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Football

Xenophon PCDGS

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I have just been looking at the run of Hyde United fixtures that include some re-arranged fixtures:-
Saturday, 17/2.....Ossett Town (Away)
Tuesday, 20/2......South Shields (Home)
Saturday, 24/2.....Kendal Town (Home)
Tuesday, 27/2......Bamber Bridge (Away)
Saturday, 3/3.......Atherton Colleries (Away)

This will see how well the fitness levels can last over that period.
 
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AlterEgo

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Depends what you mean. If 5 English teams are in the last 16 of the Champions League the quality isn't that bad. My team, Liverpool, beat the unbeaten Portuguese league leaders 5-0 at their own place last night. I would say the standard is pretty high given how poor parts of our team are or are said to be.

I’m a Liverpool fan too. Liverpool were excellent on the night but Porto were very weak.

The Portuguese league has always been very poor.

You can’t extrapolate much from one result. Or one season. Spain have dominated European competitions in the last 20 years.
 

Tetchytyke

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Hmmm, yeah, 5 English Premier League teams in the last 16 of the Champions league?

As I said, I think the Premier League is as weak as it has been in a very long time. There are six half-decent teams at the top. The rest of the league is absolute dross. Burnley in 7th are as close to the relegation zone as they are to the team immediately above them in the league.

That said, six half-decent teams shows some strength in depth. You don't get that in Germany. Even Spain only has four or five half-decent teams.

Another thing that interested me last night on ITV was Roy Keane saying that back when he played in the Champions League it was only the champions the played in it.

Roy Keane says lots of things that are weapons-grade tosh. He wasn't a champion when he won it, as you say.
 

DarloRich

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You can’t extrapolate much from one result. Or one season. Spain have dominated European competitions in the last 20 years.

Is that true? English teams have won the European Cup it 4 times in that period & 6 times for other European clubs v 9 time for Spanish Clubs. if you include the UEFA cup which seems to have been the personal property of Sevilla for about a decade then you are certainly right!
 

61653 HTAFC

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Indeed, that's the sad way football has gone in recent times. A part of me is strangely happy we're in the third tier now, where the money is a lot less abundant than in the Premier League, it's almost "proper football".
Agree with this. Although my team has gone in the opposite direction, I was worried about whether getting promoted (perhaps a year or two too early) would undo all the work the club has done to ensure that it remains part of the fabric of the local community such as affordable tickets and so on. So far the club hasn't "sold out" though charging £30 for tomorrow's FA Cup match against Newton Heath looks like it might have backfired slightly.

Roy Keane says lots of things that are weapons-grade tosh. He wasn't a champion when he won it, as you say.

Keane is among the biggest hypocrites in football. Whenever he's on ITVs coverage of England, he'll go on a rant about how players should be proud to represent their country, how the team should always come ahead of the individual...

All valid points in isolation, but remember this is the guy who walked out on his national team on the eve of a World Cup. <(
 

Kite159

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I wonder in the event Spuds reaches the semi-finals of the FA Cup which neutral ground will be used for said game

(That's assuming they don't bottle it and have an embarrassing defeat to a team from the Championship)
 

61653 HTAFC

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Has there been a time warp in your area as the last time that Newton Heath played a competitive football match was 116 years ago in 1902...o_O
Oh, come on Paul...

You know exactly which team I mean- founded by the L & Y and popular in London!
;)

Seriously though, I don't think we'll be able to pull it off again somehow...
 

Dentonian

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I wonder in the event Spuds reaches the semi-finals of the FA Cup which neutral ground will be used for said game

Presumably one that is in absolutely pristine condition. After all, football pitches shouldn't be capable of causing serious injuries - that's Dele Alli's job!
 

Dentonian

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I don't think the drop in quality is at the top, it's in the middle and at the bottom. Burnley, in 7th, are almost as close to the relegation places (10 points) as they are to Arsenal in 6th (9 points).

The consequence is that the battle at the top gets duller, because any dropped points are disastrous as they're so unlikely to get dropped. Man City have 5 more points after 27 games than the Arsenal Invincible side. Its because there is so much dross to steamroller.
And have already scored 6 more (PL) goals than the Arsenal Invincibles. Not sure about the original Invoncibles (PNE), though.
 

