25/26 Football thread DEAD, USE A NEW ONE

[Nexus]

Potter incoming at Forest

[SuperBacon]

On 8/30/2025 at 5:23 PM, SuperBacon said:

As bad as Spurs were (and they were BAD)

Maybe I'll get to make this post every month. Absolutely dreadful stuff.

Palhinha AND Bentancur against a team that had 0 points? Simons again on the left? He was unbelievably bad last night, and probably even worse when he came inside. Then Johnson coming on and moving Kudus to the left to accommodate him? Baffling if I'm honest.

Early days but the lack of chances and opportunities we're creating against teams is slightly alarming.

Still, day out with youngest and had a Popeyes, a lamb patty before the game and then pasties and a load of bollocks from M&S for the train home. In future I might just take her eating and sack off the football.

In at 1.30am though. What a stupid club, and what a stupid man I am.

[Tim Healys Chutney Spoon]

Doing it again soon though I'd imagine? 

 

Its the pain and lemminglike feeling that's addictive 

Edited September 28, 2025 by Tim Healys Chutney Spoon

[SaitoRyo]

Good to see you can punch a player in the face and then blatantly handball it in the box, not get sent off or concede a penalty, and then go on and score a last-minute winner. 

Fuck Gabriel and fuck Arsenal and fuck the refs. 

Oh, and fuck YOU, too. 

(I'm not bitter)

[mim731]

3 hours ago, SaitoRyo said:

Good to see you can punch a player in the face and then blatantly handball it in the box, not get sent off or concede a penalty, and then go on and score a last-minute winner. 

Fuck Gabriel and fuck Arsenal and fuck the refs. 

Oh, and fuck YOU, too. 

(I'm not bitter)

 

 

[tiger_rick]

On 9/27/2025 at 9:31 PM, Devon Malcolm said:

I think there's enough evidence to suggest that Postecoglou is just not very good by now, surely.

Gotta give him a second season.

[Mr_Danger]

I must admit I quite like having Arteta in the league. For someone brought up through Barce and worked under Pep at City he seems to have taken all his inspiration from Mourinho. From his ale house football on steroids to his saying mad shit that takes all the attention from his players. Him bragging about CEO’s ringing him up to congratulate him on  snatching a home draw against City last week was a classic. All that being said he has built a very effective team and if Liverpool don’t click in to gear (we will at some point, don’t worry) they’ll run us close.

Funnily enough I think the catalyst for us clicking will be when Mo buggers off to Afcon and we go with a front three of Wirtz, Ekitike and Isak. Poor Wirtzy must be wondering what’s hit him, he has about three of his own players in his space all the time and is immediately muscled off the ball anyway. Get him a stout and and some of Kloppo’s left over asthma medicine and he’ll come good.

[Sphinx]

I think Arsenal are winning the league this year. They've more depth now, more experience, the best defence, and are still better than everyone at set pieces so can nick goals.

My question at the start of the season was what happens if Gyokeres doesn't click / gets injured, but they've come close with Havertz and Merino playing there and their goals are spread through the team. They're less reliant on Saka now too.

[SuperBacon]

On 9/29/2025 at 9:42 AM, Mr_Danger said:

I must admit I quite like having Arteta in the league

 

16 hours ago, Sphinx said:

I think Arsenal are winning the league this year.

I cannot stress this enough, but bring back down votes

But yeah probably. Hopefully the nukes land before then.

[mim731]

17 hours ago, Sphinx said:

I think Arsenal are winning the league this year.

 

49 minutes ago, SuperBacon said:

But yeah probably. Hopefully the nukes land before then.

Nah, we'll find a way to balls it up, don't worry. I still think City will put a run together and click into gear in the new year and win the whole thing. 

[SuperBacon]

15 minutes ago, mim731 said:

 

Nah, we'll find a way to balls it up, don't worry. I still think City will put a run together and click into gear in the new year and win the whole thing. 

Do you know what, I'm really not arsed. That's not being rude, I just find myself caring less and less these days and don't massively enjoy watching any type of football anymore. I think Rick said similar recently as well. If Arsenal win the league, does it affect my life in anyway? No. I think it would annoy me for maybe 5 minutes.

I enjoy the 90 minutes I'm in the ground, but that's more the fact I'm with my daughter having a laugh, but all of the rest of it, from VAR to podcasts to having to listen to Gary Neville just go "ooooooh" for 90 minutes can get in the bin.

I still watch it all though. I watched most of the televised games this weekend and I'll watch a 5.45 CL kick off and then our game tonight. Pathetic.

I imagine this is what the on topic viewers that watch Raw just to moan about it feel like

[Doog]

Non League is the way to go. I switched off from following Newcastle home and away in around 2022 (Id like to say I was making a stand due to the Saudis but id be lying, i just lost interest fully), and now I don't even go to games or particularly follow on TV. I watch the odd big Premier League game but yeah, as you say all of the above have contributed to it and its sterile. The quality of the matches aren't that great either, and the way the game is analysed and tactics set to within an inch of its life ruins it.

Non League however, completely different kettle of fish. I follow my local side, Grantham Town, currently playing in the UCL Premier North, 5 leagues below League 2, having suffered a couple of relegation over the last 3 years. It's completely reinvigorated my love of the game.

I get to have a beer watching the game on the terrace, the players and manager are in the bar after and I've made some really good mates. At home we average around 400. I go to every away game and there's about 40 of us that go to every one on the coach. The manager and players come on it so we've built up relationships with them. There's no VAR, you can stand/sit where you like and it's just so much fun. Everyone knows each other and it feels great catching up every Saturday (and some Tuesdays).

Also takes me to some random places would never go usually, havent heard of and means you end up seeing some lovely new pubs (and some proper dodgy ones but that's part of the fun).

It's just the way football used to be, and i think was meant to be. You're genuinely apart of something, your season ticket money, money behind the bar and on food, money on the raffle, supporters club membership; it all helps keep the club afloat and they're appreciative of it. At the end of the game the players come over to shake your hand. We then all have a good drink on the way back. Got fans of all ages too.

Would highly recommend it for those sick of the big leagues, nine times out of ten its not football in general you're not interested in anymore, its the modern game at elite level.

Edited September 30, 2025 by Doog

[SuperBacon]

Great Post @Doog and really lovely to hear you enjoy it.

@gmoney set up a cracking thread for such fun. 

We try and go to as many non league games as we can, and have some really decent options around us (Winchester, Totton, Porchester, Fareham) and we even enjoy going to watch our local teams lower than that (ALL BISHOPS WALTHAM DYNAMOS AINT WE???)

Like I say, even at Spurs when it's shit, we have a laugh (Saturday night was a Scottish bloke behind us going mental who sounded just like Shrek and then at one point called Matt Doherty a donkey which finished us off) but the trappings around it all is so crap.

I will of course feel different about this when we're lifting that European Cup come May.

[SuperBacon]

On 9/28/2025 at 10:59 AM, SuperBacon said:

Maybe I'll get to make this post every month

Maybe I'll get to make this post every 3 days. 

Pathetic. But playing like absolute shit and not losing can only be a good thing I guess? Performance levels can only go up.

[Lorne Malvo]

Add me to the list of people who have pretty much completely stopped watching football. I don't miss it at all. I watched every Wolves game of the 2019-2020 season and haven't watched a single one in the past two years. Somewhere along the way my interest just plummeted. 

I tried the whole non-league thing but hate the owners of our local team so packed that in. 

Me and a few mates make an effort to meet up for every England game but that's just an excuse to have a curry much more than it is about the football.

I'll do a trade-off. I'll start watching again if Michael Owen agrees to watch a few films.