ES Soccer Thread

[FanboyOf91]

Buyern's season is off to a good start!

[Gibbs Hog Heaven]

What a glorious day to open the 2019/20 top flight English season. The way opening days always used to be with the sun cracking the flags. Defo shorts and sunnies day today. 

And what a glorious way to start for once with the two sides head and shoulders above anything else in England (I'm hesitant to say 'Europe' until City actually start winning knock-out games of European football.  ), contesting the 97th version of the FA Community Shield. 

Fully expecting a highly competitive game with both sides wanting to lay down an early marker on the other for the season ahead. I love that City have been running with the slogan 'READY FOR THIS DEFENDING THE FA COMMUNITY SHIELD' all week. With Pep as hungry as ever to add as much silverware as possible. Hell, they run the end of last season with the quadruple which included the CS. I had to laugh when Klopp was really taken aback when it was put to him the presser that it's just another 'friendly' ...... Why bother playing the game indeed mate if that's the case. Utterly mad to me the POV of some, admittedly of this Sky generation, L'pool fans who aren't arsed about today. This is our first CS since 2006. In CARDIFF! Which just shows how the trophy drought has been. One would think they'd want to see the Reds have the chance to pick up any silverware! And as Paisley always used to succinctly say, it's an honour to be in games like the CS and SC as it's a reward for how successful you were the previous year. That always used to be the aim. To start the following season with a day out at Wembley and a chance for early silverware and momentum over invariably a rival as it meant you'd invariably one either League or Cup the previous year. 

Great to finally have the proper business back and a proper contest between two teams with next to nottin separating them again as we get set for what will doubtless be another titanic struggle between the two this season. 

9 months, 1 day after Madrid we get the chance to make more memories we've this superb gang of Reds. (And a week Wednesday we could be looking at seeing them lift a third trophy in 3 months. That'd be something huh?). 

Roll on 3 PM and getting up and running. 

This one matters! 

Up the trophy hunting Reds!

 

Hail. 

[FanboyOf91]

Claudio Bravo in goal? lolkay, pep

[Gibbs Hog Heaven]

I literally walk back in the house after having a dead Moby all evening and the first thing I see is- 
 

paul joyce‏ @_pauljoyceFollowFollow 

@_pauljoyce

More

Simon Mignolet set to join Club Brugge. Due to undergo medical tomorrow. Liverpool will look to sign a new No2.

1:30 PM - 4 Aug 2019

*Does happy nakie dance. 

Tra' to the single worst long term goalkeeper I've ever had the displeasure of watching in Red. Back at his level in Belgium. 

Start of a busy few days of outs and one big in. 

Time for a very happy brew.

 

Hail. 

[Gibbs Hog Heaven]

Gutted to lose that yesterday as you just can never have enough of the Reds lifting silverware. But absolutely made up with that second half performance that was just the absolute business from L'pool which City couldn't live with when we upped the tempo. And that clearance off the line from Walker ..... you could be critical and say Mo (who I thought was head and shoulders above anyone else the park. He had Zinchenko in knots all day. Just not quite there with his finishing yet. De Bruyne MOTM? He wasn't even City's best player!) should have scored like but that's one of the most athletic, brilliant pieces of defending I think I've seen from Walker. MASSIVE kudos to him for that. Absolutely superb. 

Great to have, as expected, such a competitive opener like the CS should be. An honour to play in and a just reward for your efforts in the previous season. With the season's first piece of silverware and a day out at Wembley. That was a hugely enjoyable day out.  The disappointment of coming home empty handed aside. (And the embarrassing scruffs exchanging punches back at Euston. The Ethiad should be real 'lively' this year. Sighs.) .Great support second half. I'd forgotten how good it is to be in the curtain raiser. It's been a while. That was a game fitting of what these two sides now are .....

..... Just wasn't to be today but it's left everyone in NO doubt that we're every bit City's equal and these two are the clear two best sides not only in England but all of Europe. And you don't see, the next 4 days of the window not withstanding, anything from any of the other 4 that suggests they're gonna' close that massive gap to any significant degree this year.

Congratulations City. We'll get them next time. 

Luckily for ourselves, we have chance #2 to add silverware a week Wednesday against Chelsea the SC. 

