PSG v Aston Villa

I popped out for ten minutes and come back and it's 1-1. BTTS gone West, hey ho.

The Villa diving is embarrassing

PSG completely dominating the ball, Villa can barely breath, though you have to wonder if it's PSG who tire themselves out trying to win the match in the first 25 minutes with all out attack

Kk 2-1

Won't see many better goals than that!

Villa would like the FT whistle right now

Good goal but goalie not been great for either.

Didn't look interested in first one, and then probably wont
be happy with second one.

May have been unsighted in build up to second one PSG player ran across his sight.

nuther howler from Emiliano Martínez.  saved by the offside.

3-1 killer goal

3-1 probably fair, but villa had a few chances at 2-1

Quality prevails.

Apr 9, 2025 -- 8:00PM, Des Pond wrote:

difficult one to predict, tbh. esp after last night. If I were to hazard a guess, I'd say PSG and overs, although the price isn't great. 3-1 or 3-2 would be my guess.

maybe not so hard to predict after all.

Very tough to imagine Villa get through now.

didn't really back it though, only a couple of quid.

PSG press to death for 90 minutes, that's why Liverpool struggled as well. Villa got more chances late on probably due to tiredness.

Arsenal are going to have to beat them well at the Emirates, taking a draw or narrow win over there, as they'll have second leg at home, would be difficult as extra time will obviously favour the home side and pens. Reality is if we did beat them at home it will be a slender lead as it's the best PSG side since the moneybag Arabs took over.

They also have the luxury of the league bending to their shape, giving them time off from league fixtures to prepare for European games and have the least mentally taxing domestic league in Europe. The Prem is dead so Mikel would be wise to rest all our best players against whoever we're playing.

Kind Regards.

Your latest reminder that PSG are really good.

My latest reminder that you like to repeat yourself, Kind Regards.

3-1 deserved. Awful 3rd goal to give away. Defender very poor. It's his job to cover the shot to the far post and let the keeper cover the near. Stay up and keep your legs closed. But he tries to block the shot to the near post and gets turned inside out. Basic stuff.

That's why I said reminder numbnuts

Kind Regards.

Mind the gap

Apr 9, 2025 -- 10:46PM, mesmerised wrote:

You're still butt hurt over being KO'd by this team and need to keep reminding yourself that you lost to a really good team as some kind of coping mechanism lol, fool.

This guy is insufferable.

Tough one to take,got taught a lesson left to right,we move on

This guy is insufferable.

No, his prediction thread is hilarious

2 very good semi finals being lined up.

I think arsenal PSG will be quite exciting. I think Arsenal hold the ball well against the press or did at the start of the season.

This is what it is all about. The best reality tv there is.

Looking forward to see Doue

he certainly is a very odd person

I take it Nobby is quoting SofaQueen, the forum weirdo who's spent the last 17 years logging in and out of his emiteb account, nothing sadder than that, apparently he called Sparrow a crusty old lefty, then a few weeks later he's paying his respects on his thread, what a sly cretin.

Then there's Pineapple who is the real odd poster, 99% of his dribbling's are doused in low brow sarcasm, sarcasm being the lowest form of wit, it's how he copes with daily life I guess. It seems he's taking exception to me on the politics forum calling his beloved R.E.M boring, which is very apt given his repetitive posts. Kind Regards.

I point out that PSG are the best team we've played by far this season and you think it's cos I've taken exception to you. Dunno man. Maybe it actually had nothing to do with you at all. Know that might come as a shock to your ego, but I was just posting my opinion on a football forum.

Ego, yes you're right at the top of the tree for my most valued internet contributors if I've read one monotonous sarcastic post, I've read them all.

Kind Regards.

mes you are not coming across as a nice person.

please do feel free to stop following me around mes

that would be an incredibly easy task if the insertion was remotely true as one of the least insightful contributors around...'but I dunno man, that might come as a shock to your ego' , Kind Regards.

Apr 10, 2025 -- 11:05AM, PorcupineorPineapple wrote:

I point out that PSG are the best team we've played by far this season and you think it's cos I've taken exception to you. Dunno man. Maybe it actually had nothing to do with you at all. Know that might come as a shock to your ego, but I was just posting my opinion on a football forum.

PSG, Liverpool and Barcelona have been the three best teams in Europe this season. Of course the nature of cup football means it's possible none of them will win it.

Day 8,030 on the betfair forum, it's turned a bit Lord of the Flies as forumites lash out at each other. Big Brother Betfair is happy as it means lots of rage betting and slotting.

