Todays Games

[Biggish Dave]

I'd give my left arm to see us do what West Ham did last night

[Traf]

1 hour ago, Biggish Dave said:

I'd give my left arm to see us do what West Ham did last night

I wouldn't, I'm left handed.

[DazBob]

1 hour ago, Traf said:

I wouldn't, I'm left handed.

Attention seeker.

[Casino]

Ive no issue with 6 or 7 teams qualifying

Im sure as a kid there were 6?

1 EC, 4 UEFA, and a CWC

my issue is all this league shit

[Traf]

2 hours ago, DazBob said:

Attention seeker.

it worked, though xx

[Leyther_Matt]

1 hour ago, Casino said:

Ive no issue with 6 or 7 teams qualifying

Im sure as a kid there were 6?

1 EC, 4 UEFA, and a CWC

my issue is all this league shit

I suppose the difference in that case is that the CWC and one of the UEFA slots were from cup competitions, so only the top 4 (in a bigger division, for what it’s worth) qualified from the league. There again, 5th spot in Scotland has qualified for the Conference League this year so that makes 7th in the EPL look fairly reasonable. 

[Traf]

Top 2 should be in Champions League with the other 2 places going to the winners of the FA & Carabao Cups, that would get teams taking cups seriously.

[Jol_BWFC]

2 minutes ago, Traf said:

Top 2 should be in Champions League with the other 2 places going to the winners of the FA Cup & Papa John’s Trophy, that would get teams taking cups seriously.

 

[bolty58]

14 hours ago, radcliffe white said:

Farmers all the way Saturday mate but sadly can’t see it

yes done well on being finalists however just looking no winner in the Europa cup since 99 & champions league 2010

Nicely dodged the 'Jim Ratcliffe White' jibe  see. I suppose I will have to give in and open that 'Pink' thread about you in 'Behind The Stands' to see if you bit there.

[bolty58]

14 hours ago, L/H White said:

same as you then, mr bloody italia

 I have a few but not in the same country and only 37 miles away. Most of the ones I have a passing interest in usually win fuck all (e.g. Napoli) anyway. Unlike some, I am certainly not a bandwagon jumping glory hunter.

[bolty58]

14 hours ago, London Wanderer said:

You can add Beitar Jerusalem to that list as well 😉

Fucking hell, Loudon Wanderer pipes up. I have no interest in or real knowledge of Israeli football but presume you felt compelled to issue that mild jibe due to your support of those clubs whose fans fly the Palestinian flag? 

[MancWanderer]

13 hours ago, DazBob said:

Other fans can sneer as much as they want about West Ham winning a 'Mickey Mouse' trophy but, ultimately, why do we support a football club?  We support a club and the dream is to watch them lift silverware.  Many of those West Ham fans last night will have never seen their team do it before. 

That win last night meant more to West Ham fans than any Champions League final win would do to a fan of an 'elite' club.

 

What a lot of so-called football fans don't get is it's not all about playing at the very top.  A last minute winner in a League 2 match feels every bit as special as a last minute winner in a Premier League match.  If you don't get that then you don't really get football.

Yep

Papa Johns win took me right back to to the days of the Anglo-Italian Cup, The Texaco Trophy and all that shite. It might have been shite but it was a cup. Win a shit cup and you’ve won a cup. Nowt wrong with that. Nowt at all.

Can’t say I’ve any leaning towards West Ham but love the scenes around their win. Rather that than the Massives, Scousers, Red Scum or any supposed big club winning owt

[tomski]

Torn on tomorrow. Liked Inter since around 1990 but I hate Man U far more and knowing it will piss their fans off them it’s actually an easy choice.

Not felt the same with Inter since their dalliance with super league and regular signing off rag players. Appears I’m not torn tomorrow after all.

[tomski]

The Europa conference league has been great and I’m glad English clubs have woken up to it.

[London Wanderer]

7 hours ago, bolty58 said:

Fucking hell, Loudon Wanderer pipes up. I have no interest in or real knowledge of Israeli football but presume you felt compelled to issue that mild jibe due to your support of those clubs whose fans fly the Palestinian flag? 

They’re hardcore, would run right over a Just Stop Oil protester twice and likely go back for thirds. 
 

They make Millwall look like angels. If you take the knee in that stadium you’re not leaving. 
 

Just another joke anyway pal. I’m sure you would never condone any of that x

 

[Zico]

13 hours ago, Traf said:

Top 2 should be in Champions League with the other 2 places going to the winners of the FA & Carabao Cups, that would get teams taking cups seriously.

they should at least go back to giving EL or even ECL to cup winners

EL for the FA Cup

ECL for the League Cup

[globaldiver]

10 minutes ago, Zico said:

they should at least go back to giving EL or even ECL to cup winners

EL for the FA Cup

ECL for the League Cup

Both cups are taken seriously by the elite clubs, who usually win them.