But first things first, Norwich Friday. We are anything like that second half, may God go with you on your big return City because we're more than ready to go again in what's fixing to be another epic two-horse title race to the death. 

Roll on Friday. 

The European Champions are Ready!

 

Hail. 

[Gibbs Hog Heaven]

Any English reading this from around the Country don't have to agree, but Tony Evo is absolutely bang on as to why myself and most every other Scouser the match yesterday belted out, as we always do, YNWA through the National anthem and why we continue to feel so disenfranchised to the rest of the Country in a great open letter in today's Independent (https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/liverpool-fc-news-national-anthem-wembley-why-did-they-boo-jacob-rees-mogg-a9039561.html )- 

To: Rt Hon Jacob Rees-Mogg MP
CC: Patriotic/Conservative Liverpool fans
Subject: Booing the anthem, your boys and the city 

Dear Rt Hon Jacob Rees-Mogg MP,

You probably didn’t see Sunday’s Community Shield match between Liverpool and Manchester City. It was a 1-1 draw and City won on penalties, but I’m sure that’s as meaningless to you as the idea of community.

It’s what happened before the match that may have attracted your attention. Liverpool fans booed the national anthem before the game. As your two young sons are supporters of Jurgen Klopp’s team it probably disgusted you. It certainly upset a lot of people across the country to judge by social media. Nanny probably ordered the boys to cover their ears but they would still have been exposed to seditious behaviour.

It must be hard for you to comprehend why so many people chose to disrupt God Save The Queen. Margaret Thatcher was very keen on creating ‘enemies within’ and she lumped all football supporters into that category. That was a mistake. Most followers of the game love their nation as much as you do. Liverpool fans are unusual. It might be worth finding out why.

Perhaps you should bring the boys up to Anfield for a game. Not in a corporate box but in the crowd, mixing with normal Scousers and diehard supporters. I’d be more than happy to be your guide and explain the club and the city to the boys.

Let’s start with the club. Politics is ingrained in its culture. That’s because the man who turned Liverpool FC from a provincial backwater to a continental powerhouse viewed the game as something bigger than sport. Bill Shankly was a miner as a teenager and brought the ethos of the pits to the pitch. “The socialism I believe in is everyone working for each other, everyone having a share of the rewards,” he said. “It’s the way I see football, the way I see life.”

Words like that mean something on Merseyside, where many people still feel excluded from the rewards this country can offer. After all, it wasn’t so long ago that a Conservative cabinet discussed the ‘managed decline’ of the area. In plain English that meant withdrawing resources from the region so that residents would be forced to leave. Effectively starving them out. To even consider this was mind boggling. You remember that time: it was the same year you were making the rounds of newspapers and television shows as a 12-year-old, sporting a monocle, wearing a suit and tie, billing yourself as a ‘schoolboy financier’ and flaunting your privilege.

At least in their dress sense, your boys seem more like normal kids.  

That’s why I think they would enjoy going to Anfield. It’s a hospitable place and somewhere people go to let down their hair. Shankly wanted everyone to enjoy themselves. There’s a statue of him outside the Kop that bears the legend ‘He made the people happy.’ They’ll love the singing, the flag-waving and the way the team plays. Klopp has his multi-national, multi-cultural team performing with a joyous flamboyance.  

They may ask some questions, though. Like why the number ‘96’ is everywhere, from banners in the crowd to the shirts they wear. The boys are too young to go into too much detail but they are old enough for an overview of what happened at Hillsborough in 1989 and the intervening years. It’s probably enough for them to learn that 96 people were unlawfully killed at a football match after a series of errors by the authorities and that the blame was deflected from those responsible on to supporters. They would be shocked to learn that Irvine Patnick, a Conservative MP, was one of the key people in spreading the lies and that, 40 years on, the families of the dead are still fighting for justice. They might be surprised that Boris Johnson, your close political ally, repeated many of the slurs when editor of The Spectator and – even more appallingly – did not retract them when questioned in Parliament last month after becoming Prime Minister.

You may think they aren’t mature enough for this but Jon-Paul Gilhooley, the youngest of the Hillsborough dead, was old enough for his body to be tested for alcohol. He was just 10. 

