Premier League 22/23 Thread

[theforceuk]

I think it's bad judgment if you think McTomany is a defensive midfielder and you leave one of the best defensive midfielders in the world on the bench against Man City. We were lucky against Arsenal and Liverpool IMO, and you can't rely on luck against Man City. I'm backing Ten Hag all the way I think he has an almost impossible job getting Man Utd in the top 4, but it doesn't mean I will agree with every decision he makes for the sake of it.

 

[lejackal]

McTwat is a thug and nothing more, he should be sent off most games yet somehow gets away with it

 

[weasel]

McTwat is a thug and nothing more, he should be sent off most games yet somehow gets away with it

Ever see Scholesy play? Lol

Great player, and seems like a reasonably down to earth bloke, but **** me he should have had 20 red cards in his career. How he got away with some of those "tackles" is beyond me.

 

[lejackal]

I mean Arsenal circa 1997-2003 were hardly angels, and I do miss a little bit of the physicality that came with matches from that era, but McTwat takes the piss in the modern game

 

[theforceuk]

I would put McTomany in the same bracket as P.Neville, Nicky Butt and Darren Fletcher. A good squad player to have as back up and use him in certain games. He seems to be looked at as a Roy Keane, Micheal Carrick or Paul Ince type player as far as ability goes he's no where near them in my eyes.

 

[Cazza]

I agree- he's much more of a Fletcher type player. Decent, especially to fill out the squad, but surely Man U can do better? McT wouldn't start for West Ham.

 

[weasel]

I missed most of the game, I saw from just before Pool's goal up to HT and it looked like Pool dominated but didnt create many clear cut chances. No idea how the second half went, sounded like Arsenal dominated though.

I have seen, on Twitter, the Pool non penalty in the first half (for hand ball) and the Arsenal winning pen. Not much between them for me. I would expect that Pool one to be given more often than not, his hand isn't exactly down by his side. But I have seen them not given. It's probably one you get six and a bit times out of ten. I can't find many decent angles of the Arsenal one but it looks a bit soft to me. There is contact, but from the **** angles I have seen I can't tell who hits who and if it's really enough for a grown man to fall over. That pen looks like one of those that when you get it, you feel a bit lucky to get it, and when things are going against you it gets given against you.

I am biased but to have one not given and the other given is a bit unlucky in my mind. Arsenal may well have deserved the 3pts, I havent seen enough to say one way or the other, but those two pens had a huge bearing on the outcome.

Add in TAA and Diaz both off injured and apparently neither "looks good" according to Klopp, and that is just an utter disaster of an afternoon for Pool.

2 wins from 8, worst start to a PL season in 10yrs, 4pts above the drop zone……and City up next! It doesn't get any better.

 

[lejackal]

Can't wait to play someone decent to really see where we are

 

[theforceuk]

You have done and we destroyed you.

 

[edd_jedi]

You mean play someone decent and not have penalties/red cards/own goals go your way

At least we've had an interesting start to the season, just hope it lasts.

 

[weasel]

And Utd have one chalked off for a handball that was a lot less blatant than the one Pool didnt get.

There is logic in there somewhere. But I'm struggling to see it.


Compare that to the goal that knocked Utd out of the FAC last season. Then yer man basicslly catches it and lays it square for his mate to tap in. It was allowed to stand cos he didnt score. But Sir Marcus of Rashford has one deflected onto his arm at full speed from no distance and it's disallowed cos he scores!? That's a nonsense. And I'm not exactly a Utd fan.

 

[weasel]

Can't wait to play someone decent to really see where we are

We can swap fixtures next weekend if you want, you can play City and see how good you are (hint……not as good as them) and we'll go to Leeds!?

 

[weasel]

You mean play someone decent and not have penalties/red cards/own goals go your way

At least we've had an interesting start to the season, just hope it lasts.

"Interesting" is NOT the word I would have used. ******* *****, depressing, frustrating, annoying, hateful, god awful, etc. etc. etc.

 

[lejackal]

We can swap fixtures next weekend if you want, you can play City and see how good you are (hint……not as good as them) and we'll go to Leeds!?

I'm quite happy not playing them for a few months yet thanks- feel free to take a couple of points off them though

 

[weasel]

Ehhh you saw Liverpool today. Have you seen City this season? It could well be a repeat of 2017-18 when they humped us 5-1 (The game when Mane got the red for the high boot that still bugs me). Or the time they put five on us a few days after Pool won the title and half the team was still pissed.

Pool are in a fight for the CL spots. As it stands I would NOT bet on them making it. Something has gone very wrong, and it's not one something, it's several. One something is easier to fix.

 

[edd_jedi]

"Interesting" is NOT the word I would have used. ******* *****, depressing, frustrating, annoying, hateful, god awful, etc. etc. etc.

Well I appreciate we're still only a quarter of the way into the season so it will all change, but there's already loads of things I wouldn't have expected:

• Arsenal are top (obviously)
• Halland has already scored 15 goals, he'll top last seasons winners by Christmas at this rate!
• Harry Kane is the second top scorer after Halaand (he usually doesn't score until after Christmas)
• Leicester are joint bottom
• Liverpool are mid table AND below United
• VVD has gone from being the PLs best center back to one of the worst in three months

 

[weasel]

Not so much VVD has regressed, though he hasn't hit his normal level. Those round him have also dropped. TAA has been ropey as hell, defensively and offensively. The latter hasn't been picked up by the media as much. The midfield has become SOOOOO easy to play through that suddenly the back 4 are under more pressure. Robertson has been out injured as has Konate (he was VVD main partner last year). Salah is firing blanks, Nunez hasn't quite clicked and that feeds into more pressure on the midfield and repeat.

