Harry Kane must have a ‘trophy allergy’ so England need to ‘drop’ him to win Euro 2024. Also: Takes on Mikel Arteta, Manchester City and blue cards…
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Ridiculous media narratives
I watched Bayern get decimated by this brilliant Leverkusen side and in the middle of the park was this astounding midfielder. Control, leadership, vision etc. Then I remembered ‘oh wait a minute! – This guy played for us didn’t he?’
If only Alonso only listened to the English press/pundits. One would think this was an indisciplined, tired lazy 30 year old. How did Gary Neville put it one time? “A disgrace”.
Now they are trying to sell you another narrative that Arteta has been 6 years in charge and the only thing he is good at are his touch line antics. How quick it is to forget where you’re coming from.
The same media that would have you believe that the league will be seen as not competitive anymore (also looking at yesterday’s mailbox) if City go on to win their 4th title in a row at the end of the season. Funny media and English fans like to console themselves with Liverpool’s covid cup. City don’t need to win this title for the league to be seen as not competitive. The league is already not competitive. It’s as good as 6 titles in a row. This one will make it 7. In 7 years.
All of these things you were warned about but Arteta’s lap around the stadium is much fun.Funny country.
Damola, Bremen AFC
Dropping Harry Kane
Watching Leverkusen vs Bayern Munich got me wondering: if England want to win Euro 2024, do we need to drop Harry Kane? His trophy allergy appears to be alarmingly contagious…
Alex, Madrid.
Please let this happen [Leverkusen beating Bayern to the Bundesliga title], the world is a bleak place, we all need the comedy….
Mike Manchester United
Mikel Arteta hate
Simon, Norf London Gooner deserves the courtesy of a response. Two of my closest football mates are Arsenal supporters, and I saw Newcastle play in both their company on different occasions last summer in the US. Both wish my club well, so I am absolutely not an Arsenal hater. There are a few big clubs I’d chuckle to see relegated, but Arsenal are not one of them. I think anybody whingeing about your celebrations is making an ass of themselves. I think anybody dismissing your chances could come to look foolish. I think your squad is remarkably talented and the product of pretty good scouting. I think that Mikel Arteta is a talented manager with a good future ahead of him, and I think it’s possible he could win the league with this Arsenal side or another like it. He’s handsome, and his dress and grooming are impeccable.
But – sorry, bruv – I also think Arteta’s an odious, self-regarding, absolute c*nt. I kind of wish he managed a club where I could really focus my loathing.
Chris C, Toon Army DC
Arsenal fans, celebrate every goal and every win as much as you want, the unbridled joy as a fan celebrating a goal or a win seems to have been lost in the mist of social media wankers, irritated defeatists and any other prick who doesn’t enjoy the beauty of football.
It’s meant to be fun, people studying every aspect of a goal, every law broken by a club’s board or shadowy owners…who cares?
We read this site because we love football and football is beautiful, enjoy it, celebrate it…and be nicer to your opposition fans.
Mark Jones, Liverpool FC, Liverpool
Jamie Carragher was critical of Arsenal’s celebrations after beating Liverpool
Footnote on Man City’s brilliance
A lot of City fans crowing about how this whole multi-club shenanigans is actually brilliant and a sensible, legal but sneaky way to get around regulations. A bit like they crow about how building a world class training facility, hiring the best backroom staff in football, hiring the best manager in football, hiring the best players for said manager and doing so while having to make no sacrifices whatsoever is equally brilliant.
Why yes, of course it is. I mean, why doesn’t every club – especially smaller ones like City were – just do the same thing? I mean, why are they all so badly managed, when City are so clever?
It’s a mystery. Personally, I can only think of about 2 billion reasons why other clubs haven’t done so, but I’m sure it’s just that City are smarter.
Ryan, Bermuda (we can agree City are better run than Chelsea and United. Well done. High bar to trip over)
Great win for City today. So pleased for Haaland. That’s Erlind, KdB, B Silva, Foden and Alvarez all scoring in the past few games. The future’s looking bright and blue going into the business end of the season.
Just a quick response to Chris Toon Army Dc, I can’t speak for other football groups but Soriano, in his book The Ball Doesn’t Go in By Chance, wrote that Europe’s Elite Clubs must act like Multinationals, so I think he’s got business on his mind and not baseball lol. He seems to be pretty hell bent on achieving that goal and before anyone else.
