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the sex ghost
Sep 6, 2009
Just walking to work this morning and thought of 'that Roberto Mancini guy seems quite good at winning trophies in Europe, man city should give him a call'

Everyone pretend I posted that on Sunday night when it would have been relevant and funny

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Mickolution
Oct 1, 2005

Ballers...I put numbers on the boards

DickEmery posted:

It was obvious he had serious problems for a while but like Best or Gascoigne there were a lot of people who had a vested interest in pretending it wasn't happening.

Forest were the platonic ideal of a "too big to go down" club (they won league cups and were in the FA Cup Final a couple of years before).
By the end though it seemed a relief when relegation gave Clough no choice but to quit.

Alcoholism is loving grim.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B002RI9QYY/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i1

This is a great book about Clough's time at Forrest. Years since I read it, but I remember loving it. It's written by the guy who covered Forrest for the local paper at the time and he had an unreal amount of access to the team and Clough.

Omnikin
May 29, 2007

Press 'E' for Medic

Jakabite posted:

Isn’t Pulisic a Trump guy or something?

ah gently caress I mean


please


TheRat posted:

Questionable.

dang it. I sat through the Jozy year trying to defend his honor but having just read through Pulisic's weird chuddy history... gently caress that Pennsyltucky hick

just transferring all my homo fan energy over to Mount or King Kai I guess

Jakabite
Jul 31, 2010
Poolishit

CyberPingu
Sep 15, 2013


If you're not striving to improve, you'll end up going backwards.

Omnikin posted:

ah gently caress I mean

please



dang it. I sat through the Jozy year trying to defend his honor but having just read through Pulisic's weird chuddy history... gently caress that Pennsyltucky hick

just transferring all my homo fan energy over to Mount or King Kai I guess

Jfc you don't fit in well at Chelsea if you don't defend the right wing dickheads mate.

trem_two
Oct 22, 2002

it is better if you keep saying I'm fat, as I will continue to score goals
Fun Shoe
He's not called "Jan 6 Gervinho" for nothing, you know

Bogan Krkic
Oct 31, 2010

Swedish style? No.
Yugoslavian style? Of course not.
It has to be Zlatan-style.


picked a team to follow in school and they had a funny name

im too stubborn to follow a better team instead

Rarity
Oct 21, 2010

~*4 LIFE*~

Bogan Krkic posted:

picked a team to follow in school and they had a funny name

But Partick Thistle play in Scotland :confused:

the sex ghost
Sep 6, 2009
Mrs ghosts dad is a spurs fan of 50+ years despite coming from a family of Liverpool fans and one ex Liverpool coach. He wanted to wind up his mum and rather than doing the obvious thing and supporting Everton he picked the team who had just won the double the year before and just stuck with it out of stubbornness

Big Black Dick
Mar 20, 2009

We all know spite is the driving motivator for all things foot.

Karl Sharks
Feb 20, 2008

The Immortal Science of Sharksism-Fininism

goddamnedtwisto posted:

Not PL yet (because reality refuses to abide by my Football Manager games) but to whoever corrected me about sand on pitches in the last thread, you were bang on - here's a before and after in just over a week:

https://twitter.com/CouncilCulture/status/1415008035043483656

e: And also yeah there is actually a pharmacist inhabiting what's basically an executive box at Brisbane Road which is both nice from a community point of view and also a little bit sad.

what about sand on pitches?

McFlurry Fan #1
Dec 31, 2005

He can't kill me. I'm indestructible. Everybody knows that

Mickolution posted:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B002RI9QYY/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i1

This is a great book about Clough's time at Forrest. Years since I read it, but I remember loving it. It's written by the guy who covered Forrest for the local paper at the time and he had an unreal amount of access to the team and Clough.

Clough and Forrest are a massive gap in my knowledge of foot so I've bought this!

NinpoEspiritoSanto
Oct 22, 2013




The best thing about Clough is that Roy Keane spitefully insists he's the beet manager he's ever worked for

Eric the Mauve
May 8, 2012

Making you happy for a buck since 199X

McFlurry Fan #1 posted:

Clough and Forrest are a massive gap in my knowledge of foot so I've bought this!

I tried to but apparently the kindle version isn't on the US site?

McFlurry Fan #1
Dec 31, 2005

He can't kill me. I'm indestructible. Everybody knows that

Ah I'm in the UK so the Kindle version was just a few quid

Mickolution
Oct 1, 2005

Ballers...I put numbers on the boards
Hope you enjoy it. It's been around 10 years since I read it, but I remember really liking it.

