ES Soccer Thread

[techboy]

5 hours ago, FanboyOf91 said:

You had one job, Betis!

 

Messi was out again today (yesterday in Spain, I guess), but Griezmann did a pretty decent impression of him.

[Gibbs Hog Heaven]

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/jurgen-klopp-explains-liverpools-plans-19006250

Nottin to see here. Just Jurgen casually putting a pundit who's never managed in his life well and truly in his place- 

“I would love to hear Jamie Carragher if I had left Sadio out. This punditry is a world-class business,” he said. “I have to think about if I do it after my management career, because you can say whatever you want and you always put a finger in something.

Klopp's got Carragher down perfectly. 

The transparent, controversial for the sake of the Sky game, gob****e!

Beauts even more of a knobhead now he’s got a National column and has well needed telling for long enough now. 

 

Hail. 

[Berggy9598]

At least he’s not Gary Neville. 

[Old Bay]

Bury out of the football league and facing liquidation.  Bolton possibly to follow.  Shambolic.  

[Gibbs Hog Heaven]

This agent's a piece of work ay? 

https://twitter.com/saifpr/status/1166698991045816320

My first observation is if Bobby is so mentally weak to be locked in his room as is claimed then he is in NO way, shape or form going to make it as a top footballer and the sooner he’s gone from LFC the better.

My second is this is the second time he’s decided to stop playing for a club to get a move. Happened at City where he basically sat out the last year of his scholarship and subsequently refused to sign a pro-contract to get his ‘dream’ move to L’pool. Now, a mere year removed from that, he’s pulling this underhand **** to force another as he patently has some convoluted high opinion of himself that thinks the 23’s, at just 18-years-of-age, is somehow ‘beneath him.’ Oh, all after being with the first-team group all pre-season and getting game time.

Either his ego is off the charts bad, or he’s being seriously ill-advised to stoop to these depths. (Hard to believe what’s claimed is happening when there’s been ZERO other instance at the football club regarding Michael Edwards. Who has an open-door policy to everyone just like the manager and his staff.). To then go further and play the 'he's Steven Gerrard's cousin'' sympathy card say's it all about the disgraceful, self-interest motives behind this. 

But regardless of who’s behind this, he needs gone from L’pool FC on the face of what we have to go on.

What a petulant, self-entitled little brat to stoop to such levels to try force a move. At 18. 1-year into his 'dream move' at his boyhood club.

 

Hail. 

[Gibbs Hog Heaven]

On 8/27/2019 at 3:55 AM, Berggy9598 said:

At least he’s not Gary Neville. 

 

I'd take Neville over Carragher ANY day of the week and twice on Sunday's! 

 

8 hours ago, Old Bay said:

Bury out of the football league and facing liquidation.  Bolton possibly to follow.  Shambolic.  

 

Bolton has new owners, today mate, mercifully. So a founder member is saved. 

 

The Bury disgrace is to the Football Leagues detriment. Your heart goes out to them and the community they serve devoed by what's happened. 

 

A lot to say there but I'd need more time. 

 

Hail. 

Edited August 28, 2019 by Gibbs Hog Heaven

[Gibbs Hog Heaven]

Less than 24 hours to the best day of the football calendar. At least for me. Holiday Lottery Day! 

Can't really lose out in the final qualifiers tonight as all 6 teams would be brilliant trips, but if I had a preference then an Ajax, Bruge and Slavia Prague win would be sound ta. 

But first things first. The League Cup draw later-

I’ll take one of Colchester, Crawley, MK Dons or Oxford. Along with either Grimsby or Macclesfield. 

And if Cambridge, Lincoln (LOL @ the Ev as I type) and Forrest Green could all win tonight that would be appreciated.

Those are the new grounds I have left in the competition to do.

Failing that anyone at home ta Football Gods.

 

Hail. 

[Berggy9598]

4 hours ago, Gibbs Hog Heaven said:

 

I'd take Neville over Carragher ANY day of the week and twice on Sunday's! 

 

 

Bolton has new owners, today mate, mercifully. So a founder member is saved. 

 

The Bury disgrace is to the Football Leagues detriment. Your heart goes out to them and the community they serve devoed by what's happened. 

 

A lot to say there but I'd need more time. 

