Non-Boro Football

[Borodane 6,301]

11 hours ago, TLF10 said:

Barnsley v Stoke & Cardiff v Coventry on boxing day both postponed due to covid.

If we can manage to get our games played and get some decent results all these postponements could play into our hands later on where our fixtures won’t be congested and we can rest players. Considering the season we’ve had it’s quite remarkable that we are only 10 points off automatics with 69 points to play for. Not that I think we will go up in the autos but the top half is beginning to be congested and Fulham and Bournemouth have really stuttered. 

[AnglianRed 6,320]

12 hours ago, wilsoncgp said:

At the end of the day, the decisions are still made by humans so will succumb to human error (it's not like goal line technology which has a near perfect record) but when I had a look, referees are statistically proven to make more correct decisions generally speaking with a VAR team than when they went without which is surely exactly what it is supposed to do?

But what's the margin of improvement?

It doesn't seem to me to be that much better.

In which case, a large amount of extra money is being spent for marginal gains.

As far as I can tell, its succumbed to the same problem as the DRS system in cricket. Initially it was only supposed to be used to correct glaring mistakes, but now its used to look at pretty much anything.

Also, the main issue seems to be consistency in its use. Some officials seem refer to VAR more than others, for decisions on different incidents.

I think it might be an improvement if they flipped the whole thing round and, like in cricket, they put the power of review in the teams' hands. You're allowed 3 reviews to start with. If a decision is overturned you keep the review, if not, you lose it.

 

 

Edited December 21, 2021 by AnglianRed

[wilsoncgp 9,283]

12 hours ago, AnglianRed said:

But what's the margin of improvement?

It doesn't seem to me to be that much better.

In which case, a large amount of extra money is being spent for marginal gains.

As far as I can tell, its succumbed to the same problem as the DRS system in cricket. Initially it was only supposed to be used to correct glaring mistakes, but now its used to look at pretty much anything.

Also, the main issue seems to be consistency in its use. Some officials seem refer to VAR more than others, for decisions on different incidents.

I think it might be an improvement if they flipped the whole thing round and, like in cricket, they put the power of review in the teams' hands. You're allowed 3 reviews to start with. If a decision is overturned you keep the review, if not, you lose it.

I'm not sure about that last bit in cricket but I know how they use it in Tennis and yeah maybe it could work.

But VAR isn't being overused, it's still used for the same 4 incidents it always has been since it came in, at least over here. From there, it has highlighted problems with clarity within the rules that referees have not, in the past, had to be challenged on.

VAR is always active too, it's not just called upon by the match ref as far as I'm aware, they're always checking, they just don't always bring something to the referee's attention. There might be a question from the ref but it's primarily the ref on the pitch who makes a call then gets called up on it if they think he's wrong. That could maybe be clearer if we had refs mic'd up but that may not ever happen.

[GrimsbyBoro 1,968]

Chris Kurchener looks to be pulling out of trying to buy Derby. The administrators have delayed naming their preferred buyer whilst the legal wrangles continue. Two other parties are still interested.

[Rat catcher 293]

Feel for the fans. But MM dug the Fuuking big hole. Hope they get buried in it.

[TeaCider24 12,642]

I do feel for the fans, but every problem they're facing is entirely of their own making (be it club or Mel Morris).

I'm still very confident they'll be safe as a League One Next season.

[RiseAgainst 3,793]

Sky Sports News are reporting that the Premier League players are "at breaking point" (Jordan Henderson) and should "go on strike" (Pep Guardiola) due to looming fixture congestion.

Is it just me, or is that an absolutely disgusting attitude considering the extraordinary liberties given to footballers during the pandemic in terms of being allowed to play while normal people were locked out of local parks and unable to sit on benches, not losing income, not having to be vaccinated, etc?

This story reminds me of Instagram influencers bleating when someone posts something unkind in response to yet another airbrushed vanity post. They come across as spoiled cosseted children who have absolutely no conception how hard life is in the real world for everyone who's not in their hermetically sealed bubble.

Or am I being unfair?

[ABH 470]

42 minutes ago, RiseAgainst said:

Sky Sports News are reporting that the Premier League players are "at breaking point" (Jordan Henderson) and should "go on strike" (Pep Guardiola) due to looming fixture congestion.

Is it just me, or is that an absolutely disgusting attitude considering the extraordinary liberties given to footballers during the pandemic in terms of being allowed to play while normal people were locked out of local parks and unable to sit on benches, not losing income, not having to be vaccinated, etc?

This story reminds me of Instagram influencers bleating when someone posts something unkind in response to yet another airbrushed vanity post. They come across as spoiled cosseted children who have absolutely no conception how hard life is in the real world for everyone who's not in their hermetically sealed bubble.

Or am I being unfair?

If the players go on strike and refuse to play won’t that make the looming fixture list even more congested?

