HawK

Burn and Osula making the same run as Ramsey tries to find space, wondrous

Almost..

Ironically we're trying to play a high line to play through them and we don't put our best player in those sorts of positions on the pitch

Good we got Pope back in goal for his big frame and shot stopping

Quite like Bentancur

Can imagine the training ground routines where Wolte has been stuck in LCM and is just wondering wtf he's done to deserve it and now getting called out publically by his manager. You just know if any other manager comes in, the very next game Wolte's starting up top.

Nigerian team player liaison to Osula : Why are you Dane

Yeah it was me - thanks for the tag. For what it's worth, I don't think 4-3-3 is the best system for the players we have any more, it was previously but it's miles way now imho. We're crying out for a 4-4-2 or a 4-2-3-1. Gordon for me would be the right-sided attacker in either of those but as an inverted winger, you need to be absolutely dominant for it to work well or it just narrows the pitch and make it easier for the opponents to defend.

Osula and Wolte up top would be worth a watch

Think some more intensity and athletic player signings might fix it

Agreed to disagree 👍

Nope, but if athletes is the primary tickbox with Howe-lead recruitment, we're not getting any more Lewis Halls through the door (Ashworth-era signing).

Inference - he says for his system to work he needs good athletes, ergo players being sold or freshening up the squad that this is going to be one of the primary considerations. As opposed to being good on the ball, intelligent in possession, 'having that bit of magic', linking up well with others, being that creative spark. Nope - athletes. I'm laboring the point now but if there was one primary characteristic of players in our squad that I don't think we need more of.. it's that.

I took it from this, last paragraph.

You're not wrong - I think next season we'll be fine, might even qualify for Europe again, but as happened in our first CL campaign under Howe and this season, the league is going to be painful again the following season if we do. I've said before a few weeks ago - if we're happy to be a European yo-yo club, then we need to keep Howe and get behind him as this looks like this is how we're going to be under his leadership. Which is a damn sight better than 90% of our seasons in the PL since its formation, and for our long term health of the club is very good as it builds our profile out as big hitters for social media following / commercialism / attracting players and gives us a platform. But it's frustrating to be on the cusp and not be able to progress further. Short term I think as long as we shift recruitment away from Howe, we'll get more signings like Hall again which I don't think Eddie would have even thought of us a player for us. Howe is fantastic at working with what he's got but doesn't seem so good at looking beyond the obvious as last summer showed, everybody that came in was a known quantity (even Woltemade after the Euros). Within PSR scouting and squad building, succession planning, is all so important - and I think this is where we lack a bit compared to other teams in our bracket now. I just hear Howe say 'we need more athletes' and it sends me over the edge

I specifically said it hasn't and isn't working for us. I'm sure if Howe had arguably the PLs most effective right-sided attacker of all time next to peak Mané and Firmino, Van Dijk playing every single game of the season.. a bench and supporting cast of super-experienced PL stalwarts like Lallana, Milner, Henderson and nearly all their big hitters having an injury-free season with most regular starters getting 28+ PL apps (Keita & Lovren aside) then Howe might win the PL too. Instead we've got players who can't trap a ball or cover passing lanes out of possession. Horses for courses. Liverpool pressed like demons out of possession because they could keep the ball when they had it, they could recover their energy whilst on the ball. When we get the ball we're knackered and we stand about with no energy to make passing options available. Just my opinion mind.

As a player I've never been Gordon's biggest fan. But, I think we're going to miss him massively if he goes imho.

I'm a bit surprised that the tag line that people are grabbing onto here is the sideways passing rather than the alarming doubling-down of recruiting players with 'athlete' as one of their main attributes.

Oh well, guess the 'hope he learns/evolves' argument goes out the window. More freshness More athletes More availability Will never consider counter-attacking football as a primary tactic Intensity or bust Works well when we're not in Europe and bringing that to teams competing in Europe who need to manage fitness/availability, but has proven twice now it's unsustainable in a season when we're fighting in Europe too.

No

For me the real sentiment against his attitude started to appear after Howe made it clear that Gordon was effectively refusing to play on the right, which was said in the most diplomatic way possible. Lack of pressing or workrate could be attributed to instructions but the above is unforgivable.

Yep - a carefully curated echo chamber to culture an atmosphere and ideology of victimhood by sacrificing your own free speech for the right to agree with a group of people that would make Discord and Reddit mods look like regular folk.

Looking like he's going to be a legend in the worst PL signings of all time YouTube videos in the next 5-10 years, like Torres to Chelsea (but even he was much better than how Isak has done so far)

Why haven't they tried him in midfield yet

Don't think he'll go to Bilbao this summer. He can go there anytime at any stage of his managerial career. A chance at a top PL club may not come again.