Football

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Especially when most of their players couldn't give a toss. I am embarrassed the Chinese national team still exist even.

Strange choice of friendly, or not. I guess the prize money comes handy.

I think that participating in the China Cup with more than two teams involved, is different than an international friendly match. How would you consider the calibre to be of both Wales and Uruguay, who contested the final?

2018 FIFA rankings for the four competing teams:-
20...Wales
22...Uruguay
43...Czech Republic
65...China PR (Host nation)

 

[SteveP29]

And that's the point I am trying to make. This devaluing of the FA Cup is driven by the big clubs. The tail wagging the dog. The whole of football these days is based on what the big boys want. A winter break will be next. Just so the big clubs who play more games get what they want. Even though they will swan off to Dubai or the Far East to play in a lucrative friendly.

The PL and it's money is bringing down football bit by bit. The big boys and their fans don't care. They see their clubs spending 30 million on a right back and think its great. It isn't.
FFP is designed to keep the big boys at the top and the small boys down in their place. And if you break FFP what happens...you get a fine! An absolute joke.

The national team suffers because the young players coming through are stacked up in U23 teams or out on loan. Get a decent player playing for you and sooner or later they are snapped up and left to rot on the bench of one of the big boys.

Win the FA Cup...so what. It means nothing. That says it all. You don't even need to win the league these days. It's OK just finish 4th and you're on the gravy train.

The sooner it all goes pop the better. I actually don't want Villa to go up this year, not that we will, I am loving life down here. Financially we are probably screwed but it's way more fun.

Money makes the football world go round. And as long as they can rake in the millions to have a diesel engine partner no one cares.

I love singing "have you won the European Cup" to Arsenal and Citeh fans. I remember having a discussion with an Arsenal fan at New St once and he was banging on about qualifying for the last 16 for god knows how many years on the trot and couldn't understand why I thought winning it once beat that. As far as he was concerned qualifying meant more than winning it purely on a financial basis. And that sums it up for me.

Sorry about the rant!!

Couldn't have summed it up better myself

Two more wins needed, hopefully we'll manage to get them somehow (despite being unable to score "in a tower block" as the old chant used to go).

Hopefully not this weekend!!

Even then, we got United at home last year and only had 16,000 home fans, and that includes a lot of United fans in home areas. It was only 6 years ago we played the big teams week in week out. I suspect you getting United at home this year wasn't the big draw it might have been 6 years ago (I believe you came up the same year we went down in 2011/12?). Progressing in the cup at this level leads to severe fixture congestion too, just look at Wigan.

Which United would this be? West Ham, Leeds, my very own Newcastle (who predate Manchester United by 10 years) or Colchester or in fact any other team that has the name United in their name?

 

[AlterEgo]

Which United would this be? West Ham, Leeds, my very own Newcastle (who predate Manchester United by 10 years) or Colchester or in fact any other team that has the name United in their name?

He was clearly referring to a big team so it couldn't have been Newcastle.

Colchester United, maybe.

 

[96tommy]

At long last Jackie McNamara is no longer a member of staff at York City with Jason McGill also leaving with immediate effect. The future may be unpredictable but it is the news a lot of us has been waiting for

 

[roversfan2001]

Couldn't have summed it up better myself



Hopefully not this weekend!!



Which United would this be? West Ham, Leeds, my very own Newcastle (who predate Manchester United by 10 years) or Colchester or in fact any other team that has the name United in their name?

You didn't pick up on me saying "Wigan". I could have meant Wigan Warriors.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Evo Stik 1st Division North

Bamber Bridge 1...Hyde United 1

Bamber Bridge are indeed a top four side this season d they had won against South Shields at home in their last match and Hyde had a much harder match tonight than when they recently won the reverse fixture at Ewen Fields.

South Shields regained top spot tonight by beating Ossett Town 5-0 at home.

 

[roversfan2001]

Evo Stik 1st Division North

Bamber Bridge 1...Hyde United 1

Bamber Bridge are indeed a top four side this season d they had won against South Shields at home in their last match and Hyde had a much harder match tonight than when they recently won the reverse fixture at Ewen Fields.

South Shields regained top spot tonight by beating Ossett Town 5-0 at home.

Was a very even match tonight, draw definitely the fairest result.

 

[SteveP29]

You didn't pick up on me saying "Wigan". I could have meant Wigan Warriors.

Yeah, but the conversation is about football, not rugby football

 

[adrock1976]

Yeah, but the conversation is about football, not rugby football

Or even Rugby Football League, which is different from Rugby Football Union.

 

[507021]

I'm very happy with that, a 4-1 win over Preston North End. Great to see Forestieri score on his return from injury, too.

 

[Dentonian]

Football cliche "Football's a game of 90 minutes" - unless its at Rochdale, then its 110 minutes!

 

[AlterEgo]

Football cliche "Football's a game of 90 minutes" - unless its at Rochdale, then its 110 minutes!

I saw that late result. What happened there?

 

[61653 HTAFC]

I'm very happy with that, a 4-1 win over Preston North End. Great to see Forestieri score on his return from injury, too.

Presume it wasn't a penalty then?

Really, credit to him for bouncing back. He's a very gifted player despite his tendency for theatrical pratfalls. When he's on it he'd not look out of place in any of the bottom 12 top-flight sides.

