The Football Thread 2019/20: Barcelona will have 2-8 till next season to avenge this embarrassment

[Moggy]

Thursday's League Cup draw will take place in Morrison's.

twitter.com/jonnygabriel/status/1140560037477343233

[Ecno]

Can I request the subtitle be "Norwich run farke-ing rampant" when they beat Liverpool Friday night?

Don't know about best game, but the worst game I went to was the Swansea Bradford League Cup final. I'd entered a Facebook competition to win some tickets and then won them. Most awkward football match of my life.

Edit: Can answer best game, it was this year on Boxing day when we were 3-0 down and got one back in the 78th minute and then scored the equaliser in the 98th minute.

Your worst is one of my best

I know the game wasn’t great for the neutral but as our first major trophy it meant a lot. We’d beaten Liverpool at Anfield and Chelsea over two legs to get there too so it wasn’t like we had an easy run.

Incidentally, can I get on the list as a Swansea fan please.

It was incredibly awkward as opposed to the game itself. I think they gave away 100 tickets in the Bradford end, right at the front of the pitch. I would say out of the 100 about 10-20 were proper Bradford fans (as opposed to well-wishers). I happened to be sat next to one of them, who quite fairly was appalled that tickets had gone to non-Bradford fans. I said I was surprised we were, where we were and that I entered as I didn't think it would sell out (and also who doesn't enjoy free stuff?). I think there was at least 10k spare seats, but they were not available to the clubs.

[Ecno]

Thursday's League Cup draw will take place in Morrison's.

I strawberry floating love cup draws, if I still lived in London I'd try and go

Arsenal had a club shop in the London Colney Savacentre (it was close to the training ground so apparently you'd get players coming in as well). They had the Makita Cup on display there in 1994-5 (we actually won the last iteration of that pre-season tournament #thistimeitsforkeeps). On one of the quieter afternoons they got it out of the cabinet and let me wave it around the shop like I'd won it. It. Was. Awesome.

I'd be going if Norwich were still in the 1st round. My plan is to try and go to all the cup games this season, as I want the club to win one so I should at least go and support as opposed to being one of the 10k missing from a league attendance.

[Corazon de Leon]

I was going to say Swansea beating Reading in the playoff final for my best game but thinking about it I’d probably go for the semi final second leg v Forest. We went in half time 2-0 up from a couple of great goals, and the Liberty was bouncing. Then towards the end they pulled one back and hammered us trying to get the equaliser. I think Earnshaw hit the post at one point and it felt like extra time was inevitable. Then it got to injury time and Lee Camp, the forest goalie went up for field a corner. Doris de Vries our keeper punched the ball clear to the edge of the box, an air shot by a Forest player led to Darren Pratley breaking down the pitch with an empty goal infront of him. Just before Chris Gunther caught him, he launched it forward from the half line and the ball bounced into an empty net. Pandonmium. Brendan Rodgers was off down the touchline and the crowd went berserk from the combination of pure relief, ecstasy and a ridiculous goal

DDV played for Celtic?! I had no idea.

He jumped ship after helping us get promoted and signed for Wolves on a free. Famously (amongst Swans fans anyway) said “the difference is Swansea will hope to stay up whereas Wolves will expect to stay up”. We then stayed up and Wolves went down...

He still does.

We might've released him to be fair, but your man signed him when he came up here as backup for Craig Gordon - he was disastrous.

[PaperMacheMario]

Utter bollocks decision in the France v Nigeria game. Keeper was about an inch off her line for a penalty that the French player hit wide and the ref ordered a retake while booking the keeper. Retake is scored. Football really is just turning into unbearable pedantry with VAR.

EDIT: Just watched the replay and a French player was in the box before the penalty was scored. Why is that not picked up on? At least be consistent in killing the joy of the game.

[Mini E]

Utter bollocks decision in the France v Nigeria game. Keeper was about an inch off her line for a penalty that the French player hit wide and the ref ordered a retake while booking the keeper. Retake is scored. Football really is just turning into unbearable pedantry with VAR.

EDIT: Just watched the replay and a French player was in the box before the penalty was scored. Why is that not picked up on? At least be consistent in killing the joy of the game.

Yeah this keeper coming off the line thing was trialled in the U20s WC a few weeks ago and caused New Zealand to be knocked out of their shootout. So harsh.

[Tomous]

Utter bollocks decision in the France v Nigeria game. Keeper was about an inch off her line for a penalty that the French player hit wide and the ref ordered a retake while booking the keeper. Retake is scored. Football really is just turning into unbearable pedantry with VAR.

EDIT: Just watched the replay and a French player was in the box before the penalty was scored. Why is that not picked up on? At least be consistent in killing the joy of the game.

I haven’t seen this but regarding your edit an attacking player in the box just means the attacking team have to retake a scored penalty doesn’t it? Rather than lose the penalty. So those two things don’t cancel each other out?

[Psychic]

The keeper having to have one foot on the line is one of the new rules that was introduced recently, including players having to go off at the nearest touchline when subbed off to dissuade timewasting, refs being able to book coaching staff and the ball not having to leave the box from a goal kick.

More here.

[Dowbocop]

Incidentally, can I get on the list as a Swansea fan please.

