nufc4eva

Think Gouffran would be ok up front tbh, his movement tends to be decent

Gives us great options at back with him and Yedlin if both can bomb on and be half competent at the back. Allows us to target teams weak areas if we can get another good winger and a Striker we should be sorted. Looks like him and Yedlin will at least give Shelvey something to aim for with Wingers tucking in occasionally. There looks to be a plan at least :-)

It's stuff like this we have to cope with, Perez should shift up top with Diame behind, Gouffran likely to be on left and Ritchie on right.

Exactly. Not sure what exactly people were expecting like, for us to just sign a load of Premier League players like nothing happened? That none of our players would want to leave? That we wouldn't want to shift some of them on anyway; to raise funds, save wages or simply because the new manager doesn't rate them? We need to get promoted. That's all. If we go up, the next few years will undoubtedly see mass turnover of playing staff as requirements and targets change. No I get that but not sure some of the players we have brought in are even good enough to get us promoted. I never expected us to sign top players but a few look bang average. I don't blame the club for selling the players but struggling to see how our squad is better than Brighton, Villa, Norwich who I consider our main rivals. Might be proven totally wrong in next week if we sign a few attacking players

Can't help but think we are going to be weaker by September with Janmaat, Tiote, Krul likely to all be gone and yet Colback remains. Tiote would ruin this league but seems to be on way out, we are still weak as fuck past the half way line and need winger and striker that can play now, we probably need another centre mid to compete with Shelvey and Hayden and need that left back. The players we have bought may prove to be shrewd buys and part of the grand plan but it does seem like we are buying some bang average footballers.

Been mismanaged his whole career here. Better than what we will be left with, albeit his distribution is shit how much of that was down to the nuggets we had in charge asking him just to launch it.

Obertan had pace. He will probably be alright and I trust Rafa. The Makems loved him even though they will now be saying he is shit and we need that balance with an overlapping full back

People said the same about Clark and he's mint

Same. It is an average squad as it stands but there is a week left to do something about it. Think Rafas business so far has been average at best The squad is fairly average but competitive. Few match winners with Perez, Diame, Gayle and Ritchie. Need to add quality in last 3rd. He has clearly been trying to sort out our defensive woes and have cover which is getting there and we aren't a team of dwarfes anymore. I expect Rafa to get the balance right between defence and attack it might just take a bit longer

Not so sure. Will be a more of a yard stick for the season that game. Yeah, I just think we are gradually feeling our way into it and starting to get to grips. Rafa not bothered by pretty football just wants wins / points and it's starting to come. If we can just step it up a little bit we will hurt these teams.

I think we will beat Brighton, getting better organised, quicker to close down and hopefully Diame, Perez, Gayle and Ritchie can hurt them. Shelvey and Hayden likely to start in middle.

Still need another winger, striker and left back probably, hope to fuck we get a few from higher leagues that can offer creativity / pace and open teams up. We don't have enough in final 3rd yet

Watmore is a headless chicken. Gooch looks alright. Not sure if they have any local youngsters coming through though.

The great thing is it will get worse, they will all despise him by the time he leaves. Shocking cunt of a manager

Quite enjoying this. Sunderland look beyond shit and boro look fairly decent and organised. Sunderland lacking in every area and no real plan.

If we had the same issues as them we would have fell apart but you just know they will have a good season and finish around 12th. No idea why we just lose it and they dont

Good luck to him, he has had a horrendous time here. I thought he might be decent as calm every time he played but more suited to that league.

wat Yeah, read it back, wall of words tbh. Fucked up big style #thingspardswouldneversay

That's a good Man U team tbh, if Pogba and Ibra turn up they could batter Southampton. Thought Bailly looked decent last game as well.

Short appears exactly like Ashley, except Ashley has now decided to spend. Hope Short never bothers. Line probably wants paying what he thinks he is worth as they regard him highly and other clubs in for him, fair enough from a business point of view ? He has no real affiliation with the club. Not whoring himself about like Sissoko either ( who stayed quite despite our shortness for at least 2 years). Unless a player is from the area or came through youth ranks / enjoyed highs at a club they wouldn't have much of an affiliation. I was shocked Townsend left because he could have been a hero but from his perspective he wants premier league football, played for us for 4 months so no real love of the club and at least kept professional about it

Strangely think we will win comfortably 10-9. Confidence has to build after last match and drop Diame in for Perez and won't be too bad. Aarons, Perez or Gouffran for the left

He was garbage

"at least" Howay man He's got 3 in 3 without playing particularly well and we are playing close to 50 games this season. What's so ludicrous about that prediction? Especially if he's going to be taking set pieces. He will get at least 20 imho and works his arse off. Will be class when we actually create chances

I thought he was a bit shit defensively, slow to react but decent moving forward, linked up well.

I think Anita is supposed to alter the patterns of play, dropping inside and allowing Janmaat to overlap while playing triangles with 2 defensive mids and attacking mid, with out and out winger the other side and also covering Janmaat runs. Not that I like the idea, but I kind of get it.