Lush Vlad

I mentioned this in another thread. But I can’t stand the cliche and thought process behind “you can’t change a winning team”.

Our second half performances are often a lot worse than the first. Earlier in the season perhaps not. Bournemouth we improved and the same at Wolves. Although that was a low bar! Forest was class, like you say. Sometimes we have earned that right and it is a bit of game management and a case of saving their legs, reducing risk, defending a lead etc. But when we go behind at home. We look utterly clueless and the second half showings are becoming a concern. Especially as we almost always get worse as a team after subs are made.

I thought we looked much better when he came on and we had some semblance of control and passing ability moving forward. Assuming he gave the foul away for the free kick and also looked partly to blame for Muniz getting so free. Would be all for it, TBH. As it does look like his legs have gone/he can’t be arsed defensively. But Tino has been up and down all season. Mainly down of late and whilst I appreciate we need to sell players for PSR purposes. Shifting most of our back ups in one window with no replacements seems a bit of a risk.

Entire day wiped out for me with the travel. Pretty sure I got a speeding ticket on the way home. Couldn’t sleep until 12. 8 month old awake a few times in the night. Then up at 6. Useless cunts could have made all of that not matter one bit But no. Fortress St James’ is becoming more like a sand castle after the tide has started to come in.

To each their own and all that. But why even bother going to the match. If all you want to do is have a chat with your mates and a catch up? Seems absolutely mental to me.

Also this. We’ve become expectant and a bit entitled under Howe. Feels like we turn up for these games not getting behind them from the off. Expecting something to happen and the team and the ground are flat from the get go. Feels like there’s a perceived lack of jeopardy somehow. Big games everyone is up for it from the players to the fans. Or like for all the years we were shit. We often had relegation 6 pointers. So the pressure was on and the crowd often fired up. Feels like the players can take some of the blame in games like this. We seem so much slower and leggy against so called ‘smaller’ sides and the stands are often a reflection of what you’re seeing on the pitch. But at the same time. It just doesn’t seem like we are actively helping the team much. If anything, with the negativity, anxiety or just pure silence. We’re probably helping the away team. Not hard for them to settle in when they can come to the famous SJP and quiet the crowd down inside 5-10 minutes. EDIT - *Feels like

Dreadful in the Leazes. 4 blokes behind me sat having a natter like a load of old birds in a hair salon. Not even talking about football or paying attention. Mutes across the board in most the other seats. One lad didn’t seem to know where his seat was. Changed 2-3 times and was more interested in his sausage roll Mass exodus on 35 minutes to go for a pint and a piss. So they all missed Murphy’s goal. Honestly, why fucking bother?! I’d missed coming up for games. But I think I missed the city more. I know the result and performance doesn’t help. But it’s not enjoyable at all. I’d say I’d stick to aways. But that’s hard enough now with the ticket changes.

After today. Not particularly confident of CL at all. Europa we have a great chance. Our home form against mid-table sort of sides and the performances to boot have been worrying. The next 3 league games are brutal. Almost feels like we have more chance of a result against City than we do at home to Forest. As mental as that sounds. I think they’ll cause us no end of bother with their counters and something feels massively off in a lot of our home games somehow. Everything is flat. From collective and individual performances to the sleepy crowd.

His physicality has boiled over into stupidity the last few games or so. Some of his challenges are ridiculous and totally unnecessary. Like he is never even getting there to stop an attack or commit a snide foul. But he just barrels into people anyway. I love the bloke and you don’t want to curb his aggression too much. But it would be good if he was rotated more in certain games. Seems to start every game he is available. Even when half fit, out of form or against a team where his skillset doesn’t suit.

I’m not saying he does think like this. But ‘why change a winning team’ is one of my football pet hates. Feels massively amateur and a lower league way of thinking. Like every game and team you face are not the same. Plus the players are not necessarily fine to go for 70-80-90 minutes every week or twice a week. At the minute. It seems the subs aren’t contributing and seem massively out of form. But they have no chance of playing themselves into form. As they’re not getting meaningful minutes or any starts. Joelinton will be banned soon and Willock or Miley will probably come in. Maybe even Longstaff as he’s more trusted. One is out of form. The other two have barely played for what, the last 6 weeks or so?

