Dog's Football Thread Part Seven.

[Trapper John]

Well VAR did itself a power of good yesterday.

The Huddersfield v Manchester United game showed just what can go wrong. I've said it about Arsenal and also said it applies to every club, the offside rule needs to be changed to benefit the attacking side like it's supposed to do.

I didn't see anything wrong with Juan Mata's goal for United and this time neither did the linesman. Yet VAR was brought into play and it bombed. Firstly, there was an apparent delay in the system coming up which caused the same in the game and when it did, the lines which came up on the screen to help the VAR ref decide looked as if a three year old had attempted to draw a straight line on a piece of paper, they were all over the show.

As it turned out it didn't affect the end result but it could have, if they are going to use it they need to get it sorted. Personally I'd prefer a change to the rules, clear daylight between attacker and defender before the flag goes up. Maybe that would also improve the quality of defending as well as giving us more goals.

That defender who stopped running after Mata and stuck his arm in the air when no whistle was blown or flag waved needs to be fined a weeks wages if not shot.

[Guest]

The Austrian league is crap as are Salzburg.
Sociedad are a poor side that occasionally show up for a football match.
Same for Bilbao.
Milan are having a shocker of a season.
Lazio are having a poor run.

Poor seasons? you can say that about every club still in it, including Arsenal - cup football isn't league football so their current league standings don't mean much. Real Madrid are having a shit season, is anyone writing them off in the CL?

The Swiss league is crap, didn't stop everyone wetting their pants over the Man City win at Basel, same with Liverpool at Porto. At the end of the day you cant get away from the fact that 95% of the clubs left in both competitions are just the best of a poor bunch.

So back to my original point, I picked the best of a poor bunch I'd rather not meet in the next round. They might be shit but I'd rather find that out later because there are even bigger shits I'd rather Arsenal play next.

Now you reckon that they are all poor.

[Guest]

Wigan 1 Man City 0

[Trapper John]

I've been a bit remiss in reporting this weekend mainly because it's been an FA Cup weekend and Arsenal went out early for once.

Having said that I can't let the games from Sunday and Monday go by without comment.

Sunday: Rochdale v Spurs

On Sunday we had bottom of league 1 Rochdale face off against Spurs who at the start didn't field their strongest side but at the end were panicking so much they threw everyone into the mix, desperate to avoid another humiliation at the hands of a side so far beneath them they need a ground penetrating radar to know they even exist.

If Spurs had any doubt Rochdale existed it was quickly gone when on the stroke of half time the league 1 minnows took the lead after a strong first half performance, going in at the break a deserved goal to the good.

Spurs new boy Lucas Moura levelled the score on the hour and it looked as if the Premier league side would sweep clean after that. Not so, as Rochdale batted away Spurs attempts at increasing their goal tally and making some surges forward themselves.

With 20 minutes to go, Spurs manager Pochettino began to have that sinking feeling again and made some tactical changes he thought he wouldn't need to. Already having substituted Harry Winks for the prancing pony, all show no substance, Eric Lamela he was left with no alternative but to throw his big boys into the fray.

The decisive swap was the one where Lucas Moura, shattered by the intensity of the English game, was replaced by Dele Alli - later proving to be Pochettino's best move of the night. On 76 minutes Harry Kane comes on as the increasingly desperate Spurs are clutching at straws.

Neither of these substitutions had the desired affect until on 88 minutes Dele Alli makes his best move of the game, the one he is renowned for, the dive in the box and hoodwinking the ref into awarding a penalty. Not only was this Spurs get out of jail card, it also gave Alli the chance to narrow the gap between him and Raheem Sterling, who are both vying to get into the Olympic diving squad.

Of course, Harry Kane converted the penalty though not as cleanly as he'd have liked and it looked as if Rochdale's dream had been unfairly sunk. Still congratulating themselves for the trickery which looked to have saved them from another embarrassing scoreline, Spurs tried to walk the game to a finish, finish though wasn't in the minds of Rochdale. Three minutes into added time, the plucky northern minnows caught Spurs napping and slotted home a beautiful equaliser which ended the game at 2-2 and another replay for Spurs who just cannot seem to finish off a cup game at first attempt, no matter how 'lowly' the opposition is.

Some might say it was poetic justice that Rochdale got the equaliser, I don't subscribed to that. Rochdale should have walked away winners because Alli's fall in the box should have been waved away by the ref as a deliberate attempt to get a penalty, it would have been anywhere else on the pitch and in fact I've seem players get a one game retrospective ban for exactly that same antic.

