Cronky

Not the greatest technically, but two or three times in a game that power and pace of his will open things up. No-one else in our team would have got that goal yesterday.

Exactly. It just sounds like ASM wanted to play but Bruce decided not to risk him. That's a scenario that gets played out every week at any professional football club. A disagreement is not the same as a 'fallout' which 'places the player's future in doubt'. Come on, guys, we know what journos do. You may not rate Bruce as a manager but I trust his word far more than the Daily Mail.

His experience and anticipation of situations was very apparent last night, but it looked to me like he'd lost his pace, and that was exploited a few times. I assumed that was why he rarely joined the attack. Based on that performance, I can see why Mourinho felt he was surplus to requirements.

And wtf was Benteleb doing trying to pass to Miggy, when he was through on goal himself? Never the right option.

Relieved more than happy right now. Our defending looked dodgy throughout. The amount of time and space they found around our area was ridiculous. Rose looks to have lost his legs and it looked like he played them onside a few times. There's something very tentative about our play, both in attack and defence. Miggy is the exception, always playing without fear. We don't seem to have a leader in midfield or attack.

Rose has lost his legs.

Is it a 4-4-2?

25k isn't an unreasonable demand in today's climate, especially if other clubs are after him. He looks far more comfortable at first team level than Aarons or Vuckic ever did. Ranger was a terrible waste of talent. The minute he got that contract, he wasn't bothered, but he had the raw ability to have a really good career, I think.

The players just can't do it guys. Nothing to do with my pitiful coaching. No one can ever convince me that these players simply cannot do better with the ball than 33% possession every game. Even struggling to keep the ball and control the game against Oxford?! Tin hat on, but there's truth in what Bruce is saying. Almiron and ASM are good at running with the ball, not good at hanging on to it or releasing it accurately or at the right time. We rely a lot on those two being able to get past opponents, and open up defences that way. Joelinton is different. We use him as a pivot to the attack, in the same way as Rondon or Mitrovic. At holding the ball up, he's better than Mitrovic, but not as good as Rondon. So yes, altogether, the front three are not good at linking with the rest of the team and that affects the way we play. And I imagine that Bruce will think twice before confiding in Redknapp again. All well and good, but that's no excuse for the abysmal team structure and lack of coaching input. Read that 365 piece posted by Disco and tell me which bit you disagree with. Well for a start, this guff about all the international players that we've got is crap. Plenty of international players don't make it in the Premiership. Look no further than Mitrovic. Saying that Benitez 'revolutionised' our football half way through last season is crap too. With Almiron and the emergence of Longstaff, we played a bit better but I wouldn't say any more than that.

The players just can't do it guys. Nothing to do with my pitiful coaching. No one can ever convince me that these players simply cannot do better with the ball than 33% possession every game. Even struggling to keep the ball and control the game against Oxford?! Tin hat on, but there's truth in what Bruce is saying. Almiron and ASM are good at running with the ball, not good at hanging on to it or releasing it accurately or at the right time. We rely a lot on those two being able to get past opponents, and open up defences that way. Joelinton is different. We use him as a pivot to the attack, in the same way as Rondon or Mitrovic. At holding the ball up, he's better than Mitrovic, but not as good as Rondon. So yes, altogether, the front three are not good at linking with the rest of the team and that affects the way we play. And I imagine that Bruce will think twice before confiding in Redknapp again.

Nice little video. That free kick in the cup semi-final lifted me out of my chair. To beat one of the best keepers in the world from that far out was unbelievable. I always remember his performances at the end of the 87-88 season. He'd been out injured for most of the season, and we were stuck firmly at the bottom with only a dozen or so games to go. When he returned, we won 6 and drew 2 of his first nine games, and in the end we avoided relegation quite easily. He completely transformed the confidence and performance of the side, at the age of only 21.

I think he will sign, but unfortunately I can't see any incentive for him to sign at this point. The longer he waits, the more other clubs will come sniffing, and the better the contract he's likely to get.

It all sounds similar to Staveley's last attempt, and I think it will end the same way.

I disagree. I thought he had a great game. Every other player, apart from Bentaleb, looked liable to f*** up whenever they were in possession. Matty isn't a great tackler for sure, but his work-rate makes up for that, to a great extent. I hope I’m wrong. Just seems like he runs around a lot and is bypassed very easily. For sure, his defending is weak. But his touch on the ball, his vision, and his passing is top class. Can you imagine how well he'd do in a better team where he gets more time and space, and more options for his passing? I hope that'll be us, in time, but sadly I doubt it.

I would be honoured to see him play for the likes of Arsenal. Never going to happen. Still, for every 9 occasions when he wastes possession, there's the one time when he produces something. And that's what happened.

I disagree. I thought he had a great game. Every other player, apart from Bentaleb, looked liable to fuck up whenever they were in possession. Matty isn't a great tackler for sure, but his work-rate makes up for that, to a great extent.

Well thank fuck that's over. Sad to say, they passed the ball better than us. That midfield trio of Bentaleb and the Longstaffs looks to have some potential though. They need to get used to one another. For me, our man of the match by some distance was young Matty. Looked very composed, passed the ball sensibly and well. Bentaleb did okay too.

I'll be interested to see how our strike force of Almiron and ASM work out. Plenty of pace, so may well prove a handy option.

I don't think Joelinton's absence makes much difference. He wasn't winning anything in the air. We're not winning much in the air at the other end either. They look like they have a goal in them. Matty's having a great game. He looks so confident on the ball. I lost count of the number of times Lascelles played a team-mate into trouble. Reeeeeealy annoying.

Matty-Bentaleb-Sean sounds interesting. Hopefully we may be able to thread the ball through the midfield once or twice.

Caulkin has kept mostly quiet for good reason. When he did finally comment, he agreed the bid was genuine, but quite rightly concluded that the sale depended on what the fat bastard wants to do. If we haven't been sold during the last decade, it's because Ashley will always keep changing the price depending on who the buyer is. If someone meets the price, then he'll bung in some unreasonable conditions. Knowing his form, I would never be too optimistic of him selling up. I'm actually amazed any potential buyers are still interested. Supposedly. It begs the question, if Ashley never wanted to sell and messed Staveley around first time, why is she apparently coming back for more of the same? What bothers me is that, as with last time, this seems to be a group of investors who Staveley is getting together for the express purpose of buying the club. That doesn't bode well for decision-making about meeting all the terms of a sale, or in the area of putting money into the club later on if the sale succeeds.

I'm a bit surprised that he's chosen us, but that article explains it. Decent player and he seems keen. Great.

There are so many possible factors at work here. There's more pressure on him to perform, following the Man U interest, opposition players are wise to him now, and he probably feels a greater sense of responsibility. Second season syndrome, basically. The sending off may also have inhibited him (his tackling looks a bit tentative now), and he's had a significant injury. On a personal level, he's also seen his younger brother and rival for a place emerge into the picture, and on occasion, outshine him. I think he's also moved out of the family home, which of course is a major life-change. Everyone dreams of being a sporting star, thinking it must be a great life. But there's plenty of evidence of the pressure and isolation that come in the wake of success, and he has to find the strength to deal with it. Does the club employ a sports psychologist? I think he could benefit from some help from that direction. I suspect that Bruce is loath to harm his confidence by demoting him to the Under 23's, particularly with his younger brother continuing in the first team.

Nail head hit.

I've never been completely convinced about Lascelles, and that mistake for their second goal illustrates the reason why. His decision-making under pressure can be dodgy, and I'm not sure it's something that coaching alone can cure. But anyway, thrilled to have got away with a point, with a nice bit of schadenfreude thrown in.