Segun Oluwaniyi

Is Birmingham warm enough to warrant cooling breaks? Seems unnecessary.

Jamaal Lascelles is easily the most underrated and disregarded player on this place.

Davies is a special player.

Bayern might need to work on defending set pieces. Two simple goals.

There are some horrendous defensive teams in this league Entertaining match anyway.

I've watched football in practically empty grounds, big and small. From the Northern League to the Korean third tier. The difference is that there is still some people there who are engaged, and being at the side of the pitch or in a ground is a totally different experience to watching on TV. Personally I find watching a Bundesliga derby, where there should be 80,000 people there, instead being completely empty and silent, just depressing. And it absolutely will change the intensity and context of a game. Perhaps to favour the technical teams - little surprise this was Dortmund's biggest win in about 50 years. The idea that I don't like football because I can't enjoy such an inhibited version of the real thing is nonsense. I could equally apply the same to you for being able to do so. But I didn't do that, it's each to their own. Agreed. I was never good enough at football to find out, but playing basketball in front of a big crowd is always completely different than an empty gym, even when everyone is a high level player. The size and complexion of the crowd is important aslo, loud and intimidating crowds deeply affect the adrenaline rates, nerves, and decision-making of even the best players. The return of Bundesliga was welcome, but the matches I saw (Schalke-Dortmund, Koln-Mainz and Bayern-Union Berlin) were mostly rubbish, tbh. It reminded me of watching a training match or a pickup/kickabout game between high quality players. Part of the problem was that 4 or the 6 sides I mentioned looked well off the pace (even Bayern were a bit labored), so maybe things will improve with time with more training and preparation. Also, it is a small thing, but the muted celebrations were odd as well. Very odd to see someone score and important goal and be met with scattered clapping and strange forearm taps from the other players.

Schalke look half asleep in this match, very far off the pace.

I've always found Germany the most boring of the major European leagues, tbh The clubs do not seem interesting, the stadiums are readily different from watching on television, and the styles of play also seem quite uniform across the leagues. I will surely be watching as much as possible on Saturday, though.

From YouTube scouting he has a bit of Drogba about him in terms of the power coupled with a bit of pace with good finishing I understand both comparisons to a degree. He is physically aggressive and strong, but really quite a pure goal scorer, and uses his physical gifts to hassle defenders and run the channels so he can try to get behind the defence and score. Not really the target man that Drogba became, but still young of course. Very excited about him as a prospect, Nigeria hasn't had a real striker for ages and seems to constantly turn out wide players, fairly rubbish link forwards or talents that struggle for a real position like Musa and Iheanacho. Osimhen looks a different breed to those and would be a big signing, imo.

Until this day, it angers me that he received no punishment at all for trying to end Haidara's career, not even a free kick. An extremely forceful knee level tackle, directly over the ball, that "no one saw".

According to the reports, Newcastle have gone from Premier League peasants to possibly the richest club in the world based on the investment interests of a regime that most Western people view as a terroristic and murderous regime (even if their government's actions speak differently). You should get used to seeing content like this from your favourite football writers, personalities, and media content creators.

What player would look good in this scenario? There are two fit midfielders on the bench that can play the same role. It simply doesn't make sense that he is starting when he is the definition of a player that needs to ease in and work on his fitness.

Iheanacho was unconscious for about a minute, and is now back on seconds after he walked on the pitch. No concern about concussions in football I suppose. Exactly. If a midfielder went in and won the ball but followed with his feet high, it’s a foul and red. It’s absolutely fine though for a goalkeeper to jump in full force and flatten a striker. It should be a red card as well! Not just the penalty.

How is this not a penalty? Ederson punches Kelechi in the face and doesn't get the ball at all.

Bentaleb has been out for a long time, and clearly is not ready for this level. We cannot know if he has permanently dropped or if he will regain previous form, but it is idiocy and malpractice to just play him in every match. Other Longstaff and Hayden are both perfectly capable players who should be playing ahead of him.