They would regularly let Burn have the ball under no pressure. Then try and shut off passing lanes, get tight to Bruno, Hall etc. Then they would press Schar quite a bit when he got the ball. Smith-Rowe would do that. Jimenez, who was brilliant BTW. Would just loiter near Burn waiting for scraps. Becoming a bit of a theme. Bournemouth did similar. They were trying to isolate Burn out of position and win second balls. Just like at their place and all. Either Botman gets a shot for certain games or Howe needs to find a way round it. EDIT: Agree with the above post, though. For Arsenal, I’d play Botman and Burn because of their long balls and set pieces. They were superb in the first leg.

Would have him back in against Set Piece FC. As Dubravka gets a bit lost under high balls IMO and despite everyone moaning about his punching. Pope is one of the best in the league statistically against crosses. But then it is a massive game to chuck him back in and he wasn’t having a good season before the injury. So seeing as he didn’t start today to get back into it. I can’t see him starting.

Ref gestured for him to get up and shook his head. So he probably should have booked him.

It’s not controversial IMO. I think he has looked really unsure and panicked on the ball for a while now. Still a very reliable defender and fast as fuck. But offers nothing going forward or when in possession. Unlike the Bournemouth game. We massively improved when Trippier came on for him. Still young. Steep learning curve for him.

Even if there was contact. It was because of his horrendous dive. Could have just ran into him and got the foul. Or tried to keep playing. Looked blatant as fuck from the Leazes, I thought. More annoyed at the dive than the ref not giving a foul. A lot of water under the bridge between that point and their goal, though.

What was the mistake? Was it not a foul for the free kick that led to the goal? Gordon looked like he went for a massive swan dive when we were in a good position and they then broke. But that didn’t look a foul at all.

I thought they were all bad for different reasons in certain areas of the game and it hurt us across the board and meant we had no control of the midfield. Not dreadful or anything. Just not good enough. Joelinton carried on his brain dead form with some of his needless heavy challenges. Class driving forward and getting on loose balls. Tonali was uncharacteristically loose and sloppy with some of his passes and touches. Murphy on his heels. But their second comes from his telegraphed, under hit pass. Some sublime play, so unlucky with his shot and still manages to get about the pitch better than anyone in our team. Bruno’s lack of mobility and at times, urgency were really amplified today. So many second balls or passes that it felt like he should be getting to. But he is painfully slow. Some of his usual outrageous passing and touches, of course and felt like he was back to being press resistant.

I don’t see it like that. We were clearly after a RCB as a starter in the summer. Botman is the starting LCB in the long term. They’re on about extending Schar. So our starting CB’s would become our back ups for at least another season. We could then look to sign a younger, development type in the next window or two. It’s good business for someone who barely plays and is a 4th choice CB and 2nd or 3rd choice LB. Especially if was on half decent money and we get almost pure profit from a PSR point of view.

Got ya. Was up the other end to me and couldn’t fully see what was going on.

Feels like it would have kickstarted his season and we would have went onto win if he just tapped it in. But it feels more like it will go the other way now. Such a strange player. As we looked a better team with him and Trippier on I thought. He was getting in some really dangerous positions. But he seems half asleep most the while and really careless and clumsy. Stuck on his heels, loose touches, forgetting to kick the ball from 5 yards out etc.

Just back home. Enjoyed my day up until the second half. A lot to unpack but our home form against the less glamorous teams is becoming a concern to say the least. Another game where we looked a bit clueless at times and lost control for large spells. Without ever really getting up a head of steam. Did Leno have a save to make? I know Willock missed that sitter and Isak is unlucky with his off the bar. But they looked more dangerous and the better side for good chunks of that match.

Must be more to it with Tomori. He was superb against us in the CL last season and always looked quality. But seems like they’ve been trying to shop him for a while and 25+5 seems dead cheap. Form must have fell off a cliff or some behind the scenes shenanigans.

My advice would be to ignore anything TBG posts

Al-Capone/Kharpoun? I’m glad it‘s not just me that confuses all of the Als over there

Is there footage anywhere? Has it been clipped up yet? Would love to see/hear that