Shak

Jesus his accent is starting to be a Scouse-Geordie hybrid

Shove your high line up your arse, mate.

It's a better one to not give a yellow for than the Burn and Maddison incidents IMO. Those two were just cynical fouls, Bissouma is at least and honest attempt to win the ball?

Aye that was quality, this front three looks class.

Micky on de Arse

Just not booking players for cynical fouls isn't good for the game though. Just encourages cynical fouls as there's no consequence.

Not a booking for that

Is Hall injured or something? Or does Eddie just hate him THAT much?

I mean, who's this directed at like? It's just post after post of people taking the piss, don't really think anyone gives a shit

Ratcliffe seems massively like someone who will have made some patronising remark to Staveley that he wouldn't have to a man

I mean his source is probably that he read it on here

Surely shouldn't be hard to fathom the main reason why a young Argentinian would want to play for Inter Miami right now?

Great news if so. He's not at the Bruno/Isak level as a player but as a sheer presence at the club he's huge. Be class to have him locked down for four more seasons.

Is building the team around Isak using him as something resembling a false nine? I've always thought it would mean changing to a 4-2-3-1 or 4-4-1-1 and having a traditional #10 operating just behind him, but I just get the feeling Eddie wants to stick with the 4-3-3 and the flat midfield three as when we're at our best it's so effective in the high press. However, one of the issues we've had with Isak leading the line in a 4-3-3 is we've struggled to get support to him as the lone striker as his game isn't suited to being a traditional CF, holding the ball up. We've seen in the last week though that having a wide man like Barnes, who can make intelligent runs behind the defense, has been massive for Isak. I really do hope we get a run of games to the end of the season with Barnes and Gordon either side of Isak as having wide players who work hard, have great movement and are a genuine goal threat is essential if you're gonna play with a false nine (or modified version of it). The likes of Murphy and Almiron don't check enough of those boxes to be effective, but Gordon and Barnes do. My main question on Isak's suitability for the role is if he has the level of vision and passing needed to operate in the role, be one of our main creators as well as one of our main goalscorers. It's a hard role to play, but I can't think of many players we've had who I'd have more faith in pulling it off. Isak dropping into the hole. Gordon and Barnes look to offer an option in behind. Tino and Hall bombing down the flanks to fill the gaps left by the wide men. Joelinton and Tonali in the #8 positions getting forward. Bruno the base of it all. (You'd obviously be looking at a few signings on top of that too) Reckon it might be decent, like.

Don't recall there being any suggestion in summer that we were heading towards that system, in fact I recall quite a lot of talk about how Eddie wanted three CMs that were all capable of interchanging with each other and having rounded skillets. Was also quite a bit of talk about how they'd cooled on Maddison as a target as they weren't sure he was a good fit for the system. That may have been PR after it was made known to them that Maddison preferred a move to Spurs, but it's not like we've been linked with many players that fit the bill of being a #10. There's also the fact that when more or less everyone was fit at the start of the season we played 4-3-3.

It's a possibility of course but I just don't see any evidence of that being Eddie's long term plan.

I think he's a good fit, no doubt. Reckon you wouldn't want someone with a bit more quality on the ball though? Think between Bruno and Tonali we'd have enough bite that we could afford to sacrifice a bit of the presence Joelinton brings for someone who can affect the game a bit more in the final third?

He's looked better beating people than I expected tbh, was a lovely bit of quick feet to set up Isak against Everton, the one that was cleared off the line.

Who would be the perfect third midfielder to play at LCM with Bruno and Tonali in our 4-3-3? You're not allowed change to a 4-2-3-1, gotta be in the system we've seen that Eddie wants to play.

True, Isak could have done better. However, the pass was needlessly way behind Isak instead of put out in front of him. Don't believe for a second he was trying to nutmeg the defender either, was just a shite pass that was lucky to get to Isak at all.

I mean we're very obviously stuck with him until the end of the season but I do hope that he's moved on in the summer. Nowhere near good enough to be a starter for us if we want to push on and you want Miley and Anderson getting some minutes from their reserve roles. Think there'd be interest in Longstaff, he could do a good job for a lower half team and rarely misses games.

That pass with the outside of the foot over the top to Isak in the first half man, just filth on toast.

Really deserves a run in the side and looks like he'll get it with Willock hurt again. Think there's a player there.