The Soccer thread

[layzie 33,793]

Some key games in the EPL this weekend. Tottenham v Chelsea undoubtedly the pick of them. Tricky trips to Watford for Liverpool and Bournemouth for Arsenal. Everton v Cardiff is intriguing too, the bluebirds haven’t won at Goodison since 1926. 

[Dee Zephyr 19,267]

5 hours ago, layzie said:

Some key games in the EPL this weekend. Tottenham v Chelsea undoubtedly the pick of them. Tricky trips to Watford for Liverpool and Bournemouth for Arsenal. Everton v Cardiff is intriguing too, the bluebirds haven’t won at Goodison since 1926. 

Come On You Spurs

[layzie 33,793]

6 hours ago, Dee Zephyr said:

Come On You Spurs

Quite a few Spurs fans in this thread. Good to see! 

[Macca 16,958]

As good as Man City have been,  they can't shake off their challengers in Liverpool,  Spurs,  Chelsea and the Gunners.   All of those 4 teams are still within striking distance. 

The 4 challengers have to take points off City or better still,  win against them as City continue to beat up on any of the other teams.  The trouble with that is that City don't play any of the other big guns (Apart from Chelsea on Dec 9) until the new year.  

So the challengers all need to keep winning and hope that City somehow slip up ... which,  to be perfectly honest,  isn't very likely.  It isn't over yet for the title challenge but it soon could be.

Man Utd continue to struggle in the Premier league but may well advance out of their group in the Champions league.  But I reckon they'd have to get as far as the Semi finals or even the final for Mourinho to stay in charge.  They have been largely disappointing. 

[Dee Zephyr 19,267]

Funny passage of play in the Europa League the other night......cool teammate to have.

 

[layzie 33,793]

On 12/1/2018 at 11:17 AM, Dee Zephyr said:

Funny passage of play in the Europa League the other night......cool teammate to have.

 

Darn, blocked by UEFA! 

[layzie 33,793]

City walk in another. Watched the Optus Sport mini match of the West Ham and Toon game, thought the Hammers were very good and Hernandez and Anderson were lethal. 

How about the Victory last night? Scintillating stuff! 

[Dee Zephyr 19,267]

13 minutes ago, layzie said:

Darn, blocked by UEFA! 

Lol, UEFA is strict. Try what looks like a home video.

 

[layzie 33,793]

13 minutes ago, Dee Zephyr said:

Lol, UEFA is strict. Try what looks like a home video.

 

All good DZ found it on The World Game site. You couldn’t make that up, ridiculous! 

[Dee Zephyr 19,267]

Mourinho sacked.

https://apple.news/AmMTunvJwSoOH_QUQbrkQcA

Edited December 18, 2018 by Dee Zephyr

[Grapeviney 9,716]

I’m back from my European soccer adventure. 6 games in 3 cities taking in 3 competitions. It was everything I hoped it would be and more; some of Europe's best stadia, big crowds, intense atmosphere, and Spurs in good form for the most part.

Game 1: Spurs v Inter @ Wembley

This was an important game, not just for Tottenham but for me, because if Spurs had lost then the forthcoming fixture against Barca – to which I also had tickets – would have been a dead rubber, and I was hoping for a big crowd at the Camp Nou. Disappointing crowd at Wembley, just 55,000 in, and Spurs supporters I spoke to said they’re sick of Wembley and waiting for the new stadium to open. Good game but with few real opportunities for either side, until Eriksen hit the winner fairly late on. Spurs 1-0 Inter.

Game 2: Arsenal v Spurs @ Emirates

One of the craziest sporting experiences of my life. The fun began outside the stadium pre-match, where large groups of Gooners and Yids, separated by large number of cops, hurled abuse at one another and taunted each other with disparaging chants. Funnily enough, many of Spurs most wicked chants are still directed at Sol Campbell, even though it’s been close to 20 years since his defection from the Lane to Highbury, with Spurs supporters singing that they’re going to throw a massive party when he dies! The stadium was full and I’ve never heard noise like it. All game, there was just this constant din, louder than the 90,000 crowds we had at this year’s finals, and it escalated as each side surged forward in what was an electrifying contest. Arsenal scored inside 10mins thanks to a penalty, and could have had another 2 or 3 goals in the minutes soon after, as Tottenham looked all at sea in defence, and it was only thanks to some ripper saves from Lloris that the game wasn’t all over by the 20-minute mark. Tottenham then got 2 in quick succession against the run of play to take a half-time lead, but the Gunners were on song after the break and netted another 3 for a 4-2 win. Watching the other mob celebrate those second half goals was incredible; it’s not like kicking goals here, where everyone goes up for a second, cheers, and then sits back down. There they jump up and down for 2 or 3 minutes, waving their hands wildly in the air, and it’s just bedlam, an incredible expression of joy the likes of which I haven’t seen before, with smoke bombs going off, fans getting arrested, and a number of mini-melees on the pitch. To cap it all off, I was sitting in the Spurs section, and when we scored and led, our section was riotous. It was just crazy! All game there was just a deafening wall of sound, and the media commentary afterwards was that it was a classic North London derby that did justice to what is a long and bitter rivalry between these two sides. Arsenal 4-2 Tottenham.

