The Random Football Debate Thread

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Everton kept that tour quiet.

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Can you blame them?

I wouldn’t want to admit to conceding 186 goals

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Remember when they went to play a B side for a tournament somewhere and still managed to lose it

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And it was also called the ‘Sportpesa’ Cup. Who just happened to be their sponsors at the time. July 7th 2019. Kariobango Sharks 1-1Everton in normal time (4-3) penalties.
In Janury of the following year the Ev decided to terminate their contract with the betting company two years into a five year deal.

Nothing to see here. Just the Ev being the Ev. :nerd_face:

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Finally, justice!

Sad end to a footballer who was touted once as a prodigy, never really did hit the heights…and he just seem like a broken man…hope he moves on to better things in life.

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Yeah, it’s a strange one. He was supposed to be the future of English football, but it just never happened. Too many fractures, poor sod.

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There are a lot of questions about his application and professionalism, but I think you have to give some concessions to the way such a series of injuries affect a professional athlete.

But beyond that, I think he was failed by the limitation of imagination that holds the english game back. We are so unused to having players who are so comfortable with the ball at their feet that as soon as we find someone we try to shoe horn them into being a #10. That despite so few teams playing with one. In any other country he would have dropped back deeper, into an Alonso/Verratti type role but we just cannot accept technically gifted players playing that deep, or someone in that position not being a ball winning bruiser.

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This is interesting. On a related note: Do you think this is the reason why it seemingly became such a big deal in football media in England when Sarri used Jorginho instead of Kante in the holding role?

Wilshere though, what a player he was. Incredible flow in his game, a pleasure to watch. Real shame the way his career faded out, he should have been one of the great midfielders of his generation.

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I remember he was used as the deepest midfielder for England for a while, was under Hodgson (or even Allardyce) I think.

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Yeah, there was a period early in Hodgson’s time where it looked like that was where he was going to play him, with one friendly win early on against Brazil particularly notable. But he was often unavailable in that first qualifying cycle, and it wasn’t until the next cycle qualifying for 2016 that he was able to be used regularly. By that time Gerrard and Lampard had moved on and so more of the attacking impetus was put on him in those teams.

Important to point out was that Wenger wasnt using him in that role either during that time. Coincidentally I bumped into a mate of mine who supports Arsenal who was working the bar at a place I went to last night and we started chatting about it. His recollection was that Wenger viewed him as too temperamental and not reliable enough to play in that role so used him in a freer role (when available). And I think that is the point I was wanted to make…it was less how his managers at the senior level used him, but more the way he learned the game coming up through the ranks, that by the time he was good enough to play for England he’d internalized a very different message about how his ability could used to impact the game than he’d have received coming up in pretty much any other country.

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Yeah I’m also with Wenger on that one, he knows him best and longest. Wilshere was on paper probably best in between, not a #10 and not a #6 either. Probably an #8, left sided back then or even right sided these days (a lot of left footed playing RCM now), or as one of the two double-sixes.

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Still on my bucket list, Boca juniors-river plate finale Copa Libaradores :+1::+1:

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Thought he retired about 5 years ago.