Pilko

Our build up is so bloody slow, just allows them to get set and snuff us out. At which point they make two or three passes through our paper mache saloon door midfield and get through it quickly.

Papiss Wisse about four yards off there

How the fuck have we become such a soft touch? Absolutely pathetic.

Bruno wandering back into the box there as Lukic bullets it in. Great work.

I don't necessarily disagree with what you've said here, all I'm saying is that I ain't surprised people are groaning a bit. He's been immensely frustrating to watch. You're right that people should try and be supportive in the ground.

I'm not surprised people groan a bit when they see the third-most expensive signing in the club's history consistently misplace simple short passes and demonstrate a touch like a Sunday morning player. I don't see how confidence or settling into a new club suddenly means you lose every ounce of your technical ability.

Eddie said 4-6 weeks which suggests end of Jan, early Feb. I'm going to predict his next appearance in our shirt will be mid March.

Do you know the Chasers?

I think we might have to give Alex Murphy a game here. He probably isn't good enough longer term, but hopefully is good enough to get through one home game. It's balancing the risk between him having a shitter and costing us, or playing Tino/Hall and losing them for a period of time. I'd sooner the former tbh.

Get a cup of tea for this one if you can be arsed, this is a HTT-style length of the Magna Carta special. I've tried to come up with a scoring system for every game since the cup final to make a bit more sense of things. Before going through this exercise I'd say i'm somewhere in the middle somewhere of the two main camps, the positive camp (Eddie will sort it, great history of getting back on track after a rocky period, still only a few league wins off Europe & still in all three cups) and the negative camp (games since cup final largely been a chore to watch, too much late goal leakage, poor use of summer funds, seems bereft of ideas). Where I've got to is that I think it's the nature of either the performances or the manner in which the result has arrived rather than the results on their own that has quite a lot of people, to varying degrees, asking questions about where we go from here (with or without the manager depending on viewpoint). I've included scoring or conceding late as I think that has a pretty large bearing on how you feel about a result if it's been snatched away late or gained something right at the death. The system I've settled on is as follows. There are many holes in this & it won't be perfect. 0 points for a loss 1 point for a draw 2 points for a win -1 point for poor performance -1 point for conceding a late (85'+) goal that altered the end outcome -1 point for a loss with a 2+ goal margin 0 points for OK/fine/meh performance - mixed bag or "did the job" type showing +1 point for good performance +1 point for scoring a late (85'+) goal that altered the end outcome +1 point for a win with 2+ goal margin So in theory you could have a max score per game of +5 and a minimum score of -3, meaning 1 is the mid point. The idea here is to offset unfortunate losses or draws with performance points to give a measure of how we're playing, but also give extra marks when we've really put sides to the sword. I've been fair as I can and there were 4 occasions when I really wavered between 0/+1 or 0/-1 for performance points and on all of those occasions I went with the extreme of the two. If I couldn't remember I referred to EH's remarks after the game for a steer. This is obviously open to interpretation and others will have different viewpoints on the performance variable, but here goes: (2024/25) Brentford (h), 2-1 win: fairly close game, performance described by the manager as "not pretty" but ultimately did the job. 2 points Leicester (a), 3-0 win: scored early, played well, pissed it. 4 points Man U (h), 4-1 win: ran away with it second half, scored some really nice goals. 4 points Palace (h), 5-0 win: took the piss first half, played very well. 4 points Villa (a), 4-1 loss: hung in the game for 70 mins but ultimately crumbled badly second half. -2 points Ipswich (h), 3-0 win: slightly edgy first half until scoring just before HT, ran away with it comfortably second half. 4 points Brighton (a), 1-1 draw: disappointing performance but got a late penalty and ultimately salvaged a decent point on the road. 2 points Chelsea (h), 2-0 win: scored early, decent first half, opposition red card, clung on somewhat second half before clinching late. 3 points Arsenal (a), 1-0 loss: not a bad performance as we peppered Raya early but didn't look like scoring after going a goal down early second half. 0 points Everton (h), 1-0 loss: poor performance, didn't look like scoring all day, rightly beaten. -1 point (2025/26) Villa (a), 0-0 draw: played well but toiled a bit against ten men late on and deserved to win, ultimately hamstrung by lack of striker. 2 points Liverpool (h), 3-2 loss: played well first half, played unbelievably well second half with ten men, lost to late gut punch after scoring late leveller ourselves. 1 point Leeds (a), 0-0 draw: defensively strong, created next to nothing, ultimately relied on opposition being equally goal shy. 1 point Wolves (h), 1-0 win: nervy game and very much a "got the job done" performance. 2 points Barcelona (h), lost 2-1: ultimately we were good, but just undone by a side with far superior quality in a few moments. 1 point Bournemouth (a), drew 0-0: similar to Leeds in that we were very decent at the back but a non-event going forwards. Very useful point on the road. 1 point Bradford (h), won 4-1: lower league opposition put to the sword well with a changed team. 4 points Arsenal (h), lost 2-1: took the lead, did not play particularly well and conceded two late, massive kick in the balls. -2 points USG (a), won 4-0: never really in doubt, sub-standard opposition but played very well and took them apart ruthlessly. 4 points Forest (h), won 2-0: ran into opponents in disarray but put them away with an efficient, effective showing. 3 points Brighton (a), lost 2-1: manager assessed this one as a poor first half, much better in second half and dragged ourselves back into it, but we then threw it away with a shit goal late on. -1 point Benfica (h), won 3-0: very good performance, racked up loads of shots on target and corners, ran away with it. 4 points Fulham (h), won 2-1: another "got the job done" mixed bag of a performance but with the distinction of a last gasp winner from Bruno. 