TheRat
Aug 30, 2006

https://twitter.com/David_Ornstein/status/1417015245202206722

Jakabite
Jul 31, 2010
Anyone past the paywall able to show us the article?

Mickolution
Oct 1, 2005

Ballers...I put numbers on the boards

Jakabite posted:

Anyone past the paywall able to show us the article?

quote:

Jordan Henderson and Liverpool – a contract dilemma causing a lot of uncertainty

There are plenty of contract negotiations going on at Liverpool. For sporting director Michael Edwards, a big part of his work this summer involves retaining the club’s elite talent and protecting their value.

Goalkeeper Alisson is expected to sign a new long-term contract before the start of the new season, as is fellow Brazilian Fabinho. Liverpool are also looking to agree lucrative extensions with Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane. They all have deals that run until the summer of 2023. Full-backs Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson have a year longer but their ongoing importance is also set to be recognised.

However, it has gone under the radar somewhat that another inspirational figure has entered the final two years of his existing contract.

For long-serving Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson, the future is far from certain. The Athletic understands that while talks over an extension have taken place during this off-season period, no real progress has been made.

Negotiations haven’t broken down and sources stress that dialogue is ongoing but it’s both a complicated and sensitive situation. The reality is that Liverpool’s owner Fenway Sports Group (FSG) currently has bigger priorities to address in the squad.

And the uncertainty leaves the door open for suitors of the talismanic midfielder, who celebrated a decade of service to the club last month, when he also turned 31, and is currently on holiday following his run with England to the final of Euro 2020.

There are parallels with Georginio Wijnaldum, who failed to agree fresh terms and ended up leaving when his contract ran out this summer before signing a three-year deal with Paris Saint-Germain.

Liverpool would have considered selling Wijnaldum when he entered his final year last summer to avoid the prospect of losing him for nothing but no such offers were forthcoming.

Wijnaldum is 31 in November and FSG, who have a policy of investing in youth, simply wouldn’t sanction either the wages or the length of deal he was looking for to extend his five-year stay at Anfield. Henderson will be 33 by the time his current contract expires.

PSG coach Mauricio Pochettino is understood to be an admirer of Henderson’s, and the former Tottenham manager is keeping a close eye on developments.

The same goes for Atletico Madrid. Henderson remains good friends with Luis Suarez, who would relish the prospect of being reunited with his former Liverpool team-mate. PSG and Atletico have previous for signing vastly experienced players on big wages, although whether Atletico currently have the finances to do such a deal is unclear.

The way in which Liverpool allowed Wijnaldum’s contract to run down has alerted the market to the fact that Henderson could be available. Jurgen Klopp’s admiration and loyalty to his captain — both as a player and a person — is unwavering. They have a close bond. Klopp credits him with fostering the spirit and unity that helped propel Liverpool to Champions League and Premier League glory. Klopp views Henderson as a role model who sets the standards every day.

If this was Klopp’s call alone, then talks over an extension would have been a formality and an agreement would already have been signed. But Wijnaldum’s exit underlined that the Liverpool manager doesn’t have complete control when it comes to contracts. If he did, the Netherlands international would still be at Anfield because Klopp was desperate to keep him.

Yes, Klopp has an input in the process but ultimately the final say on financial matters rests with FSG president Mike Gordon and Edwards. Liverpool’s ownership doesn’t simply do whatever Klopp wants and the manager accepts that as a healthy state of affairs. Wijnaldum knew how highly the German rated him but left because he didn’t feel valued enough by the club itself. There was disappointment but no animosity or bitterness, as shown by the warm send-off he was given.

For Gordon and Edwards, it’s a delicate balancing act. They have to take the emotion out of these situations.

For a club with a self-sustaining business model, deciding where best to channel their resources is vital. They have to make tough decisions for the greater good of the club, especially as the pandemic has damaged revenue streams and had an impact on the kind of terms they can offer.

Put simply, they can’t just allow the squad to grow old together.

Mane, Salah, Roberto Firmino, Joel Matip and Xherdan Shaqiri are all 29. Van Dijk and Thiago are 30, Henderson is a year older and James Milner, who is set to be out of contract next summer, is 35. Experience is important, especially to help youngsters such as Curtis Jones, 20, and Harvey Elliott, 18, bed in but there needs to be the right blend.

