WessexPest

I recall not too long ago the qualifying groups were genuinely exciting - it was almost knockout football because even one defeat could have disastrous consequences for a nation’s qualification prospects. Obviously the number of Uefa nations increased dramatically following the collapse of the Eastern bloc and every nation has the right to attempt to qualify. The Euro qualifiers are the worst - it’s almost an achievement not to qualify given how many strikes you can accumulate before you’re out. I know this year was a bit of an anomaly due to the multiple hosts, but ordinarily with 24 teams (it should never have been expanded to that many, but no point complaining about that now) there would be one host qualifying automatically so have a preliminary round to separate the wheat from the chaff and reduce 54 teams to 48 - maybe make the weakest nations per the coefficient compete in a preliminary group round, have the top two from each group advance to the qualifying tournament proper. Then divide the remaining 48 into 12 groups of four - top two from each group qualify for the finals apart from the weakest runners-up, who are eliminated. Six games apiece, no playoff nonsense and fewer interruptions of the club campaign for international breaks with games that are like watching paint dry.

Can’t really ask for much more than 5-0 win away on a hiding to nothing. Scary to think Andorra aren’t even the weakest team in the group. The qualifying process for WC and Euros needs a serious shake-up. Not happy that horrible lot from north of the Kielder Forest fluked a stoppage time win. Hopefully the fact they made such heavy weather of Israel (again) means they will have their hearts broken in the playoffs.

Hilarious how many of the troglodytes have changed their tune from last week on the back of one poxy victory against a very poor side. Guarantees the Barton circus stays in town a bit longer, so it’s all good. FTG.

How dare Sharton talk of being a Sherpa - the Rent Boys have never won the Sherpa Van Trophy in any of its guises.

Jesus saves…but Belshaw spills it for an easy tap-in and 3-1 Swindon.

I hope he is able to keep practicing his faith from the prison chapel. It would be a gross breach of his human rights else…

“For me, Everest is winning a World Cup. K2 is winning the Champions League. Managing the Gash is standing in some cows*** while walking in the Quantocks.”

I recall at the time sad Gastard Kevin Greening co-presented the Radio 1 breakfast show and every midweek morning after they had played he would play a snippet of Gobs***e Irene and talk about how they’d got on the previous night. Day after this debacle he was sobbing “The Gas got four…sent off!” And yes, I appreciate there was zero excuse for listening to Radio 1 even 25 years ago, with or without the Gash propaganda. Rest assured I’ve been doing penance every since and will continue to do so for many a kalpa to atone for this.

The issue is that those of us who don’t go in for that nonsense are massively inconvenienced because all football fans are tarred with the same brush. So we are subject to unreasonable kickoff times, police escorts to and from stadia for what is supposed to be a leisure activity, restrictions on where and when we can consume alcohol and so on. Besides, no matter how much hooligan groups will argue until they are blue in the face that they are only interested in trading blows with like-minded people from rival mobs, they do seem to have memory lapses about that code of honour regularly and beat up rival fans who aren’t hooligans instead.

I see the Newcastle Saudi takeover has gone through. Does that knock the Gash down to the sixth or seventh richest club in England?

Love how Wael tries to blame Covid for the absolute state of the Gash before he checks himself and says, “We’ve been through a horrible time…everyone has.” He seems happy to let Sharton’s reign of chaos continue and that’s fine by us! ?

Why is the daft Incel shouting “BRISTOL ROVERS”? His paranoid, cretinous ramblings make it pretty obvious which bunch of useless clodhoppers he supports.

Not me - I did reply to it though!

“I respectfully disagree with your assertion that the blame must lay squarely at the door of the folically-challenged one. This association football club is bedevilled by problems from top to bottom.”

From the comments on their BBC match report. I really, really, hope this is satire because if it is it’s genius. ???

Yes, that would be lovely, thanks! ?

Only brought it up because that pranny went on the City forum after our LC semi first leg to say that our following that night wasn’t impressive, that the Gash had taken something like 96 billion to Stamford Bridge earlier in the competition and that they could have sold loads more if offered. Crowds were meagre across the board in those days so I don’t think that is an apples to apples comparison. Would we get as little as 7,000 if we played Swindon now even if it was in the fourth tier? No chance. MTG indeed. ?

I’m sure it won’t have escaped his attention that we took more to the Etihad than bothered to turn up at the Pisspoorial today.

Thick Gash cretins yelling at Garner at the end - not a single braincell among the lowly peasants. 3-1 flattered the Rent Boys. Gert loves it. ???

“We won the red card count…”

What a cracking day’s work. The last 10 minutes sounded hilarious even by the Gastards’ standards. That must’ve been hugely satisfying for Garner, heading back to Wiltshire with a smile on his face and the Everyone Cup in his hands. ?

Blummin’ stressful to watch but very happy with that result and a great goal from Chrissy M. Bents to the rescue again ‘n all. I think I’m ready to forgive Nathan Thompson and Swindle in general (but more on that elsewhere). ?

Seconded. @Peter O Hanraha-hanrahan is effortlessly articulate, doesn’t suffer fools and rips Gastards apart with logic for fun. I’m not about to blow his cover and I don’t mean to embarrass him, but I’ve witnessed him deliver some adroit putdowns on other platforms to the unwashed, incestuous 2014/15 FA Trophy First Round runners-up. It’s best described as a well-delivered knuckle sandwich couched in flowery prose. Never change, Pete! ?

Keith Curle’s, every one’s cup final.