Lush Vlad

First half I thought there was the odd glimpse. Worked the channels well a couple of times. Got on the end of scruffy, not even half chances and put himself about. Second half, along with the rest of the team. He looked absolutely clueless and useless. Not like he gets any service and we create absolutely fuck all. But it seemed like we were unsure on how to try and get the ball to him and so did he.

I said Emery would have sorted us out and made us hard to beat. But I was fed up of negative football and was excited to see Howe come in. He has not really done much so far. Players are a fucking disgrace. But it feels like what he wants to do just isn’t translating with these players and the lack of pre-season and time with them shows. We still look like we have more of an idea than under Bruce. But he seemed to fluke wins somehow. Maybe the right manager, wrong time? Still can’t buy a win and we keep throwing points away in our ‘must win’ games. Can’t see how we stay up, really. Not unless we do get 3-4 more players in.

Down?

Down. We’re fucking awful. Fragile as fuck, can’t defend a lead, never look like scoring. Can’t even beat this shower of shite, then what chance have you got?

Well. ASM has been in Ngakia’s pocket all game. First mistake and he’s bagged. Get in.

TBF, when he does. It’s usually inaccurate or underhit. So I don’t blame him.

Longstaff has been really good. If he keeps this up, then that would be massive to the end of the season. ASM is basically a counter attacking player only. Absolutely useless when he is tightly marked. Can’t hold it up, poor touch, can’t pass. This is nervy as fuck.

Big Joe has played CM about 4-5 times hasn’t he and it’s always been in a 3? Seemed the tactic against Man U, in the first half at least. Was isolate the full back, win second balls and quickly release it to ASM on the left. He did play wider, you’re right. He looked poor against Cambridge. In a game where they had more men around the ball, we had more possession and we had to try and force something. Not sure I’d like to see him in a midfield 2. Just can’t see it happening. The sample size seems a bit small, anyway. He might revert to being utter shite soon enough, for all we know.

Skybet are doing the £5 free bet if you bet 5p or more on City-Chelsea. 365 are doing a £5 free bet on the nags at Kempton. Not sure everyone gets this, mind. As I never get the football offers with them, as I don’t tend to bet on it.

I hope we do go at them. As they seem awful at defending, but not too bad at the other end. Plus most teams cause us problems defensively, as Cambridge fucking United highlighted last week. So we need to start creating consistently and actually taking our chances. As a clean sheet seems highly unlikely for us. Or for them, to be fair. I think the game is such a massive MUST NOT LOSE for both teams. That it is going to be a really tense and cagey game. I can’t see either team committing too many forward and taking risks.

Yep. Think I’m the same.

He’s not in any of the photos, is he?

He’s tried 3-4 different formations already on his time here, hasn’t he?

Nobody had a bad game against Man U. Which made a nice change. But he really wasn’t one of our best performers. He was anonymous for most of the game after a lively start, from memory. It’s not exactly a great choice, Willock or Longstaff. I think the latter will play, anyway. But I just think he is done here and he has been on the decline for a while. I still hold out a bit of hope, perhaps blindly. That Willock may return to something like his old self.

Agreed. Didn't even know who he was until he started defending Bruce all the while. Then once we were taken over, he kept popping up on my timeline. Had to block him. Even his profile pic at the time made him look like an insufferable, smarmy cunt. That was without even factoring in all his bitter and twisted comments.

Agreed. Willock is absolutely awful this season. But at least showed for a fairly long spell he can contribute positively and came through a top academy. How many good games has Longstaff actually had and he now seems to be somehow getting worse?

Apart from ASM, I'm struggling to think of players that have played better? Low bar, as most of them have been crap and have continued being crap It is also quite hard to judge when you look how piss easy most of Bruce's schedule was, in comparison to Howe's, where we have played City, Arsenal, Man U, Liverpool, Leicester and had 10 men for nearly a whole game vs Norwich. Burnley we won and were ok. Norwich was good considering. Brentford was the first game, he wasn't even in the dugout and we should have won bar some individual errors On the wider point you're making. I think it is more to do with coming in mid-season, when the team is already horrendously low on confidence and has been playing a low block, low possession based brand of football for 4-5 years, or whatever it is. The second half of that after Rafa went and Bruce came in. The tactics were certainly at a premium and the players looked confused and not sure on what they were supposed to be doing. I genuinely think the mentality and the mindset of most of these players is shot to bits and they're just programmed to be a bunch of negative losers mixed in with the fact that a lot of them just aren't very good. If Howe came in with a full pre-season, but the same group of players. I think the results would be different, as would the style of play. I know the team was built over a longer period. But look at some of the players he had at Bournemouth and the football he had them playing a lot of the time. Are these players technically so much worse than them?

Arsenal have defended well. But I find them boring to watch under Arteta at the best of times. Liverpool have been brutal. I suppose most teams would miss one of the best in the world. But without Salah, they look toothless. Mane is missing, as well. I guess. But he has been wasteful this season.

Two eyes. Both glass. Stood there like an absolute stiffy and all. Looks awkward as fuck. Pure creep.

Aye. I did Bologna-Florence-Pisa a few years back. What a beautiful part of the world.

I can go one better, I reckon. I got told by the bloke that scouted him and a couple of lads that know him from Biggleswade, where he was a youth player. That Kienan Davis at Villa, who is now on loan at Forest. Is on £45k a week! I’m sure Brummie will come along and say that’s bollocks. But if that is true…. Wow.

I thought it seemed kind of harsh at first. Ramsdale looks a bit unsure and maybe panics Xhaka even more than usual. But watching it back, it’s a blatant red by the laws of the game, surely?

Ah. Superb. I was only looking on Twitter and Insta. Thank fuck for that.

Just been browsing through the training pics on social media. Anyone spotted Schar?! Could do with him starting.

Oh yeah, I get he is at the end of his career. But it just shows that since La Liga was dropped by Sky Sports, I have only watched it here and there. As the last time I saw him regularly, he was still top quality. Maybe it's been more of a slow burner and I just never watched Barca enough to notice.