25/26 Football thread DEAD, USE A NEW ONE

[tiger_rick]

2 hours ago, RedTwoster said:

Scottish football in a nutshell these days, to be honest - the quality isn’t always great, but my goodness it can be exciting. Obviously I’m Scottish so there’s some obvious bias, but I have a lot more fun watching most Scottish games than I do English Premier League matches.

I agree with that, I like it. It's similar to the Championship, albeit not as technically good. Definitely a more exciting watch than most PL games.

It's not a major criticism because it's not a surprise really. You had John-Jules being excellent on Sunday alongside Joe Hugill. While both have some pedigree in academy football, they're League 1/2 players down south. There's a lot of that. Someone like Sam Dalby for instance.

The best Scottish players are all abroad or in England. Anyone with any promise is scooped up quickly. That's been the case for a long while but is even more prominent since the successes of Scottish players in Serie A particularly.

I think the next aim for Scottish Football has got to be going beyond creating talented players, which they're doing, but getting 4 or 5 years out of those players in the SPL, getting some identity back and raising the quality before selling them for good market value and reinvesting. That, alongside increasingly improving their reputation for finding, improving and selling on foreign players and young English players should see them continue to be a bit of a destination league.   

[mim731]

12 minutes ago, tiger_rick said:

It's not a major criticism because it's not a surprise really. You had John-Jules being excellent on Sunday alongside Joe Hugill. While both have some pedigree in academy football, they're League 1/2 players down south. There's a lot of that. Someone like Sam Dalby for instance.

Despite being aware of him coming through the Arsenal youth set up, it had never occurred to me he might be related to Danny John-Jules despite the unusual surname, turns out they are uncle and nephew!

[RedTwoster]

1 hour ago, tiger_rick said:

The best Scottish players are all abroad or in England. Anyone with any promise is scooped up quickly. That's been the case for a long while but is even more prominent since the successes of Scottish players in Serie A particularly.

Bar the odd exception (Callum McGregor, Scott Brown and James Forrest come to mind) that’s generally true - although there are some players who I think would have ended up becoming significantly better had they made the right move at the right age. 

It’s also pretty mad that Celtic and Rangers only seem to be willing to form out big money for players who’re based abroad, letting the likes of John McGinn, Lewis Ferguson, Aaron Hickey and Lennon Miller slip through their fingers. Perhaps these players wouldn’t have become what they are had they stayed in Scotland, but I find their approach to transfers a bit baffling given the hit-miss ratio. They really like gambling. 

[Ironic Indie Lad]

20 hours ago, SuperBacon said:

Her Mums whole family are Arsenal fans, and as we're right next to the away fans, I expect to look over the police line and see half her bloody family! Ffs.

I go to Celtic Park on a semi-regular basis.

I'm not a season ticket holder so I have been dotted all around the stadium. I usually go with my wife (my dad cant be fucked going now but went in the 60s to the 00s) but I went on my own to a Celtic v Hearts game last season.

I didn't even bother checking where I was sitting until I got there. Horrified to find I was in the section directly beside the away fans.

Genuinely a miserable experience. Hearts fans spent literally the entire game singing about Celtic being paedos. No songs about their players, their history etc. Purely singing about Celtic being nonces for the entire game. Just being deafened by the sound of a thousand or so people screaming WHO SHAGGED ALL THE BOYS, WHO SHAGGED ALL THE BOYS???

In the Celtic end, there were characters that were simply beyond parody. One guy along from me had a tri-colour on, a bobby sands t-shirt and rosary beads. The final boss.

Also worth noting that Celtic have more or less dominated the league for a very long time now. As a result, there seems to be huge sections of the stadium with absolutely zero atmosphere. Just turning up to joylessly endure another routine win. 

Hearts were still crap then and Celtic were out of sight before half time. One of those games where I just think "I'll stick to watching this on the telly for a bit..."

[SuperBacon]

46 minutes ago, Ironic Indie Lad said:

Also worth noting that Celtic have more or less dominated the league for a very long time now. As a result, there seems to be huge sections of the stadium with absolutely zero atmosphere. Just turning up to joylessly endure another routine win. 

This for Spurs but substitute dominated with nowhere near, and routine win to routine loss.

But the atmosphere is often absolutely shit. I don't mind being next to the away fans, my youngest thinks it's a laugh, but the section where we are is the North stand. Upper tier is family stand, lower (where we are) non ST holders, and I'll be honest if you're gonna get a ticket from a third party seller, you're gonna be in there. 

Full of day trippers (nothing wrong with that), half and half scarfers (I mean its shit but does it affect my life, no) and in the instance of the Liverpool games of the last two seasons, loads of away fans. Subsequently the atmosphere is shit.

They should've had the away end next to the huge south stand, which is safe standing, an area being worked on as a "singing section" (you can laugh if you want, I once would've) but they wanted a huge one tier stand, which ok fine.

If I was in charge of Spurs I'd make that entire stand concessions (it's currently not) get all the old ST holders who can't be arsed to get involved out and into a middle stand, and yes move lots of people who want to sing to stand together.

Subsequently you have the away end outsinging the entire stadium (not hard to do) as the main stand is just too far away.

I used to laugh at Arsenal and those plebs that dress in all black that stand at the front of their big end, but look, no matter how stupid they look, it worked. It also works when your team are playing well as well.

The worst was the Chelsea game in November. My youngest loves going, she loves shouting and she loves singing. She's a very shy kid who usually hates crowds so this is a real outlet for her. The club promised everything beforehand. "We'll turn off all the music 5 minutes before, let you organically grow the sound" blah blah blah and for an hour in the concourse it was rocking. 

