***Official*** English Football Season 2019-20

[sledger]

He did get a bit of stick for a while iirc. But I think by that stage it wasn't quite as fashionable for the press to hate on England players. Not white ones anyway.

 

[Pothas]

I think it got more spread around the team as well. It was the end of Sven, think he took some criticism. Hoddle is still seen as some sort of potential great England manager for reasons I have never quite figured out.

 

[Furball]

If Simeone had played for say Spurs and been widely despised for being a prick then Beckham would have got it much easier.

 

[Uppercut]

How ****ing good was young Zola. I forgot that his whole Chelsea career was well past his peak. Probably underrated in England for that reason, even though he’s rated very highly.

 

[Pothas]

Yeah pretty much all those guys that came over back then were not at the peak of their career. Keegan still brought out the 'best league in the world' line in the Euro 96 commentary which made me smile, was not sure when that started. Was certainly not based on Champions League performance at the time.

 

[wpdavid]

I think it got more spread around the team as well. It was the end of Sven, think he took some criticism.

Yes, I think you're spot on. From what I remember, there was some pretty widespread frustration at the failure of the 'golden generation' to get beyond the last 8 in three successive tournaments, as well as a perception at the whole celebrity/WAG culture that seemed to surround the team, which was bigger than and beyond Rooney's contribution. Maybe unfairly so, but that's how I remember it. I don't remember Rooney taking a lot of flack, certainly way less than Beckham in '98, even though jumping on Carvalho's balls was worse than Beckham's sly kick at Simeone. Actually, maybe that was part of it; Beckham's petulant back heel in the general direction of DS was deemed in some quarters to be a worse character defect than Rooney's red mist moment.

 

[wpdavid]

He got more abuse than any player I have ever known, yes the night we were knocked out and a few days after I despised him but by the time the new season came round I wasn't bothered as it wasn't as if he would have wanted to lose us the game he just messed up. The stick he got after was way over the top but then again when you think about it people are still salty about Peter Bonnetti in 70 so I guess it is understandable he would have been blamed for a long time.

I'm old enough to remember the 1970 WC, and I don't think Bonetti took anything like the abuse that Beckham did. Obviously he was criticised, but there wasn't the sheer hatred, and we didn't see people burning effigies of him.

 

[wpdavid]

After we got knocked out in 98, I remember someone moaning to me that if Ian Wright hadn't got injured, Owen wouldn't even have gone.

Now given Les Ferdinand was in the squad and got no game time, I wasn't convinced. But I have always wondered.

I suppose Ferdinand was cover for Shearer, whereas Owen/Wright were challenging for Sheringham's role. I suspect your mate's probably right, crazy as it sounds now.

 

[GIMH]

If Fowler hadn't got injured we'd have gone with quite the forward mine, potentially

 

[Furball]

If Fowler hadn't got injured we'd have gone with quite the forward mine, potentially

On paper, but Fowler was another one who never really cracked international football, as much as I loved him as a player.

 

[GIMH]

On paper, but Fowler was another one who never really cracked international football, as much as I loved him as a player.

Arguably only really because he never really got the crack behind Shearer and was then never the same post-98. But you're right.

 

[Matteh]

If Fowler hadn't got injured we'd have gone with quite the forward mine, potentially

Fowler didn't play much for England at his absolute best peak and then kinda did once the injuries started.

Would've been lethal at his peak in what was later called the Darius Vassel role.

 

[Matteh]

How ****ing good was young Zola. I forgot that his whole Chelsea career was well past his peak. Probably underrated in England for that reason, even though he’s rated very highly.

That first half season at Chelsea he was awesome and instantly became one of my favourite players. Let alone all the stuff he'd done before at Parma.

Helped turn a Chelsea side with the likes of Frank Sinclair and Eddie Newton into double domestic cup and ECWC winners. The start of the timeline that sees Chelsea end up with Abrahmovich.

 

[GIMH]

League 2 want their full promotion quota but no relegation

Because of course

 

[vcs]

I don't think I've ever watched a full Bundesliga game in my life before today but I'm really enjoying this Dortmund-Schalke match.

 

[tony p]

It's getting to the stage now that I don't think any football will be played in the Championship, League 1 or League 2.

The Premier League are most likely still going to play, if only for the money.

I propose a plan for the lower divisions.

CHAMPIONSHIP- Leeds & W.B.A. promoted to the Premier League, no playoffs, ( if it's to risky or unsafe in the current climate to complete the season, then it's to risky and unsafe to have playoffs.)
REMEMBER, the playoffs were brought in for extra revenue and give teams AN EXTRA CHANCE for promotion, why should they get extra chances to play while the teams in 7th and 8th and those battling relegation sit on their arses.

This means that only the bottom 2 go down from the PREMIER LEAGUE, to the Championship for this season only.

LEAGUE 1- Coventry & Rotherham promoted to the championship, Barnsley & Luton go down to League 1, ( NO PLAYOFFS)

LEAGUE 2- Crewe, Swindon & Plymouth promoted to League 1, and with Bury already gone from League 1, Southend & Bolton get relegated to League 2, leaving 24 teams in the division. ( NO PLAYOFFS)

Although League 2 have said that they don't relegation, Stevenage should go and Barrow be promoted, ( NO PLAYOFFS IN THE CONFERENCE EITHER).

That's about as fair as it can be, people will be unhappy of course, but there should be NO playoffs of any description in any league.
You can't have some teams playing and other's not, plus so many teams have players in furlough too.

 

[Pothas]

I think this guy is against playoffs.

 

[GIMH]

Even if I didn't have a horse in the race though, play offs would be insanity if no other games take place.

Here let's play games to decide these promotions but nobody else gets the chance to play themselves out of trouble

 

[sledger]

Yeah, agreed. Manifestly procedurally unfair.

 

[Magrat Garlick]

behind closed doors games isn't really an option for the Third or Fourth Division right? would be purely expenses for putting games on and player wages but barely any income?