Weekend Football

[Sanguine]

I love the consistency of RR on Arsenal being bad for English football, and BR on Eddie Howe being a fraud.

[Royal Rother]

I love the consistency of RR on Arsenal being bad for English football, and BR on Eddie Howe being a fraud.

Without ever being a supporter, for 55 years I have wanted Arsenal to win every game they played, except against RFC, and it feels a little odd to have gone off them, but yeah, I think they are an appalling watch for 90% of their games. Capable of brilliance but so reliant on tactics and a style that I find deeply unappealing.

Maybe it's turncoat syndrome exaggerating it all in my mind but I do think best thing for football would be if that way of playing produced zero trophies.

[leon]

I love the consistency of RR on Arsenal being bad for English football, and BR on Eddie Howe being a fraud.

Without ever being a supporter, for 55 years I have wanted Arsenal to win every game they played, except against RFC, and it feels a little odd to have gone off them, but yeah, I think they are an appalling watch for 90% of their games. Capable of brilliance but so reliant on tactics and a style that I find deeply unappealing.

Maybe it's turncoat syndrome exaggerating it all in my mind but I do think best thing for football would be if that way of playing produced zero trophies.

even under George Graham?

[South Coast Royal]

I love the consistency of RR on Arsenal being bad for English football, and BR on Eddie Howe being a fraud.

Critics would probably say intransigent but I'll take consistent.

[Royal Rother]

I love the consistency of RR on Arsenal being bad for English football, and BR on Eddie Howe being a fraud.

Without ever being a supporter, for 55 years I have wanted Arsenal to win every game they played, except against RFC, and it feels a little odd to have gone off them, but yeah, I think they are an appalling watch for 90% of their games. Capable of brilliance but so reliant on tactics and a style that I find deeply unappealing.

Maybe it's turncoat syndrome exaggerating it all in my mind but I do think best thing for football would be if that way of playing produced zero trophies.

even under George Graham?

Dim distant past, but I don't remember them taking 2 minutes to take every corner, goal kick and throw in. Mind you, they weren't shown live every game so I'd only have seen highlights.

[LUX]

Fair play to RR for his honesty ( or “ seeing the light” ).

TBH, City wanted it more. Correction, they needed it more. They have most likely only got the also-ran cups to play for now. To their credit Arsenal will prolly win the Title, and are still in the CL.

[Winston Biscuit]

I sometimes think we are conditioned into thinking there must be significant fundamental reasons why Team A beats Team B, and we need to analyse them and understand them better, but in reality maybe it was just a thing that happened.

[Silver Fox]

Fair play to RR for his honesty ( or “ seeing the light” ).

TBH, City wanted it more. Correction, they needed it more. They have most likely only got the also-ran cups to play for now. To their credit Arsenal will prolly win the Title, and are still in the CL.

If CIteh win their game in hand and beat Arsenal at the Etihad I'm not convinced the Gooners have the minerals to hold them off. Now Arteta could go to Manchester and play negative but we know how that will work out

[Royal Rother]

I sometimes think we are conditioned into thinking there must be significant fundamental reasons why Team A beats Team B, and we need to analyse them and understand them better, but in reality maybe it was just a thing that happened.

Sure, but I do think there is some truth in GN's assertion that the whole goalkeeper standing on the ball doing nothing for ages thing just set a mood of passivity that did them no favours. After the 1st 20 mins they struggled for any urgency in their play (until Madueke came on, he did try to lift the tempo).

Are Saka and Foden going to be 2 more examples of those players who burned brightly for a while then just gradually faded away a la Sterling?

And, looking in, I can't figure out why Saka is captain in Odegaard's absence. Rarely have I seen someone who looks less like a leader of men than him. Surely Rice is the obvious captain? Or Gabriel now that his temperament is a little more stable?

[Winston Biscuit]

I sometimes think we are conditioned into thinking there must be significant fundamental reasons why Team A beats Team B, and we need to analyse them and understand them better, but in reality maybe it was just a thing that happened.

Sure, but I do think there is some truth in GN's assertion that the whole goalkeeper standing on the ball doing nothing for ages thing just set a mood of passivity that did them no favours. After the 1st 20 mins they struggled for any urgency in their play (until Madueke came on, he did try to lift the tempo).

I didn't actually watch this game yesterday so no idea what it was like really, but your point on setting the mood of passivity kind of falls into the point I was making. There is so much analysis of technicalities in football, that maybe we are forgetting that its humans playing and sometimes the vibe is just not quite there and that is the diffo maker.

[Sanguine]

I sometimes think we are conditioned into thinking there must be significant fundamental reasons why Team A beats Team B, and we need to analyse them and understand them better, but in reality maybe it was just a thing that happened.

You'd be doing data analysts out of a job. I think I relayed this anecdote before (courtesy of brother in law having a conversation with an Etihad exec) - whilst Rodri was out injured and rehabbing a couple of seasons back, they specifically worked on his agility, control and movement required to take the ball from from right to left, having found that it took him fractionally longer to move play that way across the field than it did left to right.

[bcubed]

I love the consistency of RR on Arsenal being bad for English football, and BR on Eddie Howe being a fraud.

Critics would probably say intransigent but I'll take consistent.

I'd say you and RR are both open to the views of others, unlike many. So not intransigent imo

[South Coast Royal]

I love the consistency of RR on Arsenal being bad for English football, and BR on Eddie Howe being a fraud.

Critics would probably say intransigent but I'll take consistent.

I'd say you and RR are both open to the views of others, unlike many. So not intransigent imo

Thanks for that mate.

[Winston Biscuit]

Cambridge 6 points behind Bromley at the top of L2, but with a game in hand, better GD, and they play each other on thursday!

[Beaulux]

I think you mean Man City and Arsenal mate.

[Winston Biscuit]

Rare occasion I am hoping Portsmouth get a win tonight. I want Leicester to go down way more than I previously thought.