Paul Hardcastle's Domestic Football 18/nuh nuh nuh 19

[Ricc1PW]

4 minutes ago, Cod Eye said:

Barnsley have 4 players in that Welsh squad, which is a bit of a record for the club. Looks like Wales might be doing the old Republic of Ireland trick though and selecting anyone half decent who might have had a holiday in Rhyl or Clarach Bay when they were kids, as I'm pretty sure Keiffer Moore has never been Welsh! 

he's not. he qualifies through his grand mother I think. it's mentioned on the BBC website.

Wales are fairly adept at getting players that qualify for them via relatives, it's not a new thing.

[Cod Eye]

Just now, Ricc1PW said:

he's not. he qualifies through his grand mother I think. it's mentioned on the BBC website.

Wales are fairly adept at getting players that qualify for them via relatives, it's not a new thing.

Yeah, I saw that!

Just makes me chuckle, as last week there were reports claiming China were trying to persuade him to represent them, as his other grandmother(or great-grandmother, can't remember which) was from there). 

[Keith Houchen]

u wot m8?

 

 

[David]

Reminds me of the time Batistuta was linked with Ipswich Town. Here's a report from that period, with some other odds & ends from September 3rd 1994;

Quote

On the surface not a lot exists to connect Argentina with Ipswich Town, but yesterday Portman Road was alive with rumour that the Premiership side could be about to raid the transfer market for one, possibly two, of Diego Maradona's compatriots.

A source close to the club suggested that the target was the 32- year-old defender, Oscar Ruggeri, while a report from Italy maintained that John Lyall's secret assignation this week was in pursuit of Gabriel Batistuta, Argentina's leading scorer in the World Cup finals.

Batistuta is thought to be unhappy at Fiorentina and a pre- contract agreement is said to exist between the Italians and Ipswich in advance of a pounds 2.9m transfer, which would be a record for the Suffolk club.

Ipswich have also been linked with Tony Cottee but it seems the Londoner, who at one time was the country's most expensive player, is heading home to West Ham, with Everton taking David Burrows in exchange.

Cottee's wife is homesick for the capital and Burrows, who made almost 200 Liverpool appearances, also favours a return north. 'Discussions are under way and we hope to tie everything up over the weekend' Jim Greenwood, the Everton chief executive, said.

Over at Anfield the finishing touches were being applied to John Scales' pounds 3.5m transfer from Wimbledon with the ink scarcely dry on the forms finalising Phil Babb's move there from Coventry for the same sum.

Wimbledon acknowledged the inevitability of the sale once Merton Council decided to throw out plans to redevelop their former Plough Lane home. 'We are paying the price of developing a player of exceptional talent but not having the means to keep him,' Sam Hammam, the Dons owner, said.

The latest sale means that all 12 surviving players from Wimbledon's 1988 FA Cup triumph have been sold on for a total of pounds 11.9m. 'We've lost important players in the past but John's the greatest,' Hammam added. 'We have lost a fantastic gladiator, a great friend and a real brother in arms.'

Clearly there will be departures from Anfield and Paul Stewart began the exodus yesterday when he joined Wolves on a month's loan. Also looking for new employers are fledgling managers Kenny Hibbit and Kenny Swain, sacked by Walsall and Wigan respectively.

Diego Maradona said yesterday in his first public comments since FIFA, the world governing body, suspended him for 15 months from 24 August for taking banned drugs, that he was as good as dead. Dressed in black, he complained: 'Me, they killed me. I'm completely dead.'

The former Argentina captain, who tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs during the World Cup in June, continued: 'It's totally unfair. There are no words to express what they did to me. I don't know where I stand. I can't find myself.'

 

Edited May 21, 2019 by David

[Keith Houchen]

Today in "Arsenal being spineless shithouses"

 

 

[Jazzy G]

5 hours ago, Ricc1PW said:

he's not. he qualifies through his grand mother I think. it's mentioned on the BBC website.

Wales are fairly adept at getting players that qualify for them via relatives, it's not a new thing.

