Premier League 2020-21 (Part III)

[PeteWorrell]

No one said it was like a Fifa game. He's complained about not having 5 subs after games where he used zero subs and played almost an identical squad to one he played 3-4 days earlier. This argument is beating a dead horse though as we've been through it so many times, he's been a massive hypocrite on this issue and should have directed his complaints to the schedule instead.

Obviously a team riddled with injuries that has to play someone like Fabinho out of position and put an injured Shaqiri on the bench just to have a warm body there has the luxury of heavy rotation. Should have played all the kids i guess even when Klopp has played a lot of them already this season.

 

[Live in the Now]

We've been over it many times, if there was five subs from the start, players wouldn't be as injured on ours and other teams and Klopp wouldn't have to have the benches we've had the last month. In addition Klopp has said the fixture list is nonsense and that the international breaks are bullshit. I posted just a month ago that one of those international breaks ended with five Liverpool players coming back injured after being sent to those games.

Of course when we have two keepers on the bench, players who are questionably fit, and outright injured players on the bench, he wouldn't use all three subs. It's hardly shocking. It's also ridiculous that some people don't understand his comments in context. The point is that these things should have been fixed from the start and any changes to result from his complaints are half measures at this point. It feels like if they made changes and he still complained because they weren't done quickly enough, people would still be too thick to understand why he complained at all. The people who run football have asked for more games to be played in a shorter span than ever before, and if they do decide to do something about it, it will happen after far too many players have been injured as a result of their intransigence. That is the chief complaint.

Five subs is just one of multiple measures that should have happened. People talk about how poorer teams would be disadvantaged by that, well alright. Do you think they're also more disadvantaged by playing league games every mid-week? Because obviously they are and that's why the table already looks unusually more lopsided in terms of big vs. small at this point of the season. They're playing way too many games too quickly and this fall they were also playing too many internationals.

 

[Evilo]

The 5 subs/injury link is just not true.
I pointed out to PSG's record number of injuries while still having 5 subs.

However, the common point between Liverpool and PSG is the exclusive use of 12/13 players for 2-3 years because of coaches who don't rotate.

 

[Savant]

 

[IceColdOx]

I'm totally fine with five subs and not just because I'm a United fan. This a chance to develop players and maybe drive up their value. The fixture list is incredibly crowded and there's a lot of worry about wear and tear.

 

[YNWA14]

My boy Firmino finding his groove again.

 

[Jersey Fresh]

Covid virulence definitely going up in the UK. Sheffield United reporting a number of positives and Hassenhuttl won't be in the dugout today for the match because of close contact with someone who tested positive.

 

[spintheblackcircle]

 

[TheMoreYouKnow]

Unless"ALK Capital" can actually put serious money into the club, I don't know if that's a good deal for either party.

 

[Blender]

Unless"ALK Capital" can actually put serious money into the club, I don't know if that's a good deal for either party.

Can't really find any information about how much money they might have.

 

[Jussi]

Seems the rise in cases might lead to a two week break.

Exclusive: Premier League clubs discuss two-week break in season amid Covid chaos fears

 

[spintheblackcircle]

 

[TheMoreYouKnow]

"Everyone's safety is more important than anything else," he added after West Brom's 5-0 home defeat by Leeds on Tuesday. "When I listen to the news that the variant virus transmits quicker than the original virus, we can only do the right thing, which is have a circuit break. I am 66 years old and the last thing I want to do is catch Covid. As much as we're getting tested - we had one positive this week - it seems to be creeping round. No matter how hard we try, no matter how many times we get tested, how we wear our masks, how we sanitise our hands, we're still catching a lot infections round the country. If that helps [circuit breaker], let's do it and let the season run a little longer when we get through it."

Allardyce wants break as Covid cases rise

Seems very self-serving tbh in the circumstances. Didn't he just take the job? Why take a job during a pandemic if that's your main concern? Was the whole thing just a ploy so he can keep getting paid while sitting at home?

 

[spintheblackcircle]

Allardyce wants break as Covid cases rise

Seems very self-serving tbh in the circumstances. Didn't he just take the job? Why take a job during a pandemic if that's your main concern? Was the whole thing just a ploy so he can keep getting paid while sitting at home?

