Jump to content

Featured Replies

 

Haven’t caught up on all the EPL highlights but that Son goal overnight was simply breathtaking. 

 
5 hours ago, Dee Zephyr said:

Haven’t caught up on all the EPL highlights but that Son goal overnight was simply breathtaking. 

Here's the Son goal amidst the highlights package DZ ... the linked highlight packages tend to only be uploaded for a day or so even though the uploads are from the host broadcaster. 

 

 

 

 

  • 2 months later...

A typical Simeone performance from Athletico this morning, credit to them it makes the tie more interesting. 

 

  • 5 months later...

Wow Lyon, did anyone see that coming? Happy with the last 4 teams in the CL should make for some great viewing!

  • 3 weeks later...

How are the Chelsea fans feeling about this season? Certainly building a neat squad. Should Abraham be worried with the arrival of Werner or can they fit both in? 

I think they might be another year off being a serious contender but after that watch out!

 

On 9/1/2020 at 9:52 AM, layzie said:

How are the Chelsea fans feeling about this season? Certainly building a neat squad. Should Abraham be worried with the arrival of Werner or can they fit both in? 

I think they might be another year off being a serious contender but after that watch out!

 

Abraham will be lucky to finish the season at Chelsea.

They've spent 400 million pounds on players over the last 3 seasons. With a front 4 of Werner in front of Pulisic Havertz Ziyech they should be challenging this season. A lot of pressure on Frank now. 

 

  • 3 weeks later...
 

Steven May couldn't fix City's defence at the moment! I look forward to the most expensive guard of honor when we go back to back

  • 2 weeks later...
On 9/7/2020 at 12:05 AM, roy11 said:

Abraham will be lucky to finish the season at Chelsea.

They've spent 400 million pounds on players over the last 3 seasons. With a front 4 of Werner in front of Pulisic Havertz Ziyech they should be challenging this season. A lot of pressure on Frank now. 

 

I hope they have as much confidence as you do. Front 4 is great but defence wins leagues and theirs is simply not good enough. Top 3 would be a fair effort, quite a jump to be contenders City and Liverpool won't be knocked out easily.


11 hours ago, Stein9193 said:

I hope they have as much confidence as you do. Front 4 is great but defence wins leagues and theirs is simply not good enough. Top 3 would be a fair effort, quite a jump to be contenders City and Liverpool won't be knocked out easily.

there's a joke floating around that goes along the lines of

Arteta can couch but has no money;

Lampard has money but can't coach;

Then there's Ole who has no money and can't coach.

 

Ultimately, I think Lampard won't get the best out of the squad.

I'm no Chelsea fan but that front 4 (when fit and all available) is worthy of a title challenger.

I know Leicester a bit of an abnormality but they had a solid and not spectacular backline when they won the league. 

A back line of Chilwell Zouma Silva James is solid enough, give them time to gel - esp with the new keeper. 

it's been a crazy season so far, long may it continue - very hard to predict. 

 

  • 1 month later...

Some EPL highlights from last night ... the links might take you back to youtube (to view) or you may be able to view the clips here

The terrific part of these Optus Sports clips are that they don't give away the scoreline beforehand.  Readily available on youtube not too long after the games are completed as well

p.s.  the Title is up for grabs!

 

 

 

 

Edited by Macca

Did I say the Title is up for grabs? 

Highlights from last night

 

 

 

 

Games to look out for this weekend

  • Sat 11.30pm Brighton vs Liverpool
  • Sun 1.30am Stuttgart vs Bayern Munich (Bundesliga)
  • Sun 4.30am Everton vs Leeds
  • Mon 1.00am Southampton vs Man Utd
  • Mon 3.30am Chelsea vs Tottenham
  • Mon 6.45am Napoli vs Roma (Serie A)

 

  • 2 weeks later...

The race for the title is on (see the next 3 weeks upcoming fixtures listed below the current table)

image.png.ec23a9f6fc86be143f31ee4022a06f43.png

 

image.png.03b887942dc76ef4964f30a538aef118.png

 

image.png.ff9fd2bfa725d2f33629e4904f4a8d7b.png

 

image.png.5e77a939ae04e619b1e0093e82668e50.png

Edited by Macca


  • 3 weeks later...

Don't care what the media says this title race is well and truly on, at least for another month. It's that kind of season where good teams are just going to drop points. 

