Media Discussion - 2023/24

[freshie]

 

[BlueMoonday]

Why does Henry Winter call some footballers by their first name as if he's their pal? Cringe as f*ck.

You aren't a footballer, they're not your pal, your opinion holds no more weight than fans who actually pay to watch the game.

 

[Kinkybyname]

MARTIN SAMUEL​

This isn't hindsight. This isn't being wise after the event.
It was obvious, the potential for calamity, the day the new offside rule was introduced. It was confirmed, in the first season, when Rui Patrício, of Wolverhampton Wanderers, suffered a savage yet unnecessary blow to the head when play should have long been stopped in a match against Liverpool. The Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson did not suffer like that, at least. He walked down the tunnel after five minutes. His injury had no potential threat to life.
Even so, it is a potential threat to Manchester City. It could derail them, yet further, given the current injuries to key personnel. It rocked them greatly at first last night against handy opponents. Stefan Ortega, Ederson's replacement, was beaten by two shots across his body before half-time. City seemed to lose composure at the back without Ederson and his absence was all so preventable. Pep Guardiola has every right to be upset, having been against this meddling from the start.
Football's authorities did not want attacks halted by marginal, erroneous, offside calls. Let play continue, they instructed, and then, if the ball is in the net, or when it goes dead, we'll see. And that's grand in principle, except not all offsides are marginal. Some, like the one last night, can be identified in real time when play should be stopped. Yet it wasn't and Ederson and Sean Longstaff collided. The goalkeeper tried to continue, but couldn't.
A little while later, another Newcastle counterattack strayed offside. This time, the same linesman raised his flag immediately. That's the clue. He didn't want to risk another calamity on his watch. So he knows it isn't right and a majority of coaches and players agree. Goalkeeping is dangerous. A similar type of incident left Petr Cech with injuries that necessitated protective headgear through the final 13 years of his career. He could have been killed that day in Reading. These days, someone could be killed for a passage of play the linesman knows is redundant, but is instructed to let unfold anyway. Misadventure and tragedy are inches apart in contact sport.
So we cannot say we are not forewarned or pretend this came as a shock. It looks little more than a straightforward collision injury and Manchester City do not play another league game until January 31.
Ederson may even be back then. But it did them no favours last night in a title race that is already very tight. And who knows the consequences next time? Because, without change, there will always be a next time

 

[Kinkybyname]

MARTIN SAMUEL​

This isn't hindsight. This isn't being wise after the event.
It was obvious, the potential for calamity, the day the new offside rule was introduced. It was confirmed, in the first season, when Rui Patrício, of Wolverhampton Wanderers, suffered a savage yet unnecessary blow to the head when play should have long been stopped in a match against Liverpool. The Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson did not suffer like that, at least. He walked down the tunnel after five minutes. His injury had no potential threat to life.
Even so, it is a potential threat to Manchester City. It could derail them, yet further, given the current injuries to key personnel. It rocked them greatly at first last night against handy opponents. Stefan Ortega, Ederson's replacement, was beaten by two shots across his body before half-time. City seemed to lose composure at the back without Ederson and his absence was all so preventable. Pep Guardiola has every right to be upset, having been against this meddling from the start.
Football's authorities did not want attacks halted by marginal, erroneous, offside calls. Let play continue, they instructed, and then, if the ball is in the net, or when it goes dead, we'll see. And that's grand in principle, except not all offsides are marginal. Some, like the one last night, can be identified in real time when play should be stopped. Yet it wasn't and Ederson and Sean Longstaff collided. The goalkeeper tried to continue, but couldn't.
A little while later, another Newcastle counterattack strayed offside. This time, the same linesman raised his flag immediately. That's the clue. He didn't want to risk another calamity on his watch. So he knows it isn't right and a majority of coaches and players agree. Goalkeeping is dangerous. A similar type of incident left Petr Cech with injuries that necessitated protective headgear through the final 13 years of his career. He could have been killed that day in Reading. These days, someone could be killed for a passage of play the linesman knows is redundant, but is instructed to let unfold anyway. Misadventure and tragedy are inches apart in contact sport.
So we cannot say we are not forewarned or pretend this came as a shock. It looks little more than a straightforward collision injury and Manchester City do not play another league game until January 31.
Ederson may even be back then. But it did them no favours last night in a title race that is already very tight. And who knows the consequences next time? Because, without change, there will always be a next time

