tajjuk

I don't see how that should ever be a handball, its only recent years such madness has happened, you are talking a ball blasted a player barely a metre away who is making a perfectly natural movement to block the ball and his arms are in a perfectly natural position. Zero intent for the ball to be blocked by his hand, zero movement of his hand to the ball and next to no time to react. It's pretty much text book accidental handball, it happens and you move one. Luckily the right decision prevailed and the madness from the start of the season stopped, where they were giving pens right left and centre just because the ball happened to brush a shoulder. Theo's was not a great tackle but hardly a red IMO and Armstrong was fouled, plus Thiago got away with a few fouls anyway whilst on a yellow. Mane's is a pure dive, they go shoulder to shoulder and then because he sees he's in the box and the ball is going out of play he goes to ground whilst trying to leave his leg into WPs, but I don't even think there is any contact on the legs, it's just Mane trying to buy a pen.

Beyond those two you mention I am struggling to think of one, I suppose you can't really have pundits covering every team.

Beyond those two you mention I am struggling to think of one, I suppose you can't really have pundits covering every team.

Very difficult to make predictions, Leicester is a tough game and they seem to have almost all their best players fit now. Leeds who knows, that could be a storm of opposing forces that cancel each other out or a 3-3, I like to say our defensive record and their leakiness might give us the edge but honestly I wouldn't be surprised if they spanked us either. Villa are a good side, but one I feel we can beat and Arsenal are resurgent unfortunately but who knows could be in a slump again. I think 5-6 points from those remaining 4 of the month wouldn't be a terrible return considering the teams and their form.

Yeh this is the point, in any fair and objective world that is never a pen, that is Mane looking for a pen, I am not even sure JWP touched him at all with his legs it looked like basically a shoulder on shoulder challenge that should have never knocked a strong player like Mane over, but of course he is looking for a pen. The problem is the biased refs give those things to the big clubs, so their fans see that all the time and think they are getting done out of a pen. The Liverpool v Fulham game was a classic example IMO. Fulham completely outplayed Liverpool and deserved to win IMO, Fabinho goes through a player standing foot trying to challenge the ball, Ref doesn't give a pen and VAR doesn't over turn it. What does Klopp moan about? The tiniest of hands on the back of Salah in the build up to Liverpool's goal where Salah (as usual) goes down like he has been shot. They need to start dishing out yellows for these dives and going down to easily, then when some of these players start getting bans they might change their behaviour. He literally tripped over his own feet, it was an absurd penalty. The problem is the refs are bad and give the big clubs huge benefit of the doubt and then VAR, likely with another biased ref operating it, so they won't over rule it as an 'obvious mistake'.

Very very special, up to 6th and only 4 points off top nearly half way through a league season, beating the champions and deservedly so, Ings getting his 50th PL goal against his former club as well, with Forster in goal, loads of key players out. Just astounding stuff by our club all round, fair play to the Ralph, the coaches, all the staff behind the scenes and the players, everyone is doing a top top job right now.

Odd move, seems a potential poison chalice with all the egos there. I wonder if he'll get to mould the team to his liking, lots of rumours that Mbappe and Neymar are leaving, maybe if they do he can build something there with less superstars but a better team overall. He'll likely break his trophy duck but winning the league there is pretty much the minimum so not a huge achievement really.

Not sure about Gray, not seeing how is an upgrade to what we have got, he's basically another inconsistent winger, and I'd rather stick with the younger Djenepo who I think will come good with more experience and training under Ralph. Christie is more interesting because he's more like a No. 10, so would be more likely challenging for Armstrong's role and having more options there would be good, especially a bit more creativity to unlock deep defences.

Sometimes talent just doesn't come through but I am not getting the 'destroyed' comment he made, as far as I can see we have still been investing in the academy and have recently changed the personnel. Plenty of academy players though have been in and around the first team squad since Ralph took over. Seems a fairly ignorant comment to me, seems like he's picked up the 'bad owner' myth about Gao and just run with it to try and paint himself and the new owners of Burnley in a better light, pure PR.

They are not one of the worst teams in the league on recent form, they deserved to beat and fully outplayed Liverpool recently. I think with the players out and still probably a little unlucky not to win even if the performance wasn't great, a point and a clean sheet is an ok result.

