Should Newcastle stars take a stand? Liverpool title chances and…

Editor F365
Chelsea versus Newcastle

The Newcastle and Chelsea stars are awfully quiet as Liverpool fans play down their chances.

Keep your thoughts coming to theeditor@football365.com.

 

Quiet players
Yes, another one of those insufferable posts about dodgy money and football.

And yes I know: LEtS KeEp POlitICs OUt oF SPOrt (eSPEciaLLy if iT’S aBOUt mY TEam), but I am not sure we can any more. It seems to me that politics has thrust itself into sports / been welcomed in by the powers that be (take yer pick), so it’s something that we should definitely be discussing, especially right now, what with white Europeans being killed and everything.

There has been plenty of chat about whether or not it is fair that managers like Tuchel and Howe are asked difficult questions by journalists (yes, IMO, they are intelligent human beings who made a conscious and informed decision to put their snouts in the dirty money trough), but what of the players?

The players are REALLY quiet.

I am not sure I can blame them. These things are complex, and in an age of disinformation, it’s hard sometimes to see the wood from the trees, even in an apparently binary situation (Ukraine good, Russian bad) because of money and influence and corruption and lies and disingenuity and virtue signalling, and so many more factors. Obviously, it’s fine to show support for Ukraine, nay it is expected at this point, but let’s not go scratching the surface too much and getting into anything like detail.

It’s not a surprise that players stay away from anything but the most superficial of comments.

However, will we see, at any point, a player saying, you know what, I don’t want to be paid by dirty money? Will anyone hand in a transfer request and ask to leave? Is there no-one at (to be salient) Chelsea and Newcastle who will show some moral principles and fortitude? Will anyone make a stand?

As was pointed out in the comments section yesterday, Papiss Cisse refused to wear football clothing adorned with Wonga logos, on the grounds that his Muslim religion forbade him from promoting such a disgusting company. And everyone looked the other way, presumably because they didn’t want to get involved in anything that might look like it was infringing on religious freedoms. Good for Cisse, by the way. It was refreshing to see someone stand up against something, but I wish he (and others) would do shit like this on the grounds that they have moral discomfort, rather than because of the arbitrary rules of a deity.

Or, do we carry on giving literally everyone in the game who is profiting from dodgy money/practices on the grounds that it’s not their fight, and they are just trying to earn a living?

I would love to see a player or two draw a line in the sand and say enough is enough. Will it ever happen? I doubt it somehow.
Mat (writing this to avoid the banality of RL)

Illogical sportswashing
Sportswashing has to be one of the most expensive, illogical and futile exercises known to man. All it succeeds in doing is focusing more attention on the evils of these Suadi murderers and Russian gangsters. The more these psychopaths spend the greater the spotlight on their crimes. Yes, there’ll always be the moronic fan who wears a tea-towel on their heads and dances for joy outside St. James’ Park, celebrating a regime that beheads homosexuals or women accused of having affairs, or chants Abramovich’s name from the stands while children are blown apart in Ukraine, but these guys were willing idiots before the crooks took hold of their club and will continue to be willing idiots long after. Elsewhere, thousands who would previously have been ignorant of mass murder in Saudi prisons or how Putin’s oligarch cronies fund the undermining of western democracies, are suddenly confronted with the reality of their saviour’s brutality. Again, theses fans may choose to turn a blind eye to their owner’s crimes, but that is something for their own conscious to deal with.
Stan – boycott Qatar – LFC 

Owner greed
Read Jon Nicholson’s article this morning had some fair points, however whilst ethical ownership is the number 1 phrase on everyone’s lips at the minute it fails to recognise the key issue……. ‘Greed’.

There are so many leaches in the game of football it needs the funds of a Qatar, Saudi, Kuwait nation to compete at the very top. The talk of Haaland wanting £500k per week, his agent and Dad wanting a £40 million payment, shows us how far down the rabbit hole we have gone. Wage bills at football clubs are obscene and the pressure on wages works it’s way down the football pyramid. This is turn forces football to entertain sponsorship from other unethical avenues.

