Another Drive4show 'Anything goes' thread

[dynamark]

First topic message reminder :

Ben Leicester have been fortunate to find wealthy owners who saved us from a deal of trouble but they could not be accused of throwing stupid money around and disregarding the fans.The PL winning team was assembled from a bunch of frees ,has beens and cheap buys I think Ulloa was the top buy at about £9m.What they then did as some players moved on for big money was start throwing some of that money about to try to maintain position with varying degrees of success.The Chairman gives away free beer and cakes on his birthday and has given a lot to local organisations including a childrens hospital ,We have been very very lucky.
I think the German teams have a different voting structure where fans have a big say.

[Davie]

I don't think it was a soft pen. There were two contacts, one fairly innocuous but the other was enough. We'd be screaming this morning if it hadn't been given

To me, the real unsung heroes have been Philips and Rice. Both superb again yet largely unmentioned

[beninho]

I thought the one on Kane was more of a pen. The sterling one, can see why he gave it and didn't overturn, bit could also see it not being given. Though straight away I shouted pen!

Phillips has been brilliant. So many thought he shouldn't be in the team, he is a proper centre midfielder.

[pedro]

It wasn’t a soft pen because it wasn’t even a pen. Sterling (and Kane) would be perfect in the Swan Lake.
It would be great if England could one day win an important game without the help of a Wembley referee.
There were even two balls on the pitch.
Plus the laser pen, which was a disgrace.
I hope everybody stops talking about how Italians cheat. In stead we should think about why everybody outside of England are now cheering for Italy.

[beninho]

A number of fouls were given for similar incidents during the game. The Danes aswell as the English players went down easily and theatrically, as did almost every team in the competition.

That's football.

[Duty281]

It would be great if England could one day win an important game without the help of a Wembley referee.

The bulk of the refereeing calls went against England. Clear Danish backpass early on, should have been a FK inside the area to England, not given. Danish FK they scored from wasn't a foul, and Denmark were illegally close to the English wall. And Kane should have had a penalty in the second half of normal time.

[Soul Requiem]

It wasn’t a soft pen because it wasn’t even a pen. Sterling (and Kane) would be perfect in the Swan Lake.
It would be great if England could one day win an important game without the help of a Wembley referee.
There were even two balls on the pitch.
Plus the laser pen, which was a disgrace.
I hope everybody stops talking about how Italians cheat. In stead we should think about why everybody outside of England are now cheering for Italy.

It was a penalty albeit soft, also not sure what you mean by the help of a Wembley ref, he was not biased in England favour at all, what exactly did Maguire get booked for?
The two balls of the pitch rule doesn't apply when a team is in an attacking position.
The laser pen was a disgrace.
There was no cheating by England yesterday so yes people can carry on talking about how shameful the behaviour of the Italians is. Who cares if everybody outside of England is cheering for Italy.

[McLaren]

The Sterling one was soft but there was slight contact from two players and anyone stupid enough to try and dangle your feet around a player as quick footed as Sterling in your own box is seriously naive. Shephard out of play or wait to block the cross. Any attempted tackle gives the referee a decision to make.

And I am surprised the English are not more upset about the Kane non penalty. That is a penalty every time in the premier league.

[pedro]

Wembley ref: remember 1966?
We’re talking about decisive situations like a pen, not the odd free kicks.
It doesn’t matter if the Danes also dived. We’re talking about England, and everybody in England blaming Italy for cheating.
Why shouldn’t we care who everybody cheers for? We still talk about 1966 because of the apparent home referee.

[Soul Requiem]

A free kick is as decisive as a penalty if it leads to a goal. If you can highlight to me where any England player cheated go ahead. I couldn't care less who everyone is cheering on.

[Duty281]

We’re talking about decisive situations like a pen, not the odd free kicks..

England should have had an in-direct FK in the box and a penalty in normal time. Both not given. Pretty decisive situations.

[McLaren]

Pedro

Most teams dive, but the manner in which the Eyeties role around the deck and play act injury after they go down makes it more distasteful.

[pedro]

Regardless, a soft pen in extra time at a Euro SF doesn’t sound right.

[McLaren]

Pedro

As far as I can tell your political persuasion lets things that sound well less right slide all the time. You will recover from this injustice.

