Unpopular Football Opinions

[Azeem]

18 teams are enough in the Epl

[Guest]

The FIFA world rankings aren't pointless and although not perfectly accurate are more accurate than some make out. Although when I say they are accurate they are accurate as more of a form guide than actual rankings. Because just because a team is in better form than another doesn't mean they will beat them when it really matters.

[Guest]

21 hours ago, Azeem said:

18 teams are enough in the Epl

I'd actually reduce it to 16 and have more competitive international football. Don't get much more unpopular than that 

[Azeem]

18 minutes ago, Gunnersauraus said:

I'd actually reduce it to 16 and have more competitive international football. Don't get much more unpopular than that 

That would be great in terms of taking off the load from players who play top flight football but that will not happen certainly not in favor of international football though i would also like to see that. 

 

21 minutes ago, Gunnersauraus said:

The FIFA world rankings aren't pointless and although not perfectly accurate are more accurate than some make out. Although when I say they are accurate they are accurate as more of a form guide than actual rankings. Because just because a team is in better form than another doesn't mean they will beat them when it really matters.

They are mainly based on who wins gets point

Like we have Cricket where barely 8-10 teams play the sport competitively and they play each other regularly so we have enough data to rank them properly whereas football is global too many teams who don't even play each other mostly, it will always will be difficult to find a system that is even 60% accurate.

[Smiley Culture]

2 hours ago, Gunnersauraus said:

I'd actually reduce it to 16 and have more competitive international football. Don't get much more unpopular than that 

Totally agree. 

[Smiley Culture]

I’m not calling for the return to this format, though I do find the group stages of the Champions League monotonous, but the old European Cup format of champions only fascinates me. 

You could go out in round one through bad luck in the draw or you could get a favourable draw and go far. 

[Spike]

Only Champions should play in the Champions League, not even the previous winner should be allowed to play if they didn't win their respective league.

[Guest]

3 hours ago, Smiley Culture said:

Totally agree. 

Really? Even on the international bit? Didn't think anyone would agree with that.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Spike said:

Only Champions should play in the Champions League, not even the previous winner should be allowed to play if they didn't win their respective league.

I'm not sure if that is that unpopular. To be honest that needs its own thread. Personally I think it depends on the quality of the league. I mean it is a lot harder to finish fourth in the premier League than win the Scottish League

[Smiley Culture]

15 hours ago, Gunnersauraus said:

Really? Even on the international bit? Didn't think anyone would agree with that.

Yeah, definitely. I’m a fan of International Football. The introduction of the Nations League has been a much-needed game changer to replace dour friendlies. I’m not a massive fan of the Qualifiers for tournaments and feel they need a bit of a revamp, though I’m not sure how. 

[Cicero]

Dani Alves was Guardiola’s greatest ever signing 

[Smiley Culture]

I know he got banned for betting but Joey Barton’s red card against City in that Aguero game is as close to match fixing as you’re going to get in modern English Football at the top end. 

[Danny]

On 15/04/2020 at 16:33, Cicero said:

Dani Alves was Guardiola’s greatest ever signing 

#1 assister to Messi

[Dan+]

On 16/05/2020 at 23:14, Smiley Culture said:

I know he got banned for betting but Joey Barton’s red card against City in that Aguero game is as close to match fixing as you’re going to get in modern English Football at the top end. 

Not even a debate. I'm amazed how many seem alien to the fact it could happen here. Literally nothing happened to Aguero.

[Devil-Dick Willie]

Wait @Dan @Smiley Culture are you implying that the refs were biased towards city or that barton had money on a city win?

[Dan+]

46 minutes ago, Devil-Dick Willie said:

Wait @Dan @Smiley Culture are you implying that the refs were biased towards city or that barton had money on a city win?

That sending off just simply wasn't a red card, biased towards Man City, nothing even happened, he got sent off for literally nothing - obviously his reaction was worth one (but ultimately a moot point) but he's bound to react like that when given a red card for nothing.

It was ridiculous. Officials either totally fell for one or it was corrupt.

[Devil-Dick Willie]

Didn't he headbutt Tevez? He certainly deserved to be sent off

[Stan]

7 hours ago, Dan said:

Not even a debate. I'm amazed how many seem alien to the fact it could happen here. Literally nothing happened to Aguero.

