Lotus

Not for 90 minutes and that was the key problem. You simply can’t have a player with such poor concentration at CB. A repeated issue. He never grew out of it. In the end, it doesn’t matter how strong or quick you are , how good a passer or how clean you can tackle, how high you can jump. If you can’t read the game well and if you keep getting flustered, the league will quickly find you out. As it did him. Shame, but it was so.

Fantastic when he’s near 100% fitness. Great balance and change of pace, impossible to defend against. When he’s in good nick he’s an asset to anyone.

Froggy, you can't be disappointed with the money spent on players, surely? It's pie in the sky dream stuff for 99.99% of clubs in the world. Can understand if you didn't want those players or you thought some of those players weren't value for money but, come on. Plenty of coin spent by one of the richest clubs in the world.

Longstaff will raise his game next season, I reckon. He's already become integral because of his work ethic. I think he's use of the ball will improve now too. Better players coming in elevates the standard of the players you already have.

Hope Villa, as well as us keep an established big 6 team out of the top 4 next season. The league could desparetely do with being more competitive.

I actually think he did rather well. Especially against the kind of players we thought would murder him. That was achieved by 2 ways though. 1) an incredible effort from whom ever was playing LW in front him. 2) Burn sitting very deep and not helping when we have the ball. 3) tbf to him, he mostly read it very well. Might have got done early on but made some adjustments and tried to keep within his limitations. Successfully for the most part.

What happens if Dan Burn gets injured? Play a guy who barely got a start all season? Even when recovered from injury? At least we have 4 excellent starting CMs. Its not that I agree with the above take necessarily but it’s also valid.

At BL he was either in and around the ‘10’ position or even playing as n 8. Don’t really understand why they’ve been playing him as a striker. I think he’s a very talented player, personally. He’s in very much the wrong environment at Chelsea though.

The way he moves the ball from one foot to the other reminds me of the former Fulham/Spurs player Moussa Dembele.

Lovely interview. Comes across as a top bloke. Thought he might’ve mentioned Demba…..they fall out?

Tbf, watching Gordon catch up with and rob Sterling was surprising and heartening in equal measure.

I’m sure Brighton will extract the amount they think he’s worth.

I think Gordon has the pace to play on the right. Quick enough to go past a player and not rely on wrong footing a defender by cutting inside.

Funny seeing who the super competitive people are and who are just that little bit more easy going. Looks a cool game though.

Fernandes is a cracking player. I think he’s hampered a little by what’s around him at Man U and a lot by what’s around him for Portugal.

Not sure tbh. Very one paced (so is Bruno tbf). Don’t think he ever imposed himself on a game. To say he was patchy at Dortmund would be a compliment. Think Italy or Spain would’ve suited him better. Still, for nowt I guess it’s worth a shot.

Tasty AF.

We need more left footers in midfield and attack.

Me too. Don't know how transfer rumours turned in to the wish list thread.

Fair question. I'm just going off rumours and internet chatter. Seems Howe is a big fan of Perm experience. Have personally questioned that given that Botman, Bruno and Isak are probably our best glitzy signings and they've all come from abroad. Still, that's what the faces say so just going off that.

Let's be completely honest. I have no doubt Howe will work very closely with Gordon to improve him and I sincerely hope he turns into an excellent player for us. So far, and I mean just so far, that was £40m spent that added nothing to the team from Jan to June. He has the feeling of a Howe signing. I will reiterate, hope he comes good.

I want Hoofdtrainer to be in our lexicon. Sums up a few of them brilliantly….

Odd thing to say after last night though. He mostly cut inside where it was most congested and then layed off a simple ball. In fact, Isak went down the line more than ASM. I’d love for him to learn to receive the ball in dangerous positions. Don’t think he reads the game like that.

Hope that game extinguished any lasting flames of desire to see Tielemans in a Toon top.

Thought our shape was better but ASM himself was pretty ineffective. He’d be a different player if he appreciated the opportunity of a one - two.