Wolves and Spurs was a tight one with Wolves nearly nicking all 3 points. Big Sam brought West Brom to Anfield with a plan and played it perfectly. Liverpool were way off in the second half. One thing I'll say is I don't know why people get annoyed when the other side isn't 'playing football'. Just find other ways to score.

  • 3 months later...

Spurs have dropped 13 points after the 85th minute this season - 6 wins which became draws, and a draw which turned into a loss. 

It’s like watching us get beaten by a kick after the siren every week. 

If Mourinho was dead he’d be turning in his grave. 

Could @Macca‘s  Hammers be headed to Europe? 

12 minutes ago, Grapeviney said:

Spurs have dropped 13 points after the 85th minute this season - 6 wins which became draws, and a draw which turned into a loss. 

It’s like watching us get beaten by a kick after the siren every week. 

If Mourinho was dead he’d be turning in his grave. 

Could @Macca‘s  Hammers be headed to Europe? 

Well, we're every chance GV ... was having a look at our remaining fixtures last night 

Run home is vs Leicester, @ Newcastle, vs Chelsea, @ Burnley, vs Everton,  @ Brighton,  @ West Brom and then vs Southampton

There is not a game amongst that lot which we can't win or gain points from

If we can beat Leicester we're right in it as 2 CL spots would then be up for grabs

Of course Liverpool, Spurs, Chelsea, Everton & Leicester are all eyeing off a spot as well.  But Man Utd could drop points in the run home thus opening up a 3rd slot

Dare to dream!!!

 

 

  • 2 weeks later...

well well

Is this the end of football as we have known it for the last 20 odd years.

Will be a fascinating study in power politics at so many levels not to mention TV rights battles.

How it will impact development of Australian players will be interesting. Could mean more spots in the various European national leagues as clubs replace the Super League teams.

O to live in such interesting times


9 hours ago, Diamond_Jim said:

well well

Is this the end of football as we have known it for the last 20 odd years.

Will be a fascinating study in power politics at so many levels not to mention TV rights battles.

How it will impact development of Australian players will be interesting. Could mean more spots in the various European national leagues as clubs replace the Super League teams.

O to live in such interesting times

Big news hey DJ!

Looks like the people behind the idea are all-in but the backlash already has been full-on

Threats of reprisals and bans dominate the news. 

But a number of other sports have their own version of a 'Super League' so what this new group is proposing isn't really groundbreaking - although that's the perception (NBA, NHL, MLB, NFL, NRL & AFL are good examples)

Interesting that the head honchos of the proposed new league are the current presidents of Real Madrid & Juventus

But Soccer/Football is entrenched with its own leagues,  European Cups, Champions League, World Cups etc etc so this league would be a huge intrusion. 

And $Billions of dollars are at stake so the fight will be dirty.  In fact, there's talk that the new league with it's 15 teams (with 5 other invited/qualified teams) could generate $5.6Billion to start things off.  2 groups of 10 clubs is the rumoured structure

Banking giant JP Morgan will be financing the new league with the $5.6Billion+

The Financial Review has a comprehensive article on the whole proceedings

Copy & Paste ...

European Super League Explained: teams, formats, winners and losers

Edited by Macca

Big news continue. Mourinho sacked overnight just days before the League Cup final. Reportedly he was against Spurs joining the Super League. 

10 hours ago, Macca said:

Big news hey DJ!

Looks like the people behind the idea are all-in but the backlash already has been full-on

Threats of reprisals and bans dominate the news. 

But a number of other sports have their own version of a 'Super League' so what this new group is proposing isn't really groundbreaking - although that's the perception (NBA, NHL, MLB, NFL, NRL & AFL are good examples)

Interesting that the head honchos of the proposed new league are the current presidents of Real Madrid & Juventus

But Soccer/Football is entrenched with its own leagues,  European Cups, Champions League, World Cups etc etc so this league would be a huge intrusion. 

And $Billions of dollars are at stake so the fight will be dirty.  In fact, there's talk that the new league with it's 15 teams (with 5 other invited/qualified teams) could generate $5.6Billion to start things off.  2 groups of 10 clubs is the rumoured structure

Banking giant JP Morgan will be financing the new league with the $5.6Billion+

The Financial Review has a comprehensive article on the whole proceedings

Copy & Paste ...

European Super League Explained: teams, formats, winners and losers

Capitalist Greed Created the European Super League

 

Some may not like the source, but I’ve seen some parallels with what’s in this article to certain epochs of AFL history (mid to late ‘90’s). Thankfully, by 2002, David Smorgon made his speech, and football neo-liberalism was contained somewhat.

