The Evo-Web Football Thoughts Blog

Nice to know that Arsenal is good at something:


I realise I have a soft spot for Arsenal every time I see them for better or for worse. Probably because their 2001-02 side and Dennis Bergkamp are about my favourite team and player of all time.
 
PeterC10 said:
RIP, Gerard Houllier :(

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I am French, and Gerrard Houllier has had a real impact on my football culture, and my love for Liverpool.
I was 10 years old at the beginning of 2000, and to see this guy bring in players like Cheyrou, Le Tallec, Sinama Pongolle... Who were able to play with the great players of the time, it made you want to and you said to yourself that it was possible...

I think Liverpool is so loved by some French people, it's thanks to this guy, so thanks for that M.Houllier.

Reste en paix
 
Liverpool v Tottenham.

The absolute state of Mourinho moaning at Klopp after that game, given some of the antics on display from Tottenham. Kane going down clutching his head after the late free kick, after running away from his supposed attacker, clearly fine, watching the ball, seconds later collapsing in a heap. Kicking the ball away from Liverpool so they couldn't take quick free kicks. Pulling Liverpool players down by their shoulders. And he moans at Klopp.

Sorry @Stan but I despise the guy, after idolising him since his Porto days. He's all the worst of modern football - makes his players dive and cheat, and plays football Sam Allardyce would be pulled apart for by the press. So glad he walked away without a point.

His post-match interview? (Actual quotes.) "So close of winning, not of drawing"... "A very very unfair result"... "We had the best chances to win"... "The best team lost"... Hot air, and no class.
 
@Chris Davies Totally agree. I'm far from a Liverpool fan, I'm still not over the 1992 FA Cup semi final penalty shoot out :LOL: but I found myself involuntarily cheering when Firmino headed in the winner. Had to have a word with myself afterwards but I class it as a cheer for football winning the day.

Absolutely nothing against Spurs, used to really like them as a kid as Hoddle was my favourite player but that's not football I want to watch.
 
I'm a firm believer that there's no right or wrong way to play football as football was never designed to be entertaining, and it's goals that make football entertaining, regardless of how they're scored.

But the fact remains that football can be entertaining so - for a neutral (save for the nerds who fetishise tactics) - the most attacking team has the most appeal. And that is almost never Mourinho's. Unless his team overpowers the opposition by such a great margin that they become the attacking team by default.

I didn't watch the game but Mourinho's act is getting old. Even if it is shtick. I do wonder how Spurs fans feel about him. Aren't they a team with a [wincing] "way"? A "way" to which Mourinho doesn't ascribe?

On Allardyce, I found myself once again compelled to defend him yesterday. Today he's written off as a dinosaur, but I remember him being written off 15-20 years ago for using data to dictate his tactics and transfer policy. And that's stuff that's written off today by dinosaurs. I think he gets a rough ride, especially when he's thrown under the same bus as Pardew, Hughes, McLaren etc, the other "destroy and exit" merchants.
 
Great goal from Bobby :APPLAUD: It would have been even better to instantly join his mad celebration instead of waiting for possible VAR shenanigans.
 
Chris, but Spurs did have the best chances in the second half. Liverpool won deservedly, because they were the only team playing football. But both Kane and Bergwijn had big chances. If Son had these, we win 2-5.

i’m a fan and thus biased, but you are very biased too.

I would categorize this as a very hopefull but deserved defeat.
 
Flipper the Priest said:
"destroy and exit"
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God bless Athletico Mince.


Stan said:
I would categorize this as a very hopefull but deserved defeat.
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Then you are more honest than Mourinho.

Call it an act to the cameras, but I don't think it is - I think he really believes "the best team lost". Which is insane, truly. If the most deserving team is the one that soaks up pressure for 85 minutes and relies on long balls to fast players, then every Conference team would give Liverpool a run for their money.