You did however help blow my acca!

 

[507021]

Presume it wasn't a penalty then?

Really, credit to him for bouncing back. He's a very gifted player despite his tendency for theatrical pratfalls. When he's on it he'd not look out of place in any of the bottom 12 top-flight sides.

You did however help blow my acca!

It was a free kick this time.

I think Forestieri is our best player. I think if he'd been available for more than he has been this season, we'd be better off than we are now.

 

[Dentonian]

I saw that late result. What happened there?

Based on BBC Live reporting; There was an 8 minute delay due to injury to a Shrewsbury player, which mounted up because Rochdale equalised in the twelfth (12) minute of first half injury time. They went ahead late in the second half, and I looked back to the website in time for it to say Shrewsbury had been awarded a penalty on 90+4. It then updated saying Rochdale had scored a third on 90+6! Seemingly, "penalty" should have read "corner". In total, there were 13 minutes added in the first half and seven in the second.

 

[muddythefish]

Thank you Rochdale.......bottoms up to the forthcoming Rovers return.

 

[roversfan2001]

Thank you Rochdale.......bottoms up to the forthcoming Rovers return.

Sentiments echoed, Rochdale AFC are very popular among the Rovers faithful tonight

 

[MidnightFlyer]

I was tracking the Rochdale match on Twitter and did find it amusing that 99% of the replies to the clubs' respective accounts came from Rovers fans

 

[Butts]

There seems to be no stopping Mo Salah as he scores yet again to secure victory for Liverpool against Crystal Palace.

Have Liverpool finally secured a wonderful striker at a reasonable price. Contrast him to Andy Carroll and Benteke both woeful with one of them (Benteke) being booed by his own fans at todays match.

Would Benteke have been better staying at Aston Villa and Carroll at Newcastle. How much money have these two misfits trousered in inflated transfer deals?

Have just heard Ray Wilkins in Hospital after a Heart Attack at the age of 61 - hope he is ok.

 

[Antman]

I was shocked to hear about Ray Wilkins, I think he's a great pundit and he seems a genuinely nice guy.

 

[507021]

There seems to be no stopping Mo Salah as he scores yet again to secure victory for Liverpool against Crystal Palace.

I thought for most of the game we were poor, although we still got the three points which is what matters.

Salah is a terrific player, signing of the season for me. I think Robertson has been another excellent signing from Klopp as well.

 

[Dentonian]

I thought for most of the game we were poor, although we still got the three points which is what matters.

Salah is a terrific player, signing of the season for me. I think Robertson has been another excellent signing from Klopp as well.

I think both City and Liverpool were keeping something in the tank for a massive 11 days coming up.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Huddersfield Town seem to have lost all confidence at just the wrong time in the season. Another defeat, another gutless display, no shots on target. We might well still stay up but it looks like we'll be relying on all the sides below us collapsing.

And to make matters worse, sounds like some Town fans might've been involved in disruptive behaviour on the trains home. At least one service cancelled due to "passengers causing a disturbance on the train" (the 1711 from Edinburgh to Manchester Airport).

 

[507021]

I think both City and Liverpool were keeping something in the tank for a massive 11 days coming up.

I think so too, three key matches coming up for both teams.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Evo Stik 1st Division North

Trafford 1...Hyde United 0

Away to sixth place Trafford, Hyde were only a shadow of the side which recorded a 6-1 home against Trafford in the reverse fixture last December and Trafford scored from the penalty spot with nine minutes to go to consolidate their sixth position in the division. Hyde still in second place, but now could lose that place if Scarborough Athletic win their game in hand.

Other results affecting top four clubs:-
South Shields (1st) 5...Prescot Cables 2
Scarborough Athletic (3rd) 5...Radcliffe Borough 1
Tadcaster Albion 5...Bamber Bridge (4th) 0

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

The heavy overnight and early Monday morning rain have already caused quite a number of non-league Bank Holiday Monday matches to be called off today because of waterlogged pitches.

 

[507021]

Another good win for Sheffield Wednesday today, 3-1 against Sunderland.

 

[familyguy99]

Oldham matches over Easter Period.

Wigan 3-0 Oldham
Oldham 2-1 Blackpool

Massive win for Oldham today after they drop into bottom 4 on Friday. With MK Dons lost to Blackburn and AFC Wimbledon match got call off it mean Oldham move up two places to 19th and now point clear of drop zone. April is going to be busy mouths for Oldham as they play seven matches in 20 days and probably need to win aleast three of them to avoid last day survival match against Northampton.

 

[roversfan2001]

MK Dons 1-2 ROVERS

Vital win, had to dig deep at the end after a comfortable first 60 minutes. Wigan's loss to Portsmouth means the title is back in our sights again.

 

[richw]

City are a good club with proper fans - the problem is, like with their neighbours, once they get success those proper fans can be driven out and people form all over the country start following the team because they are doing well .It was the same with Liverpool in the 80's and United in the late 90's

Since moving to Plymouth 2 years ago, everyone local I meet support Argyle, and Liverpool. Not sure why liverpool is so big in these parts. When I was down in Redruth everyone just supported Man Utd.
I’ve assumed there must be a connected betweenness Plymouth and Liverpool but can’t find it.