Lush Vlad

I had an awful temper as a kid. Suspected ADHD that was undiagnosed, anger management, expelled from school etc. It’s still not great, but it is a lot better than it was. I used to watch that AFC TV and laugh. But it definitely had a darker side with all the aggression and madness. How the fuck can someone get that angry over football FFS. Unhinged. I can’t imagine being anything like that now. I suppose in hindsight and looking back. It’s pretty obvious he’s a wrong’un. I used to have my season ticket near to a bloke that was similar. Wishing death on opposing fans, players and refs. Just abhorrent behaviour, really.

Probably a bit OTT from me. But even if we get a couple of defenders and another striker in. I’d say we’re basically dead certs to go down if we try and plod on with this midfield until the end of the season.

Nobody looking forward to this game then? Bit quiet in here. I suppose we’ll have a lot less of the ball, so the 4-3-3 might work, similar to the Man U game. But I feel like it has looked toothless the last two games. Hardly created any clear openings against a struggling League One side and then a Prem team nearly as bad as us. I would have like to see the 3-4-3 we played against Brentford. Can’t defend at the best of times, so may as well get further up the pitch, at least. The 4-4-1-1 is still what Howe wants to play, I reckon. Just not sure where these players fit? ASM isn’t a winger, as such. We don’t really have effective midfielders in a 3, never mind a 2. Shelvey will get pressured on the ball, so he’ll be even more pointless than usual and not sure who plays behind Wood? Almiron? Willock? Joelinton?

Wake me up, when the window ends.

He has a point, TBF

Insert That’s the joke gif here My word. What a terrific young man.

His full debut against Everton wasn’t bad. Him and Tiote that day. My word.

Why would they let him go on loan? Just to save on the wages for the last part of his deal? Out of contract in the summer, isn’t he?

That would somehow be worse than our current midfield. I thought he regularly played a 4-4-1-1, with genuine wide men and more of a second striker off the front man, not just an extra midfielder or a 10. Who was the England manager that went with the diamond quite often? Mind has gone blank.

Get this mad wardrobe sized bastad in. Need some players who appear to play with a bit of heart and passion. Cue a Woodgate like Real Madrid debut

Eddie Howe's number 1 target, supposedly. I've seen that reported a few places. Unless he goes on a right run of form and we figure out how to utilise him properly. Then that's a bit worrying, if true!

Yeah, I think VVD would look amazing in any team in the world. Certainly not much of a drop off. He is outrageous at one on one defending, a beast in the air, calm under pressure and can ping passes about for fun. It’s probably recency bias and I think I pay more attention to other teams than I did when I was young. As I was always massively biased towards NUFC and often pissed half-watching in the pub. But I think he is the best centre back I’ve seen in the PL. I know Terry and Rio will win more and have the longevity, Vidic was a more out and out defender etc. But I just love watching VVD play. Sorry to hijack the thread!

Hoping that’s more ‘stop letting things get out to the press’ and not ‘stop bidding so much for players.’

I nearly replied on Twitter saying I liked the article, but this bit was bollocks. I’ve said it before on here. Hurst is good at hosting, he usually speaks well and I don’t mind a few on the TF podcast. But fucking hell. He spent weeks going on about ASM and Joelinton being left footed. I actually pulled him on it and he just said ‘my mistake.’ Pretty fucking odd one to make. Too busy doing your matchday pod and tweeting shite and not actually watching what’s in front of you?! Like fuck am I taking his advice on football and I actually think he is quite knee jerk week to week on that pod. Hardly a voice of reason.

1 - Is Jordan Pickford basically every save. Quiet when he chucks one in every other week, mind.

I remember Lewandowski taking the absolute piss out of Real Madrid, Barcelona and pretty much everyone else over the years. What’s your point?

I hope he stays at Derby and somehow manages to keep them up. That would be class.

Out of the CB’s we’ve been linked with. Based purely off Wisetube scouting. Badashaile (sp?) is the one that looked the most exciting and great for the long term. Would possibly even stay if/when we go down. This lad looks like a right hooligan, mind. Big old unit and isn’t afraid to get stuck in. Get him signed up.

Yep. Never seems to be out on the touchline with Howe, though. As opposed to Tindall, who never leaves his side.

Didn't Nuno want a sabbatical? Then he was like Spurs' 9th choice and they chucked good money at him and he took it?

It's not just football. Nuance and proper, polite debate seems dead on the internet and in a lot of society these days. Seems like it's got worse since Covid and the current state of the UK government, for example.

Yep. Love his work off the ball. But then Almiron also brings that, without doing anything on it and he isn't in the team at the minute. Rightfully so, I'd say. I know the fans views on him are a bit marmite. But I'd play Murphy, purely for the fact he has pace, looks to drive with the ball and will attempt the odd shot and cross. Which are usually either Solano/Shearer in quality or as bad as Obertan/Riviere. No in-between.

Not saying I disagree. But if he is genuinely always as knackered as he is making out, whether that is various knocks or just being out of puff. Then he is going to need a lot of fitness work and it's also hard to stop him being injury prone. If it's that he is just sulking and being a lazy fucker. Then he'd need a personality transplant. Truth as always, is probably somewhere in-between. It's not even meant as a dig at him. Flair players like him are not going to have the same mindset and physical attributes as someone like Isaac Hayden or Paul Dummet, for example. Nor would I want them to. I suppose the $100m (or whatever relegation costs these days) question is. What do you do to get the best out of ASM? As he is currently the only match winner in our squad. We'd be worse off without him this season and at times, he is just completely unplayable for the opposition. But then he often looks totally uninterested, his decision making is usually awful and the current system just isn't getting the best out of him. Then when we play with a midfield 4, he looks just as bad and stroppy. He wants to play centrally, but has never excelled there. Feels like when he has space on the counter, or because our team are capable of creating space for him. He is incredibly good. This current slow motion passing game and inability to open teams up, isn't really helping him and he's not really helping the team.

I'm not against that. Willock back in a more favourable role might see him contribute, who knows. We certainly need someone closer to the striker. I think I'd even look at Hendrick in the midfield 2 now. It's that desperate I think Shelvey and Longstaff are starting under Howe, regardless. We need at least one new CM in this window, or we're certainly going down, I reckon. Even two new CB's wouldn't change my mind.

I know it was mainly because they were all Mendes' players. But Wolves built a really good team in the Championship. Even last time we were down there, Ritchie was seen as a bit of a coup and didn't Gayle also leave the prem to sign for us (and more money)? You'd like to think with more wedge, we'd be in a better position this time. *Desperately looking for positives for when we inevitably get relegated