3 points Spurs (h), won 2-0: more of an even game than the score suggests but ultimately did enough and didn't look troubled after the second goal. 3 points West Ham (a), lost 3-1: faced opponents on long bad run, scored early and absolutely capitulated. Unable to fashion a single proper chance having gone 2-1 down on stroke of HT. -2 points Bilbao (h), won 2-0: Good response to the previous game, scored early and never looked troubled after that. 4 points Man City (h), won 2-1: A very good gutsy performance and deservedly won. 3 points Marseille (a), lost 2-1: scored early, played well first half, ridiculous goalkeeping error and shit the bed early second half. Rallied a bit but couldn't level the game. 0 points Everton (a), 4-1 win: scored early, pressed home the advantage and never looked in danger after second goal. Good performance all round. 4 points Spurs (h), 2-2 draw: mixed bag of a performance including a late leveller and conceding a late leveller. 1 point Burnley (h), 2-1 win: good first half, very disappointing second half against ten men, conceded late pen and then almost threw it away at the death. 2 points Leverkusen (a), 2-2 draw: mixed bag performance, ultimately did well to overcome early deficit and drag ourselves into the game but conceded late to bin two points. 0 points Sunderland (a), 1-0 loss: a fucking disgrace from start to finish, nuff said already by us all. -1 point So, some numbers now I've gone through that exercise. 1 is the middling score, if you like, on the scale. Since the cup final average: 1.72 Back end of last season average: 2.00 This season average: 1.61 Last ten games average: 1.40 All league games average: 1.48 This season league games average: 1.13 This season cup & Europe average: 2.50 All home games average: 2.37 All away games average: 0.86 (!) What I'm taking from this is: "We've been shit since the cup final" is a bit of a myth. We actually did class for the next 8 games other than a single blotting of the copy book away at Villa. The final two games of the season where we were quite poor and got bad results have maybe stained this narrative somewhat. This season has definitely seen a downturn in results and performances although there are some good showings and good results littered throughout 2025 (often not in the same games either). Away form since the cup final is a massive, massive problem (duh: we all know this). We're class at home (still only lost to Everton, Arsenal, Liverpool and Barca in our last 19 home games). It does help we've had 19 at home vs 14 away over this sample when that's the pattern you're in but I can't hold that against us when they're not full season samples and our domestic cup draws are 2 and 0 in favour of home ties. Based on this admittedly creaky scoring system, it is getting worse if you compare overall average, end of last season average, this season average and last 10 games average. There's a clear downturn in results and performances both this season and in the most recent run of games. The margins are pretty tight in most games still, which helps towards a view that it can be fixed or we simply get a bit of luck that we need sooner rather than later. There's a firm possibility that the team raises itself or expends more energy in cup games. We don't know if that's driven by the manager or not, who always plays a straight bat when asked about prioritising cup games or league games with "the next game is the most important". There's a chance you could just attribute this to Europe too as we've only played two domestic cup games in this time and one was a stroll against lower division opposition. Our post midweek cup/Europe game results are a "not as bad as I expected but still not amazing" W3, D1, L4. We still aren't losing many games by more than a single goal, especially if you allow West Ham and Brentford last gasp goals as us chasing the game and leaving space. Villa was the only true "out of it before stoppage time" drubbing we've taken in 33 games. We're pretty much always in every game we play and the margins are often tight, and have swung the way against us more than they have swung for us in the more even games or games we've done well in but not won. On the other side we've administered plenty more of 2+ goal wins ourselves (12 wins against 3 losses). We've only scored four late goals ourselves that altered the outcome and we ended up then conceding an even later one on two of those four occasions. Only Bruno's at home to Fulham was a late winner. There's a possibility that the team are tired and not coping well with the increase in games, from both a mental and physical standpoint. We're told we get next to no training time with the schedule, which fits with this theory. But we can't just accept that we're going to piss away late points all the time, the manager needs to find a solution for it and quickly. It'll always happen from time to time but it's beyond a joke lately. So where has that left my thinking? It's left me probably reassessing my view slightly more in favour of it not being as bad as it feels. Margins tight, still running over plenty of sides at home, been missing key players for a lot of this season. I think the summer has played a huge part in the bad feeling with what felt like three months of knock backs and only Thiaw firmly asserting himself as a strong addition so far, the others being ranked (so far) from somewhere inbetween "promising work in progress" to "absolutely dog shit". The late goals and away form also mean that a good proportion of our games leave you with a feeling of frustration (even if the end result is actually OK) or that they were a chore to watch overall. That and a thankfully poor, tight Premier League this year is probably pointing to the fact that things aren't as fucked as I can sometimes lead myself to believe. And of course, sticking to my scale, the result on Sunday goes down as -1 point but given the depth the performance plumbed and the emotional nature of the derby it's definitely having a bigger weigh-down on feeling than my sketchy system suggests on me, and others. I'd give it -10 if I was going to let myself If anyone is arsed or has read this far (well done) I'll come back to this in another handful of games (maybe next 10?) and re-assess what the numbers look like. Bonus points to the first "TL;DR" reply, btw. Oh, and of course other opinions are both available and welcomed.

