General Football Thread

Sound quality is awful. So if you want to hear it, pump it up to 11.

 

Wow, if true, I think that's cheap for him! I think he's better than Lukaku!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/40663504

 

I don't know if many of you listen to podcast. I am working my way through "quickly Kevin, will he score" with josh widdicombe which I am loving. It's about 90's football. Taking me right back to childhood! Mentioning players names I haven't thought of for decades! Well worth a listen. Merson was a guest on one, Le Tissier was on the first one. One was all about the documentary about Graham Taylor failing to qualify with England (which I am going to track down and watch this evening).

It has got me thinking, when reliving players careers like Shearer, Sutton, Dion. If the money and wave of foreign players hadn't happened, would we have similar iconic players. Which players would step up? Would Ings, Austin, Andre Gray be top of the score charts and playing for a team like United?

Like Kevin Campbell staring at Arsenal, Andrew Cole moving from Bristol to Newcastle then United.

 

Christ, how many times have I said or thought this
Demented for it to drag on through one eighth of the new season.

 

From the BBC gossip page. If this isn't obscene, I'd like to know what is - and things are getting more ludicrous with every window that passes.
It's no longer the 'beautiful game' with figures like this being bandied around - and just how are Brighton, Huddersfield etc supposed to compete?

Paris St-Germain are set to hold talks with Barcelona over a £196m deal to sign Neymar, Barca's 25-year-old Brazil international forward. (Guardian)

PSG are willing to pay Neymar a signing on fee of £45m and will offer him a five-year contract worth £596,000 a week after tax.

 

#ludicrous
As you say Cromer, it's getting more obscene with each window!!!!

 

OMG!

Bah!

 

The only people rubbing their hands with glee are the agents!

 

Didn't the Barca president come out the other day saying he's staying and the news is wrong? He obviously wants Barca to offer him a bigger contract.

 

I don't listen to a lot of sports podcasts, but if you like the true crime genre then "Serial" and "S-Town" are both excellent. The BBC have one going at the moment called "Beyond reasonable doubt", but I'm struggling to get into it.

Beyond that "Infinite Monkey Cage" is always good, and "No such thing as a fish", by the QI Elves is really entertaining. "Dan Carlin's Hardcore History" is excellent if you like some seriously long but entertaining history podcasts, and I really like "Distraction Pieces" for longer interviews with various famous musicians, artists etc.

 

Yea, I've listened to a fair few monkey cage episodes. But didn't really get into it.

I really like Distraction Pieces.

I love the Adam Buxton podcast. Plus the Elis James and John Robins podcast. I mainly go for comedy.

 

All the right moves!

 

I wonder why women's football isn't taken as seriously as it deserves...

 

Bit like women's tennis, can be very entertaining but they're simply not as good as men at the end of the day.
That's not being sexist, it's just the reality

 

I'd say this years Wimbledon, I much more enjoyed watching the Konta matches to the Murray matches.

 

Some interesting comments re JM from today's offering on MFW - "In these exhibition matches, Maddison has dropped into a deeper position and, particularly against Lowestoft, which I witnessed firsthand, dictated the tempo and intensity of Norwich’s midfield play. He is looking increasingly like the prodigy we all anticipated he could develop into. His loan move at Aberdeen complemented with a manager who is increasingly embedding young players into this system, sees Maddison become a prime candidate to occupy that role. Technically superb; tactically aware; and physically capable.
If he continues to develop at the rate he is, we could have a prized asset on our hands."

I've said previously how I felt he could effectively play slightly deeper than a 'No 10' and it appears that Connor Southwell, the writer of today's article agrees with me.
Read all about it - http://norwichcity.myfootballwriter...-it-wont-be-one-that-yarmy-are-familiar-with/

 

Some of the womens' world cup cricket recently has been every bit as exciting as the mens game.
When England beat Aus by three (3) runs in an absolute thriller, Harmanpreet Kaur's 171 not out off just 115 balls for India vs Aus in yesterday's semi-final was as brilliant as any blokes innings you could mention. Alex Hales, David Warner, Joe Root I'm sure would have all been on their feet applauding. Yes, the boundary fence is pulled in a little, but it's the same for both sides.
Can't wait for England vs India in the final at the weekend

 

The thing is the Lady batsmen not only have a shorter boundary, they are also tucking into pies. A fast male bowler might bowl to about 90-95mph, a fast female might reach 75-80mph add to that potentially extra height and bounce for the men and I know which bowlers I'd rather face.
That said, I don't see why a lass could not be as good at; batting, wicket keeping (Aside the ladies not being able to catch thing?) or bowling spin. OK so they won't be as good at launching a 6 over the bowlers head, they won't have the same power, but batting is all about timing, so especially against a fast bowler 4's and 6's could come.
A close score can equal excitment and whilst I don't watch much cricket, some mens, no womens, you still want to watch the best, to watch the women facing nothing more than 80 mph, whilst Aktar has hit 100mph and many other bowlers regularly hit 90mph, makes the ladies game second class at best to me. Add in being slower around a smaller field and it just isn't as good. Not in my umble.

Bah!

 

Oh dear, it's turned into the 'general cricket' thread!