Apropos of nothing, was thinking about what3words - they have mapped everywhere on earth into unique 3m x 3m squares and each one has a unique name - made of 3 words.
You can reverse search by the words, so I was thinking... Slightly gutted there is no insane.clown.posse but there is an unsafe one.
How do you see Citeh’s season so far Jimster? They went through a rough patch (by their standards) but are still in the race.
Best thing about Arsenal is Arteta finally playing the kids. Emile Smith Rowe, Saka and Martinelli are all gold. Worst thing is that we spent money on Willian and Pepe (who really doesn’t look like he wants to play football). Ozil finally moved on is also a plus.
It feels like a trick of the eyes to see Manure at the top of the Prem though. Maybe that’ll bring Paul & Junior out of hiding...
I think City are looking good now, Ruben Dias has really raised the bar in defence and John Stones seems reborn. They are not conceding, basically and that had always been a weak link with Pep, who was preaching a "You can't score if you haven't got the ball" defensive philosophy which won't long enough against sides who are expert at the counter. These lads are snuffing shit out. Dias could be our Virgil - I see VVD as being key to Klopp's successes.
Only other concern is not converting enough chances. It's not a problem when Agüero is playing, but more often than not, he's not playing. Sterling should be netting 30+ times a season 'pon di reg. Happy to be proved wrong, but Gabriel Jesus is not Agüero.
It's a funny season - no crowds to add an edge, Un*ted top, and anyone capable of hammering anyone else. Happy to see Arteta stay put and get a crack, and indeed, Martinelli seems sun-kissed if not yet fully gold - he needs more minutes (he had a knock IIRC) and more consistency to become your Foden.
I always hear the Loose Ends/Five Star cowbell sound when I hear Martinelli (a la Nick Martinelli)
The West Ham 3 Arsenal 3 was a great game. Obviously perplexed/infuriated with the manner in which Arse went down 3 goals, but super happy that they fought their way back to a draw... and they had chances to win it too. The Real Madrid loanee Odegaard looks like the missing piece in the puzzle, and the kind of calm & patient head in possession we haven't had since Cazorla or Fabregas. Not as good as either of those, but he's the round peg for the round hole. If Real take him back next season it won't be a disaster, the failure would be to expect one of Elneny, Willian, Ceballos or Xhaka to step up when they're obviously not able to. When Arse sat back and played on the break Auba was in good form, now we're dominating possession again and he doesn't get the ball in acres of space he looks lost while Lacazette is thriving with much better build-up play. We need a serious run in the league or a europa win to salvage anything this season though.
Citeh look to have it all wrapped up though. In a year like this, does the title have an asterisk next to it Jimster?
As long as LFC are happy with an asterisk for last season?
Would it be pithy to consider the season (or like the press, every season) a failure for Pep if Citeh are eliminated from the CL? Prem I think is done, let's be realistic. Same as Carabo - nobody cares. But the FA and CL... anything can still happen.
I mean, we have a decent chance but we simply cannot afford to be wasteful of goalscoring opportunities at this level. I suspect with Sterling on the pitch it will be near miss after near miss. He is brilliant at getting the hard part done and creating the chance but has to have that killer final touch. You never see CR7, Haaland, Lewandowski or even in his sunset years, Messi, miss even a sniff of a chance.
I would love to see Messi and Kun together for a swansong season in Manchester (I cannot believe that can even be typed), but sentiments aside, I can see this happening at Barca and City getting the services of I.F. KANE (Iron-Face all caps). PSG will overpay eleventy trillion for Haaland. Kane is 27 but in the cray cray world of transfer fees, still "Good" value at less than 100M IMHO. Should be good for 4-5 seasons, which neither Kun or Messi have left in the game.
Mbappe to Real, Haaland to PSG? Makes sense. Or maybe Mbappe stays put.
* Citeh deserved winners this season. They've been playing great football without two of their biggest names (KDB & Aguero)featuring much. Dias has made Stones look great... hoping Stones can take his current form to the Euros. Highlight of this season for me has been watching Foden's emergence. A real talent.
Kane only 27? He already looks past his prime. Still decent, but lost a couple of yards of pace for sure.
Mbappe to Real, Haaland to PSG? Makes sense. Or maybe Mbappe stays put.
Kane only 27? He already looks past his prime. Still decent, but lost a couple of yards of pace for sure.
