree with your sentiments, when watching a match from the terraces the outpouring of joy, excitement etc when your team scores is what most go for. Unfortunately VAR is sucking this element out of the game. Sure, you can still get excited, but once that ball crosses the line it's going to reach the point when there is no crowd or player reaction other than all turning to stare at the TV screens to await the VAR verdict. Goal celebrations once the screen says goal we be far more muted.

 

Commentators will also have to follow their often excited descriptions with the qualification ‘if it stands’.

[43110andyb]

Thankfully they can never take this away from me 

 and I doubt we will ever see it at our level thankfully!

[kevinlms]

5 hours ago, Hroth said:

My thoughts on foot-the-ball.

 

Football starts too soon and ends too late.

There are too many non-league competitions, especially those involving other "European" teams.

The players are greedy.

The clubs are money-pits for speculators.

The inflated domestic Football League titles are fatuous.

And so on....

 

Its as bad as Formula 1!

 

 

There, i've said it. 

 

So why bother with this thread?

[caradoc]

Some good points about VAR, and I agree it does seem ridiculous when a goal is disallowed because someone's big toe is offside.....But if you have a rule, it has to be applied consistently and in every circumstance, otherwise where do you draw the line (Ha Ha !) ? ie if just toes are over the line it is not offside, but if the whole foot then it is ?!!

[Enterprisingwestern]

1 hour ago, caradoc said:

Some good points about VAR, and I agree it does seem ridiculous when a goal is disallowed because someone's big toe is offside.....But if you have a rule, it has to be applied consistently and in every circumstance, otherwise where do you draw the line (Ha Ha !) ? ie if just toes are over the line it is not offside, but if the whole foot then it is ?!!

 

I've always considered the offside parameters a tad too difficult for lino's/ref's to accurately observe, a full body clearance would be more noticeable.

Taken to the extreme, which may well regrettably happen, every offside decision with a consequence could finish up being challenged. Get ready for the 2 hour football match!

 

Mike.

[Hobby]

For each half?

[Gareth Collier]

4 hours ago, 43110andyb said:

Thankfully they can never take this away from me 

 and I doubt we will ever see it at our level thankfully!

My point exactly, that's why we love football but now, rather than unbridled joy, it's a couple of minutes wait until VAR has checked to make sure a player hasn't looked at an opponent in an unfriendly manner before a message is posted up on the big screen saying 'goal, you may now celebrate'.

For all the benefits of VAR it's destroying the excitement.......

[BoD]

Has anyone been to a live match with VAR?

Perhaps you now have two adrenaline rushes.  Celebrate/bemoan the goal as usual then repeat, possibly vice versa, as VAR result comes through.  I don’t know, I haven’t been there yet.

 

The players seem to be taking that approach though -  for how long remains to be seen.

Edited August 12, 2019 by BoD

[andyram]

On 11/08/2019 at 11:52, lightengine said:

 

I don't think its a joke either, but broadcasting the fact that by threatening players you can determine who can play seems to me to be a strange step. I would have thought a more simple explanation for their exclusion was easier.

Apparently a 2nd altercation has taken place.

 

Andy, with regards to Gazza, I certainly don't commend his behaviour but then mental health seems to have played a large part in his downfall as has alcohol.

Rooney and the Becks petulant behaviour cost us more dearly. Whilst I appreciated Becks ability to put a long ball onto a sixpence, his kicking out at Simeone was pathetic. 

We will wait to see what effect the "32" or "red 32" has on young people.  Obviously he could have worn 31 or even 33 but hey!

 

Yes Becks kicked Simeone. Gazza’s assault on Gary Charles in a certain FA Cup Final was fairly brutal. 

 

Yes Rooney could have wore 12, 18, 31 or 33.

 

Clever ploy to allocate 32.  But does that mean Leeds United or Middlesbrough can't allocate a number 32 squad number? After all they carry the same sponsor as Derby.

 

As regards betting sponsorship are you going to take offence  against the SKY BET CHAMPIONSHIP? Or Stoke City’s BET365 STADIUM? Surely that means children cannot watch a football league game or visit Stoke’s stadium?

 

Ultimately all these clubs are seething over the Rooney deal....because they did not think of it first.

[lightengine]

23 minutes ago, andyram said:

 

Yes Becks kicked Simeone. Gazza’s assault on Gary Charles in a certain FA Cup Final was fairly brutal. 

 

Yes Rooney could have wore 12, 18, 31 or 33.

 

Clever ploy to allocate 32.  But does that mean Leeds United or Middlesbrough can't allocate a number 32 squad number? After all they carry the same sponsor as Derby.

 

As regards betting sponsorship are you going to take offence  against the SKY BET CHAMPIONSHIP? Or Stoke City’s BET365 STADIUM? Surely that means children cannot watch a football league game or visit Stoke’s stadium?

 

Ultimately all these clubs are seething over the Rooney deal....because they did not think of it first.

Chill Andy it's only a game. I'm sure Derby will prosper and you won't have to defend them so vigorously.

I dont think Gazzas FA cup gbh let down a generation of England footballing supporting kids like the other two did. But hey I guess we will have to disagree on that.