[Borodane 6,301]

1 hour ago, RiseAgainst said:

Sky Sports News are reporting that the Premier League players are "at breaking point" (Jordan Henderson) and should "go on strike" (Pep Guardiola) due to looming fixture congestion.

Is it just me, or is that an absolutely disgusting attitude considering the extraordinary liberties given to footballers during the pandemic in terms of being allowed to play while normal people were locked out of local parks and unable to sit on benches, not losing income, not having to be vaccinated, etc?

This story reminds me of Instagram influencers bleating when someone posts something unkind in response to yet another airbrushed vanity post. They come across as spoiled cosseted children who have absolutely no conception how hard life is in the real world for everyone who's not in their hermetically sealed bubble.

Or am I being unfair?

I really have no idea why they feel so hard done by. People go to work every day during this pandemic. If they want less fixtures they should tell their clubs to advocate for a smaller champions league and lesser European nights. But that would cut into their massive wages and probably not something they’d entertain. I think the rules are fairly generous. If you have enough players you play and if you don’t the game is postponed. By all means close the stands for 6 weeks but I see no reasons why they can’t play when they are not sick. 

[Denzel Zanzibar 6,972]

8 hours ago, RiseAgainst said:

Sky Sports News are reporting that the Premier League players are "at breaking point" (Jordan Henderson) and should "go on strike" (Pep Guardiola) due to looming fixture congestion.

Is it just me, or is that an absolutely disgusting attitude considering the extraordinary liberties given to footballers during the pandemic in terms of being allowed to play while normal people were locked out of local parks and unable to sit on benches, not losing income, not having to be vaccinated, etc?

This story reminds me of Instagram influencers bleating when someone posts something unkind in response to yet another airbrushed vanity post. They come across as spoiled cosseted children who have absolutely no conception how hard life is in the real world for everyone who's not in their hermetically sealed bubble.

Or am I being unfair?

Nah mate you're not being unfair at all, in fact you've pretty much hit the nail on the head.

[Foogle 2,104]

When there's loads of games called off in Sunday league we have to play 4 games a week and I have to pay for the pleasure...

You can see it from the other side though, you'll be much more likely to sustain a season or career ending injury, they're not doing it because they're lazy. They shouldn't have put the January break into place though as it's clearly causing fixture congestion.

[JonnyMFC 1,535]

11 hours ago, RiseAgainst said:

Sky Sports News are reporting that the Premier League players are "at breaking point" (Jordan Henderson) and should "go on strike" (Pep Guardiola) due to looming fixture congestion.

Is it just me, or is that an absolutely disgusting attitude considering the extraordinary liberties given to footballers during the pandemic in terms of being allowed to play while normal people were locked out of local parks and unable to sit on benches, not losing income, not having to be vaccinated, etc?

This story reminds me of Instagram influencers bleating when someone posts something unkind in response to yet another airbrushed vanity post. They come across as spoiled cosseted children who have absolutely no conception how hard life is in the real world for everyone who's not in their hermetically sealed bubble.

Or am I being unfair?

No, not being unfair at all!

It boils my *** that PL teams have huge squads and can field a team with 11 changes for a cup match, but when they lose a couple of key players through illness they suddenly cannot fulfil a fixture.  

As for congestion, they need to remember that playing Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday is standard procedure in the championship. If I was on the money that they are, I would drag my balls over broken glass to ensure I got the ground for kick off.

[boro_fan_in_brum 604]

My son plays at a good level and is only 13.  He trains 3 times per week, did play sat and Sunday and the club felt that 2 days playing was too much for them.  To be honest my son was knackered by Sunday and he is mega fit.

saying that though these clubs have big rosters of players etc.  but at the end of the day it’s about money.  You can’t field a week team as the stakes are so high.  They need to play through this ‘pandemic’.  

[Uwe 3,545]

13 hours ago, RiseAgainst said:

Sky Sports News are reporting that the Premier League players are "at breaking point" (Jordan Henderson) and should "go on strike" (Pep Guardiola) due to looming fixture congestion.

Is it just me, or is that an absolutely disgusting attitude considering the extraordinary liberties given to footballers during the pandemic in terms of being allowed to play while normal people were locked out of local parks and unable to sit on benches, not losing income, not having to be vaccinated, etc?

This story reminds me of Instagram influencers bleating when someone posts something unkind in response to yet another airbrushed vanity post. They come across as spoiled cosseted children who have absolutely no conception how hard life is in the real world for everyone who's not in their hermetically sealed bubble.

Or am I being unfair?

 

Apologies if this has been linked already. But it sums up my feelings

[GrimsbyBoro 1,968]

Rearrange a game for FA Cup 3rd round weekend. The clubs can play two games -it’s not like they play first teamers in the FA Cup anyway.