Super Duper Branko Strupar

Was a mistake to give him a new contract and not cash in. Why haven't we been given any answers to all these questions?!

Tuchel gave him his first start and moved him from midfield to LB.

Brentford 2-1 Bournemouth Palace 1-1 Fulham West Ham 2-0 Everton Wolves 1-1 Southampton Brighton 1-2 Man City Liverpool 2-0 Villa Man United 2-1 Leicester Forest 1-1 Newcastle Spurs 3-1 Ipswich Chelsea 2-2 Arsenal

I think Howe being Howe, he'll retain that as an option, but I doubt it'll be a change that's seen each time they play together. It'll depend on the game.

Alright then, let's talk...

Absolute class all over the park today

Fuuuuuck

TINO!

FFS

Harsh yellow that

Super Sandro

Holy fuck thought that was bobbling in

Who's this patronising female commentator?

TINO!

HD is back

Ive had to go to the SD option

Fuckin cuuuurrm oooon

Newcastle 2-2 Arsenal Bournemouth 0-2 Man City Ipswich 2-2 Leicester Liverpool 2-0 Brighton Forest 1-0 West Ham Southampton 0-1 Everton Wolves 2-1 Palace Spurs 2-2 Villa Man United 1-1 Chelsea Fulham 1-1 Brentford

Wow. The point I'm making is you're using assumptions and sweeping statements to try and paint things as facts, when in fact they're relative unknowns. You've decided to focus on something rather arbitrary as "profile" to prove Howe cant get a team playing possession based football. Does Haaland's profile scream possession? Isak's "profile" is great feet and touch, awareness and clever runs. He'll do fantastic in a team creating more chances for him by using the ball more should the team he's in be able to achieve it imo. Look, I'm aware you'd like Howe to fail. I don't get it personally, but there you go. The points you're making read very agenda driven. Looking for something to try and back up a pre determined argument. But it just makes much less sense than you'd like it to. Watch Tonali show his class this year. I'll pull you up on your post next year talking about how much you thought he'd be great in that role.

The Tonali one is complete nonsense, that's not the payer he's been before his time with us at all. And you're only saying that about Gordon and Isak because that's what they've so far done with us, because thats how we've played. To say they absolutely couldn't play well in a more possession based set up is narrative forming and IPs alarm is blaring. But more importantly the overall point you're trying to make is flawed. Its a criticism of Howe and the signings made because they apparently don't have the profile for how we're trying to play now (not a fair criticism but we'll run with it), as some kind of proof he's not capable of coaching a side to play this way. But we're not going to have bought players for how we want to play in 3 years time, are we? No one does that. You gradually try and build a team to evolve a way of playing over time. We've gone from a very well organised, pretty much low-mid block, conceding the fewest goals side, to a high tempo pressing side, to now looking to control the game more. We needed players that could play all those systems. If you play high intensity pressing football but are buying players that wont fit that system, but the one you plan on playing in 2 seasons, you're going to get the sack because you'll be shite. Its crowbarring criticism in where it's not relevant.

This is a loaded reply, so I'll just expand a bit because its irked me. Below is a list of players bought whilst Howe has been manager that any normal football fan would say would be extremely competent in a possession based set up. Trippier - 12m Bruno - 40m Botman - 35m Isak -63m Gordon - 45m Tonali - 55m Hall - 28m Which is 278m. Ive left out Barnes even though I'm very confident he'd play well in a possession based team playing well, but as he's the boo boys' persona no grata I'll leave him out, just for a quiet life, basically. So who'd you say doesn't "have the profile" for playing in a possession based side who we've wasted all that cash on. Pope - 10m Barnes - 38m Tino - 35m Wood - 25m Burn - 13m Thats a very generous 121m. Of which we got 15m back for Wood plus the loan fee. Pope clearly sits in that list, but picking up that kind of goalkeeper especially when you're desperate for a goalkeeper and there's a bargain to be had on an international would be clutching at straws to criticise given the timing of it. I wouldnt put Barnes and Tino in that list myself but theyre in there to satisfy the people that are desperate for a stick. Even Burn is harsh. All that said that's not a quarter of a billi wasted on players of the wrong profile that would prove Howe's teams aren't inherently able to play possession based football. To look at the list of transfers made whilst Howe has been in charge and say it suggests he doesn't have the ability to get a team playing possession based football is wholly unserious and not rooted in considered thinking.

What, because we didn't sign Ross Barkley?