Yeh I doubt we'll get anyone bar maybe a loan full back in Jan. More was talking the summer, where hopefully some more deadwood will have gone.

I hope not, that guy is a liability defensively, far too rash to be a left back and doesn't offer enough imo as an attack mid. Distinctly strikes me as a 'Lingaard' type player, i.e someone benefitting from having lots of talented team mates around him but isn't that good himself. ------------------------ I think we clearly need full back reinforcements, at least some better cover, possibly a replacement for Bertrand next season if no contract. We should also be looking for a striker IMO, Adams has come good but we need someone to challenge him and Ings, and potentially cover if Ings leaves in the summer if we can't get him to sign a new contract. And finally we need someone else for those wide positions, a clear upgrade I think, none of Armstrong, Redmond or Djenepo have convinced this season and are being out shone by a 31 year old Walcott who was signed as back up. I think Djenepo will come good he's still young, he hasn't played many games at his level really as he seems to be stop start with injuries, but he has a lot of raw talent there. But we need someone I think with a bit more guile, a craftier passer, someone who can pick the runs the forwards make and maybe pop in some shots from range. Basically a De Bruyne type player I think (but obviously it would be miraculous to find a player of that level).

I'd slightly disagree on that, I'd say on form in 2020 and probably over 12 months, coupled with the continued inconsistency of the likes of Chelsea, Man Utd we are more like a 5th - 8th team, maybe even a 4th - 8th team if we can get really lucky with injuries. I am not sure you can say we just in 'good form' when the results have been consistently amongst the top 6 for like 6-9 months.

Yeh agree both him and Armstrong were good for this, they got into the no.10 spaces Ralph likes the wide players to drift into and drove at the defenders often getting us free kicks in good spots or creating chances.

Thought we were thoroughly excellent throughout even if we didn't create that many clear cut chances, with the first two goals being somewhat fortunate. Though I think had Ings been sharp we would have scored and created more, understandably he looked a little off the pace and not his usually excellent self. Thought Adams was outstanding, his movement and hold up play was excellent, always putting pressure on at the right time, giving us options to play long or into the channels and was very clever using his body to win fouls, also unlucky to not pick up an assist with some decent balls. Vestergaard was very good again, he was playing like a playmaker in midfield at times rather than a centre-back. Have to say though Sheff Utd offered very very little, they played a lot better against West Brom and Leicester than that, I mean there was always the chance of a fluke goal from somewhere but one of the most comfortable games I have watched, it was just a case of us breaking them down rather than posing any threat. Also liked the cameos by Diallo and N'Lundulu at the end of the game, confidence is obviously flowing through the whole squad at the moment and those not in the first eleven look like they know the first team is playing so well that if they get any sort of chance they have to be at the top of the game. There was a little pick up and run by Diallo where he just glided past a couple of their players to start an attack which I think shows he might have the potential to offer something a little different in the middle.

It's certainly been great and a great start to the season but I presume we will have a dip at some point, especially with the squeezed schedule this year. Also we are only 3 points above a (IMO) very poor Newcastle team, it's very tight in the middle with only 4 points between 13th and 5th.

Sheff Utd are in a false position, they have been unlucky, hope I am wrong but have a suspicion they might find their shooting boots today.

Very sad to hear he had such struggles, I think football fans can sometimes forget footballers are also people doing a job, a great job in the eyes of many of us but still subject to the ups and downs of life and the same demons an flaws that could plague any of us. Think many think they have this great job with all this money how can they get depressions etc. so good to see this sort of stuff is talked about more and great to see he is back in a good place. It's especially good to see he has repaired his relationship with his children and ex-wife.

