The College Dropout

Said at FT last game that Lascelles needed a rest.

All of the others have been rotated and aren’t as important.

Since returning from injury just 4 weeks ago hes completed 6 PL games and Rafa wanted him to play a 7th? I think he’s the only player to have played every minute of the Xma fixtures. Should’ve been rested. And given a few days holiday. He shouldn’t have been in the squad.

If there’s one player that needed a rest it was Lascelles. That’s awful from Rafa imo.

We're going to struggle to win at WHL this season It’s always a struggle but luck has been on our side.

Costa’s a top player.

Rafa wants us to pump some goals at SJP? That’s close to our most talented side technically.

Shocked tbh. Feel like Jamaal and maybe a few others could do with a rest.

We need a true purple patch to stay up imo. We'll need to win at least 1 game that we shouldn't. One of the home games against a top 4 side or more likely at WHL where we have a decent record considering how bad we are against other better teams away. There will be a team that simply falls like a rock. 1 win in 10. I thought Huddersfield would have a run like that but they haven't. Another team will win 4 out of 5 or 5 in 7 or something to steer out of trouble. I hope it's us. For me - we should really aim to finish above 1 of Huddersfield or Brighton. I'm not worried about the rest. If we finish above 1 of those, we'll stay up.

They are in the CL and FA Cup. Also Bakayoko has been pants.

Always liked Deeney. Him and Walcott on loan. Yes please. I’d like Danny Welbeck.

Pathetic post that. Why don’t you dig up the posts from people asking for him to be benched this season?

One thing Fat Sam likes - spending loads of money. 1 window for Palace. Signed Paddy Van Aanholt, Schlupp, Milivojevic and a plan for Sakho on massive wages. £40m easy there. Not too mentioned Pardew spent £50m on Benteke and Townsend that summer.

We’ve not spent much time in the bottom three which is great psychologically for the team imo. Last 2 relegations we had spent a number of weeks in the bottom 3. The last time - it felt like we spent the whole season in there.

Shaping up to be the best defensive performance across a season from one of our lot since Colo and the 5th place finish.

aye. When he first burst onto the scene he played right up top or ‘wide’. I have no idea about Perez anymore. As a player. His impact on the team. I just don’t know. Happy for him.

Diame’s a bit of a scapegoat around here. Not as bad as some make it. He hasn’t been bad for some time. He’s not th answer but he’s not the problem either.

The upswing in defensive solidness from his injury and his return (and even prior) is so big it’s scary. Get Jamaal lad a a 7 day holiday. He’s as crucial to our survival as the takeover/Rafa imo. A 2 month injury and I reckon we are down. Keep him fit and in good form - we keep enough clean sheets and low conceding games to stay up.

Big opportunity missed there. Worried.

6/7.

Nah Manquillo cannot defend very well. Paully D in the side with Lascelles, we'll start picking up clean sheets. Despite that Manquillo wasn't usually at fault when we conceded, and he does carry the ball better than Dummett. Manquillo rarely stops crosses coming into the box. Dummett does. That helps out the CB's and especially Yedlin at RB who can be targeted in the air. I'm certain with Lascelles and Dummett - we'll concede less goals than what we have done previously. He stays fit and plays 17 or more games we improve defensively.

I'm talking athleticism. He has none. He makes getting up and down the pitch look like hard work. His entire career he's battled with fitness and stamina. I remember Jenas running the entire length of SJP to miss an absolute sitter in about 10 seconds in the 89th minute. Jonjo is incapable of that athleticism. While he is lazy he does seem physically incapable of moving around the pitch like a Merino. You are over-rating his physical condition. Tackling requires technique to do well, Jonjo doesn't have it. He's also a coward. Yes.

Nah Manquillo cannot defend very well. Paully D in the side with Lascelles, we'll start picking up clean sheets.

Kills our ability to play sexy, free-flowing football we have been used too down the left.

Disagree. Titus had all the raw ingredients of a top player. Strength, good pace, good in the air, good natural tackler and pretty comfortable on the ball with both feet. Jonjo Shelvey is really good at mid-to-long range passing. That's it. There's nowt else of value to his game. You get a CM to get on his toes, he's completely done. No, you’re just reinforcing my point. Shelvey has a lack of intelligence yes but his biggest failing is his lack of character. He has the size to boss a midfield, but no character to be tough. He has the skills to make a difference in a game but not the character to impose them. There’s nothing about him. Titus wanted to do well for us and boy could he have been something if he had the intelligence to read the game better and the concentration to not make massive mistakes every second game. He had all the tools, pace, power, size (must have been at least 17 stone?!?) I could list a bunch of other players who were “almosts” as well. We’ve had a load of them. Im not reinforcing your point. Shelvey is not athletic.... at all. He has slow feet. He's not seeing a 34 year old Tugay for example. He's not a goal threat. He's likely to be sent off. He can't tackle well. Off the ball he's awful. He's not missing 1 or 2 ingredients... he's missing 5 or 6. While offering 1 great ability. Titus Bramble had it all except for 1 thing. Titus could read the game fine. It was only concentration. He could play 2 or 3 games in a row, absolutely perfect, everything you want from a CB. Then he would airkick it or drop another type of clanger leading to a goal. He would spread panic with his mistakes. 1 mistake would lead to another.