Lush Vlad

These big clashes between the Sky 6 clubs always get hyped. Then they’re always shite and a letdown

Oh 100%. It’s what makes it all the more frustrating. He was THAT good in the 4th placed season. I just think he has been a good way off that since the knee injuries and has struggled to stay fit for a good while now. If we can get back to something like that season and he stays fit. Then he’ll be a major asset.

Brighton is anything but Tory, mind.

Joelinton really does love attacking anything. Player’s legs, chairs, the ball, Lucozade bottles

Who was it for Burnley who he couldn’t stand? Said something like ‘it’s him AGAIN. Good job it was’ when he ballooned one over the bar

I’m sure it’ll be something brutal, based on how bad it looked. But I couldn’t walk off the pitch with a badly sprained ankle. But walked off on my own when I did my ACL and LCL. Fingers crossed he’s not ruptured any ligaments.

This is true and he was great in that 4th place season. I do think injuries have slowed him and he doesn’t look as good as he did before the various injuries.

After Spurs signed him. I said to some Spurs supporting mates that he would go on to be one of the best CB’s in the league. I may have even said world In my defence I was 20 and used to be extremely biased towards our players

The first was hilarious. Could have driven a bus through their defence. Mukiele caught overplaying. Watched bits and pieces of their game and he got caught out another time doing the same.

Ramsdale didn’t get hammered for less, mind. He got hammered for not doing the most basic parts of goalkeeping. Every other shot on target was a goal. Been said 1000 times. But neither are good enough for us now and I’m sure it will be a priority position in the summer.

I mean. It went in so who cares. But he didn’t wait for the keeper to commit or keep his eyes on him. Seemed to be looking down the whole time. It would have ben Enzo Le Fee levels of easy with the save if the keeper went that way.

Fuck off Pete. Whoever you are.

Sadly not. I've heard he doesn't go for a half time pint. But for wine and a line.

I still can't believe I go to the match with a really intelligent bloke that doesn't rate Bruno Can't be that fucking clever, thinking about it

Calvert-Lewin and a cross/pass along the deck from their left hand side? If so, it was Schar.

Was that the one Pope jumped on? If so, it was Schar.

Yeah, it's superb I don't rate Kelleher, but he has a great record on pens. Transfermarkt says he's saved 8 pens in his career and it's not like he has played loads and loads of games for club and country. 7 penalty saves in the last 14 months is wild. He's saved pens from Mbappe, Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes. Yet that Playmobil haired cunt thought he could pull that off. LOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLLLLLL.

Can't fault the team's togetherness and commitment, I think there was some talk of that earlier in the season? Aggressive with his subs and made two at half time, which proved to be the right ones. The same as the rest of them, really. The first half was unacceptable and I thought was an utter shambles for 35 minutes or whatever it was. So fair play for turning it around so drastically. Coming back from behind 3 times is impressive enough. But to win it at the death is extraordinary. It's great that we've got the monkey off our back of not coming from behind to get any points. Not meaning to be a moaning prick. But I do think in some ways that late late goal has papered over a few cracks. Not that it made me enjoy it any less. I was still wired when I woke up this morning and took me forever to get to sleep last night. The same as the Palace game and to a lesser degree, Burnley. It has just shown again that when teams sit high, press us aggressively and don't give us any time. We can barely get out of our own half. As we've found out, teams can't press for 90 minutes and we will get chances to come back into the game. As we actually dominated the ball for large spells. But I feel like this has been a problem for a long while now. We can't pass round it and we just slowly go along the back line, before losing it for a throw or by blasting it long. Occasionally we'll try and pass through the lines, but it rarely works and we lose it in some bad areas. The only successful tactic seems to be trying to hit Joelinton in the middle with a sort of intermediate pass. As he often finds space and can actually hold it up back to goal. When we do get out, we often get a lot of men ahead of the ball, without much thought process of how we're going to use them or manipulate the ball and space to our advantage. We then lose it and end up facing an overload or a 3 v 3, 4 v 4 and the other team get a lot of success countering against us. There's an Airbus sized gap to exploit between where our midfield should be and the back line. It's amazing to watch in a way and I do like that we're attacking and commit numbers forward. But I do yearn for a semblance of control a lot of the while. Even though we had more possession. I actually thought for large spells when Leeds had the ball. They were far more incisive and worked openings much better than we did. Only to be wasteful or too late with the final pass. I think that happens against us more often than you'd expect for a squad with out cost and quality. I still adore the man and what he has done for the club. I don't even think there is a better fit out there or that it would be worth taking the risk even if there was. Unless we totally fell off, of course. But I feel like this season, the same old problems are being magnified a lot of the while and we don't seem any closer to figuring out how to sort them out. Or that we even want to? Maybe it's like a risk/reward thing and Howe is fine with his approach. Fuck knows, he knows a lot more than I ever will. Just frustrating seeing the same issues play out every game.