Yet none of this explains fully why we try to drown out the national anthem. That’s been going on for a long time, especially in the 1980s. Even before the booing many Liverpool fans sang ‘God Save Our Team,’ as they did at the 1965 FA Cup final, rather than laud the monarch. It’s because of the peculiar nature of the place.

The city is different. Many of its residents do not consider themselves English. There’s a reason for that. Liverpool is a town of immigrants – it has Britain’s oldest African and Chinese communities and the port attracted people from across the globe.

The most distinctive influence has been Irishness. The Potato Famine had a massive impact on Merseyside. Dispossessed and starving Irish flooded across the sea in the mid-19th century and became the dominant community. They suffered the same anti-immigrant rhetoric that we’ve seen in recent years (despite Ireland being part of the United Kingdom at the time). For decades, many Englishmen did not regard large sections of Liverpool’s society to be their countrymen. It worked both ways: the constituency in the poorest area returned an Irish Nationalist MP until 1929. Scouse was an identity that grew out of Irishness and many of the stereotypes that remain today are rooted in anti-Celtic preconceptions. If you trawl through the newspapers of the past 180 years you can see the patterns and the way they are repeated against other communities today. Nigel Farage merely echoes the cliches of the past.

This brings me to another point. Your family makes a huge song-and-dance about being Catholic. Lots of Scousers are Catholic. In Liverpool it’s not the upper-class, dinner-party talking-point version of the religion, though. It’s the poor people’s type. On the other side of the divide there’s a dwindling Orange Lodge presence in the city. I’m sure you and the boys would be interested to see what it’s like to be in a place where people are allowed to parade the streets expressing anti-Catholic rhetoric. It would provide a small glimpse of the sort of extreme Protestantism you find in Northern Ireland and parts of Scotland, where your co-religionists are considered second-class citizens by some – including the Democratic Unionist Party who are propping up your government. Anyone who’s seen this sort of divisiveness up close knows how dangerous the politicking around the Irish Border has become.

Which brings us to the European Union. A significant part of Merseyside’s revival was bankrolled by Europe. The Echo Arena, John Lennon airport, the cruise liner terminal and many other symbols of the city’s regeneration benefited from EU money. That’s why a majority voted Remain. Westminster has not been so generous to Liverpool.

I hope this explains the booing. There’s no single cause but a complex set of cultural and historical reasons.

Feeling like outsiders makes us all the more welcoming and we’d be pleased to have you and the boys as guests. Over the years I’ve come across a number of people who have purported to love the club but expressed contempt for the city and Scousers. It would be terrible if your children became that sort of Liverpool fan. They would have much more fun joining us. They wouldn’t even have to boo the anthem.

But it would be wonderful if they grew up to be Kopites. It would be funny if they returned to the country pile in Somerset after a trip to Anfield quoting Shankly about socialism, raging against the injustices over Hillsborough and extolling the positive effects of immigration and Europe. Just let me know the game you fancy and we’ll sort it out.

Best,
Tony

 

Hail. 

[Gibbs Hog Heaven]

To add to Tony Evo's pertinent open letter above, this is a really insightful, thought provoking piece sourced from a multitude of views on why Liverpudlians chose to boo (or sing our anthem) the National anthem on Sunday which has caused such fume in certain quarters. 

The media at large would be better placed asking the question 'why?', instead of arrogantly attacking and alienating a City and its people further from the rest of the Country. 

You might not agree, but well worth the read if you care to try understand- 

https://www.thisisanfield.com/2019/08/why-liverpool-fans-booing-the-national-anthem-is-a-legitimate-form-of-protest/

 

Hail. 

[FanboyOf91]

🤔

[ixcuincle]

[Gibbs Hog Heaven]

Ok, now the windows shut, prediction time for the PL- 

 

1. Liverpool. 

 

2. City. 

 

But in all honesty, it'd be a brave man to put money on which one will finish above the other as there's next to nottin to separate them. 

Not only the clear two best in teams in the league. But the clear top two teams (City's continued inability to actually win knock-out games of European football notwithstanding) in Europe. 