Don't understand the whole cup competition argument many people have put forward over the years, it's not the early rounds of a domestic cup where top sides put out their B team, in the Champions League knockout stages, you're playing games over 180 minutes and teams are playing their best possible side, there's very little luck involved unless you keep dragging teams to pens and winning them all the way which rarely happens.

When you look back at the winners of this comp over the years, you rarely see a team that hasn't deserved to be the Champions in that season, Real Madrid maybe in 3 years ago when they seem to be outplayed every match but still win.  But other than that you can't fluke you way through 13 matches to this comp, or 17 as it is now.

Kind Regards.

PSG have been the best team in it. But Arsenal could still beat them by getting outplayed and winning multiple set pieces over two games. Over a whole season I'd wager, if you put all the best teams from the top leagues together in a league for a season, that the three I mentioned would be the top three. That's not to say the team who wins the cup doesn't deserve it if it's not those three.

The idea of there being very little look in football or any other competitive activity is naive to say the least. Even good luck can be bad luck in sport.

I don't see how you can get lucky CL winners, you'd have to be lucky over 180 minutes in the 2nd round, quarters, semi's and finals, 7 matches against fairly high standard teams in most cases, look back at all previous winners, can't think of any apart from 3 years ago as said, that didn't deserve to win it. Arsenal may have deserved it in 2006 after knocking out Real Madrid, beating them at the Bernebeu and then Juventus , but Barca KO'd Jose's Chelsea and Ancelotti's Milan, all strong teams at the time, so Barcelona were deserving winners and didn't fluke their way there, they got lucky in the final they played against 10 men for 80 minutes with Pires forced to come off for Almunia but then they were were favourites to win anyway. Kind Regards.

I think Madrid will fids their luck has run out! Unless of course they bribe or blackmail the ref!

As a matter of interest if the ref gives a penalty against Arsenal in the return will it automatically be reviewed by VAR as a matter of course?

What is Luck?

Luck is a concept that refers to events or outcomes that happen by chance, often beyond our control or prediction. It’s the idea of fortune—good or bad—striking unexpectedly, like winning a lottery or tripping over a rock you didn’t see. Philosophers and thinkers have debated it for centuries: some see it as random chaos, others as a pattern we just don’t fully grasp. In everyday life, we tend to call something "lucky" when it works out in our favor against the odds—like finding a parking spot right when you need it. Scientifically, it’s tied to probability and randomness, but there’s no cosmic force labelled "luck" pulling strings.

Agree with mesmerised you don't win competitions with luck, you win by taking you're chances on the day or night, you may get outplayed but the game is about putting ball in the net more than opposition does, nothing else matters.

Even a league season is limited really. If you tried to tell a data scientist that results over 380 matches presented a "fair" winner they'd laugh in your face. But cup comps are so much more. PSG could get a man sent off early on and concede a dodgy pen and their dominance yesterday would count for nowt. Liverpool were certainly lucky in the final in 05, but then I'd say we were unlucky in Athens a couple of years later. Liverpool cruised through to the 2022 final while Madrid had to turn round first leg deficits a couple of times and rely on extra time. We went into the final a bit knackered after trying to chase down City and lost despite battering Real. 24 shots to 4, Courtois motm after pulling off a string of great saves. At the end of the day Liverpool didn't hit the net, but if you were to step back and run a sim on the two teams it would show that Liverpool had played better. That's football.

the game is about putting ball in the net more than opposition does, nothing else matters.

Agree 100%.

A player smashes a shot from the edge of a crowded penalty box. Whether it goes in the net or not is down to luck.

A player might have 5 shots like that and none end up in the net yet another player may have just 1 and it flies in.

PSG could get a man sent off early on and concede a dodgy pen and their dominance yesterday would count for nowt

Ditto RM v Arsenal. No outcome can be taken for granted.

Madrid won the CL 6 times out of the last 11, must be the luckiest sports team in history, navigating their way through all those top sides across 2 legs and winning finals with referee decisions. They won them because they were the best side in those years bar maybe one.

Whoever wins the league after playing 19 different teams twice, home and away, over a 9 month period, is the best team in the country, again looking at past winners of the Premier League, I can't see any season in recent times when the best team hasn't won it, even Leicester who were the best team that year, everyone was not at their best for a multitude of differing reasons including Liverpool and City rebuilding under new managers etc, but they were the best regardless come May. Kind Regards.

Exactly nobody has divine right to win a football match, if they did it would be boring, you have to go and get the points or win cup ties, and never underestimate the opposition, and at the end of the competitions the team that won the games will take the trophies, they may not have played best football, they go results that mattered.

BTW I'm a good man for just going and watching a couple of good players and enjoy match, win lose or draw but most fans, particularly young bring brigade don't have that attitude

I think most of these ultras, who cause trouble at matches and on internet, have probably limited knowledge of football, not saying them all but I'd say high %.