It's Ashley Barnes and his Austrian gran all over again. 

[hallicks]

The laws of Azerbaijan state (according to Wikipedia): "Citizens of the Republic of Armenia, as well as citizens of any other country who are of Armenian descent, are forbidden entry to the Republic of Azerbaijan." 

It's UEFA that can get to fuck for having a European final in a country with a disputed territory. Armenia and Azerbaijan are technically still at war. Is it worth risking his life? 

[Keith Houchen]

11 minutes ago, hallicks said:

It's UEFA that can get to fuck for having a European final in a country with a disputed territory.

Yes they can, but a club should be staying that if the safety of one of their players cannot be guaranteed because of his nationality then the organisers can fuck off.  In my view, they should be showing solidarity for their player, and also ideally, their opponents would follow suit.  But then we have a World Cup coming up in Qatar.

[hallicks]

11 minutes ago, Keith Houchen said:

Yes they can, but a club should be staying that if the safety of one of their players cannot be guaranteed because of his nationality then the organisers can fuck off.  In my view, they should be showing solidarity for their player, and also ideally, their opponents would follow suit.  But then we have a World Cup coming up in Qatar.

True, it is weak, but you're getting into geopolitical murky waters. Who are the "good" guys here? We're having to start taking sides in a long standing conflict. My default is to lean towards Armenia because I'm SOAD4LYFE, but I don't have time to really research it, beyond the obligatory Wikipedia page. Arsenal shouldn't have been put in this position. 

[Carbomb]

When it comes to the shit going on in the Caucasus, best to leave well alone. Even more than the Middle East. That way madness lies. 

[Keith Houchen]

10 minutes ago, hallicks said:

True, it is weak, but you're getting into geopolitical murky waters. Who are the "good" guys here? We're having to start taking sides in a long standing conflict. My default is to lean towards Armenia because I'm SOAD4LYFE, but I don't have time to really research it, beyond the obligatory Wikipedia page. Arsenal shouldn't have been put in this position. 

It’s not about taking sides, it’s about saying that if a player is in physical danger then we aren’t playing. It isn’t about the war, it’s about UEFA. 

[Steve Justice]

Not that it should make a difference, but had we already qualified for the CL then I would hope we would take that stance. They're obviously putting the club first, and I can understand that to a degree, but clearly the right thing to do is stand by the player. 

Edited May 21, 2019 by Steve Justice

[hallicks]

8 hours ago, Keith Houchen said:

It’s not about taking sides, it’s about saying that if a player is in physical danger then we aren’t playing. It isn’t about the war, it’s about UEFA. 

I'm not able to boil it down to such binary choices because I don't accept the political situation isn't a huge part of any decision made by the player or club, one which goes way beyond we will/won't play based on x and y. Ultimately the blame lies with UEFA for manufacturing this situation, which they had to have known was at least a possibility when Arsenal started out in the competition. Shitehawks and shitarses to the end. 

[Keith Houchen]

Of course UEFA are to blame but the club should be supporting its employee. Imagine if a black player is advised not to travel to a game, or if a player comes out as gay before the Qatar World Cup? 

The authorities should never have had a showpiece event in a place where safety isn’t guaranteed, 100% agree. But it would be nice to use this scenario to make a stand against the way sponsors and their money take precedence over safety. 

[Factotum]

I agree that the response from Arsenal should be more robust, especially given a number of our support is being denied entry due to Armenian heritage. Boycotting the game would be a huge step, probably resulting in some sort of ban from UEFA. I understand the clubs reluctance.Also I'm sure Mihki would want his mates to go out there and win it.

However, Arsenal should refuse to partake in any activities around the final press etc. anything that promotes the final. If we do win it, i would hope the Arsenal players will make their feelings know.

Anyway, it is utterly farcical that is being played in a country where this could happen. He didn't go early in the competition so they have known for some time. Coupled with the incredibly low ticket sales given the travel situation, this has been an utter shambles.