leffe186

Dunno. Didn’t see any tweets from Ornstein comparing the two bids. I thought the initial issue was that he didn’t want a loan with an option to buy, and then we removed that, and then Ange talked to him?

Was that before or after the tweet when he said Tel was staying at Bayern?

I mean, I’m impressed, not sure I could name more than one.

Main reason we were interested is he counts as club-trained and we’d get him cheap because we’ve got a sell-on clause. At the time he was in and out of the team - no idea whether he’s been playing more consistently this year.

Take it you didn’t see the goal then. Bissouma is just trying to stand in front of the keeper and barely touching him, while Janelt is so focused on grabbing and holding Bissouma that he forgets we’re playing football and it hits him on his back.

Yeah that’s exactly the problem. The more games you have to play with a depleted line-up and bench, the more pressure you’re putting on the other first-teamers and then it becomes a downward spiral of injury upon injury. If it happens for weeks on end and with two games a week it’s so hard to break free. Forest got knocked out of the League Cup immediately and have only played 26 games this season. After today we’ll have played 36 - 10 more games but also vastly less recovery time. There’s so much less disparity between most PL clubs now than there has been for most of the PL’s history, so these margins make a huge difference. Even in your mental season last year you played 51 games - we already know we’re going to play more than that whatever happens.

Not quite on the same level as City or Chelsea but not far off. Some good players coming through, most are out on loan. Moore, Gray and Bergvall would be terrific bench players to have, but they’re starting games, Ajayi and Scarlett would be out on loan, but they’ve got to be on the bench, and Cassanova, Olusesi and (had to check his name because he’s so far down the pecking order) Hardy are kids with a long way to go. They’re going to be great in a couple of years. Not right now.

I look at the line-up and think “bit cobbled together, but it could be worse”. Then I look at the bench . Three kids there to soak up the atmosphere, three teenagers who have at least played a couple of games for us, Reguilon, Austin (the reserve keeper) and Sarr (carrying an injury but there in case of emergency). Fuck me.

Yeah, although I’m slightly less impressed he managed to see you through a period without Livramento and Miley as your RM and RW . Also there were three other clubs who had 11 players out at one point last season. You had terrible injury problems last season, with more minutes missed than any other club, and a key player in Pope missing for ages. The problem is that it’s just such a complex issue to compare, as the immediate context is so important. Last night we finished the game with the CM moved to LB, the LB moved to CB, a CM who’d played at CB all game and our fourth choice keeper who’s thankfully played well enough to move up to third choice. Not to mention the three teenagers in front of them and the other young player recalled from a loan who was pitched in out of desperation. The specific injuries at specific times across all positions are what is so difficult to contend with, and have resulted in players like Porro having to run themselves into the ground.

Quite. I’d have Vertonghen being given offside five yards in his own half or Roy Carroll (or whichever Man U keeper it was) being allowed to retrieve the ball from two yards inside his own goal higher for starters.

It’s mental. Current injury team would be: Vicario, Spence, VDV, Romero, Udogie, Sarr, Bissouma, Maddison, Johnson, Solanke, Odobert, with Werner on the bench and Richarlison having a late fitness test. Meanwhile players like Porro, Son and Kulu are out on their feet. I said I was checking out until Feb but honestly might have to wait until March. Want to berate Ange but the whole thing is a joke.

We can drop points against anyone. If they play a low block and take the chances that everyone gets against us then they’ve got a chance. Plus if Richarlison gets injured that’s our presence up front knackered.

I was just now working through my saved programmes and in the Football League highlights there was a Wigan player getting a straight red for a somewhat similar thing last week. Stevenage guy beats him to the ball and is running away and he just kicks him. Again, I would always have given a yellow, but I can see the ref’s point of view. He just kicks him with the ball miles away. There should be a much higher threshold for a straight red and it’s clearly not the right decision, but occasionally it’s nice for a simple, blatant cheater to be told to fuck off out of it

That’s sort of my thinking, although I would never have sent him off. Would have been a yellow and a talking-to “if you put a foot wrong from now on you’re off.” For me it wasn’t a deliberate attempt to hurt the player but it does feel like such an absolutely blatant and undisguised kick at the player with the ball completely immaterial might sometimes merit a red. Like, if he stepped across him, or tripped him then he’d without question have got a yellow. The fact he takes a straightforward kick at the guy’s leg is a bit much, and what presumably tipped the balance.

Just started rewatching the game. At the kick-off, I heard this from Sam Matterface: “Glenn Hoddle was part of the squad that won Tottenham’s only European trophy” Genuinely had to rewind it twice to see if I heard it correctly. Jesus Christ. What a useless idiot he is.

Oh thank goodness for that. I must have misread the BBC text. They said something like Kinsky was out etc and my ongoing injury PTSD probably kicked in

New keeper injured now so back to our fourth choice keeper. BBC says 14 senior players injured now. It’s just fucking stupid. Edit: Just saw Forster’s on the bench so presumably he’s fourth choice now.

Solanke injured now. At the beginning of the season I expected our first team to be Vicario, Porro, Romero, VDV, Udogie, Bentancur, Bissouma, Kulu/Maddison, Son, Solanke, Johnson. Currently eight of those players are out, and four of their back-ups are out. It’s ludicrous. One other backup (Richarlison) is presumably going to have to play today for his first Premier League start of the season, so he’ll be injured by half time. It’s a washout. We just need to get enough points to stay up and maybe fluke something in the cups. The only question is how much is bad luck and how much is Ange’s training/tactics, because clearly both are involved to a certain degree. The difficulty is that you can’t judge anyone fully under these circumstances. You can make an educated guess, but that’s it.

About time everybody adopted Millwall’s nickname for them - the Stripey Nigels.

Just to be clear, I mean whether or not Havertz or even Arsenal are involved.

I guess also, for all its failings, because there was no VAR.

Was justice done? Did Havertz get booked for diving?

I’m on the bus following it by text and haven’t seen anything but even then I can tell you that this whole incident supports my contention that on these occasions you should be allowed to give Havertz a running kick in the balls.

That Watford goal is mint as fuck. What a shot.

Yup.