AyeDubbleYoo

I can read, but I'm sure you know he just means 'put in a good performance next time'. He can't exactly say "we've lost to Sunderland, nothing can ever make up for that", he's a professional footballer

I think even competing in the PL is a major achievement for Murphy TBH, but I agree.

I mean, I don't think he means we'll literally forget today if we beat Fulham lads.

I just don't think we're pressing as a team, it's not him not being able to do it. He very recently won a pen by pressing the keeper, for example.

Don't think this applied to Gordon, he raised his game noticeably when Barnes was playing well and starting. Not for long admittedly

Weirdly enough I thought he was taken off too early. Just after he’d got past ther fullback and got him booked.

I’m honestly not tactically knowledgable enough to say a completely different approach is needed. Playing well and making our passes instead of playing shit and messing them up, I suppose that is a different approach in its own way.

I don’t think so. Both teams basically played a low block and they offered very little. We just scored on OG. It should’ve been 0-0.

I could understand the signing, someone who runs ahead of Woltemade and carries more attacking threat on the LCM than Joelinton. But I don’t know why he’s offered so little since he got here.

They can't really say much else though, can they?

I don't think we're good enough to suddenly become class or anything, but we have the tools (manager and players) to do much better than we are now and we're still in a respectable position in every competition. Even in the PL, a smallish run of wins is transformational for league position. Of course, I wouldn't expect that to turn into a long run of wins because I just don't think we have what it takes for that at the moment. All of Howe's options have flaws still, because our squad just isn't elite yet. So I'm hopeful for the rest of the season although I admit there's also a chance it continues to go wrong. There's no scenario where I wouldn't give Howe the summer though.

Well that’s not why he’s doing it is it? He’s doing it because there’s an expensive asset in the squad that he wants/needs to improve. I’m not saying it will happen, but it’s not hard to understand why he’s trying.

I hope/think you’re right, just saying if we do get rid of him because of short term results it would be a mistake.

Can you suggest somewhere?

I think my concerns are more short term because it’s so hard to reinvent a team mid-season with so many games and little training time. Long term I’m sure he will sort it out, question is if we’ll get rid of him before he gets the chance.

I don’t think we knew anything of the sort TBH. People are just ultra negative about most of our signings and have mostly been proven completely wrong. Even a stopped clock is right twice a day.

Very hard one for the management this. Because he’s done it in the PL and we signed him for serious money, we must believe he can do it. Therefore we kind of have to keep playing him and hope he sorts it out.

The existence of this poll is a crime against humanity. We haven’t left the ECHR yet people.

I thought neither team really played any football. Wouldn’t say we controlled it but they didn’t either. It was very poor attacking from both sides. And we can’t keep possession as we know.

Overall it was a very poor game and neither team really did anything. I didn’t even think they really rattled or pressured us as such, both teams sat deep and we couldn’t get any fluent attacking play going. I don’t think we realised that it could’ve been a relatively easy win if we could’ve used some of the time and space we had. Should’ve been 0-0 really.

I thought he was unlucky to be taken off so early, was looking like the only player who would make something happen.

The Messi comparisons are more about talent level than anything stylistic.

I honestly don’t think people realised we were witnessing like one of the most gifted ever footballers. Like if Messi rocked up for a bit but wasn’t really feeling the job so decided to not bother.

Easy to do if you have an unlimited wage budget.

If you agree the manager should be sacked if we lose, go ahead.