Henderson is a huge presence in the dressing room. Vice-captain Milner is another whose long-term future is in doubt but Liverpool are blessed when it comes to leaders. Van Dijk, Salah and Robertson all wear the armband for their country.

A big part of the FSG strategy this summer surrounds player retention. Edwards and Gordon are trying to shape what the squad is going to look like for the next three or four years. Liverpool have bought 22-year-old centre-back Ibrahima Konate from RB Leipzig for £35 million in this window but they aren’t embarking on a major spending spree. Any other business that follows in the current window will be heavily linked to the sales of fringe players such as Harry Wilson and Marko Grujic.

Instead, FSG views 2022 as the year to really start refreshing and regenerating the squad. It believes that by then, the financial impact of the pandemic will have receded and the market will be more settled.

Next summer, as things stand, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will be among those entering the final year of their existing deals.

So, where does all that leave Liverpool’s Champions League and Premier League-winning captain? Is FSG really committed to players of his profile?

“It’s the contract that’s been spoken about the least but probably tells the biggest story. This is a critical summer for Jordan,” a source familiar with the situation tells The Athletic.

Henderson himself has kept his own counsel. It’s not his way to agitate. He’s too respectful and puts the team and the club first. But what’s clear is that this isn’t about money, this is about feeling wanted. He knows Klopp’s plan for him, but what about the club? What role do they see for him going forward?

Henderson doesn’t want to be kept around just to give stirring pep talks and help new players settle in. He doesn’t want Liverpool to renew his contract because they think it’s the right thing to do but because they believe he still has much to offer on the pitch in the pursuit of more trophies.

Former Liverpool team-mate and close friend Adam Lallana recently spoke about he feels Henderson is under-appreciated as a player. There is so much focus on his leadership that it detracts from his qualities as an elite midfielder.

Henderson won the 2020 Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year award having predominantly played as a No 8 in Liverpool’s title-winning side. Last season then showed his versatility, as he played mainly as a No 6 and filled in at centre-back due to injuries before suffering a torn adductor muscle in his groin, which required surgery in February. The club’s medical and sports science staff were hugely impressed by his dedication and commitment in rehab that enabled him to get back fit in time to play at the Euros.

Henderson, who is eight short of 400 Liverpool appearances, is convinced that his most productive years are ahead of him. He believes he can play at the highest level into his mid-30s and is not interested in a managed decline.

His importance to Liverpool is underlined by the stats.

Going back to the start of 2016-17 and Klopp’s first full season in charge, Liverpool have lost 13 of the 116 league games where Henderson has been in the line-up — that’s 11 per cent. Of the 56 league games they have started without him over that period, they have been beaten 10 times – 18 per cent.

Liverpool have scored an average of 1.27 goals per game when he has started. That figure drops to 0.59 goals per game when he hasn’t.

There are certainly lessons to be learned from how the latter stages of Steven Gerrard’s Liverpool career were handled.

Gerrard was 34 when he announced, in January 2015, that he would be leaving his boyhood club when his contract expired that summer. Disappointment was caused by what Gerrard felt was a half-hearted attempt by the club to keep him on board.

A meeting between his agent Struan Marshall and then-chief executive Ian Ayre to discuss a new deal lasted just 15 minutes. He was offered a one-year extension, but with a 40 per cent wage cut. It was heavily incentivised with performance-related bonuses but then-manager Brendan Rodgers had already informed Gerrard that his game time was going to be reduced.

“It seemed as if I wanted them more than they wanted me,” Gerrard wrote in his autobiography. Gerrard ended his playing career with an 18-month stint at LA Galaxy in Major League Soccer, later admitting he regretted not staying at Liverpool for an extra year as he would have got the chance to play under Klopp.

Henderson hasn’t rejected an offer from Liverpool but, clearly, if what is currently on the table was acceptable then a deal would already have been signed.

Klopp’s captain, who is due to report back for pre-season training in early August after a post-Euro 2020 holiday, is too highly respected to just let the situation drag on for another 12 months and allow his deal to enter its final year.

It’s felt by some that if Liverpool don’t actively engage on terms that are deemed fair to someone who has achieved so much, and given so much to the cause, then a departure could become more likely than a renewal.

Football clubs have to evolve without dwelling on sentiment, while a player’s career is short and they understandably want to maximise what they can get out of it. You can see it from both sides.

