The Round Ball Game

[teamsaint]

Agree as a half Geordie it was bit upsetting - but any thoughts on Pardews 8 year contract?

Perhaps the toon will sack him and get that promising lad at Norwich.......

Funny game.......

Pard's 8 year contract would be daft, if it wasn't for the fact that he and Mike whatsisname are casino chums....allegedly.
TBF, he did a great job last year, and his real talent is in picking out a decent player, IMO. Still, they looked a moderate side yesterday. The Europa League is football madness...

[antongould]

Pard's 8 year contract would be daft, if it wasn't for the fact that he and Mike whatsisname are casino chums....allegedly.
TBF, he did a great job last year, and his real talent is in picking out a decent player, IMO. Still, they looked a moderate side yesterday. The Europa League is football madness...

You are all wisdom and on a roll to boot.....

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

Dave Sexton Obituary

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

The sheer arrogance of the Chelsea supporters' mafia staggers me. So what if they don't like the new manager? If they can do better, fair enough. If not, they should stop being a pain.

[aeolium]

If I followed a lower league team (as most of the time I have) it might be different, but I've fallen out of love with the game. Berbatov will get bored at Fulham, surrounded by lesser players. Jol will keep talking himself up.

Watching India v England I realised how much I love cricket. I barely shrugged at Fulham's loss to Stoke.

Yes, my real sporting affection has always been for cricket first, though I have to say that no England victory has given me as much pleasure as Glamorgan's championship successes in 1969 and 1997, and though test cricket is still wonderfully compelling at times the money now in the game is in danger of ruining it completely (as is the hiving off of TV coverage to subscription channels). Rugby union was also an early interest, especially watching the local derbies involving Swansea in the pre-professional days and the great Welsh side of the 1970s. Football tended to come third, though I liked to follow Swansea' fortunes and am glad that they have found success while playing in an attractive style. Recently I have been more interested in following non-league football due to a family connection with one of the players and even though the football is not of the greatest I have enjoyed the experience of seeing contests that are not simply a matter of pawns being moved in a game of high finance, passionate loyalties in small crowds, struggles against injury, debt and the fear of the drop by footballers who will never own flats in six countries or drive Ferraris but are still doing their best. The hype and the money, while making football ostensibly a glossier package, are in reality threatening its heart.

[gurnemanz]

Pard's 8 year contract would be daft, if it wasn't for the fact that he and Mike whatsisname are casino chums....allegedly.
TBF, he did a great job last year, and his real talent is in picking out a decent player, IMO. Still, they looked a moderate side yesterday. The Europa League is football madness...

Palace fans still regard Pards as their man who will eventually end up back there. So far quite happy with Ian Holloway, though, thoroughly good bloke.

[EdgeleyRob]

Palace fans still regard Pards as their man who will eventually end up back there. So far quite happy with Ian Holloway, though, thoroughly good bloke.

Cracking post match interviews too.

[EdgeleyRob]

Only one goal this evening

Sunderland 0 QPR 0.
Hull City 0 Crystal Palace 0.
Leeds United 1 Leicester City 0.
Sheffield Wednesday 1 Watford 4.
Ross County 0 St Mirren 0.

[teamsaint]

Only one goal this evening

Sunderland 0 QPR 0.
Hull City 0 Crystal Palace 0.
Leeds United 1 Leicester City 0.
Sheffield Wednesday 1 Watford 4.
Ross County 0 St Mirren 0.

Watford..i hope cloughie has some good music to fall back on tonight...
LCFC could have done with a point also.
Saints back in the bottom 3 for now....

[johncorrigan]

Only one goal this evening

Ross County 0 St Mirren 0.

Thanks Rob - classic footie innit - last time they played a 5-4 thriller with a final minute winner for the Saints in Paisley and this time scoreless in Dingwall - actually that would make a film title!

[aeolium]

Only one goal this evening

My solution to these dreary nil-all games is to make them no-pointers. No team would be able to get a point for a draw unless they scored a goal, so in three of the games listed by ER none of the teams would get points. This would get rid of the negative and defensive approaches by some away sides who clearly go into the game without any intention of trying to win it; they would realise that they couldn't get a point unless they scored.

[johncorrigan]

My solution to these dreary nil-all games is to make them no-pointers. No team would be able to get a point for a draw unless they scored a goal, so in three of the games listed by ER none of the teams would get points. This would get rid of the negative and defensive approaches by some away sides who clearly go into the game without any intention of trying to win it; they would realise that they couldn't get a point unless they scored.

It's an interesting thought, aeolium. However it would seem last night's scoreless in Dingwall was pretty entertaining - I've been at some good nilnils over the year and, strangely enough, one of the worst games I ever saw was a cup game that ended 3-3. The whole game was littered with goalkeeping and defensive errors, but not in an enjoyable way, and the game was dull. So more goals doesn't always make for more fun.

[aeolium]

So more goals doesn't always make for more fun.

You're right there, johncorrigan. But I think most of the nil-all games I've seen have been pretty poor, and the point of the change would be to discourage a defensive approach, an attitude that you can get something (a point) for nothing. And of course the goalless team would not go away completely unrewarded for their stalwart defence - they would have denied the opposition any points.

[cloughie]

It's an interesting thought, aeolium. However it would seem last night's scoreless in Dingwall was pretty entertaining - I've been at some good nilnils over the year and, strangely enough, one of the worst games I ever saw was a cup game that ended 3-3. The whole game was littered with goalkeeping and defensive errors, but not in an enjoyable way, and the game was dull. So more goals doesn't always make for more fun.

Particularly if they go in the wrong end in large quantities!

[EdgeleyRob]

But I think most of the nil-all games I've seen have been pretty poor

There have beem some really entertaining scoreless draws over the years.
Remember any of these ?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2007/aug/14/newsstory.sport14