The (Un) Official Football thread

[Gandalf the Red]

One of the worst seasons in living memory to be quite honest.

A boring team won it and most of the other top teams were boring as well. None of the relegation zone teams had any fight in them.

I'll be glad when it's over. If we don't beat Middlesbrough, then we don't deserve it.

[Matty_the_Emo_Slayer]

Team of the year picks anyone? Starting XI and a bench. Mine would look something like this.

GK| Thibaut Courtois
RB| Antonio Valencia
CB| Seamus Coleman
CB| Gareth McAuley
LB| Marcos Alonso

Ha ha ha. Ha ha ha ha ha....

Goals conceded this season:

25 - Spurs
29 - Man Utd
32 - Chelsea
39 - Man City
41 - Everton
42 - Liverpool
43 - Arsenal

Yet you don't include a Spurs goalkeeper or defender in your team of the year? I'll have some of whatever drugs you're on!

Spurs conceded the least goals, yet still didn't win the title (despite having more points than last year's champs.) United conceded the second least and didn't even finish in the top 4. What's the point being defensively watertight if it doesn't get you anywhere? There's more to being a defender than just that. I chose McAuley and Alonso because they contribute so much to attacking (they're drawn along with Cahill for most goals by defenders this season.) Coleman is not bad going forward too and is probably the best tackler around. Admittedly there was some favouritism in choosing Valencia over Walker who made the most assists of any fullback this season. If I was including anyone from Spurs at the back it would definitely be him. I chose Azpilicueta over him for the bench based on sheer positivity and the fact he's played every minute of the season. Danny Rose on the other hand has massively underperformed this season.

Also Lloris has 15 clean sheets for the season, Courtois has 16.

[houston4044]

What's the point being defensively watertight if it doesn't get you anywhere? There's more to being a defender than just that.

One of the worst seasons in living memory to be quite honest.

A boring team won it and most of the other top teams were boring as well. None of the relegation zone teams had any fight in them.

I'll be glad when it's over. If we don't beat Middlesbrough, then we don't deserve it.

It's not been that bad, admittedly it's probably been a bit more exciting for me as Spurs did have a chance of winning it (but didn't go down to the wire thanks to the Hammers ) but following on from last season then yes it has, but how could it not? I think it's been an average season that's just had the misfortune of following on from a brilliant season last year. Alright Sunderland contributed nothing (except 3 points for other teams) but the Hull/Swansea clash was quite fun (if too short).

Personally I think next season will be a banger, all top 5 teams + maybe Utd will be in the mix ( ) I can see Everton strengthening and making for a tighter race than this year.

[Matty_the_Emo_Slayer]

admittedly it's probably been a bit more exciting for me as Spurs did have a chance of winning it (but didn't go down to the wire thanks to Spurs bottling it as usual)

Fixed that for you

[Tet]

Danny Rose on the other hand has massively underperformed this season.

Also Lloris has 15 clean sheets for the season, Courtois has 16.

Rose only played 18 of 38 Premier League games this season due to injury. In those 18, he did pretty well, but I can understand you leaving him out of a TOTY. But Vertonghen and Alderwiereld? I struggle to see how either of your two selections come close. But hey, you're welcome to your opinion even if I disagree with it.

admittedly it's probably been a bit more exciting for me as Spurs did have a chance of winning it (but didn't go down to the wire thanks to Spurs bottling it as usual)

Fixed that for you

Bottling it, you say? Last 10 Premier League games:

Spurs: W9, D0, L1
Chelsea: W8, D0, L2
Arsenal: W8, D0, L2
Man City: W6, D3, L1
Liverpool: W6, D3, L1
Man Utd: W4, D4, L2

Yeah, the loss to West Ham was disappointing, but a) we still had a better run in than any of our rivals, and b) it didn't matter anyway.

[houston4044]

admittedly it's probably been a bit more exciting for me as Spurs did have a chance of winning it (but didn't go down to the wire thanks to Spurs bottling it as usual)

Fixed that for you

For once, except for the CL we didn't do that this season which is a pleasant surprise.

The amount of guff and controversy over whether the guard of honor for Terry is causing quite the storm in a tea cup, I'm more amazed that people are overlooking the fact that they're celebrating someone who is such an abhorrent person; it's not like other players are saints but are people forgetting the things he's done

[Matty_the_Emo_Slayer]

Well that's part of the criticism isn't? His ego and how he brings the game into disrepute with his antics. Although I get that things he's done off the pitch are far worse than what he's done on it.

[Matty_the_Emo_Slayer]

It's a kind of dulled feeling for a United fan right now knowing that this trophy was mostly about being a stepping stone to get back to challenging for the big one again, but it also means now we are only the third club in history to have won every trophy in the world available to us.