As for my bias - against Mourinho, yes, because I idolised him (I have more than one biography on him on my bookshelf, because he was what I wanted to be - a guy with little playing experience who became the world's best manager). To see what he is now, and to see him telling players to cheat and to actively be (to use his word, which I'm not a fan of) "c*nts"...

...he even acts like one himself, in his interviews. And I mean that in the same context that he used it - being nasty, to gain an edge. But that edge isn't there any more. All that happens now is people roll their eyes. We see through it now. He gives no respect to anyone other than himself.

I genuinely wouldn't want him in charge of my lower-league team, with all his experience or not. I want what he represents banned from the game, frankly. (But it never will be - and VAR is only making more fouls, because any level of contact means every dive is justified and valid.)
 
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Stan said:
Chris, but Spurs did have the best chances in the second half. Liverpool won deservedly, because they were the only team playing football. But both Kane and Bergwijn had big chances. If Son had these, we win 2-5.

i’m a fan and thus biased, but you are very biased too.

I would categorize this as a very hopefull but deserved defeat.
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Yeah was a weird game. I was frustrated after Son made it 1-1 because we should have been more than 1-0 up. But after about 60 mins or so I was happy just to be level!

The thing is though, we had a midfielder and a rookie in defence (Fabinho has been brilliant and Rhys Williams is going great all things considered, but still). I don't get why Spurs just decided to play on the counter, they would have had a lot more joy if they had a go at us.

I didn't mind Mourinho saying we don't have an injury crisis (despite the fact we most definitely do!). I don't mind the mind games, but after the match he's instantly gone back to the moaning version of himself that we saw at Man Utd, just miserable.

I do feel if we hadn't been so unlucky with injuries, we'd be heavy favourites to win this league. I do feel they catch up with us eventually, but I really expected Man City to kick on given their squad, but they just haven't. It's going to be a lowish total to win the league this year I feel, way too open to call right now.
 
Chris Davies said:
Liverpool v Tottenham.

The absolute state of Mourinho moaning at Klopp after that game, given some of the antics on display from Tottenham. Kane going down clutching his head after the late free kick, after running away from his supposed attacker, clearly fine, watching the ball, seconds later collapsing in a heap. Kicking the ball away from Liverpool so they couldn't take quick free kicks. Pulling Liverpool players down by their shoulders. And he moans at Klopp.

Sorry @Stan but I despise the guy, after idolising him since his Porto days. He's all the worst of modern football - makes his players dive and cheat, and plays football Sam Allardyce would be pulled apart for by the press. So glad he walked away without a point.

His post-match interview? (Actual quotes.) "So close of winning, not of drawing"... "A very very unfair result"... "We had the best chances to win"... "The best team lost"... Hot air, and no class.
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And people thought I was insane when I pointed out these tactics when he was at Chelsea. I don't even get angry when i watch football as i think it's silly to be THAT emotional at something you can't control or doesn't care that much about you as an individual, But as a Liverpool fan, I used to RAGE back in the day when we would play them and the game would descend into farce with the strong as an Ox - Drogba falling over anytime the ancient Hyypia or very thin Agger was even in proximity or Robben/Cole would flop on the edge of the area instead of having the integrity to get a productive attempt at a cross in.
 
Two things, one related to last night's game. Quietly impressed with Curtis Jones from the times I've seen him, I can see him making himself a regular in the side over the next season or so.

Secondly, let's enter an alternate universe for a moment. Steve Bruce is the current Man City manager, with the exact same squad, the results and performances are identical to how they have been this season. I guarantee the papers would be saying how his job was under threat. Guardiola? Nothing.
 
slamsoze said:
Ben Foster looks such a cool guy!!! :) I like football players that are like "normal" people and not so sterile, as do most footballers in my country.
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Totally agree. His YouTube channel is gold, and a peek behind the curtain we lack in football. Not the excess, the flashy, the glamour - the everyday stuff of a footballer at a pretty high level. He's articulate and intelligent - perfect for the role. Watford and the EFL deserve credit for not putting the kibosh on it, too.
 
Just watching Palace v Liverpool.

