Matt Furniss
@Matt_Furniss
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senior editor & football data journalist for @optaanalyst after a decade as @optajoe . still support Watford for some reason.
England, United Kingdom
Joined October 2009
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Last Seen Profiles
Since signing for Everton in 2018-19, Richarlison has a worse Premier League mins per non-penalty goal ratio (286), than Chris Wood (284), Salomón Rondón (283) and Danny Welbeck (266).
£60m 😳
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Her dad Michael Owen failed to score in his only appearance in Majorca (August 2004 for Real Madrid).
International dressage rider Gemma is trading in her riding boots to score a strapping lad 😍
#LoveIsland
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Leeds fans: you've got a great one in Javi Gracia. A top coach and a lovely guy - hope he does well there.
(truth: wish he was still our manager)
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Crystal Palace quietly going about their business in the Premier League > Since their win vs Fulham on February 2nd, only Man City & Liverpool have won more Premier League points than they have (30). Gone unnoticed by many, but Roy Hodgson doing a great job.
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Only two players (Aubameyang & Lacazette, obviously) scored more goals for Arsenal under Unai Emery than Gabriel Martinelli (7), which is a bit mad considering he only played 11 of his 78 games.
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It was 22 years ago today that Nicolas Anelka became the first player to score a brace against England whilst wearing goalkeeper gloves.
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I can't stop watching this and laughing at the man who suggest flattening Bath, then the self-approving head nod at the end because what he's said is so groundbreaking.
"I will fight for him!"
People in Poole say they 'overwhelming' want the statue of the founder of the scouts to stay where it is.
Read more here:
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Jose Holebas leaves
#Watfordfc
with a record of getting a yellow card in the Premier League more frequently (every 241 mins) than Troy Deeney has scored a goal (every 277 mins). You have to respect that.
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Turns out Premier League footballers aren’t the problem all along. Weird, that.
#playerstogether
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Not just a phenomenal finish from Harry Kane, but a brilliant team goal for Spurs.
All 10 outfield players involved in the build-up and 23 passes before Kane took his shot.
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King Nigel Pearson has won more points in his last 14 games as a Premier League manager (32) than Pep Guardiola (28).
#watfordfc
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All 19 of the other teams have won a Premier League match since Arsenal's last league win on October 6th vs Bournemouth. Leicester City have won EIGHT league games since then.
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Kieran McKenna is the youngest manager in the top four tiers of England, but arguably one of the best.
Could Ipswich Town become the 11th club to win consecutive promotions to reach the top flight in England? I think so.
#ITFC
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Rodri completed more passes on his own for Manchester City vs West Ham last night (178) than Stoke City completed in over a quarter of their all-time Premier League matches (28% - 105/380).
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Non-Watford fans won't understand the significance of this, but yesterday was Graham Taylor day. Every year, we mark the anniversary of GT's death (12 Jan) on the nearest home game possible.
The 72nd minute is the minute we applaud, as that's the age he died.
6⃣8⃣: On for league debut
7⃣2⃣: Scores first professional goal
What a moment for Tobi Adeyemo! 💛
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This is what a Premier League table would look like this season (so far) if we pretend the 'big six' had decided to ditch us all and move to a European Super League. So excluding all results of 'big six' sides in 2018/19, Watford would be set to seal the title!
#watfordfc
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I’d argue that the Ben Pearson tackle for Preston vs Fulham tonight was *probably* worthy of a red. Surprise, surprise Keith Stroud only gave a yellow. Don’t miss that ref.
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Except he never scored in the CL for Liverpool.
Raheem Sterling becomes the first player to score for three English clubs in the Champions League 💥
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Days spent in the top four of the Premier League table in 2018-19:
Wolves: 0
Watford: 40
At what point do the Premier League just offer Wolves an honorary top 4 spot in place of United, Arsenal and Chelsea?
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First ever
#watfordfc
game for my lad today.
No pressure
@WatfordFC
, but if you lose then his mates support Luton and he’ll likely jump across 😂
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Played for Hitchin two weeks ago in the 7th tier and now scoring in the Championship. Lovely story.
Academy striker and 17 year old Tobi Adeyemo’s first goal for Watford coming in the 72nd minute 🥰
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I’d be calling for VAR here. Definite dive & yellow card, for me.
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5 years ago today. Still makes me laugh.
It’s the way he looks up at the card in disbelief.
