Darth Crooks

Least we got Tchyoi story 3 or something out of it.

Sums them both up. Smith on at 70 - concede a minute later and again in the last 10. Dickheads.

Which game was it where pardew, I think just brought him on mindlessly with 20 to go and we drew 3-3 or something after being 3-1. Up? West Brom? Might be getting my scores mixed up but he definitely did it and it was as good as a sending off.

Smith was abominable - managed to brand himself As some sort of enforcer that detracted from his shitness.

The arm off the swan

JUST BURST OUT LAUGHING

Colback wouldn't be allowed in the academy. Don't think he's allowed in France tbh.

We're getting promoted like. First real kink we've had let's be honest.

He keeps pace and you can see him biding his time just right for those strong tackles. He was a little sloppy yesterday. Not shit though.

The window is going to be a big indicator, without expecting great shakes.

If they did they really are dicks. Majority just wanted to see changes instead of a routine loss for the sake of continuing with any personel available to justify 4231. Perez coming on yesterday. Please agree that was pointless. I'm reluctant to extrapolate the implications of a single sub to the mans ability to plan. Like I said if its happening game after game following this first real challenge for him with us then I'll start to worry. As it is, we had a shit day considering all other results and our own. I'll credit Rafa with not being happy with it and looking to react and seeing what he does differently in the next few games. I'd be concerned certainly if it became a middling exercise in waiting for Shelvey to come back but I don't think it'll play out that way.

People genuinely said we won't lose or a game or go unbeaten. It's not utterly made up. I know that's not a large consensus view but there are shades below that as well. You've spent just as much effort painting people as smitten followers incapable of cynicism. From what I can gather the 'lovestruck' and others are saying - 'yeah he's got things wrong, I'm not panicking though because he's got the majority of stuff right so far and I have enough belief in his ability to sort things out. To be honest the more I look at yesterday the stranger it becomes, Blackburn were gifted that by an idiot and we lacked the creativity to score in a game that should have really just been a dull draw. The points tally is good and we're doing more right than wrong, what's wrong needs addressing, Rafa will seel do it because he's a capable man. If he's making the same errors/lapses in 3 games time that cost us points then is time to worry but the points are there. We're a million miles from Tufty's 'We'll get it right soon you watch' schtick.

Without generalising, there's genuinely more than a shred of causality to this.

Interesting TF pod today. I like listening to it although it has a tendency to soapbox and be a bit self-involved (such is the medium). Still, it gives some decent perspective whilst I don't agree with all of it.

This post brought to you by TENA. Aaaah Shoddyfor-orm, shoddy form for youuuuuu...

Who's saying don't question anything? If he wants to have his learning curve whilst keeping us within distance of the given league leaders and in a promotion place then I'm happy to see what happens. We all know what's wrong, people are embarrassingly resorting to straw man arguments and nth degree suppositions - web twattery 101. At this stage, we should or see what happens with the window and see how he reacts over the next 3 games. I'll be aiming mclaren jibes soon enough if it's just recent same ol same ol but that same ol same ol has also got us here - time to tweak and over to you Rafa.

So surely the choices are either buy a better striker than Gayle or someone willing to sit on the bench. The first option won't happen, given that Gayle is the leading scorer in the league, and the second option is just the same situation as the Murphy transfer. Pretty much. If mitrovic is the backup then fine, if it's someone else then that's fine too. We have players who can cover in gouffran and Perez as well as Murphy and I'm Rafa would push for a replacement if he needed them. The caveat being we'd likely need to review it in depth again if and when we are promoted. So Gayle gets injured, you'd be confident in Murphy or Gouffran up front, given that Perez will play number 10? No not particularly. As you said we'd hopefully be likely looking for genuine competition for Gayle, I just named a few who are potential in terms of depth. If he leaves I'm ambivalent about it. Pretty much all I'm really saying.

We have a squad that for the most part has put us in this league. Every team sees us as a scalp and every manager is going to want to pit themselves against a man who's won things at elite level. We also are in the infancy of a delicate transition from water treaders to something that we can actually buy into and the players are adapting to the same, as is Rafa. As long as the mistakes being made aren't the same Recurrent in 2-3 weeks time then we should always temper this with the previous points. Rafa has apparently repeated a mantra of time needed and unlike previous incumbents it isn't to save their own skin or divert criticism but to have the flexibility to figure out the best plan as he has the capability. I'm curious given what many were saying about not losing a game this season, to how widespread a view that was, because I think given our good league position still and some of our stats that expectations are wildly different. This isn't the premier league but we aren't a stable premier league squad either, we'd probably be able to make up the numbers at this point but we're where we deserve to be and we'll have our moments of pennance. I believe tonight we were largely in control though lacked the killer ability of the likes of shelvey and were genuinely unlucky on occasion without bemoaning luck. Jack colback genuinely fucked us and it is a concern certain players (colback, gouffran) and methods are being deployed but it's all part of this process. I'm yet to be fully convinced that Rafa will get full backing without dredging that up too much but we are still a delicate giant even in a lesser league. A lot of fragile politics and methods that will take time to fortify and improve on.

Hayden is ahead because he has the athleticism to keep up with play. You can reach him to do what colback does (lol) you'll never be able to get colback up to scratch with Hayden's assets with all the coaching in the world.

30% selection/subs 70% Cack Jogback

Yup. Factor in their keeper with some good saves and Nadsack flying in on Betamax heed and Its fucked it up.

Their keeper has had a decent game like.

Yawn. Even more tiresome when a super fan tells you that you can't moan about losing to shit teams. It's a handful of people though not done mass belief.

Yawn.

Cracking 5 from the ginger pirlo here