ponsaelius

Weghorst comes across as a bit of a weirdo, though. The grief was probably more than justified.

He was alright going forward last night but was poor defensively. His performance against Palace in the cup was probably the worst of any individual player this season that I've seen - although luckily for him only people at the game had the misfortune of watching it. Make no bones about it we'd struggle massively without Trippier in the PL and we desperately need a new right back to push him.

Just seen West Ham got through. That's a shame. We could do with getting a spare weekend for that away fixture.

Similarly I would say there are posters on here who contribute so little they might as well just log off, such is their inability to engage with nuance or debate without having a childish meltdown and slagging off other supporters. In fact since the ownership change this has got worse - such is the positivity towards the new ownership. Nobody has anything other than praise for the unbelievable job that Howe has done. But two 3rd round exits to lower league opposition is, in isolation, a bit of a disappointment. That is all and I imagine Howe is himself very frustrated by it.

The only hysteria I see on here is people unable to accept legitimate and balanced critique without throwing their toys out of the pram. I have had a lifetime of watching us be absolutely shit in the FA Cup. It was a hope that this would change very quickly. The fact it hasn't happened is one of the few blemishes on his record so far. It's just a blemish in an otherwise exceptional record - bit it still is one.

What has that got to do with anything. I am saying that this is a blemish not that he's doing a bad job. Exiting the FA Cup in the 3rd round to lower league teams two years in a row is underperformance considering the club's ambitions. I'd imagine even Howe, considering his high expectations, would think the same.

Bruce and Pardew both got us to League Cup quarter finals. Rafa did it in the Championship ffs. It's hardly a massive achievement especially when combined with abysmal FA Cup exits. Big pressure on Tuesday to save our season in terms of cup performances IMO considering where our ambitions are supposed to be now.

It's weird how much confidence and composure of a goalkeeper feeds into the rest of a defence. One of the most noticeable differences between Dubravka and Pope when you watch them both play. That said he's certainly not the reason we lost.

No guarantee we win on Tuesday considering how we've played in all cup games this season (shit).

Two third round exits to lower league opposition. Big blemish on his record here IMO.

Sorry like, but that's just unacceptable. One of the worst PL forwards we've ever had - and pound for pound probably the worst.

The three subs made us worse. Came in completely off the pace of the game.

Isak crocked himself again. RIP.

Rafa's signings in the Championship were obviously very pragmatic. Likes of Gamez, Hanley, Lazaar didn't play many games because they never needed to. They were squad signings. Ultimately we assembled a squad that won the league - which was no small feat when you see the amount of player turnover we had that summer.

I know, I was there. These kind of teams always worry me. Yes it's better than the opposition on paper but half the problem is that they will have never played together.

League One is about his level these days tbf.

Ritchie, Murphy and ManquilIo

Even this summer they spent £50 million on Garner, McNeil and Maupay. They're the ultimate cautionary tale in how easy it is to spend a lot of money on players who aren't good enough to take you to another level. The 15-30 million pricepoint is so dangerous. Can very quickly just waste hundreds of millions going nowhere.

Finishing top four isn't a 'long shot' at all based on bookies odds.

Was two great seasons. 6th in 2021 and 7th with a Europa semi in 2022. Probably just gone a bit stale.

I don't like. They're clearly a very good side.

I live 2 mins walk from multiple pubs so I'd normally just go there to watch but at that price and this many televised games it'll probably save me money on pints.

For those who haven't bothered to set up reliable means to watch our matches (like me) Now TV Sky Sports is on offer £20 a month for 6 months with free cancellation at the moment. I've just bit bullet and will probably keep until end of Feb with how many games we've got on there.

Agree. For all this talk of improving the catering and drink offering in the ground to improve the 'matchday experience' I'd honestly much prefer it if they just didn't offer anything at all. Nowt more annoying at footy than people wandering aimlessly back and forth from their seats rather than watching the fucking match. Love pies and a Bovril at a non league match because it's part of the experience and you're not irritating anybody. But I just never bother at SJP. Like you say there's so many places to eat and drink before and after that negates any need.

I didn't blame him really for looking for a move, and even to Man United kind of made sense if he thought he'd get European games. But he defo went on like a knacker - that Instagram post was just weird.