#watfordfc
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Today was pretty awful on the pitch, but when we got to our seat, this was left for my lad by
@WatfordFC
- a lovely touch.
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Preston North End haven’t been a top-flight English league club since 1960-61. But it might not be long until they are back, based on their brilliant start to the Championship campaign.
I take a look at the data behind their great start.
#PNEFC
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I'm a Watford season ticket holder and have been for 25(ish) years now.
We play our rivals Luton Town on April Fools Day, so I obviously decided to make myself a pariah to all
#watfordfc
fans and analyse what makes Luton a great side this season.
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Last night was the first time that a
#WatfordFC
goalkeeper has saved three penalties in a single penalty shootout (
@DBachmann1
) & also the first time that Watford have stopped the opposition from scoring any of their penalties in a shootout.
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#WatfordFC
(49.5 xG) had better goalscoring chances in the league this season than both Arsenal (47.7 xG) Spurs (48.5 xG) but scored just 36 goals (Arsenal: 20 more, Spurs: 25 more).
xG might not be your thing, but it certainly tells you what one of Watford's major issues was.
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Interesting data on Championship performances, based on Opta's expected points model.
Middlesbrough have been really unfortunate - expect them to start picking up now... obviously they play
#watfordfc
this weekend 😳
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@Choffspurss
Okay pal. I’m clearly not arrogant enough to think I know better than a Premier League recruitment team, but I’m also allowed to have an opinion on whether I think a transfer fee is well over the top!
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"Proper legend is Deano, though. I thought a cheeky second yellow for timewasting was well worth it for the banter and a great way to go out. Come on you orrrnnnns!!"
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧: Mike Dean ⏱
Mike Dean's final game as a Premier League ref has been decided: Chelsea vs. Watford on Sunday.
He's given 114 red cards in the PL - more than any other referee. Nobody asked him to, but
@oilysailor
went through all 114 for you. ⬇️
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I've had a look at some of the stories from the Championship so far this season, one of which is the 2020-21 rebuilding job by the
#WatfordFC
hierarchy.
We've used more players aged U21 than any other Championship side this season, which is 👍 imo.
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I've spent some time this week looking at Arsenal's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as try to offer some kind of analysis as to why his performances this season haven't been
#uptoscratch
.
Please spend approx 3-6 mins reading this, because it took me ages.
#afc
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When
#watfordfc
went down, I was pleased because I thought it would give us an opportunity to clear the decks & start again - build a young squad, with bring some kind of identity back to the club. We made a great start, with the right managerial appointment in Rob Edwards (1/4)
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5 -
@optajoe
is the fifth biggest British brand account on Twitter, despite no dedicated social team & never using a single bit of paid-for promotion. Crazy.
With a large fanbase, comes great responsibility... 👀
Shout-out to the great minds behind
@TfL
,
@AmazonUK
,
@NandosUK
,
@British_Airways
and
@OptaJoe
✨
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Portsmouth fans have had a tough time across the last 15 years, but times are changing under exciting young coach John Mousinho.
They currently sit top of League One & are on a potentially record-breaking unbeaten run.
I analyse the data underpinning their success.
#Pompey
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After 13 years of working as
@OptaJoe
, the time has come to try something a little different (albeit, not too far away)!
I’ll be heading up audience engagement, as well as writing for
@OptaAnalyst
.
Website launching soon...exciting times ahead!
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I look at what Nicolas Jackson might bring to Chelsea. Sure, he won't play all the time but he'll be a great option in the squad.
Okay... the reality is that I used this as an excuse to watch clips of Étienne Capoue playing for Villarreal. I miss him.
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I famously missed the Leicester/Deeney playoff game at Vicarage Road, so Watford 3-2 Wolves today now definitely ranks at 1 in the FUCKING HELL rankings. What a day.
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Fully deserved for Luton. They absolutely battered a bunch of overpaid, overhyped players. The Watford players should be ashamed of that performance, but they won’t be.
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Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang since in the Premier League since his debut:
- 33 Goals (2nd behind Salah)
- 25.6% shot conversion rate (best of the 68 players with 6+ goals)
- xG total of 32.4 (1st)
- non-penalty XG total of 26.9 (1st)
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England fans thinking about booing the Italian National anthem on Sunday, but also knowing deep down that it’s a certified banger.
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The fan ‘abuse’ of Isaac Success yesterday has bothered me. The guy is still 22 & did a lot of good stuff. Sure, made a few errors of judgement (to be expected) but has obvious ability & is clearly a confidence player - fans so quick to get on his back & it’s pretty rank.
