Premier League Round Up (Jan 14-19 2023)

[tlw content]

 

Another shitty weekend where Everton provided the only crumb of comfort. While we hit rock bottom with a season’s worst display at Brighton, teams around us won and somehow Man United were spring-boarded into a title race. How the hell did that happen? Well partly because Man City are looking like they’ve caught a mid dose of whatever had laid us low this season.

 

City should have won that game. They were the better side and had control as well as a one goal lead. Then they got screwed by one of the most farcical decisions in many a year and then they capitulated and conceded again. They looked shellshocked and were never going to find an equaliser. I should take pleasure of seeing them struggle but if anything it just makes me hate them even more. When we needed them to drop points they never fucking did. And then when it doesn’t matter to us because we’re shite, they start doing this. Pricks.

 

What makes it worse is that by losing this they allowed United to get within a point of them and start dreaming about the title. They won’t win the title but it bothers me massively that they even get to dream about it. Look where they were a year ago, when we utterly fucking mauled them at Old Trafford (and Anfield for that matter). Now they’re in a title race and we’re 9th! I suppose the only consolation in that is it puts a different slant on our own future. We might think it’s all doom and gloom but it can turn around really quickly, so we live in hope.

 

Look at the absolute kip of the United starting eleven in this game. Wan-Bissaka and Malacia the full backs, Luke Shaw playing centre back with Varane, Fred is still getting games and Martial is not only still there, he’s leading the fucking line. They’re punching well above their weight this season and I guess Ten Hag deserves credit for that because they’re doing better than they should be.

 

I have to talk about that Fernandes goal though. Anyone who thinks that there is corruption involved here might have a point. I don’t think that’s the case but this decision was sooooooooo fucking ridiculous that I don’t think anything can be entirely ruled out. It’s probably just Stuart Atwell being Stuart Atwell, but you do have to wonder how it’s even possible to look at that and say it’s fine.

 

Referees are often accused of ‘knowing the rules but not knowing the game’ but this cunt knows neither. Even with the shitty, clear as mud offside rule we currently have this is still never a goal in a month of Sundays. Rashford is well off, all the defenders know it, but he chases the ball right the way to the edge of the box before at the last second pulling out after Fernandes shouted. I’ve never seen a goal given in a similar situation before. Ever.

 

Two City defenders as well as the goalkeeper all do something differently than they would have done had Rashford not chased the ball all the way to the edge of the box. If you remove him from the equation, Akanje would make a different angle on his run to get the ball, Ederson would come out of his box to deal with it and there’s no way on Earth that Kyle Walker would be beaten to the ball by Fernandes. All of them are impacted by Rashford chasing the ball and looking like he was going to shoot right up until the last second.

 

I’m amazed it hasn’t been more scrutinised. Obviously it’s had some scrutiny and it’s been spoken about, but nowhere near as much as it should have been given the importance of the goal and the scandalous nature of it. I’m being deadly serious when I say this, but Stuart Atwell should never be allowed to referee a game of football again. If that isn’t a sackable offence I don’t know what it. The call is his, not the linesman and not VAR. This is on him and he should be punished accordingly.

 

I have seen some other people out there (mainly twitter knobheads) actually trying to legitimise his decision by saying “he didn’t touch the ball so technically its not offside”. If you hold that view, go and watch another sport because clearly this one is beyond your mental capacity. Atwell, you can be the first to leave you utterly incompetent bellend. Why is it that so many of these horrendous decisions seem to have this cunt involved somehow?

 

Maybe it didn’t get the scrutiny it deserved because it was United benefitting from it? Maybe it’s because it was City suffering, and literally nobody gives a fuck about them? I’m sure it would have been a different story if it was us they were chasing and not Arsenal. The “anyone but Liverpool” brigade would have been screaming from the rooftops about how rigged it all is.

 

I hate what football has become though. When a goal like that is allowed it makes an absolute mockery of our game. I said after our first game with Wolves that the morons who messed with offside to the point that Salah’s goal is now deemed as ok have no place in the game, and they’re also partially responsible for this shit, although it’s mostly just Atwell being Atwell. If they hadn’t fucked about so much with interpretations of offside though he wouldn’t have been able to give that goal. Bottom line, the game is massively worse off because of what they’ve done with offside.