 

Can't see anything other than another epic battle for the title between the two of us with the gap to third liable to be double figure points again. That's how dominant and far ahead of the rest of the league we both are and I don't see anyone that's made any significant strides the market to address that. Be interesting to see just how big a loss Kompany is to those changies down the other end the East Lancs. Real talisman and leader lost there. 

 

Side note- If you could guarantee me now, before a balls kicked, that either L'pool will win the league. Or that City will finish first again, but L'pool will be in Istanbul next May with just a chance to win #7, not even guaranteeing me they would lift it ..... then I'm taking the later in a heartbeat and planning another party the banks of the Bosporus again. I fully appreciate any Reds that would take the league after nigh on three decades wait between titles. But absolutely NOTHING beats a European Cup final experience as a fan. And when you win it and know you're Europes best ..... Man alive. Still buzzing off Madrid and number six 9 weeks, 5 days on. And this high will carry everyone right through this year. 

 

But I digress, back to the predictions- 

 

3. Tottenham. 

 

Clear third best side in the Country IMHO. They might have lost a ridiculous 13 games last year and finished 4th. But let it not be forgotten they mirrored up a CL League season by also reaching the CL Final itself. After not spending a penny on any incomings. To then go on and have, the 1961 Double winners excepted, the greatest season in the clubs history culminating in the best weekend away any 'Spurs fan has ever had was remarkable. So reminiscent of L'pool's 2017-18 season and the run to Kiev. SO hard to get the top 4 and reach a European Cup final period. Even harder with the size of squad both clubs had to deal with both seasons. Utmost respect to them for that last year. Ridiculous achievement they all should be immensely proud of.

 

Added well with quality this window. And the experience alone from last year of proving to themselves they can go deep in Europe and still take care of the league will be immeasurable. Eriksen would be a big loss but if they can hold off Madrid this window they should be sound. 

 

And finally being back home full-time in the new stadium should give them a terrific boost and advantage too. 

 

The next 4 spots is where it get's super tricky to separate the teams IMHO. If truth be told, any one of them could finish 4th. And any one of them could dip out of the top 6 altogether. All have glaring weakness' and their own continuing problems in various aspects within the football clubs. It's a total toss of the coin for me which way any of them go. But for the sake of the predicting game, I'll go with- 

 

4. Arsenal. 

5. Utd.
6. Chelsea.

7. Leicester. 

 

Based purely on- 

 

Arsenal being in year two of Emery and having the best window of the rest. They're the best set of the other three to my mind. 

 

Utd are just in a continued state of flux. One of the weakest squads I can remember them having in terms of top level quality. With most all of the malcontents in a very unsettled changing room that turns as quickly as results go still there. Lead by a manager appointed on sentiment who I personally don't foresee being there next season. If he even lasts this. I love the AWB pick-up. Even if he was heavily over priced for someone with little experience and who, albeit with great potential to develop, is still nowhere near the finished article with a lot of current flaws in his game to develop that defensive mess just doesn't need right now. Maguire's a good, solid player who improves them instantly but he's nowhere near a difference making, top CH for that amount of ridiculous money. And they've hit brick walls in trying to address other glaring needs that's got more scattergun the closer it's come to the end of the window and the more desperate they've gotten with the continued biggest problem at that football club IMHO, Woodward, still running the overall show.

 

You can see a scenario where they start well, hit a bad patch, the in-fighting stars, and they drop off gain like a stone. 

 

Chelsea and Lampard is even worse than Utd and Solksjaer to me. Heck knows what either club are thinking but it's not looking too clever from the outside. L'pool had it with Rodgers. Naive managers learning on the job at clubs of that stature just shouldn't happen and shows just how far your standing has fallen. Compounded by the loss of their talisman and the transfer ban to not be able to address that. And, club legend or not, watch the owner and fans turn on him if they look like dipping out of the CL again the early part of next year. Just an unholy mess of a football club right now. 

 

Leicester are the most interesting team of all for me to personally keep an eye on this season outside of the top-2's battle for the title. They've recruited really well to an already real solid, young, exciting group. With the perfect coach to allow them to play with attacking freedom. If they can get by with a solid, if unspectacular, experienced back-line, protected by the vastly underrated Ndidi, which is all Rodgers needs, until January and then look to reinvest the Maguire money; they could be the surprise of the season and break into the top 6. 