[Zico]

26 minutes ago, globaldiver said:

Both cups are taken seriously by the elite clubs, who usually win them.

aye, was going to say that, but then thought he maybe meant that the other PL teams might take it more seriously

because on the one hand you could argue they don't which is why they rarely win it

or the big clubs do and that's why the do, or they have the squads to cope  with changing their entire team for most rounds

helped by the fact the smaller ones don't

maybe

[globaldiver]

9 hours ago, Zico said:

aye, was going to say that, but then thought he maybe meant that the other PL teams might take it more seriously

because on the one hand you could argue they don't which is why they rarely win it

or the big clubs do and that's why the do, or they have the squads to cope  with changing their entire team for most rounds

helped by the fact the smaller ones don't

maybe

Quite 

[bolty58]

16 hours ago, London Wanderer said:

They’re hardcore, would run right over a Just Stop Oil protester twice and likely go back for thirds. 
 

They make Millwall look like angels. If you take the knee in that stadium you’re not leaving. 
 

Just another joke anyway pal. I’m sure you would never condone any of that x

 

Thou hast educated me in this case squire. Most of my attention to overseas football tends to be concentrated on South America, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands.

I note that the report was 'framed' in the way the fucking Guardian would though. Sort of weakens the impact when you learn that it is that biased outlet. I suppose they would be cheering on the woman with the knife in her handbag?

Be interesting if they were ever to face Verona in any of the European tournaments. The Guardian could frame it as a 'racist' playoff.

https://thehardtackle.com/2014/hellas-verona-the-most-racist-fans-in-all-of-italy/

[London Wanderer]

7 hours ago, bolty58 said:

Thou hast educated me in this case squire. Most of my attention to overseas football tends to be concentrated on South America, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands.

I note that the report was 'framed' in the way the fucking Guardian would though. Sort of weakens the impact when you learn that it is that biased outlet. I suppose they would be cheering on the woman with the knife in her handbag?

Be interesting if they were ever to face Verona in any of the European tournaments. The Guardian could frame it as a 'racist' playoff.

https://thehardtackle.com/2014/hellas-verona-the-most-racist-fans-in-all-of-italy/

the Guardian frame many things, but hardly this, it’s clear for all the see when they left the stadium after the Arab scored. You can criticise one thing without condoning Hamas. 
 

As for Verona, taunting a young footballer who died 6 months earlier.. Christ that’s awful. 
 

I hear the place is beautiful though 

Edited June 10, 2023 by London Wanderer

[Marc505]

57 minutes ago, London Wanderer said:

the Guardian frame many things, but hardly this, it’s clear for all the see when they left the stadium after the Arab scored. You can criticise one thing without condoning Hamas. 
 

As for Verona, taunting a young footballer who died 6 months earlier.. Christ that’s awful. 
 

I hear the place is beautiful though 

If anyone should take anything from that article it's that they should definitely read "A Season With Verona" love that book 😃

This discussion also reminded me of a chapter called Saturday Night Lights in another well worth reading book "The Away Leg" about watching football in unusual situations, that part covered a cup match involving Beitar Jerusalem. Only a short story but really shows how difficult it must be following a team around in Israeli league, especially on a Saturday!

[London Wanderer]

1 hour ago, Marc505 said:

If anyone should take anything from that article it's that they should definitely read "A Season With Verona" love that book 😃

This discussion also reminded me of a chapter called Saturday Night Lights in another well worth reading book "The Away Leg" about watching football in unusual situations, that part covered a cup match involving Beitar Jerusalem. Only a short story but really shows how difficult it must be following a team around in Israeli league, especially on a Saturday!

Both sound great, think I’ll pop an order in. Cheers 👍
 

I guess one bonus of following an Israeli team away is you’ve never had far to travel. 
 

I did a ten day tour in Israel and West Bank with an amateur team I used to play for. Was an eye opener for sure. The Israeli border force held me for hours on arrival because I had a Pakistan visa stamp on my passport. My mate in Islamabad got one of the strangest calls he’s ever had trying to explain my visit. 

[Marc505]

4 hours ago, London Wanderer said:

Both sound great, think I’ll pop an order in. Cheers 👍
 

I guess one bonus of following an Israeli team away is you’ve never had far to travel. 
 

I did a ten day tour in Israel and West Bank with an amateur team I used to play for. Was an eye opener for sure. The Israeli border force held me for hours on arrival because I had a Pakistan visa stamp on my passport. My mate in Islamabad got one of the strangest calls he’s ever had trying to explain my visit. 

They don't seem to me to be a border force you'd want to fuck around with! Think it kind of gets forgotten about in football terms but some of their fan cultures and atmospheres are incredible, proper raw!

The Verona book is really interesting, obviously a bit dated now with football having moved on a lot but the insights into Italian life are great. Same with "One Night In Turin", my favourite football book by far about what it was like to live in Italy during 1990. Turns out the two authors don't get on though, shame.

[Pablo]

So happy for my city mates…known them over 25 years, they have been everywhere….top top lads….ive been plenty of away games with then….they are proper fans, real salt of earth tuoe you lot and we all love….made up for them.