 

Hail. 

At least Carragher doesn’t think being English is a skill. 

[Gibbs Hog Heaven]

Lincoln know! 🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/B1uTKmHH2sK/

 

Hail. 

[Gibbs Hog Heaven]

The single best day of the calendar is here again-  

 

Holiday Lottery Day! 😀

 

When we get to find out what new journeys we're going on with Europe's best. 

 

My personal preference would, in order, be:

 

Pot 2. Napoli (As their games will be in Bologna. Which is a boss little City and they won't travel up there), Ajax, Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid, Benfica, Dortmund. Donetsk and Kharkiv can F right off! 

 

Pot 3. Valencia, Bruges, Salzburg, Olympiacos, Leverkusen, Lyon, Inter, Zagreb. 

 

Pot 4. Slavia Prague, Genk, Lille, Galatasary, Belgrade, Leipzig. Moscow can do one. As can Atalanta now they're playing their games in Milan. Otherwise they and Bergamo would have been top of my pot 4 wants. 

 

We'd be exceptionally unlucky to not have 3 belter trips all things being equal. 

I just hope they don't leave announcing the dates until around 10 like last year which was REAL frustrating sat waiting on flights. 

 

4 more hours or so when they've finished all the pontificating! The excitement is like being a kid at Christmas haha.

 

Hail. 

[SkinInsite]

Excellent draw for the Reds, I might make a match since I'll be Vienna around Christmas time.

[FrFan]

 

Group A

Paris-SG

Real Madrid

Club Bruges

Galatasaray

 

Group B

Bayern Munich

Tottenham

Olympiakos

Etoile Rouge Belgrade

 

Groupe C

Manchester City

Chakhtior Donetsk

Dinamo Zagreb

Atalanta Bergame

 

Groupe D

Juventus Turin

Atlético de Madrid

Bayer Leverkusen

Lokomotiv Moscou

 

Groupe E

Liverpool

Naples

RB Salzbourg

Racing Genk

 

Groupe F

FC Barcelone

Borussia Dortmund

Inter Milan

Slavia Prague

 

Groupe G

Zénith Saint-Pétersbourg

Benfica

Lyon

RB Leipzig

 

Groupe H

Chelsea

Ajax Amsterdam

Valence CF

Lille

Edited August 29, 2019 by FrFan

[Gibbs Hog Heaven]

Made up with that IF Napoli are playing in Bologna. Still need UEFA to confirm that. If it's Naples I'll sack that off. Not going through that again. 

The other two trips are brilliant. Probably get the Eurostar Genk. And there's a lot of options Salzburg. 

And we'll piss out that group as you say. 

Oh yeah, get the F in big Virg! UEFA man of the Year over Messi and Ronaldo. (Look on their kites when that was announced haha.). Richly deserved. 

Hopefully bodes well for the ballon d'Or.

 

Hail. 

[Old Bay]

22 hours ago, Gibbs Hog Heaven said:

Bolton has new owners, today mate, mercifully. So a founder member is saved. 

 

The Bury disgrace is to the Football Leagues detriment. Your heart goes out to them and the community they serve devoed by what's happened. 

 

A lot to say there but I'd need more time. 

 

 

 

I saw that. I'm glad for them.  

 

 

[Gibbs Hog Heaven]

On 8/29/2019 at 12:19 AM, Berggy9598 said:

.....

 

Watching this Utd side is like watching L'pool for much of the PL era. 

 

Going nowhere with such a sub-standard group and utterly tactically clueless, naive manager who should be nowhere near a club like Utd. 

 

Hail. 

[JSSkinz]

There's nothing fluid about the way Chelsea plays football, the defense has poor mental lapses at the worst times and they have no idea how to create space up front.

 

It's difficult to watch.

Edited August 31, 2019 by JSSkinz

[FanboyOf91]

It's Frank Lampard!

[Gibbs Hog Heaven]

'L'pool, Top the League. L'pool, L'pool Top the League!'

 

Interesting how we've basically played a two man defence the last two weeks with both CH's split wide and both FB's pushed as high as they've ever been under Klopp. And Fabinho dropping in when needed to split the two opposition attackers. Like we mooted through our pre-season discussions on here. 

