The College Dropout

It's extremely tight. I have literally a few more points than you but deep into the top 10. Depending on how today goes I could fall out the top 10 completely. There's a bit of a gap to the top 5. Currently 85k. Would love to beat my second-best finish of 64k. My best finish of 6k (did I mention I won the NO league that year?) is too far gone. Anything lower than the top 100k and I would be disappointed.

Better season this. The Chanp isnt in the running to win it this year but I would be disappointed if I don’t finish in the top 10.

That goal in the CL final is one of my favourites. Silky build up then he just dinks it with the outside of his foot over Dudek. Criminal they lost that final. Think Crespo was one of the few not to get the get back CL 2 years later.

Elanga has abilities. Once he gets going on can beat a man, decent off both feet, quick. But he’s never a player. His touch is too bad. His general control of the football is too bad. Same way Murphy is just not a player that’s the same for Elanga. Both have genuine abilities. But still m… neither have ever been a player a day in their life.

My biggest fear with PIF is that they are demanding owners that don’t provide ppl with what they need to succeed. Forever chopping and changing managers, DOFs, CEOs. That will end in relegation.

Agreed. This is why I’m in no rush to sell Gordon. There’s lots of business to be done as is. Im actually less concerned about squad age. We could do with another leader out there.

I agree with this. But where we need better players the most is CM, ST, RW etc.

The entire summer transfer business and this season’s approach has made me question how Eddie views the game. I always thought the profile was wrong. Nevermins ability or lack thereof

Those are highlights. We’ve seen flashes of great play for us. Also seen a lot of miscontrolled balls. It was obvious from game 1. This is not a player.

This. Never been a massive fan. But I don’t think he will be easy to replace. We’ve shown no transfer acumen in about 3 years. Not in a rush to move him on at all

Both Gordon and Barnes have contributed a lot to teams that have finished in the top 8 and won cups. They aren’t bad players or below our level. I don’t think either are world beaters but both are decent players for this level. Neither Barnes or Gordon will be easy to replace. Theres a reason 1 is going to the World Cup for England, linked to Liverpool and Bayern and the other is in the conversation to go. There are not loads of top class wide players floating around. And again - we have much weaker areas of the squad to address. Elanga and Murphy are not good enough for this level and the priority should be improving them. We lack quality in midfield. We lack any quality upfront. We may only have 1 fullback in August. Like I wouldn’t want to buy a LW unless Gordon really wants to move.

I would like to keep Barnes and Gordon and get better players to play on the right.

I’m Howe in. But if he looks like he only has 1 idea and the players can’t be motivated to execute it at all through to the end of the season then it gets really tough. Klopp has some really bad seasons at Dortmund and a couple at Liverpool. These lows are really low.

I think he’s like Jenas. Technically very solid, Jenas a stronger athlete and presence but both mobile. But Jenas was just passive. Jenas was often at his best against superior opposition because he was forced to play. Better players would test his touch, press him, run at him. And he would show he could play. But against most opposition when Jenas has to make the play and take the game to them, he just wouldn’t. Games would pass him by just not doing very much. Ramsey is similar in those regards. He’s a good and talented footballer. But he’s not going to be a difference maker. Basically has no footballing personality. Anita was just shit. Couldn’t compete physically in midfield. Not enough ability on the ball to compensate m, nowhere near actually. Probably worse than Colback.

Anita was absolutely shit.

That wasn’t a bottling performance. Actually unlucky there.

But specifically with Howe - it would. We’ve seen it. I actually think you are both right. You can’t keep our coaching continual mismanagement at the top. I fully agree. And this is the biggest reason I want to keep Eddie, coaching I think is the final piece. Everything else needs to be right. But Eddie’s limitation as a coach and a footballing mind are also being exposed. He does need people to push him in different directions.

We don’t have technically gifted players though. He does seem to avoid them too.

I think Howe needs to try something just a little different and playing Nick as a supporting striker and attempting to play through him some is the path he should take. because there’s no other options. Or we can just try to run super hard again.

I also agree he has some talent. But I don’t think he has enough talent to make up for his shortcomings. At least with How Howe wants to play. Legit a Fulham where they play a bit more. He could find something good.

Is a nice touch and some nice lay offs enough for a top 8 PL attacker? Thats Zirkzee, a 20 minute bench player imo. IMO in the PL you can be a budget Drogba and be a really useful player. Half PL strikers fit that build. A budget Berbatov? That doesn’t work here.

Agreed. I think all of our existing patterns of play are player devised - natural combinations. Because when the individuals drop out the moves stop happening. Schar to Joelinton in behind. Never attempted when one is missing. Trippier Bruno Almiron. That wasn’t training pitch. That’s just 2 passers and 1 mover figuring something out. You take out natural passers and movers, Howe isn’t giving any new direction.

This is my issue with him. How he views the game. He doesn’t want to play football.

I’ve said it before but I think that Barca game was a turning point. It was the most naive tactical performance I’ve ever seen from an English club at the Camp Nou. Was it Dan Burn pressing Yamal deep in the Barca half. WTF was that? Thats how a leader loses his strongest generals. We’ve barely seen Burn since - maybe he said something. I think he lost some hearts and minds that night

There was a league cup game where we actually tried to play through a team. We never try that in the PL or any slice of it.