Swansea are on Cora's list in the EFL thread. I considered putting an "Other" section for overseas teams etc but I think it would only be Cora that supports Celtic (and DBlock, but I'm assuming hoping praying he's banned!

Hi. When you say Live do you mean in the stadium?

I've never been to an actual game, maybe I will one day. Like to watch on the telly but it's never appealed to me enough to actually go. Armchair fan for sure.

Yeah, I mean in person. Get yourself to one! It's a completely different experience.

The best game I ever went to live was Arsenal 3-2 Shakhtar Donetsk. We were 2-0 down but Wiltord got a missed Henry penalty on the rebound just before half time. The second half was just us battering them senseless but we couldn't score. Then, in injury time, up popped Martin Keown of all people with two goals in two minutes. I could barely speak the next morning at school I'd been screaming so loud

Honorable mentions:
Arsenal 4-2 Southampton - my first ever game, Bergkamp's first two Arsenal goals (both great), Wrighty scored a beast as well.
Arsenal 5-1 Deportivo - absolutely smashing the La Liga leaders when everyone thought we'd lose
Wigan 5-3 Blackburn - a proper batshit mental game with two hat tricks (Roque Santa Cruz and Darren Bent ), a missed penalty and a red card.

[Tomous]

Incidentally, can I get on the list as a Swansea fan please.

Swansea are on Cora's list in the EFL thread. I considered putting an "Other" section for overseas teams etc but I think it would only be Cora that supports Celtic (and DBlock, but I'm assuming hoping praying he's banned!

Opps. I only scanned the list quickly and thought it was for all teams, I forgot Sheffield United had been promoted

[PaperMacheMario]

The keeper having to have one foot on the line is one of the new rules that was introduced recently, including players having to go off at the nearest touchline when subbed off to dissuade timewasting, refs being able to book coaching staff and the ball not having to leave the box from a goal kick.

More here.

I knew about these including the keeper needing to have at least one foot on the line, but it doesn’t explain why that takes precedent over existing rules such as players not being allowed to encroach, or keepers not being allowed off their line before a pen is taken... which happens all the time but is rarely picked up on.

Utter bollocks decision in the France v Nigeria game. Keeper was about an inch off her line for a penalty that the French player hit wide and the ref ordered a retake while booking the keeper. Retake is scored. Football really is just turning into unbearable pedantry with VAR.

EDIT: Just watched the replay and a French player was in the box before the penalty was scored. Why is that not picked up on? At least be consistent in killing the joy of the game.

I haven’t seen this but regarding your edit an attacking player in the box just means the attacking team have to retake a scored penalty doesn’t it? Rather than lose the penalty. So those two things don’t cancel each other out?

Yep, but the penalty that was scored wasn’t retaken despite there being an attacking player in the box. So the second penalty should have been retaken too. They applied the new rule but not the existing one. It seems really harsh and unfair, especially seeing as the keeper was an inch off her line for the first one (which went wide) yet the French player was more than an inch in the box for the one that was scored and allowed.

[SpaceJebus]

Wigan 5-3 Blackburn - a proper batshit mental game with two hat tricks (Roque Santa Cruz and Darren Bent ), a missed penalty and a red card.

It was Marcus Bent, it was a cracking game though.

[Dowbocop]

Wigan 5-3 Blackburn - a proper batshit mental game with two hat tricks (Roque Santa Cruz and Darren Bent ), a missed penalty and a red card.

It was Marcus Bent, it was a cracking game though.

I even Googled the sodding match report as well

[Drumstick]

Wigan 5-3 Blackburn - a proper batshit mental game with two hat tricks (Roque Santa Cruz and Darren Bent ), a missed penalty and a red card.

It was Marcus Bent, it was a cracking game though.

I even Googled the sodding match report as well

Well this bodes well for the season ahead.

[Dowbocop]

Wigan 5-3 Blackburn - a proper batshit mental game with two hat tricks (Roque Santa Cruz and Darren Bent ), a missed penalty and a red card.

It was Marcus Bent, it was a cracking game though.

I even Googled the sodding match report as well

Well this bodes well for the season ahead.

Sounds like you're all Bent out of shape.

[Photek]

The amount of money being 'reported' for players right now is crazy. £80m for Harry "Minecraft head" Maguire, £60 for Wan Basaka and Is it true Rashford just signed a £300k a week contract!?

[Moggy]

The amount of money being 'reported' for players right now is crazy. £80m for Harry "Minecraft head" Maguire, £60 for Wan Basaka and Is it true Rashford just signed a £300k a week contract!?

Basaka is a bargain compared to the others.

[Tomous]

The amount of money being 'reported' for players right now is crazy. £80m for Harry "Minecraft head" Maguire, £60 for Wan Basaka and Is it true Rashford just signed a £300k a week contract!?

That’s an absolute joke for Maguire, pure England player tax in play but that’ll be a bargain on Wan Bissaka. Give it a few years and he’ll be up there with the best in the world in my opinion. Defensively, he was one of the best full backs in the league last season.

[Photek]

He was indeed, luckily Liverpool are covered in both full back rolls rather well, wonder if Manu will stump up the cash.

[Blue Eyes]

Solskjaer was full of big talk about his players not being good enough and preparing for a summer clear-out. He's now just offered Juan Mata a new contract. Haha!