25/26 Football thread DEAD, USE A NEW ONE

[westlondonmist]

I think Askou was always going to be gone. It's a shame as Motherwell looked elsewhere as most teams go for the merry go round of Scottish Prem managers and played good stuff. Any other season I think they come third. 

[BarryOVega]

Is this the place for World Cup talk? Because if it is Maguire and his mum’s hilarious paddy about him being left out needs mentioning 

[Doog]

I'll be throwing a paddy too when its officially announced by all accounts.

Appreciate just picking the "best" players hasn't worked before, but seems mental to me that the likes of Palmer, Bowen, Gibbs-White and Hall aren't in, whilst Skelly, Henderson and Maduake are.

First tournament where there's a last 32, so going to need a squad more than ever, not just a "decent " first 11. Squad does not fill me with confidence at all.

Also tbf, Maguire has never let England down and usually performs really well so it is odd not to take him, even if hes not guaranteed a game, if you can take someone like Jordan Henderson there's a place for Maguire.

[RedTwoster]

2 hours ago, tiger_rick said:

Gutted for Motherwell to lose Jens Berthel Askou after only one season. He had them playing some incredible football. Easily the most exciting team to watch last season. They looked like they would gatecrash the title race at one point. Must be devastating to lose him after just a year when thoughts would have been turning to whether they could have done something special next season.

Hope for their sake that they can find someone as interesting to take them forward. And keep hold of some of the really good players they've got who are at a great age.

I’m just glad he didn’t go to Celtic, he could have done tremendous things there and it’s crazy that they seemingly didn’t make a strong play for him. Here’s hoping they find another Wilfried Nancy for next season.

[Sergio Mendacious]

Gibbs-White is total shit, it's clear, he needs to see out his days at Forest.

[westlondonmist]

13 minutes ago, RedTwoster said:

I’m just glad he didn’t go to Celtic, he could have done tremendous things there and it’s crazy that they seemingly didn’t make a strong play for him. Here’s hoping they find another Wilfried Nancy for next season.

Or Toulouse was a better prospect. Clear transfer system using analytics. Go to Celtic and you're expected to win but you're relying on a dated transfer system to build a side for you to win. 

[SuperBacon]

1 hour ago, BarryOVega said:

Is this the place for World Cup talk? Because if it is Maguire and his mum’s hilarious paddy about him being left out needs mentioning 

 

[RedTwoster]

21 minutes ago, westlondonmist said:

Or Toulouse was a better prospect. Clear transfer system using analytics. Go to Celtic and you're expected to win but you're relying on a dated transfer system to build a side for you to win. 

Potentially, but they seemed to have moved on to Robbie Keane as their main target. I’m not sure that’ll end up happening either though, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Martin O’Neill stay on for one final season. When it comes to building a stable base for someone to build from, that may even be the best option.

[air_raid]

All this World Cup talk reminds me we’re probably overdue England failing to make a tournament to remind us we’re not as good as we think. Between the collapse of Sir Alfs squad, Turnip Taylor and the Wally with the Brolly we usually get one every 15 years or so.

[MVP RULZ]

2 hours ago, air_raid said:

All this World Cup talk reminds me we’re probably overdue England failing to make a tournament to remind us we’re not as good as we think. Between the collapse of Sir Alfs squad, Turnip Taylor and the Wally with the Brolly we usually get one every 15 years or so.

True but these days with the expansion of the Euros over the past decade making qualifying for that harder to not make it than it seems to be to make it that even Italy are managing to qualify for it regularly : ) i think we would have to totally fall of a cliff to fail to qualify for that tournament 

We would probably be more likely to fail to qualify for a World Cup these days as whilst it has expanded to 48 teams the places for European teams only increased by 2 to 16 spots.

Isn't the format for qualifying for the world cup changing for 2030 where the top nations won't have to face the Liechtensteins, Andorras and San Marinos anymore

Didn't read up fully how that was going to work but maybe it makes qualifying slightly more dangerous to miss out with lesser gimme games.

[air_raid]

3 hours ago, MVP RULZ said:

 

Isn't the format for qualifying for the world cup changing for 2030 where the top nations won't have to face the Liechtensteins, Andorras and San Marinos anymore

 

Yes. Top 18 and bottom 18 are going to be separated and within those it will be bigger groups but fewer of them in shite Champions League “play some teams home and some away” format, with top teams going straight through, lower placed teams going into play offs and a two man sack race on consecutive Sundays.

Joking aside, a convoluted mess.

[Tim Healys Chutney Spoon]

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

 

Good luck understanding all this! Its not as bad as the World Cup draw though where they might as well have just said 'These are the groups as we've made sure we've got it how we want it'

[Carbomb]

32 minutes ago, Ralphy said:

 they apparently used younger new workers to do the spying stuff, knowing they likely wouldn't say no despite knowing it was immortal

[SuperBacon]

Well in Hull and well in Rick. Hull have been the biggest victims in this whole play off final build up farce and they deserved to go up.

The worst game to lose and the best game to win, and what a shit/fantastic way to lose/win it. 

Boro, I will see you next season.

[FLips]

Nice one @tiger_rick. From a quality standpoint neither team deserved to win that really, a shocking game of football. From a fairness standpoint though Hull deserved it.

I knew the game was over when they showed the Boro at Wembley graphics and the only goal we've scored there was Ravanelli in 1997 for a draw.