 

[Kinkybyname]

This is getting silly now. It needs to stop. Eight minutes into last night's showpiece at St James' Park, Pep Guardiola was on the half-turn in his technical area signalling furiously at Stefan Ortega. His words? Something akin to: "Get your gloves on, lad. We need you." Manchester City's second-choice goalkeeper was required immediately: Ederson could not continue.
City's No 1 had been clattered a few minutes earlier by Sean Longstaff and then by Kyle Walker. There was no malice in the challenge; Longstaff was simply competing with Walker to tap in Alexander Isak's cross. Longstaff was successful and could do nothing to stop himself then colliding with Ederson, with Walker then crashing into his teammate. It was brave, ultimately costly, goalkeeping.
But here is the twist. The cost was not actually a Newcastle goal. Because no sooner had the net bulged, up went the assistant referee's high-visibility Battenberg flag. Isak had strayed just beyond Nathan Ake - the fact he did not need to be offside will doubtless irk Eddie Howe - and Longstaff 's effort was correctly ruled out. Instead, the price was Ederson's further participation.
Why, though, do we need to wait? Why is play not stopped earlier? Before the introduction of VAR, before Stockley Park's overseeing eye was involved, the flag would have been raised far earlier. And Ederson would not have even needed to move.
It first should be made very clear that this is not a criticism aimed at the official. He did exactly as he has been directed. Since the start of the 2020-21 season - a year after Var's introduction - Premier League assistants have, where they believe an immediate goalscoring opportunity will materialise, been directed to initially keep their flag down. There is not even the old-school soft signal anymore, the hand gesture to suggest all is OK. Only after the passage of play has run its course do arms get thrown into the air.
There is some sense in this. When the call is close, and the technology is there, why not let things pan out? But what about the welfare of the players? According to the latest census, in the UK a football supporter is never more than 20ft from a manager bemoaning the impact of a ridiculous fixture schedule. The last thing they need then is unnecessary injuries.
Ederson's injury was needless. Likewise, Guardiola would doubtless point out, was the ankle knock that John Stones suffered when tackling Beto at Goodison Park late last month. The England defender is yet to return.
Stones was integral to last year's crown, while Ederson has missed just 12 league games since he arrived in 2017. He has been nearimpeccable, a bastion of calm at the back, one of the original ball-playing goalkeepers. He is, like City, chasing his sixth title in seven seasons.
And so if Ederson remains absent for long, it might prove critical. Ortega is doubtless a decent goalkeeper, but the 31-year-old has spent most of his career in Germany's second tier.
There are few sides in the world who would not miss their firstchoice goalkeeper. City are no different. Brighton's Roberto De Zerbi - who rotates Jason Steele and Bart Verbruggen - is the only Premier League manager who probably would not blink at such an absence. Perhaps Mikel Arteta, too.
Guardiola (above, left) will be hoping Ederson's injury is not serious. At least this month's fixture list is kind. But please, will someone let the officials officiate the game?

 

[Kinkybyname]