[JAS]

So has anybody else worked out the complete f**k'd up logic of the revised travel guidelines announced yesterday? I say logic but I cant really see much logical joined up thought has gone into the drafting of them. It's almost as though they've had a competition to see how many contradictions they can fit in an announcement.

[McLaren]

Jas

I wouldn't worry too much about the travel guidelines, given that we are abandoning any attempts to mitigate covid from next week. Travel guidance might be the least of our worries.

[super_realist]

What are you worried about Mac?  If you haven't already noticed Edinburgh is full of tourists and Scotland has the highest Covid rates in Europe. What difference is travel going to make when the place is full of people bringing it in.

We have a massively successful vaccine programme, no significant increase in hospitalisation or deaths.

I'd rather a few people died of covid, than hundreds missed being diagnosed of cancer or dying of other illnesses that are being ignored because the NHS is only concerned with Covid.

In Scotland in January we had 2500 positive tests a day, 2000 people in hospital, 160 people in ICU and 70 deaths a day.
Now we have 3500 positive tests a day, 450 people in hospital, 45 people in ICU and less than 5 deaths a day.

It's not a pandemic now, it's endemic and we have a great deal of protection from serious illness and death from a successful vaccine rollout.
We are about as well protected as we ever will be and trying to aim for zero covid or continuing restrictions is hardly going to improve things because there is simply no more appetite for compliance.

[dynamark]

We have to move on.Normal flu season accounts directly for around 20000 a year or 400 a week and we just get on with it.If you are half fit vacinnated and well dont smoke and not fat then little risk.Be careful when you cross the street !
Doubt it will be published but Id like to see the figures for those in the ossy and not vaccinated.

[super_realist]

We have to move on.Normal flu season accounts directly for around  20000 a year or 400 a week and we just get on with it.If you are half fit vacinnated and well dont smoke and not fat then little risk.Be careful when you cross the street !
Doubt it will be published but Id like to see the figures for those in the ossy and not vaccinated.

I heard one idiotic MP claim that we shouldn't come out of lockdown until 100% of people are vaccinated and that until those who refuse to have it, for example religious mugs can be persuaded to have it.

Sorry, but if someone decides not to have the vaccine, then that's their lookout.

[super_realist]

England don't need to keep "practicing" penalties, they need to learn how to take them.

If they don't get specialists Matt Le Tissier or Graham Alexander on board for the next tournament they'll lose far more than they win.

[beninho]

First half good. But after Italy made the tweaks it took too long to counter them. But we were pushed so far back. The Italian press was impressive but they also kept enough back, that Sterling always had 3 on him same with Kane. The person getting the ball with space was Rice, which is what you'd want if Italian.

Mount was anonymous, like most games, probably shoukd have been swapped for Grealish earlier, but would that have weakened the midfield more?

Penalties are penalties and we only have 1 regular taker in the team, and Rashford used to be the taker for United and has a very good record.

But Harry Kane is as much a penalty expert as le tiss. His record is fantastic.

[super_realist]

Kane has missed 8 out of 52 penalties,  so not that fantastic and he even missed in the previous round only to get luck with the rebound.
Le Tissier scored 47 out of 48 and Alexander scored 73 out of 78. Far better %

[beninho]

And I would definitely rather lost on pens then lose in 90 or 120mins.

[dynamark]

Just read that Kane didnt have a single touch in the Italy box in the entire game.Also you have to question bringing on the 2 lads to takes penalties with only about a minute to go no chance to get a touch and feel involved.We came second

[super_realist]

Just read that Kane didnt have a single touch in the Italy box in the entire game.Also you have to question bringing on the 2 lads to takes penalties with only about a minute to go no chance to get a touch and feel involved.We came second  

Funny how LinkedIn was full of like baiting posts about Southgate's chin stroking leadership master stroke against Denmark, but nothing after throwing Saka et al under the bus.

Saka has never taken a penalty at professional level

[beninho]

Just read that Kane didnt have a single touch in the Italy box in the entire game.Also you have to question bringing on the 2 lads to takes penalties with only about a minute to go no chance to get a touch and feel involved.We came second  

Funny how LinkedIn was full of like baiting posts about Southgate's chin stroking leadership master stroke against Denmark, but nothing after throwing Saka et al under the bus.