[Trapper John]

On to last nights feast of FA cup entertainment, it really is the competition that keeps on giving.

Monday: Wigan Athletic v Manchester City.

I had to keep switching channels before this one started because I didn't want to see any of the studio pundits, pitch side interviewers or commentators asking Pep Guardiola if he'd like them to suck his cock, such was sickening squirminess of the pre match build up and the godlike reverence they use when talking about the man and his team. It was that and listening to arseholes talking about the 'Quadruple' as if it was a foregone conclusion.

In fact this game in the end varified everything I've said about Guardiola and his team, kneel down and invite him and his team to gang rape your arse like most sides they've played this season have and they will do with pleasure. Tell them no and put up some resistence, they aren't as rampant as everyone says they are.

So it proved with 3rd in league 1 Wigan who have a nice little hoodoo going over the blue Manchester side. The first half was a gritty affair and Wigan held fast whilst making a couple of decent forays into City's half. City on the other hand did what they do, keep possesssion and splay the ball about the pitch looking for the weak spot, plenty of forward pressure which usually results in the first goal and they are away.

It didn't happen here though as their pressure was met with stout resistence which they couldn't break down and we headed to the end of the first half goaless with pretty much nothing to talk about.

That was until in the 2nd minute of added time, Fabian Delph made a rash, pointless sliding tackle with studs up taking out Wigan's Max Power. It was reckless and a straight red all day long, there should have been no argument. A right old ding dong then ensued as the ref brought out a yellow card to then replace it with a red, this had everyone going bananas not least both the managers and it continued in the tunnel as the first half ended.

Down to 10 men for the second half, City piled on the pressure but as the game wore on against a side who are no mugs, the one man deficit began to tell as City's attacks broke down with more regularity and Wigan's defence began to deal with them a lot easier.

As the game came into it's last 10 minutes it looked like a 0-0 and replay was on the cards, though you still expected City to pull a lucky one back and every Wigan player was on 'penalty duty' ie, ensuring they never gave the ref a chance to award one. Luckily for Wigan, City's own Olympic champion diver, Raheem Sterling, wasn't even on the bench otherwise Guardiola would have had him on the pitch in a heartbeat.

Then came the breakthrough, after yet another City attack broke down, the ball headed up the pitch and after a Wigan player was heaved to the ground, Kyle Walker - brought on at half time - fucked up the resultant back pass allowing Wigan's Will Grigg to steal the ball away and make an unstoppable run towards City's goal and put away a fantastic shot, beating the keeper and giving them the lead.

The ground erupted with chants of 'Will Grigg's on fire, your defence is terrified, Will Grigg's on fire....... la la la ........' the eponymous hero having scored 7 times in 7 of this season's FA Cup games.

It was backs to the wall for Wigan and although City pressed hard they looked like a side with the stuffing knocked out of them and Wigan held on for a famous 1-0 victory against the side 'destined to conqueror the world' - with their dreams of a 'quadruple' no more than piss in the wind now.

A fantastic and well deserved victory for the Latics.

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[Red Okktober]

A cracking match for tonight, Chelsea V Barcelona. 11/10 looks a decent price for Barca to do the business. Despite two recent wins against poor opposition, something's not right at Chelsea at the minute - strange targets in the transfer market Crouch and Carroll, before settling on Arsenal's Giroud. They have a paper thin squad, with little depth on the bench.

Conte looks like getting the boot at the end of the season, if not before, and a recent 0-3 home drubbing against lowly Bournemouth highlights their current problems.

This is a good time to play them, and runaway La Liga leaders Barca should have too much for them.

[Sunny]

I've been a bit remiss in reporting this weekend mainly because it's been an FA Cup weekend and Arsenal went out early for once.

Having said that I can't let the games from Sunday and Monday go by without comment.

Sunday: Rochdale v Spurs

On Sunday we had bottom of league 1 Rochdale face off against Spurs who at the start didn't field their strongest side but at the end were panicking so much they threw everyone into the mix, desperate to avoid another humiliation at the hands of a side so far beneath them they need a ground penetrating radar to know they even exist.

If Spurs had any doubt Rochdale existed it was quickly gone when on the stroke of half time the league 1 minnows took the lead after a strong first half performance, going in at the break a deserved goal to the good.

Spurs new boy Lucas Moura levelled the score on the hour and it looked as if the Premier league side would sweep clean after that. Not so, as Rochdale batted away Spurs attempts at increasing their goal tally and making some surges forward themselves.

