Yorkie

My thoughts too. I've assumed from the word go that we won't sustain the CL-calibre form we've seen since January 2022, but it'll be bloody frustrating if it's only a pile of freak injuries that cause us to falter.

Can hardly imagine the frustration from this lad's point of view. You'd be bloody heartbroken.

Yet another freak/random one too, to go with Barnes, Murphy and Anderson. So galling. Botman's seems mysterious too.

Shit news, he's a huge player for us.

Incidentally Arteta hasn't half dug David Raya out of a hole with his cryarsing. Don't see much discussion about the hopeless flapping from the goalie on the cross.

Please don't hesitate. "X podcast is shit for Y reason" is great sustenance.

The best thing they did was neuter the threat from the right hand side and particularly Trippier. If we end up with Tripps on the left and Tino on the right, that's a tactical switch that theoretically they'd be far less prepared for.

Intellect and wit I can only dream of. I've stopped listening to TFS cos I just know I'm not clever enough.

Went down like a Neymar iirc.

Gutted for Scarborough as Forest Green forced a replay thanks to an injury time equaliser. Winners will eventually travel to Blackpool; potentially a TV tie for Scarborough what with the positional gap and the northern seaside towns angle. York at home to Wigan if the shit bastards manage to get through their replay with Chester. Ramsgate - from the same division as Sheppey and Cray Valley - go to Wimbledon, so you'd expect that to be on.

Eh? I didn't know we were anti-TG.

Christ. At least fucking everyone transferred him in.

Fuck, this'll be such a good result if Forest see this out. Looking at the table yesterday morning I thought there was a chance we'd finish the weekend eight points behind Villa. Only two as it stands.

The continued debates post-VAR does make the 'so then what's the point in VAR then?' point stronger, but VAR's existence is because this flat out didn't happen like. The debates raged on like they do now, only with the extra clamouring for VAR. I'm aware that debates happened, of course, but I don't agree that they were as raging as they are now. VAR means more incidents are debated as the benchmark for something being contentious becomes increasingly lowered, meanwhile there's a greater expectation for 'correctness' and therefore more aggro from the party on the wrong end of a call. Yesterday is a good example. One borderline call becomes three, and according to the loser it's an embarrassment/disgrace; followed by statements from clubs which heaps yet more pressure on PGMOL and the individuals carrying out an already unappealing job. I don't think there's that reaction pre-VAR, it's "do we think Joelinton fouled Gabriel?" Again I'm not crowing for the abolition of VAR. There's probably a net gain in terms of number of decisions like @Interpolic says (though I refuse to count goals being disallowed for millimetre offside calls among that tally). I just wish it didn't have such an imposition on the game.

This is a solid argument for why it doesn't even need to exist, imo, not that I'm necessarily calling for that.

The whole thing is just another example of the shitty imposition VAR is on the game. If it doesn't exist then my bet is that next to fuck all is made of the so-called controversy around that goal. A comment about the possible foul and how it could have gone the other way, and on we go. The presence of VAR energises all relevant parties to speculate, posture and demand over every possible infringement. I really would love to know what the officials feel about the job now compared to pre-VAR. To me the level of scrutiny and debate has increased a thousand-fold. It must be fucking miserable.

A groin injury according to Howe's pre-ManU presser.

Aye. Who knows where we'll be by April but the run-in is good. Possible six-pointers against Spurs and ManU followed by Sheffield United, Burnley, Brighton and Brentford to finish. If we're still in the race by then...

What was his performance like separately to the radge incidents?

It was a clear cut version of our pen from last week; both correct decisions imo. Still unlucky, like.

Having seen it on MotD I think it's probably a foul and we've had the rub of the green with that one. It's a push from Big Joe, like.

Likewise, just catching up myself. Three separate checks ffs. The goalline one I can accept; the ball should be in play, that's fundamental. Everything else: fucking fuck the fuck off, VAR. It's bad enough tempering the urge to celebrate due to the presence of future offside lines being drawn... can we please not add additional hesitancy due to some apparent need to examine players going for the same ball. Just let the on-field ref earn his coin.

@nufcjb check the opening post, me old China.

Only just had chance to see the score. Fucking come on.