Neil Evans

Mainly here for all things football!

[DB @dyIanbrett]

The funk soul brother

[Weecat @Wee_cat1406]

How do people not know that joining a 70mph motorway at 42mph is careless driving? It's every day now where Lorries who are going 50mph need to slow down to allow these idiots room to merge it's grinding my fucking gears 😩

[Gareth Roberts @robbohuyton]

Football is in crisis here. Genuinely think people will fuck it off if City aren’t punished accordingly, and soon. The limbo only makes it worse.

I’ve always resisted conspiracy theories about officials, mainly because if that’s what’s going on, what are we all doing here?

But why make appointments that feed the conspiracy? Chris Kavanagh, from Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester, for this game?

When trust is already on the floor, when people are already questioning the integrity of the competition, surely you look at that appointment and think: why invite it?

[𝕱𝖊𝖒𝖇𝖑𝖆𝖖 @femblaq]

The media is finally saying it out loud

[Sam Dean @SamJDean]

Jugen Klopp's "heavy metal" lads would have loved an occasion like this. Imagine Mane, Fabinho and Robertson feeding off the atmosphere/build-up. Instead it's Barcola and Wirtz drifting around and shrugging their shoulders.

[OakAsh&Thorn @Oak__Ash__Thorn]

Ross Kemp during any normal interaction #CelebrityTraitors

[HLTCO @HLTCO]

I fully laughed out loud at this. He's the most paranoid person to ever appear on the show. 😂

[Eddie Gibbs @eddiegibbs]

🇵🇹 Someone Finally Had the Balls

In my column last week, after watching him play against Wales, I once again asked why nobody in Portuguese football had the balls to tell Cristiano Ronaldo what was blindingly obvious to everyone else.

Apparently, Jorge Jesus did.

And Ronaldo's reaction has been predictably pathetic, narcissistic to his very core.

At 41 years old, one of the greatest footballers ever produced was left on the bench for a single international match. The manager decided the game didn't require him. Ronaldo was reportedly irritated, subsequently missed team training and has now left the Portugal camp after talks with the federation, promising that one day he will reveal "the truth".

The truth may be considerably less dramatic than Ronaldo imagines.

He's 41. His powers have hugely diminished. Portugal possess a magnificent generation of footballers. The manager has every right to decide that Cristiano Ronaldo doesn't need to play.

Portugal's mistake was allowing this nonsense to continue for so long.

They indulged him, accommodated him and massaged an already monumental ego, presumably hoping that age might eventually introduce some realism. Perhaps Ronaldo would recognise the moment himself, bow out gracefully and allow Portuguese football to move forward without forcing anybody to push its greatest player through the exit door.

They badly misjudged him.

The same ferocious self belief that helped create the footballer has seemingly left the man incapable of accepting what every athlete eventually must.

Father Time doesn't negotiate. He doesn't care about your medals, your records, your Instagram followers or your private jet.

Someone finally had the balls to treat Cristiano Ronaldo like another member of the squad.

So Ronaldo took his ball and went home like an unhappy child at the play park.

Pathetic.

[Neil Evans @NeilEvans1990]

@pennant83 Every single time

[Henry Winter @henrywinter]

Thoughts on the Manchester City story. The immediate reaction was to check the fixtures and see who they are playing next. Liverpool. Away. The Kop is going to be in particularly strident voice. Even if City appeal this devastating judgement on financial breaches, the court of terrace opinion across football will still be a chorus of disapproval.

Anger is in the air – at the alleged offences and the time taken for judgement to be reached. And that anger, mixed in with a large pouring of schadenfreude will be heard. Especially as Liverpool missed out on a title and a League Cup to City in the period under review.

This is not yet full-time in the seismic meeting of the Premier League versus City. There may even be extra time if City, as expected, appeal the independent panel’s judgement on the majority of the financial charges laid against them. Once more unto the breach, m’learned friends?

City have 14 days to appeal the judgement but it could be months before it is heard. As City can’t then appeal to CAS under PL rules, this long, expensive, exhaustive legal process is at least nearing an end and the result, pending any appeal, is a nightmare for City.

This, also, is a problem for Government, given City’s Abu Dhabi ownership and the UK’s trading and diplomatic links with the UAE. There should, of course, be questions asked about those in power at City if they’re found culpable of these breaches. Fit and proper? There could, of course, be individual claims by clubs denied trophies and relegated clubs citing points lost to City and the financial cost of relegation. The ramifications of the judgement are deep and wide.

