TFF chit chat 22nd, 23rd and 24th February

[morganb]

SATURDAY 22ND FEBRUARY

Chelsea 12:30 Tottenham

Saturday’s early fixture is a London derby featuring Frank's Chelsea against José's Spurs. Is there a striker in the house? is the cry from Mourinho after Son was potentially ruled out for the rest of the season, joining Kane in the sick bay. Chelsea were poor/unlucky against Man Utd and will need to perform well today to stave off the chasing pack.

Burnley 15:00 Bournemouth

Brilliant, a B derby between Burnley and Bournemouth. Burnley won away at Southampton last time out but Ch Wood retired hurt and is a doubt. Bournemouth hover just above the relegation zone and haven’t played for a fortnight so should be nicely rested.

Crystal Palace 15:00 Newcastle

Every season there seems to be a team that plummets down the table in free fall. Ladies and gentlemen I give you Crystal Palace. Newcastle have simply been ticking over this season and are only a point better off than Palace. Ben Techy scored for Palace last time out!

Sheff Utd 15:00 Brighton

Surprise package Sheffield United welcome Brighton to Bramall Lane for the next 3pm game. United are 6th but could leapfrog Chelsea and/or Spurs with a decent win. Brighton are another team floating just above the relegation places so really need something today.

Southampton 15:00 Aston Villa

Both teams lost last time out but have a couple of useful players in Ings and Grealish so there could be some TFF interest in this match. Villa are down towards the bottom of the table and have the distraction of the League Cup final on the horizon. Southampton are safe enough for now.

Leicester 17:30 Man City

Saturday’s late game has Leicester welcoming Man City to the King Power. A top of the table clash between 2nd and 3rd. Man City last played on Wednesday evening, have a Champion’s League tie on the horizon, a Cup final next weekend and a potential European ban hanging over them. That’s nothing though, as Jamie Vardy recently became a dad.

SUNDAY 23RD FEBRUARY

Man Utd 14:00 Watford

It's Sunday, it’s 2 o'clock, it's Manchester United versus Watford. United had a good but slightly controversial win over Chelsea last time out with Martial and Maguire on the score sheet. Watford are bottom three now the wheels have fallen off their new manager bounce.

Wolves 14:00 Norwich

The other 2pm game features Wolves against bottom team Norwich at Molineux. Wolves are just inside the top 10 and come into this match off the back of an excellent Europa Cup tie victory. Norwich are as good as down, though they still have Pukki and Cantwell - do you?

Arsenal 16:30 Everton

Sunday’s late match sees Everton travelling to London to take on Arsenal. Both teams are sat comfortably in mid table, 10th and 9th respectively, and both have had a change of management this season. Calvert Lewin is probably a good differential and Lacazette has scored two in two.

MONDAY 24TH FEBRUARY

Liverpool 20:00 West Ham

The Monday Night Fixture is Champions elect Liverpool against a West Ham side who are in true relegation form. Liverpool lost in the Champion’s League in mid week so will want to get back to winning ways tonight. West Ham have a look of impending doom about them and even appointing Moyes hasn't done the trick.

[Darbyand]

Not sure the word "even" is needed in that final sentence.

Some early team news suggests Abraham returning to save us a transfer here and there.

[murf]

No FNF?

See you all tomorrow then.

[murf]

Not sure the word "even" is needed in that final sentence.

Can also remove "a look of" and "about them"

[morganb]

West Ham have impending doom and appointing Moyes hasn't done the trick.

[murf]

Also there is no apostrophe in "Champions League" - certainly not before the "s" as the league belongs to plural champions (we'll skip the argument that they aren't all champions and it isn't a league). So.... I'd personally put an apostrophe after the "s" (as in the excellent and grammatically correct "Gardeners' World" TV programme) but the illiterate morons at UEFA call it the "Champions League" rather than "Champions' League" so we have to go with them, unfortunately.

Wet days with no football just fly by don't they....

[morganb]

Can you do the same apostrophe analysis for the old sci-fi series Blakes 7?

[murf]

The 7 'belonged' to Blake so it was, correctly, "Blake's 7" - now 42 years old - a nice nod to Douglas* Adams*

The logo sometimes used didn't have an apostophe - or even a gap between the s and the 7 but that was written in capitals (where rules are often different - not sure, I'm not Suzie Dent).

Article showing January 1978 Radio Times* - with apostrophe






(* = no apostrophes)

[Jamjack]

No FNF?

See you all tomorrow then.

Ahem, St Mirren play the mighty and relegation threatened Heart of Midlothian tonight. Big game is some parts. However, if the final F in FNF means “football” then I’ll accept you were correct first time. It’s not quite football....

[murf]

Friday Night Fitba.

From the (sexist?) urban dictionary:

Fitba'

(fit-baw) Dialect, Chiefly Scot. -n

1. (m) the beautiful game

2. (f) the stupid game involving 22 grown men (and 3 officials of dubious parentage and eyesight) kicking around a lump of leather around a field, often sparking irrational behaviour, bad language and blind devotion to a team or player, to the detriment of normal marital relations.

