Andrew WM

@timstillman_ But then Tim pundits and the media might have to actually analyse the game and tactics and we can’t have that. All “heated debate” all the time

So much football analysis is framed through psychology and that’s obviously important. But this game had little to no psychological impact on either team. City didn’t gain ‘momentum’ and Arsenal didn’t crumble. They both just carried on as they were.

Ultimately, after this game, both teams went away and carried on with exactly who they were. Arsenal ground it out and didn’t concede a goal. City played some good football but slipped up twice away from home. City v Arsenal counted for very little.

Arsenal celebrating like they’ve won the league

The Arsenal. Your Premier League champions.

This belongs to all of us.

@HLTCO Weaver IMO is perfect for the drama of the play-offs but less so going ‘ice in his veins’ OTT over a midtable game in October.

@HLTCO He and Weaver could not be more opposite as commentators. Weaver is marmite for sure whereas Mann is top class IMO

Spot on about Daniel Mann. The fact he gave this goal 10 full seconds to breathe says it all. Top commentator.

@HLTCO It’s a perfect sign to ignore those people. Many people could do with stepping away from here for a bit and remembering what football is supposed to be about

No doubt there will be loads of people saying “just go to the pub” etc etc but I rate this. It’s exactly the sort of thing people rave about when European fans do it but deride when English supporters do the same. All power to them.

@HLTCO I didn’t mind when it was mainly just people on social media but sadly pundits/broadcasters are going down this route these days. Sadly I wouldn’t bat an eyelid if Chris Sutton or a SSN talking head came out with this tripe.

He’s literally just waving to his family in the stands after a 3-0 home win to keep them clear at the top of the league with a smile on his face. Are footballers allowed to do anything without it being performative now?

@HLTCO Really shows what bluster the Premier League hype is. Such a joy to watch vs the trudge that way way too many PL games are. Reminds you football is meant to be fun

I don’t want to sound extreme but this may be in the top 5 most engrossing ties I’ve ever watched and it’s not even 1/4 of the way through.

@charles_watts Y’know how the likes of Neville and Carragher wanted to play moral saviour of football when it came to the Super League, surely the emergency MNF on how matchgoing fans are treated is due any day now. Right, right?!

Absolute joke that the Burnley game has been moved to the Monday at this late notice. So many fans of both clubs out of pocket having booked flights, hotels, travel, etc. So many now won't be able to go because of work issues, childcare, etc. Final home game of the season, place should be bouncing afterwards, especially if there is something on the Palace game for Arsenal. Supporters roaring the team on at the lap of appreciation, etc, before they head to Selhurst Park. Yet that will probably be at about 10.30/10.45pm now, probably to a half empty stadium because do many have to get off for trains, etc. It's just a disgraceful situation. Again, zero thought for fans at all. Broadcasters just don't care.

@charles_watts @timstillman_ Broadcasters, pundits and leagues were very happy to do the whole ‘football is about the fans’ routine when it came to the Super League and COVID. But constantly treat them with contempt when it comes to stuff like this

@BrosnanHoban @DPJHodges The incident sounds like it was 1997-2000, the investigation was 8-10 years ago it sounds like.

@DPJHodges 30 years? More like 8. Chill.

There may be other facts to come out. But if, as currently being reported, Scott Mills really has been sacked because of an offence that was allegedly committed 30 years ago, and that failed to even meet the basic evidential threshold for a prosecution, then that's insane.

@timstillman_ Far too much of football talk (especially on Sky) has forgotten it’s supposed to be fun and made it feel like if you don’t win all 38 games your side is a failure. I’m not sure the current discourse is ready for no VAR.

@timstillman_ Though I’m not sure football in 2026 is ready to be without VAR. Whether VAR is there or not I’m sure still way too much of post match punditry will be slo-mo analysing replays. Plus the temperature is so high in coverage these days and I can’t see that changing without VAR.

Quite simply, there is no good way of using it in football. Every suggestion you can think of has a host of unintended consequences. Various levels of implementation have been tried and all of them make people angry and unhappy. I will get a host of replies to this with a load of suggestions, a load of people saying 'oh it's not the technology it's the people' (totally irrelevant, the complaint is not the efficacy of the technology but its consequences on the game and you're just surfacing an unsolvable problem anyway). Abolish.

@timstillman_ The thing is if we get rid of there needs to be more consequences for terrible refs. While VAR is a pretty unsatisfying ‘check and balance’ I don’t want to go back to where a ref could make all the howlers they like and all that happens is they go to League 1 for a week.

@timstillman_ Maybe this is the Remontada we were promised a year back

Yikes

@timstillman_ Apparently they’re moving to HBO Max at the end of the month - if only they’d mention it

A fair gamble given how terrible the discovery + app is tbf

@WrestleFeatures Anybody seriously suggesting that cannot and should not be taken seriously. He basically lost every feud he had 2020-22 and lost more PLE matches than he won in 2024.

Seth Rollins is probably the most selfless man on the entire roster.

@timstillman_ @philmcnulty You’d think given all the controversy around the BBC in recent months and years one of their journalists might be a bit more careful than suggesting Manchester City are the “heroes” here. Also I wonder if Phil and co will suddenly object to set plays by Rice/Saka in the summer

@philmcnulty The team Arsenal are competing with for the title are accused of things significantly worse than grinding out a 1-0 win in a tough away game but sure…

The Premier League is not a popularity contest - which is just as well for Arsenal given the outside noise and criticism they are receiving. This victory at Brighton was the very definition of "winning ugly" and more but it may have been a defining night. bbc.co.uk/sport/football…

@tommyb_84 @Zonal_Marking @hughferris @setpiecemenu At least Hugh stayed to the end - did Chinch ever return after the hiatus? Not listened to Libero yet but have been tempted - how similar is it to SPM? The continued presence of Sutton means I have to give MNC a wide birth.

@andywm93 @Zonal_Marking I blame @hughferris for taking the BBC coin and personal career development rather than just stay freelance and allowing @setpiecemenu to continue. The rascal! 😀 Rory on Libero is much more serious and very rarely references any shithousery. I miss them all.

This is a very good summary. But the sad thing is that almost none of them are primarily audio products now. Football podcasts are bigger than ever, but also worse than ever, with the same root cause: the obsession with making (1min, viral) video content. x.com/FootballCliche…