This drives the requirements for funds to greater and greater heights, first it was the business owner who owned a football club, then it became millionaires like the Moores family, then Jack Walker. In Europe families of motor manufacturers, Spain, state aid. Then came Roman who we thought was beyond rich only to be trumped by the wealth of nation states.

If you want ethical ownership then we need a reset in football financing across Europe and the world, those who advocate the changes to the UK miss the fact that the PL will not want to weaken their product in the face of European competition and vice versa. Federations will not want to see any perceived devaluing of their product. So we have the challenge of how to move football away from greed and dark money.

We need to Franchise or licence football. Licencing would be given on passing a “Fit and Proper” person/organisation test. Once given, a fee would be paid to operate. This is held in trust and would be payable to employees, should be business go bust.

An operating budget would be assigned to clubs and they would need to work within, failure to do so would see the removal of their franchise. Having to operate within a budget would curtail wage and transfer inflation as clubs are forced to make decisions on the composition of their squad’s wages and transfers. This would ensure that top talent was shared around European leagues and force clubs to invest in their youth squads (these could also be subject to an operating budget to stop clubs hoovering up talent).

But if you want ethical ownership then we need a stable financial environment. Without this framework you’re pissing in the wind when it comes to football ownership as money will always be the winner. Of course the other issue is whether the clubs at the top table would allow a more equitable access to competition.
P. Didi

Whataboutism
In answer to Scott’s question:

1) Newcastle are owned ultimately by the state that sets the policy, none of those other clubs he mentions are – there is nothing wrong with happening to come from Saudi Arabia – that isnt the point; and

2) the very day Howe was asked the state literally executed 81 people for some pretty opaque offences like “deviant thinking”.

It’s not comparable, you know it wasn’t comparable, and even if it was comparable – two wrongs don’t make a right. Whataboutism is tedious enough but at least try and cite some actual wrongdoing next time please.
Andy (MUFC)

‘Hamtrung’ Chelsea?
Oh dear Aaron CFC Ireland,

“…our club is being hamstrung at every turn and genuinely only being held together by not much other than two of the best managers in the world and a bloody monster siege mentality and it may all be for nothing in a month’s time if a sale doesn’t go through and you think it’s funny? You guys used to be cool, kicking people when they’re down literally fighting for their existence is a dick move man.”

To your first question: “Yes”

Secondly, “kicking people when they’re literally fighting for their existence”. Really, Aaron? Really? You dare write that sentence when there is LITERALLY (like literally literally) people fighting for their existence and dying in an actual war partly funded by your football club, but your main concern is a football site hypothetically rescinding your bought trophies of the last two decades, and the fact that your club is being ‘hamstrung’. Have a little think, yeah?
Richard, SA

An appalled Chelsea fan
Chaos has surrounded Chelsea for as long as I can remember. I’ve supported the club for 40 years and seen many highs and lows during that time. My family have been going to the Bridge since the 1920’s. The success the club has enjoyed during his tenure has been amazing. We really have seen things I didn’t think were possible.

I’m also pleased Roman’s time has come to an end. The way he created his wealth was always questionable and it really beggars belief why he was ever allowed to buy it in the first place. I’ve been thoroughly depressed at the chanting of his name recently (although thankfully, this was noticeably less at the weekend than in previous matches). I also can’t understand why there is still a banner up of the Russian flag. Really, it is time to move on. Its appalling.

What happens next is where my efforts are focused. I don’t want us to be bought by a Saudi group. In many ways that would be worse than the last 20 years given the well documented human rights issues/Yemen/beheading etc etc. Roman bought Chelsea as a high profile shield to protect himself from Putin. A Saudi owned Chelsea would be pure unadulterated sports washing of a hateful regime.

Whatever happens, I’ll remain a supporter. It’s too late to change my allegiance and ultimately if it stopped the club from disappearing, it’s the better option but not one I am in favour of but what choice do I, or any fan have?