Saka has never taken a penalty at professional level

Don't think many of the team had. Shaw, stones, Phillips, haven't either. Grealish only 1, and he missed it.

[beninho]

Just read that Kane didnt have a single touch in the Italy box in the entire game.Also you have to question bringing on the 2 lads to takes penalties with only about a minute to go no chance to get a touch and feel involved.We came second  

In terms of the players on the pitch bringing on two player yo take pens isn't a daft idea. Van Gaal did it with his keeper not long ago.

[dynamark]

Saka last pen was ridiculous.Pickford did his job saving 2/5.Im sure Stones/Shaw/Grealish/Sterling who had been involved probably feeling better,breathing better,got a feel for the pitch and the ball would have been a safer option.Anyway all done now

[dynamark]

Ben Leicester afew years back brought on a sub keeper with about 2 minutes to go to a penalty shoot out.Lad called Spider Kalac about 6 ft 6 and great at saving penalties.But we scored last minute and didnt need to use him !

[dynamark]

Ben Leicester afew years back brought on a sub keeper with about 2 minutes to go to a penalty shoot out.Lad called Spider Kalac about 6 ft 6  and great at saving penalties.But we scored last minute and didnt need to use him !

[beninho]

Ben Leicester afew years back brought on a sub keeper with about 2 minutes to go to a penalty shoot out.Lad called Spider Kalac about 6 ft 6  and great at saving penalties.But we scored last minute and didnt need to use him !

Wasn't that a Martin O'Neil move?

Martin O'Neil, wycombe manager when I started watching, and still a wycombe legend yo this day!

[JAS]

At the end of the day, when the dust settles, you have to say England had a good tournament and took some more strides forward. Before the tournament started most outside England and the smart money in England would have been predicting an Italian win given their form coming in and so that's what happened, no shame in that.

On the flip side the abuse of the penalty missers is quite disgusting but sadly quite predictable. The other amusing thing was the 1000's of Social Media experts who started the tournament highlighting all Southgates supposed flaws in team selection and tactical nous who then fell strangely quiet after the Germany game only to resurface last night.

The squad deserve praise and you can almost start having sympathy with some of the England support but there's still that small idiotic minority that don't deserve anything but condemnation and ridicule.

[McLaren]

Seemed pretty obvious what the issue was. I think I told the England fans a week or two back that Rice and Philips was not a viable central midfield. It is not enough to just be a combative player in that position. Look at Jorginho and especially Verratti. They are not just good at winning the ball they also know what to do with it once they get it and how to keep it.

England lost control of that match because they did not value picking players that could pass and keep the ball.

At some point English football needs to realise that not all midfielders who are good on the ball have to be wide left attackers. Foden for example could easily have filled one of the slots in the middle.

And FFS, get Sancho in the team.

[Duty281]

The other amusing thing was the 1000's of Social Media experts who started the tournament highlighting all Southgates supposed flaws in team selection and tactical nous who then fell strangely quiet after the Germany game only to resurface last night.

Possibly because Southgate made errors in tactical shape v Germany and further errors in both tactical shape and selection last night, but was pretty spot on for the Danish and Ukraine games?

[JAS]

Jas

... Travel guidance might be the least of our worries.

Unless you have a daughter and Grand-daughter in France who you haven't seen for a year, who are due to come over but have been holding off because of the potential cost and/or complexity of what the rules may or may not be. My daughter and her partner are both double jabbed but because the jabs weren't done by the NHS they don't count. The costs of mandatory PCR tests for three of them (her step-son is 12) on day 2 and day 5 or 8 and the need for them to quarantine makes it quite prohibitive to them coming.

Ah well it'll be ok after the 19th as we're abandoning all due care and attention (not what is being proposed I know but in reality that IS what will happen). Eh no, when we say Freedom Day we don't really mean Freedom Day at all. We're watching literally thousands of super spreaders in pubs up and down the country last night in a country with over 30000 daily infections already but we're worried about a double jabbed family from France (2500 daily infections) coming over and ruining our hard fought freedoms with inferior jabs. The xenophobic undertones of this shower of idiots running the country just beggars belief.

[Duty281]

Seemed pretty obvious what the issue was. I think I told the England fans a week or two back that Rice and Philips was not a viable central midfield. It is not enough to just be a combative player in that position. Look at Jorginho and especially Verratti. They are not just good at winning the ball they also know what to do with it once they get it and how to keep it.