Yep, 27. But Kane was never a pace dude. His unique selling point is first-strike-is-deadly accuracy when shooting and brings assists too. If a deal can be done at under 100, then I think that will do it. I have come to appreciate the work Jesus does too - he could deffo be the Son to Kane at City.
Of course - tripping ballz - I'd love to see Haaland > Kane, but I don't think City will pay a madness for him. They are quite hard-nosed when it comes to being presented with "City Special Prices" which PSG (and strangely, Fair Play) don't seem to have any problem finding down the back of the sofa. Hence passing on Virgil and Slab Head despite crying out at the time for that position.
Smith-Rowe / Martinelli are a good start. Arteta knows what he is doing but you don't have at least a 7/10 in every position yet. That's the difference with City, who do, and arguably multiples in a lot of roles. I hope the Arsenal board can see this. I liked Ozil but his politics were (harshly IMHO) the end of him under that board.
Ozil was definitely unfairly punished for criticizing China, but I lose no sleep as he’d become a lazy ineffectual waste.
World Cup qualifiers loom. What team should Southgate pick vs how many defenders can he get on the pitch at the expense of guys who can play football? If he sticks with this back 7 formation I swear I’ll call down a fatwah on him.
Problem is Southgate has been going with 7 defenders against teams like Denmark. I want him to either wise up and play to our strengths, or crash and burn so bad that he's booted for somebody who's willing to play to win instead of playing not to lose.
Alas given his injury record and fitness, he's peripheral now and it may be a good move for Barca to bring him over and keep Messi sweet.
Other scenarios : He goes to NYC with Messi - hella shirt sales for City Football Group.
City won't pay for Haaland but need a finisher. I see Kane still - he's got motive and form. Perhaps Juve's Dyabala but he's a cheap punt as he's a crock. I'd rather have an upgrade on Kane but 200M players are not an option. Maybe PSG will cheese off a star resident when they buy Haaland and City are quick (Neymar!)?
I absolutely hated G Nev as a Man Utd player, but as a person he's beyond reproach. Wish more players had the balls and the ethics to speak up too. Can't agree enough with him really. Ashamed to hear my team are involved in this crap.
I am a bit meh on it. I mean, on one hand - there is always been, and going to be some rewarding red-hot European action for the top Prem finishers. This is just more of it. You will get to see the best v the best (in terms of players).
vs.
Barca, Juve and dem in the hole for serious coin, I mean with the match fixing not working out anymore, how can they avoid the old horse heads in the bed? Ah, I know... members-only super league. Fuck 'em all. Just think of the TV rights.
I think it means I'll give less of a fuck. Might just follow who has the coolest kit.
I am a bit meh on it. I mean, on one hand - there is always been, and going to be some rewarding red-hot European action for the top Prem finishers. This is just more of it.
C’mon, in the present system it’s at least possible for teams like Leicester, West Ham, Wolves or Arsenal to get in the champions league as a reward for playing well. And it’s not just about the rewards of winning. In US sports the penalty for finishing last is first pick of the young talent, so teams purposefully playing shit once they realise they’re not winning anything that season - literally a race to the bottom.
A nation’s best players not representing at the World Cup????
I know it’s all about greed and money but in the present system there’s hope and possibility and chance, and that’s better than shrugging, swallowing the outrage and then telling yourself that the new elite, more expensive product isn’t so bad.
Nothing but mediocrity on the horizon... Toronto Maple Leafs haven't won the cup for like 55 years and they have no reason. Still making money off past glories.
And duder is completely right. So many teams across the North America leagues who are playing for the worst outcomes to sign big young talent. So many fans loving college sports instead of pro because the majority of the players are playing with heart 100% every game to get the big contracts. I've stopped watching the majority of sports over here because it's become nothing more than athletic reality tv.
I am a bit meh on it. I mean, on one hand - there is always been, and going to be some rewarding red-hot European action for the top Prem finishers. This is just more of it.
C’mon, in the present system it’s at least possible for teams like Leicester, West Ham, Wolves or Arsenal to get in the champions league as a reward for playing well. And it’s not just about the rewards of winning. In US sports the penalty for finishing last is first pick of the young talent, so teams purposefully playing shit once they realise they’re not winning anything that season - literally a race to the bottom.
A nation’s best players not representing at the World Cup????
I know it’s all about greed and money but in the present system there’s hope and possibility and chance, and that’s better than shrugging, swallowing the outrage and then telling yourself that the new elite, more expensive product isn’t so bad.
