Lush Vlad

Oh dear. Our best player injured. Hall is becoming very injury prone.

I know they’re shit. But we’ve been by far the better side and should have scored more. Bit more control and patience needed. Very end to end at times when it doesn’t need to be. Big Joe and Hall have been superb. So has Gordon minus the diving and giving up.

He had him on toast at SJP. Even 11 v 11. Needs to just back himself and drive at him more. He has the beating of him.

Brilliant first 15-20 and a few bits in between. But the ref isn’t buying his diving and rolling. To the point even a foul against him he will wave play on. Please stop doing it.

Playing well for the most part. Should be out of sight but for a top save and a couple of bad finishes. Big Joe and Hall have been class.

“Could we interchange with the wide men and front 3 a bit. Try something different to boost our struggling, rigid, predictable attack and…..” Howe:

Cisse’s qualifies as both, I’d say. We were still gunning for top 4, it was a goal to clinch the game towards the end of the season and it was away to a side we usually get hammered against. Who were also competing with us for the top 6.

I know it’s a different league, team setup and style of play and international games the same again. But on the numbers. He is even worse than Ramsdale on crosses and coming off his line.

Get taken over before PSR was a thing and also bend the rules (allegedly) to mean they can keep spending beyond their means. Which then means they have a squad littered with world class talent, along with a much better academy setup than ourselves. Something we should be addressing if we’re not already. They have what? A couple of elite players for every position? Look at the squad depth for City and Arsenal for example vs ourselves. City could put out 2 different XI’s capable of competing for the top 4-5. We’re not the first and won’t be the last ‘smaller’ club that struggles with a European and a domestic campaign. Howe hasn’t really experienced this, either. You would like to hope with time and as the squad improves. He will become far better at it. Problem is. If we don’t get into a European competition next season. I’m not sure he will be around to try again.

Tennis, I think? *Insert joke about aimless long balls back and forward here.

Was Dalot not offside? Looked well off at the time. But funnily enough, I’ve not felt the need to go back and watch the ‘highlights’ Tend to agree with you for a change, anyway. You were absolute pony and a decent attacking side would have battered you. We were somehow even worse and could still be playing now and not have scored.

@SteV Can you not see why people have less patience with him? Whether that is for the perceived huffiness and bad attitude from him. The fact it very much does look like he picks and chooses when he wants to fully put the effort in. If that’s not the case, then how mentally fragile he must be to play with such intensity and fire one week. To look shit scared of the fullback and his own shadow the next. All with the backdrop of his two stupid, needless red cards this year. Along with how bad he has been in open play with goals and assists in 2025. Also the fact he is the second or third highest paid player at the club, allegedly. I suppose in isolation and on a game by game basis. That shouldn’t be used against him and perhaps he is held to a higher standard. But it’s pretty fucking easy to see why. For me, I have quite a few frustrations with him that probably do skew my opinion negatively: I think he is far too inconsistent for what he is paid and worth. I don’t enjoy watching the current version of him. He isn’t technically good enough to be a more polished winger. And I also think for all his flaws. Barnes is a better player for us and brings us some sharpness at the business end of the pitch. Which we really lack at times this season.

I was expecting it to be much better the way pundits were going on. It’s a really good save. But I doubt it is even save of the season so far. Never mind ‘ever’ like some are making out. For all he caught it well. It is nowhere near the corner and if he were a bit taller or had a better reach. It would look far less impressive. Reminded me a bit of the Ramsdale save when he was at Arsenal that everyone raved about. Think it was against Everton. Was nowhere near the corner and he was somehow full stretch as per usual.

Are we fuck.

Spurs are dreadful. How the fuck did we not beat these?! Been saying that a lot this season, mind

So much underlying data saying we’re not that bad. I do think the result can massively impact how we as fans view players performances and the performance as a whole. Like we can dominate a game or be deserved winners. But concede a daft late goal and everyone is shite. Yet we can win or nick a draw in a game where we play badly and it’s often fairly positive. Said as much on here a while back and I don’t think it is exclusive to us. Results can paper over the cracks. Using hindsight. I think the 5th place season under Pardew was an extreme example of this. We were often crap but kept getting results from moments of magic and wonder goals. Nobody complained much. I remember QPR at home I think it was. I went and we were horrendous. Won 1-0 off our only shot on target. Everyone goes away happy. Anyway, I digress. The eye test does say to me that we have gone a bit stale this season. Very easy to play against away from home and the attacking patterns are always so ponderous and predictable. Also the stats that keep getting shown every game about our record when leading and when losing is obviously playing on people’s minds. So it should, it’s hardly a recipe for success

Broken clocks and all that, Kaka

People need to start qualifying their posts FFS ‘With the benefit of hindsight.’ ‘Based on current form and not years worth of prior stats.’ ‘Assuming they would be as good here in our system and play enough minutes.’

I may not have been being entirely serious FFS

CL not count? Leverkusen was 1-0 down and got to 2-1 up before the customary late goal for the opposition.

Just catching up on yesterday’s games. Bournemouth’s defending. Wow. They were basically last man near the halfway line for most of Brentford’s chances/goals. Criminal defending.

Low quality affair bar the goal. Leeds have slightly edged it. But sunderland haven’t been broken down by far better teams. Will finish 1 or 2-0, I reckon. Calvert-Lewin has been great as a target man. More than holding his own against their meatheads at the back.

Severe lack of zonal pinning and tempura awareness. We’re more of a panko side.

There is also a load of pretentious waffle and made up terms in amongst some good points that have been flagged on here for a long while.