Football (Soccer) Thread

[Sheilbh]

I have watched the first half of Everton vs Nottingham Forest, and I wonder why Everton's Tarkowski still is on the pitch. Should've been sent off.
Not that it excuses the extremely poor performance by Forest. The team sorely lacks Chris Wood. Jesus, while energetic, has little end product.

I like Tarkowski but I think he is one of those players who get away with a lot because refs think "he's not that type of player"

[Josquius]

Today was a lot more the expected premier league 

[Norgy]

I have watched the first half of Everton vs Nottingham Forest, and I wonder why Everton's Tarkowski still is on the pitch. Should've been sent off.
Not that it excuses the extremely poor performance by Forest. The team sorely lacks Chris Wood. Jesus, while energetic, has little end product.

I like Tarkowski but I think he is one of those players who get away with a lot because refs think "he's not that type of player"

He is that kind of player, though. Even Milenkovic looks like a choir boy in comparision.

[Sheilbh]

Oh yeah - I just think that's why he gets away with it. It's like the defender equivalent of those attacking players who refs seem convinced are always diving/playing it up for the foul but are actually fouled a lot.

[Norgy]

I think it was the first time Igor Jesus got a free kick given for him. He's been fouled quite a lot.

What strikes me is that despite all the VAR decisions, some referees are remarkably inconsistent in what constitutes a foul. Don't get me started on what is a handball or not. The offside rule and interference with play seem to be another few rules that have a very wide room for interpretation.

Now, I don't want to roll back VAR. But I would like a bit of consistency. The wrestling matches on set pieces inside the box? 20 years ago they'd all be penalties.

[Duque de Bragança]

Senegal might be gunning for France with history et al too?

Sure. They are definitely sports rivals.

I am not sure what history you are referring to besides centuries of love and friendship

The 2002 game, again. Great game again.

Mixing up France and Portugal? 
cf. Senghor from Portuguese Senhor 

[mongers]

Senegal might be gunning for France with history et al too?

Sure. They are definitely sports rivals.

I am not sure what history you are referring to besides centuries of love and friendship

The 2002 game, again. Great game again.

Mixing up France and Portugal? 
cf. Senghor from Portuguese Senhor 

Oh I remember that, a bit amusing.


edit:
Man this place is dying, yours and Norgy's post are the only ones today, in like about 10 hours.

[Grey Fox]

Sorry

[HVC]

You euros aren't keeping up your end of the conversation

[mongers]

You euros aren't keeping up your end of the conversation

Us Brits are bridging it.

[Jacob]

Still licking my wounds after Miami beat Vancouver in the final

[Norgy]

Association football will never be the most popular topic here anyway.

And, I suppose we are set in our ways.

The season for Forest has been a mixed bag of Greek craziness and some much longed for stability with Sean Dyche. Stable as in "sometimes grind out a win, sometimes really go down in flames". The Everton game was as horrible as the Liverpool 2nd half was great. I wonder if James McAtee feels hard done by after not exactly being a regular. Omari Hutchinson can, and probably will, become a very good player.

The Norwegian league ended with Viking from Stavanger pipping Bodø-Glimt for the league title. Viking deserved that, I think. Norwegian club football is in the rather peculiar situation that most of the good players are EU nationals or Africans, while Norwegian youth players leave for clubs on the continent. Some do come back, though.

I watched Jørgen Strand Larsen for Wolves against Forest. He looked far less impressive than when he came on as a sub for the national team against Italy.

Even though we do not know the full draw of our group, people are getting worked up and ready to go. I suppose we should not tell Trump 10 of our players are not the Aryan idol Erling Haaland, but rather a street mix... 

[Norgy]

Still licking my wounds after Miami beat Vancouver in the final

I've been watching some MLS on Apple TV. I would say it is not bad, but has a long way to go as a league. I have no idea how much Miami is paying Messi, but at in his mid-thirties, he would hardly dominate the same way in a European league. Well. Maybe in Liechtenstein or Andorra.

Some Norwegian players had relative success in the MLS, but were distinctly mediocre in the Norwegian leagues.

I do hope that soccer survives the whole nationalist onslaught on all that is foreign. It did not in the late 1920s. When the USA actually had the world's best league outside of England.