This is getting silly now. It needs to stop. Eight minutes into last night's showpiece at St James' Park, Pep Guardiola was on the half-turn in his technical area signalling furiously at Stefan Ortega. His words? Something akin to: "Get your gloves on, lad. We need you." Manchester City's second-choice goalkeeper was required immediately: Ederson could not continue.
City's No 1 had been clattered a few minutes earlier by Sean Longstaff and then by Kyle Walker. There was no malice in the challenge; Longstaff was simply competing with Walker to tap in Alexander Isak's cross. Longstaff was successful and could do nothing to stop himself then colliding with Ederson, with Walker then crashing into his teammate. It was brave, ultimately costly, goalkeeping.
But here is the twist. The cost was not actually a Newcastle goal. Because no sooner had the net bulged, up went the assistant referee's high-visibility Battenberg flag. Isak had strayed just beyond Nathan Ake - the fact he did not need to be offside will doubtless irk Eddie Howe - and Longstaff 's effort was correctly ruled out. Instead, the price was Ederson's further participation.
Why, though, do we need to wait? Why is play not stopped earlier? Before the introduction of VAR, before Stockley Park's overseeing eye was involved, the flag would have been raised far earlier. And Ederson would not have even needed to move.
It first should be made very clear that this is not a criticism aimed at the official. He did exactly as he has been directed. Since the start of the 2020-21 season - a year after Var's introduction - Premier League assistants have, where they believe an immediate goalscoring opportunity will materialise, been directed to initially keep their flag down. There is not even the old-school soft signal anymore, the hand gesture to suggest all is OK. Only after the passage of play has run its course do arms get thrown into the air.
There is some sense in this. When the call is close, and the technology is there, why not let things pan out? But what about the welfare of the players? According to the latest census, in the UK a football supporter is never more than 20ft from a manager bemoaning the impact of a ridiculous fixture schedule. The last thing they need then is unnecessary injuries.
Ederson's injury was needless. Likewise, Guardiola would doubtless point out, was the ankle knock that John Stones suffered when tackling Beto at Goodison Park late last month. The England defender is yet to return.
Stones was integral to last year's crown, while Ederson has missed just 12 league games since he arrived in 2017. He has been nearimpeccable, a bastion of calm at the back, one of the original ball-playing goalkeepers. He is, like City, chasing his sixth title in seven seasons.
And so if Ederson remains absent for long, it might prove critical. Ortega is doubtless a decent goalkeeper, but the 31-year-old has spent most of his career in Germany's second tier.
There are few sides in the world who would not miss their firstchoice goalkeeper. City are no different. Brighton's Roberto De Zerbi - who rotates Jason Steele and Bart Verbruggen - is the only Premier League manager who probably would not blink at such an absence. Perhaps Mikel Arteta, too.
Guardiola (above, left) will be hoping Ederson's injury is not serious. At least this month's fixture list is kind. But please, will someone let the officials officiate the game?

 

[Kinkybyname]

Professional Game Match Officials Ltd must use the Ederson incident as the reason for changing the criteria to allow assistant referees to raise their flags when a player is clearly offside.
It was obvious Alexander Isak was offside as soon as the ball was played over the top, yet play continued and Ederson was injured when he, Sean Longstaff and Kyle Walker collided after the Swede crossed into the middle.
When the decision is as clear as that, surely player safety and common sense must come first and play should be stopped. For players to potentially suffer a serious problem when there is no need is terrible for the game. If the decision is tight and there is doubt then I agree with the process, but this was not one of those occasions.
PGMOL does not have to seek agreement to make this change either, it can simply do so and inform managers and clubs of the change.

 

[halfcenturyup]

We've had two players injured now whilst the lino keeps his flag down.

If that is lfc or arsenal, utd players (especially), getting injured there would be a campaign by the media to get the rule changed.

As it is, it has injured City players so they don't give a shit. But wait until this impacts one of theirs. Then everyone will read about the damage that rule is causing. But it needs changing for gods sake

Stupid rule just for VAR. Should be fucked off.

 

[Iassel]

Well, that's a disappointment. I actually registered with the BBC to complain about this Nezza guy referring to illegal spending, expecting to be refused, and so I could build a case for bias against City. I got this. The bastards.

Whilst acknowledging that bluemoon collectively adores a ‘lizard people’-esque conspiracy theory, the idea that the BBC moderating team are conspiring to keep City down is one of the more bonkers ones.

It’s staffed almost exclusively by 21 year olds in their first grad jobs, many of whom will have no interest in football at all, and who hate everyone involved as they’d rather not be having to spend their Saturday nights/Sunday mornings moderating 40+ year olds arguing like little kids under a match report.

 

[pauls]

Professional Game Match Officials Ltd must use the Ederson incident as the reason for changing the criteria to allow assistant referees to raise their flags when a player is clearly offside.
It was obvious Alexander Isak was offside as soon as the ball was played over the top, yet play continued and Ederson was injured when he, Sean Longstaff and Kyle Walker collided after the Swede crossed into the middle.
When the decision is as clear as that, surely player safety and common sense must come first and play should be stopped. For players to potentially suffer a serious problem when there is no need is terrible for the game. If the decision is tight and there is doubt then I agree with the process, but this was not one of those occasions.
PGMOL does not have to seek agreement to make this change either, it can simply do so and inform managers and clubs of the change.


View attachment 104036

Was also responsible for the Rashford farce last season.