Rival watch

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So here's the problem in going to play Liverpool away in one of our few remaining matches.

Well first there's the obvious one. They're a very good team. All other things being equal they should beat us. But what's worse is that all other things are not equal, they are also against us. Sounds obvious, but I do wish that the media would one day talk about this. They manage to talk about most other things but for some reason completely avoid the subject of the bias of officials.

So not only do they have a better team, but we also go into the game knowing that whatever happens
> we will not get a penalty
> none of their players will be sent off

I know we've all been thinking that, but I think it helps if it's written down. If possible though, the current situation is even worse. The officials also know that Pool need to win every remaining game, so the pressure is greater than usual. None of them wants to be known as the guy that stopped Pool winning the league (even if mathematically that isn't true, it won't stop the media or fans mentioning it for ever more).

I'm not even saying that there's direct and deliberate bias. It may even be unconscious bias. Give a dodgy decision against a team Pool are playing then it might be mentioned on MOTD (it often isn't even then) but it's almost immediately forgotten. But give a dodgy decision against Pool at any time, let alone when they are going for the title at the end of the season? It will never be forgotten .

It's not surprising that the decisions go like they do, because if you're the official that gives the decision against Pool at this stage of the season beware. This probably even goes for the 50/50 decisions. So they're not going to. And in order to win that match we are going to have to do so against 15 men (ref + linos + VAR). You can also be sure that if a yellow card incident occurs early in the game it will be given against us (when it might normally not have been), but it most certainly won't be given against them. And if by some strange chance one of their players gets a yellow (perhaps for what should be a red), you can be absolutely sure that they won't get a second yellow no matter what they do.
Why do you think it says THIS IS ANFIELD above the tunnel? Not to rouse the home players, but demoralise the away players as they know they'll spend the next ninety minutes in the sort of racket Al Capone would think was a little too blatant
 
The race for promotion from the Championship is getting exciting now after Bournemouth got a 3-3 draw at Swansea after being 3-0 down. Forest’s win at Fulham is huge as this puts automatic promotion in their own hands as they still have Bournemouth to play.
 
For a guy that missed a couple penalties in the same game recently, Benzema had some absolute balls of steel to hit a panenka in a CL semi final.

Great game of footy too.
 
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The race for promotion from the Championship is getting exciting now after Bournemouth got a 3-3 draw at Swansea after being 3-0 down. Forest’s win at Fulham is huge as this puts automatic promotion in their own hands as they still have Bournemouth to play.

Maybe it’s because of my age but I’d love to see Nottingham Forest back in the Prem. Them and Sheff Wed always remind me of my childhood
 
Maybe it’s because of my age but I’d love to see Nottingham Forest back in the Prem. Them and Sheff Wed always remind me of my childhood

Until my generation and those before me die out,
there will be a set of supporters who fondly remember :

- the Forest of 1979 and 1980
- Cloughie, as a law unto himself or in combo with Peter Taylor
 
Until my generation and those before me die out,
there will be a set of supporters who fondly remember :

- the Forest of 1979 and 1980
- Cloughie, as a law unto himself or in combo with Peter Taylor
One time I was asked for ID at Argos, I simply replied that I remember Wimbledon being in the Premier League

Judging by their response, I'm amazed they didn't call security on me for thinking I had dementia...
 
Modric, Bale, losing 4-3 to Man City at the Etihad in the Champions League...
Get your own ideas, Madrid. <grr>
They even had an old striker score a controversial goal for their 3rd.
They'll be using VAR to knock them out in the 2nd leg, next.

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Jesus' Please Don't Sell Me To Arsenal campaign continues.
Not sure about the Blue vs Blue kits, though.
 
The race for promotion from the Championship is getting exciting now after Bournemouth got a 3-3 draw at Swansea after being 3-0 down. Forest’s win at Fulham is huge as this puts automatic promotion in their own hands as they still have Bournemouth to play.

That point could be massive but all the momentum is with Forest now. Bournemouth were lucky to even get a point in either of their last two games.
 
That point could be massive but all the momentum is with Forest now. Bournemouth were lucky to even get a point in either of their last two games.
Momentum always seems more important for these things than quality.
Sometimes a team missing out on automatic promotion can kill their morale, too.
 
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