Regardless of the players there are hundreds of employees at the club. Some have already been let go and the others have no idea if they are going to be paid or how long they will remain employed. They are the ones I feel sorry for, not the billionaires.

KTBFFH
Matt Barlow

 

Ed’s Palace insights
I’m not sure how new a feature it is but Facebook now encourages users to wish someone a happy birthday by sharing photos of you and them, making their special day about you. Apropos of nothing, after the final whistle last night I had several messages from Liverpool fans supposedly congratulating Crystal Palace but really talking about their title chances.

*Patrick Vieira kept the same team and formation from the win over Wolverhampton Wanderers, with one small but significant change: Marc Guehi wore the captain’s armband. It’s hugely encouraging that one of the youngest and least experienced players in the team has the sort of leadership qualities that should serve him and his teams well throughout his career.

*Palace clearly went into the game knowing they would have to do a lot of defending and went about their task diligently, but they did more than simply spoil. When they beat Manchester City last time around it was in part because their forwards pressed the Citizens’ central defenders – this approach yielded the opening goal and a red card – and a couple of early chances arrived this way last night, as Wilfried Zaha and Jean-Philippe Mateta combined to create an opportunity for Michael Olise. Later on, Conor Gallagher also took advantage of some dithering in the visitors’ back line and almost gave the Eagles an unlikely lead.

*When the Eagles faced Liverpool, although they didn’t win, they did show how beating Liverpool could be done when they scored a goal that showed just how bad the Reds’ centre-backs were for ball-watching. Similarly, Palace’s diligence and hard work last night meant that Manchester City lost possession more times than they had in any Premier League fixture bar one: the previous meeting of these teams.

*Manchester City’s recent successes have been built on a few pillars: obscene wealth, great players, excellent coaching, and tactical fouling. Last night they had three times as much possession as their hosts but also committed double the number of fouls (well, 11 to 6). That these only returned a single yellow card shows just how well they rotated responsibility for illegally breaking up potential counter attacks. It contributed just as much to the scrappiness of the game as Palace’s own efforts in the dark arts, the teaching of which is the pedagogical equivalent of Spinal Tap’s drummer. Or Watford manager.

*While it didn’t make the same headlines for obvious reasons, another big call Palace made was allowing Patrick van Aanholt to leave and fully endorse Tyrick Mitchell as the starting left-back. Similarly, while other players have had more attention, Mitchell is quietly having a very good season. Up against Riyad Mahrez and Kevin de Bruyne, he put up these numbers:

*When the final whistle went, supporters in the ground roared their appreciation and stayed behind in large numbers singing songs; fans following the game around the country presumably leapt off sofas, arms aloft (oh, just me then). Or, if you’re part of the social media celebration police, we celebrated like we’d won the Champions League, and none of us particularly care what you joyless incels think. Last minute winners and unlikely draws having gone toe to toe with a superior team are exactly the sort of things football fans should go wild about.

*According to the Five Year Plan Fanzine, a Ukrainian family were guests of Palace, having been in London before the Russian invasion and left unable to get home. Both teams arranged for them to meet Oleksandr Zinchenko, who presented them with his shirt. Just a brilliant moment all round.

*Next up for Palace, they face Everton in the FA Cup on Sunday lunchtime. Perfect timing as it means I can watch it with F365’s man in Japan on Zoom.
Ed Quoththeraven

 

Liverpool fans play down title chances
It’s exciting that City dropped points again. Of course it is. We all want a title race and hope is what football is all about. However, let’s be clear: City are still firm favourites. Not only do they have a lead, and a meeting with Liverpool at home, they also have the easier run it.

I’ve compared the two sides and the teams they are playing against up until the rest of the season. Rather than doing this based on league position, I’ve gone for the form table. Where each team is placed based on the last ten matches. I’ve also ignored the Liverpool v City game for this comparison.

For their home games, Liverpool will play the teams in 16th, 20th, 9th, 7th and 6th in the form table. City play 16th, 5th, 10th & 15th. That works out as almost identical 11.6 vs 11.7.