The last bit of the first half was Minamino being "fouled" (never) and a free kick being given (plus a yellow card).

Except, Minamino was offside.

Why didn't VAR intervene there? It just doesn't make sense.

I was excited for VAR to remove injustice from the game, but right now, it feels like it creates as much injustice as it solves.
 
Chris Davies said:
Just watching Palace v Liverpool.

The last bit of the first half was Minamino being "fouled" (never) and a free kick being given (plus a yellow card).

Except, Minamino was offside.

Why didn't VAR intervene there? It just doesn't make sense.

I was excited for VAR to remove injustice from the game, but right now, it feels like it creates as much injustice as it solves.
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I assume it's because VAR doesn't intervene in yellow cards, and offsides are only reviewed by them when it was just before a goal.

I'm one of the people that really wanted VAR in football, and I still do. But the only thing that does piss me off a bit is the offside rule. The footballer can't control the 2cm of shoulder/foot that count as offside! FIFA should review the rule if they plan to keep VAR.
 
mattmid said:
As a neutral what a joy it is to watch Leeds play football.
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Was just away to post a comment about Leeds so thought it worth replying to this one.

Why do I read so many people defending Leeds and Bielsa? Because I see no-one attacking them. Well, apart from Karen Carney, kinda, and they were dicks about it.
 
I think it's because it invariably leads to an enjoyable match to watch. I think football has become so bogged down in an obsession with tactics and stopping teams playing or 11 men behind the ball and counter attacking. Yes, all perfectly valid ways to play the game and each has it's own merits but for me watching Leeds is a breath of fresh air.

It would be interesting to see 'top' players playing there with the same attitude. With the best will in the world and yes he's scoring pretty well so fair play to him, but you wouldn't place Bamford amongst the top strikers in the Premier.

Likewise for most of the players really, perhaps encapsulating pretty well the adage of a team is better than the sum of its parts?

There's been somewhere approaching 300 shots in their past 8 games I think.
 
mattmid said:
I think it's because it invariably leads to an enjoyable match to watch. I think football has become so bogged down in an obsession with tactics and stopping teams playing or 11 men behind the ball and counter attacking. Yes, all perfectly valid ways to play the game and each has it's own merits but for me watching Leeds is a breath of fresh air.

It would be interesting to see 'top' players playing there with the same attitude. With the best will in the world and yes he's scoring pretty well so fair play to him, but you wouldn't place Bamford amongst the top strikers in the Premier.

Likewise for most of the players really, perhaps encapsulating pretty well the adage of a team is better than the sum of its parts?

There's been somewhere approaching 300 shots in their past 8 games I think.
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Yeah, I think this view is shared by pretty much everyone. Which is why I get so confused when I see people defending Leeds and their manager so vehemently - I think everyone's on their side!

I find that Bielsa has a weird cult following. Unhealthy obsession with him among football hipsters!
 
Marine-Spurs.
Nobody mentions the fact that hundreds of Spurs fans bought tickets and so helped this tiny club?
It doesn’t fit in the evil Spurs narrative, of course.
Spurs fans did the same for Leyton Oriënt when they had to forfeit their match due to Corona infections.
Would have liked to see that match at the BBC but forgot about it.
I’ve seen some heart warming pictures of people following the match from their backgarden.
Some good humour too about parking the bus...this is what football is all about ( and I know, I also saw all the people on the street when the Spurs bus arrived, that was not necessary).

PS: the evil Spurs narrative is a joke...of course...
 
I don’t like PSG at all, but glad that Pocch and his coaching team have won their first silverware. Still love the guy.
 
https://www.uefa.com/insideuefa/med...5-198368122d1b-1000--candidates-for-election/

Can't believe the Vice-President position is reserved for a UK FA member. And with the relevant English FA role vacant because he was found to be a racist dinosaur, it's to be one from a small nation like Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.

Mike Mulraney is a jumped-up clown who shouldn't be as senior as he is in the Scottish game, let alone FIFA!
 
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