With 20 minutes to go, Spurs manager Pochettino began to have that sinking feeling again and made some tactical changes he thought he wouldn't need to. Already having substituted Harry Winks for the prancing pony, all show no substance, Eric Lamela he was left with no alternative but to throw his big boys into the fray.

The decisive swap was the one where Lucas Moura, shattered by the intensity of the English game, was replaced by Dele Alli - later proving to be Pochettino's best move of the night. On 76 minutes Harry Kane comes on as the increasingly desperate Spurs are clutching at straws.

Neither of these substitutions had the desired affect until on 88 minutes Dele Alli makes his best move of the game, the one he is renowned for, the dive in the box and hoodwinking the ref into awarding a penalty. Not only was this Spurs get out of jail card, it also gave Alli the chance to narrow the gap between him and Raheem Sterling, who are both vying to get into the Olympic diving squad.

Of course, Harry Kane converted the penalty though not as cleanly as he'd have liked and it looked as if Rochdale's dream had been unfairly sunk. Still congratulating themselves for the trickery which looked to have saved them from another embarrassing scoreline, Spurs tried to walk the game to a finish, finish though wasn't in the minds of Rochdale. Three minutes into added time, the plucky northern minnows caught Spurs napping and slotted home a beautiful equaliser which ended the game at 2-2 and another replay for Spurs who just cannot seem to finish off a cup game at first attempt, no matter how 'lowly' the opposition is.

Some might say it was poetic justice that Rochdale got the equaliser, I don't subscribed to that. Rochdale should have walked away winners because Alli's fall in the box should have been waved away by the ref as a deliberate attempt to get a penalty, it would have been anywhere else on the pitch and in fact I've seem players get a one game retrospective ban for exactly that same antic.

The mistake our manager made was not starting first with the big guns and then taking them off after getting 2-3 goals. Now I have to make some stuff clear here that u have posted, Firstly Lamela, the prancing pony, all show no substance that you called him, has been injured for a year and dealing with his brother who got paralyzed in a freak pool accident has recently come back to us, since his return he has played well and he is the one who gave the brilliant pass to Luca, wasn't for Lamela there would be no goal. on that occasion! And many other assists over the last few matches from him. And lastly Dele Alli did not dive, it was a clear penalty,

[Red Okktober]

The mistake our manager made was not starting first with the big guns and then taking them off after getting 2-3 goals. Now I have to make some stuff clear here that u have posted, Firstly Lamela, the prancing pony, all show no substance that you called him, has been injured for a year and dealing with his brother who got paralyzed in a freak pool accident has recently come back to us, since his return he has played well and he is the one who gave the brilliant pass to Luca, wasn't for Lamela there would be no goal. on that occasion! And many other assists over the last few matches from him. And lastly Dele Alli did not dive, it was a clear penalty,

I also prefer starting with better players and withdrawing them once the game is secure, rather than bring them on for a panicky 20 minutes and start chasing.

I think you and TJ are both right about the penalty - there was enough contact for the penalty to be given, but Alli milked it, and fell to the ground in a way that didn't match the contact made on him. He's deservedly getting a bit of a reputation as a diver.

Some people see it as being part of the game now, even ex players like Ian Wright - that you go to ground at the slightest of contacts in the box - it's borderline cheating imo and not something I like to see.

[Trapper John]

I've been a bit remiss in reporting this weekend mainly because it's been an FA Cup weekend and Arsenal went out early for once.

Having said that I can't let the games from Sunday and Monday go by without comment.

Sunday: Rochdale v Spurs

On Sunday we had bottom of league 1 Rochdale face off against Spurs who at the start didn't field their strongest side but at the end were panicking so much they threw everyone into the mix, desperate to avoid another humiliation at the hands of a side so far beneath them they need a ground penetrating radar to know they even exist.

If Spurs had any doubt Rochdale existed it was quickly gone when on the stroke of half time the league 1 minnows took the lead after a strong first half performance, going in at the break a deserved goal to the good.

Spurs new boy Lucas Moura levelled the score on the hour and it looked as if the Premier league side would sweep clean after that. Not so, as Rochdale batted away Spurs attempts at increasing their goal tally and making some surges forward themselves.

With 20 minutes to go, Spurs manager Pochettino began to have that sinking feeling again and made some tactical changes he thought he wouldn't need to. Already having substituted Harry Winks for the prancing pony, all show no substance, Eric Lamela he was left with no alternative but to throw his big boys into the fray.

