Weekend Football

[Mr Optimist]

How the fuck did Oliver not give a free-kick and immediate red card to the Millwall 'keeper? VAR should not have been needed for that.

One of the worst tackles I've ever seen.

Because, imo, Oliver is currently one of the worst referees in the PGMOL and has been for a couple of years.

Talk of Roberts getting a longer ban than 3 games. Quite rightly in my opinion, I know it is extremely unlikely to be deliberate by Roberts to cause the harm he did but you really need to make it abundantly clear to one and all that that sort of challenge is totally unacceptable. So I’d probably look to ban him for a couple of months.

Apparently the “let him die” chant was heard from Millwall’s finest as Mateta was stretchered off

Amazingly the disgusting attempted murder by Schumacher of Battiston in the 1982 WC semi final went totally unpunished by one and all

Officials never saw it

Some of the aftermath back in France at the time

I thought more than anything else the Millwall goalkeeper’s challenge was cowardly, leading with his studs up at that height, rather than trying to head the ball ahead of Mateta. He wasn’t brave enough to do that so lead with his foot raised instead to avoid injuring himself after he’d come out too far.

[Sanguine]

Burnley conceded a goal.

Trafford's run ends at 1,132 minutes, after 12 consecutive clean sheets. I believe this is a new football league record, ahead of our own Steve Death.

Another excellent James Trafford stat - he has seven yellow cards this season for time wasting, which must be some sort of record too.

[URZZZZ]

Burnley conceded a goal.

Trafford's run ends at 1,132 minutes, after 12 consecutive clean sheets. I believe this is a new football league record, ahead of our own Steve Death.

Another excellent James Trafford stat - he has seven yellow cards this season for time wasting, which must be some sort of record too.

They still haven’t conceded more than one goal in any league game this season

Has any FL team gone through a whole season conceding 1 or less in every game?

[Sanguine]

Burnley conceded a goal.

Trafford's run ends at 1,132 minutes, after 12 consecutive clean sheets. I believe this is a new football league record, ahead of our own Steve Death.

Another excellent James Trafford stat - he has seven yellow cards this season for time wasting, which must be some sort of record too.

They still haven’t conceded more than one goal in any league game this season

Has any FL team gone through a whole season conceding 1 or less in every game?

I'd be amazed. The existing Championship record for fewest goals conceded in a season is 30. Burnley will smash that. There's no way a club did 30 at one a game.

I guess Burnley's notional 'target' may be the English league record of 15, set by Chelsea in 2004/05, albeit over only 38 games. In that season Chelsea conceded more than one on two occasions, a 2-2 home draw with Bolton, and the same result away at Arsenal.

[Hendo]

Burnley conceded a goal.

Trafford's run ends at 1,132 minutes, after 12 consecutive clean sheets. I believe this is a new football league record, ahead of our own Steve Death.

Another excellent James Trafford stat - he has seven yellow cards this season for time wasting, which must be some sort of record too.

Lumley must've run him close.

[Winston Biscuit]

among the teams who seem to having a season of 2 halves, Mansfield, who appear to be in total freefall having been in 4th place after 12 games

[Winston Biscuit]

https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/13322201/lucas-paqueta-west-ham-midfielders-betting-charge-hearing-to-take-place-this-month-with-fa-seeking-lifetime-ban

[Hendo]

https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/13322201/lucas-paqueta-west-ham-midfielders-betting-charge-hearing-to-take-place-this-month-with-fa-seeking-lifetime-ban

It's spot fixing and convening bodies and courts don't take this thing lightly.

If you look at a comparable case in cricket, the bans and fines were very serious.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakistan_cricket_spot-fixing_scandal

[Sanguine]

Will be interesting to see the evidence come out on this - it must be substantial (phone records maybe), these charges can't be brought on a hunch.

[Hendo]

Will be interesting to see the evidence come out on this - it must be substantial (phone records maybe), these charges can't be brought on a hunch.

You'd certainly think so.

I remember watching the Pakistan cricket one live and thinking it was really odd at the time, but it was the undercover reporting from the News of the World which really nailed them.

[Winston Biscuit]

can he get banned from football worldwide or would it be at worst a regional ban?

if he gets banned can he just go to Saudi and continue playing?

[Hendo]

Assume it would be a worldwide ban.

[Sanguine]

can he get banned from football worldwide or would it be at worst a regional ban?

if he gets banned can he just go to Saudi and continue playing?

If the FA ban him, I expect FIFA would ratify and extent it worldwide.

[Sanguine]

Not often the Champions League race is so open in the Premier League - the additional fifth spot helping there. Whilst from here you might expect City and Chelsea to have enough to qualify, everyone down to Fulham and Villa in 9th and 10th are still in touch - Villa just four points below fifth-placed Chelsea.

[Winston Biscuit]

I wonder if West Ham would would be in a position to sue Paqueta if he gets a very lengthy ban, and he ends up in a Mutu situation spending years fighting it in court

[Silver Fox]

What would they sue him for? Presumably they'd just terminate his contract?

[Sutekh]

What would they sue him for? Presumably they'd just terminate his contract?

Probably for a ton of stuff. His current deal still runs to 2027 so there’s loss of asset value for starters (club paid €60 million but now can’t get anything back in future transfer sales) for starters.

Reckon the life ban wish put out there by the FA might just be words to tell those deliberating the case that they take the charges as being extremely serious and don’t expect just a “he’s been a bit naughty, we suggest a 2 game ban”. Certainly to get a life ban the FA would be required to produce pretty much “cast iron” evidence that leaves no doubt as to guilt/intent etc.

[Winston Biscuit]

1 1/2 hours TV build up on Sky to Coventry Vs Stoke

[Sutekh]

1 1/2 hours TV build up on Sky to Coventry Vs Stoke

This is what the public want (it’s not but Sky tell you it is what you want)!

All for Frank v Mark so they can do a Chelsea v Utd thread.

Still, suppose it’s better than hours on yet another Guardiola lovefest.

[Winston Biscuit]

Walsall continue to try and give away automatic promotion