 

I suppose I should try to take some consolation in City’s difficulties but it’s hard to get away from the feeling that they’ll just go on a run and end up winning something major. Even if it’s not the league this year (and it probably still will be) they won’t give a fuck about that if they can finally get the CL monkey off their back. That’s why I can’t enjoy them dropping points in the league because Arsenal are the only ones who benefit from that, and if the league goes for City they’ll just be doubling down on trying to win the big one. That's why I can't really enjoy this, because it's only temporary. Besides, it's being massively overblown too. They're one point worse off at halfway than we were last season, and look how many points we ended up with. 

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[Peter Cormack]

Massive bellend Shearer thought there was nothing wrong with the Fernandes goal. He tweeted that it was clever - he always was acheating twat. He was co-commentator on our game at Wolves and confirmed he has no clue about modern football. 

[Em City]

'The irony of them bringing him out on the pitch in a Ukranian shirt, in front of those fucking fans who were singing Abramovich’s name when the war started. Brazen.'

 

 

They were singing Abramovich's name last week when City hammered them in the FA Cup.

 

Chelsea fans are total scum.

[Razoray]

The Everton stuff will never get old. Revolting - love it. 

[DaveT]

1 hour ago, Peter Cormack said:

Massive bellend Shearer thought there was nothing wrong with the Fernandes goal. He tweeted that it was clever - he always was acheating twat. He was co-commentator on our game at Wolves and confirmed he has no clue about modern football. 

My mantra has always been: whatever Shearer says, the opposite must be true.

[alles ist gut]

Top, top villain analysis there, Dave.

[deiseach]

Now I understand why Everton and Newcastle have such beef. They each fancy themselves to be the best at demanding people involved in their football club 'just talk to us'.

[bossy]

Beheddie. First class. 

[DaveT]

Great read, but also depressing in that much of what is wrong with modern football is contained within - the sportswashers, the financial dopers, their cuntish fans, the abysmal standard of refereeing, the constant tinkering with the rules to the detriment of the game, Alan Shearer etc etc, all captured in a week's worth of PL footy. It was easier to overlook some of that when we were winning trophies, despite the deck being stacked, and playing great football. It's so much harder now with our current malaise.

 

Whoever was on VAR for the Brentford match should be thrown with Atwell in a deep ditch. City were completely in charge, and United had blown themselves out when Fernandes scored that dodgy goal.

 

 

Catching up with MotD yesterday was the first I've seen of our lowlights at Brighton. There was a fair bit of narrative about the March non-penalty...... that's all down to the non-flagging of offsides - he was clearly offside in realtime. What's more he dived outrageously and should have been booked (even if the offside call negated it).

[terry symes]

Totally agree on the Rashford goal scandal. I wrote this in a group chat when I watched it..

 

Just seen it. Absolute disgrace. Pass is clearly intended for him, he runs towards the ball, defender does his job in playing him offside. If the VAR official don’t think he’s interfering with play he should never have a job in football again and if it’s the rules then these suits who don’t understand the game need to stop changing them. Worse than the Salah goal last week.

 

Turned out VAR didn’t get involved - any idea why not? 

[Shitty Arse]

Beheddie Howe! This is why I pay my subs. 

[Frank Dacey]

Not even Attwell's worst decision. How did he survive after this?

Not only survive, but prosper as he, astonishingly, one of our FIFA officials.

[Bobby Hundreds]

They call us LiVARpool christ the decisions United get are unreal. My missus manc family always say it and I just say who gets a penalty after the final whistle has blown?

[Frank Dacey]

Not only has Attwell not been demoted for last weeks howler but he has been given one of the most significant games of the weekend, the relegation 6 pointer between West Ham and Everton.

[piphomer]

I also raised an eyebrow at Lineker's Toney gag and think he was a bit lucky to get away with that 

 

You seem to contradict yourself on Leeds though. First you say they're well coached under Marsch, but next paragraph you say they throw men forward and leave themselves exposed. I guess you could argue their philosophy is to concede a lot but score more, but it's not working for them is it?

[Tj hooker]

Great read that Dave some very amusing lines about our blue neighbour's 

[dave u]

They've gone and spoiled the fun now though, the selfish pricks.

[sir roger]

At Death's door, not in Death's door, you feeble-minded wankers.