TheBrownBottle

I’ve even seen people get het up over twenty-two blokes they’ve never met kicking a ball around. Daft really.

Thought he was poor myself, though Trippier was too

Walbottle had a cracking team which won the National cup - after I left though - Montys were good too. Cuthys, Wallsend and Walker Central were the teams to beat when I was a kid. Same in my dad’s day - he used to play for Walker Central

PS I can just about put up with ‘Premier League’. I’m never saying fucking ‘Championship’ or ‘League One’ mind. Absolutely embarrassing

The money-grabbing breakaway is still vomit-inducing 30-odd years later. The Football League wanking away with ‘Championship’ and ‘League One’ just adds to the embarrassment - apparently no fucker can stand being second tier.

I played - once - for Walbottle (my old high school). Spent the rest of the time in the B team. St Cuthy’s B and C teams were better than most local school sides.

Ramsdale would be an improvement on Pope, just as Pope was an improvement on Dubravka. Not sure that the transfer cost relative to the improvement would be worth it though - I suspect we’ll replace Pope in the next 18 months, though I’d be surprised if it was Ramsdale

Yep, they've shown absolutely no intent of bending the FFP rules so far, and I doubt that they ever will. We're basically potless for January, barring a sale of players. The press will be full of bullshit stories, and some of our support will lap it up - but I doubt we'll do anything more than a potential loan to buy deal in Jan.

I was utter shite, tbh. Played once for the school at RB. Odd match in Sunday League. I was though enthusiastic - I’d run all day. I could read the game well, so could defend well. But once I was on the ball, it all went wrong. Still loved playing though.

Didn’t look good at all vs Bournemouth at LB. Trippier has played there multiple times for England. Always better to play experienced players slightly out of position rather than a young lad whose confidence could be wrecked.

Not particularly confident for this one. And given that it is on at the only correct and proper kick off time for a weekend match (Sat 3pm GMT) I’ll be giving it a miss (2am Sydney time).

Hey, that money came from the pools. As everyone knows, gambling profits are the purest form of money-making. A social good

yeah it’s in Colin Malam’s biography of Shack

Len Shackleton managed to get a benefit game out of them by threatening to grass them up re illegal payments to players

Bird’s a tiresome hack. It is a bit of an insult to KSA that somehow we’ll be able to come in and just take our pick. I don’t think we’ll sign anyone from KSA - loan or not. I don’t picture Eddie being overly keen on signing a mercenary like Neves on loan - particularly given he’s been playing uncompetitive football for half a year. Watching the other clubs getting their knickers in a twist is entertaining, though.

Obviously it’s a horrible crime, but I can’t help but think that those who misspell ‘paedo’ are the ones who are likely to spray ‘nonce’ on the car bonnet and push dog shit through the letterbox of an unassuming paediatrician

There’s too many broken Mackems in the world …

Ah, 1994. When we were really good, and they were in the second division. Hang on, maybe it is 1994 again?

‘Why is it a two thirds majority?’ It always has been, you dozy cunt

Tbf I was just referring to the European field being the weakest it’s been in any of our lifetimes. I know who Croatia has beaten, but the point is more that Italy, Germany etc have never been as poor as they are at present. This is a massive opportunity to actually win something.

That’s surprising for me, but it’s good news of course. Usually means we get a better cut of sales - and for those who actually buy club gear, bespoke kit designs etc. The drop off in quality towards the end of adidas’s time last time out was really clear - loads of generic adidas kits.

It’s a lot if you can’t spend £60m, mind.

The club has done nowt to date about this stuff. I wouldn’t be surprised for that to continue.

An England team which had to get past the collective might of *checks notes* Tunisia, Panama, Colombia and Sweden to get there (they lost to Belgium in the group stage). Every single previous England manager could’ve managed to do that - a more favourable run to a SF is unimaginable.

Croatia aren’t a big game nation akin to a Holland or Spain - they aren’t a traditional European heavyweight. I do wonder if a unified Yugoslavia would have won a WC in the last 30 years, mind (there’s a good chance they would have). Either way, no England manager has ever encountered a European football scene as bereft as the current one.