Lush Vlad

I’m not sure many thought we’d beat Arsenal 4-0 over 2 legs. Isak or not. The same for the final. Did anyone predict us outplaying Liverpool for 85-90 minutes?

After never trying in cups under Ashley for 13-14 years. It’s just refreshing to actually take the cups seriously now.

WTF is wrong with people? Last season. We beat Forest away, City, Chelsea, Brentford, Arsenal 4-0 over 2 legs and then outplayed the champions in the final. But because we’re having a bit of an inconsistent run and not playing our best. Losing tonight might not be a bad thing?! Absolute bollocks. You play to win.

What is he, 5 9” or 10”? Not exactly tall, is it? Same height as me. 70th percentile for aerials won against other wingers, according to FBref. For all his faults. I can’t say his heading has been one that has stood out. Probably the least worrying part of his game

The Leazes end disagrees

I thought we were shit for 20 minutes and then started to slowly creep into the game. The OG straight after the half killed us. They had no real chances and neither did we. Dreadful game of football all round. I thought both teams were ‘cowardly’ if that is the case and the terminology you want to use. Both sides seemed to be playing not to lose and the stats bear that out.

Et tu brute’s hatred of sunderland has totally corrupted him What a fucking eggy aggro tosser.

Well it has restored my faith in football after that shitfest yesterday.

Man U still wide open in midfield and down the flanks, I see. I’m sure our high press and direct, quick passing game will take full advantage of that……..

He didn’t want to come here. So how is it relevant?

He butchered that piece of defending.

That defending.

Yep. Looks totally uninterested.

Mbeumo is brilliant. Bournemouth are wank.

Doesn’t Pep do this a fair bit though? Like he really manages players minutes across the season as a whole and not necessarily week to week. Where it seems they are flavour of the month one minute. To not seeing them again for ages. I’m sure he has done it with the likes of Ake and Akanji. Maybe Grealish, Silvinho and maybe even the likes of Bernardo Silva, at times? I’m sure I heard it on a podcast once. About the different approach to Arsenal and Liverpool. They get certain players into the red zone or whatever it’s called. Then they are out the team for a spell. Of course it helps that they have such great depth and so many options across the team.

That would require rotating the midfield and forwards a bit more, I guess. We’ve only managed the game load well a few times this season IMO. Although in Howe’s defence. Injuries have played a part in that. Along with the full backs being missing for large chunks of the season and certain players looking miles off form (take your pick) or not good enough so far (Elanga, Ramsey).

People suggesting Shahar and Neave start a cup quarter final. When they’ve not even had any minutes in competitive matches or looked like getting any. Why, exactly?!

I’d be more inclined to agree with that if we were still playing that way. When we clearly aren’t. Save for the odd 20-30 minutes at the start of certain home games. What is noticeable. Is that we are struggling to change how we approach games. Whether that is because of the type of players we have, the formation changes where we often look worse, the lack of time on the training ground, having to juggle more games. Or of course, Howe’s training methods. Probably a little of column A, B, right through to Z. Of course Howe is responsible here. It’s just to what degree you think he is and how much blame you lay at his door. I still think he will find the solution and get us back somewhere near to our best. But it is hard to see how away from home, at present.

This is what hurts the most about yesterday. Both teams played like they were shit scared of losing, as opposed to trying to win. The stats bear that out. At least they showed a bit more intent in the first 20 minutes or so. We were worse in that regard.

Everyone seems mad keen on Semenyo. But he is going through another one of his barren runs, the same as last season. No goals or assists for 2 months, isn't it?! I'm sure he'd get loads of support if that happened here on a regular basis Hopefully he ends that tonight, anyway.

You can't be serious with this? Look at their wage bill and what they have spent. With it also being from a far stronger base, with quality youth players coming through here and there. They have 2 quality options for basically every position on the pitch, sometimes even 3. Of course they have better players and a bigger squad. How is that even remotely debatable FFS?! They have the strongest squad in the league IMO, maybe even Europe. Only City come anywhere close. They've not lost anyone as integral to their team as Isak, either.

Yep. West Ham and then Brentford away felt like the nadir with our away performances. But after a very good showing at Brentford, then an alright one at Leverkusen. Where maybe it seemed like there were some green shoots of improvement. We have reverted to type. Yesterday felt more Bournemouth and Leeds than the 3-1 defeats mentioned, where we were played off the park. But scraping yet another 0-0 where we don't create anything isn't exactly inspiring. We didn't even manage that in the end, as we scored one for them. You would have thought after the earlier shit shows we might have thought to change something a bit sooner. At least we have Wissa coming into the side gradually. So we might actually improve a bit in an attacking sense by default.

I didn't mean it like that. I meant there seems to be players that are easy targets, as in they won't kick up a fuss. I might be reading too much into it. But it feels like Gordon has been mainly poor for a while. But still kept getting undeserved starts or staying on the pitch when he should have come off ahead of others. The theory doesn't work very well when he got hauled yesterday, mind

I wonder if even at the top level. There are players who are always moved or subbed off, as it is easier for the manager to do so. We all know managers that treat players like that at a lower level. I always felt like Murphy and Barnes would get subbed off over the last season or two, regardless of how they are playing. Whereas Gordon who seems like a bit of a stroppy type. Seems to be indulged by Howe, doesn't get shunted to the right and seemingly comes back in to replace Barnes on the left. No matter how undeserved. He has been much better the few games prior to this. But I still don't think he should be starting ahead of Barnes. Nor do I think he should never have to play on the right.

Yeah. He has lost a few coins, for sure. But still money in there. The overarching point is the away form. Bar Everton, Union SG, who were utter shite and to a lesser degree, Leverkusen. Our away performances have been rancid this season. For most of 2025, really. The fact that yet another toothless display on the road came against our arch rivals and we lost. Just magnifies it further. It's the away performances in general that are the big concern, for me. Not the fact we lost in a shitfest to the mackems. That neither team deserved to win.