They had a spell in the second half where they had about 10 of them in fairly quick succession down our left hand side. Utter shit. Shouldn't be allowed to take so long every time. Usually stealing a good few yards and all.

That septic, Aaronson had a really good game. But the fact it was him that gave the penalty away was delicious. His gimpy little celebration was well annoying. Didn't even notice last night after he'd scored.

I didn't really celebrate Joelinton's goal. The way the lino was stood looking and even Joe had a look across, I thought it was off. It was tight (ish) in the end.

Probably already been mentioned. But a new Ando has been unlocked. His celebration for the winner last night was glorious. I know being a grumpy sod is part of his schtick and just him to a degree. But I'm glad after years of utter dross. He can commentate on a team and get some enjoyment out of it.

I think he has been up there as our MOTM the last three games and was my MOTM against Burnley. Certainly one of the best three players in all of three. He's also looked a lot better on the ball, I think? Usual caveat of him losing it in daft areas now and then and 2-3 times failing to play in the winger or forward when it's easier to do so than lose it I think we almost have to accept that now with him. The rough with the smooth. His defensive work has been outstanding and all the more noticeable due to him not playing for a while and then when he was playing. Him looking a shadow of his former self and playing through injury. He wins a lot of headers from set pieces, he is our best player back to goal at holding it up and seems to be the only option to bypass a press from the back. I really hope Howe rests him Saturday. He's been all action for basically three full games in a row, after just coming back from injury. We've seen how important he is for us when fit and firing. We can't afford to have another season of him constantly playing through various injuries or missing time. Fair play to Howe for keeping him on. As I thought he'd need to come off and was a walking red card. But he was one of the main reasons we got back into it. He dragged us back into it, kicking and screaming. Literally, in his case.

He was great for the first goal. I know they can't do it all the while. But if we can start getting our wide men more central in certain phases of play. I think a lot of our attacking issues will ease. Scored 9 in 3, mind. So we're getting a bit better. Albeit against poor'ish teams, defensively.

It's a bit of a conundrum. As we look better in some ways when he's on, worse in others. I think he disappears out the game the same as Woltemade does, but in different ways. But more because of his frame and maybe always looking to go in behind. Recurring theme is, we need to provide our strikers with better service and they need to get on the same page. Snatched at his shot, which is the sort he was burying for fun for Brentford last season. Sloppy as you like for their third and despite being great in the air for his size. We lose any chance of holding the ball up most the while. Not that Woltemade is amazing at this, but is understandably better than Wissa. Offside an awful lot, too. But as I said the other day, that could be to do with not being on the same wavelength. Almost feels like he is trying too hard as he loves it here so much and he's had to wait so long to play. It's like he's almost too buzzed up and chaotic with his play a lot of the time. Can't really have a go at him if that is the case. For years we had players who were the polar opposite. Difficult one for Saturday. As I think whoever starts, doesn't against City. I think I'd rather Wissa's pace and movement against a makeshift City back 4 than Woltemade.