Can you be 100% sure that was exactly what was said and in that context? No you can't. Explain why two teams walked of in protest if that is apparently all was said? You can't do that either. You weren't there, yet despite the obvious known fact of two teams walking off in protest at what they have said is a racist incident, you as someone who was not there, 1000s of miles away can safely conclude its not racist over the internet. But hey you instead of believing the 20+ people there, the benefit of the doubt is never going to the victims but instantly to the perpetrator. Just exactly like the very obvious reason why some Millwall fans were booing a peaceful protest against racism, but they are not racist guv honest, they are anti-marxists (I mean literally the most stupid excuse going), apparently those Millwall fans are clever enough to see the intricacies of the political side of BLM, but at the same time not clever enough to recognise that taking the knee and the alleged politics of BLM are not the same thing, nor clever enough to realise how their supposed protest would be perceived, odd that. Or of course you could just call a duck for what is is, a duck and realise that people booing an anti-racism protest that literally has no negative impact on them, are likely doing so because they are in fact racists themselves. Some of the responses here and how quickly people like to give the benefit of the doubt to people doing pathetic things, shows why all the like of Saville got away with it for so long, and why so many rapists get away with it. Always someone around to come quickly to their defence and give them the benefit of the doubt even though they have no real clue what they are talking about and oddly they never seem to give the benefit of the doubt to the victims in these situations.

Of course not, yet again people falling over themselves to excuse this behaviour is exactly why it is still a problem.

That argument is fundamentally stupid. As the Colchester chairman points out, if you don't like it, just shut up and keep quiet, it literally has zero impact on the people booing, unless of course they disagree with a stand being taken against racism, making them therefore clearly racist themselves. If the players feel the still need to do it because I don't know, because racism is still very prevalent in society and is still an issue then they are quite entitled to do a peaceful protest that literally has no negative impacts on anyone. It's also ironic that you say it has 'gone on long enough', when that is exactly the point about racism they are trying to highlight and the fact it is still going on. There is literally no argument here, people desperately scrambling around for fake reasons why people are booing an anti-racism protest is honestly pathetic.

You have to question where he would go, even with one year on his contract I doubt he'd be cheap, at least £25-30 million. But who would take him where he would definitely play? Back to Liverpool? unlikely now Jota is there as well, that is 4 people he'd have to get ahead of. Man Utd? Maybe, though he'd have to displace Cavani now by the looks of things. Spurs have Kane and Son, unlikely he'd get in there. Arsenal are rubbish, he'd probably get a pay rise but there is Aubameyang. Chelsea have plenty of strikers, I mean Giroud is in the form of his life and he's not a guaranteed starter. Man City? I mean I think he's a better finisher than Jesus, so maybe the Aguero replacement but he doesn't strike me as a Man City sort of signing, likely they will be looking for a bigger name, probably a bit younger. Leicester as a partner for Vardy? Everton seems a bit sideways and they have Calvert-Lewin, plus likely Moise Kean will come back as he's playing well for PSG. Somewhere on the continent?

For me that is one where without VAR the player gets away with one, he is cynically fouling him for the whole phase to stop him getting through and creating a chance, he doesn't do enough to bring him down outside the box and eventually does in the box, but the ref from his position gives the initial contact and then VAR gives the clearer view. My only criticism is that the ref himself should have looked at the monitor. But without VAR there IMO March gets away with a cynical foul, he knew WP had got in behind him and was going to create a chance or have a chance so tried to push him over, failed with the first attempt and then cleans him out in the box. Like said above if he'd hacked him 10m outside the box but WP manages to stumble and stay on his feet, then gets hacked down completely in the box would anyone argue its a pen? Edit: I note even Carragher and Ljungberg on Sky aren't debating that it isn't for the second foul in the box, they just don't think it's a foul, they think its 'accidental' because March is already falling, but why are they falling? Because March tried to push KWP over and doesn't succeed, so that for me remove the 'accidental' away from it. At the end of the day he's tried to cynically foul our player and there is clear contact in the box, if Liverpool can get pens for defenders literally kicking the ball away and the Liverpool attackers putting their foot in the way then that is a pen every day IMO.

I see the lying about the benefits of Brexit is still going on, Hancock and Rees-Mogg claiming the reason we got the vaccine first is because of Brexit, ignoring that firstly we are in the transition period so still subject to EU regulations anyway but more importantly that member states can temporarily approve vaccines for domestic use, literally confirmed by our own medicines regulator the MHRA.

1 year no, 2 year probably yes. Also depends on the wages he is on, as it will be harder to shift him if he is on like £40-50k a week. Never been a convincing goalscorer, more a Heskey type who can unsettle opposition defences, win headers etc. and to give him some benefit of the doubt difficult to expect much of him in 10 minute cameos.