themanupstairs

So that's it? Nowt apart from Fleetwood, Vardy, and last night's games.

2 mins

Don't mean to piss on anyone's cheesy chips but good things never happen to us. Not completely anyway. It's ironic as fuck that we get Rafa Benitez as our manager under Mike fucking Ashley. We sign Shearer then Keegan leaves and he breaks his ankle in preseason. 15 pts at Xmas etc..etc..

It's part of who we are as a club. I've gotten used to it now.

Danny Murphy and Peter Reid look like father and son at a custody hearing for the kids.

Madley is just incredibly shit. Nothing new I know but it just boils my piss how incompetent twats keep getting jobs everywhere in English football, be it refs, managers or pundits. Fuck them all.

Awww, hell, obviously missed the deadline for this week's games. 

It's FA Cup mate. Deadline for next game week is next week. Relax

What a fucking divvy

Be amazing if Mick Quinn broke the news first.

It really would. I'd laugh my cock off.

Have any reliable journalists spoken yet? Seems very very quiet from the usual sources.

 

They'll be in the same boat as us wondering if that new company means anything.

Or maybe under a strict gagging order until a certain date? Certainly strange that none of them have said anything at all.

Funky Toon Medina

Will suffice

Ma’ al-salāmah Pet!

:lol:

Sheikh, rattle and roll.

Tick, tack, camel toe.

1892 nights.

And he's only 8 games in. He hasn't had enough time to put his own stamp on the team yet. Poor fuckers

West Ham are after Joe Allen apparently

 

I mean ... why?!

Nothing player. As much the Welsh Pirlo as Colback is the ginger Messi.

56 with Cresswell (if fit), Ogbonna, Arnautovic plus Kane, Alli ©, and Son to play again.

Coutinho saying he won’t play again for Liverpool.

Where? Would be hilarious if true after all the YNWA OMG PHILIPPE IS ONE OF US FAMILY CLUB FAMOUS YUROPEAN NIGHTS YNWA.

Important 3 points but let it not gloss over that most of the players on the pitch for us were or have consistently been s*** all season.

 

Darlow - makes he odd good save but punches when he should catch and is terrible coming to catch the ball.

 

Yedlin - one of the few bright sparks. Pace with a bit of cop on is a dangerous thing in this league. Still gets caught offside too often.

 

Lascelles - our most important current squad player. Someone to build a team around.

 

Clarke - inconsistent, poor judgement sometimes. CB is a position we need to strengthen.

 

Manquillo - his yellow card was a well timed one. Otherwise offered nothing all game and gave several corners away.

 

Murphy - gaining more confidence, had a great second half with an assist. One of the ones who would really benefit from a solid midfield and forwards who have movement.

 

Shelvey - fapped about, few passes up the flanks, no impact at all over probably the worst and slowest midfield in the whole league (apart from us)

 

Diame - looked a bit more up for it recently but that can’t cover over how poor he’s been.

 

Ritchie - looks knackered. Ineffective. Squad player for when we invest though.

 

Atsu - should have scored but also looks tired and should really be playing out wide and not in the middle.. he’s one of the shortest players in the league.. expecting him to be winning headers is retarded.

 

Perez - brighter today but again over a whole season has been poor. Again though, a player who will look better with better players around him.

 

Gayle (apart from getting pushed over, anonymous) Dummett (half fit but still better than Manquillo)

Awful post like. A tiny sprinkle of common sense over a large bowl of bollocks.

With him: conceded 15 goals in 17 games.

Without him: conceded 15 goals in 5 games.

 

That's frightening

The major thing about him for me is that he's both a proactive leader and can also react as necessary. Love when he goes to the touchline every time we score. Rafa and Jamaal make wonderful parents for this lot.

I hate to flog a long-dead horse, but all the arguments about how we could have been 3-4-5 down at half-time ignore one massive variable:

 

We have one of the greatest tacticians in the world in our dugout. He regularly changes tactics mid game, and HTT has repeatedly remarked on the 35 minutes thing. At that point our play changed - because Rafa changed the focus.

 

Therefore, assume that Aguero or De Breuyne had scored earlier - why do you think Rafa would not change strategy at that point? You assume he would continue with "As you were boys" instead of making tactical changes?

 

I just don't think it's sound arguing to ignore our greatest asset's greatest asset.

 

You can quote as many variables as you like the fact is that we could and should have been blown out of sight with the chances they missed. People mention the 35 minute mark but really there was no vast improvement until the subs were made. It has been flogged to death now though and there is a massive split in opinion on the game which won’t be changed. Healthy that there is discussion but I think we should all just leave it now and move on. I’m not going to change my opinion, HTT is not, you’re not and I doubt anyone else will either.

Actually, the fact is that we didn't

Also, changing opinions is moot anyway as it has no baring whatsoever on Benitez or the players or anything that happens on the pitch.

Ings can only get better.

Would be a d:ream signing

I thought we were brilliant.

Organised, disciplined and kept our shape and nearly nicked a point by doing so.

You build a team from the back. We've been working on shape and organisation since last season, and it shows. So refreshing having a unit that can defend and CB's that don't rush out of position trying to be heroes. It's Rafa's long game, and....long may it continue.

It's so f***ing weird man.

 

Wanting us to "have a go" and get embarrassed and take a huge hit to GD and morale amongst the players and the fanbase going into Brighton. A 0-1 loss in whi we could've nicked something is far far better than a 0-5 or 0-6 humbling. If you don't get that, you don't understand football.

 

 

Astounded at some of the posts on here tonight. It really doesn’t get any more simple than we’d have been hammered if we’d ‘had a go’ tonight with this squad.

 

We’d all love our team to have had a go, but we haven’t got the quality to do it yet until, please god, we are rid of Ashley and can buy better quality.

 

The fact is, we were a goal line clearance off a draw here. With this squad. The tactics and game plan were spot on.

 

 

I’m astounded that people think the way we played for most of the game was the right way especially the first half. It wasn’t as if allowing city so much space, time and just do as they like with the ball restricted them to one or two chances they could and should have had 5 plus with all the chances they had. You do not allow teams like city to be able to basically walk the ball towards the goal. The only reason we were only one down was due to city having an off day in front of goal.

Or maybe our defence and GK were able to restrict them to shots from distance and half-chances from awkward angles. Not having that like. Apart from two good saves by Elliott, I don't remember them missing any glaring chances.

Those saying the tactics were right tonight did you also say the same after the Benfica home game?

 

Pardew tried to turn that game into a 20 minute match for good reason, tonight we had a free chance to have a go tonight and didn't

 

I'm more frustrated tonight than I was after going out in the Europa League

If you can't see the difference between this team and that team then that says it all tbh.

 

I mean we were already f***ing 3-1 down in that Benfica game

 

So that just shows we had nothing to lose tonight. We couldn't afford to concede again to Benfica and had to turn it into a sprint. Tonight it was horrible to watch that first half and it was clear that we were going to concede and if it went 2-0 it was game over. I'm just not comfortable turning up to watch my team not try and win a match.

 

No. It shows we needed to score twice against Benfica. Why would you set up defensively in a game where you need to score 2 goals?

 

We started todays game with a point to lose. What are you talking about ‘if it went 2-0’? It didn’t. The gameplan worked and we grew into the game late on and could have got something.

Still trying to work out the logic behind the comparison. Total nonsense.

Besides the fact that he was an abomination of a manager for us and set us back years, I think it also has a lot to do with that he continues to spout lies on a daily basis in front of the cameras. Fortunately for him the English media also continues to lap it up as part of the general back-patting in support of mediocre English managers.

On a personal level, I will hate the f***er until the day he's no longer involved in football.