Presumably you used jumpers for goalposts.

Proper goalposts. No nets though.

https://twitter.com/adamvoge/status/1405880764953206787

This guy on twitter does some great chart and stats analysis of players.
This is a selection of central midfielders ranked on their attacking and ball retention. He's pushing Auoar again, if he's available for less than last year that is a good example of extracting value from this market

At school we had school issue rugby shirts that were reversible. plain on one side and hoops on the other. We'd spend half the lesson doing various rugby drills then half the lesson playing a match where half the class had to reverse their tops which were now nice and muddy. The feeling of putting the muddy side against your skin was not a nice one

Yuk. I can imagine that feeling still living with you.

Sorry, can't help it. It wasn't over-the-top slagging. Just don't like the way he plays. I prefer him to be tougher, like Cesc. Agree, he could potentially be a magician in the middle of the park. But I've not seen enough to be convinced he is able to bring up his game to match the opposition when needed. Well, I've been wrong before (don't we all?), and if he stays with us, hope he proves me wrong.

The number 9 role

Czech to beat Croatia

Not certain if anyone knows the Brentford match is now scheduled for Friday, Aug 13 at 8 pm. Moved for live TV coverage.

Avram Grant...

Bernard, somehow or other I just can't see Arteta fulfilling or bringing out Ødegaard's potential with us. He may die on the vine. Ancelotti favours him, so better he stays at RM.

https://www.football.london/arsenal-fc/ ... g-20853048
Some positive news about Tierney and a potential new long term contract.

Hard not to like everything about Tierney, the only issue is that injury record. We need to have him playing 30+ prem games a season every season

Indeed. But strangely all good memories because I loved PE at school, any sport going.
When it came to picking the teams for the match the teacher used to line us up in a long line and go down the line 1,2,1,2,1,2,1,2 - all the 1's forma team vs all the 2's. We quickly cottoned on and used to grab a kid who was useless at sport and stick him between me and my mate - canny teacher was one step ahead though......1,2,1,1,2,2....haha

First 'organised' (I use that word loosely) game of football I played, the referee was a nun.

Friday 13th

What could possibly go wrong?

That didn’t take long did it? In fact all of our first three league fixtures have changed.

And there is the second round of the Carabao Cup to look forward to.

Stones header hits the upright.

At least we’re still getting shown on telly.

There is that.

What a surprisingly dull low quality game so far.

Maybe not much.

Better than nothing.

Well that’s 2 hours of my life I won’t get back.

Watched a fair bit of the second half (very little of the first) but from what I did see, I thought Scotland deserved their point. Delighted for them, as at least they still have a chance of qualifying.

Scotland deserve a lot of credit for that performance and it wouldn't have flattered them if they'd nicked a winner. England will have to up their game significantly to have any chance of going deep into the tournament. I agree with Graham Souness when he said that you need to replace either Rice or Phillips in the England midfield with someone more creative.

England disappointing it has to be said. Tierney played well. What surprised me was Scotland's domination in midfield.

Scotland thoroughly deserved their point. Never in much danger really. Hardly any efforts on target by either side all game.

That sounds like a line out of Fanny Hill

The trouble with many creative players is a lack of consistency. Throughout the ninety minutes England always had Sterling and Mount on the pitch, and one of Foden or Grealish. They all looked hopelessly ordinary. I can understand arguments for replacing Phillips with Grealish and having both Foden and Grealish as well as Sterling and Mount for the entire ninety minutes, but there’s no guarantee anything much would have improved considering how all of them played for the time they were on the pitch.

Scotland aren’t the best team in the tournament (a master of the understatement comment) and England should have had sufficient creativity with the those who played.

Lots of happy Scots because they didn't lose, but in truth that was a constipated game of football. Where have all the flank players who take on their backs gone to? Where was the creative forward pass? Just a few moments of excitement, and for me the Tierney cross for a good volley well saved was the only classy moment in a turgid match. Kane looks knackered and without him firing England's prospects look limited.

