25/26 Football thread DEAD, USE A NEW ONE

[FLips]

26 minutes ago, Tim Healys Chutney Spoon said:

Today's the day of the World Cup draw and I havent got a scooby how this works, even with the explanation!

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c997y4l20jgo

 

Just stick all the nations into 4 pots and pick them out. If you must have particular groups then say

Pot 1 seeded teams

Pot 2 European teams

Pot 3 Africa and Middle East

Pot 4 Rest of the World/Everyone else

 

Its getting so contrived now its like FIFA might as well pick their 8 quarter finalists and do away with the rest of the tournament

You took the words right out of my mouth. I've just finished reading that exact BBC Sport explanation and unless I'm having a major misunderstanding, they've essentially made it so you're as much as guaranteed none of the big teams will get knocked out until the QFs as it's rigged so they can't play each other, barring some big upset wins.

As an aside, at one stage a USA World Cup would have felt absolutely massive but at this stage feels like they may as well hold it in Qatar again. There's a higher than 0 chance that ICE could arrest players, supporters or friends and family of players from other countries, there's no doubt going to be some protests and I feel genuinely bad for whichever team wins it only for that dementia riddled paedophile rapist fuck to come out and take the trophy back to the White House with him. The whole thing leaves a horrid taste in the mouth.

Edited December 5, 2025 by FLips

[westlondonmist]

I often wonder why I fell out of love with football. Infantino never fails to remind me why. 

[FLips]

I know we're not meant to do live commentary but this World Cup Draw is excrutiatingly bad. From Donald Trump getting the inaugural "FIFA Peace Prize" to poorly rehearsed skits, to these awful rules having to be explained and still not making sense, and they cap it off by getting Rio Ferdinand to host it and you can feel the energy being sucked out of the room as he keeps saying "this wasn't in the rehearsal" and his co-host just had to call a spot like John Cena to remind him there's a VT before he continues the draw.

[SuperBacon]

Fair play to you all, I don't know how anyone can sit through that.

[SpiritOfTheForest]

Tough tough draw. Interesting that we get Brazil and Morocco again, same as in 1998.

Brazil are Brazil and, while still very good, I'd posit that they're not quite as good as they were last time time we met. We play them last so that could work in our favour if they're already through and rest players. Still a hell of a mountain to climb, mind.

Morocco are 11th in the world, perhaps the best in Africa and are a real nasty draw. One of the worst we could have got from the Pot 2 teams. However we are due a wee bit of retribution.

Haiti are surely beatable as long as we don't go all classic World Cup Scotland. We'll need to beat them handsomely too as I expect goal difference might well come into it for going through and getting points against Morocco/Brazil is more unlikely than likely.

Scotland are always better when the odds are against us. Certainly could have been an easier draw but I'm BUZZIN' lads, BUZZIN'!

[SuperBacon]

A reminder, for all your World Cup needs.

 

[Tim Healys Chutney Spoon]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cx23gm9kvnlo

 

Fucks sake its a football match, why does it have to get to these silly lengths and fights before the game that result in matches being called off

[gmoney]

I need to get back to going to non league. 

[Tim Healys Chutney Spoon]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cwy1wn866y5o

 

Great little story of a 'rags to riches' from the depths of the Championship to the city of Barcelona and La Liga.

[tiger_rick]

Maybe not a surprise after that batshit press conference yesterday but Amorim has gone.

Shows how insane the league is below the top 3 that United have won 3 of their last 11 and are 6th and well in with a chance of CL. Club has clearly been a mess for a long time. Giving ETH a new contract before last season is still the most baffling decision ever. However, they've got new people in top positions, spent a ton of money in the summer on decent players and have been fairly average. They'll still feel they're a good manager from being top 3/4 consistently.

[The Gaffer]

I've not been following this year but it seems long overdue and out of nowhere at the same time.

Clubs like United - as with a lot of top flight football as a whole - are in a weird liminal space between legitimate sport and dystopian horror show entertainment for me now and I'd rather they just went one extreme or another so I knew where I stood in terms of my morality-in-entertainment compunctions.

I'd be back on board if they went for full on Raw guest host style vibe managers and just - I don't know - got the Australian poisonous mushroom lady in to manage them via video uplink for a month for a new kit launch or something. Get rid of the hot water at Carrington and replace the hydration bars with street mephedrone. 

[TheBurningRed]

Thank fuck he has gone. Some of the worst football we’ve ever played. We have a decent squad and should be doing better. However, that’s been said for over a decade now. I don’t know who can turn it around. But hopefully someone who won’t draw with the worst teams in the league (looking at you Wolves and West Ham)

[I Bent My Wookie]

It was only a matter of time but christ after yesterday's post match meltdown where he was already telling people just when he planned to leave, I'm surprised it took until this morning to sack him. 

He completely lost the entire club. What has been a staple of United is that mix of academy coming through and established names. The fact he never watched a single youth team game his entire time there and seemed content with just sacking off any player with a connection to the club from their earliest days was evident that he had an inflexiblity to adapt to his surroundings and this probably ties into him feeling the upper management had "too much control". 

Too many players have left that still had years of upside through not getting along with him. The players he replaced them with had great seasons for smaller clubs and haven't really delivered despite realistically being brought in to play his formation more. You'd hope with Fletcher in temporary charge it'll be a return to form for Mainoo who may now want to stay and an actual recurring starting 11 as it felt at times Ruben didn't know who his best 11 even was. 

Manager wise, maybe keep it with Fletcher until the end now, they don't need to be doing transfer business in January so there's no rush to get someone in to conduct it and make their style of play. Kieran Mckenna has history there, and would install that Old Trafford promote from within vibe while having established names around to nurture and compliment. 

Wilfried Nancy is available. Well he will be. Please take him, I can't bare to watch Celtic right now. We've just cancelled a trip to Glasgow at the end of the month as I don't think its worth witnessing a riot for the price it'll cost when they lose to Falkirk. 

[Devon Malcolm]

Maresca is the favourite to take the job and I can't think of a more comedic outcome. Failing that, Southgate please.

[gmoney]

Big Ange please.