Alderweireld and Vertonghen have both looked completely finished this season.

Are Leganes given an opportunity to replace? Braithwaite is their leading scorer and they are currently in a tough relegation fight. This is the equivalent of Manchester City just coming in and taking Pukki from Norwich or Deeney from Watford outside of the transfer window. It is markedly unfair to Leganes' sporting and financial fortunes.

The problems discussed in this thread are leitimate, but they do not seem new or worsening, imo. At least for people of my generation and younger, this parity people are discussing never existed. Football doesn't particularly seem more or less competitive than before, tbh. A few sides have always been the ones that dominated and this was generally determined by money. It is nothing new. At the end of the season, there will have been six champions between 2000 and now and there were only seven between 1980 and 2000. Frankly, the Premier League is the best of the major leagues in that regard currently. The situation seems less grim than in the previous decade, when the big four seemed entrenched forever and the lower clubs were less empowered. With the new TV deal, every club in the Premier League (excluding Newcastle) is essentially a financial juggernaut to some degree. The actual football is surely better as well. Are we sure that the problem is not just that we are old? I am sure this forum will skew against the youngest of supporters, who will express their opinions through repetitive memes on various larger social media platforms or while spending their parent's funds on Ultimate Team. I still love sport, but I am much more cynical about it in general, as comes with age. My younger cousin is just as obsessed as I was as a teen, with significantly more access than I could have dreamed of. We have also been beaten down by Newcastle, which is a dismal club to follow. VAR is a separate issue, and has generally been a scourge upon the game, imo, but it is in every sport at this point. The racism nonsense is also just incredibly tiring as well. It seems that we have been in the same news cycle regarding these incidents since the infamous Spain-England friendly 15+ years ago.

The Wolves offside decision does not make much sense, tbh. I am sure it is correct by the law, not disputing that, but it never would have been called in any football match before the adaptation of VAR.

First club is tough, no decent footballer is staying in Nigeria until 21 or even 18, and my local team is currently second division, which makes it nonsensical. I'll just choose the nearest top division club and be a late bloomer. Sunshine Stars FC OGC Nice Olympique de Marseille Atletico Madrid Newcastle United Zenit St. Petersburg Baltimore or New Orleans MLS club (if either exist by that time) If not: Houston Dynamo

Isn't he our top scorer? Yes, by a clear three goals. I don't see how you are so readily discounting goals, Ian, in a team where the strikers have scored 1 all season. He has scored more than Joelinton, Carroll, Almiron, ASM, and Atsu combined.

Getting turned down by a 20 year old at Lille and they're all giddy about it. It's so cringe. I find it hard to believe that anyone thought Soumare would come here, and find the price surprisingly low, tbh. He is quite young, bigger clubs are after him, and Lille have European goals to fight for the rest of the season. I do not think they would sell one of their young talents in the January window and doubt that the player would want to make this middling move now when better options will be there in the summer. Also, if we are poaching young talents from Lille, it should be Osimhen since the club has 0 useful strikers.

Hayden is better, Bentaleb is better if he can discover his past form and Shelvey has been a big contributor for the side, despite his many deficiencies. I more interested in developing the Longstaff brothers as long term prospects than giving minutes to Ki (the club seem to agree), so there is not really a place for him in the squad. He was an astute signing at the time and was helpful at periods last season, but it is best for all parties that he moves on. I do not rate him too highly, but he won't struggle to find a contract elsewhere.

Owners do not primarily represent the club, that is the position of players, coaches, and supporters. As long as the owners does not go about altering the fundamental identity of NUFC, I am fine with whoever it is. The reality of modern football is that clubs need significant investment to compete and large sums of money tend to have blood on them in one way or the other. That is the nature of it. I think Ashley is a corrupt buffoon, but would have no enmity towards his ownership if the man simply funded the club properly. What he does outside of this is irrelevant imo, and it would not be different if the owners were Saudis. There is no need to identity with them anymore than you identify with Ashley now.