I only watched about 20 minutes but it was in the second half when Kane was put thru but a long way out and he was run down with ease and while a foul was given against the Scots he really looked more like Lacca than a 100million pound player. I wonder if he is on the slide.

Wrighty was none too pleased that Phil Foden was taken off in favour of Greilsh. Greilish, who in turn had been out for a bit, really didn't do much at all anyway.

There was some discussion on here earlier about the roles of the 8 and 10.

For me that game highlighted the problem with these modern formations which is the striker is left isolated. If mount is playing in the 10 role he had to get closer to Kane otherwise essentially all you have is a marked striker. arsenal were guilty of this a lot in the first part of last season.

Kane looks out of sorts and will get pelters but really you have to get players closer to him and bouncing off him

Sorry but in my view it was grossly over the top slagging. You implied Ødegaard isn’t driven and pulls away from tackles. That’s a criticism of his attitude that I see as way over the top. Creative players can show inconsistency (look at the England players last night) and if you had restricted your criticisms to that issue rather than implying he has a poor non-driven and tackle avoiding attitude I would have accepted it. Albeit I would have commented that you were probably being unfair because of his age and newness to the country and Premier League.

Ødegaard as a talent is arguably on another level. He did enough to convince me of that, while he was here. As I say, I wouldn’t want to lose Smith Rowe to acquire him, which is the rumour that started this debate. But I think many fans are too willing to use over the top criticism by slagging players off. I think you could have found a more reasonable way of saying we shouldn’t lose Smith Rowe to get him. That’s my point here. You went over the top. Your post was made even worse by saying Ødegaard is “Not anywhere close to Özil,” who would be very near the top if I was listing the Arsenal players I’ve seen with the worst attitudes.

However, I do agree with Zed’s point. Ødegaard will probably be better off (career wise) going back to Real than joining Arsenal.

Goodness Bernard ... you make yourself out to be the key moderator of my opinions. I didn't know I had a "wife" in this forum to tell me what I should and should not think.

So, you feel I'm over the top, ok. I said I wasn't wanting to be. Can't accept my opinion, no big deal to me. I didn't come here to expect all my opinions to be accepted. Still not happy with my response? Sue me, 'll let my lawyer know to expect your call.

I’m not telling you what you should or shouldn’t think. But when you post here, I think it’s perfectly reasonable for others to give their opinions on your views. That’s all I was doing.

Yup, and I've always accepted differing thoughts to mine. But your response was over-the-top, pun intended

Ok, let's be friends

Couldn’t agree more. You’re just as entitled to think my response to you was over the top as I thought your stuff about Ødegaard was. I think the main strength of the forum is others giving their views on the opinions expressed.

Arteta has said he eventually wants to move towards a 4-3-3 formation but doesn’t have the players to do it.
The two best teams in the prem with a 4-3-3 are City and Liverpool. Liverpool’s is more rigid in terms of the make up of the 3 in midfield. They are generally quite similar players, all technically good, good quick passers and press well with high energy. Essentially the job of these 3 is to win the ball and get it wide to the full backs or forward to the front 3 quickly. They aren’t really responsible for huge amounts of creativity and don’t get many goals or assists.
City’s midfield 3 make up is different, the 3 have more staggered roles as a pure defensive mid, a box to box and a creator, or sometimes 2 creators - but never really with a classic No.10.
So that brings me back to Arteta’s 4-3-3, I don’t think you play a classic 10 in this formation and of all the midfielders we’ve been linked to Ødegaard feels like the most natural 10. Maddison a close 2nd. I’d imagine Arteta will want a midfield 3 more like City than Liverpool so I kind of feel plays in the de Bruyne mould (hard to be as good but in style) might be better suited. I see these players as starting deeper than a classic 10 but being able to carry the ball forward and create chances. Smith Rowe I could see doing this role, also Aouar feels like this sort of player.

Yes he was easily outrun - quite painful to watch such a fine player so reduced. He plays too many games for Spurs to ever be fresh enough for the end of season international tournaments. Can't blame Spurs for getting their moneysworth but as you suggest they may have had the best of him.