SS4

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Depends what you mean. If 5 English teams are in the last 16 of the Champions League the quality isn't that bad.

That only tells you that English clubs are doing better than their European counterparts and it also naturally depends on your definition of bad and good.

My definition of a bad league is when you stand a good chance of predicting end of season positions before the season has started - and you can do just that with the top of the PL (and many other European leagues). Considering football is, at least nominally, a form of entertainment then having variety in winners is best for the neutral observer.

On an unrelated topic I wonder why football clubs are classed based on location instead of ownership? You wouldn't say that Cadbury's is British after Kraft bought them out nor would you say that HP is British when their sauce is made in Netherlands.

I wonder how many of the "English" teams that regularly qualify for the champions league have English (or British) ownership?
 

Xenophon PCDGS

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That only tells you that English clubs are doing better than their European counterparts and it also naturally depends on your definition of bad and good. My definition of a bad league is when you stand a good chance of predicting end of season positions before the season has started - and you can do just that with the top of the PL (and many other European leagues). Considering football is, at least nominally, a form of entertainment then having variety in winners is best for the neutral observer.

On an unrelated topic I wonder why football clubs are classed based on location instead of ownership? You wouldn't say that Cadbury's is British after Kraft bought them out nor would you say that HP is British when their sauce is made in Netherlands. I wonder how many of the "English" teams that regularly qualify for the champions league have English (or British) ownership?

In those far-off days when British clubs began to enter the European cup competitions, you could expect their teams to have a make-up of "home nation" players, but look at the country of origin of the players in those British teams who now enter the modern equivalent of those competitions and you will see similarity to the points that you make in your posting above.
 

SS4

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In those far-off days when British clubs began to enter the European cup competitions, you could expect their teams to have a make-up of "home nation" players, but look at the country of origin of the players in those British teams who now enter the modern equivalent of those competitions and you will see similarity to the points that you make in your posting above.

The Bosman ruling was only a little over 20 years ago but we don't really classify the nationality of companies by the nationalities of their employees but more by their owners and a small part by location admittedly.
 

Butts

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Alex McCleish back at the helm with Scotland for a second bite of the cherry.

I doubt he'll get the chance to "jump ship" to a Premiership Club like he did with Birmingham all those years ago.
 

adrock1976

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What's it called? It's called Cumbernauld
Alex McCleish back at the helm with Scotland for a second bite of the cherry.

I doubt he'll get the chance to "jump ship" to a Premiership Club like he did with Birmingham all those years ago.

One thing's for certain now McLeish is back for a second spell - it won't be pretty or sexy football to watch at all.

You've only got to look at the style of football that my team Aston Villa played when he was in charge (after resigning as manager of the dirty Bluenoses).
 

SS4

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Alex McCleish back at the helm with Scotland for a second bite of the cherry.

I doubt he'll get the chance to "jump ship" to a Premiership Club like he did with Birmingham all those years ago.

You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear any more than you can make Small Heath good
 

fowler9

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That only tells you that English clubs are doing better than their European counterparts and it also naturally depends on your definition of bad and good.

My definition of a bad league is when you stand a good chance of predicting end of season positions before the season has started - and you can do just that with the top of the PL (and many other European leagues). Considering football is, at least nominally, a form of entertainment then having variety in winners is best for the neutral observer.

On an unrelated topic I wonder why football clubs are classed based on location instead of ownership? You wouldn't say that Cadbury's is British after Kraft bought them out nor would you say that HP is British when their sauce is made in Netherlands.

I wonder how many of the "English" teams that regularly qualify for the champions league have English (or British) ownership?
Depends how far you want to take it. The Queen is from the Saxe-Coburg-Gotha family and Prince Phillip is from the Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glucksburgs. Perhaps we should call Britain Germany. The Royal Family do own huge swathes of the country. :) Until the day when Liverpool FC can be bought as a franchise and moved to wherever they are an English team from Liverpool.
 

Dentonian

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On an unrelated topic I wonder why football clubs are classed based on location instead of ownership? You wouldn't say that Cadbury's is British after Kraft bought them out nor would you say that HP is British when their sauce is made in Netherlands.