As key personnel at Liverpool sign new contracts in the coming weeks and months, it will be intriguing to see what happens with Henderson.

When he signed his last contract, in September 2018, he talked about wanting to stay at Anfield for the rest of his career. “There is no other place in the world I would rather play football. I want to be here for as long as I can be,” he said.

Despite the trophies he has lifted and the immense sacrifices he has made over the past decade, whether he gets that opportunity is now unclear.

Jose
Jul 24, 2007

Adrian Chiles is a broadcaster and writer
If anyone is interested in some of the sports science stuff that goes on at clubs here is an article about it at Newcastle

https://twitter.com/ChronicleNUFC/status/1417083839734853635?s=19

Cannon_Fodder
Jul 17, 2007

"Hey, where did Steve go?"
Design by Kamoc
Newcastle to fill the holes in their practice field with sand and call a plumber for their singular squad toilet, a move that has been long discussed but delayed due to Saudi interest in the club.

NinpoEspiritoSanto
Oct 22, 2013




They're getting a second hot tub wheelie bin

the sex ghost
Sep 6, 2009
Love a bit of advanced medical stats. Not interested in xg, sky sports need to put electrodes and monitors in every kit so I can sort all players by bone density. Show me a wingers total water weight lost per 90 minutes so I know he's putting a shift in. Basically just go back to the 20s and 30s when managers wouldn't sign a player without breaking out the calipers and checking the slope of his brow for criminal tendencies

the sex ghost
Sep 6, 2009
Was it allardyce at Bolton where they hooked him up to an ECG for a typical prem game and he was basically having a literal heart attack every 10 minutes and then they never did it again

NinpoEspiritoSanto
Oct 22, 2013




the sex ghost posted:

Was it allardyce at Bolton where they hooked him up to an ECG for a typical prem game and he was basically having a literal heart attack every 10 minutes and then they never did it again

He never looked that worked up from the dugout that I recall

CyberPingu
Sep 15, 2013


If you're not striving to improve, you'll end up going backwards.

the sex ghost posted:

Was it allardyce at Bolton where they hooked him up to an ECG for a typical prem game and he was basically having a literal heart attack every 10 minutes and then they never did it again

Jose
Jul 24, 2007

Adrian Chiles is a broadcaster and writer
https://twitter.com/Arsenal/status/1417107103131578369?s=20

TheRat
Aug 30, 2006

oh for fucks sake

Rarity
Oct 21, 2010

~*4 LIFE*~
Brb converting all my savings to Arsecoin

Gigi Galli
Sep 19, 2003

and then the car turned in to fire
That company is all over every sport now; it's definitely not just a lol Arsenal thing. I hope they go bankrupt very soon.

the sex ghost
Sep 6, 2009
No when we said you were getting 40 grand a week we meant 40,000 arsenal fun tokens, which you can exchange for prizes and - hello. Hello are you still there

blue footed boobie
Sep 14, 2012


UEFA SUPREMACY
Wtf is a fan token

Rarity
Oct 21, 2010

~*4 LIFE*~

blue footed boobie posted:

Wtf is a fan token

A crypto

CyberPingu
Sep 15, 2013


If you're not striving to improve, you'll end up going backwards.
Arsenals transfer budget is either £40m or £40k depending on what Elon Musk has tweeted this morning

bees everywhere
Nov 19, 2002

So uhhhh I saw some rumors this morning about Gylfi Sigurdsson getting arrested for "child sex offences", I figured it was all bullshit but then this article just came out...

NinpoEspiritoSanto
Oct 22, 2013




bees everywhere posted:

So uhhhh I saw some rumors this morning about Gylfi Sigurdsson getting arrested for "child sex offences", I figured it was all bullshit but then this article just came out...

Just an fyi the daily mail is a complete shitrag second only to the sun so take this with a gritter bin full of salt

bees everywhere
Nov 19, 2002

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/breaking-premier-league-footballer-arrested-24571071.amp?__twitter_impression=true

Not lookin' good

edit: lol gently caress https://www.evertonfc.com/news/2193203/club-statement

bees everywhere fucked around with this message at 01:33 on Jul 20, 2021

Looke
Aug 2, 2013

Nonceball

NinpoEspiritoSanto
Oct 22, 2013




Can we keep Gylfi Fiddlersson chat in https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3440021&pagenumber=187&perpage=40 ta

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sassassin
Apr 3, 2010

by Azathoth

Fiddlesdottir?

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