 

And finally the relegation spots-

 

Newcastle are in an absolute shambles after S all over arguably the best manager they've had the PL era. Ashley is just decimating the place brick-by-brick. Hard to see them not finishing dead last under that absolute clown Bruce. A club in continued turmoil that's gonna' get way worse before it starts to get better you feel. 

 

I fear Brighton have made a major mistake in the ridiculous, IMHO, decision to bin Hughton. Who'd done everything that could have been expected of him. (You could even argue he well overachieved there.). Mad how clubs like that have ridiculous expectations above what they actually are. Just feel it'll ultimately catch-up with them and their three-year top flight return will end this season. 

 

And Norwich look the most open and weakest of all the promoted sides to me. They'll be entertaining to watch. But equally naive in this terrifically unforgiving league. 

 

But it wouldn't be a surprise to me to see Burnley, Sheff Utd or Villa go either. 
______________

 

18. Brighton. 

19. Norwich.

20. Newcastle. 

 

With Mo winning his third straight Golden Boot with every chance he tops 30 again the way he's returned the last few weeks. 

 

23 and a half hours or so and the VAR carnage (absolutely dreading that as match-going supporter) can be unleashed on another PL year. 

 

If it's anything remotely approaching last year's edition it'll be another one for the absolute ages. 

 

Good luck to all your respective teams. 

 

Is it 8 PM at Friday at a wild Anfield already?

 

Hail. 

 

[Gibbs Hog Heaven]

Among all the transfer madness and preparation for tomorrows PL opener, Trent at the unveiling of his 26-foot tall mural today. 

Perfect role model. Belter lad from a belter City. 
 

 

Hail. 

[Gibbs Hog Heaven]

And his players tribune story today- 

https://www.theplayerstribune.com/en-us/articles/trent-alexander-arnold-liverpool-football-club

He gets 'it' as he's one of us.

 

Hail. 

[Gibbs Hog Heaven]

Swaying to changing to shorts. Really warm and clammy amid the rain. And as I'm expecting the Kop to be wild under the lights to welcome Europe's best back home, it'll be hot in there.

All the best Norwich. 

Up the 'Pool. Mighty Reds! 

 

Hail. 

[techboy]

Hope you have a fun time, @Gibbs Hog Heaven. If it helps, I don't think the UCL win has made you any more insufferable than normal. 😉

[WelshSkinsFan]

21 hours ago, Gibbs Hog Heaven said:

Ok, now the windows shut, prediction time for the PL- 

 

5. Utd.

 

 

Sorry but Cantona said we were going to win the league this year and as I am sure you know Cantona is God and God is infallible.  I rest my case.

 

On a slightly more serious note, I get the pessimism about United and Solskjaer but with the club currently in a 20 way tie for 1st place I am going to take a glass half full approach.  I rate our defensive recruits a little more highly than you seem to, whilst AWB needs to work more on the attacking side of his game I think he is already a beast when it comes to his defensive responsibilities and addresses what has been a glaring hole for several years.  Maguire to me is the rising tide that lifts all boats.  Lindelof is a good composed defender who can bring the ball out from the back but has been targeted by opposing teams who can afford to ignore whichever of the chuckle brothers he is paired with.  Teaming him with Maguire gives us two ball playing CBs and this will make us a lot more press resistant.  I do expect that we are going to be very tough to break down this season and frankly just a small improvement defensively would have seen us in the top 4 last season as it was comedy defensive blunders that sunk us during the last 2 months of the campaign.

 

The midfield and attack are still lacking in title challenging quality but I am at least encouraged that we will be giving a lot of game time to some very talented young players.  Lukaku was completely miscast in the system we intend to play and Mason Greenwood is making it very difficult for Ole to leave him with the academy lads as shown by the fact that he was not included when the academy played in the EFL trophy this week.   With Ole preferring the double pivot in his 4-2-3-1 system I anticipate Matic being phased out for the fast improving Scott McTominay alongside Pogba and fingers crossed Fred can find his groove and become a decent back up for these positions.  The fluid nature of the front 4 positions being filled by an interchangeable group of Martial, Rashford, Lingard, James, Gomes, Greenwood etc. should give us a lot of pace and the interchangeable nature of these players will make it hard for opposition sides to track our movement.

