Neymar transfer rumour

Yes he is. Maybe for another season or two. But the big teams all have big names. Big names sell shirts.

JD is better than. He is also better than WHam. Which is where he will likeky end up.

Neymar. Pah.

Id rather see Ronnie back in the prem.

 

I think a lot of the "money has killed it" brigade are those who watched it back when a footballer would run a pub or have a second job to supplement the income. Footballers are more mercenary than they ever were due to the money - but we'd never have seen the likes of Ronaldo, Cantona, Suarez in this country without it.

SAFC also wouldn't have a certain Jermain Defoe if not for the money there is in the game

 

I say pensioner because we already have Zlatan mate, I know JD is fit, as is Zlatan.

It's a bit too easy to assume he'd score more, what I know is that teams would set up far more defensively against us than they would against you, so he'd have to be able to adapt to that. I also think he'd probably get 20 goals, but I'd much rather Griezmann and Rashford, because we need to plan for the long term, build a great squad. As much as I love Zlatan, it won't break me if he leaves after this season, it would disappoint me more if it was Martial leaving.

 

I wasn't really targeting Utd mate, I just meant the lad has plenty of life left in him still and would be an asset to most EPL teams.

For what it's worth I reckon BSA will take him to Palace. Or even Everton if they lose Lukaku.

 

People have been complaining about changes in football and banging on about the good old days since about 3 weeks after the Football Association first wrote the rules down. Football's constantly changed and evolved from that moment on but its still here and just as popular as ever. Not accepting change is self-defeating as without it, we'd still be watching fellas with waxed moustaches and long shorts shouting "tally-ho old fruit" and chasing round after a 3 ton lump of leather in a big clump. The increased money has led to improvements but its also brought new problems. That's all part of the game. Without the problems and the changes there'd be nothing to talk about and this forum would be ****ing pointless.

 

Random guess thread. I like your thinking

 

I know everyone is touting him to West Ham, but I reckon BSA will want him and JD will want to go.

 

I will never accept cheating as part of the game and it's sad that some people already have. I also don't want to see an increasingly non contact nature to the sport because each player on the pitch is worth a hundred times the value of the Mona Lisa. If that's progress then it can **** off.

Imagine if the average tennis match was riddled with the players trying to cheat and con the umpire, it'd be the death of the sport if it wasn't sorted out. Don't really see what's so different about football that some people feel justified to say put up or shut up about it.

 

I would not swap JD for Pogba I know that !

 

The difference with football is that you don't have to rely on just the top 20 teams in the world to put on a good match. Tennis matches played by non-elite players attract pathetic audiences and are dull as **** to watch 90% of the time, especially in some no-mark non-grand-slam tournament.

The stakes are higher, way higher in football than in 'average tennis', and when the stakes are higher, participants will go to every length necessary, naturally, to win.

Tell you a few sporst that are dominated by cheats trying to gain an advantage, Athletics, Cycling and Formula One.

Why is a darts player allowed to say things to his opponent to get inside their head, make them angry (Taylor has done this all through his career) and that's seen as 'tactics' and 'clever', yet when a footballer takes a tumble after feeling his opponent's finger touch his shoulder, it's seen as cheating? It's just tactics.

The out and out divers, should and I believe will eventually be punished, that's all that needs sorted imo.

 

You won't have to, don't worry.

If it transpires that JD is leaving for United, there'll be nowt coming back in the other direction.

 

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Diving's the main thing that needs sorting and they seem to be trying but it's a difficult one to judge even with video replays and it's already ingrained in the game unfortunately. Even at half time with multiple replays the pundits are often split in their opinions and then there's an emerging view of praising players for being clever when they go down after feeling any contact. Doesn't sit well with me even though I know it's the reality of things.

Even in the grand slam finals between the top players in tennis you won't see any cheating and it's all the better for it. I'm sure they would if they could get away with it but they can't. Trying to psyche out your opponent isn't the same thing at all as cheating. Broadly speaking they're both underhanded tactics but one breaks the rules and one doesn't, sledging isn't in the same league as intentionally throwing a dart with your foot over the oche.

 

It's both gamesmanship imo, one player winding up his opponent is the same as another player wasting time in another sport, or going down softly to win a FK.

You say it doesn't happen in slam finals, but it does, players will often feign injury to stop their opponent gaining momentum, there'll be performance enhancing drugs being taken and I've no doubt that match fixing is rife in that sport.

I think the coaches have drilled into footballers now, if you're caught, go down unless you can stay on your feet to your advantage. It's right as well, how many times do you see a player attempt to stay on his feet and end up not able to get a true shot off? I see it with Rashford all the frickin time, and if he went down, it'd have been a stone wall pen or dangerous free kick.

The referees need to be respected more, but the current crop of **** don't deserve any respect, I've said it before, pay them more, it'll attract more refs, hopefully some ex-cage fighters (women included) then see if big 'ard Diego Costa will get in his/her face as much.

 

I never said all change was for the better. There are plenty things that have been introduced into football, one way or another, that haven't improved it or have diminished it. For instance, I really don't want to see the introduction of technology as I think it will spoil the spontaneity of the the game. But I've got no doubt it will happen. All I'm saying is, without change and evolution you get stagnation and that's worse.

 

Agree totally - but I remember Gareth Bale being caught gently by Craig Gardner for us - Bale would've likely scored but he threw himself to the ground - he got yellow carded (deservedly IMO) regardless of it being a foul, he'd rather have seen an opposition player sent off than to score himself - there was hardly any contact but there was some which, technically, makes it a foul (as Gardner didn't play the ball)

Gary McAllister for the dippers as well - he whinged that Stan Varga wasn't sent off when he got a penalty - Varga clipped him 2 yards outside the box and he fell over 2 yards inside after kicking the ball too far ahead.,

I hate cheating and would love to see it ruled out - but I agree totally that a player should be told to go down if they cannot gain an advantage by staying on their feet. Lens ran through the penalty area season before last and was kicked above the knee - he stayed on his feet - most blatant foul you'll ever see but no penbalty was given and I still believe it was because he didn't "fall over"!!

 

Me either - I can;t whinge about referees when they get everything right because of video evidence!! And you all know I like a whinge about a ref!!!

 

. If ever there was an under statement.

 

I also agree that players should go down if they are fouled and they aren't going to get an advantage from carrying on, it's the ones where there's a tiny bit of contact and they fling themselves down like they've been sniped that I don't like.

First thing the pundits will say is that it didn't look like there was contact but then when they watch the replay they'll see the slightest hint of contact and they'll change their mind to praising them for being clever and buying the foul. It's bullshit. No different to diving with no contact to me.

 

How often does that actually happen though?

We're talking probably 1 in every 1,000 tackles resulting in a theatrical Fosby Flop.

I don't see how something so small is spoiling the game. The ref's being on a power trip is spoiling games much more frequently than players dramatically diving and getting away with it. IMOOC.