Football

Even worse than the shower we produced when you tonked us 5-0?

Yes...even if Arsenal needed to make up a 10 goal deficit I would expect nothing less than our players going for a 10-0 defeat

Nice. Looks like Ashley Young will be out for pretty much the whole of next season and most of Chelsea

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/row-zed/revealed-premier-league-teams-worst-9643002

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/39962886

Go back to 2011-2012 however, and you'd notice that the gap closes between Chelsea and Liverpool. Also, Chelsea weren't booked for simulation in 2016-2017, unlike Liverpool.

Hopefully United will see Bale flopping around next year, not Ashley Young.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/competitions/premier-league/9216466/Liverpool-top-the-diving-league-but-Gareth-Bale-is-worst-offender.html

interesting spurs blog, and their take on how Sky Sports and their pundits, perceive Spurs.

https://thespursreport.wordpress.com/2017/05/16/sky-sports-and-the-problem-with-spurs/

ps If Alan Smith's punditry could fuck off from all spurs matches that would make my football viewing experience a whole load better...

That's a bit historic. Don't really do history

At this point, history is all I have to look forward to.

Our new owner sounds like a stand up guy.

Stinker for Luton and Carlisle, both losing their play-off SF's 6-5 on agg after BOTH conceding in the 95th mins!

It's been 3h and no Spuds representative posting yet?

#glorydays

madness. Happy for Exeter though

madness poor Luton. always quite liked Luton went to school with a kid who loved them he was funny and always wore a loton bobble hat even on warmer days, he looked like pootle from the flumps. #CSB

Not sure that bookings is a good measure. Some times players who have been fouled are booked because the referee gets it wrong. More frequently, the referee gives the penalty or free kick because the simulation works and fools him. These are the cases that will be resolved by video evidence retrospectively.

The system could have some unintended consequences. Referees might become more lenient on divers knowing that they will be punished later. This could allow some players to avoid a second yellow and so complete the game.

Also, in an important game against a key rival, it might be more worthwhile to "take on for the team" and risk suspension by simulation in the hope that a penalty now is worth a subsequent ban.

Even worse than the shower we produced when you tonked us 5-0?

Everton were not so bad that day.

There is a view that that was the best performance that Chelsea has ever given. We have won by greater margins but never played in such a commanding way.

I'm not saying anything bad about him. He seems to have passed the FA fit and proper test so must be OK.

Lol. He's a big unit, isn't he.

Apologies for the Guardian link, but interesting article on the power shift in English football;

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/may/19/english-football-south-relegation-hull-middlesbrough-sunderland

Typically poor effort by the Guardian, trying to shoehorn in a connection between UK economic trends and football. Newcastle are back up and there's a possibility Huddersfield may join them.

The 'Big Six' in english football are 3x NW and 3x London. The NE has always been shite for football, so it's mainly Yorkshire and the midlands who are missing out.

And frankly, fuck both of them.

As my brother will continually point out, Sunderland have actually won the league more times than a lot of other teams. Granted this might not be in the modern age. But still.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_English_football_champions#Total_titles_won

The 'Big Six' in english football are 3x NW and 3x London

3??
City, United, Stoke?

I think Ronnie meant Everton...

Burnley?

Nice of Leicester to...

Now all the dust's....

I was just trying to repudiate the spurious use of statistics to make a (meaningless) point. It certainly wasn't my intention to defend Chelsea in any way.

Referees might become more lenient on divers knowing that they will be punished later

Maybe. But probably a not significant amount, if at all. Nothing that can't be corrected with scrutiny.

Also, in an important game against a key rival, it might be more worthwhile to "take on for the team" and risk suspension by simulation in the hope that a penalty now is worth a subsequent ban.

How would the new system make it more worthwhile? Same reward, increased risk (certainty of ban).

I'm by no means certain it'll be a success. The league perceives that this is an easy aspect of fan dissatisfaction to fix (despite saying it for nearly a decade), rather than inaccessibly priced tickets or organised criminal boss owners. Combine that with the fact that the FA is keen to grow the game in 'Murica (where there is a perception that football is soft because of diving), and it's not surprising that the league is taking drastic (rule changing) action.

Was out with the kids on the southbank this morning and popped into the Thameside inn for a spot of lunch. Packed full of Millwall fans. They were an interesting bunch, you really can spot them a mile off

Guess they didn't pick up on your Scouse twang.