You make a fair point. It's the closed-shop approach that is the worst aspect. I won't watch it or even more to the point, ever pay to watch it.
it's beautiful to watch the whole thing collapse so thoroughly. I'm kind of hoping this whole thing was rushed by Florentino Perez after he secured that 4.5 billion loan and now he'll be stuck with the bill because he already signed all the paperwork. I think these clubs will spend the next few years just trying to get rid of this stain though.
Just read this in the CIF from the Guardian, and even if pure speculation it feels like it has a ring of truth about it:
Florentino Perez's comments are very clear. Manchester City was not fully on board. He references this again and again. See Sid Lowe's article.
The Guardian keeps presenting this as greed vs fans but there is a lot more to it than that. Everyone knows that there is a schism in European football between clubs like Man Utd, LIverpool, Real Madrid, Barcelona and new money like MCFC and we saw it with FFP. This cartel of clubs devised FFP and they pushed UEFA very very hard to exclude MCFC. The ESL had been around for years and it has been used as a battering ram against UEFA.
I believe the timing of its launch is a response to the financial crisis (see Barcelona, Spurs, Man Utd debts). Suddenly the ESL was no longer leverge against MCFC, it was a financial life raft.
Now why would MCFC refinance and float their rivals? They have least to gain from this venture. So in my opinion they identified an opportunity to settle scores and level up the political landscape of European football. They called the ESL bluff, put the organisers out in the open, and shot it down. The Guardian's staff writers will not agree because they take offence to Manchester City's Emirati owner but I think this account is the most likely explanation for what happened.
When a major incident like this occurs always look for motive and beneficiary.
Say what you like about the Sheikh, but he's no mug.
"The people that didn't want new money members at the Country Club suddenly need our new money?"
MCFC are not just a vanity project - look at City Football Group and what they are doing. Yeah, they are investing in the community around the teams and yeah, all the kids get paid private schooling at St. Bedes, end-to-end, whether they make it or not. No... The big thing is : RUINING FOOTBALL AT AN INTERNATIONAL LEVEL!
Comments
You can reverse search by the words, so I was thinking...
Slightly gutted there is no insane.clown.posse but there is an unsafe one.
Best thing about Arsenal is Arteta finally playing the kids. Emile Smith Rowe, Saka and Martinelli are all gold. Worst thing is that we spent money on Willian and Pepe (who really doesn’t look like he wants to play football). Ozil finally moved on is also a plus.
It feels like a trick of the eyes to see Manure at the top of the Prem though. Maybe that’ll bring Paul & Junior out of hiding...
Only other concern is not converting enough chances. It's not a problem when Agüero is playing, but more often than not, he's not playing. Sterling should be netting 30+ times a season 'pon di reg. Happy to be proved wrong, but Gabriel Jesus is not Agüero.
It's a funny season - no crowds to add an edge, Un*ted top, and anyone capable of hammering anyone else. Happy to see Arteta stay put and get a crack, and indeed, Martinelli seems sun-kissed if not yet fully gold - he needs more minutes (he had a knock IIRC) and more consistency to become your Foden.
I always hear the Loose Ends/Five Star cowbell sound when I hear Martinelli (a la Nick Martinelli)
Citeh look to have it all wrapped up though. In a year like this, does the title have an asterisk next to it Jimster?
Would it be pithy to consider the season (or like the press, every season) a failure for Pep if Citeh are eliminated from the CL? Prem I think is done, let's be realistic. Same as Carabo - nobody cares. But the FA and CL... anything can still happen.
I mean, we have a decent chance but we simply cannot afford to be wasteful of goalscoring opportunities at this level. I suspect with Sterling on the pitch it will be near miss after near miss. He is brilliant at getting the hard part done and creating the chance but has to have that killer final touch. You never see CR7, Haaland, Lewandowski or even in his sunset years, Messi, miss even a sniff of a chance.
I would love to see Messi and Kun together for a swansong season in Manchester (I cannot believe that can even be typed), but sentiments aside, I can see this happening at Barca and City getting the services of I.F. KANE (Iron-Face all caps). PSG will overpay eleventy trillion for Haaland. Kane is 27 but in the cray cray world of transfer fees, still "Good" value at less than 100M IMHO. Should be good for 4-5 seasons, which neither Kun or Messi have left in the game.
* Citeh deserved winners this season. They've been playing great football without two of their biggest names (KDB & Aguero)featuring much. Dias has made Stones look great... hoping Stones can take his current form to the Euros.
Highlight of this season for me has been watching Foden's emergence. A real talent.
