ponsaelius

Totally disagree. He's been playing to eek out results for a long time now.

The problem is however that this goes beyond purely today's game and there's a more valid criticism of the way we've been playing for months now, even though you've been insisting on here that we've been playing well. Our modus operandi is attempting to grind out narrow results, in a way that more often than not has had me either bored fucking shitless or frustrated and on the edge of my seat. There's only so much you can do with a rigid system lacking width or movement, and relying on a prolific striker and a watertight defence. This has finally blown up in our faces as the pressure of the season has cranked up, but honestly it's been threatening for a while. There's an argument to be made that we lack the personnel to play a more expansive way, and I am inclined to agree with that, as I posted on here a couple of weeks ago. I don't however thing that a rigid 4-2-3-1 is the ONLY fucking option we have. Rafa has been taking the piss with his stubbornness and way of playing and honestly if we do end up not going up there has to be serious questions asked of his position. That said, that's IF we don't go up. I don't believe I've been claiming we've been playing well carte blanche, think that's a bit unfair. We've been noticeably worse this side of Christmas. Difference is I've been able to separate the performances from the results which in general have been more than adequate or we wouldn't still be in an automatic promotion spot. Results are all that matters this season and next, particularly if we're planning on building something long term with Benitez. We just need to go up and stay up in the short term. Everyone wants better football, and I've no doubt the manager is included in that. Not carte blanche, but I do think you have been a bit blinded in trying to see good performances where they haven't been. Citing match stats and the likes. Also a way of counteracting forum negativity, admittedly. The problem with looking at results in isolation, and ignoring the trend of performances, is that it catches up with teams. I've been saying this since the turn of the year, but admittedly thought we'd gotten away with it after he rope-a-doped those two games at Brighton and Huddersfield. After those games Rafa looked like the kind of genius he did in Europe between 2004 and 2008. Instead things have got even worse since then. I'm very worried about the last few games, because to turn it on like a tap especially now the pressure is on is not an easy thing. It's very much touch and go for us now.

We need to play, full stop. I saw nothing today.

The way we've been playing makes even less sense when I consider the first game I attended this season was our 0-6 win at QPR. The fact we have gone from that, to two centre halves lumping it aimlessly into the channels for Murphy is absurd.

The problem is however that this goes beyond purely today's game and there's a more valid criticism of the way we've been playing for months now, even though you've been insisting on here that we've been playing well. Our modus operandi is attempting to grind out narrow results, in a way that more often than not has had me either bored fucking shitless or frustrated and on the edge of my seat. There's only so much you can do with a rigid system lacking width or movement, and relying on a prolific striker and a watertight defence. This has finally blown up in our faces as the pressure of the season has cranked up, but honestly it's been threatening for a while. There's an argument to be made that we lack the personnel to play a more expansive way, and I am inclined to agree with that, as I posted on here a couple of weeks ago. I don't however think that a rigid 4-2-3-1 is the ONLY fucking option we have. Rafa has been taking the piss with his stubbornness and way of playing and honestly if we do end up not going up there has to be serious questions asked of his position. That said, that's IF we don't go up.

We've been trying to fucking eek out promotion result by result rather than being confident and going out and playing football. Its no surprise as the pressure has cranked up this has imploded so spectacularly. Rafa and the players want shot with shit for the sorry excuse for football they've been putting out for the 2nd half of the season in particular. Its an absolute pisstake.

It's a massive blind spot like. To be a Football League club you have to be full-time professional. It clearly should be the case that referees are full time too. The problem is that there isn't a market for referees in the same way that there is footballers and clubs, so it essentially means the FA/EFL would need to subsidize and match the wages the refs can get in their other profession. That seems an absolutely necessary evil to me. There's far too much at stake in the Football League to continue having professional high level sports matches decided by literal amateurs.

That seems problematic. Maybe if refereeing was more professionalized then the standards would be higher. Seems only right that as the game has got quicker, more technical, and with more money at stake more money spent on refereeing would also improve standards.

We had no right to be relegated. Only chronic mismanagement has done that. Celebrating a return to the top flight is vindication of Ashley's poor running of the club. If people want to celebrate it, they're welcome to. But it's how it feels to you. To me getting promoted feels largely empty to me, a job done, nothing more.

De Gea Darmian Bailly Rojo Valencia Fellaini Herrera Pogba Young © Lingard Rashford :lol:

South Shields had a 2054 attendance for their game today. There's enough of a catchment area, and disenchantment from mackem fans, for them to be a Football League club if the Thompsons are serious with their ownership long term.

Looks like Defoe's freakish little dwarf legs have finally gone. Can't buy a goal in a team built to set him up.

Girl. Gimp

1

I know he only came back in January but I'm surprised they're not higher in the table.

Hyped 4 da playoffs

Atmosphere seems absolutely fantastic at the Ajax game.

Cracking goal from Aspas

They'll get thrown out of the competition I reckon.

It'll be interesting to see how serious they are. Suning at Inter have got deep pockets, but little seems to be known about this 'consortium'.

Milan sold to a Chinese consortium. Berlusconi and Galliani both step down from the board. End of an era.

He's overrated. I get that they've put together a very young side, and have big players injured, but compared to Klopp's Dortmund they're nowhere near as convincing.

Surely the biggest issue is not where they're from but that one of them has been playing in MLS and the other was released by Cardiff City after 6 games.

Nobody's really that arsed about Real Madrid either way, except for the couple of resident supporters on here with their monumentally lifting craic.

Whingey fucker is Tuchel. I guess that's the reason they're sitting 4th in the Bundesliga behind behind two tinpot corporate clubs as well. Can't just accept that they were beaten by a good side.