As I said in my original email, CFG is pretty successful across the world in all different leagues, so comparing them to a farm system is a poor analogy. Try telling that to Melbourne and NYC supporters. They seem pretty happy the last few years. I wouldn’t shed any faux tears for Troyes either. They have access to the best data resources in the world. CFG have achieved success across several continents so there’s no reason to think they will fail. Watch this space. I know I will.
Rosie Poppins
Community or business?
City fan here. As if on cue, the day after Rosie and I posted our mails about CFG, Sky News report that the PL has moved to restrict the ability of individual clubs to use sponsorship deals (at inflated prices) as well as the ability for such clubs to move players between clubs owned by a singular entity.
Reportedly, Manchester City were the only PL club to vote against this and also, allegedly, to threaten arbitration proceedings against the PL accordingly.
Well. There’s a shock.
But here’s the thing. Before anybody on F365 gets their moral knickers in a twist, consider this. How many of you truly use your local butcher and baker rather than use your local Sainsburys, Asda or Tesco? And, since the cost of living crisis, how many of you have reverted to Aldi or Lidl? How many local butchers and bakers are open from 6 a.m. until midnight?
What have you done to support your local shops in the now decimated Country-wide High Streets rather than shop on Amazon? These companies exist, and succeed, because they have identified a gap in their market and ruthlessly exploited it. And if you think that football, and football ownership, isn’t a business, and shouldn’t be treated as such then, respectfully, you’re either supremely naïve, or an idiot. Or both.
I said it before, and I’ll say it again. I don’t believe that what the City Football Group is doing is right.
But don’t moan at City. Moan at your own PL club, and their so-called management being at least ten years behind the curve. Because that’s what the PL and the other PL clubs are doing right now. They’re REACTING to a threat rather than having anticipated it and that, I would suggest, is as inexcusable as your club spaffing millions on players that they either didn’t need, or were fully aware would be a negative influence in the dressing room.
If you are a supporter of a non-PL club then, by all means, cling on to the belief that your owners are only in it for ‘The Community’. (I highly doubt it though). The Prem, on the other hand, is nothing more than an outrageous money-making machine. The bottom feeders will do whatever it takes to stay in the Premier League because of the cash it brings. The top? To get into European Competitions for the same reason.
Mark (Cynicism still front and center). MCFC.
READ MORE: Erling ‘Fraudland’ finally gets ‘trying post-Christmas’ memo at Man City
Blue cards
I really don’t understand the opposition to Blue Cards, as it’s such an obvious improvement that works in so many other sports.
Primarily, it should be for dissent. Argue with the ref…off you go. Football has a terrible issue with respect for officials that flows through the game right the way through to the grassroots and kids, undermining the game and creating a hostile environment.
Tactical fouls are also a no-brainer – we’ve all seen it where the defender (or a covering midfielder) takes one for the team. There’s no argument about what he’s done or why…and off he backs with his hands in the air, basically unpunished. A blue card gives at least some form of instant justice.
Trials in lower leagues show that a sin bin for dissent works brilliantly, and a blue card for tactical fouling is also likely to be well received.
Let’s go for it.
Matthew (ITFC)
So when a player goes to the Sin Bin/ Penalty Box/ Detention Center or whatever they name it, how will they measure the punishment time? Precise stopwatch countdown?
What if the team with a player out decides to waste time during that period?
Those blue cards will definitely bring the blues to the people watching the game.
Sudeep, LFC, Nepal.
Regarding the Blue Cards idea, the day before it was published, Tony Scholes from the Premier League admitted that VAR checks are too frequent, too long and as a result “the in stadium experience is nowhere near good enough”.
Who, watching Premier League football as it is at the moment, seriously thinks that what we need is a new system to navigate, when the last innovation has been so to the detriment of the watchability of the game?
SE
Man Utd’s top four chances…
Did Calvino really need to do all that number crunching to ascertain United having no chance of the top 4? Most of us just think back to almost every United game we’ve watched this season, in which they’ve been an utter mess with no game plan.
Jerome, Bristolian Spur
