HawK

We're singing the Coloccini song

Fucking hell we went on that run since Wood signed with basically 10 men on the pitch. How good are we with 11

Definitely something about one of our January signings going on to massive career-purple patches every once in a while.. Cissé Willock Bruno..

Fuckit, even Longstaff should have scored because of this. We look a team transformed we play with someone who can actually hold up the ball and come deep to collect.

Second goal occurred exactly because of this, ASM offers a lot up the middle just from pulling apart defences.

Yep i also want to see what ASM will do up top, he can't do worse than Wood and might actually give us some form of outlet. If he comes deep to pick up the ball, it'll allow Murphy, Willock and Joelinton to run ahead. The issue ASM has is that he's usually leading the line while ball carrying (Wood goes invisible), and has nothing to aim at. I've seen him oftentimes that towards the end of the run as he's approaching a dead-end he's got his hands out, palms up, asking what his options are. If we had runners off the ball ahead of him, it'd pull the opposing defence apart. They have to double up on him in the middle and that creates huge spaces in the channels for our midfielders and wide players to run into.

Eh?

Gotta be something to do with Miggie

Aye no way Almiron can be on at the expense of Willock. Even out of position, he's far more effective.

5-0 vs Man U. The revenge factor counted in after the embarrassment of that charity shield loss. That Albert goal. Their whole team looking lost and confused. Proper Cartman drinking tears moment.

Oh I remember these threads! Finish above/below were always good to follow.

Gonna pre-empt the inevitable question that'll occurr as a result of this bump, and answer with '100% yes, obviously, but he'd have cost more'. Edit: NPW

Don't think anyone refers to Willock as Joe, though. Joelinton is Big Joe or just Joe to most on here.

My thought on this is that most of the times he seemed to dwell were due to the statuesque movement and lack of space-awareness by those around him off the ball. We're really terrible off the ball as a team to be honest.

I think it's the measure of the circumference of his gigantic BALLS.

I think the perceived lack of passing is due to a lack of movement off the ball on the rest of the team's part, and that he's normally the furthest player up the pitch apart from the invisible man (Wood). When Guimaraes came on, there was a couple of passages of play almost straight away where they were passing between each other outside the box when ASM was on the right. Our other players are just so bad off the ball, reminds me of HBA having to do everything himself as well.

I really hope I wasn't prophetic and that he comes back as strong as ever in his next few games, he looked anonymous for large parts of the game.

When I thought I couldn't love big Joe any more than I did

Would keep him here for the start of next season, St Maximin won't play every game, he'll get lots of opportunities imo.

Good point, can't disagree with that And I really hope he does ^^

I don't remember two of our previous best-ever players in recent history, and coincidentally not only Allan's compatriots but who also played the same position, in Mr Ginola and Mr Robert, missing out on lineups because they didn't press enough. You build your team around players like these, not make them fit in it. C. Ronaldo is a prime example. If Allan doesn't fit in the system thatHowe wants to implement, then we'll have to watch him go. And it'll be painful, because in a team that is built around 10 people working hard off the ball to carry him, he's going to be glorious. But if you're going to build a team to carry a player to win a league, that player isn't Allan, it's an Ibrahimovic or a CRonaldo, the true 'greats'. He's still my favourite player mind, I really hope he can learn to do the off-the-ball work that Howe wants.

Aye I recall Gallacher being fairly handy on the ball too?

Mate I must come across as a walking ball of barely-contained, seething rage

I've been biting my tongue a while on Chris. Here goes, /tinhat. This is why stats without context are dangerous. If you'd watched any of the games he's played since he's joined, you'd not be making that conclusion. At least 90% of those 'headers won' are not directed at anyone other than the oppositions midfield or centre backs. I've never seen a player as tall as him be so weak on the ball physically, or be unable to direct headers to teammates. Whoever told him that he should be trying to win those headers and flick it on to absolutely no-one? I doubt Howe is that stupid, I think he must be trying to win those headers but just doesn't have the strength or aggression to battle with the opponent to get in position to head it back towards a teammate. He's shown maybe twice in all the games since he's joined that he was capable of receiving the ball, holding it up and laying it off or passing it on to a teammate. One of those times we scored. Only knowing his goal-scoring record before he joined, I was happy when we signed him as we had no strikers at all (other than Gayle). Now all I'm happy about is that he gives us 11 people on the pitch, and takes a defender with him wherever he goes to allow other players more space. Sorry Chris but in this team if you're not good enough off-the-ball you aren't going to get chances, you need to make your own luck in this side. You also need to show a hell of a lot more determination and fight, the shots of you on camera after you f something up or miss a chance look like you don't even want to be on the pitch and you seem really self conscious. Comparing your demeanor to the swagger that Wilson had on day 1 is night and day. One of you is a confident striker who believes he's going to score every time he gets the ball, the other looks think they don't believe they're up to it here.

Well yes, obviously