**Official** English Football Season 2023/24

[Molehill]

The best teams used to always be a bit nasty, because the game rewarded a bit of nastiness. It made them very easy to hate. It’s not really like that now. City must be the most indifference-inspiring elite sports team of all time.

Good point, the likes of Souness, McMahon and Keane certainly didn't make them more likable.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

A major strength of the old English Football League used to be uncertainty. During 18 seasons between 1959 and 1976, eleven different clubs won the league, with none retaining the title from one year to the next.

Then Liverpool spoiled the party. Ten league championships in fifteen seasons. Folk grew tired of them and interest in the league declined.

The Premier League accelerated the concentration of money and power into few hands. Two thirds of titles have been hoovered up by the Manchester clubs, with Londoners Chelsea and Arsenal claiming all but three of the rest.

This season so far has seen a welcome return to old times in that several fixtures on a given day affect the top of the table.

Sure thing ChatGPT

 

[Furball]

Poor Sunderland.

I'll forgive Beale if he overpays for all the shite he signed in summer.

 

[wpdavid]

I don't remember peak Liverpool being hated to anywhere near the same extent as peak Man Utd. I think that people enjoyed seeing Forest, Villa and Everton win the league during the period from 1976 to 1986 simply because it made a change, but the level of antipathy was nothing like how lots of people felt towards Man Utd from the mid-1990s onwards. I think the personality of the managers had a lot to do with that. Paisley was eminently likeable, whereas Ferguson was the opposite. And, as @grecian pointed out, Ferguson's attitude was personified on the pitch by lots of the players; not just in thuggishness, but in their attitude to officials. Whereas, Souness aside, Liverpool didn't act particularly unpleasantly on the pitch. For me, the other thing about Liverpool was that they were the first English side to actually win the European Cup regularly. Before them, Man Utd had won it once, and nobody else from England had ever won it. So watching them win the EC four times in the late 1970s/early 1980s made up for the First Division becoming rather predictable.

 

[Tangles]

I know you can’t play today like Keane did but there are so many matches where I just wish we had someone like him out there to show some passion and make a tackle before you concede a goal. Casemiro last year the closest we have had in along time. Him being not up to it and past it (then injured) a huge loss this year.

 

[wpdavid]

I reckon that Keane (and Souness before him) would have adapted to the current set of rules.

 

[grecian]

I reckon that Keane (and Souness before him) would have adapted to the current set of rules.

Yeah, as much as I dislike them both, they both could play as well, they weren't Terry Hurlock or Vinnie Jones.

 

[Tangles]

Vinnie Jones . How many games would he last with VAR?

 

[Socerer 01]

Keane had that one performance against Holland that got his country into that world cup didnt he? it was so good that van Gaal voted him for the ballon d’or after that, Keane would have been great in any era

speaking of Keane and Jones, Forest looked like they were channelling their energy today with some of their tackles

 

[Furball]

This anti-Souness slander has to stop.

 

[peterhrt]

I think that people enjoyed seeing Forest, Villa and Everton win the league during the period from 1976 to 1986 simply because it made a change

This was certainly true. There was also disappointment among neutrals when QPR and Southampton looked to have a good chance of landing their first top division title, only to be pipped by Liverpool.

Souness tended to play up to his hard man reputation, but was no worse than Tommy Smith or Jimmy Case.

 

[andruid]

I'm shocked you didn't mention Davinson Sanchez, what a signing that was.

People talk about how little funds he got to rebuild what was an ageing squad but in reality he had the money available he just had no idea how to use it properly. Bergwijn, Sessegnon, Ndombele, Lucas Moura, Aurier, Llorente, Janssen, N'Koudou.. the list goes on. They even spent £10mil on some young talent who's running around for Sunderland now.

With where Spurs were at the time, it was absolutely the right decision to let him go. They obviously didn't go about replacing him the right way but it was evident that things were on a downward trajectory and he was a large part to blame for that.

That would be Jack Clarke, who was brought in over the coach's head and then ignored by the coach (Conte not Poch)

 

[Skipper Pup]

People hated Man U before they were good, as Grecian said. Liverpool have some very weird ‘online’ fans these days that probably make them more disliked around the world. I don’t actually mind the ‘insular’ attitude of their match going fans etc as I tend to think that’s been a contributor to their success over the years.

Admittedly I was a bit disappointed with the atmosphere when I went last season. It came alive second half but only once Jota put us ahead.

That said the attitude of Scousers in general was awesome. Easy to get along with especially after a dozen pints and they love Aussies. I ended up spending a week longer in Liverpool than I planned to, it's a great city.

 

[duffer]

That said the attitude of Scousers in general was awesome. Easy to get along with especially after a dozen pints and they love Aussies.

Red flag

 

[wpdavid]

This was certainly true. There was also disappointment among neutrals when QPR and Southampton looked to have a good chance of landing their first top division title, only to be pipped by Liverpool.

Souness tended to play up to his hard man reputation, but was no worse than Tommy Smith or Jimmy Case.

Yeah, I wanted QPR to win in 1976 as they were such an attracftive side and, as you say, they'd never won it previously. I don't think that was an anti-Liverpool thing (and I know you never said that it was), especially as that season was the start of their dominance rather than after they'd won it a few times.

Smith was indeed capable of thuggery but I think he was viewed differently at the time as most teams had someone like that in the 1970s. Not that it's relevant to this discussion, but he wasn't the sharpest tool in the box. There was an event at Wembley many years after his retirement, when he came onto the pitch with the other oldies and wandered around enjoying the moment, clearly as mobile as you would expect someone of his age. Which was news to the people paying out disabilities benefits, who saw the event on TV and promptly instructed Smith the pay back the amounts he had fraudulently claimed over a number of years.


EDIT
The event in question was the 1996 FA Cup Final. Smith took a penalty before the game to help raise funds for a charity.

 

[Skipper Pup]

Red flag

You probably got scared after the dozen pints

Geordies are good fun too.

 

[wpdavid]

Worrying news from Bournemouth, although Luton's Tom Lockyer now seems to be compos mentis. Let's hope he really is OK.
Cardiac arrest apparently.

 

[wpdavid]

Astonishing stuff at The Etihad. Maybe the confidence boost that should give the Palace players after their miserable form lately will be even more significant than the point gained.

 

[Furball]

Worrying news from Bournemouth, although Luton's Tom Lockyer now seems to be compos mentis. Let's hope he really is OK.
Cardiac arrest apparently.

Wasn't aware this had happened before but unfortunately the only sensible option has to be retirement doesn't it?

2 collapses in 7 months isn't something he should be ignoring.

 

[Furball]

Astonishing stuff at The Etihad. Maybe the confidence boost that should give the Palace players after their miserable form lately will be even more significant than the point gained.

Standard Palace isn't it?

You've got some wonderful players but seems to me that once a season you go through a phase where you're quietly shite, then everybody notices.