The away matches are where City have the advantage. Liverpool play 2nd, 10th, 5th & 11th (average 7), whereas City play 14th, 7th, 19th & 8th (average 11.5).

Liverpool have some tough fixtures. Throw into the mix that City have home advantage when Liverpool and City meet, the title is really theirs to lose.

It also underlines just how massive Wednesday’s match is. It’s the toughest fixture Liverpool will play before end of the season, excluding City. If Liverpool lose, the title race is almost over. Draw and its still possible but more difficult. If Liverpool win, then there’s a chance but they’d still probably need to win at the Ethiad.

In other words, its exciting to have a race, but lets not get carried away. City are firm favourites. Last nights result, did not change that.
Mike, LFC, London

Klopp speaks on the title race

 

I hate you be the wet blanket to the flames of Liverpool’s “title charge”. But I would like urge caution and humility to my fellow reds (you at the back, stop laughing).

Last night’s city result changes nothing. We still need to win all of our games (or draw 1, win 9, better GD), including winning at the Etihad. So let’s not revel too much in the leaders extending their lead by a point as opposed to the customary 3.

I think the Arsenal we play tomorrow will  be very different to the one we beat 4-0 at Anfield (when they did have their chances early on remember). So let’s focus on getting behind Liverpool and leave them to it.

Cheers,
Marc (exciting though, isn’t it?)

 

Seen it mentioned a few times now in various media outlets, that Man City v Liverpool on April 10th is a ‘title decider’.  As a Liverpool fan, I am of course excited to see how the title race goes, and for the first time this season am now optimistic of our chances.  Arsenal will be a tough game, they are in excellent form and have the players that can cause us problems.  So all the talk of Liverpool closing the gap to one point is a bit premature.  Remember how Arsenal pushed Man City themselves all the way a couple of months ago.  IF we do win, then there is a break until our next League game against Watford, in which time the media frenzy will be in overdrive.  Then comes April 10th, City v Liverpool.

Going back to my first sentence, still don’t see this game being a ‘title decider’.  Over the last few weeks, Man City have drawn with Southampton and Palace, and lost to Spurs.  So if we draw at the Etihad, or even lose, would City fans comfortably be confident that they WILL win all their remaining games, when they have dropped quite a few points recently to let Liverpool back in?  Both teams are capable of doing so, but there is no guarantee either or both will do so.  To me it feels less a forgone conclusion that whoever is top come 6.30pm on April 10th wins the title, than it did last time we were separated by a point.

The title race has a few surprises to come, just hope tomorrow at the Emirates isn’t one of them.
Kevin

Forgotten worldies
There are so many forgotten worldies that need revisiting and it was a great question brought up in the Mailbox by Paul, Manchester this morning.

For Chelsea i do have a few, everyone remembers the:

Oscar vs QPR 2014/15  – Outside of the boot finish, think Ricardo Quaresma, our goal of the season too

Didier Drogba vs Spurs 2011/12 – Back to goal, brings the ball down, spins the defender and volleys the ball into the top corner

Eden Hazard vs Stoke City 2012/13 – When i think Hazard i rarely think long ranger screamer, but against Stoke in his first season he did just that

David Lee vs Manchester United 1992/93 – Now this is a throwback, long ranger screamer that i dont think anyone mentions

Andriy Shevchenko vs Aston Villa 2007/08 – Barely scored for us but when he did, oofttt
The Admin @ At The Bridge Pod

 

Fun question from Paul. Watching some random old goals last night, I stumbled on to Robbie Fowler’s goal against SK Brann in the 96-97 Cup Winners Cup.

He flicked a headed pass over his shoulder, taking out the defender, before firing low past the keeper. I’ve not seen it in years andn completely forgotten it. Lovely stuff
Tom, Norn Iron

 

You gave me Niclas Jensen, I’ll raise you Danny Mills for City vs Everton.

Forgotten by fellow Blues mainly because it’s Danny f***ing Mills and remembered more for the 11:15 AM kick-off time.  I blame China.
@rubym83

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