 

[edd_jedi]

Yeah maybe it's unfair to single him out, but he has had so much praise for the last few seasons he was bound to be the fall guy when leaks start appearing.

 

[theforceuk]

I agree you can't single one player out for Liverpool. It's not only loss of form for a lot of players but the psychological problems from last year I believe. I mean to bounce back from being so close to achieving true history last season and to end up with a cup double has to play some part for me.

 

[edd_jedi]

Haha, I do sympathise with Liverpool for 'only' winning one PL title and a couple of cups due to City's utter dominance, but try being a Spurs supporter

I think the sad fact is we're all screwed for a few seasons now if Halaand stays at City!

 

[weasel]

I agree you can't single one player out for Liverpool. It's not only loss of form for a lot of players but the psychological problems from last year I believe. I mean to bounce back from being so close to achieving true history last season and to end up with a cup double has to play some part for me.

I see where you are coming from there but previously when Pool missed out by a point to City they had that ridiculous start to the season where they won 28 games in a row, or whatever it was.

I think it is just a lot of little things that have changed at Liverpool. A few will correct themselves, TAA, VVD and Salah will all remember how to play football, the team will learn how to use Nunez, and the individual errors and injuries will revert to a lower/more normal level.

That game yesterday was a great example of what's changed. Last year or the few before it, Pool would have got their penalty and or Arsenal, wouldn't have got their one. Any one of 17 Liverpool, players would have cleared the ball before the penalty or someone would have got a foot in to break up Arsenal's attack right on HT, and Liverpool would have won. This season those little things aren't quite going for Pool and it all compounds and suddenly we have a full blown "crisis"

 

[lejackal]

Forest are like a breath of fresh air- rock bottom and probably already in a relegation battle they extend the managers contract, then a short time later they sack the head of recruitment and head scout

 

[weasel]

Apparently Saka was offside for the first goal but it was allowed to stand because, and I **** you not, VAR could not find an angle to check it.

Now, I'm all for attacking football and rewarding attacking play etc. but if a linesman is told not to flag cos VAR can check things and then ehhh VAR can't check cos "they can't find a camera angle", that's an ever so slight problem.

So, that Arsenal defeat included a goal that could have been offside if the camera men hadn't all been tying their shoelaces at the same time, two slightly soft penalties, one given for Arsenal and one not given to Pool, and three injuries for Liverpool. Not sure what else could have gone wrong for Pool bar a red card. It is amazing how your luck changes when you're not playing well, or in Arsenal's case when you are playing well.

 

[lejackal]

Apparently Saka was offside for the first goal but it was allowed to stand because, and I **** you not, VAR could not find an angle to check it.

Now, I'm all for attacking football and rewarding attacking play etc. but if a linesman is told not to flag cos VAR can check things and then ehhh VAR can't check cos "they can't find a camera angle", that's an ever so slight problem.

So, that Arsenal defeat included a goal that could have been offside if the camera men hadn't all been tying their shoelaces at the same time, two slightly soft penalties, one given for Arsenal and one not given to Pool, and three injuries for Liverpool. Not sure what else could have gone wrong for Pool bar a red card. It is amazing how your luck changes when you're not playing well, or in Arsenal's case when you are playing well.

Right then, I don't have fancy lines and I can only work with the standard TV images but I don't see how offside is a consideration for either of our open play goals.

Martinelli for one nil:

Saka is on the left, behind the pool player and not impacting play. Martinelli is just in shot on the right and Ødegaard is playing the ball. Note the pool defender nearest Saka is in the box and Martinelli is outside the box as MØ played the ball.

Saka for 2-1:

This first image is the frame where Martinelli hits the ball. Saka clearly played inside by the last Pool defender. Note #6 Gabrielle is also onside for the same reason.

And the second image shows that should anyone think big Gabby gets a touch, clue: he doesn't, Martinelli got the assist, that Saka is still easily onside because of the same pool defender.

I'll upload both in slow-mo from earlier in the moves if you want to check for an earlier offside of you like?

Both pens were soft and both could go either way but such are the inconsistencies that we all despise. If you had the decisions the other way around you'd want the Jesus one awarded for you and you'd want the big gabby one denied.

 

[weasel]

Aye from those images he looks well onside, definitely no arguments there.

The one I saw on Sportsbible, possibly, was way back towards the halfway line so a lot earlier in the move. It could all be BS. I have seen a few Pool fans moaning about it but I just assumed it was the kind of idiots who would draw bent lines and argue until they were blue in the face that the lines were straight. You know the moron fans every club has. I only mentioned it cos I saw it whatever the other site was. I wish I posted a link now.

I agree on the pens. That was half my point when I said it was a lot little things that had changed at Pool. A few yrs ago the pen decisions would have been the other way round. And, yes, we all know how *****/inconsistent referees and VAR are.

I assume you'll be cheering for Pool on Sunday?

For 2 minutes until City take the lead and Pool fold like a deck of cards

 

[lejackal]

I mean you obliterated Bournemouth and Rangers so you do still know how to score. A draw would do us but if you could beat them that'd be lovely

 

[theforceuk]

Fascinating the pool, city game will be hopefully. Don't write Liverpool off yet. Once they hit form again and they will IMO everyone else will be worried.

 

[edd_jedi]

I still think Liverpool will make top 4 so that will keep things interesting, but nobody is beating City to the title (sorry Carl!)

 

[lejackal]

I still think Liverpool will make top 4 so that will keep things interesting, but nobody is beating City to the title (sorry Carl!)

 

[weasel]

For City to miss out on the title they would need an injury crisis like Pool had 2 yrs ago. Even then, they will just spend 100m on replacements.