Self serving?

It's common sense.

 

[TheMoreYouKnow]

Self serving?

It's common sense.

It's incredibly self-serving given no-one forced him to take over at WBA on December 16th i.e. 2 weeks ago. Covid-19 was already raging in the country, and he could have stayed home safe from it until the pandemic is over. He also did not mention Covid-19 after his team drew 1-1 with Liverpool. Then his team gets destroyed by Leeds and he wants a break?

 

[PeteWorrell]

Allardyce wants break as Covid cases rise

Seems very self-serving tbh in the circumstances. Didn't he just take the job? Why take a job during a pandemic if that's your main concern? Was the whole thing just a ploy so he can keep getting paid while sitting at home?

The desire to work is not mutually exclusive to wanting to do your job safely.

 

[JeffreyLFC]

Can we null and void already?

 

[East Coast Bias]

The thing is if you’re going to pause, you’re gonna do it for awhile. What does a 2 week shutdown do? You’d need at least a week of training so it’s a 1 week shutdown?

If people think the safest thing to do is shut down that’s fine. I just think you have to be realistic and acknowledge it means a longer shutdown and a partial season.

 

[TheMoreYouKnow]

The desire to work is not mutually exclusive to wanting to do your job safely.

Riiiight...only thing I can say while staying within community rules.

 

[PeteWorrell]

Riiiight...only thing I can say while staying within community rules.

I can say the same to your reasoning that he wants a break because he got thrashed by Leeds. A break would benefit a lot of big teams as they would get some injured players back while giving a rest during this compressed schedule.

 

[TheMoreYouKnow]

The thing is if you’re going to pause, you’re gonna do it for awhile. What does a 2 week shutdown do? You’d need at least a week of training so it’s a 1 week shutdown?

If people think the safest thing to do is shut down that’s fine. I just think you have to be realistic and acknowledge it means a longer shutdown and a partial season.

Exactly. A "circuit breaker" is nonsense just like that word was nonsense when they used it to justify restrictions for the general population. A 2 week break would quickly become a month then two month break and then you look at a fixture calendar stretching into a summer with a Euro planned (and highly unlikely to be postponed again). And then we get into TV rights payments and clubs' financial survival again.

What they probably need to do is continue play and treat Covid-19 postponements the same way they treated snow & ice postponements in the days before heated pitches i.e. reschedule as possible and carry on otherwise.

 

[Evilo]

 

[TheMoreYouKnow]

I can say the same to your reasoning that he wants a break because he got thrashed by Leeds. A break would benefit a lot of big teams as they would get some injured players back while giving a rest during this compressed schedule.

Covid was a real threat to his health and safety on December 15th and on December 27th, so it's hard to figure out a reason other than his team's obviously pitiful state as to why he sees the need for a break on 12/29, but not when he took the gig 2 weeks ago or 72 hours ago when they collected an unexpected point vs Liverpool. Increased case numbers after the Christmas holiday were also expected, so it's not like that should come as a surprise either.

If you have any familiarity with the life and work of Sam Allardyce then anything other than seeing it as a self-serving ploy is painfully naive.

 

[bluesfan94]

Covid was a real threat to his health and safety on December 15th and on December 27th, so it's hard to figure out a reason other than his team's obviously pitiful state as to why he sees the need for a break on 12/29, but not when he took the gig 2 weeks ago or 72 hours ago when they collected an unexpected point vs Liverpool. Increased case numbers after the Christmas holiday were also expected, so it's not like that should come as a surprise either.

If you have any familiarity with the life and work of Sam Allardyce then anything other than seeing it as a self-serving ploy is painfully naive.

If you can’t see the differences in things that have happened even over the last two weeks, that’s kinda on you.

Even in the last couple days, two matches were postponed, a manager managed remotely, and large sections of the UK moved to Tier 4.

 

[TheMoreYouKnow]

If you can’t see the differences in things that have happened even over the last two weeks, that’s kinda on you.

Even in the last couple days, two matches were postponed, a manager managed remotely, and large sections of the UK moved to Tier 4.

None of it is surprising if you follow the UK news media. Sam knew exactly what he was getting into on Dec 16th. I'm sure they had some convincing arguments to get him to risk his health then.