The decisive swap was the one where Lucas Moura, shattered by the intensity of the English game, was replaced by Dele Alli - later proving to be Pochettino's best move of the night. On 76 minutes Harry Kane comes on as the increasingly desperate Spurs are clutching at straws.

Neither of these substitutions had the desired affect until on 88 minutes Dele Alli makes his best move of the game, the one he is renowned for, the dive in the box and hoodwinking the ref into awarding a penalty. Not only was this Spurs get out of jail card, it also gave Alli the chance to narrow the gap between him and Raheem Sterling, who are both vying to get into the Olympic diving squad.

Of course, Harry Kane converted the penalty though not as cleanly as he'd have liked and it looked as if Rochdale's dream had been unfairly sunk. Still congratulating themselves for the trickery which looked to have saved them from another embarrassing scoreline, Spurs tried to walk the game to a finish, finish though wasn't in the minds of Rochdale. Three minutes into added time, the plucky northern minnows caught Spurs napping and slotted home a beautiful equaliser which ended the game at 2-2 and another replay for Spurs who just cannot seem to finish off a cup game at first attempt, no matter how 'lowly' the opposition is.

Some might say it was poetic justice that Rochdale got the equaliser, I don't subscribed to that. Rochdale should have walked away winners because Alli's fall in the box should have been waved away by the ref as a deliberate attempt to get a penalty, it would have been anywhere else on the pitch and in fact I've seem players get a one game retrospective ban for exactly that same antic.

The mistake our manager made was not starting first with the big guns and then taking them off after getting 2-3 goals. Now I have to make some stuff clear here that u have posted, Firstly Lamela, the prancing pony, all show no substance that you called him, has been injured for a year and dealing with his brother who got paralyzed in a freak pool accident has recently come back to us, since his return he has played well and he is the one who gave the brilliant pass to Luca, wasn't for Lamela there would be no goal. on that occasion! And many other assists over the last few matches from him. And lastly Dele Alli did not dive, it was a clear penalty,

I wondered if that might bring you out from the stone you've been hiding under.

OK I rephrase the bit about Lamela - he's a prancing peacock, all show and fuck all else - I didn't realise they still had any players left at Spurs who were brought out of the change left over from Bale's sale.

Fucking greaseball had the nerve to hack down Jack Wilshere in the game then start pushing him about afterwards, lucky someone held Jack back is all I can say - otherwise Lamela would have been in the next bed to his brother.

[Trapper John]

A cracking match for tonight, Chelsea V Barcelona. 11/10 looks a decent price for Barca to do the business. Despite two recent wins against poor opposition, something's not right at Chelsea at the minute - strange targets in the transfer market Crouch and Carroll, before settling on Arsenal's Giroud. They have a paper thin squad, with little depth on the bench.

Conte looks like getting the boot at the end of the season, if not before, and a recent 0-3 home drubbing against lowly Bournemouth highlights their current problems.

This is a good time to play them, and runaway La Liga leaders Barca should have too much for them.

You could still get 19/1 on Wigan winning last night half hour before kick off. Wish I'd have had the minerals to have put the £100 I had in my pocket at the time on it.

[Sunny]

The mistake our manager made was not starting first with the big guns and then taking them off after getting 2-3 goals. Now I have to make some stuff clear here that u have posted, Firstly Lamela, the prancing pony, all show no substance that you called him, has been injured for a year and dealing with his brother who got paralyzed in a freak pool accident has recently come back to us, since his return he has played well and he is the one who gave the brilliant pass to Luca, wasn't for Lamela there would be no goal. on that occasion! And many other assists over the last few matches from him. And lastly Dele Alli did not dive, it was a clear penalty,

I also prefer starting with better players and withdrawing them once the game is secure, rather than bring them on for a panicky 20 minutes and start chasing.

I think you and TJ are both right about the penalty - there was enough contact for the penalty to be given, but Alli milked it, and fell to the ground in a way that didn't match the contact made on him. He's deservedly getting a bit of a reputation as a diver.

Some people see it as being part of the game now, even ex players like Ian Wright - that you go to ground at the slightest of contacts in the box - it's borderline cheating imo and not something I like to see.

Hello Red Okktober, yes always better to start with best players then rest if need be....its what happened at Newport too so cant understand why he would do it again.
Dele Alli is a brilliant player and as soon as he came on things changed. He might have milked it as u said, but end of the day it was a penalty.
If we make it to semis, am hoping we can win this, as we are playing great now at Wembley.

[Sunny]

I've been a bit remiss in reporting this weekend mainly because it's been an FA Cup weekend and Arsenal went out early for once.

Having said that I can't let the games from Sunday and Monday go by without comment.

