Football Focus

[diable rouge]

The grotesque underhand tactics of the CSL come as no surprise.

Most of the 'Big 6' long ago sold their soul to the world of franchise and stuck two fingers up to tradition when changing their original names, and in some cases, upped sticks to pastures new, leaving their fanbase emotionally distraught and homeless.

Mockney Piers Dons, so much to answer for...

[Alan Medic]

This 'new rule' for the CSL is akin to scrapping the offside law or taking a free kick to yourself. This is not the game of 'hundreds' we grew to love over the years. The 'fans' will soon get bored of it. Meanwhile, I will be reporting this thread to the VAR (Value at Risk) committee where I fully expect the rogue post to be reported to Admin for potential deletion.

[diable rouge]

It's quite clear now that the CSL was a front for a disparate group of renegade posters trying to take over the forum...

#Cock-UpSuperLeague

[maxxi]

The CSL is delighted to welcome back those rogue (or misguided) members who sought to take part in a breakaway thread (or 'a malumbu' as it is known in the game) which is now confidently expected to collapse. We at the CSL have always believed in the integrity of the FF and hope future attempts to establish rival threads will now not be attempted.

We have assured fams of this thread of its continuing and can only assume that "The game of hundreds we grew to love over the years" does not include the previous attempted breakaway by this member with his short-lived 73 game.

Also, somewhere Laddy Muck is screaming blue red murder

[diable rouge]

Leeds away essentials...

[diable rouge]

Good luck to Arsenal if they can get rid of a bad owner like Kroenke, but Spotify haven't exactly covered themselves in glory in how they treat musicians...https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/56890624

[Droid]

This must be the most appropriate thread for this campaign.

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/583310

Let's give football back to the fans!

[Alan Medic]

'The Derry City Story' is on BBCi player. It's worth a watch. Well, I enjoyed it.

[maxxi]

Alan Medic Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> 'The Derry City Story' is on BBCi player. It's

> worth a watch. Well, I enjoyed it.

More than worth it doc, I thought it was brilliant - 'Different League' shows what football can really mean to a community.

[malumbu]

The Derry City documentary is excellent, although they had a bit of an up and down history subsequent to being reformed. I worry that the documentary hides some of the secretarian issues that surrounded the original demise - although that is for a separate thread.

On fan power not sure why some had to get into Old Trafford last night. On my one visit in the 00s it felt that there were still some hard core fans who were still after a fight after the match. A little uncomfortable and took me back to the 70s when there was always bother when Man U came to town. Maybe I am being unfair and many clubs still have a hooli element.

[????]

Irons

[malumbu]

On the odd occasion I've been to the new place the 'hoolis' all seem to be hipsters. At the Boleyn they were more old school although I remember the Phil Mitchell incident (genuine banter between the away end and the old boys in the Chicken Run). Are you said Phil Mitchell lookalike quids?

[diable rouge]

So much to love about yesterday's FA Cup final.

The romance of the Cup was back with Leicester winning it for the first time.

A world class goal and save, and even VAR played its role.

The 'good' guys beating the 'bad' guys, especially apt as is was against one of the ESL 6, greedy owners that sought to deprive clubs like Leicester from achieving their dreams.

Proof that a club can have foreign ownership yet connect with its fanbase, furthering its role at the heart of a community, a club that can be well run and successful without sportswashing or leveraged debt.

And of course, fans being back, something we took for granted and underestimated how important they are to the spirit of the game. Football is nothing without the fans...

[malumbu]

Pleased that Leicester won, but thought another shocking decision by VAR, if a player is level using the naked eye (real time or on the screen review) then the goal should stand. Don't use lines down to a few mm's. Couldn't be bothered to watch the analysis so others may have different opinions.

To contradict myself very happy with goal line technology, apart from it failing and (Sot) Villa staying up last season.

[diable rouge]

It was the constant griping from players/managers/fans/pundits and TV slo-mo analysis about refs/assistant refs getting 'naked eye' decisions wrong that brought about VAR in the first place.

Asking VAR to make the same 'naked eye' decisions surely defeats the purpose. Once you bring in an arbitrary rule you get lots of inconsistencies, which leads to lots of griping.

You will always need some 'line in the sand' that can't be crossed. If it shouldn't be down to a few mm's, how far should it be for it to be called offside?

Goal line technology works because it's quick, it's easy to monitor as you're dealing with fixed points in a confined zone, unfortunately that can't be transferred to the vast open pitch...yet.

I'm in favour of scrapping VAR but everyone then needs to accept refs will make mistakes...

[malumbu]

The decision should be what's in the interest of the game. I'm pretty sure that in the past for offside there had to be some clear blue water between attacker and defender, otherwise the benefit of the doubt went with the former. More goals, more excitement. But of course not infallible, due to official error.

Putting that on screen so the official can see in real time whether a 'reasonable person' could decide whether the goal scorer or others were clearly offside would be a way forward. Of course decisions would vary but there again Liverpool were gifted two key decisions on Sunday that another official would have given the other way.

Don't get me started on the player having a hand or a nose in an offside position, that really is getting silly and favours the defending team as they will naturally lean towards the other goal, and vice versa.

[diable rouge]

Nuno leaving Wolves, can see him rocking up at Spurs...

[diable rouge]

Blimey, that didn't take long.

Might be worth having a punt on Rodgers if Leicester fail to make top 4...

[peckman]

Nuno would be an excellent fit .

[malumbu]

Hopefully Wolves and Villa returning to where they belong. Although in terms of nasty, John Terry takes that prize, unsure why he isn't in the above list.

[diable rouge]

Paddy Evra > Liam Gallagher...

[malumbu]

Any Chels fans embarrassed about your celebrity fan? https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-57355599

There is no mention of Gove's pastimes and hobbies in wiki, although a reference to a Grauniad article that says he is a Hoops fan. https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/may/19/diary-michael-white-wembley-qpr-derby

Well I suppose it could be worse, Cameron supports the Hammers, Villa, Burnley and Scunthorpe - the last pretty appropriate when you think along the lines of John Cooper Clarke.

[diable rouge]

TV viewing for the next 11 days sorted...:)

[malumbu]

There's quite a few duds in there. I should have been at Spain vs Poland.....

[diable rouge]

Don't they have copy editors at the Times?...:)