England lost control of that match because they did not value picking players that could pass and keep the ball.  

At some point English football needs to realise that not all midfielders who are good on the ball have to be wide left attackers. Foden for example could easily have filled one of the slots in the middle.

And FFS, get Sancho in the team.

I'm not the biggest fan of Rice/Phillips, but it wasn't down to them that England struggled to keep the ball, they actually had good games last night comparative to their role. England couldn't keep the ball because of the tactical shape, their wing-backs couldn't get up the field (from about 30 minutes on), and that meant the only options ahead of Rice/Phillips were an increasingly tired Kane or an isolated Sterling.

Foden was injured last night (didn't make the bench), agree that Sancho should have played more than he did.

[JAS]

The other amusing thing was the 1000's of Social Media experts who started the tournament highlighting all Southgates supposed flaws in team selection and tactical nous who then fell strangely quiet after the Germany game only to resurface last night.

Possibly because Southgate made errors in tactical shape v Germany and further errors in both tactical shape and selection last night, but was pretty spot on for the Danish and Ukraine games?

and what football manager gets it right 100% of the time? Mancini will probably have got a few things wrong. I just find it a bit odd that doctors, bus drivers, engineers, burger flippers, whatever profession suddenly think they're experts at doing somebody else's job....they're not, if they were they'd be doing that and not the job they do.

[Duty281]

The other amusing thing was the 1000's of Social Media experts who started the tournament highlighting all Southgates supposed flaws in team selection and tactical nous who then fell strangely quiet after the Germany game only to resurface last night.

Possibly because Southgate made errors in tactical shape v Germany and further errors in both tactical shape and selection last night, but was pretty spot on for the Danish and Ukraine games?

and what football manager gets it right 100% of the time? Mancini will probably have got a few things wrong. I just find it a bit odd that doctors, bus drivers, engineers, burger flippers, whatever profession suddenly think they're experts at doing somebody else's job....they're not, if they were they'd be doing that and not the job they do.

No football manager, presumably, but it's fair game to criticise or praise as you see fit, everyone's entitled to an opinion without thinking that they're an 'expert'. Southgate made countless errors yesterday, and the difference between a quality manager like Mancini, who made brilliant tactical and personnel changes to wrest control of the game, and Southgate was brutally exposed.

[Soul Requiem]

The other amusing thing was the 1000's of Social Media experts who started the tournament highlighting all Southgates supposed flaws in team selection and tactical nous who then fell strangely quiet after the Germany game only to resurface last night.

Possibly because Southgate made errors in tactical shape v Germany and further errors in both tactical shape and selection last night, but was pretty spot on for the Danish and Ukraine games?

and what football manager gets it right 100% of the time? Mancini will probably have got a few things wrong. I just find it a bit odd that doctors, bus drivers, engineers, burger flippers, whatever profession suddenly think they're experts at doing somebody else's job....they're not, if they were they'd be doing that and not the job they do.

It hasn't stopped you for the past 18 months.

[super_realist]

At the end of the day, when the dust settles, you have to say England had a good tournament and took some more strides forward. Before the tournament started most outside England and the smart money in England would have been predicting an Italian win given their form coming in and so that's what happened, no shame in that.

On the flip side the abuse of the penalty missers is quite disgusting but sadly quite predictable. The other amusing thing was the 1000's of Social Media experts who started the tournament highlighting all Southgates supposed flaws in team selection and tactical nous who then fell strangely quiet after the Germany game only to resurface last night.

The squad deserve praise and you can almost start having sympathy with some of the England support but there's still that small idiotic minority that don't deserve anything but condemnation and ridicule.

Why are you worried about people spreading Covid now? We can't carry on with restrictions forever. It's well beyond the time when we have to accept a number of casualties.
Infections have indeed sky rocketed, but hospital admissions and deaths have not increased at anything like the same rate.

We are as protected about as much as ever can be. Move on.

[beninho]

The other amusing thing was the 1000's of Social Media experts who started the tournament highlighting all Southgates supposed flaws in team selection and tactical nous who then fell strangely quiet after the Germany game only to resurface last night.