Liverpool are going to win the title come May.

They are very lucky Saka was injured for so long.

Saka's injury is not the reason. Liverpool only dropping 6 points in the 12 games Saka missed is the reason.
Arsenal picked up more PPG without Saka than they had before he got injured.

You can prove anything with statistics

I can't think of a team that would prefer to play Arsenal with Saka rather than without him. Certainly Real Madrid now know his name.

I thought it was men against boys last night.

It's been a cack season the in the Premier League for quality, it's a world away from that 04-06 era when there were 3 really strong teams at the top in Arsenal, Chelsea, United. All 3 Championship sides are going straight back down again, same as season before, and you can guarantee Leeds, Burnley and Sheff Utd will go the same way next year. This has probably been the easiest premier league title ever won with almost zero pressure on Liverpool.

Players seem to be much lower on quality as well, all I see is a load of 'athletic' footballers who are strong and fast but limited in talent. Where are the prime Hazard's, Gerrard's, Suarez's, Tevez's, Rooney's, Le Tissie's, Ronaldo's, Henry's, Bergkamp's, Wilshere, Cantona's, Scholes's, Vieira's, Pires's, Drogba's, Torres's, even prime Michael Owen better than all the strikers in the league atm. Chris Wood nearly 20 Premier League goals, he's a good Championship striker at best back in the day.

What we have now is a near 33 year old in Salah pissing all over the the league against defenders laughably trying to pass it out from the back when most of them haven't a clue with Liverpool having the cigars and deckchairs our before spring had even sprung.

All these athletic players are seem to be making there way over here thanks to lazy sporting directors using 'data' to pinpoint who covers most distance, most sprints etc. Wouldn't even be surprised if the mugs are using the last FIFA console game to determine strongest players ffs.

Kind Regards.

You miserable old git....I bet the ball got heavy with water when it rained too!

Sadly I have to agree but it is as much teams orders as lack of class

nobody with a name like 'whispering death' should be calling anyone a miserable old git I'm not even old enough to remember the last World Cup in America. There's nothing miserable about what I'm analsying, it's a very low calibre seasons, that's an observation, not a miserable outlook you old fart. Kind Regards.

Clearly mesmerised doesn’t know who or what whisperingdeath is.

Which one is it then

Whispering Death may refer to

Bristol Beaufighter, an aircraft of World War II nicknamed "whispering death"
The Whispering Death, a novel by Daniel Carney
Albino (film), also known as Whispering Death, a 1976 German thriller
Whispering Death, a novel by Garry Disher
Michael Holding (born 1954), a West Indian cricketer nicknamed "Whispering Death"
Victorian Railways L class, known as "The Whispering Death", an electric railway engine
M1 Abrams, nicknamed "whispering death", a tank of the United States Army
Whispering Death, a Boulder Class dragon from How to Train Your Dragon

The batsmans holding the bowlers willey

Well this is a sports forum!

Was the Beaufighter knicknamed Whispering Death? I did not know that. It was my first Airfix aeroplane. You might not know what Airfix was mes. Don't worry it doesn't have a processor so you would probably get bored of it young'un

Back in the day I remember the old gits having a go at a player for having long hair!

Even the windies refused to play anybody with dreadlocks
in whispering death era

Given it’s a betting forum,and
Micheal holding lived with micheal stoute and had horses with him,plus cricket bets,plus sky commentator,
It’s safe to say,it’s micheal holding.

The whispering death,is the ball whizzing past your ears,pre helmets,that nearly killed you,given he bowled at 100mph,and ran in from the boundary,an over took 30 mins,hence why they brought in over rates.

I remember the last World Cup in Amrika. We did not qualify AGAIN!

Southgate for all his faults built something at England. And yes we should have won!

Whispering death was because of the perfection of his running
and bowling action, he was so light on his feet you didnt
here his footsteps. And then the ferocity of the pace he unleashed.

Hear, ffs

I love watching that over to Geoff Boycott but the kwality isn't that good because of the light. The one that makes me cry is the the working over of old man Close. I laugh so much it hurts my sides and the teers roll down my cheeks it is so funny to watch. Pure Yorkshire grit.

....and i intend, with a few friends like Closey, to make them grovel!

First saw him at old trafford around 75/76?

Start of the crowd telling greig they gonna mayke him grovel.

We sat amongst the windies banging there beer cans together, we had
coke cans, to join in, lol,... Steward came and took our coke cans,
but not the beer cans... You not taking my beer...