Here's Spurs fans in full voice after Eric Dier's first half goal to level the scores at 1-1

Wild scenes as the Gooners celebrate their second half comeback.

 

 

Game 3: Spurs v Southampton @ Wembley

After the intensity and energy of the Arsenal game, this midweek game with an 8pm kick-off was akin to playing Freo at 4.40 at Docklands on a Sunday arvo, and the struggling Saints had just sacked their coach that week. Spurs didn’t really have to get out of 2^nd gear for this one, and the only blight on the game was our inability to keep a clean sheet, something which has been an issue all season. Stadium was less than half full, unfortunately. Tottenham 3-1 Southampton.

 

Game 4: Espanyol v Barcelona @ Espanyol Stadium.

This fixture was a late addition to my schedule, and one which I had high hopes for, as it’s the Catalan derby, and as the Espanyol stadium only holds 40,000, I expected it to be a sell-out. There’s no love lost between these two teams, as Barca are historically associated with the Catalan independence movement, while Espanyol are traditionally aligned with the Spanish state. But the Barca supporters section was completely empty! Part of the reason for this is that these sorts of games are beneath them – it’s one of the most lopsided derby records in European football – and also the supporters’ antipathy towards anything to do with the Spanish government carries over to their cross-town rivals. This sentiment was on show a few days later at the Camp Nou game against Spurs, where large numbers of supporters held up signs demanding independence and protesting the continued imprisonment of Catalan political leaders. Anyway, getting back to the match at hand, it was a night for Messi, who kicked two stunning free kick goals as Barca cantered to a 4-0 win. Espanyol 0-4 Barcelona

 

 

Game 5: Barcelona v Tottenham @ Camp Nou

A dream come true at football’s most famous cathedral, as Spurs scored an 85^th minute equaliser to progress to the knockout stages of the CL. The official attendance was 70,000, but it felt and sounded like 85k+, mainly thanks to the thousands of Spurs supporters who made the trip over. The Barca fans were very much bemused by the antics of the opposition mob. Aside from a very noisy cheersquad-type section at one of the ground, the Spanish tend to be a lot more reserved in their support, whereas the English don’t stop chanting all game. Aside from conceding an early goal, Spurs dominated the match, as they should given that Barca was basically playing their second squad as they’d already sewn up top spot in the group. Messi started on the bench and didn’t have much of an impact when he came on, but the noise which greeted his arrival onto the pitch was incredible, and every time he gets the ball there’s just this immense anticipation that anything’s possible. You can almost feel the fear in the opposition defence as he runs towards goal. The noise of the Spurs fans in those final minutes after levelling the scores and then post-match was unbelievable. They were seated behind a wire fence at the very top of the outer stand, and the Barcelona police made them stay there for 30 minutes after the game while the local fans cleared the area. Even outside the ground and away from the arena, you could still hear them chanting non-stop in celebration inside the stadium.

Spurs fans chanting the Dele Alli song before kick-off. 

Barca fans welcome the introduction of Messi in the second half.

 

Game 6: Real Madrid v Rayo Vallecano @ Santiago Bernabeu

I had no real interest in this game other than to visit the stadium. Real have obviously gone to poo since Ronaldo’s departure, and so it proved in this fixture, which I think they won 10-2 last year. Not so this time around, and after scoring easily in the first 15 minutes, they never really looked like doing it again despite dominating possession for most of the game. Rayo actually almost equalised with the last play of the day, and the local supporters jeered for much of the second half as they expressed their displeasure at what was a half-hearted effort at best. The Bernabeu is an incredible stadium, though, and the stands are so steep they actually advise people who suffer from vertigo not to sit in the top tiers! Despite the home team’s fall from grace, there was still a good crowd in and the atmosphere was great.   

 

So all in all, it was another sensational few weeks on the road, and I don't regret forking out the money for premium seats at most of the games I attended. In fact the only thing I do regret is that I wasn't back at Emirates yesterday morning for Spurs 2-0 League Cup win over Arsenal, which had 2 classy goals from Son and Dele. Over the course of my two trips, I've seen 8 games for a total of 25 goals, so I've been blessed on that front too. Now comes the hardest part of the holiday - paying it off !!   

Edited December 21, 2018 by Grapeviney

[Dee Zephyr 19,267]

So jealous @Grapeviney, thanks heaps for sharing. Fantastic stuff mate.

[Macca 16,958]

Well done @Grapeviney  ... that post of your trip was wonderful reading.  Fabulous snaps and video clips.

It was kinda like a bucket-list all on its own in a whirlwind tour - hard to top that one.  I did something similar at the Sydney Olympics with Mrs Mac & Scout Mac. 

You'll have those memories forever GV - great stuff!

[layzie 33,793]

Amazing stuff @Grapeviney that was an awesome summary. I think a lot of us Aussie English football fans would kill to have that much in-person exposure just in our lifetime! Great job. Good to see Spurs are doing it for you

[Macca 16,958]

What on Earth has happened to Man City?  3 PL losses out of their last 4 with Liverpool scooting clear and City have been passed by Spurs as well.  Liverpool don't look like losing points and have still only conceded 7 goals for the entire season.  The Title is now the Reds to lose. 

