Author Topic: A random thread for sport things that don't really warrant a thread of their own (Read 129260 times)

fd3 · « **Reply #625 on:** 28 May, 2021, 07:00:48 pm »

Why would he go back, when he could win the Champion's League with PSG?

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #626 on:** 28 May, 2021, 07:41:15 pm »

There might be several reasons he would and several he wouldn't. My point was simply that he was good for Spurs.

T42 · « **Reply #627 on:** 04 June, 2021, 12:46:56 pm »

Bloody Nike.

https://youtu.be/qBwtCf2X5jw

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #628 on:** 21 June, 2021, 06:22:24 pm »

No cheering at the Tokyo Olympics. I trust the Organisators will be providing boards with “Hurrah!” written on one side and “Bah!” on the other.

Basil · « **Reply #629 on:** 25 July, 2021, 01:15:53 pm »

In the park this morning, I saw two teams limbering up on the cricket pitch. Car park rammed and lots of spectators with camp chairs and picnics.
I asked one of them who the teams were.
"Cricket Wales South v Cricket Wales West".
I looked at the players and asked if it was the Under 20s perhaps.
"No. Under 15s"
Blimey, there are some hefty 14 year olds about.

Wowbagger · « **Reply #630 on:** 23 August, 2021, 10:16:41 pm »

At the time of me writing this, West Ham are top of the premiership.

Has this ever happened before? Either premiership or the real Div 1?

bobb · « **Reply #631 on:** 23 August, 2021, 10:32:37 pm »

Quote from: Wowbagger on 23 August, 2021, 10:16:41 pm

At the time of me writing this, West Ham are top of the premiership.

Has this ever happened before? Either premiership or the real Div 1?

Apparantly the last time was after the opening weekend of the 2006-07 season.

Wowbagger · « **Reply #632 on:** 23 August, 2021, 10:37:12 pm »

Quote from: bobb on 23 August, 2021, 10:32:37 pm

Quote from: Wowbagger on 23 August, 2021, 10:16:41 pm
At the time of me writing this, West Ham are top of the premiership.

Has this ever happened before? Either premiership or the real Div 1?

Apparantly the last time was after the opening weekend of the 2006-07 season.

Cheers! It would be rather jolly if they were still there at the end of the season...

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #633 on:** 24 August, 2021, 11:22:31 am »

I believe that for an hour or so, Brentford were top. I wonder whether that has ever happened before.

PeteB99 · « **Reply #634 on:** 24 August, 2021, 11:23:16 am »

I thought it amusing last weekend when Arsenal went from top of the premier league table on alphabetical order to bottom on goal difference in the space of a couple of hours. I doubt that's ever happened before.

citoyen · « **Reply #635 on:** 24 August, 2021, 02:06:35 pm »

Back when I were a lad, they never bothered publishing the table until after 10 games had been played.

I saw a comment in one report this morning that mentioned the leadership of the table had changed hands three times over the weekend, which is nothing more than a preposterous side-effect of the games being spread out from Saturday morning to Monday evening. The table is meaningless until all the extended weekend's fixtures have been played.

Quote from: Wowbagger on 23 August, 2021, 10:37:12 pm

It would be rather jolly if they were still there at the end of the season...

Go and place a bet on it - you'll make a bookmaker very happy.

They're looking like a decent side now, and Moyes is doing a sterling job, but it would be a minor miracle if they were to pull off a top four place, never mind winning the league.

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #636 on:** 24 August, 2021, 02:54:07 pm »

They did win the FA cup recently.

For values of "recently" that not even Wowbagger would recognise. It was either 1980 or 81.

Wowbagger · « **Reply #637 on:** 29 August, 2021, 10:52:58 pm »

And what has happened to the Arsenal? Have they replaced their first team with Southend rejects?

Beardy · « **Reply #638 on:** 30 August, 2021, 10:27:26 am »

Quote from: Wowbagger on 29 August, 2021, 10:52:58 pm

And what has happened to the Arsenal? Have they replaced their first team with Southend rejects?

The thing that amazes me about Arsenal is that in spite of winning very little silverware over the last twenty or so years Arsen Wenger remains in charge.

A comment that probably exposes my extensive and in depth knowledge of sportball

Peter · « **Reply #639 on:** 30 August, 2021, 11:30:20 am »

It certainly does!

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #640 on:** 30 August, 2021, 11:32:15 am »

Quote from: Beardy on 30 August, 2021, 10:27:26 am

Quote from: Wowbagger on 29 August, 2021, 10:52:58 pm
And what has happened to the Arsenal? Have they replaced their first team with Southend rejects?
The thing that amazes me about Arsenal is that in spite of winning very little silverware over the last twenty or so years Arsen Wenger remains in charge.

A comment that probably exposes my extensive and in depth knowledge of sportball

The Arse ceased to manage Arsenal at the end of the 2017-18 season…

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #641 on:** 30 August, 2021, 01:29:19 pm »

Fair Game campaign for financial fairness in football: https://thebristolcable.org/2021/08/why-bristol-rovers-joined-campaign-for-football-reform-league-two-fair-game/
The local angle is clearly self-interested but it's an interesting idea. I wonder how practical it is though? I wonder how many clubs currently would pass the max 70% of revenue on wages, for instance?

