Frank Dacey

TBH I thought Mourinho was that man, but he was past his best when he got there and then the board sided with the players and sacked him. Once that happens, you're on a slippery slope. Let's hope that it's very long and very slippy.

I watched a lot of Chris Lawler; part of a rock-solid defence, rarely taken apart by any winger and then the goals on top. Was actually second top scorer with 13 goals in 1969-70 and then there was the winner in this game, not bad for my first time on the Kop.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/aug/11/manchester-university-phd-masturbating-to-comics-of-young-boys

A slightly mistitled book since it's more about the post-war seasons up to the mid 60s, but it's a fascinating insight into how thinks were. No sense of a big six, or anything like that, and properly competitive leaue seasons.

Another Chuck Berry travelogue

Mentions a few states.

Thanks for that. Brought back some happy memories!

The big difference between City and us n transfers is that if we pay top dollar for a player he goes straight into the team and plays almost every match. City can afford to spend 100 million on a luxury player like Grealish to decorate their bench.

Just seen this in the Telegraph https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2022/06/01/premier-league-referees-chief-mike-riley-fighting-job-attempts/ Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse....

For your more mature readers, this wouldn't be the worst United team in living memory. That would be the team that got relegated in the early 70s. I was studying in Manchester and went to Old Trafford a few times and they were awful, even getting beaten 4-1 by Spurs. Needless to say, when they played us they gave it everything, on and off the pitch and won 2-0. I was happy to get out of the ground in one piece. Happily, they did finally get relegated. I reckon United now are like we were in the early 90s; awful but getting more points than they deserved because people are playing the shirt, rather than the rubbish that's wearing it.

I watched Tarkowski a lot when I was watching Brentford. He was a decent footballing centre half, with a mistake in him. When he went to Burnley, Dyche squeezed all the football out of him and he became a stopper, pure and simple. Dyche had done the same with Michael Keane, yet when he went to Everton and had to play a bit more, his failings were exposed. Expect the same with Tarkowski if he goes there.

So that would be the corrupt Premier League that wants them relegated?

Mention of Hodgson earlier reminded me of the League Cup tie against Northampton, when we rotated the squad but only had kids to put in and a few them playing out of position. The performance and result were an embarassment. What a difference now! As for Attwell, he is simply incompetent, I don't think I've ever seen him have a good game. His decision-making is woeful. Yet someone at the top of the English game thinks he's good enough to be a FIFA official......

Got to hope that Haaland's arrival doesn't have the effect that many people fear it will. Some cause for optimism is that some pundits were tipping Chelsea for the top after they signed Lukaku and then there's the pretty dismal contributions of others signed from the Bundesliga; Werner, Havertz, Pulisic and Sancho spring to mind. Fingers crossed!

No love lost between Brentford and Leeds. Bees fans currently drawing up a playlist of songs they want played if Leeds go down on the last day.

Either Huddersfield or Sheff Utd. Then, if Leeds go down it will piss off their deluded fans that they aren't one of the biggest teams in the country, they'll not even be the biggest team in Yorkshire.

Great to have the round-up back. I stuck out the first half of the Everton v Chelsea game and then switched off, raging at Chelsea's ineptitiude, Everton's antics and the fact that Kevin Friend was allowing them to get away with everything, after Attwell did the same in the derby. Let's hope they get a firm ref this weekend. I hope the refs will be after Lampard after his FA charge. I couldn't help thinking how the Chelsea teams of the past, the likes of Drogba, Costa and Terry would have reacted to Everton's tactics, very differently I expect. Reading some Brentford forums it seems there was trouble before and after the game with Bees fans being abused and attacked. As classy as ever at United.

Sorry for your troubles, Dave. Best wishes to you and yours.

If you replace 'scored' with 'won' it would be true.

Remind me, how did he do in keeping West Brom up last season?

Something in the Telegraph today that very few of their players are on relegation- proof contracts, so big trouble if they did go down. Not about Everton, I know, but the same paper this week suggested that Ronaldo is on 700,000 + a week. Surely not even the Mancs are that daft?

You're right. Good film about her here; https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0426578/

And a Geography teacher, too, I believe. Not sure which is worse.

You're right about Elleray and he's going at the end of the season, if not sooner. He's also big in the rules making body and was responsible for the handball definition that had to be scrapped at the end of last season. Apparently, at a ref's meeting he asked some black bloke whether he'd been working down a coal mine. So, if you were ever wondering why there are so few black referees, now you know.