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The lad’s first
#watfordfc
away game!
Losing a 2-0 lead against poor opposition and arguably hanging on for a point should set him up for life as a Watford fan. 😩
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It’s the day after the cup final, but I still can’t get over Jason Cundy’s attire on Chelsea TV yesterday.
The business lifeguard.
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It’s not the second tier record - far from it.
George Camsell holds the all-time record of 59 for Middlesbrough in 1926-27.
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Six months ago today, we launched
@OptaAnalyst
.
It's been bloody hard work with such a small team but we've had an exceptional amount of people visiting us, making it all worthwhile.
Here's to the next six months (and hopefully beyond!).
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Gotta respect the succession planning by Arsenal.
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Sonny Furniss arrived yesterday & judging by the list of Premier League players born on October 16th (David Unsworth, Thomas Myhre, Graeme Sharp, Brynjar Gunnarsson & Cristian Riveros), he’s destined to play for Everton ffs.
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Lionel Messi will play his final World Cup game in the 2022 final and we all want him to end on the winning team... don't we?
I try to sum up how his 2022 World Cup performances have been so special for
@OptaAnalyst
, with the help of
@J_P_Manuel
.
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With
#watfordfc
on just five points from 11 Premier League games this season, here's a list of teams that have avoided relegation despite having five points or fewer from their first 11 games in a Premier League season. It "can" be done.
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Just when you think the standard of journalism in the UK is dropping, you get reminded why we’ve got the best press in the world.
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Dominik Szoboszlai is one of those players that you keep hearing has a high ceiling within the Twitter echo chamber.
So does he have a high ceiling? Yes, he does. Therefore I analysed his talents & wrote about them.
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20:26:31 - Bournemouth 0-1 Watford
20:39:13 - Bournemouth 3-3 Watford
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Today marks a year since we launched - that time has flown by. Incredibly proud of what we've achieved and the content that we've produced on the site.
Some exceptionally talented people at
@StatsPerform
have helped out, alongside some great freelancers!
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These kids supporting their local village side and going mental when they win the penalty shootout. What’s not to like?
@stotfoldfc
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I guess
#watfordfc
fans can rightly be angry at the Pozzo ownership this evening, but those asking for a change at the top should probably be careful what they wish for.
More data:
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Philip Zinckernagel had an amazing 2020 with Norwegian Eliteserien champions Bodø/Glimt, with 37 goal involvements in 28 league apps. But what is he going to bring to
@WatfordFC
?
Here's all the info that
#WatfordFC
fans need on the main man
@pzincker
⬇️
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@Dominiho7
@OptaJoe
@ManCity
@premierleague
@aguerosergiokun
Mins per goal in the PL since 2011-12:
Aguero - 108 mins per goal
Kane - 116 mins per goal
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Dominic Calvert-Lewin is a superb player & is going to be one of the best English strikers in recent times.
I've looked at how much Carlo Ancelotti has improved Calvert-Lewin's performances as a striker, ahead of their trip to Chelsea on Saturday.
#EFC
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Whatever happens on Saturday (yeah non-Watford fans, we know we’ll almost certainly lose),
@WatfordFC
have really produced some fantastic content this week. Not often you get to a cup final when you’re a club like Watford & the media team have smashed it.
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Roy Hodgson first took charge of
#WatfordFC
for their 21st Premier League game of the season - the same as at Fulham in 2007-08. Both teams had 15 points after 21 games.
Watford's win yesterday has edged them ahead of that Fulham 2007-08 side after 29 games (by 2 points).
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I just got two tickets for €95 each on this and to say I’m overwhelmed rn is an understatement. 🏴
The last remaining tickets for the UEFA EURO 2020 final will go on sale via on Saturday 10 July 2021 at 14:00 CEST (13:00 UK time).
Full information 👇
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I don't often write about
#WatfordFC
, as I don't like to mix business with displeasure. However, today I felt like I needed to put some words together.
A look at the state we're currently in & why a tweet on April 13th 2019 by Watford ruined it all.
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In all seriousness, we’ll have an in-depth article up on
@OptaAnalyst
next week on Richarlison and what he’ll bring to Spurs.
@matthayesthfc
is on the case, so Spurs fans can rest assured that it’s positive. 👀
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It’s the 11th
@optajoe
quiz tonight at the Emirates Stadium - the biggest one yet with 35 teams taking part.