Domestic top flight league, cup(s) and shield (plus state championship for Brazilian teams)
Major continental cup, minor continental cup(s), continental super cup
Intercontinental Cup, Club World Cup

Bayern Munich and Barcelona were the only two to win it before us, and not many can do it after us seeing as the UEFA Cup Winner's Cup and Intercontinental Cup don't exist any more (which counts out some huge clubs like Liverpool and Real Madrid.)

Sao Paulo can do it if they win a Copa do Brasil and AC Milan only need a Europa League, whereas Juventus, Ajax, Borussia Dortmund, Independiente, Boca Juniors and River Plate need to win a Champions League/Copa Libertadores again and then the Club World Cup to complete the set.

So yeah, it feels good knowing there's something that very few clubs can possibly achieve and all our main rivals never cannot. I will have to take another trip to Old Trafford soon and see the full cabinet in all its glory!

[Gandalf the Red]

It's a kind of dulled feeling for a United fan right now knowing that this trophy was mostly about being a stepping stone to get back to challenging for the big one again, but it also means now we are only the third club in history to have won every trophy in the world available to us.

Domestic top flight league, cup(s) and shield (plus state championship for Brazilian teams)
Major continental cup, minor continental cup(s), continental super cup
Intercontinental Cup, Club World Cup

Bayern Munich and Barcelona were the only two to win it before us, and not many can do it after us seeing as the UEFA Cup Winner's Cup and Intercontinental Cup don't exist any more (which counts out some huge clubs like Liverpool and Real Madrid.)

Sao Paulo can do it if they win a Copa do Brasil and AC Milan only need a Europa League, whereas Juventus, Ajax, Borussia Dortmund, Independiente, Boca Juniors and River Plate need to win a Champions League/Copa Libertadores again and then the Club World Cup to complete the set.

So yeah, it feels good knowing there's something that very few clubs can possibly achieve and all our main rivals never cannot. I will have to take another trip to Old Trafford soon and see the full cabinet in all its glory!

We never qualified for the Cup Winners Cup because we were too busy winning the proper trophies. Then they got rid of it. It really wasn't worth winning. Ask Everton fans.


It's a bit like saying you won the Screensport Super Trophy.

[Jobdone]

Better they haven't even done the intertoto.

[Matty_the_Emo_Slayer]

Liverpool still entered the Cup Winners' Cup 5 times by my count (65-66, 71-72, 73-74, 92-93, 96-97.) Also would've qualified for the 89-90 season if it wasn't for the ban on English clubs. So if it was such a doss of a competition then what's the reason they couldn't win it?

Liverpool's record in international competition is shocking too. Let Monchengladbach play the 77 Intercontinental Cup in their stead, cancelled it in 78, lost to Flamengo in 81, lost to Independiente in 84 and lost the Club World Cup final to Sao Paulo in 2005.

[houston4044]

Coming from a Spurs fan, well done on winning a competition everyone derides unless you actually have a chance of winning it

[Matty_the_Emo_Slayer]

I'd say it's more that everyone derides it until they have no choice other than to win it!

[Gandalf the Red]

Liverpool still entered the Cup Winners' Cup 5 times by my count (65-66, 71-72, 73-74, 92-93, 96-97.) Also would've qualified for the 89-90 season if it wasn't for the ban on English clubs. So if it was such a doss of a competition then what's the reason they couldn't win it?

Liverpool's record in international competition is shocking too. Let Monchengladbach play the 77 Intercontinental Cup in their stead, cancelled it in 78, lost to Flamengo in 81, lost to Independiente in 84 and lost the Club World Cup final to Sao Paulo in 2005.

Do you actually remember the ECWC?

It was a trophy that wasn't worth a piss in. But you had to enter it. Hardly any of the major clubs from the big leagues played in it because they were automatically in the ICFC* or European Cup, So you were playing against teams like UCD or Bangor City. It was all out of the hat back then and one year we got Forest in the First Round of the EC. Both clubs thought that was fixed.

For the record we lost in the 1966 Final to Borussia Dortmund. Bayern Munich in 1971, Red Star Belgrade in 1974. If they weren't top clubs then I don't know what were.


Yeah. We were going to play dodgy games in the middle of the season to satisfy the FA. That's why we didn't bother with the waste of time that was the South America thing. Why go to Japan in the middle of the season? I remember watching one of the matches at five in the morning, just after The Stud with Joan Collins.

* Strange cup that had the team that was from the city representing them. Everton would have been happy being called Liverpool.

[Gandalf the Red]

BTW. I don't mind teams winning things if they are deserved.