Just had a quick look at Liverpool's fixture and their next 6 PL games are vs Gunners,  @ Man City,  @ Wolves,  @ Brighton,  vs Palace,  vs Leicester.  Obviously the next 2 are all important but if they can beat Arsenal and then get a point at City they'll be well on their way to securing the Title.

 

Edited December 27, 2018 by Macca

[Macca 16,958]

The Asian Cup kicks off in just over a week and here's the schedule (below) for Australia. 

The Socceroos play on Sunday 6th Jan (10.00pm),  Friday 11th Jan (10.00pm) & Wednesday 16th Jan (12.30am) at the Group stage and we should be able to advance out of Group B without too much trouble.  There are 6 Groups but a total of 16 teams advance from the Group stage to the round of 16 matches.   

The UAE will host the tournament and upon checking the average temperature for the coming week,  I was pleasantly surprised to see the maximum temperature being about 26° on most days.  'VAR' is to be used at the tournament as well.

Here's the Wiki link to the tournament

n.b.  The times listed below are local times.  Add 7 hours for AEDT.

[Dee Zephyr 19,267]

9 hours ago, Macca said:

What on Earth has happened to Man City?  3 PL losses out of their last 4 with Liverpool scooting clear and City have been passed by Spurs as well.  Liverpool don't look like losing points and have still only conceded 7 goals for the entire season.  The Title is now the Reds to lose. 

Just had a quick look at Liverpool's fixture and their next 6 PL games are vs Gunners,  @ Man City,  @ Wolves,  @ Brighton,  vs Palace,  vs Leicester.  Obviously the next 2 are all important but if they can beat Arsenal and then get a point at City they'll be well on their way to securing the Title.

 

It’s become very interesting Macca, a few questions are starting to be asked about City’s defence. Without watching the full games it’s hard to say where they are going wrong but from a few of the mini match replays I’ve been watching they have been on the end of some cracking goals against them. Townsend against Palace, Pereira against Leicester, world class goals. 

There’s hope for Spurs fans, red hot at the moment and as you point out, Liverpool needs to drop some points. Games against the ‘ Top’ clubs could go either way but Spurs fans would hope the likes of Wolves and Leicester which have proven stiff opposition of late can take some points off The Reds. Draws against the lowly clubs have probably cost Spurs in the last couple of seasons and they seem to have fixed that issue this season. 

Must admit I’m not the biggest Liverpool fan but credit where it’s due, seems they got some signings spot on and that defence as you point out seems impenetrable.

[layzie 33,793]

At least the league is well and truly alive and there is plenty of football to go. Next couple of weeks will be very telling. Tottenham are in incredible form with firepower everywhere. While the rearguard has been excellent for Liverpool this season, the Gomez injury could catch up, Lovren isn’t the long term guy. 

 

 

[Macca 16,958]

No coverage at all on Australian TV of the English FA Cup ... that is a sad state of affairs.   One might presume that SBS will cover the final at least but I can't find any confirmation as such.

Audio available from this Irish station from about 1.00am AEDT - Today FM

[Macca 16,958]

Audio available for the EPL from this Irish station from about 1.00am AEDT - Today FM

'Today FM' not covering the FA Cup by the sounds of it but the BBC World Service are which might include the 2nd half of the featured match (whatever that might be)

[Grapeviney 9,716]

22 hours ago, Macca said:

Audio available for the EPL from this Irish station from about 1.00am AEDT - Today FM

'Today FM' not covering the FA Cup by the sounds of it but the BBC World Service are which might include the 2nd half of the featured match (whatever that might be)

I managed to get the Spurs Cup game on TalkSport the other morning. Not sure if it's blocked for league games, as in previous seasons.

Agree about the lack of coverage, especially when SBS and Viceland were both showing the same news services on different channels the other morning. If they're going to grab the rights and not show the preliminary rounds, pass it on to someone else, as they've done with EPL and CL. 

[Macca 16,958]

Hammers win again and now up to 8th after defeating the Gunners for only the 2nd time in the last 20 meetings between the 2 clubs ... close to 60k at the London Stadium too.  Pellegrini has done a remarkable job with a squad that isn't exactly star-studded. 

Strange seeing Samir Nasri running around for West Ham but he played very well tonight and is a welcome addition.  And the word is that Arnautovic could be leaving and the destination might be China. 

Spurs vs Man Utd is the feature EPL game on this weekend ... Monday morning at 03.30am.  I'm tipping we'll see a few goals in the game.  Might go 3 - 2 either way.

[Macca 16,958]

Go here for a live feed from BBC Radio 5 Live.  Not sure whether the actual games are available as well but we'll found out soon enough.

[Dee Zephyr 19,267]

Wow, Australia v Syria just livened up in the final few minutes of the first half. 

Edited January 15, 2019 by Dee Zephyr

[Macca 16,958]

Body blow for Spurs with this news

Harry Kane: Tottenham striker out until March with ankle injury

As for the Socceroos,  here are last night's highlights from the Syria game.