madras

Really? They are guaranteed for 8yrs, they can Alan Smith it if needs be and if any bonuses are generous, why not ? Who knows, for some it just be a job.

Not even that far back. 70s and 80s keepers could be challenged on crosses basically as just another player. If the keeper dropped the ball undee pressuer it wasnt an automatic free kick because there was contact.

Aye I heard that, bizarre. And "pure football till I die".

Which he has done in his appearances so far. Hope starting instead of coming on settles him a bit.

I think Development has begun on that site, not the Arrna footprint itself but some of the rest of it.

Given where it was it was more "Wet and fucking radge man!"

I don't think he was being serious.

I'd want to see how we play with Pope in goal and Tonali in his new position before any definitive decision.

Assuming Bakayoko is the first option?

Nah, De Ligt would have been Bob Moncur, Botmans more Pat Howard (back in the days when there were no LCB's or RCB's .......you have either Thug and technician or two thugs)

All for clicks man.

Joelintons role has changed as well and he's lapped it up, notice he's hitting the wing less now as Hall moves up to support Gordon and looks to read Isak to come in late or behind.

And the backing by the fans.

And Bruno does it and Murphy does a bit of it, Tino does some of the hard running. Longstaffs role as it was has gone. Jeez.....all I'm saying is that Tonali was never an RCM upgrade like some seemed to think. He was always destined for the middle, either as a lone 6 or as double pivot, either way he wasn't a Longstaff replacement as he never played those roles.

They weren't good defences. They were low blocks, numbers behind the ball and hoping for magic from Saint Max etc.

But that doesn't make sense. Tonali being the base Brunos new role, I'd also say new roles for the entire outfield staff mean Longstaffs position doesn't exist any more, nor does Joelintons old role, even the Joelinton/Willock dovetail. We've evolved and I'm sure Eddie knows evolution is an ongoing process.

Miley has a great future hopefully but there never been a point when I'd have picked him over Longstaff. There's a good chance that changes.

Slightly different position? He's very central, he's the base. He never was brought in to be a Longstaff upgrade a RCM, he was brought in to take his place on the team sheet but he was never hisbplreplacement on the pitch because now that position doesn't exist.

Longstaffs level is as much about those around him. He's not someone that can lift a team,say the way Bruno did but he's held his own in thwbtop half of this level. We've only replaced his space in the team sheet with Tonali, this team since Tonali went central is totally different to what we had before, it allows for so much more, hence we have more bodies getting in the box and centre halves chasing down players deep in their own half.

No there's a bit more (though I think that formation was the aim......Tonali was never just a Longstaff upgrade), we have a CH following the oppos forward/acm to within 30yds of his own goal with other folding in blocking lanes etc, a lot more getting into the box(because we have a plan if they break), Trippier was recently spending a lot of time coming lnto centre mid instead of his usual wide, with Murphy dropping a bit to work Isak or Bruno into that gap. Really you need to sit Milburn level 7 to get all this going on. Not kidding, had a mate up with us, his first game up there (normally a Strawberry cornerer) and he was amazed at how different a game it was and how he saw it better.

Portsmouth (H) 1-0, Leicester (a) 1-2, as a run of results will never be beaten in my heart.

Not so much for me. Always seemed more of a result of what was round him. There's a reason why KK took Cole to watch Les play.

England form if not for his age.

Everything is clicking now as we also have players moving off him and breaking their ne ks to get in the box when he drifts.

First Ferdinand season is up there.