TheBrownBottle

Almiron’s right foot

Agreed, though the lad doesn’t have the time to get up and out of the way

Willock doesn’t look like he touches that when he’s off. Wilson definitely isn’t off. Shite decision which looks like it was made out of fear.

Joelinton looks so much more composed on the ball these days. I still prefer him deeper, but the lad’s touch is dramatically better

HOWAAAAAY YAAAAANITED

Brazil 94-02 and Spain 08-12 were pretty much complete sides too - and I do think that Germany 14 and France 18 were clearly head and shoulders above everyone. This Argentina side are (IMO) the weakest winner in some time - they may be the weakest since Maradona carried their last winning side in 86, though there are arguments for Italy 06. It is odd though how Euros and Copa Americas spring up surprise winners and WCs don't. It is hard to imagine Denmark or Peru, or Greece or Bolivia winning a WC. It will be good for the competition if it ever does happen.

I'll give the extended highlights a watch later - the score times suggest it was a bit crazy. I am glad for Messi - while I don't think winning a WC actually makes a difference to a player's greatness, it does at least remove that nonsense from the conversation. I don't think there was a truly top side at this WC mind - it isn't a coincidence that Messi and Mbappe met in the final. Those two are the effective difference between their sides and about seven or eight other teams.

Hi Pata Christ, I don't remember what I said yesterday, never mind whenever I wrote that. Ah well, glad you're here to remind me. I didn't watch the final, but four pens suggests a bit of a farce.

Yep, modern football turns fans into accountants.

Wigan won the big one. I’d give my right bollock for an FA Cup win. It’s worth remember that NUFC literally played reserves and chucked in the towel in their league title tilt in order to win the cup in 1951. For most of the history of football in England the FA Cup was THE trophy to win. I’ll be honest, I know what the league means and therefore it’s the one to win - but winning the FA Cup at Wembley will be more emotional. Losing the FA Cup Final in 98 and 99 hurt more than blowing the title in 96 and coming close in 97.

I remember finishing second the first time - there wasn't much glory to it, tbh. Certainly no celebrations. The city would gan crackers for a week if we win a trophy - and that fucking hoodoo would be off our backs for good. We qualify for Europe with it, too.

Modern football is shite turning fans into budding accountants. 'The game is about glory' and all that

Seen us finish 2nd a couple of times. Meh. Trophy every day of the week. Sure, but that's not how the options work

Oh, I never said he is better - just that I wouldn't swap him I do think he's better than Fred, mind

He's got a 17% win rate vs teams ranked in the top ten when England played them. Yep, cracking job.

Nationalism is a far worse one Flip

A younger one, certainly

I'd much rather he was rested for Leicester than Bournemouth. Hoy Wood up top vs Leicester if Wilson can't manage the two games in a short period - Bournemouth is the most important of the two games. Howe knows better than me of course - so if he isn't ready, he isn't ready

The standard of the PL is comfortably higher than the WC. Morocco and Croatia were in the semi finals - it doesn't seem laughable to me that Joelinton had something to offer. He doesn't need to be a top three midfielder in the world - just a decent one. Joelinton is an excellent midfield destroyer - I wouldn't go as far as to suggest Brazil should play him, but then again they were playing Fred, Paqueta and Casemiro - and I wouldn't swap Joelinton for any of those three at present.

That would be the side for me - with ASM coming on early second half

Always makes me nauseous that stuff

Jesus wept

He's the greatest footballer of all time for me. The article is an interesting one - fun to see an American sports site acknowledging cricket's claim to be the world's second most popular sport, and therefore Don Bradman having a greater claim than Michael Jordan. It still feels like it should be an individual sport where the greatest athlete is given a nod - Muhammad Ali or Usain Bolt etc. Weren't decathletes seen as the truly greatest athletes? Or was that just because of Daley Thompson?

I'll go with both the game and the outcome being as pedestrian as this WC has been; 2-0 France for me assuming their defence recovers from illness, Hopefully this will be the last time proper football gets disrupted mid-season for this shite. I'm itching for the Bournemouth game mid-week; had England or Brazil got through to the final we would have been going into that game shorthanded. Keep WCs to the off-season please FIFA; you're going to accept bribes regardless, so if you're lining your pockets at least do it without directly impacting the rest of us.

Alexander Marcelino In all seriousness though, based on what we were all told Boxing Day always seemed an ambition rather than a fixed date. Yes, it’s disappointing that he’s been injured so quick into his NUFC career - but footballers get injured. We’ve no idea if he’s a permacrock or this is a case of bad luck - hopefully the latter, of course. No-one should be writing the lad off a couple of months after a thigh injury, that seems daft to me. Generally though - and I’m not saying this is the case for Isak, who looked really impressive to me for a young lad in a new league - some of these big money signings won’t come off. The best thing is knowing that talented young lads like Isak are not being bought for resale, but with a view that they’re going to be the club’s future. I’m still getting used to that being the case again - after 15 long years of ‘stepping stone’ signings, it takes some adjusting that NUFC are operating again like they did in the 15 years before that.