City’s reaction may prove to look for every avenue of potential recourse, whether to do with time taken, procedure, legal niceties, whatever. City have consistently and vigorously claimed their innocence, and spent 10s of millions on their defence, so it is hard to see them going quietly into the night.

But if their appeal fails they clearly merit the most severe of sanctions. People talk about large fines. Pointless against mega-rich clubs. People talk about transfer bans. Have you seen the size of City’s squad? The average age of their players? (25). And the quality of their academy? Even if some players push to leave, or rival clubs seek to take their players (Real Madrid will surely be on alert), City will still not be short of talent.

If it is confirmed that City broke the rules on an industrial scale than the only suitable punishment is expulsion from the Premier League. If this seems harsh on City’s fans, then consider the thoughts and feelings of fans of other clubs, who played by the rules.

It is important to note that this is different to the oft-stated case of Swindon Town being relegated two divisions in 1990 for irregular payments (later reduced to one). The four-division Football League was a single entity then. The Premier League and EFL are separate competitions with different rules. Anyway, if City were relegated to League One, as some critics desire, how would that be fair on one of the teams rising from League Two being denied promotion?

It seems to me that the suitable sanction, if the appeal fails, is a 50-point punishment to be imposed for this season, in all likelihood guaranteeing relegation. City would then have to fight their way back, and some of the fans might enjoy the journey (no VAR, hurrah). Older City fans can recall fighting up the pyramid from lower. But on their return City should then start their subsequent two seasons in the Premier League with a 20-point handicap. This has to be a sustained as well as severe punishment.

Other punishments? If City’s appeal fails, there will be calls for the eight trophies won during the period in question, 2009-2018, to be wiped and/or handed over to the runners-up. Standing to gain are Manchester United (twice) and Liverpool in the three title races; Stoke City in the FA Cup; Sunderland, Liverpool and Arsenal in the League Cup; as well as Chelsea in the Community Shield.

Do these potential recipients even want the trophies, the sky blue ribbons discreetly removed? They have every cause to feel angry but my hunch is that many fans will simply be content with having the honours stripped from City, wiped from their records, a blank space left in the record books. An accusing asterix for all time.

Even with fans innately defiant, City enter a dark period. Every press conference with Enzo Maresca will have a sub-text. In every interview with a player lurks have a painful question. Those many, many good staff at the club with nothing to do with any wrongdoing, totally blameless individuals, will feel the tension and the criticism. Fans who love the club will doubtless back them. It’s what fans do.

The Premier League's image as a competition has been damaged by this. The Premier League's image as an organisation capable of strong governance has been enhanced by this. The oft-criticised CEO Richard Masters deserves praise for his persistence and patience. But, beginning at Anfield and continuing, this story really isn’t quite close to full-time yet.

[Red and White Top @RedAndWhiteTop]

Haaland away at Forest Green next season:

[TPH @TPH141190]

Brendan Rodgers going to pick Colin Pascoe up from his shift in b&q to get ready for the 2013/14 league title parade :

[Paddy Power @paddypower]

BREAKING: Man City have been found guilty on all charges relating to breaches of Premier League financial regulations. As a result, Everton have been deducted 10 points.

[Rossi @ROS5IHD]

Sometimes you’ve got to take your hat off to some lads who just edit and knock out absolute gems like this. Time consuming but for the absolute love of the game

[Tandy @LFC_Tandy]

Joe Gomez has more PL titles than career goals.

[EdgeScout @EdgeScoutBets]

Presenting Six Degrees of Jim Leighton - the browser game.

Daily puzzle, get from Player A to Player B connecting them with club teammates.

https://t.co/njhMhNsl6m

[Jacob @Jsize18]

When you've had too many pints and start singing Yellow by Coldplay

[Mark White @markwhlte]

I built a game for @FourFourTwo – all you have to do is select an XI that has scored 442 goals in Premier League history.

Lot of work went into this: should you keep you occupied for the long international break (or at the very least, your lunch break)

https://t.co/80I9RQkvQi

[barry @BackseatsmanLFC]

Absolutely love that Iraola trusts Koumas and Nyoni to come on and close out a tight game like that. They completely repaid that trust too. They don't get that chance last season

[Ryan Kennedy @RyanKennedy_22]

Well that's not good...