I don't think we'll see them on the pitch together at all. Maybe the odd final 5-10 minute dice roll in a knockout game. I'd be stunned if they did 90 mins of pitch time together this season tbh.

Doesn't seem like we're going to agree so I'll leave it there, I've made my point clear I think. Final thing I'll say is there are plenty of players underperforming other than just Gordon, so I'm not trying to use him as a scapegoat for everything that's wrong.

Suspensions due to his own fucking stupidity Other than the recent pen conversions he's done best part of fuck all in all comps for nearly a year, you're going back to the Arsenal semi finals in February. He's had a few better showings in the CL which is more frustrating when he then completely drops back to being turbo shit again in the league. Almost like he can only be arsed to show up on the European stage. He's a busted flush, one season wonder and blathering on in front of the Sky cameras about mentality and yoga and posting empty apologies on social media after yet another of his nothing performances isn't endearing him to anyone.

I'm sure we'll get news soon that it'll be 4-6 weeks and then won't see him again til April.

I wonder if we'll see Miley at right back, if we want to give someone a rest it's either that or the lesser-spotted Alex Murphy comes in. Ramsey surely has to get a go in this one. If he's on the bench again you've got to question whether there's a fitness issue or something.

Did any of the others go 11 months in the league without an open play goal or assist?

Wilson seems bang on form for them so wouldn't be surprised to see him score whilst our wide men run about fast a bit and provide no quality. Home game though so we'll probably manage to win, whether the performance is any good or not who knows.

There's a pattern of him raising his game for Champions League fixtures and then absolutely tossing it off in the league.

It's a bloody disgrace that he's been sidelined for that Scouse cunt. I don't get the manager's fixation with persevering with Gordon so often. Take away those recent couple of pens and he's not registered a goal or an assist in the league since Southampton away in fucking January.

Because they exploited the foreign markets whilst we only looked at Germany and at home. And the ones from at home have all been varying shades of shit so far.

For all those people who said it didn't matter if we lost the derby, I hope you're having a great day today where your place of work or social media feed isn't full of reminders that we lost to these fuckers.

Word of advice: keep your travellers cheques in a bum bag.

They didn't bully us, but they looked hungrier, fitter and much faster to every second ball for the entire match.

Don't think they're "empty words" but much like his manager, it feels like we hear the same thing after every shit away defeat and performance. It hurts, we apologise, we must do better next time, we'll learn. And then we proceed to be total crap again, Everton & Belgian farmers XI aside.

I'm guilty of this too but I feel like a lot of us have pinned our hopes on him to turn things around, when in reality he probably won't be fit to start a game for another month. Didn't we get told 4-6 weeks at the point of injury? Been about 14 weeks now and he's still not in a fit state to properly contribute. Heaps of misfortune around this signing so far, I just hope he's good when he is fit.