Lush Vlad

This flat 3 isn’t working. Willock and Shelvey nowhere near the ball, as expected.

Just seen the Villa goal. Pickford’s little arms failing him again?

Time for Willock to step up. We’ll see a lot less of the ball today and there will be chances for him to support late off the ball, or get on the ball and drive forward into space on the counter. I feel like he’s more suited to a game like this. I like him and think there is a player in there. But another poor performance from him and I’ll have run out of excuses.

I get this. But the spine of our team is currently similar to Billy’s after Predator had finished with him. Without a quality CM and CB as a minimum. We may as well start planing for the Championship in Feb. Lose today and that might be the case, anyway!

Draw was the ideal result. Norwich winning means it really keeps 4 teams in the shit. So not the end of the world. Watford winning would have been a disaster. Over to us now then……

I get what you’re saying. All is not lost and there is a reason they are down near the bottom. They play wide open and have had a lot of injuries all season. They still have a lot missing, I think. But it’s like the whole ‘styles make fights’ thing with boxers. I think their style is just all wrong for us. Our team looks sluggish overall, central midfield is embarrassingly shit and immobile. Oh and we can’t really defend. I just think their energy, pressing and the numbers they will commit in attack will be too much for our bunch of plodders.

Fernandez isn’t fit as far as I’m aware.

That would be massively underwhelming after a lot of the names we have been loosely linked with. But still an improvement on our pathetic midfield. If it is true that Howe wants proven Premier League players. Then I kind of get that and it probably is important in the position we are in that they can at least get up to speed straight away. But if we're going to be signing the likes of Choudhury. Then I think I'd rather we took a punt on someone from abroad.

I don’t think many of the players we have been linked with are particularly interested in the move. But we are doubling or trebling their wages in a lot of cases. Beggars can’t be choosers and all that. We are desperate for signings and in a desperate position. I’m hopeful we can get him in and that it is more of a Willock type loan and not Stephen Ireland.

That's all a bit basic, isn't it? Using hindsight to look back at the earlier games, where teams are now and not based on how those games were at the time, the positions of the opponents, their form and ability at the time, different managers etc. Spurs were shite under Nuno. Watford were just as bad and in shite form under Munoz too, if memory serves? Leeds and Southampton at home not seen as easy/winnable games at the time? Villa? Were they really any good back then? They've had an upturn in form and good results and performances since Gerrard came in. They're still only 13th after all that, mind? Plus the difference in the games listed under Bruce and then under Howe, playing a few teams who are light years ahead and basically always beat us in Liverpool, City and Arsenal. Man U and all. Although we did catch them at a good time, I suppose. They look average now.

Bruce was saved by Covid, I reckon. Even with Ashley in charge, I don't think he would have survived how toxic it would have become. How many games were played behind closed doors during his time here? Seemed like it was about a season and a half?! His first half season or so, or whatever it was. It just felt flat and dead. Not even particularly negative towards him. I thought the Bruce out stuff at games only really took off once fans were back this season? Rafa got universally backed by the fans at games, mind. He certainly got more adulation than Howe, IMO. Based on current results, rightly so and all. Other than that, I suppose you're right. Not sure what showing me gnashers is going to do, mind

It would mean you wouldn't have to lose your marbles watching Wood and all

Erm. They should probably proof read their articles.

He would be our only player that uses both feet. Sign him up for that alone! In all seriousness, his numbers and highlights make it seem like he'd automatically be our best source of goals and assists.

I don’t see it quite as black and white as this. Say we hit a bit of a run of form, we are playing well and it is really tight. Like we go down on the last day or something. Other teams around us have been picking up points as well, so the points total to stop up isn’t as low as we are all expecting. If there is actually a bit of positivity around the place and what the team is doing. Then I wouldn’t be adverse to keeping him. The same as Rafa, although I appreciate he had far less time to turn it around when we went down that year. If we carry on as we are and the play doesn’t improve, along with the results. Then yeah, off you fuck Mr Howe. Especially if we get 3-4 more players in this month. All hypotheticals at the minute. I like him and what he is trying to do and would love it to work out for him here. Short and long term. I am just worried it’s not going to work out for various reasons. I’d say from watching us every week. I think we should be odds on to go down. Not odds against like we are with some firms. We look finished already. Unable to see out wins and the players just look mentally shot. Seems the pressure of fans being back in the ground and the relegation zone is just too much for the fragile fuckers to handle.

I wouldn’t say it’s a priority compared to pretty much any other outfield position! But Dubravka has been a bit crap this season and has also struggled with injuries the last year or two. I thought Leno looked good when he first signed for Asenal and I’d imagine he’ll be a lot more comfortable trying to play out from the back. But his form dipped/got injured if memory serves and he was then out of favour. Martinez was the more fancied of the two by fans, at least. Then he left and Ramsdale is their new favourite. I still think he’d be an improvement on Dubs based on how he has looked this season.

People suddenly calling certain centre midfielders a 6. Must be a continental thing? As I’ve always known centre mids as 4 and 8 and most people have whenever I have played. I can’t say I remember people referring to them specifically by numbers and not their position, anyway. I’ve always just gone 4 for DM and 8 for the more attacking or box to box type. But suddenly everyone is just throwing 6 out there without any explanation on what they mean.

Unreal take and finish from Jota.

Claude was probably the only one I liked. Always having a go at the overly positive happy clapper that used to wear Arsenal everything

That’s a blast from the past. Had also forgotten about him.

I think American sports fans seem to get toxic quicker. Like they will regularly boo and abuse their own team in the NFL. Never mind the opposition. Fans aren’t segregated, though. So I suppose we are worse in other ways with football. Poor ol’ Padres. That’s my team. I only get to support useless teams, apparently

I dunno like. Ramsdale has looked immense this season. That goalkeeper statto on Twitter did a great write up on him. Seems a bit of a mentalist (aren’t all keepers?) In the same way Pickford is. I think he’ll always have a mistake in him because of that. As he spends so much of the game going bananas or just being a bantersaurus with the fans.

According to Twitter over the past few weeks and all the likes I see from Arsenal supporting mates. They have already won the Cup after their 0-0 draw playing with 10 men in the 1st leg of the semi. To go along with their ‘outplayed Man City but still lost’ trophy.

Just looks like a grubby German nightclub that plays greb music. That or Junkyard Golf.

I may be remembering it wrong. But don’t Howe’s teams often have fullbacks pushing on and supporting? Not sure he would suit, if that is the case.