General Football Thread

Here's a contentious for you FML - World Cup assistant referees have been told to keep their flag down for tight offside calls to enable VAR to make the correct decision, says Fifa referees committee chairman Pierluigi Collina. #itsgoingtobeinteresting
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/44459554

 

Contentious, but I can see the sense in it. It's much fairer to correct a call with VAR if a goal is scored, rather than stopping a move incorrectly. Probably means an increased use of VAR though, so hopefully the technology works ok.

 

Spose it makes sense. VAR is there, if your not sure, let the system deal with it.

 

Arsenal host Man City. Opening game of the season.

Unlucky, whoever that Arsenal manager is.

 

Has Unai Emery not been confirmed?

 

Think he's being sarcastic

 

Yea, he has.

 

A home tie against Stevenage in the first round of the League Cup. Hopefully a good opportunity for fringe and youth players to impress.

 

If DF sticks to the same principles as last season, he'll field a fairly strong team!!!

 

That’ll be our fringe and youth players then ......

 

And now for something completely different. The replacing f the pitch at CR is progressing well and the firm doing the work is also responsible for the new Spurs pitch and they revealed - 'That has been going on for five or six years, because it is such a huge undertaking,'. 'It is a moveable pitch that moves out into a car park in three pieces, which will then expose the NFL pitch underneath. That will be something totally different!!'.

 

I saw that report, I hadn't realised that the pitch is part synthetic.

 

I thought even our previous surface was part-synthetic? It's been pretty common for a while now, to make the pitch a bit more hard-wearing.

 

It's been part synthetic since we first went up to the PL under PL at least!!!
I know someone on the ground staff, so I'll ask him next time I see him. I'm pretty sure it's cut to 25mm in height (1 inch for you senior citizens!!! )

 

Some positivity from a twitter (@NickAlpers) thread:

While everyone having a moan about #ncfc’s direction (different from being sad that Madders is moving on/up w/o us), I’ll remind people of some of the huge problems I think the club have addressed or even solved last year under SW & DF:
Fitness: subpar for years. This has been fixed
Team spirit: very poor previous season. Very good now.
Scouting: seems more organized and focused.
Loans (key for any Champ side): much more successful, outgoing & incoming
Investing in Grounds/Colney: precious leadership talked about it. SW & Steve Stone are doing it
Academy: creating a system to promote our own Academy players (see Loans, above)

Build the healthiest #ncfc possible on & off the pitch, & let the chips fall where they may. #OTBC

 

Sorry, DHC, you are much too positive for this site. Duncan will suffer apoplexy reading posts like this.

 

These are the things that need to change in a restructuring and they have. This season will be the test of that though. Last season we suffered from root and branch disruption and the time it took for so many new players to adjust. This season we should go into the pre-season with a settled squad with a clear understanding of how DF wants them to play. The defence is settled, with Tettey, Trybull, Godfrey and Thompson able to shield it. Like Zimmerman, Vrancic has adjusted and looks a much better player for it. Leitner returning will also help.

Yes, we'll miss Madders and Josh and much will depend on the attacking players coming in, but a good start could make a big difference. The key will be the new striker who comes in and how quickly he gets going. Srbeny has had 3 months to settle and adjust and should be able to progress. Long term, the Academy and the U23 set-up is producing quality players on a regular basis and a long term plan is in place. How it goes from here should tell us more.

 

Yes, major changes were way overdue and at least SW/DF have seen to most of that. ANY team would miss JM and Josh to a lesser extent and it will be interesting to see how well McClean adapts and whether or not TC goes back to Holland or stays as part of the first team – I’d rather he stayed.

I found this that I posted somewhere on Not 606 a couple of weeks ag, but couldn’t find where I’d posted it!!!
but couldn’t find where I’d posted it!!!
I don't know how everyone else feels, but I’d just like to see JM sold!!!
Depending on which ‘red top' you read, then his potential destination changes.
IMO, his best destination is Leicester, as he’d be more likely to be in the starting 11 regularly and he’d be close to the coaching business that he’s helped to set up and if he ‘cuts the mustard’ there, he can then move on to a ‘top six club’.

 

Yes JMF. I remember agreeing with you at the time. Hope he gets Leicester back into Europe.

 

If he is given regular starts he will make lots of chances for Vardy ....

Good move for Madders.