Lush Vlad

Nah. My drawing ability is also similar to that of a 5 year old's. Leave poor Lewis alone

He played a lovely through ball to Isak away at Forest in the cup when Willock tapped home the rebound from Isak's shot. But unless you want to use MLS/Ice Hockey stats, he has not had an assist, no. Or fantasy football stats. Where he gets an assist for winning the penalty against Wimbledon.

Seem to get a fortune for them. Only for them to then perform nowhere near a level befitting of their price tag. I swear every year they sell someone for around £50-100m who then isn’t particularly good at their new club.

“Now Des Lynam, I do like.”

Yeah. I already glanced on the Sky Sports app and saw an article showing some 'big decisions' that Coote was involved with. Where they were not given in Liverpool's favour. Like it somehow proves he is guilty and anti-Liverpool. That's utter redtop bullshit from them, IMO. You could compile a list of any decisions you want from all of the refs over the last 3-4 years or so and use them in isolation to make out they were biased for or against a club based on said decisions.

Yes and no. I don’t think ex-players that were world class and/or won it all necessarily make good pundits. I think Keane is terrible for example and is just there to play a character, it seems. Grumpy Old Man Souness is the same. Take someone like Nedum Onuoha. He is a brilliant pundit IMO and should get more of a look in. He wasn’t really in that top level, elite bracket. I think a lot of the time. Ex-pros don’t make particularly good pundits, full stop. They never speak particularly well or offer anything insightful. You listen to some of the journos 5 Live get on, on something like Monday Night Club or Euro Leagues. The analysis and level of knowledge is night and day. Plus they’re usually much better orators, too. Never going to happen. As they need to keep jobs for the boys and it won’t be allowed due to ‘how many pro games have you played?!’ crowd. But analysis might be worth watching and listening to if they went for some more analytic, journo types.

2 weeks to wait FFS.

You did. If I was Australian

Sir Les Ferdinand is about as London as they come. Rob Lee, too. I’m a southerner and never got that stereotype at all. Always welcome up there. Even if @Scoot does take the piss out of my accent

Him coming back into the team has been just as or more important than Longstaff, IMO. I think we take for granted those driving runs that regularly get us 30-40 yards up the pitch. He makes it look effortless, just gliding about with ease. He just needs to stay fit now. Can see why Howe is being careful with him and taking him off after an hour.

It really goes to show what an amazing footballer he is. Because he really is so slow and he strikes the ball in an odd way. Like a push shot in pool and never really generates any power and looks like it is a load of effort for him to get it more than 20-30 yards. Yet he still gets about the pitch, he’s combative, he is brilliant on the ball under pressure and dictates games like not many in the league can.

I thought he was thr one negative today. Didn’t cause any problems right or left and was weak/wasteful with the chances that came his way. Barnes may not be as good as him. But based on this season. His numbers say otherwise and he has been more effective with the time he’s had on the pitch. I’m sure he will rediscover his form. But he has had more bad games than good so far.

Yeah. It wasn’t a genuine question. Far worse players for thuggery than him. Just seems like everyone is in agreement that he is crap and just a dirty, spoiler of a player. Proper hatchet man.

Yet Bruno is the most fouled player in the league and it’s not even close. So he clearly is convincing in the refs eyes. Longstaff isn’t in the refs eyes or the fans. Well, basically everyone bar you, apparently

Yes. I watch him regularly and think it’s not a foul. But he is convincing and he sells it even when it’s not and the refs give it. Do you honestly think they’re thinking who the player is when they blow the whistle?! Longstaff is the polar opposite. He goes down like a sack of spuds when it isn’t a free kick and it’s clearly a dive. Then when it is a blatant foul. He stays upright and he gets fuck all. Like I said. Fuck all to do with ‘names’ getting the decision and Longstaff not getting the rub of the green. He is just no good at gamesmanship.

I don’t think it is tricky at all. In our next two games. We can expect the lion’s share of possession again. Which as demonstrated today. Really isn’t Longstaff’s type of game. So he comes in for him, no question, IMO. I was in the minority that would have started him in place of Longstaff today. Because I don’t believe in the cliche ‘you can’t change a winning team’ and I don’t think it was a Longstaff kind of game. In the end, we won convincingly and it was probably our best performance of the season. So what the fuck do I know compared to Howe

He is just bad at it. It’s not even an argument. He throws himself to the ground a second too late or goes down unconvincingly under no pressure too early. It has fuck all to do with him not being a name. He is just terrible at it. Sad state of affairs when we are effectively talking about how good or bad someone is at cheating. But that is modern football, I guess.

He really is worse than the others. He goes down like a mortgage. Can’t buy a free kick to save his life.

I wonder if there has ever been a player more universally despised than Ryan Yates? Absolute hatchet man that somehow gets away with murder because he has the armband on. I was watching with a load of neutrals today and they all said similar. Useless fucker that somehow gets away with 2-3 yellow card offences per game. Today was no different. I think he got booked after his 4th or 5th foul. With most of those proceeding that being yellow card worthy. No idea how the refs let it slide and he only has 3 yellows this season. Every game I see him he is up to no good and starting shit.

Fucking class man. In the pub steaming. Joelinton went through and I said “I hate him on the right wing. He needs to be back on the left.” Then he scored

This is superb

That was fucking class.

That’s a pen on Willock, no?

I wasn’t even referencing our usual bad away performances. But I agree. It was more based on the last 2 games where everyone seems to think we have stumbled upon a winning formula. We had about 30-35% possession at home against two teams that want loads of the ball, slow build up play and opportunities for us to press and counter. Two clubs that are bigger than NUFC. I don’t think tomorrow’s game will be remotely similar and the same setup and possibly the same XI will not be anywhere near as effective.