Lush Vlad

Hahahaha. They fully lost their heads there. It’s happening again, isn’t it?!

Agreed. I’m not basing this opinion solely on tonight, mind. He is a very safe finisher, IMO. Seems keen to just hit the target with not a lot of conviction and won’t risk going for power or placing it out of reach. That’s not to say he can’t improve on this. Only last season I thought his penalty technique was a bit shite and unconvincing. Now it is one of the best in the league and is anything but safe or soft.

It’s mad to say it after he has scored 4 but I still don’t think he will ever be a clinical finisher as a striker and he is never going to offer you much back to goal or as a target. They were abysmal at the back and he was actually wasteful at times I thought. As was Barnes and to a lesser degree, Willock. However, he drops in and links play pretty well, has the pace to run in behind and can carry the ball from deep upfield no bother. He is the closest we can get to replicating what Isak could bring to the team and playing as we are currently. He is our best option up top by a long way. He also brings a bit of unpredictability to our play. Makes us far more fluid as an attacking unit and seems a lot harder to defend against than Woltemade or Wissa. I never thought I would say that. As I’ve never liked him centrally. Granted it’s a small sample size and against poor sides and 10 men for a half. But we have looked better the last few games with a mobile, fast forward leading the line.

I don’t think you’ll find any fan who disagrees that we need to upgrade on him this summer and he makes too many ricks of late. Just brain farts where he seems to play well and look confident and assured. Then switches off Bramble style at the worst possible moment. The goal was odd. As the bloke was 4-5 yards away, it was poor defending and he has absolutely leathered it. But he is usually great at those where he gets a big, strong palm or even a wrist or any body part to it and it goes miles away from goal. He gets beat between his hand and body and looks so lethargic. Like a 5 a side keeper. All that said. I’m not having Ramsdale is better or no worse. Short memories there. The fucker is glued to his line and dives after the ball is past him. It does feel a bit two bald men fighting over a comb with those two, mind.

Not a bad day at the office.

Every other draw looks piss easy. All the other big hitters are going to be left in even if we manage to get through. Wankers. WANKERS

What is the point in progressing in cups FFS. Mackems get Port Vale or Bristol City away. We get Man City. Fuck this shit Ah well. At least it’s at home….

Yep. I agree with this. I suppose it will still cause controversy in a different way. As they'll pore back over it in the studio and show that techincally, the wrong decision was made. Then everyone will cry and say they were hard done by. But taking even a minute to try and confirm whether it is offside or not is too long. We seem to regularly get ones that take 2, 3, 4 minutes. Maybe even longer. Nobody can look at the Casemiro and Willock ones from Wednesday night and say that is good for football. If you are having to study it to the nth degree and you're still not sure, because of tolerances (that Wirtz one ) and whatever else. Then it shouldn't be ruled out and they shouldn't be spending so long looking at it over and over.

If we are going to go back to the high energy, high press, commit numbers forward tactics of the last couple of games and we want to play with a back 4. Then I think it has to be Gordon or Osula leading the line. Maybe if Wissa didn't look so poor and unfit. Then he would be able to lead the line and the press. As I refuse to believe an on form Wissa is worse than those two as a 9. But that might just be me trying to cope with the fact we paid £55m for a striker, who at present, looks like our 4th best striker. I think when we play 3 at the back, then if the 2 behind the front man have plenty of legs, then playing Woltemade up there is fine. It worked fairly well away to PSG.

But then weirdly. He didn’t seem to think Digne should have been off and seemed pretty nonplussed by the penalty decisions. Just on the Digne one. I think I have heard three different commentators now saying ‘he caught Murphy on the foot/the main contact was on the foot’. He literally showed the camera and the ref a hole halfway up his shin FFS it’s bad enough getting fucked over by the refs. Without commentators trying to gaslight us on top of that.

I thought he was really good in both games against us. I wasn’t keen on him originally and I think that ship has sailed/he would be too expensive. But if he decided to kick up a fuss and was looking to leave. I’d love him here. Donnarumma is one of the best in the business and such a big game player. I also didn’t realise he was only 26! Good luck getting in ahead of him.

Oxford have looked alright here. Just that braindead foul for the pen the difference.

Gives us another option in there. Seeing as he is so comfortable on the ball. Much better at keeping hold of it and seeing off challenges when he is in there than when he is back to goal with the CB’s. Totally different players. But it was like when Joelinton dropped in. Suddenly looked good in the air, his hold up play was miles better and he could retain possession. Not many genuine 9s in world football with a well rounded game. That can consistently do a job up top on their own in a league like this. Especially with how the playing style has been turned on its head this season. EDIT: he played in the midfield 3. As everyone else has been saying.

Only one maniacal laugh from Ando on the highlights Disappointing.

It is never a foul IMO. But those ones get given 9/10 basically every game, every week. So not exactly controversial. I might have even put it in the football pet hates thread before. But those very soft ones like that. Where a player is then away on goal or is likely to play a pass leading to a chance. The ref almost always blows up for a free kick. Usually late and sort of in slow motion. The replays usually confirm it was soft, a dive or not a foul. Try getting one of those given as a pen or a dangerous free kick and the bar is much higher and you’ve got no chance.

Shit that he is missing. But I’m also glad that Woltemade might get a run in the side either up top or in a more withdrawn role. He doesn’t suit the system as we have been playing it. But there have been signs that his role has been changing, as have the tactics. I think he was really impacted by Wissa returning and the constant rotation. Not saying he’ll always have a good game or that it wouldn’t be nice to have another option. But after a promising start and then the PSV game. Outside of that, Wissa has looked terrible. Gordon up top to run teams or even Osula to cause carnage and do the donkey work. With Woltemade deeper. Is what I think we’ll see.

I mean. I’m not defending that cunt from tonight. It’s indefensible. But they really are not similar in ability. Darren Deadman (great name) used to ref us locally and also reffed up to the Champo level. He was absolutely atrocious. If he got chucked into prem games. You would have seen the difference straight away.

I thought it was almost a carbon copy of his last 2-3 games. A bit frustrating at times and drifted in and out of the game. Whilst simultaneously being involved in some way in most of our decent attacking play. Even when it doesn’t come off. For long spells in our games. He basically seems to be one of the only ones creating anything or actually shooting

The lower league refs are even fucking worse. Short memory if you don’t remember how God awful the refs and the linos were in the Champo

I don’t know where to start. It got so bad. That by the end of the game. The ref was totally guessing, then looking sheepish, embarrassed and scared after he had blown the whistle. Lost all control of that game and looked miles out of his depth. Abysmal performance and the result shouldn’t paper over the cracks for him. He needs demoted for a week or two.

Going to go a bit Havertz/Joelinton and start playing more withdrawn or as a genuine midfielder? Looked good in both halves, I thought. He still could attack the ball/box a lot better, mind. Whatever position you’re playing. You can still attack crosses/space when the opportunity is there.

The caveat for all of our the player reviews, that it was against 10. But fuck me, it is good to see him back. Been threatening to score from outside of the box for ages. Glad to see him on the scoresheet.

Me after that result. The fact we scored against them with two long range shots to win it. One of which was a massive deflection. INJECT IT.

This ref is getting done for match fixing

He looks a little bit like he is having one of THOSE games and all.