leffe186

It’s been asked a million times, but I’d like to hear @Froggy lay it out. Without really paying enough attention, it feels like they needed a proper reboot, hired the wrong manager, backed him with a decent whack of money but didn’t have a great hit rate with that money. Then you have a new manager coming in at an awkward time with a broken squad, who either tries to get the whole team working towards his own goals (long term view) or is pragmatic to get results (short term). He’s gone for the former, which makes sense given that they’re not realistically going down, but is painful. Ignoring the off-the-field stuff, you’re also in an environment where PSR and the relatively even sharing of cash in the PL has meant that there are a lot of clubs who are close to you in terms of performance in the pitch but also more used to operating within financial constraints and with strong management and squads. For the coup de grace, those clubs have had less football to play and generally fewer injuries and less fatigue as a result.

It’s a perfect illustration of the impact momentum can have. Everton are confident, on a roll and at home, Man U are in free fall. Both have a similar injury list, but Everton have adopted tactics that suit their players and are perfect for the opposition, while Man U have tried to put their players into the tactics. Fernandes aside, those players just aren’t quite good enough. I also thought they’d have more kids playing, although injuries are presumably the issue there. Three starters in their 30s, youngest player is Dorgu at 20 - meanwhile we’re routinely starting three teenagers. They’ve got a handful of good kids, but it feels like they’re still in transition, with a lot of pain still to come.

Wife is away, was going to see the sis today but that’s been postponed, now I’m really looking forward to some games. Quite interested in the Everton match, it feels like ages since there’s been a game on that I both don’t really give a shit about what happens but I’m curious to see how Man U play.

Europa is actually fascinating, lots of decent teams in it. Chelsea in that Conference League is an entirely different prospect.

I mean, the first thing Joey Barton would say is “typical women’s goalkeeper”.

I’m up for Leffenham Hotspur like.

I mean, not that long ago someone on here posted that they could have had 5.

Yeah that’s part of the point - this is a transition that was needed at least a couple of years before it eventually happened. Doesn’t preclude us being able to win trophies now or later, but it was never going to be without at least a little bit of pain. I think people are partly protesting because of missed opportunities in the recent past, partly because however impressive the wage-to-turnover is - and it is impressive - if you want to be one of the big boys sooner or later you have to spend real money. The Postecoglu stuff is harder to parse because we’ve truly looked bloody good at times then everyone died, and that is clearly a result of his coaching, bad luck, and the timing during squad-building. I don’t think the fans would be protesting if we were winning/playing better, and I don’t think that part is really down to Levy.

Hi

Urgh. Cheers.

Anyone know why the Oxford-Portsmouth match is suspended?

Erm…

The poor things.

Tbf if Donley wasn’t on loan at Orient he’d have played this week

Of course. What can you even say at this point?

Phew

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.