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On 4/19/2019 at 1:31 PM, Frederick said:

This is the bit where Paul Lambert swoops in and brings about one hundred years of near-identical misery.

 

The time has surely come for the SFA to start thinking outside the box, so they might do well to consider 'going foreign' now. Big Sam, Neil Warnock or Pontius Pardew incoming.

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Live long enough and apparently you'll see everything including John flippin' Terry faithfully, creditably serve as an assistant to Dean Smith as Aston Villa pull of a improbable late season play-off steamroll with our recently 73rd choice keeper Jed Steer serving as a pivotal figure. I can't say I understand much of what's happened but I know I like it.  

 

Big love to @Michael* - gift wrapped an absurd goal and then you get thunder gazumped in such a manner. Must be sick to the teeth of Wembley, not to mention Charlton at Wembley. 

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On 5/28/2019 at 6:19 PM, Frederick said:

Live long enough and apparently you'll see everything including John flippin' Terry faithfully, creditably serve as an assistant to Dean Smith as Aston Villa pull of a improbable late season play-off steamroll with our recently 73rd choice keeper Jed Steer serving as a pivotal figure. I can't say I understand much of what's happened but I know I like it. 

 

A job well done, Fred. From the new owners signalling that they had some real ambition for the club, to the swift acquisition of Dean Smith, transfers and loans secured decisively in January, the subsequent run to the play-offs and the unlikely friendship between Prince William and John Carew, there's not been a dull moment at Villa Park all season. It'll be interesting to see what happens over the summer, we could be in for some Wolves-style action.

 

On 5/28/2019 at 6:19 PM, Frederick said:

Big love to @Michael* - gift wrapped an absurd goal and then you get thunder gazumped in such a manner. Must be sick to the teeth of Wembley, not to mention Charlton at Wembley. 

 

Frustrating thing was that after the calamitous own goal left Charlton punch drunk and barely contesting the match for much of the first half, we never really looked willing or able to deliver the knockout blow. And of course, it wasn't a great surprise when they rallied round and eventually got the winner, they looked fitter, stronger and more mobile than us, as the vast majority of League One's promotion contenders have done this year. I must confess, my immediate reaction afterwards was one of relief that such an attritional season was over, but I suppose the hope now is that we operate sensibly in the summer and go on to copy what happened 20 years back.

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A real struggle to recall another major final so entirely lacking in quality and devoid of incident as Liverpool-Spurs was, but Wor Jordan's embrace with his Dad afterwards could have brought a tear to a glass eye.

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On ‎6‎/‎3‎/‎2019 at 10:00 PM, Michael* said:

A real struggle to recall another major final so entirely lacking in quality and devoid of incident as Liverpool-Spurs was, but Wor Jordan's embrace with his Dad afterwards could have brought a tear to a glass eye.

Tuned into the Europa League final for approximately ten minutes before I decided listening to Robbie Savage shouting in an otherwise morgue like atmosphere was probably not the best way of retaining one's sanity. 

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Sounds like Rafa has received a better job offer than continuing to work under Mike Ashley so the possibilities are endless now, really. We could see him managing in the Chinese Super League, as a post-festival litter picker, possibly even Boris Johnson's PR secretary.

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On ‎6‎/‎25‎/‎2019 at 2:07 AM, Michael* said:

Sounds like Rafa has received a better job offer than continuing to work under Mike Ashley so the possibilities are endless now, really. We could see him managing in the Chinese Super League, as a post-festival litter picker, possibly even Boris Johnson's PR secretary.

Anywhere but a Sports Direct warehouse, I'd say. Needless to add, I was almost breathless with excitement when wild rumours of Avram Grant swooping in to replace him were briefly circulating. Incidentally, and unrelated to my forthcoming birthday, may I add that for a mere $1,000 you can get Avram to make you or a loved one a 'shout out' video (https://www.cameo.com/avramgrant)His introduction video is very enticing!

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7 hours ago, Frederick said:

Needless to add, I was almost breathless with excitement when wild rumours of Avram Grant swooping in to replace him were briefly circulating. Incidentally, and unrelated to my forthcoming birthday, may I add that for a mere $1,000 you can get Avram to make you or a loved one a 'shout out' video (https://www.cameo.com/avramgrant)His introduction video is very enticing!

 

Perhaps a grand for Avram would be out of reach to the somewhat depleted ranks in our football thread these days, but we could easily crowdfund a Bellazon shout-out from Jesper Blomqvist or Adnan Januzaj, surely.

 

Mark Lawrenson would be the dream for me, I think. You just know he'd be dying to end all the greetings with "not" in order to contradict his previous statement, a la Wayne's World in 1992. Which Lawro no doubt still considers cutting edge humour.

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On ‎6‎/‎26‎/‎2019 at 11:01 PM, Michael* said:

Mark Lawrenson would be the dream for me, I think. You just know he'd be dying to end all the greetings with "not" in order to contradict his previous statement, a la Wayne's World in 1992. Which Lawro no doubt still considers cutting edge humour.