Their, ffs

“You must remember that the West Indies, these guys, if they get on top, they are magnificent cricketers. But if they are down, they grovel, and I intend, with the help of Closey [Brian Close] and a few others, to make them grovel.”

What a Captain! One of the greatest motivational speeches ever.

that's up there with George Armstrong Custer

Hurrah Boys! Let's get these last few reds then head on back to camp. Hurrah!

There are not enough Indians in the world to defeat the Seventh Cavalry.

Where did all these damn Indians come from?

I actually was on Granada reports,north west news,the day Lancashire signed him,stood with him,I was 16/17 ,the presenter asking me what do you think of Lancashire signing him.
We went down to pre season nets.

His elegant run up,so relaxed,too be fair he didn’t need the first 20 yards,probably just conserving energy.

4 slips 2 gulleys,point,cover point.

Literally no fielders on 90% of the pitch,made the batsman think,I might not hit this one.

As pure as sport goes there was little better. poetry in motion.

The 76 team,best ever.that toured England,brilliant hot summer.

Viv Richard’s
Borden greenidge

Andy Robert’s 28 wickets
Holding 28 wickets.

Their fans banging cans of beer and coke together,a rattling sound all day.

don't know anything about Cricket, but also don't know how they allowed batsman to face bowlers without head gear, even though it was pre health and safety, that looked like madness. Kind Regards.

Yeah ,mad really,but they duck,Sod’s Law ,the Aussie died with an helmet from a weak spot behind it.

The new zealader Bruce Jennings I think ,collapsed once but was saved,
Then a few years later Jeff Thompson sledging  him,said watch yourself,you’ve already died once on a cricket pitch.

OMG

'elf and safety!

They didn't have helmets in my day lad. We were men! None of this metrosexual stuff!

^ is that you Andrews Tate

Jeff Thomson book is a great read,tiny book,
He was a bank teller,and got held up at gun point.

He and Lillie,used to get pissed every night,during test matches,I know this cos I saw it,they d roll in at 1pm then bowl all day the next day at 100 mph.

In between lumping on England at 500/1 to win the headingly test,after following on which they did,I saw the coach driver put the bet on,in the Ladbroke tent,in the corner of the west terrace.

Wasn't it Denis amiss that invented or evolved headgear for batsmen.

Lillees bunny.

Not sure,can’t remember why or who started wearing them,then when or why they became mandarotory.

Remember Brian close not wearing one when everyone else did.

Close wouldn't wear a chest guard, and he refused to rub
the spot he was hit as he felt it was a sign of weakness

Opposite of today's footballers.

Oldest England player I think 45,or 49,
Team were that bad they brought him out of retirement.

Titmouse’s was 50 I think!

Titmuss

I used to do the scoreboard at old Trafford,not the electronic one,they had a old hand level one at the other end,like a village cricket team had,spent every summer sat in there moving the runs on.

It was 10 quid for a junior season ticket,
Which got you in to
Every game at the ground,including all 5 days of the test matches.so literally lived down there,got friendly with the scoreboard guy,so started helping him.

Same deal was at other test grounds,so did the Aussie tour of 81 ,I think,did all 5 tests,at every ground,even did the Aussie games against the counties,Somerset v Australia,Weston super mare.

Richard’s,garner,botham v Aussies.

Maybe oldest captain since wat.

War

My mistake!

Yeah,I was right,a rare occurrence,45. 2nd oldest since war,

Titmus was called up in 70s minus 4 toes he lost
boating in the windies. Don't think he was 50 though.
Think he played for middlesex in his late 40s,once when retired,
brearley spotted him in crowd and reckoned pitch would take spin
and persuaded him to play

Mike brearley.wow,cleverest man ever,great captain ,useless cricketer,average 22 ,no 100s no 50s in tests.

Great stuff comingupthehill, I often fancied a crack at the scoreboard, either
cricket or golf, never happened.

Liam botham used to sit with us,

Bowled at loads of test players the nets were behind,so during the game batters wanted to get ready,so asked anyone around to bowl at them.

Wow! I would have loved that!

I’d be a great Captain if I had Beefy and Bob Willis. In fact Willis only got the ball at Headingley because Dilley broke a lace FACT!

Dilley played his part in that game,good runs,keeping with botham,caught a great catch on the boundary,was right behind him.

But I think the game was won at bothams   birthday barbecue on the Sunday when the Aussies turned up ,hence Lille and marsh getting the 500/1 for England to win on the Monday.

Not sure about that. These things happen

Momentum was with England,and Aussies were a mix of old players and new ones,

But they ve admitted they backed them,but said it looked a big price.

I cannot believe anybody threw the game

I don’t,you can’t bend botham getting 147,still got to hit the ball.think story true,it was a big price,so backed it.