Smiley Culture

Yeah, I think they’re less easy to find in higher profile sports, so you get an occasional gem like that.

Had an 8/13 come in on Rugby League this weekend. It was for any team to score more than 60 points in a regular season game and it’s come in within six weeks of the season starting. Not life changing money but when betting companies are giving something that’s failed to happen once in 40 years a 62% probability, it’s stupid not to take advantage of that. Sheffield United at 1/2 and Plymouth at 8/13 (IIRC) were my football winners yesterday. Wolves did let me down though but 2/3 singles coming in is still a small profit.

If people are bothered about footballers doing a handshake prior to a game of football, what do they think of footballers, sweating, spitting, manhandling each other etc?

Talk of Mourinho being sacked on TalkSport this morning

Kalvin Phillips getting a call-up for the friendlies coming up, according to TalkSport when I drove home tonight.

Wrong, this. It shouldn’t be allowed to happen in the top flight in any instance. Unless there’s some sort of disaster, I can’t see any reason why this should be allowed. Also, Barcelona have La Masia, it’s supposed to be the best in Football and these lot are signing a bloke from the second bottom side in February. Rubbish.

If I were Marega, I’d never play for Porto again. I’d even go as far as refusing to train with the team. The complete lack of support from his teammates was shameful. They should all be ashamed, as should the club itself.

England v Romania is to be played at Villa Park on Sunday 7th June, 6.15pm kick off. Tempted by this.

Didn’t they try and pin a grainy video filmed on what looked like an iPhone 2 on him smashing people’s heads in in Sunderland?

Pickford will get the number one jersey for England and rightly so, at this stage. He’s been more than reliable for England and has had to deal with playing behind a back four that marked zones. Given time at Everton under Ancelotti, I think he’ll be fine and he’s right in what he said about the media being on your back as an England International. Sterling was the media scapegoat, everyone called them out for their closet racism and they eventually found Pickford as their next target. No doubt they’ll move on to someone else soon enough. That said, I’d be tempted to give Henderson a game in one of the two upcoming Friendlies. I know you should be starting to think about your starting XI for the Euros but there’s two games in four days next month and you’ve still got three games prior to the first group game.

Eh? That’s a weird one.

But they’re not the same thing and can’t be seen as comparable. It’s like when people compare prison sentences handed out when really, they’re two different offences. For what it’s worth, the weird fella should have a lifetime ban for getting his penis out. Frankly, it’s weird, it’s inappropriate and it’s in a place where there’s children around, which is more than enough reason for lifetime bans. As for the Wolves fan, he should have got a lifetime ban but the two incidents aren’t really comparable and are left to clubs to decide the punishments.

Are the two things comparable?

I dunno, I think there is quite a disparity between the top clubs and the “lesser” clubs in the group stages of the Champions League and I find the group stages boring. They’ve improved a bit with the new seeding that they’ve done but it’s still not perfect. How you fix that though, I’m not sure. I don’t think we needed a third European competition, which we’re getting the year after next, I think. Unless it was to sort out the qualification process, which it isn’t, it’s not needed and just more games away from domestic football. Internationally, the Nations League was brilliant. I was sceptical but having watched live England games at Wembley, there’s a distinct improvement in quality, mentality and atmosphere as soon as you offer points. I’m also looking forward to an extended version and thus, even fewer friendlies. That said, the qualification process for the two major tournaments needs an overhaul, I think. They’re largely monotonous and predictable and without that jeopardy, they’re often training ground routines for the bigger nations.

Saw rumours of Roy resigning on Twitter last night.

Feel like I’ve been mis-sold here. Someone up the road started letting off fireworks bang on 11. Genuinely a Brexit Party going on up the road.

That’s incredible. Unless I am mistaken, I thought it was diagnosed as a bad break, so to see him training already is crazy/some achievement.

If there’s a worse sound than listening to someone crunch an apple, I’m yet to hear it. Revolting.

We’ve seen France scrap their League Cup, the Spanish have scrapped two legged Copa Del Rey games, they’ve expanded their Super Cup to four teams, bastardised it and flogged it to the biggest bidder (Saudi Arabia) and the Italians have had their Supercoppa held in the US, China, Qatar and even bloody Libya. There’s even been the slow signs of change in English Football with replays scrapped after Round Five and the League Cup going straight to penalties after normal time. There’s been signs of domestic football being influenced by certain clubs and certain influences whom also hold a standing within UEFA for years. We’ve even seen change Internationally with the extended Euros competition in France four years ago, that was shit, the introduction of the Nations League (though International Football certainly needed something, we’ll see how this crosses over with the Euros) and plans for extended World Cup’s. There’s been changes happening slowly in Football at UEFA level at club level and Internationally. Some are good for the game as a whole and others are clearly bad and morally wrong. I think this is just another step towards a European competition(s) taking precedence in Football with domestic football playing second fiddle, a bit like it does in Cricket with the International game ruling the roost and domestic cricket being a bit of an after thought.

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/champions-league-set-overhaul-four-21292762.amp I despair.

Conor Gallagher is to be recalled from Charlton. Shame because he’s lighting up that Charlton side, he’s looking a talent at that level. Will be interesting to see where he goes next.

I’ll hold my hands up here, I’m shocked there’s even a debate to be had regarding Maddison v Grealish. Maddison is way, way ahead of Grealish.

If Rashford is played in the middle, surely the three up top becomes Sterling-Rashford-Sancho. Unless Grealish turns in a second half of a season on unprecedented levels, he’s not getting in the side.

Can’t see Grealish getting a game, nor Maddison. The Sterling-Kane-Rashford trio works very well and all three appear to have a decent understanding between themselves. Sancho will get in the squad, too. Think Maddison could well get in the squad, but can’t imagine he’ll get much game time.

Think we could be going into yet another tournament without our best player. Owen in 2000, Beckham in 2002, Rooney in 2006 and now potentially Kane in 2020.