Bill Shankly would be cringing if he saw who was the owner (a previously foreign concept to English football) of Liverpool these days.

 
4 hours ago, Colin B. Flaubert said:

Capitalist Greed Created the European Super League

 

Some may not like the source, but I’ve seen some parallels with what’s in this article to certain epochs of AFL history (mid to late ‘90’s). Thankfully, by 2002, David Smorgon made his speech, and football neo-liberalism was contained somewhat.

Bill Shankly would be cringing if he saw who was the owner (a previously foreign concept to English football) of Liverpool these days.

Although the greed already exists anyway Col ... for years we've been noting the spending spree along with the gouging of pricing for attendees (as well as a need to have pay TV to watch etc etc)

The big clubs with their rich ownership have been practising this sort of behavior for decades

The new league (if it goes ahead) is just an extension of greedy practises

Soccer allows it's own clubs to be owned by greedy rich billionaires and then is outraged by greedy rich billionaires acting like greedy rich billionaires!

Stands to reason that a super league was inevitable ... and a little club like Leipzig with its well connected ownership (Redbull) will want a seat at the table

By the way,  I'm more so siding with the practicalities of inevitable outcomes not the billionaire owners ... I'm quite surprised that this sort of league hasn't happened earlier. 

It was first mooted over 2 decades ago. 

Not convinced it will get off the ground though as it may just be an ambit claim

But we're seeing capitalism with a capital C at work!

Edited by Macca

An interesting point raised in the Jacobin article @Maccais that there were regulations that prohibited football club board members from being paid a salary, and that lifting this paved the way for the era of private ownership. Not to divert the conversation too off topic, this does highlight the earnings available and global attractiveness of both AFL and what is now the English Premier League.

I'm not sure if there is a regulatory framework in place in the AFL, but there have been salaried presidents (George Harris) and private ownership. However, AFL being a quaint product of the Antipodes has made the monied powers more reticent to invest in the clubs. When private buyers have invested, they have either been shysters (Christopher Skase and Geoffrey Edelsten), disinterested (Reuben Pelerman) or a means to keep a struggling club afloat (Mike Willessee, Bob Ansett and the North Melbourne share float). 

AFL has gone down the TV rights path, but while it has teetered on the precipice of going full blown corporate, it's never pulled the trigger entirely. I think it's telling that Rupert decided to sink his claws into the then ARL, instead of the AFL in the mid 90's. The ability to sell the former to boardrooms beyond the borders of Australia were clearly greater. 

I recently read a book called 'Hired: Six Months Undercover in Low Wage Britain', and Blackpool, one of the cities mentioned in the article whose club had fallen from grace thanks to the agglomeration of wealth by the 'big 7' clubs, featured heavily. From what was once a beachside holiday destination to a city struggling with homelessness, alcoholism and chronic diseases like obesity, diabetes and heart disease, this seems to be another kick in the guts for communities that largely voted for Brexit wanting something, ANYTHING, to change (and were pointed mostly in the wrong direction by shameless charlatans). While football isn't life, it seems brutally unfair that this will now happen while the same race baiting Tories are basically silent in the background.

 

Edited by Colin B. Flaubert


Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
Reply to this topic...

Featured Content

  • GAMEDAY: Brisbane

    It’s Game Day, and the Demons are back on the road with a massive challenge ahead — facing the reigning premiers, the Brisbane Lions, at their Gabba fortress. The Lions are licking their wounds after a shock draw in Tasmania last week, while Melbourne’s season hangs in the balance. Can the Dees defy the odds and pull off a miracle to keep their razor thin finals hopes alive?

      • Clap
      • Haha
      • Love
      • Like
    • 45 replies
    Demonland
  • NON-MFC: Round 10

    The Sir Doug Nicholls Round kicks off in Darwin with a Top 4 clash between the Suns and the Hawks. On Friday night the Swans will be seeking to rebound from a challenging start to the season, while the Blues have the Top 8 in their sights after their sluggish start. Saturdays matches kick off with a blockbuster between the Collingwood and Kuwarna with the Magpies looking to maintain their strong form and the Crows aiming to make a statement on the road. The Power face a difficult task to revive their season against a resilient Cats side looking to make amends for their narrow loss last week. The Giants aim to reinforce their top-eight status, while the Dockers will be looking to break the travel hoodoo. The sole Saturday game is a critical matchup for both teams, as the Bulldogs strive to cemet their spot in the top six and the Bombers desperately want break into the 8. Sundays start with a bottom 3 clash between the Tigers and Kangaroos with both teams wanting to avoid the being in wooden spoon contention. The Round concludes with the Eagles still searching for their first win of the season, while the Saints look to keep their finals hopes alive with a crucial away victory. Who are you tipping and what are the best results for the Demons?

