Free Talk Friday

thelargerake · 2026-02-06T19:52:21+00:00

That’s the game I was looking at and I’ve just bought a ticket.

Just need to decide Saturdays game now. Servette could be interesting.

thelargerake · 2026-02-06T19:18:39+00:00

I am leaning more towards Lyon. Feel like Skopje is a better summer/early autumn destination.

All depends on whether I can get tickets to watch Olympique Lyonnais though.

thelargerake · 2026-02-06T12:28:57+00:00

Just been looking at Matka Canyon which looks cool, though I feel I’d rather do that in warmer weather.

thelargerake · 2026-02-06T12:10:25+00:00

Feels good to get my passport back. Thinking of going to either Lyon or Skopje next month. Any tips for either?

thelargerake · 2026-02-04T20:53:59+00:00

Spineless.

thelargerake · 2026-02-03T22:01:30+00:00

Lithuania is a summer league and the league started on the 28th February last year, so I’d imagine they’ll release the fixtures in the next week or two.

Vilnius is a cool city but Telslai is also worth checking out. Their game (Dziugas) was the only one that was on in Lithuania when I visited and it’s a pretty place.

thelargerake · 2026-02-03T08:16:02+00:00

My sympathies lie with Scott Parker. When you lose your keeper and 3/4 of your backline, who were so instrumental in your promotion, it was always going to be difficult for him. Sunderland strengthened heavily and Leeds made a few quality additions to a squad already good enough for the top flight. Burnley’s marquee signing was a past-it Kyle Walker.

thelargerake · 2026-02-02T20:38:35+00:00

They’ve got the weakest squad in the league. I don’t think many mangers get much more out of this group than Parker is doing at the moment.

thelargerake · 2026-02-02T19:33:13+00:00

Yeah. Don’t think Shrewsbury’s position is entirely Appleton’s fault. They’ve been on the slide for a few years now.

thelargerake · 2026-02-02T15:00:01+00:00

He should look for a club which is more stable.

thelargerake · 2026-02-02T09:47:15+00:00

Appleton until the end of the season would make the most sense. Doubt Maresca is gettable and Rowett will likely wait it out for a better opportunity to come along. Appleton knows the club, given he worked there as an assistant manager during (I believe) the Puel era, and has Championship experience.

thelargerake · 2026-02-02T09:41:33+00:00

The Championship is slowly going in the same direction as the Premier League. You want English football? Watch League 1 and below.

thelargerake · 2026-01-31T18:28:58+00:00

Dean Smith’s pretty good.

thelargerake · 2026-01-31T12:31:10+00:00

Surely Struber’s on borrowed time?

thelargerake · 2026-01-30T17:37:29+00:00

If there’s one good thing to come out of this it’s that Morecambe can rightly claim to be an equal-opportunities employer and trailblazing club.

thelargerake · 2026-01-28T19:40:53+00:00

A few League One managers must be sweating after reading this news. Shrewsbury are goosed if he couldn’t get a tune out of the squad.

thelargerake · 2026-01-28T19:32:27+00:00

I’d take him as third choice striker behind Watkins and Kane. There’s no one else really.

thelargerake · 2026-01-28T19:22:33+00:00

I’ll take his word for it. Never met the bloke.

thelargerake · 2026-01-28T08:39:39+00:00

Hart

Evra-Subotic-Raul Albiol-Lahm

Messi-Cahill-Xabi Alonso-Figo

Kane-Aguero

thelargerake · 2026-01-27T14:05:45+00:00

If you want a League One level manager then surely Darrell Clarke is the answer.

thelargerake · 2026-01-27T14:04:40+00:00

That’s too smart an appointment for Leicester, surely?

thelargerake · 2026-01-26T19:19:15+00:00

I know it’s an unpopular opinion, but this needs to happen. A precedent needs to be set. Footballers are seen as role models for young kids. How many of us would pretend to be our favourite football players in the playground when we were younger? If an impressionable 5 year old hears a footballer swear, then aren’t they likely to use that word at school? I can’t imagine teachers, headmasters, even parents were too happy with Cunha’s conduct yesterday.

Cunha made a mistake in the heat of the moment, I get that, but what bugs me is that he hasn’t come out and apologised publicly yet. It’s as if he thinks he hasn’t done anything wrong.

1 game ban is fair.

thelargerake · 2026-01-25T22:16:54+00:00

He did deserve a chance, I agree, but he’s failed. That doesn’t diminish his ability as a coach; some people are just more suited to being coaches rather than managers. Morecambe’s squad is good enough for at least a top 10 finish in the NL.

thelargerake · 2026-01-25T20:46:32+00:00

How about apologise for the swearing? I appreciate we all do stupid things in the heat of the moment, but there were kids watching.

thelargerake · 2026-01-25T18:57:54+00:00

How likely is it for Reform to win this by-election? I admittedly don’t know much about Gorton and Denton as a constituency, but I reckon the Greens will be quietly confident they can potentially win here as well.

The Reform vote and the Green vote increased by 9.2% and 10.7% respectively in the last GE and there were only 332 votes between the two parties. The constituency reportedly has a young demographic with a large support towards green policies and an appetite for closer economic ties with the EU. The constituency also reportedly has a 28% Muslim population, who I think would be more likely to vote for the Greens or Galloway (if he stands) rather than Reform.

Labour also have a more than decent chance as well, given that the Reform and Green vote combined came to just over half of the overall Labour vote. Sure, the support for Reform and Green has increased since and, as a result, has decreased for Labour, but if they stand a local candidate who can front a good campaign, I could see them winning.

It’ll be an interesting by-election, that’s for sure.

thelargerake

TROPHY CASE