HawK

So am I on the right page, or are they not on sale yet? (Bilbao)

Oh I'm not too far from you, I'm near Wakefield/Castleford way

Just bought mine, full cost version too.

Defenders already do double up on him, as they have for the past 2 seasons, as we have no other attacking players worth their time apart from Wilson. He receives the ball too high up the pitch to have anyone worth passing to. On the occasions where we've actually attacked as a unit, i.e. in the last few weeks of Howe's era., he's passed it loads or crossed it. Especially to Bruno. I think a lot of the criticism aimed at this guy is just lazy and not based on the reality of what he's had to do for this team on the pitch, i.e. carry all of them, for years. With no-one else to pass to because no-one would support the attack he and Wilson would be on. When Wilson's not playing it really has been him alone vs teams' entire back 5 almost every game whilst our midfielders stand and watch. I've grimaced when he's been carrying the ball and he's tried to lay it off to Almiron, who messes up bringing such a basic pass under control as he runs into defenders rather than draw them away. I've been watching Wood just stand next to central defenders for entire games for 4 months when we've had the ball, marking himself out of the game as he goes into hiding. We got a glimpse of what Maxi can do when he was up top vs Norwich as a deep-lying striker, with attacker and midfielders pushing on around him. All he needs is another competent attacking player on the right to balance out the side, and for the team to continue attacking as a unit. Either way this season should start with a blank slate for everyone, no-one can trade on past glories, but I have high expectations of Maxi.

Is it missing David Rozenhal ? I'm getting confused why it won't take my answer :S Edit: Horribly mispelled, nm

So much of that '1-1' section, winning the ball back, reminded me of how Joelinton wins and shields the ball now.

For Barcelona, a team based on possession football when Xavi, Iniesta et al were playing with him, Messi lost the ball more than any other player in La Liga every season by a country mile. You can't lump them into the same pool to compare against Allan either, they're completely different players. You're like a broken record mate. Just repeating yourself over and over again calling out the greatest players in the world and saying that he isn't as good as them. Well, no shit Sherlock. It's the disingenuous notions that need to be called out that he should somehow be doing more than he is in this team for the limited player that we all know he is, yet is also by far our most potent attacking threat.

Imagine getting both, would be absolutely biblical.

If I had to come up with a random name for some rich, white American, probably an oil tycoon, Bruce Buck is right up there

3 top posts in a row @Tiresias @PauloGeordio @Groundhog63

After comparing him with some of our best players in the PL era, you now want to compare him with one of the most talented footballers this country has ever produced? Look, Allan is a very good player playing in a limited team. He's not as good as Maradona either before you escalate there next. He can't pick a pass or dance around players in slow motion like Gazza or Beardsley, or switch it onto either side at will like Ginola. He can't take a free kick like Robert and he hasn't had a hope of replicating anything that Hatem did in a team with Ba, Cisse, Cabaye and Tiote all playing in their absolute prime years. No-one is saying Allan's the greatest player of a generation like your examples. I'm saying because of this, as he is a player with weaknesses, he needs better players around him - to be good off the ball, to take his 2nd man marker of him and focus on our breaking midfielders or have more space to operate as the defence is stretched worrying also about whoever will be doing an actual good job on right wing.

Sorry but you really can't compare this team with the ones that either of Ginola or Robert played in. Hatem also had 2 decent strikers to play off in Ba and Cisse. They're not fair comparisons.

Sorry, I disagree. The 'release it sooner' line is an observation built upon years of Bruce-ball - the movement off him was non-existent. Wilson tried, but one player won't cut it, you need to attack as a team. Wood, off the ball and when we're in possession, is generally woeful. Allan's literally only had a couple of games with Bruno and Wilson. The amount of one-twos and passes between Bruno and Allan is like night and day, I think Allan's had more completed passes to Bruno than the rest of the team combined. This guy recognises quality and I think he's going to flourish with more players around him who are comfortable in possession and know how to find space off the ball. When opponents know they can't just defend one 'magic-man', because we've got threats on both flanks and through the middle, he'll have more space and options.

So sad that this still happens. You would like to think they'd get more support from their clubs when it comes to their finances.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-61811817

How he was so bad at holding up the ball and retaining possession leading the line I'll never know. He's one of the strongest players in the league. I don't care about the naysayers, for me he's one of the best midfielders in the league and the first name on the team sheet. This is Joelinton's world and we're just living in it.

I don't understand his incessant patter and I just find it irritating.

Never thought I'd have to use the Ignore function in this forum

The tape supposedly works when applied correctly by pulling the skin from each end of the tape towards the centre, creating a more 'open' area under the skin where the injury is, to increase bloodflow there. When I had bad shin splints (became stress fractures), I used a few bits of tape to help with recovery in between ultrasound therapy to break up scar tissue. Seemed to work better with then without tbh. On elite athletes with nearly no measurable body fat I don't see it pulling as much skin as it did for me though

Yep, I very much know the distinction, I went over every summer for the best part of a decade with my wife until Covid hit The Newcastle UEFA cup tie in the 90s was actually the ice breaker when I asked her where in Spain she was from. We met in Brighton where I was living at the time, and no-one she'd ever met outside Spain knew where Bilbao was except me. Following this club indirectly led me to my wife and my 2 awesome kids

I'm surprised an Athletic supporter would refer to Atlético as Athletico to be honest, it just adds to the confusion. In Spain they just call Bilbao 'Athletic' amongst friends and family I know from the Bilbao/Eibar area.

Played the last 15 minutes of Brazil's 1-0 victory against Japan, coming on for his mate Paqueta. https://uk.soccerway.com/matches/2022/06/06/world/friendlies/japan/brazil/3784478/ They've only lost once since November 2019, to Argentina, and that was last summer also to Argentina in a 1-0 defeat. Bruno's appeared 5 times for Brazil in 2022, but only twice in 2021 and once in 2020. I think it's fair to say that the lad must be ecstatic with how his move has worked out so far with his growing importance in the national team coinciding with his scintillating club form. What an advert he is for other players who want to make a step up, are you watching Hugo?