Saturday football

[Coffee]

"BRENTFORD vs CHELSEA (1500) Both sides in the lower half of the table and both on a downer, with the hosts approaching danger territory. A win for the Blues could see them return to the top half while the Bees could end the day touching the dotted line. Plenty to play for. Away win. EVERTON vs WEST HAM UNITED (1500) Everton’s recent points gain still doesn’t take them fully out of the woods, but there’s enough space now between them and the drop zone to give them confidence. Another three points will see them well on the way to near certain survival. As for us, a tasty return to winning ways against Brentford should also add confidence for the trip to a venue in which we’ve traditionally underwhelmed. Moyes will also want to get one over his previous employers. Key players: Bowen, Paqueta, Kudus. Away win. FULHAM vs BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION (1500) On paper, a pretty even game beckons. Fulham have home advantage, the Seagulls have form on their side. Draw. NEWCASTLE UNITED vs WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS (1500) So far, this has been a real damp squib of a season for Newcastle. Not so for Wolves, who have exceeded expectations – not least, those of their own fans. The visitors have injuries, the hosts have territorial advantage. Home win. NOTTINGHAM FOREST vs LIVERPOOL (1500) Forest are being pulled inexorably back towards the bottom three. Hosting the league leaders will only increase southbound thrust. Away win. TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR vs CRYSTAL PALACE (1500) It’s looking like a battle between Spurs and Man U for the UEFA Cup spot. But the north Londoners won’t have things all their way against a newly-managered Palace side that is yet to experience the bump. Home win. LUTON TOWN vs ASTON VILLA (1730) With Everton having been handed a points’ boost that effectively takes them out of the relegation dogfight, for now, every point is like gold dust in Luton’s quest for unlikely survival. Villa won’t be easy opponents, but if the Hatters can bring out the energy that has seen them still in with a chance of maintaining Premier League status, there’s no telling what may happen this evening. Draw. *SUNDAY* BURNLEY vs BOURNEMOUTH (1300) Burnley look doomed. Bournemouth look safe, almost. Draw. MANCHESTER CITY vs MANCHESTER UNITED (1530) Not quite the fixture it once was, but this still has a good deal of pulling power. More of a must-win for City than United, but a local derby is always capable of turning tables. If the visitors can squeeze anything from this, it will be seen as a success. Big if. AKA no effin chance. Home win. *MONDAY* SHEFFIELD UNITED vs ARSENAL (2000) Arsenal remain very much still in with a shout for the title. In the unlikely event that either (or both) of the top two slipped up yesterday, the door will be open for the visitors, who have won six on the trot, to reassert themselves as title favourites. As for the Blades, all hope vanished long ago. Away win. *CHAMPIONSHIP* West Brom beat visiting Coventry last night, their first goal coming from Mikey Johnston, on loan from Celtic. It was a goal of exquisite beauty and skill that was worthy of Messi, Pele’s Brazil or Cruyff’s Barca. See it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=136uQme7u4k For the record, Grady Diangana scored the Baggies’ second. In the first escape – albeit temporary – from the bottom three for an ice age, QPR moved out of the drop zone last time out thanks to a win over fellow relegation candidates, Rotherham. Natural law would have Millwall taking their place, but natural law gave way to a crazy away win for the Lions at high-flying Southampton. If the Saints want to get their promotion campaign back on track, they’ll have to leave Birmingham this afternoon having pocketed all three points. Leicester remain where they’ve been almost the whole season, albeit with a lead that’s down to a mere six points, and today take on brave little QPR. Ipswich make the long trek to Plymouth while Leeds have the much shorter journey to Huddersfield. Ee by gum."

[twoleftfeet]

Leaving after 15 minutes! Substitution after 16 minutes. Sheffield United look fucked.

[Fauxstralian]

Paul Tierney dropped from the next round of Premier league games after his BLUNDER in giving Liverpool the ball instead of Forest. Perhaps if he'd been dropped after only stopping the game after we regained possession from Brentford when Mee sat on the pitch all this further unpleasantness (ie Liverpool incensed that someone else is claiming victim status) could have been avoided.