Possibly because Southgate made errors in tactical shape v Germany and further errors in both tactical shape and selection last night, but was pretty spot on for the Danish and Ukraine games?

and what football manager gets it right 100% of the time? Mancini will probably have got a few things wrong. I just find it a bit odd that doctors, bus drivers, engineers, burger flippers, whatever profession suddenly think they're experts at doing somebody else's job....they're not, if they were they'd be doing that and not the job they do.

The first half England were tge better team, Italy negated. Southgates change worked. But into second half Italy changed it up and pushed England back. The wing backs became full backs. Should have changed it earlier in second half. But even when changed it didn't do much.

Saka did well up to the final and he was the obvious sub. Sancho is good but only so many wingers you can play in a team.

Mason Mount, I assume he is good, just didn't see it at all this tournament.

Kalvin Phillips is great.

[beninho]

And some of the online abuse is horrific, I hope people get sacked for it.

England players criticised by morons for taking a knee as a gesture against racism get racially abused by morons.

[McLaren]

Super

How come you are so keen for restrictions to end?

I assume you don't go out and do stuff that much more often in normal times compared to lockdown?

[super_realist]

Same morons singing the same players praises when they play well.

Football really does have the scummiest fans of any sport it would seem, especially if they are British fans.

[super_realist]

Super

How come you are so keen for restrictions to end?

I assume you don't go out and do stuff that much more often in normal times compared to lockdown?

It doesn't bother me much Mac, but people are trying to run business who are affected by it.
Lockdown hasn't been bad for middle class people like you or I on full pay at home and no threat of losing our jobs, but given the lack of tranferal of infections rates to hospital admissions or death and the best vaccine rollout in Europe with 98% of those vulnerable fully vaccinated, why hold back?

First it was to protect the NHS, well, that's not under strain from Covid anymore, then we had to stay in lockdown until the vulnerable were vaccinated, then it was the 70+, then the 60+, then the 50+ and then they start talking about variants which are no more deadly.

When a country is about as well protected as it ever will be, what is the point in any restrictions anymore?
Either vaccines are considered sufficient protection or they aren't, either the NHS is protected sufficiently or they are changing the goalposts.

What possible context is there in which restrictions can continue to be justified? Have you looked at death rates lately?

As of today 1.54% of NHS beds in England, Scotland and Wales are taken up by Covid patients.

[McLaren]

Super

That 1.54% must be crucial because I have many friends and family who are doctors/nurses and they are really struggling with the strain covid still puts on the system. Many ward's are still losing beds to covid and the situation is particularly bad for patients coming from or back into care home's.

With the NHS already having been pushed to the limit before covid it doesn't take much to break what little slack was left in the system.

I am also told that in order to get regular clinics back up and running we need an extended period of lockdown to get covid admissions to almost zero.

[Soul Requiem]

160,000 approx total hospital beds
2731 total covid patients
417 on ventilators

1.54% is there or thereabouts.

[super_realist]

160,000 approx total hospital beds
2731 total covid patients
417 on ventilators

1.54% is there or thereabouts.

164,000 beds in England and Wales, 13,000 in Scotland.

[super_realist]

Super

That 1.54% must be crucial because I have many friends and family who are doctors/nurses and they are really struggling with the strain covid still puts on the system. Many ward's are still losing beds to covid and the situation is particularly bad for patients coming from or back into care home's.

With the NHS already having been pushed to the limit before covid it doesn't take much to break what little slack was left in the system.

I am also told that in order to get regular clinics back up and running we need an extended period of lockdown to get covid admissions to almost zero.

Mac, how many lockdowns have we had now when that was the aim? Every time the numbers just go up again. We have to learn to live it it bubbling around about the 2-3% range. Why do so many middle class lefties want to keep us under constant conditions?

Using the excuse of covid zero just doesn't get you anywhere because it's impossible. If you can get the Indian variant into Australia with closed borders then you'll never get hospital rates to near zero in an international country like the UK.  
Your "friends" in medicine will just have to modify how they work and get a new strategy, because 18 months of lockdown conditions haven't helped yet in opening up the NHS, so why keep doing it?

[beninho]

Wonder if this comedian will soon complain about cancel culture when venues carry on cancelling his shows. What an absolute tool.

https://twitter.com/TheTall_Bot/status/1414550840623370244?s=19

[super_realist]

A very poor joke indeed. Never heard of him.

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