But then the trumpeter shuts up, the "When the Spurs" fades and you're left with again a shit atmosphere. She was so disappointed (didn't help that we recorded the lowest ever xg in the league obviously COYSCOYSCOYS) and I really felt for her as she'd been looking forward to a big derby game and it was so flat.

If the atmosphere is shit Sunday in our biggest game of the season, I can't be fucked going again until they change it, and again my youngest will be so disappointed. If you're going to lose, you can still be a decent crowd for the players, and for yourself as well.

But I won't shut up all game Sunday, I don't care. Everyone around me can sit in silence if they want, I'm sick of it being crap. 

If you're watching, I'm directly behind the North stand goal, 10 seats up, I'll hold a Kwesh > Keown sign.

Sorry for the rant, had a too strong coffee, but my point is, it's not rocket science to have a good atmosphere even in a massive stadium.

[hallicks]

12 minutes ago, SuperBacon said:

If you're watching, I'm directly behind the North stand goal, 10 seats up, I'll hold a Kwesh > Keown sign.

[Ironic Indie Lad]

48 minutes ago, SuperBacon said:

Sorry for the rant, had a too strong coffee, but my point is, it's not rocket science to have a good atmosphere even in a massive stadium.

I am going to sound like I fucking despise Celtic fans here (I dont!)

Its often somewhat difficult to get tickets to Celtic league games because of how many season ticket holders there are. It's a lot easier getting to cup games and especially the earlier rounds. Cup ties are also cheaper so you could potentially go as a family without it costing a small fortune. For many fans, they are lucky to get to a couple of cup games a season and that's their lot.

I went to Celtic Park last season for an evening game in the cup against Raith Rovers. It was as routine as it gets. I think it was 5-0. There were a lot of people there who don't get to go often so it seemed a real novelty to them and they were up for the occasion.

In contrast, there were guys around us who go every week home and away. They were just openly mocking fans for being excited. Saying "its only Raith Rovers", "...we dont sing that song anymore", "I can tell you've not been in a while" etc. Spend the entire time talking about going to Munich the following week for the Bayern game in the European Cup play offs.

Utterly repellent behaviour. 

When I was going most weeks with my dad in the 90s everything was better. Everything was better in the 90s. 

Edited February 17 by Ironic Indie Lad

[tiger_rick]

They're at all clubs. We had dreadful attendances under our previous ownership as the years of spiteful decisions in the wake of failing to force through a name change took hold. They were down to around 12k reported, which was much less in reality. They were trying stuff to repair things, to give them a modicum of credit, so there was a game with Derby at half-term with tickets for a fiver. The crowd jumped up to about 16-17k. I stood in a queue to get in, admittedly the first one in a while, and some utter cretins behind me were giving it loads about people who'd only turned up because it was cheap. These idiots would rather be in a 1/3 full ground with no atmosphere just to prove how fucking special they are.

Edited February 17 by tiger_rick
Too many fuckings

[SuperBacon]

I've been to the Hull stadium once with a Palace mate, and a couple of others, April 2008.

We stayed two nights, the Friday night I got way too drunk and then spent the entire game trying not to throw up on the whole away end. I do remember being really impressed with the home fans. I know Palace were chasing promotion, Hull too I think? Was that the year they went up?

Anyway Dean Windass scored the only goal, and when I got back to London on the Sunday evening, I met the mother of my children, so Hull is alright with me.

Was a great couple of nights out to be honest. 

[tiger_rick]

31 minutes ago, SuperBacon said:

I know Palace were chasing promotion, Hull too I think? Was that the year they went up?

Yeah, we won the play offs.

I think we've got a normal fanbase.  Loads of loyal, longtime fans. A group of kids who make some noise, snort stuff and get the badge in. A bunch of absolute whoppers who think they have the only opinions that matter. Then plenty who just enjoy going to the game.

[Tim Healys Chutney Spoon]

Serie A on the BBC...with the original 'Golazzzooooooo' intros! Love a bit of nostalgia

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c9dn572dn80o

 

Edited February 17 by Tim Healys Chutney Spoon

[Rockbus2]

My eldest and his grandpa have season tickets at Hull and when Grandpa can't go I take his ticket. The atmosphere is really hit and miss and sometimes it's absolutely atrocious and some weeks absolutely banging. Doesn't necessarily correlate to what's happening on the pitch either which is the weirdest thing. 

Went to Celtic Park a few weeks ago for the league game against Dundee United and that was an absolutely amazing experience. We were sat right in front of the Bhoys Celtic Ultras so the atmosphere was amazing all game, especially as my political allegiance aligns so it felt like being part of a gang. 

Only better atmosphere I've been to than Celtic Park was a match in Argentina a couple of years ago. Wasn't even one of the big clubs (Hurucan) and it was like nothing else I've ever experienced. 

[Lion_of_the_Midlands]

It was nice to see Mourinho suggest in the interview afterwards that it was Vinicius Jr's fault that he gets racially abused. Especially using the "Our best player ever was black so how can we be racist" defence. 

[Cousin Jim Bob]

21 minutes ago, Lion_of_the_Midlands said:

It was nice to see Mourinho suggest in the interview afterwards that it was Vinicius Jr's fault that he gets racially abused. Especially using the "Our best player ever was black so how can we be racist" defence. 

When the situation happened in the game and Mourinho called Vinicius over to talk to him, I daftly thought he was trying to calm him down and apologise. When in his own words, what the twat was actually doing, was shouting at him that it was all his fault for celebrating a goal.

[Devon Malcolm]

I was begging Vini Jr. to do a Didier Zokora on Prestianni after it.

The whole thing has just been so depressing and predictable. Benfica's response, Mourinho, fucking Mark Clattenberg, Prestianni's non-apology apology - they've all conspired to make it even worse than it already was.