The College Dropout

Coaching is critical but quality players and maximising quality is #1. I’ve been a firm believer that this squad lacks quality. I thought to stand still and finish 5th in the league or better we needed to add a genuine purple (and keep what we have) and fill out the squad. We are 2 players light squad wise. Lost our best player and added zero purples. Not made a single signing that markedly improves the first team. No surprise we have seen massive decline.

A lot of it will be fatigue vs rest. A nice reliable team vs a team constantly playing, changing, picking up injuries. Confidence vs no confidence

Plan with checkpoints in place to win the league by 2030 mate.

I think he could be good/great for 70-80 minutes once a week. But he cannot be expected to start multiple games in a week coming up against fast and strong wingers with a weeks rest. It’s killing us.

Painful thing is this was so obvious. 3 first team fullbacks. 1 is 35. Recipe for disaster. It’s such bad squad building and management. It was a major risk in August, it’s outright criminal in January.

The disappointing thing is he showed zero class when he got in those great positions. His confidence is gone.

It’s bang average and not equipped for the demands

Aye.

Sesko so poor there at the end. Man U will finish top 5/6 like a squad of that quality without European football should.

You're not the messenger, you said it.

Doesn't that point to a lot more about PIF, football and us?

You answered your own question. It literally serves no other purpose apart from appeasing the fans and keeping up public image. This is hard to convey. But bullshitting isn't the same as lying. The club may have a plan to win the PL by 2030 but it is almost certainly - not realistic (unless they have a madness planned). As Jordan said - where are we planning to get the recurring £200m/£250m revenue from to get in touching distance of Spurs? If we plan to win the league in 4/5 years, we have to be active in windows even if we are just signing players to sell.

Gordon starts, Bruno and Miley out.

6 points against these last season btw. 63 points might not get you Europa League football, definitely not CL. So 3 away wins doesn't do it. We'll do very well to get 60 points total.

We have 3 legit fullbacks. 1 is 35. Howe plays a team to win in every competition. A proper DOF doesn't let that entire situation happen.

Letting him go to that tournament and having 3 proper first-team fullbacks and intending to win/compete in 4 competitions was a terrible decision. Tino is still first choice RB and second choice LB. It was obvious he was about to play crazy minutes this season. Pretty certain every single outright first-choice player in our squad has picked up at least 1 injury this year. Close will be true for every other CL team. If we intended to sign a LB that would be ahead of him, I would've been happier with him going. I made the argument at the time. Tino was the only player for England at that U21 who was expecting to play a 50+ game CL campaign the next season with a legitimate shot at the World Cup. Definitely not a fucking fullback either.

I think he might not know what to do tbh. But against man City there were times others were pressing with a lot more intensity than he was and it's happened before. But against PSV it was tremendous. It might be tactical as you say. Woltemade is worse at it but he looks physically incapable of it mostly. Both definitely have room for improvement.

It's a borderline racist trope as it is and one a cursory google into him would be immediately invalidated

He looks lazy in his pressing often.

What's with the supposedly?

Agree with Jordan. Let's see some action please.

Aye I felt like Hopkinson was bullshitting in that TalkSport interview. The purpose was to restate ambition without any details to realise it.

The writing has been on the wall for this team for awhile now.

Look at the state of this

I’ve said all year I support Eddie 100%. I’m not frustrated with his coaching decisions. He just needs a DOF and staff to shoulder 80% of transfer decisions. I’m frustrated with PIF.