    • 168 replies
    Demonland
  • PREVIEW: Brisbane

    And just like that, we’re Narrm again. Even though the annual AFL Sir Doug Nicholls Round which commemorates the contributions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture to our game has been a welcome addition to our calendar for ten years, more lately it has been a portent of tough times ahead for we beleaguered Narrm supporters. Ever since the club broke through for its historic 2021 premiership, this has become a troubling time of the year for the club. For example, it all began when Melbourne rebranded itself as Narrm across the two rounds of the Sir Doug Nicholls Round to become the first club to adopt an Indigenous club name especially for the occasion. It won its first outing under the brand against lowly North Melbourne to go to 10 wins and no losses but not without a struggle or a major injury to  star winger Ed Langdon who broke his ribs and missed several weeks. In the following week, still as Narrm, the team’s 17 game winning streak came to an end at the hands of the Dockers. That came along with more injuries, a plague that remained with them for the remainder of the season until, beset by injuries, the Dees were eliminated from the finals in straight sets. It was even worse last year, when Narrm inexplicably lowered its colours in Perth to the Waalit Marawar Eagles. Oh, the shame of it all! At least this year, if there is a corner to turn around, it has to be in the direction of something better. To that end, I produced a special pre-game chant in the local Narrm language - “nam mi:wi winnamun katjil prolin ambi ngamar thamelin amb” which roughly translated is “every heart beats true for the red and the blue.” >y belief is that if all of the Narrm faithful recite it long enough, then it might prove to be the only way to beat the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba on Sunday. The Lions are coming off a disappointing draw at Marvel Stadium against a North Melbourne team that lacks the ability and know how to win games (except when playing Melbourne). Brisbane are, however, a different kettle of fish at home and have very few positional weaknesses. They are a midfield powerhouse, strong in defence and have plenty of forward options, particularly their small and medium sized players, to kick a winning score this week after the sting of last week’s below par performance.

      • Haha
      • Like
    • 11 replies
    Demonland
  • REPORT: Hawthorn

    There was a time during the current Melbourne cycle that goes back to before the premiership when the club was the toughest to beat in the fourth quarter. The Demons were not only hard to beat at any time but it was virtually impossible to get the better them when scores were close at three quarter time. It was only three or four years ago but they were fit, strong and resilient in body and mind. Sadly, those days are over. This has been the case since the club fell off its pedestal about 12 months ago after it beat Geelong and then lost to Carlton. In both instances, Melbourne put together strong, stirring final quarters, one that resulted in victory, the other, in defeat. Since then, the drop off has been dramatic to the point where it can neither pull off victory in close matches, nor can it even go down in defeat  gallantly.

    • 1 reply
    Demonland
  • CASEY: Footscray

    At twenty-four minutes into the third term of the game between the Casey Demons and Footscray VFL at Whitten Oval, the visitors were coasting. They were winning all over the ground, had the ascendancy in the ruck battles and held a 26 point lead on a day perfect for football. What could go wrong? Everything. The Bulldogs moved into overdrive in the last five minutes of the term and booted three straight goals to reduce the margin to a highly retrievable eight points at the last break. Bouyed by that effort, their confidence was on a high level during the interval and they ran all over the despondent Demons and kicked another five goals to lead by a comfortable margin of four goals deep into the final term before Paddy Cross kicked a couple of too late goals for a despondent Casey. A testament to their lack of pressure in the latter stages of the game was the fact that Footscray’s last ten scoring shots were nine goals and one rushed behind. Things might have been different for the Demons who went into the game after last week’s bye with 12 AFL listed players. Blake Howes was held over for the AFL game but two others, Jack Billings and Taj Woewodin (not officially listed as injured) were also missing and they could have been handy at the end. Another mystery of the current VFL system.

    • 0 replies
    Demonland
  • PREGAME: Brisbane

    The Demons head back out on the road in Round 10 when they travel to Queensland to take on the reigning Premiers and the top of the table Lions who look very formidable. Can the Dees cause a massive upset? Who comes in and who goes out?

      • Thanks
    • 284 replies
    Demonland