 

I do think top 4 is achievable and having looked a lot more closely at his work with Molde in the last few months I think Solskjaer will surprise a few people now that he has had the time to implement his way of playing and begin to shape the squad to his liking.  Honestly though, if we only land in the top 6 again but actually play exciting football and demonstrate that there is actually a plan both on and off the pitch this season then I am happy to accept this as the first step in a rebuilding process.  I also think that the Glazers and Ed Woodward will find they have seriously underestimated the supporters affection and respect for Solskjaer if they try to scapegoat him for their failure to seriously invest in the club over the last few seasons.

[StillUnknown]

comfortable first half for Liverpool, couple of little bugs to iron out

 

but asses will remain clenched until we get an update on Alisson 

Edited August 9, 2019 by StillUnknown

[Gibbs Hog Heaven]

16 hours ago, techboy said:

Hope you have a fun time, @Gibbs Hog Heaven. If it helps, I don't think the UCL win has made you any more insufferable than normal. 😉

 

Reminds me. We got the flag back are now bezzie mates with the Boixos Nois! Which is all an utterly mad and surreal story in itself that might be better in PM with pics and -email exchanges. 

 

I'll get around to it. 

 

Hail. 

[Gibbs Hog Heaven]

And that's why we're the best team in Europe. 

Funny game that. L'pool absolutely sensational at times without ever really getting out of third gear. Through which Norwich played really well and could well have scored more. Some belter goals and saves. Mixed individual performances. But all in all just about the perfect opening to a season. 

First half, some of the attacking football was ridiculous. The intensity Klopp's been on about this week that set's us apart was back and made a lot of reactionary fools over pre-season look just that. The amount of Norwich lads puffing and going down with cramp trying to keep up was ridiculous. All the while, as brilliant as what L'pool where, they never really looked like they'd reached anything approaching first gear. Just a massive class apart from last years Championship winners. Who got a very harsh lesson in the difference from that league to playing the very best of the best. Whilst playing really, really well themselves. I sincerely hope they stick to their principles of playing good, attacking football all season and don't revert to what many promoted sides do after an early walloping. You've just played the best team in all of Europe lads that are on a whole other level to most anything you'll face this year outside of City. Keep on playing the way you are, albeit a tad naive against some bigger sides, you'll win far more games than you'll lose and survive another year. All credit to them. Really refreshing to see a promoted side with that attitude. It's getting few and far between with the financial fear of not going out of the PL. 

Norwich deserved the goal they scored after we naturally took our foot right off the gas the second half and became a tad sloppy at times. Whilst still being in control and knowing they could easily go up another few levels if needed. 4 up at half time on the opening day with 37 and a half LONG games to go I can well forgive them for that. Norwich could well have had a couple first half when, amongst the brilliance of our attacking play, we looked little out of synch the back but that will come again sooner rather than later. Chelsea and chance #2 to win silverware this year Wednesday should focus the backline to be totally on it quickly. 

I had Henderson down as the MOTM. He was superb and just totally embodies everything this side is all about with his full out commitment to the last whistle. Can't be said enough just what a proper captain that lad is. He must have had his name song on 5 or 6 separate occasions which is a new experience for Jordan but absolutely superb to hear as more people finally start to appreciate how integral he is. I was pleasantly surprised to see JMG straight back in. Personally thought he'd reward Matip for the end of last season and continuity to start out. But like Klopp's always said, those that show me in training will always get the chance. So you can only presume he's won that pre-season battle fair and square. A little ropey first half but he settled and gradually started to show signs of just why he's by far the best option for the next decade or so for this football club. And as we noticeably appear to be playing an even higher line this season, the pace of both Joe and Virgil within that speaks for itself. Mo will get 40 plus all comps this season. Telling yer. You forget, in the summers gap of seeing him live, just how ridiculously top bracket a footballer he is. And he's come back as fresh and as sharp as he ever has. And poor Norwich. Just as they think they can get out with an easy last 20, on comes Sadio doing ridiculous Sadio things from his first touch. What a late cameo that was. What a masterful front three we are privileged to possess. (Just how good was Bobby again too?). What a F gang of Reds these lads are. And with a ridiculous quality bench barely touched into the bargain. Kind of puts to bed all the cry arsing over no major buys huh? Lads, we're managed by one of the two top coaches in the World. He kind of knows what he's doing and just what a superb group he has. Trust him hey?

