EPTEven so, I'm not upset. We don't have enough suitable stadiums which means a large quantity of taxpayers dollars would have been swallowed up. Expanding to 48 teams makes it very difficult to host and it's a bullet dodged.
2024 - 2025 Football Thread - Page 31
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DropBear
Australia4353 Posts
Even so, I'm not upset. We don't have enough suitable stadiums which means a large quantity of taxpayers dollars would have been swallowed up. Expanding to 48 teams makes it very difficult to host and it's a bullet dodged. | ||
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evilfatsh1t
Australia8657 Posts
On December 11 2024 03:53 WombaT wrote: Any thoughts from Asians or Aussies on how the Saudis got awarded a World Cup? For me, it absolutely stinks to high heaven. ‘Oh btw you have a month to prepare a World Cup bid for a tournament 10 years away, can’t do it haha guess it goes to Saudi Arabia.’ FIFA’s Technical Committee also awarded the Saudi bid the highest score ever. I don’t doubt they could host a tournament, but that’s complete bollocks. They don’t currently have the requisite number of stadiums for a start. I’m just picking England as one example, there are obviously more. A country with so many stadiums of requisite quality, both concentrated in clusters or spread out regionally that they’re basically the only country on Earth who can sustain professional football down 3-4 tiers. Just infrastructure alone, never mind bringing ‘the home of football’ into it, but Saudi Arabia’s current bid was considered a better option than multiple English ones. I’m not even against regionally rotating the World Cup, but it comes at the same time FIFA are further expanding it so that very few countries can actually host one. But it’s this layer of such obvious, blatant corruption or indulgence of sport washing that really sticks in the craw. It’s not even subtle! They could have given it to Saudi Arabia and it’d still annoy me, but they go that extra mile and claim that of all World Cup bids ever, Saudi Arabia is best set. Come the fuck on well im asian and aussie so this question must be for me! i honestly dont give a shit lol the fact that qatar got it was already evidence that the whole thing was rigged so its absolutely no surprise that saudi gets it too. and for the 2 countries im connected to theres no loss because neither of those countries can host it anyway. i mean australia probably could in theory but now wouldnt be the time. throwing tax dollars at improving infrastructure for a world cup would be a disaster, and korea's world cup with japan wasnt that long ago in the grand scheme of things | ||
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aseq
Netherlands3978 Posts
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FlaShFTW
United States10164 Posts
On December 11 2024 23:52 aseq wrote: I just want it to be held in a country that cares about it. Even Japan/South Korea was pretty fun because the hosting nations went mad when they advanced. And the atmosphere was excellent in every game. But seeing a couple rich bored muslim guys and a lot of empty seats just ruins it completely. Yeah I was hoping for a Japan/Korea duo bid or something but alas. Maybe one day China will actually take footie more seriously and they could start trying to join in on the bidding. As it stands, I don't think anyone is shocked or surprised at the rigging going on. | ||
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WombaT
Northern Ireland25407 Posts
On December 11 2024 23:52 aseq wrote: I just want it to be held in a country that cares about it. Even Japan/South Korea was pretty fun because the hosting nations went mad when they advanced. And the atmosphere was excellent in every game. But seeing a couple rich bored muslim guys and a lot of empty seats just ruins it completely. It’s more and more a televisual spectacle, that’s where the big bucks come from, I understand that. But big groups of passionate fans decamping to another part of the world en masse is a big part of the magic too. Will LGBTQ folks be comfortable travelling? Of course the tournament is a while away too, there may be progress in the subsequent years. There is historic passion for football in Saudi at least that’s there. It is also the world’s game, so I do try not to go full Western supremacy on it, I do understand it should move around somewhat. But man the process is just so blatantly corrupt, and it doesn’t even have to be. Taking SC2, or other sports out there (boxing, even snooker!), Saudi Arabia have the leverage in terms of money, but FIFA have the giant money spinner that is the World Cup, the ball’s somewhat in their court. | ||
sharkie
Austria18413 Posts
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WombaT
Northern Ireland25407 Posts
On December 12 2024 07:56 sharkie wrote: Has Pep lost the dressing room? I don’t personally think so. I think they’ve let players age a bit much, had key players be increasingly injury prone etc. | ||
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sharkie
Austria18413 Posts
Liverpool had half a dozen key players injured last season and still they didnt lose so many games the whole season | ||
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FlaShFTW
United States10164 Posts
