Whitey Grandad

Indeed. That’s what the qualifying rounds are for.

Is there any possibility that it will be moved to the Monday night? I need to book some ferry crossings.

Yes indeed. The trouble is deciding which are the 5%

Yes, silly me.

Typical crappy Mail journalism: "he is 'on a pre-booked holiday' in Italy - with photographs showing him relaxing on a beach in Formentera"

Why was it a joke? Because you didn’t agree with some of the decisions? It’s not used in every sport. It ruins the vibrancy of the game and kills the spirit and atmosphere. It has ruined rugby and even cricket has been distorted for the worse. English referees are as good as any but the rest of the world has been improving. You can’t imply anything from the fact that none are going to the World Cup.

The standard of refereeing is better that it has ever been. The referees are much fitter and there are regular seminars to encourage more consistency. What has changed is the prevalence of TV pundits who are encouraged to comment on every incident even when they don’t even know the laws of the game. They go out of their way to create some controversy where none exists. TV has far too much influence anyway. They’ve bought the game and now they want to run it.

If you think that VAR is going to improve the game then you're in for a big surprise. It will destroy the whole experience and magic of the beautiful game. Are you still going on about free kicks being taken from the wrong place? The only answer to all these very valid points is to support a club from the lowere leagues. Proper football.

Never mind Karius. How much damage was done to Ramos's elbow?

Who's he signing for?

Whether he was concussed or not the assessment was done at a Boston hospital, one at which John Henry is a trustee. Just saying.... https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/hapless-loris-karius-was-concussed-during-champions-league-final-say-doctors-xjld759q9 (paywall) He was advised by Liverpool to visit specialists Dr Ross Zafonte and Dr Lenore Herget at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston on May 31, when he underwent scans. As well as examining Karius, footage of his clash with Ramos was reviewed. In a statement last night, Dr Zafonte, chief of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Massachusetts General Hospital, said: “After carefully reviewing game film and integrating a detailed history — including his reported present and immediate post-contact subjective symptoms — physical examination and objective metrics, we have concluded that Mr Karius sustained a concussion during the match. “At the time of our evaluation, Mr Karius’s principal residual symptoms and objective signs suggested that visual spatial dysfunction existed and likely occurred immediately following the event. “Additional symptomatic and objectively noted areas of dysfunction also persisted. It could be possible that such deficits would affect performance.” John W Henry, the Liverpool owner, is a trustee of Massachusetts General Hospital.

I agree that they should get their fair share. That would be a lot less than they're getting now.

I’m in row O and I have problems too.

Shibboleth is a perfectly good word, not an insult at all. Unless you’re an Ephraimite and you can’t pronounce it properly. Judges 12:4-6

Regarding Karius, in The Times yesterday Matthew Syed had a piece about him basically saying that the empahasis on maintaing a high-press game agains Madrid contributed to his mistakes. He was so busy concentrating on keeping the game going that he failed to notice (!) Benzema closing him down on his left. Similarly for the Bale shot he was too busy thinking about what he was going to do after catching the ball that he buggered it up. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/lack-of-awareness-not-focus-cost-loris-karius-against-real-madrid-jlh700b76 (paywall) "Loris Karius was too focused to think clearly" Loris Karius would doubtless concur with this analysis. The Liverpool goalkeeper made a critical mistake to gift Real Madrid their opening goal in the Champions League final on Saturday. Some commentators said that he was careless, others suggested (predictably) that he lacked focus. The problem, however, is that he may have been too focused. So eager was he to distribute the ball that he did not notice that Karim Benzema was in a perfect position to deflect it into his net. In an astute analysis for ESPN, Shaka Hislop, the former Newcastle United goalkeeper, made similar claims about Karius. The ’keeper, he said, had been instructed by Jürgen Klopp to sustain pressure on Real by getting the ball upfield quickly. This was sound advice, but the 24-year-old became too preoccupied with this one objective. “Karius gets the ball in his hands, the first thing he is thinking about is get play restarted . . . without making sure Benzema clears out,” Hislop said. Although the second mistake looked superficially different, Hislop argued that it emerged from the same loss of situational awareness. “And then the Bale goal . . . I am convinced that yet again [Karius] is thinking, ‘Let me make this save and put Real Madrid on the back foot’. When the ball arrives, his feet are in a straddle position as if he is trying to run forward with it, before making the save.”

Add Stephens to that going off chasing rabbits and you have a porous defence.

He wasn't fired for coming 8th. He was fired becaue the football was dire.

Are you sure you’re cut out for this football supporter lark?

It depends on which team they’re playing against, of course.

Yeah, it’s always someone else’s fault.

Repeated in The Times today.

That’s what happens when you’ve no class. Which of his colleagues has never made a costly mistake?

You smell nice. Where do you get your hair gel?

Who’d be a manager? You buy a defender for the highest price ever paid and when three goals go in against you he’s nowhere to be seen

What milestone payments might they be? There was no money in it for us.