Today’s Football 2020/21 Season

[BlueStevie35]

I've believed in Lookman as a player since he lit up the Bundesliga as a 20 year old with no extended top flight experience. I've said that until he gets another run of games and isn't good I'm not giving up on him. Somehow this is the first run of games since that loan spell and he has been really good again.

So yeah I really believe in him. And I don't even feel like it is that controversial to say he would be around our team right now. In case you haven't noticed we have created basically nothing aside from corners the last 6 or 8 games or whatever it is since Burnley. It's kind of James and Digne or nothing happens. One of those is supposed to be a defender.

If Lookman and Vlasic were in any way good, they’d be playing either for us or at massive clubs, not a relegation threatened side (on loan from a Bundesliga team) and CSKA Moscow respectively

 

[Saint Domingo]

Not for me I want all them to drop points. And be as close to them all as possible. Liverpool ran the wave of being Liverpool after we took their defender out but the wave is dropping momentum and teams are having a go.

Obviously I’d love us to win it, but with a midfield of Davies and Sigurdsson I can’t see it, plus we have a terrible injury record and in general referees seem to hate us. I don’t think we have enough to do it unfortunately so if it’s not us it becomes anyone but the RS. If City pull away from the pack and get the league sewn up then some of these other teams start to focus on Europe which leads to dropped points in the league and more change of us getting top 4 or top 6. A close title race actually makes it harder for us to get in there if three or four teams are all going 100% every single game.

 

[Martin Alvito]

He was never on Koeman's level though. All-time great vs. very good-to-excellent.

Right, we're talking the difference between the all-time standard at LB versus an English player who had the best career among a very talented generation of players, but was not necessarily even the best player.

 

[TheBigIguana]

If Lookman and Vlasic were in any way good, they’d be playing either for us or at massive clubs, not a relegation threatened side (on loan from a Bundesliga team) and CSKA Moscow respectively

This just isn't how football works. Clubs make all kinds of mistakes evaluating players.

 

[BlueStevie35]

This just isn't how football works. Clubs make all kinds of mistakes evaluating players.

Where oh where is the mistake here? Neither were good enough to break into the team, neither wanted to fight their stake to be in the team when given chances, both left with one not doing enough to get in the team he wanted badly to stay at and has wound back in this league at a team most likely to go back down

 

[TheBigIguana]

Where oh where is the mistake here? Neither were good enough to break into the team, neither wanted to fight their stake to be in the team when given chances, both left with one not doing enough to get in the team he wanted badly to stay at and has wound back in this league at a team most likely to go back down

There it is.

 

[Ring master]

Early goal in the 2pm ko

 

[Encoder]

Early goal in the 2pm ko

Good. I have a healthy dislike for Atalanta for being the start nerds favourite team, free scoring and slapping us over 2 legs but getting slapped 5-0 when it actually mattered against Liverpool.

 

[Guru888]

If Lookman and Vlasic were in any way good, they’d be playing either for us or at massive clubs, not a relegation threatened side (on loan from a Bundesliga team) and CSKA Moscow respectively

I disagree, you don’t have to play for a top team to be a good player. My eyes don’t lie to me when I watch Lookman, I’m not saying he’s a world beater, he’s obviously not. But I’d much rather him in and around our squad than Bernard Tosun etc. Iwobi has came on massively this season but was dreadful last year and still got games. I just think it’s pure stubbornness when people act like Lookman is crap

 

[BlueStevie35]

I disagree, you don’t have to play for a top team to be a good player. My eyes don’t lie to me when I watch Lookman, I’m not saying he’s a world beater, he’s obviously not. But I’d much rather him in and around our squad than Bernard Tosun etc. Iwobi has came on massively this season but was dreadful last year and still got games. I just think it’s pure stubbornness when people act like Lookman is crap

Name one notable contribution Lookman made after that debut against City?

 

[TheBigIguana]

Good. I have a healthy dislike for Atalanta for being the start nerds favourite team, free scoring and slapping us over 2 legs but getting slapped 5-0 when it actually mattered against Liverpool.

A CL group game is when it actually mattered?

 

[Old Blue 2]

He was never on Koeman's level though. All-time great vs. very good-to-excellent.

One staggering statistic - Koeman was a defender, and still managed to be the Champions League's top scorer one season!

Check out these beauties!

The last goal - the European Cup Final v. Sampdoria at Wembley in the early 1990s. I was at that game. I was working in London at the time, in digs in Wembley. Wandered to the ground to get a programme, and then go back to my digs to watch the game on TV. Was pestered by a tout just on kick-off time, as he was wanting to unload his tickets. A couple of minutes after the start of the game, I got one at face value! I ended up in the scoreboard end goal, in among the Sampdoria fans. That was the most lunatic 2 hours of watching live football in my life! Those fans were off the scale. When Koeman scored, I have never noticed silence among a section of fans as I noticed then. And for me, it shouldn't have even been a free-kick.

One thing which I believe was never shown or mentioned: After collecting the European Cup, the Barcelona players obviously went to their end of the ground (they had put the normal Barcelona shirts on at the end of the game). One of them, (he had the No. 11 shirt on) ventured towards the Sampdoria end with the Cup, whereupon the whole Sampdoria end started applauding the player. He motioned to the rest of the team to follow him, but none did. A pity, because they would have received a good reception. The Barcelona player then just waved and gave a thumbs-up to the Sampdoria fans.

 

[DanB90]

City and United wins tonight please. We’re not catching either of them but would be good to dent Villa in their chase for European spots. Also good to keep the pressure on the RS if City and United pull clear.

I’d prefer it if all the teams around us dropped as many points as possible, cause it means we’d have more chance of a top 4 finish. I couldn’t give a toss if Liverpool win it or not.

If we have a hope of CL qualification, we’re going to need all but 3 of RS, City, Spurs, Leicester Man U, Man City, Spurs, Villa, Southampton to finish below us.

 

[JLW]

City and United wins tonight please. We’re not catching either of them but would be good to dent Villa in their chase for European spots. Also good to keep the pressure on the RS if City and United pull clear.

Totally disagree with us not catching United, I think they will struggle for CL spot
Fancy Fulham to get something from the game tonight.

 

[carolinablue232]

How long has it been since we didn't have an axis of evil in midfield? 2014 maybe?

I didn’t hate it when we had Barry, Gueye, and Barkley.