Been mad to me this week reading different platforms how people are still worried about going to a low block team like Burnley. I mean it's not like we aren't the best side in all of Europe who will beat you any which way you want to play us or anything ....... Seriously! SMH. Simple answer to me is if you expect City to comfortably go everywhere and win, then why wouldn't you these outstanding Reds who are EVERY bit there equal as they prove week in, week out? Really bizarre the way football fans fret over nottin'. 

Talking of, today set a new club record of 13 straight wins. I've lost track of the amount of times I've said the past few years that this is the most complete, controlling, dominant L'pool side I've ever seen in nigh on 4 decades going the match. And the (what seems) almost weekly records they continue to set just attests to that. It's also the first time the football club has won its first 4 games of the season two years running. And they've also equaled a club record of 6 away wins in a row. 127 years of storied success and they just keep rewriting everything. 

Absolutely phenomenal gang of Reds we're exceptionally privileged to be enjoying every week. 

Another super display today dispatching Dyche and his anti-football with minimum fuss. Complete much-ado-about-nothing with Mo and Sadio. Would Sadio have passed there 3 up? Probably not. So the deadliest finisher the PL isn't going to either after he'd already assisted Bobby. Who, incidentally, became the top scoring Brazilian in PL history and first to hit the 50 mark. 'Grats to Adrian for his first clean-sheet too. Losing the World's top goalie hasn't effected the mentality monsters that Jurgen's built one iota. 

The first block of 4 this year couldn't have gone any better. 100%. Top the League. 2 points up on City. Yet another big European Trophy bagged. 

Not too shabby these lads huh?

Up the one season wonder Reds! 
 

Hail. 

[ixcuincle]

The normal one 😀

[FanboyOf91]

(chef's kiss)

[Gibbs Hog Heaven]

On 8/28/2019 at 4:09 PM, Gibbs Hog Heaven said:

This agent's a piece of work ay? 

https://twitter.com/saifpr/status/1166698991045816320

My first observation is if Bobby is so mentally weak to be locked in his room as is claimed then he is in NO way, shape or form going to make it as a top footballer and the sooner he’s gone from LFC the better.

My second is this is the second time he’s decided to stop playing for a club to get a move. Happened at City where he basically sat out the last year of his scholarship and subsequently refused to sign a pro-contract to get his ‘dream’ move to L’pool. Now, a mere year removed from that, he’s pulling this underhand **** to force another as he patently has some convoluted high opinion of himself that thinks the 23’s, at just 18-years-of-age, is somehow ‘beneath him.’ Oh, all after being with the first-team group all pre-season and getting game time.

Either his ego is off the charts bad, or he’s being seriously ill-advised to stoop to these depths. (Hard to believe what’s claimed is happening when there’s been ZERO other instance at the football club regarding Michael Edwards. Who has an open-door policy to everyone just like the manager and his staff.). To then go further and play the 'he's Steven Gerrard's cousin'' sympathy card say's it all about the disgraceful, self-interest motives behind this. 

But regardless of who’s behind this, he needs gone from L’pool FC on the face of what we have to go on.

What a petulant, self-entitled little brat to stoop to such levels to try force a move. At 18. 1-year into his 'dream move' at his boyhood club.

 

Hail. 

 

https://mobile.twitter.com/_pauljoyce/status/1168420027449696256

 

How’s he gonna’ leave his room to fly out to Florence with his depression from the bullying at Anfield being so bad? Gob****e.

 

Good riddance. 

 

Hail.

 

 

Edited September 2, 2019 by Gibbs Hog Heaven

[Gibbs Hog Heaven]

22 hours ago, FanboyOf91 said:

(chef's kiss)

 

Nice segue .....

 

Been meaning to post this piece on the Italian-American kid we picked up last year who's been making fine progress the 18's. Scored a belter in Saturday's 4-3 win over Utd and he's in the US U20 squad this International break. Was mostly deployed as a deep lying playmaker/ DM (as we view a #6)  last year but he's been pushed further forward this year to good effect the first few games. 

 

https://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/academy/353958-meet-the-academy-matteo-ritaccio

 

Hail. 

Edited September 2, 2019 by Gibbs Hog Heaven

[Gibbs Hog Heaven]

Hail. 