As anticipated, the atmosphere was European-esq wild at kick-off and through the first half in particular. 'We are the Champions, Champions of Europe!' just can't be belted out enough every game and every ground we visit to remind people of the fact. Naturally dipped the second half as the team eased up with a game long since won. But to get the Kop stood for the full 90 and bouncing against Norwich is a seriously good sign of just how fun it's going to be at Anfield again this season. Side-note on the atmosphere- As impressed with Norwich as I was on the park, can their fans off it please F off back from where they came? Lower league ****wombles. And the REALLY sad part is they genuinely think they're being witty with the only stereotypical garbage they know. 'You're **** ahhhhhhhhh!' after every goal kick is cringe worthy enough. 'This is a library/ Where's your famous atmosphere' after the atmosphere dipped second half. Lads, for one, it's not a library yanno? You can't take books out and return them the next time you come. And if yuse weren't so ****e and the game killed by half-time, we might have something to continue going at the second. But to then roll out 'Sign on ...... ' Aside from poverty being NO laughing matter, this isn't the L'pool of '80's austerity yanno that your dads experienced and have passed these pathetically outdated, oh so hilarious and (un) original ditties down to you. Educate yourself, grow up, think on, and enjoy your night out at Europes best instead of making an absolute show of yourselves. Dickheads. 

The only sour note on the perfect opening night was of course Alisson. Didn't look too clever at all but if it's just his calf that's a relief. Hopefully he's not out too long. One things for darn sure, I personally feel 100% more secure with Adrian back there, particularly with a ball at his feet (some of the balls he was immediately pinging around fills you with calm), then I EVER did Mignolet. I'd honestly be fearing that our season could implode before it's even begun with the Belgium in nets. Now, not so much. The superb reception Adrian got when he came on, who must have been pinching himself, said it all. Mignolet wouldn't have, and never has, gotten anything like that. 
 
Even if Alisson's out through the first break, we have a very favourable run of Southampton and Burnley away, and Arsenal home, to think we'll be sound. And now Adrian get's to represent the European Champions in the European Super Cup with a chance to win his first medal in football Wednesday. Surreal doesn't begin to explain that for a lad who was training by himself back home in Seville as a free-agent this summer. 

All-in-all the perfect opening night to remind everyone who'd madly forgotten through the transfer nonsense just how bloody good these Reds are. And now we get to put our feet up and watch the only other game of real relevance this weekend to ourselves this dinner-time. 

Over to you City. The floor to respond is yours. 

Up the 'We are the Champions, Champions of Europe!' Reds!

 

Hail. 

Edited August 10, 2019 by Gibbs Hog Heaven

[AsburySkinsFan]

Sheffield United playing now. My son's club coach played for them back in 1973-76. Nice to see them in the Prim. I'm sure they'll be scavenged by the top clubs and relegated soon enough, but it'll be fun to watch.

[AsburySkinsFan]

Sheffield United apparently came out "playing with their tails up." 

What the heck does that even mean?!

[AsburySkinsFan]

SHEFFIELD!!!!!

EQUALIZES IN THE 88th

[AsburySkinsFan]

Harry Kane gets a brace to finish off Aston Villa!

Tottenham 3-1 AVFC

The Etihad has been christened properly.

 

Bad news for Liverpool with Alisson Becker reportedly out for several weeks.

 

Happy for Sheffield getting their first EPL point.

[FanboyOf91]

Solskjaer vs. Lampard is going to be hilarious to watch.

[Berggy9598]

1 hour ago, FanboyOf91 said:

Solskjaer vs. Lampard is going to be hilarious to watch.

Clearly you’ve studied each manager’s tactics thoroughly. Share with the group I look forward to your expert analysis with great anticipation. 

[techboy]

Oi, did you see that ludicrous display last night?