I’ll be co-hosting with
@oilysailor
& will be confronting him with “you think you’re the big man now?” before an inevitable scrap. We’ll be fine by 7pm.
#optajoequiz
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Love how the ref is so out of control of the situation that he’s just whistling Darude’s Sandstorm over & over.
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This is a very minor and stupid point, but genuinely interested in the answer.
When Alisson saved Mount’s pen, the ball was spinning back towards the goal & then he stopped it again…is that allowed?
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If Kane can do it on BBC breakfast news, so can you.
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We're going big on AFCON 2021 on
@OptaAnalyst
- more on that in the next few days...
Here's a piece I put together to kick off our coverage, looking at the players I expect to impress at the tournament this month.
#AFCON2021
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Two days until Watford v Luton - their first meeting 14 years & not sure many outside of the supporters of both clubs will understand how much we hate each other. Neither club really has another rival, so this derby means a lot to us & is a huge game.
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One of the worst penalties I’ve ever seen!
A feast of penalties tonight in the FA Cup tie I was at.
Four penalties in the 90 mins, one scored by each side & a further two missed by Aylesbury United.
FT: Aylesbury United 2
Moneyfields 2
Moneyfields then won the shoot out 4-3 (after 7 pens each).
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@1882mattspur
@samcunningham
True. I just think there are more talented players for that kind of money & that Spurs could have got someone better. But then again I’m sat at home tweeting this & Antonio Conte and his recruitment team are richer and more intelligent than I am. 😂
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@louorns
I don’t understand how it’s offside. Maybe I just don’t know the offside rule now. It can’t be offside as the Forest defender played it to him?!
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It started with a DM on Instagram asking about his stats. It ended with us chatting for an hour about his career & how well his first season at Chelsea has gone.
My first analysis interview on
@OptaAnalyst
is with
@ChelseaFC
's brilliant Édouard Mendy.
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My boys 🇯🇵
Germany 1-2 Japan
Germany become the first team in recorded World Cup history to register 3+ expected goals and lose a game
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Robert Skov has scored 14 goals from outside the box for FC København in the Danish Superliga this season, which is insane. Some perspective: no player has reached double figures in a single PL season & Lionel Messi/Ronaldo have also never hit doubles figures in a league season.
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Super
@JackWilshere
back home in Hitchin & at Top Field for
@HitchinTownFC
vs
@ArsenalAcademy
.
Coaches don’t bring shin pads, usually 👀
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Gerard Deulofeu: "We are really organised on and off the pitch, like how we play with a high press all together. "
Premier League teams since Nigel Pearson took over at
#Watfordfc
...
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I had a look at some key players for both England & Denmark on
@OptaAnalyst
ahead of the semi-final tomorrow.
Denmark are a dangerous team, but this England team is
#REALLYGOOD
.
#ENG
#DEN
#ENGDEN
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Étienne Capoue leaves
#WatfordFC
having made the most competitive starts (169) & played the most competitive minutes (14810) of any Watford player since he joined.
Probably the most talented player we've had overall & his partnership with Abdoulaye Doucouré was something special
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Andre Gray has just managed to fuck up a kick off & give away an indirect free-kick for touching the ball twice. Fair play.
#watfordfc
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Watford's victory over Manchester United today means that their wait for a league win at home lasted 264 days. This was the longest gap between home wins in the entire history of the club in league football (so since 1920).
#Watfordfc
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Six months up & it’s already been decided that this lad will be running the
@WatfordFC
midfield by 2040. Sonny Furniss, number 8.
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@AshwinRaman_
@OptaAnalyst
Lots going on here in a very crowded viz, but you can see some team breakdowns in this one!
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Leicester City are flying in the Championship, dropping just three points across their opening 11 games.
In my latest EFL article, I've analysed their season so far for
@OptaAnalyst
. Spoiler: they are too good for the league.
📎:
#LCFC
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I thought I knew who the worst Shipman was, but turns out there is another contender.
I grew up in Lincs and live in London. I support Liverpool, the Washington Football Team, Nottinghamshire, the Boston Red Sox, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Surrey when I go to the Oval, Ajax, England, TeamGB, Europe in the Ryder Cup. I'm looking forward to
#SuperLeague
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genuinely proud of this.
0 - Despite spending four hours & 22 minutes together on the pitch for England in total, Jamie Vardy and Wayne Rooney never created a single goalscoring chance for one another. Awkward.
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