[morganb]

The 7 'belonged' to Blake so it was, correctly, "Blake's 7" - now 42 years old - a nice nod to Douglas* Adams*

The logo sometimes used didn't have an apostophe - or even a gap between the s and the 7 but that was written in capitals (where rules are often different - not sure, I'm not Suzie Dent).

Thanks not Susie Dent (55 years old so not nodding or winking at Douglas Adams) - I think it is the capitalised B7 logo that had me confused.

[ChazzyAthletic]

The 7 'belonged' to Blake so it was, correctly, "Blake's 7" - now 42 years old - a nice nod to Douglas* Adams*

The logo sometimes used didn't have an apostophe - or even a gap between the s and the 7 but that was written in capitals (where rules are often different - not sure, I'm not Suzie Dent).

Article showing January 1978 Radio Times* - with apostrophe






(* = no apostrophes)

I have nothing to add in a TFF sense, but I loved Blake’s 7

[Jamjack]

Friday Night Fitba.

From the (sexist?) urban dictionary:

Fitba'

(fit-baw) Dialect, Chiefly Scot. -n

1. (m) the beautiful game

2. (f) the stupid game involving 22 grown men (and 3 officials of dubious parentage and eyesight) kicking around a lump of leather around a field, often sparking irrational behaviour, bad language and blind devotion to a team or player, to the detriment of normal marital relations.

Ha! Blind devotion to a team that ill deserves such devotion is certainly my case. To make matters worse, the terrible affliction passed on to me by my dad has been passed down to my boys. Awful PS games off

[LenH]

Some early team news suggests Abraham returning to save us a transfer here and there.

Think I've made up mind and he's going for Ings after one last game as discussed previously.

[happyhoppy]

Some early team news suggests Abraham returning to save us a transfer here and there.

Think I've made up mind and he's going for Ings after one last game as discussed previously.

Only got one left and have just enough for Ings, hate to curse my own players and there isn't much to curse but if he was cursed we're doomed.

[murf]

Anybody bought Alli, will.i.an or Abraham lately?

All benched....

[Darbyand]

Chelsea XI to face Spurs: Caballero; Azpilicueta, Rudiger, Christensen; James, Jorginho, Kovacic, Barkey, Alonso; Mount, Giroud

No Abraham after all.

[murf]

Not looking good for Spurs.

Giroud (?)
Alonso (Barkley, Mount?)

VAR not given a very clear red for Lo Celso (allegedly - not watching)

[brencarr]

I too am a bit of a grammar nazi - don't get me started on people using 'less' instead of 'fewer' .... and the women on Blake's 7 will always have a special place in my heart

[murf]

Blake's fewer than 7 or Blake's less than 7? Who counts computers? One I admit to not being too sure about.

"10 items or fewer" is correct, I believe.

PS What about Servilan?

(Apologies if I can't spell names- better than grammatical slackness!)

[LenH]

Some early team news suggests Abraham returning to save us a transfer here and there.

Think I've made up mind and he's going for Ings after one last game as discussed previously.

Only got one left and have just enough for Ings, hate to curse my own players and there isn't much to curse but if he was cursed we're doomed.

One sub or one game?!

If we all join together that breaks the curse doesn't it? Hello, hello, hellooooo?

[murf]

Some early team news suggests Abraham returning to save us a transfer here and there.

Think I've made up mind and he's going for Ings after one last game as discussed previously.

Only got one left and have just enough for Ings, hate to curse my own players and there isn't much to curse but if he was cursed we're doomed.

Well, I've now got Ings in most teams but he is NOT in my Eggcup team.

That surely makes it a hard call for you on whether to curse him or not....

[LenH]

He's now in mine so collective responsibility/guilt all round.

[murf]

Southampton 1-0 notIngs (notIngs, notIngs?)

Sheff U 1-0 Edna Stevens (-?)

Sheff U 1-1 Damn (there, go, my, clean, sheets)

[morganb]

(Apologies if I can't spell names- better than grammatical slackness!)

Sheff U 1-0 Edna Stevens (-?)

[Canaryfan]

The Aguero hokey cokey saw me not have him when he scored several a few games ago, but I have had him in since then to no effect. Oh, he's missed a penalty now.

[Spinynorman]

Aguero!

What a great twit.

[Jamjack]

The Aguero hokey cokey saw me not have him when he scored several a few games ago, but I have had him in since then to no effect. Oh, he's missed a penalty now.

So it’s your fault....

[Canaryfan]

Absolutely

[murf]

I started the day with my best team having Aguero (missed pen) and Vardy (hit post) up front.

Earlier I made it even better by going 3 up top by bringing in the in-form Ings (f*** all).

What a loadashite. Still outscored my other 4 teams today. Says a lot about them...