On December 12 2024 16:30 sharkie wrote: Player aging doesnt change the team from winning almost all the games at the start to losing almost every game does it? Liverpool had half a dozen key players injured last season and still they didnt lose so many games the whole season Think its a combination of the injuries where they basically don't have anyone to cover in the midfield plus players might be hitting a wall finally after so many deep runs in UCL and the EPL. And not really picking up new players to fill the voids that some players left. It's all a perfect storm really. | ||
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WombaT
Northern Ireland25407 Posts
Kyle Walker isn’t quite there yet, but it’s really noticeable that the guy as recently as the summer who basically still never lost a foot race, is now pretty regularly doing so. This is pretty worrying for both him personally, and City as his and their game really rely on that recovery pace. I think there’s a combo at play, City are a well-oiled machine, but they play the kind of football that the machine breaks down if a few components aren’t functioning. Added to this, despite a reputation for huge strength in depth, Pep has generally somewhat favoured squads on the smaller size. One crucial cog in Rodri is out, if a few others are showing their age, it starts to add up. It’s not just physical age either, it’s the mental aspect of it. People like KDB, Bernardo are approaching the end of their careers, they’ve won a shedload. They’ve gone to the wall year after year and Pep is famously intense. Even if they’re not intentionally rebelling against the manager, and they’re consciously trying their best, maybe they’ve just gone to the wall too many times. Someone like Roy Keane, or a Ronaldo are the outliers rather than the rule, most folks struggle to keep the same intensity with continued success. It’s worth remembering that nobody has won 4 in a row in the history of the English top division, and this squad has been pushed hard. And 6/7. And it’s not just the Man City name in common with these titles, a pretty good chunk of their core performers have been in these wins. The surprise to me was them winning the league last time out. I expected a drop off of some kind after winning the Champion’s League. So in a sense this just feels a year later than I thought it would be. | ||
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sharkie
Austria18413 Posts
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WombaT
Northern Ireland25407 Posts
On December 13 2024 04:52 sharkie wrote: Last season City had a drop off imo. Liverpool just also had a worse drop and other than those two there are no other clubs capable of challenging for the league Man I must have imagined Arsenal of recent seasons. City also probably could have, indeed should have beat Real in the CL that season. I’d agree there was a drop, but it was to be the best in England, just slightly less, and from Europe’s best to merely still being one of Europe’s best. I’m talking a bigger one, even if it’s down to scrambling for a CL spot, something they’ve never really had to do outside of Pep’s various seasons. Even Klopp’s best teams had those kind of off-seasons and that’s no diss on the man, he did a phenomenal job. It’s kinda what I expect to happen to some degree, so City staving it off for so long is pretty damn remarkable. Much as I dislike much of what that club represents in modern football, on a pure sporting level they are pretty remarkable | ||
Liquid`Drone
Norway28673 Posts
first they go like almost 4 years and play 68 home games without losing a single match and then they lost 6 home games in a row If you keep losing sometimes you just keep losing but there might not be all that much required for stuff to click and then you're back on a hot streak. I don't expect City to pull around and become title challengers this season but am I going to be particularly surprised if they win 12 in a row in march and april? Not really. | ||
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Liquid`Drone
Norway28673 Posts
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Jockmcplop
United Kingdom9651 Posts
Like one week the players are being forced to wear rainbow armbands, the next thing you know the world cup's going to be in Saudi Arabia. | ||
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WombaT
Northern Ireland25407 Posts
On December 13 2024 19:54 Liquid`Drone wrote: Also Bodø-Glimt is basically certain to advance from Europa League! Hooray! Huzzah! On December 13 2024 20:14 Jockmcplop wrote: I don't get what the football authorities are trying to do sometimes. Like one week the players are being forced to wear rainbow armbands, the next thing you know the world cup's going to be in Saudi Arabia. Hey we’ll make a vote for one of the world’s 2 biggest sporting events a remote clap-in, that way no associations can formally object! | ||
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Harris1st
Germany6931 Posts
Between other sporting events like Olympic games in February and religious events like Ramadan, there is no time in winter. They could just go full Saudi mode and build 10 new stadiums completely climated and play in summer with 40-50°C outside though | ||
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DropBear
Australia4353 Posts
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WombaT
Northern Ireland25407 Posts
On December 14 2024 13:05 DropBear wrote: Apparently Moise Kean is releasing an album on Monday. Genre yet to be determined The lack of a confirmed genre makes this exciting, death jazz metal perhaps? | ||
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sharkie
Austria18413 Posts
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