He elbowed Tevez I thought and then kneed Aguero in the back of his leg. By the time the Aguero thing happened he'd already been shown the red card. 

Not sure it was literally nothing happening to him. 

Barton wanted to get sent off because he wanted Man City players to react and get a red card too. There was a thing on BBC reliving the game where Richards, Lescott and Onuoha reviewed it as it happened and they alluded to as much. 

[Devil-Dick Willie]

3 minutes ago, Stan said:

He elbowed Tevez I thought and then kneed Aguero in the back of his leg. By the time the Aguero thing happened he'd already been shown the red card. 

Not sure it was literally nothing happening to him. 

Barton wanted to get sent off because he wanted Man City players to react and get a red card too. There was a thing on BBC reliving the game where Richards, Lescott and Onuoha reviewed it as it happened and they alluded to as much. 

I recall Barton saying as much. he wacks Tevez, tevez wacks him back but no one sees it, then Barton hits everyone in london

[LFCMike]

He definitely elbowed Tevez. Whether it was enough for Tevez to roll around like he did I'm not sure but it was certainly a red card offence

[Smiley Culture]

7 hours ago, Devil-Dick Willie said:

Wait @Dan @Smiley Culture are you implying that the refs were biased towards city or that barton had money on a city win?

He’s always maintained that he attacked Aguero with the intention of him reacting (a bizarre idea because he’d never shown up to that point that he was that sort of player) and then City being down to ten men too. He tried to get Kompany to react as well and again, completely failed.

It’s always been a bizarre idea that the best way for QPR to stay up that season was for him and a City player to get sent off. Barton is certainly not the brightest tool in the box but it all seems convenient that a Scouse ex-Man City player would get sent off against City in a game that City need to win to take the title from Man United. 

[Spike]

Gareth Bale's passion for Wales is refreshing and makes him one of my favourite players right now. 

[Burning Gold]

12 hours ago, Smiley Culture said:

He’s always maintained that he attacked Aguero with the intention of him reacting (a bizarre idea because he’d never shown up to that point that he was that sort of player) and then City being down to ten men too. He tried to get Kompany to react as well and again, completely failed.

It’s always been a bizarre idea that the best way for QPR to stay up that season was for him and a City player to get sent off. Barton is certainly not the brightest tool in the box but it all seems convenient that a Scouse ex-Man City player would get sent off against City in a game that City need to win to take the title from Man United. 

It wasn't until after he saw red that he started lashing out at everyone. Pretty sure he grew up an Everton fan as well, and QPR were in danger of going down if they lost. All told, I think this is a bit far fetched.

That said, I had a mate at uni who was insistent that Mark Hughes (then QPR manager) instructed his players to lose after he learnt they were assured survival by results elsewhere. Apparently he held a grudge over something that'd happened at United

[Stan]

6 minutes ago, Burning Gold said:

That said, I had a mate at uni who was insistent that Mark Hughes (then QPR manager) instructed his players to lose after he learnt they were assured survival by results elsewhere. Apparently he held a grudge over something that'd happened at United

BBC Sport did a reliving of the dramatic day on 13th last week. Nedum Onuoha, playing for QPR at the time, said this...

Quote

 

So, there was a very nervous sense that the day was not going to go our way, but Mark Hughes kept drilling it into us that we were still in this… he must have said that over and over again - he was the one who got us going, and he was right.

 

 

And...

Quote

I didn’t know that the Bolton game was over, and that we were safe. I never got that shout, and I know a few of the other players didn’t either. We didn’t have a clue - if we did, we would have done things differently.

 

No offence to your mate but I'd rather believe a footballer in that team than him  

[Smiley Culture]

1 hour ago, Burning Gold said:

It wasn't until after he saw red that he started lashing out at everyone. Pretty sure he grew up an Everton fan as well, and QPR were in danger of going down if they lost. All told, I think this is a bit far fetched.

That said, I had a mate at uni who was insistent that Mark Hughes (then QPR manager) instructed his players to lose after he learnt they were assured survival by results elsewhere. Apparently he held a grudge over something that'd happened at United

A Scouser, regardless of the colour, who’d played for City for years is just too fishy. 

He was sent-off at 1-1. A draw, IIRC, was enough to keep QPR up and meant City were 2nd. I’m not sure that I believe that he tried to take a City player with him, I don’t think he has that brain power to think that, this is the man who used a teenager’s face as an ashtray remember.