[Manuel]

"Manu looked pretty decent first half, we are only two points behind them but I do NOT expect to finish above them. I see that Moyes was at Burnley, they are fucking dreadful and Kompany still gets a free ride?"

[Mike Oxsaw]

They host Everton next weekend - chance to turn another corner...

[zebthecat]

Weird to see Man Utd going for Moyesball low block tactics and failing dismally with what should be a much more talented squad given the money he has pissed up the wall. Antony is yer man if you are after a player who gets past the first defender and then smashes it onto row Z. Onana looks to be liability as well but that isn't much of a change from De Gea apart from being expensive..

[El Scorchio]

Hilarious that Two Bob paid way way over the odds for that shithouse Antony and left two very solid players for someone else in Kudus and Alvarez. Must be one of the most overhyped managers who has delivered the least in recent history. Managed to make them worse than they were when he took over.

[Side of Ham]

Twobraincells......I wonder how Ten Hag missed this Mexican bloke.......

[twoleftfeet]

All the armchair managers on here who lost their shit when we didn’t sign Amrabat was embarrassing. Where are they now? Fucking melts. Man Utd would fucking dream of having the Mexican over that clown.

[Fauxstralian]

You cant fault Man U's effort but they were chasing shadows all day and are several levels below Man City Utterly outclassed

[Fauxstralian]

Amrabat thought we were beneath him so we ended up with Alvarez instead :-)

[Kaiser Zoso]

That bald bloke from Fiorentina was no loss

[Nutsin]

Foden is having himself a game. Good to see if you’re an England fan.

[kylay]

Man United playing this game like frightened children. Got exactly what was coming to them.

[Fauxstralian]

"What a player that Foden is With him, Bellingham & Rice Southgate has no excuses in the summer"

[Kaiser Zoso]

Foden again

[Fauxstralian]

He has a very useful skill in being able to put the ball in the net a lot but otherwise he can be a clumsy oaf the boy Haaland First bit of skill he has displayed all day there

[only1billybonds]

"Two special goals, Man Utd will do well to hold on to a point here."

[only1billybonds]

"Two special goals, Man Utd will do well to hold on to a point here."

[nychammer]

Normal Service Resumed. Another corker.

[,]

Cracking goal by Rashford to give ManU the lead. He won’t repeat that for years.

[Iron Duke]

"When we played Man Utd a couple of seasons ago, they gave something like four minutes of stoppage time. Time was wasted during it, and even a couple of substitutions were made. The referee blew up about 10 seconds short of the four minutes after we won a corner. It is inconsistent and open to abuse."

[Fauxstralian]

European refs used to let the play go when time was up until the current action played out. English refs followed and how many times do you see teams being allowed to carry on and as soon as a cross is headed away they blow. Now its inconsistent. Did we have a free kick at half time v Brentford and Tierney didnt let us take it. Other times its only when the defenders clear that the whistle goes

[zico]

"Iron Duke - I can still remember a West Ham game on TV years ago where the commentator said something like ""it's a corner, they always add time on for a corner"", was that the rule years ago? Did they change it after Clive Thomas blew up in the World Cup wasn't it when Brazil scored and he chalked it off because he blew up when ball was in mid flight? In days gone by the whistle usually went went a keeper lumped it up the pitch Ludo style but you rarely see a keeper take a drop kick these days. Worse for me was how the Referee inexplicably stopped the game when Forest had the ball for a head injury but at the restart gave a non competitive drop ball to Liverpool despite Forest having had possession. The drop ball should have been given to Forest, a dreadful decision."

[Fauxstralian]

Actually having the shot clock JUST in injury time so they play exactly 8 minutes isnt a bad idea

[Fauxstralian]

If you are going to have a clock running down like in basketball games would have to be 30 mins of actual playing time or some of the Saturday 3 o'clocks would be finishing now. 8 mins is typical (though not often enforced) in this post World Cup timing world. Also the incident that caused the controversy ... Tierney giving the ball to Liverpool when Forest had it when he stopped the game for Konates head injury ... I presume added another minute or two. Tierney is another of these Northern refs prob in his late 30's who DOESNT support Man U or Liverpool. None of them do they say *scratches chin*