 

[Gibbs Hog Heaven]

Real nice end to a sound 'good house keeping' window. 

One seriously despicable bad apple moved on for a £ 1.6 million profit in a year. And now Ryan Kent getting the perfect move he's craved all summer long that's best for all concerned. 

Made up for Ryan to finally have the permy home he wanted to fully kick-start his career after 5 loan moves. Last year's Scottish Young Player of the Year should slide straight back-in up at Ibrox and pick up where he left off. 

Love that the club stuck to their guns and maximised the most money on the table all summer long right at the end of the window. £7.5 million is a very respectable return for a lad who's only made one competitive appearance for L'pool. 4 years-ago. In the Cup down at Exeter through that mad injury crisis Klopp's first year. The 20% sell-on could well add to that as he's more than talented enough to return to England at some point going forward. 

All the best mate. (Sadly the same can't be said of Duncan with the depths he's stooped to.). 

That's around £44.8 million brought in to the club in sales of the deadwood this summer. With some very high salary's removed to off-set some of the extensions we've given out. Which would have been pushing over £55 million had Clyne not had his real unfortunate injury. Along with another £ 6.1 million in loan fees and Ejaria tied up on a £ 3.5 million obligation to buy for next summer after his loan to Reading. (On top of Karius gone to Turkey in a similar deal next summer for £ 7.25 million. Totalling £ 9.5 million with the loan fee.). 

 

Over £54 million brought into the club.

Really prudent business done this window yet again that just adds to the ever swelling coffers for next summers assault on the players we're patiently biding our time for.

 

Hail. 

Edited September 3, 2019 by Gibbs Hog Heaven

[Long n Left]

12 hours ago, Gibbs Hog Heaven said:

Real nice end to a sound 'good house keeping' window. 

One seriously despicable bad apple moved on for a £ 1.6 million profit in a year. And now Ryan Kent getting the perfect move he's craved all summer long that's best for all concerned. 

Made up for Ryan to finally have the permy home he wanted to fully kick-start his career after 5 loan moves. Last year's Scottish Young Player of the Year should slide straight back-in up at Ibrox and pick up where he left off. 

Love that the club stuck to their guns and maximised the most money on the table all summer long right at the end of the window. £7.5 million is a very respectable return for a lad who's only made one competitive appearance for L'pool. 4 years-ago. In the Cup down at Exeter through that mad injury crisis Klopp's first year. The 20% sell-on could well add to that as he's more than talented enough to return to England at some point going forward. 

All the best mate. (Sadly the same can't be said of Duncan with the depths he's stooped to.). 

That's around £44.8 million brought in to the club in sales of the deadwood this summer. With some very high salary's removed to off-set some of the extensions we've given out. Which would have been pushing over £55 million had Clyne not had his real unfortunate injury. Along with another £ 6.1 million in loan fees and Ejaria tied up on a £ 3.5 million obligation to buy for next summer after his loan to Reading. (On top of Karius gone to Turkey in a similar deal next summer for £ 7.25 million. Totalling £ 9.5 million with the loan fee.). 

 

Over £54 million brought into the club.

Really prudent business done this window yet again that just adds to the ever swelling coffers for next summers assault on the players we're patiently biding our time for.

 

Hail. 

Nice overview.

 

In retrospect, I’m a bit made up about this window. Personally thought additions up top, and a creative mid were needed to keep pushing forward, but the team looks completely solid, top to bottom. Hope Brewster can work his way into the first team regularly, to give any of the front three a break, and Original continues to do Origi stuff.

 

Still believe that creative spark in the mid will be addressed, maybe January, maybe next summer, but we’ve seen just a glimpse of Ox, and none of Shaq and Lallana just yet. Hope they can stay fit, as they will be needed. My guess is the asking price(s) for the guys they want we’re just too steep this time around, so they let others overpay...Maguire?? Wouldn’t mind seeing a Havertz or Aouar come into the team when Milly and Adam eventually move on.

 

Quite pleases with what I’ve seen these first four (plus 2). They continue to play the most pleasing to watch footy on the planet, imo, and haven’t even hit stride yet. Looks like it’ll come down to the head to heads with City again this season. Hope the lads are up to it. Whatever, it’ll be a fun ride!