Kane only 27? He already looks past his prime. Still decent, but lost a couple of yards of pace for sure.
Yep, 27. But Kane was never a pace dude. His unique selling point is first-strike-is-deadly accuracy when shooting and brings assists too. If a deal can be done at under 100, then I think that will do it. I have come to appreciate the work Jesus does too - he could deffo be the Son to Kane at City.
Of course - tripping ballz - I'd love to see Haaland > Kane, but I don't think City will pay a madness for him. They are quite hard-nosed when it comes to being presented with "City Special Prices" which PSG (and strangely, Fair Play) don't seem to have any problem finding down the back of the sofa. Hence passing on Virgil and Slab Head despite crying out at the time for that position.
Smith-Rowe / Martinelli are a good start. Arteta knows what he is doing but you don't have at least a 7/10 in every position yet. That's the difference with City, who do, and arguably multiples in a lot of roles. I hope the Arsenal board can see this. I liked Ozil but his politics were (harshly IMHO) the end of him under that board.
World Cup qualifiers loom. What team should Southgate pick vs how many defenders can he get on the pitch at the expense of guys who can play football? If he sticks with this back 7 formation I swear I’ll call down a fatwah on him.
Not that he didn't have a plan, but Croatia outplayed them. He needed more plans. Maybe that squad were not up to any other plans?
Grealish/Mount/Foden/Greenwood/Rashford must be able to work together surely? There is goals in them there hills.
That Raphinha has some filthy skills
https://tenor.com/view/raphinha-meg-gif-20295329
Other scenarios : He goes to NYC with Messi - hella shirt sales for City Football Group.
City won't pay for Haaland but need a finisher. I see Kane still - he's got motive and form. Perhaps Juve's Dyabala but he's a cheap punt as he's a crock. I'd rather have an upgrade on Kane but 200M players are not an option. Maybe PSG will cheese off a star resident when they buy Haaland and City are quick (Neymar!)?
Almost my whole life supporting Liverpool. Never thought I wouldn't ever stop. But if this goes through, I will. Gutted.
vs.
Barca, Juve and dem in the hole for serious coin, I mean with the match fixing not working out anymore, how can they avoid the old horse heads in the bed? Ah, I know... members-only super league. Fuck 'em all. Just think of the TV rights.
I think it means I'll give less of a fuck. Might just follow who has the coolest kit.
C’mon, in the present system it’s at least possible for teams like Leicester, West Ham, Wolves or Arsenal to get in the champions league as a reward for playing well. And it’s not just about the rewards of winning. In US sports the penalty for finishing last is first pick of the young talent, so teams purposefully playing shit once they realise they’re not winning anything that season - literally a race to the bottom.
A nation’s best players not representing at the World Cup????
I know it’s all about greed and money but in the present system there’s hope and possibility and chance, and that’s better than shrugging, swallowing the outrage and then telling yourself that the new elite, more expensive product isn’t so bad.
You make a fair point. It's the closed-shop approach that is the worst aspect. I won't watch it or even more to the point, ever pay to watch it.
Florentino Perez's comments are very clear. Manchester City was not fully on board. He references this again and again. See Sid Lowe's article.
The Guardian keeps presenting this as greed vs fans but there is a lot more to it than that. Everyone knows that there is a schism in European football between clubs like Man Utd, LIverpool, Real Madrid, Barcelona and new money like MCFC and we saw it with FFP. This cartel of clubs devised FFP and they pushed UEFA very very hard to exclude MCFC. The ESL had been around for years and it has been used as a battering ram against UEFA.
I believe the timing of its launch is a response to the financial crisis (see Barcelona, Spurs, Man Utd debts). Suddenly the ESL was no longer leverge against MCFC, it was a financial life raft.
Now why would MCFC refinance and float their rivals? They have least to gain from this venture. So in my opinion they identified an opportunity to settle scores and level up the political landscape of European football. They called the ESL bluff, put the organisers out in the open, and shot it down. The Guardian's staff writers will not agree because they take offence to Manchester City's Emirati owner but I think this account is the most likely explanation for what happened.
When a major incident like this occurs always look for motive and beneficiary.
"The people that didn't want new money members at the Country Club suddenly need our new money?"
MCFC are not just a vanity project - look at City Football Group and what they are doing. Yeah, they are investing in the community around the teams and yeah, all the kids get paid private schooling at St. Bedes, end-to-end, whether they make it or not. No... The big thing is : RUINING FOOTBALL AT AN INTERNATIONAL LEVEL!
ALL CAPS