Wullie

Need Vilhena booked for Salernitana for a 55/1 treble. Big fan of this new ref.

Don't think anybody really noticed at the time but they attempted a minute's silence before the second half of the Hearts game at Tynecastle last night, just minutes after the announcement (I turned over to see if they would do anything before the second half) and it was extremely badly observed. https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/sport/football/hearts/queen-elizabeth-ii-dies-minutes-silence-at-tynecastle-during-hearts-and-istanbul-basaksehir-game-cut-short-by-referee-3837081

I initially thought it was a certainty that games would go off but the government and the palace had hinted this morning that they had no particular will either way so I'm quite surprised in the end.

Even by Turkish standards, Besiktas have got a cracking PL rejects list at the minute.

Just like I said they would @Optimistic Nut

Fucking hell. It was obvious things weren't right there but I'm still very surprised.

I'm well pissed off with myself that I didn't have Shakhtar at 9/1. RBL got smashed at the weekend so I didn't fancy them at all but I assumed Shakhtar must have been left with a team of Ukrainian farmers since the price seemed so crazy.

I'd completely forgotten he existed. Surprised he's so out of favour there though. Is Walcott still there as well??

PL refs have gone to the monitor before and stuck by their decision. Graham Scott infamously did it in a Spurs-Brighton game when there was a ridiculous foul involving Hojbjerg, he went to the monitor and decided there had been no foul when it was an absolutely blatant clattering. https://youtu.be/m2wRhgYQAxM?t=74

Note to self, when torn between two, just put the double on.

I've got McNair, Mowatt, Cirkin at 45s, should already be in ffs

What is going on here?

How's that not a booking for Jones?

Hell's bells. Big blow for them.

So are mine this season. Gone for these.

Ref in Italy at the same time averages 5+, and I expect the mackems and Boro to be pretty feisty. Will have some double-trixies.

I was thinking whilst watching MOTD the other night, there's got to be quite a few pissed off players at Forest. Not just the ones who brought them up who will soon be out of the team, you expect that, but also players they bought early like O'Brien and Toffolo. They've been bought and then replaced within the same transfer window.

Nobody should be under any illusions that it's all a perfect dream elsewhere btw. Lazio are absolutely livid about the penalty they didn't get for a pretty clear elbow against Napoli on Saturday. The handball law is used very differently in Italy as well, very pedantic about it with VAR. I wasn't surprised to see Conte aggrieved at the Cresswell handball being overturned last week. In Italy that's given as a penalty 100% of the time.

What brand are they protecting by disallowing a Newcastle goal vs Crystal Palace? Does ruling out the MacAllister goal yesterday protect the brand? "Come and watch our league, when a stunning goal is scored, we'll look for a pedantic way to disallow it" (presumably to protect Leicester City, then award a penalty against them five minutes later). That makes no sense whatsoever as an argument. I can't believe I'm defending the officials but the principle of Hanlon's Razor applies here.

Which bookie? I've got a fiver on Betfair, I'm torn between Crooks at 13/5 and Jones at 5/1. Crooks is more reliable but 5/1 is a really big price for another regular in the book, including the last 3 games. Boro bookings, I would say the players to look at are Crooks, Jones, McGree, Howson, McNair, Lenihan (they have a great collection of players who love a card). They've just signed Mowatt as well to add to it. I'm also thinking of including Stewart 2 SOT at 16/5. He's had 3 in both the last 2 games.

Love the idea that refs are "told to give a certain amount of throw ins" Halsey towards the end of a game just desperately awarding throws at random when the ball is blasted over the bar.

I'd love to know what the intention of this supposed corruption is. If it's all about getting one over on NUFC, do they just not invite Michael Oliver to the meetings? Leave him off the email distribution list, like they're having a whip round for his birthday? Maybe that's why he stuck with his decision on Saturday, because he's missed all the secret gatherings.

I can't let any mention of Dermot Gallagher pass without posting his real accent.

Yes but it's very modern, goes back only about 4 or 5 years (article below from 2020). It's a great rivalry because they don't hate each other just because they're supposed to, because they're in the same city or whatever, the players themselves seem to have built up a genuine disdain for each other. Valencia also pinched Getafe's manager last summer (has since been sacked), which cranked it up again, and his first game last season was vs Getafe, it was absolutely brutal. https://www.football-espana.net/2020/11/02/la-liga-weekly-roundup-valencia-against-getafe-is-spains-newest-must-see-rivalry