Sunday: Rochdale v Spurs

On Sunday we had bottom of league 1 Rochdale face off against Spurs who at the start didn't field their strongest side but at the end were panicking so much they threw everyone into the mix, desperate to avoid another humiliation at the hands of a side so far beneath them they need a ground penetrating radar to know they even exist.

If Spurs had any doubt Rochdale existed it was quickly gone when on the stroke of half time the league 1 minnows took the lead after a strong first half performance, going in at the break a deserved goal to the good.

Spurs new boy Lucas Moura levelled the score on the hour and it looked as if the Premier league side would sweep clean after that. Not so, as Rochdale batted away Spurs attempts at increasing their goal tally and making some surges forward themselves.

With 20 minutes to go, Spurs manager Pochettino began to have that sinking feeling again and made some tactical changes he thought he wouldn't need to. Already having substituted Harry Winks for the prancing pony, all show no substance, Eric Lamela he was left with no alternative but to throw his big boys into the fray.

The decisive swap was the one where Lucas Moura, shattered by the intensity of the English game, was replaced by Dele Alli - later proving to be Pochettino's best move of the night. On 76 minutes Harry Kane comes on as the increasingly desperate Spurs are clutching at straws.

Neither of these substitutions had the desired affect until on 88 minutes Dele Alli makes his best move of the game, the one he is renowned for, the dive in the box and hoodwinking the ref into awarding a penalty. Not only was this Spurs get out of jail card, it also gave Alli the chance to narrow the gap between him and Raheem Sterling, who are both vying to get into the Olympic diving squad.

Of course, Harry Kane converted the penalty though not as cleanly as he'd have liked and it looked as if Rochdale's dream had been unfairly sunk. Still congratulating themselves for the trickery which looked to have saved them from another embarrassing scoreline, Spurs tried to walk the game to a finish, finish though wasn't in the minds of Rochdale. Three minutes into added time, the plucky northern minnows caught Spurs napping and slotted home a beautiful equaliser which ended the game at 2-2 and another replay for Spurs who just cannot seem to finish off a cup game at first attempt, no matter how 'lowly' the opposition is.

Some might say it was poetic justice that Rochdale got the equaliser, I don't subscribed to that. Rochdale should have walked away winners because Alli's fall in the box should have been waved away by the ref as a deliberate attempt to get a penalty, it would have been anywhere else on the pitch and in fact I've seem players get a one game retrospective ban for exactly that same antic.

The mistake our manager made was not starting first with the big guns and then taking them off after getting 2-3 goals. Now I have to make some stuff clear here that u have posted, Firstly Lamela, the prancing pony, all show no substance that you called him, has been injured for a year and dealing with his brother who got paralyzed in a freak pool accident has recently come back to us, since his return he has played well and he is the one who gave the brilliant pass to Luca, wasn't for Lamela there would be no goal. on that occasion! And many other assists over the last few matches from him. And lastly Dele Alli did not dive, it was a clear penalty,

I wondered if that might bring you out from the stone you've been hiding under.

OK I rephrase the bit about Lamela - he's a prancing peacock, all show and fuck all else - I didn't realise they still had any players left at Spurs who were brought out of the change left over from Bale's sale.

Fucking greaseball had the nerve to hack down Jack Wilshere in the game then start pushing him about afterwards, lucky someone held Jack back is all I can say - otherwise Lamela would have been in the next bed to his brother.

How can you not love a player that sticks it to the weasel Wilshere, little shit he is, never forget his slagging off about spurs , when all other players kept a dignified silence, but the piece of shit had to express his hatred about spurs, Nah, good on Lamela YIDOOOOO!

[Trapper John]

There is much questioning in the media as to why Spurs were not forced to play any home games in the FA cup at either the opponents ground or a neutral one, stating that they have an unfair advantage playing opponents at Wembley.

Food for thought.

[Sunny]

There is much questioning in the media as to why Spurs were not forced to play any home games in the FA cup at either the opponents ground or a neutral one, stating that they have an unfair advantage playing opponents at Wembley.

Food for thought.

Not that you should care, your team is OUT!

But you are welcome to sit back and watch us lift the cup!

[Trapper John]

How many times do we hear 'but football is a contact sport' try telling that to Alli and Sterling or rather the refs who are in charge of their games.

I don't know when a small gust of wind becomes powerful enough to blow a grown man off his feet is justification for a penalty. Next we'll be hearing that old chestnut 'Spurs never get penalties' I'm gonna need an abacus to keep up with them.