DuncanM · « **Reply #642 on:** 30 August, 2021, 02:57:06 pm »

Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 30 August, 2021, 01:29:19 pm

Fair Game campaign for financial fairness in football: https://thebristolcable.org/2021/08/why-bristol-rovers-joined-campaign-for-football-reform-league-two-fair-game/
The local angle is clearly self-interested but it's an interesting idea. I wonder how practical it is though? I wonder how many clubs currently would pass the max 70% of revenue on wages, for instance?

Excluding Covid times, most PL clubs can meet the 70% ish, and some of the League 1 and League 2 clubs, but Championship clubs are absurdly over (I think I saw a stat saying they averaged 107% of turnover on wages!!!). The Fair Game people make a number of good points, and the key to making football more sustainable is to avoid the cliff edges between leagues. That article talks about how significant a drop from League 1 to League 2 is in terms of revenue, and the gaps are even more stark further up the pyramid. It's worth noting that there was an attempt to introduce a salary cap in Leagues 1 and 2 last year, but it got voted down because it was a hard cap and the bigger clubs that generate more revenue (Ipswich, Portsmouth, Sunderland etc) objected. They sort of have a point, in that it makes no sense to give Accrington Stanley (average attendance 2,700*) the same wage cap as Sunderland (average attendance 32,000*). A 70% cap would mean that Sunderland can spend twice as much as most other clubs in their league on wages (then again, they do now and they are still failing to get promoted!), while stopping an ambitious owner putting money into their club to try to grow it. You hear the same arguments about FFP at the top of the game, essentially pulling up the stepladder behind Chelsea, PSG and City to stop anyone else being able to do what they did.

* https://www.worldfootball.net/attendance/eng-league-one-2018-2019/1/

Wowbagger · « **Reply #643 on:** 06 September, 2021, 01:03:18 am »

Some people think it is all over... after 7 minutes.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/sep/05/brazil-v-argentina-abandoned-as-health-authorities-invade-pitch

Wowbagger · « **Reply #644 on:** 19 September, 2021, 02:25:16 pm »

It seems that my son-in-law's sister is a pretty shit hot distance runner.

Quote from: Daughter no. 1

Frances just ran 102 miles in a continuous 24 hours and came in as First Lady at the Cotswolds Way 100.

Having previously won the Bath Marathon as first woman about 5 weeks ago.
[/quote

Wowbagger · « **Reply #645 on:** 20 October, 2021, 05:18:26 pm »

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/oct/20/newcastle-urge-fans-to-avoid-culturally-inappropriate-clothing-at-games?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

I haven’t really followed the shenanigans at Newcastle other than to say that if it’s below the normal moral standards of the premiership then it must be pretty bad. But the mental image I have of Jimmy Fivebellies and his ilk sporting Arab-style head dresses whilst otherwise stripped to the waist is quite amusing.

Wowbagger · « **Reply #646 on:** 30 October, 2021, 07:56:15 pm »

Not worth starting a thread for Wales's normal tonking by New Zealand.

The first ever rugby international I attended was Wales v Australia in the early 1970s when I was at college. As my mate and I returned to Cardiff station for our train back to Blackpool we overheard some Aussie guy say to one of the station staff "It's been a lifelong ambition of mine to see the Wallabies play at Cardiff." I hope he wasn't too disappointed as that was probably the weakest Australian side ever to go on tour and Wales won 20-odd to next to nothing when the try was 3 points.

Wales have never beaten New Zealand in my lifetime.

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #647 on:** 30 October, 2021, 08:27:58 pm »

Though the scoreboard did once read Llanelli 9, Seland Newydd 3…

Wowbagger · « **Reply #648 on:** 30 October, 2021, 08:47:39 pm »

Quote from: Mr Larrington on 30 October, 2021, 08:27:58 pm

Though the scoreboard did once read Llanelli 9, Seland Newydd 3…

It did!

Topical quiz question: Who said of his mother "She doesn't know a bugger about rugby, but she knows we won."?

(click to show/hide)

It may have been the same tour when East Gwent (I think) drew with the All Blacks and Barry John (for it was he) very narrowly missed a dropped goal attempt in the dying moments.

Wowbagger · « **Reply #649 on:** 30 October, 2021, 08:54:31 pm »

Isn't it amazing what a bit of googling will unearth?

Different tour, but this is the match I had in mind - East Wales*, not East Gwent:

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2009/dec/12/east-wales-new-zealand-1967

Quote

Afterwards the All Blacks manager, Charlie Saxton, spoke to us, and said they were very, very fortunate not to have lost. It was a harsh lesson for a young player like me to learn, but the All Blacks absolutely never gave up until the game was over. Tony Steel went on a great run down the wing, and that was 3-3. It was just about the only chance they had. Even then, Barry John had a drop-goal chance at the death that just took the paint off the upright. Had we won it, against one of the greatest teams I ever played against, people would still be talking about it with great reverence. It was a wonderful performance by a side that had been put together literally in a week.

*I wouldn't think that West Wales would be able to raise much of a rugby team. Unless you count Llanelli as West Wales.