Football is a grass roots sport, with very local allegiances. True, the latter characteristic has been diluted as the Media have latched on to certain clubs particularly since WW2 for varying reasons. This has, of course, led to a lot of Fake History because anything that happened before (and indeed during) WW2 is conveniently wiped out by the Media who think that only teams who play their home matches in Red existed before 1992 - and that cynicism applies to Liverpool and even to some extent London, as much as to Manchester. Modern day ownership is largely irrelevant, and no matter how often it changes, the vast majority of fans will retain at least some level of allegience. Manchester City and Newcastle United being classic examples, even if fortunes on the pitch are slightly different at the moment.

The reason for lack of home grown players is a seperate argument again, although the media (in a wider sense than just Murdoch) is still a factor. Selling off of Sports grounds by cash-strapped Education Authorities being one major reason.
 

Xenophon PCDGS

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Evo Stik First Division North

Ossett Town 0....Hyde United 2

Could have been a tricky fixture for Hyde, as Ossett are a mid-table side who have held some higher teams to drawn matches on their ground. Good to see a clean sheet by Hyde there. This result keeps Hyde in second place. Now W18 D7 L2 in the league.
 

Xenophon PCDGS

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Oh, come on Paul...You know exactly which team I mean- founded by the L & Y and popular in London!
;)

Us Northern lads may well be aware of what you say, but imagine if you come from Chile and after much negotiations, Alexis Sanchez was told that the deal had finally been done and that he was going to Newton Heath.

The next thing you know is that the poor lad is all confused and thinks the stadium at Broadhurst Park is a tad different than what he had hoped when he makes his debut for FC United of Manchester...:p:p:p
 

61653 HTAFC

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Us Northern lads may well be aware of what you say, but imagine if you come from Chile and after much negotiations, Alexis Sanchez was told that the deal had finally been done and that he was going to Newton Heath.

The next thing you know is that the poor lad is all confused and thinks the stadium at Broadhurst Park is a tad different than what he had hoped when he makes his debut for FC United of Manchester...:p:p:p
That would've been amusing to see, just for the sheer absurdity! Meanwhile...

Huddersfield Town 0 - 2 The team formerly known as Newton Heath

Didn't think we'd be able to beat them twice in a season, and I was right... but the scoreline doesn't tell the whole story. Town's performance continued the recent improvements but we were unable to convert the many chances we created. United had only 2* shots on target and scored with both, both being classic counter-attacks clinically finished by Romelu Lukaku. Huddersfield dominated for large periods but a combination of bad luck and bad decisions with the final ball mean we won't get to host Brighton in the quarter-finals. Our performance was much better than in the home league game, yet we won that one. As Jimmy Greaves used to say, "it's a funny old game".

*= United did in fact have a third shot on target, which they also "scored" with before it was ruled out by the Video Assisted Referee. I was bang in line with the last defender and it looked offside to me in real-time, but I'm both biased and not a qualified referee. I haven't seen the replays yet so have no idea if my interpretation is correct.
 
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Shaw S Hunter

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He died 2 or so years ago didn't he? Or did I imagine that?


Oh, apparently he's still with us, though not in great health unfortunately. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Greaves

He cropped up during BT's tribute to White Hart Lane. He has had multiple strokes meaning that walking is very difficult (mostly uses a wheelchair) and although his mind is as lucid as ever he has extreme difficulty actually talking. Very sad to see, no wonder he won't do public engagements.
 

Butts

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He cropped up during BT's tribute to White Hart Lane. He has had multiple strokes meaning that walking is very difficult (mostly uses a wheelchair) and although his mind is as lucid as ever he has extreme difficulty actually talking. Very sad to see, no wonder he won't do public engagements.

Is is co-host from "Saint and Greavsie" (anyone remember that ?) Ian St John still sound of mind and body.
 

familyguy99

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Rochdale 2-2 Tottenham

Very happy for Rochdale and they fans and you have to say they fully deserve something from that match.
 

Tetchytyke

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Rochdale 2-2 Tottenham

Very happy for Rochdale and they fans and you have to say they fully deserve something from that match.
Rochdale 2-2 Tottenham

Very happy for Rochdale and they fans and you have to say they fully deserve something from that match.

The absolute state of Dele Ali. Absolutely shameful diving, glad it didn't pay off.

I'll bet my last penny that the FA won't have the cajones to ban the filthy diving cheat.
 

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