... and in Other Football News

And don't forget Man City don't even have a centre forward.

 

It was a joy to watch at times (and not just because Leeds were getting hammered).
I was willing it to be (at least) 8, and it could comfortably have been double figures hadn't one or two got greedy toward the end, to 'better' our 1-7, but then 7-0 is worse than 7-1 .... just.
I don't want Newcastle to go down. Although it would be really funny. Problem is, they would bounce straight back, so that's 1 promotion place unavailable.
I would like to see Leeds come back down again.

 

What's the significance?

 

it turns out that robert lewandowsi has set a new record for any bundesliga player by scoring 69 goals in the calendar year 2021. he scored in his final game of the year on friday evening (against wolfsburg) (xmas season break in germany).

cristiano ronaldo scored the same number in 2013 (probably 2013).

there is no mention of the numbers scored by everton's dixie dean in a calendar year.

lewandowski played 60 games for bayern and poland, but missed 6 bayern games injured in april, plus four friendlies (three bayern, one poland), and remained an unused polish sub in another friendly.

he scored in 45 of the 60 games.

he scored five hat-tricks, all for bayern, including two in march.

11 goals were for poland, in 12 games. he scored in 7 out of 12 games.
58 goals were for bayern, in 48 games. he scored in 38 out of 48.

he had runs of scoring in 4 consecutive games, as well as 5, 6 twice, and one run of 14, which brought him 22 goals. he scored in every match in march (6 games), april (1), may (3), and august (4)

2021 by month

month, played, goals, y = games scored in, n = games not scored in

mth - p - G - y - n

jan - 7 - 7 - 6 - 1
feb - 7 - 7 - 5 - 2
mar - 6 - 11 - 6 - 0

apr - 1 - 1 - 1 - 0
may - 3 - 5 - 3 - 0
jun - 4 - 3 - 2 - 2

jul - 1 - 0 - 0 - 1
aug - 4 - 7 - 4 - 0
sep - 8 - 9 - 6 - 2

oct - 8 - 6 - 4 - 4
nov - 6 - 8 - 5 - 1
dec - 5 - 5 - 3 - 2

tot - 60 - 69 - 45 - 15

 

That calendar year thing is another meaningless thing they have come up with in recent years. So looked up Dixie Dean's best year. He scored 85 goals in a calendar year.
2 years after his 60 in a season Everton were relegated. He stayed with them and the following season they won Division 2, the following season they were Division 1 Champions and the one after that won the FA Cup. A sequence of events which it fair to say will never be repeated.

 

Christian Eriksen has Inter contract terminated ‘by mutual consent’

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Internazionale have terminated Christian Eriksen’s contract after the Denmark midfielder was suspended from playing in Italy because of his cardiac device implant.

The 29-year-old has not played since suffering a cardiac arrest during Denmark’s opening game of the European Championship against Finland in June and receiving life-saving treatment on the pitch.

Inter said in October that the Italian medical authority had suspended Eriksen from playing in Serie A because of a rule prohibiting the use of an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) device.

“FC Internazionale Milano announces that an agreement has been reached for the consensual termination of Christian Eriksen’s contract,” Inter said in a statement. “The club and the entire Nerazzurri family embrace the player and wish him the best for his future.

“Christian was a key figure in our march to the Scudetto – a team effort which Eriksen contributed to with his vision, intuition, passing, assists and goals, including some big ones.”

Eriksen scored in the game against Crotone that gave Inter the title and he netted a free-kick against Udinese at San Siro on the final day.

“That is our final, happy, wistful memory of Christian on the pitch in an Inter shirt,” the club said. “Because sometimes life takes a turn for the unexpected and sends you down a path you didn’t imagine.

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Denmark fans pay tribute to Christian Eriksen during their run to the semi-finals of Euro 2020. Photograph: Stuart Franklin/AFP/Getty Images
“Every Inter fan, every football fan, looked on in silence, hoping for Christian. Seeing him back [at the training ground] in Appiano Gentile with his teammates, as Italian champions, was a joy to behold and one we will never forget.”

This month Eriksen, who joined Inter last year after seven seasons at Tottenham, has begun working out at the training ground of his youth club, Odense Boldklub, in Denmark.

 

the two top teams in the championship are fulham and bournemouth.

fulham have won none of their last five.

bournemouth have won none of their last six.

the title is ours for the taking.

 

This could well fit better in another thread, but...

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Lampard firm favourites with bookies

Bookies outfit Betfair have placed Frank Lampard as firm favourite to replace Marcelo Bielsa in the Elland Road hot seat. Whilst the Elland Road hierarchy have made it abundantly clear that they are 100% behind the Argentine, a succession of poor results have seen the Whites nosedive dangerously close the Premiership trap door, and even the Elland Road faithful are starting to panic.

Lampard has been out of a job since he was sacked at Chelsea in January. He is best remembered for the infamous Spygate scandal during his tenure at Derby County. Bielsa had sent a scout to watch the Rams during training. Fat Frank screamed blue murder, and blew the situation out of all proportions. Leeds fans have a long memory!!!

Argentine Jorge Sampaoli is also on the short list at 6/1. During his 35 matches in charge of Marseille, they have only lost six. Athletic Bilbao's Marcelino is 8/1, the same as Lee Bowyer with former team mate Jonathan Woodgate at 9/1. Mick McCarthy, who was sacked as Cardiff City boss last month, is also on the list at 40/1.

 

The Premier League have however denied that high ranking officials who still have a fawning liking for the White ****e from their youth in the 1970's and have promoted a high level of paydays on Sky, due to recent results couldn't spend all Christmas crying on together....

 

Rescinded