"Hello Ray, it's Mark here. Your friend Steve wanted me to give you a shout out, but I didn't know what he was flaming on about because I'm not a teenage girl, Guy. So anyway, he told me Dingle Red Rovers FC won this year's Elite Invitational Pub Bantz competition. Haven't you lads got anything better to do, eh? What's next, face painting with your nan? Do me a favour, hey? Any one of you got a girlfriend? Anyway, apparently Ray wants me to grow back my moustache but you obviously haven't been paying attention because that's been gone for years and is not coming back. Underline that and staple it to your forehead, Dan. Anyway, happy Fathers Day and (squints to read) you'll never walk alone. What do you mean, I'll never walk alone? I walk alone all the time, don't I? I went into Currys this morning and the chuffin' lot of them were useless, giving me all this swot stuff mumbo jumbo, I only went in for a screwdriver...." (continues for the next nine hours)

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On 6/28/2019 at 2:55 PM, Frederick said:

"Hello Ray, it's Mark here. Your friend Steve wanted me to give you a shout out, but I didn't know what he was flaming on about because I'm not a teenage girl, Guy. So anyway, he told me Dingle Red Rovers FC won this year's Elite Invitational Pub Bantz competition. Haven't you lads got anything better to do, eh? What's next, face painting with your nan? Do me a favour, hey? Any one of you got a girlfriend? Anyway, apparently Ray wants me to grow back my moustache but you obviously haven't been paying attention because that's been gone for years and is not coming back. Underline that and staple it to your forehead, Dan. Anyway, happy Fathers Day and (squints to read) you'll never walk alone. What do you mean, I'll never walk alone? I walk alone all the time, don't I? I went into Currys this morning and the chuffin' lot of them were useless, giving me all this swot stuff mumbo jumbo, I only went in for a screwdriver...." (continues for the next nine hours)

 

Absolutely sensational, Fred. :rofl:

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On 6/29/2019 at 12:19 AM, jkjk said:

In the near future, women's football will be dominated by European nations.

 

(maybe dominated is too strong)

 

Some of the European nations have enjoyed such a meteoric rise as of late that it seems to have highlighted a few of the others perhaps resting on their laurels a little.

 

USA though were in a class of their own from the outset this year, and while we as fans do tend to love an underdog, I've always regarded it as important that the best team at a World Cup wins it. There can be no doubt at this point that they were exactly that. Still, perhaps in the future, with increased investment and presumably more young girls taking up the game, we'll see the gap continue to close. It should be interesting to see where we stand in four years' time.

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The USA is still the best team, to be sure. They will certainly be expected to win Olympic gold next year.

 

The main reason I feel confident about European team's continued improvement is that they have the same advantage the men's teams have: regular high quality opponents. The USA only really have Canada as a quality team in their confederation. The European Championship provides a high level tournament that no other confederation has. When a team plays more quality matches, they have the opportunity to get better faster and maintain their level more easily.

 

I think this will soon apply to domestic leagues as well. The money should slowly increase and that will mean more European women (and girls) will receive high level coaching and playing opportunities which other parts of the world can't compete with.

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It promises to be a bit of a web of intrigue, really. We'll likely see a natural progression of the game where it becomes more difficult to establish lasting dominance, although it's possible that sides like Germany, Norway and Sweden could begin to feel the effects of that as well. Those nations have benefited quite a bit from being around since the early nineties, albeit not as much as the USA has. Not to say that American players couldn't improve, adapt or even benefit from a stronger Europe too, of course.

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7 hours ago, Frederick said:

Steve Bruce is the favourite to be next Newcastle manager? Yes please.

 

March 2020: Newcastle part company with manager Steve Bruce following a home defeat to Norwich. Bruce blames it on Newcastle fans being unwilling to accept his past as manager of Sunderland.

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15 hours ago, Michael* said:

 

March 2020: Newcastle part company with manager Steve Bruce following a home defeat to Norwich. Bruce blames it on Newcastle fans being unwilling to accept his past as manager of Sunderland.

The great thing about Ashley being such a world class roaster is that Bruce would/will get a fair bit of time, which means one can really feast on all the bitter press conferences and post-match delusional jibber jabber. 

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On 7/10/2019 at 3:28 PM, Frederick said:

The great thing about Ashley being such a world class roaster is that Bruce would/will get a fair bit of time, which means one can really feast on all the bitter press conferences and post-match delusional jibber jabber. 

 

I can already hear Big Al's weekly soundbites on Match of the Day, each one starting with "no disrespect to Steve, but...", although I'd imagine Bruce will be given roughly about as much time as Steve McClaren was, perhaps even more. Dave Whelan appointed him twice too of course, maybe he's just catnip to downmarket sporting retailers.

 

Hardly surprising though that so many thoroughly average managers keep getting such decent gigs when the best thing some pundits can manage on the subject is "I thought Moyes might have been a better fit." The lack of insight borders on painful sometimes.

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