Lush Vlad

What is the obsession from some with playing our best player out of position? Especially when it's to accommodate a perma-crock who looks totally past it when he's played in 2024.

If we can finally go ahead for once. Then I'd fancy us to win comfortably. If it stays tight or we go behind yet again. The crowd, players and Howe will all get twitchy and start to feel the pressure. With the amount of lax defending we've seen this season, then who knows. Not even going to try and predict the team. As Howe doesn't seem to know his best XI or the positions for some of them and I'm not sure I do But I think it will probably be the same as Saturday. With Tonali and Gordon back in. Joelinton looks fucked and might be the sort of game it wouldn't hurt too much for him to miss out. Just not sure what the alternative is, assuming Willock is still out? Longstaff as the LCM? Bruno to play LCM and Longstaff right? A wildcard and Miley suddenly returns?

I'd agree with pretty much all of this.

You've not been watching us too closely if you'd want Tino. I think he has been really up and down this season. Crap going forward, terrific at the back for the most part. But seems a bit sleepy and slow to react to things the last few games. Van De Ven, for sure. Some much needed pace to our backline. But he is often injured and I believe always a hamstring injury. Not sure why that matters in this purely hypothetical situation Then possibly Brennan Johnson to play right wing. Necessity and the fact he gets goals and assists. I'd take any of your midfielders. Sarr, Bissouma, Kulusevski, Bentancur, Maddison. We'll have most your team, please

Apropos of nothing. He let my mate go when he was coming through at Cambridge. So he is loving this. Always said he couldn't stand him and he was a creep

Adolf 'Adi' Hutter. Well he'd sort the right wing out, at least.

Stayed off here most of yesterday. As I thought maybe I was being too emotionally charged with my views after yet another shit away performance/second half. But even now all of the annoyance, anger, disappointment and whatever else have mostly subsided from Saturday. I still can't help thinking that I don't believe that Howe is going to turn this around and it just feels like we have seen that away performance and also the changes that make us worse, along with the game getting away from us, one too many times now. I don't think I'll ever be a vocal HOWE OUT type. Not unless we were to go on some sort of Pardew/Bruce/Carver/McLaren type run of results, along with similar levels of performances that we saw under them. As I really like the man and appreciate everything he has done. He seems like a top bloke and all. I genuinely want him to prove me and many others wrong and get us back on track. I just can't see where it is coming from when there are so many issues at present and too many of the same mistakes being repeated. I have never got when a manager has the next 2-3 games to save their job. As it is so short-term and it must mean there are serious doubts about them in the first place. Getting a couple of good results doesn't suddenly solve all of the problems that exist. However, to contradict myself a bit. I do hope we can win our next 3 with some much better performances to match. Then go into the tough run of festive fixtures with a bit of momentum and then who knows.

Not sure I’d be starting him in a Quarter Final myself.

Now I know how Usher felt when he sang Burn

Same.

Gets away with murder that cunt. Proper hatchet man. Should have been off against us before he finally got a yellow.

I think this team has gone a bit stale and PSR has been a shitter. But this team should not be 12th, 2 wins in 11 and a -2 goal difference. Then again, we’re sandwiched between Spurs and Man U. Saying all that. It’s not even the league position, for me. It’s how bad and repetitive our performances have been most weeks. In the round. We were really good most of the first half of last season and it started to go south after the Man U game, from memory. When the injuries became a massive factor. I’ve not seen anything close to that this season and we’ve played well over 90 minutes in what, 4-5 games.

Runs around like a dog going after a ball. I reckon my dog has a better touch and more spacial awareness than him, mind.

Did I hear right that quite a few of their regulars now were not signed when they first came up? Like they got too many players in. Then eventually settled on a team and a lot of these were signed after that. I’m sure it was on 5 Live or something.

The squad is much better than what it is showing. Yes the 4th place was over-achieving. But the performances on the whole this year are miles away from where we need to be. Results are not much better.

What did he do wrong apart from trying to force it at the end? Which was a clown show moment and lucky not to get punished. Something he wouldn’t usually try and do as it’s miles out of his comfort zone and his actual ability level Superb save from that deflected shot/cross. Not much chance with the goals.

Yes and no. I do think he is a victim of his own success to some degree. Too much too soon. Then Last season also had an unprecedented amount of bad luck and injuries. But we now look nothing like a team ready to push for a European place. So many of the same weaknesses are on show every week and most of this season we have looked poor. I’ve been saying every week that I think things will improve, I think he’ll turn it around, he deserves a bit of time. But not sure how long you can keep saying that for and unexpectedly. That second half today was when my mind was made up that he won’t turn things around. As it was the same old shit we’ve seen all year. The squad isn’t perfect, certain players are past it or not good enough. But this team is better than what we have shown for all but about 4-5 league games this season. Performances and results wise.

Are you fuck You’ve posted with a negative slant regarding Howe’s tactics and selections for ages. It’s not about it being his first genuine bad spell for myself and many others I’m sure. But he is repeating all the same mistakes, performances by and large have been crap this season and there seems to be something fundamentally wrong with pretty much all of the players. How come so many are seemingly out of form at the same time? He got a pass last season. Injuries were a genuine reason for a lot of it. But this season we seem to be even worse, less of an identity and usually terrible when making changes and tweaks mid-game. I don’t want him gone. I love the bloke. I just don’t think he will suddenly turn this around. When the way we’ve played most the season (and last season at times even allowing for the injuries) don’t inspire any confidence. Plenty are saying similar and it’s totally understandable.

Not sure that last paragraph is right at all? I didn’t hear many fans of other clubs saying he should lose his job. Similar in the media, bar the clickbait, Talksport sort of shite.

Said it in the Barnes thread. He wants too many touches and always slows the play down, surveying what’s going on and holding onto it for ages. Before eventually coming infield. Rarely uses Hall’s overlap. Although TBF, the one good thing he did, was play a nice ball down the line to him not long after he came on. We lost all of our attacking threat once he went to that side. Barnes and Hall looked miles better as a pair.

Yeah. He always seems to have various niggles that he’s playing through. But going down a lot more than usual of late. Throw in the fact that he’s miles off his usual, physical levels then it would make sense. The fact he’s not had his 5th yellow for what, 3-4 games now and not really looked close to getting one says it all

I did edit it to say ‘for the most part’. Some basic errors and crap defending at the back again.

He was dreadful today. But quite a few of ours were. Just more noticeable when it’s your talisman and captain, I guess.

His passing has been dodgy all season and he has made a few mistakes here and there. But today was bad. He was partly at fault for all 4 goals.

First half was brilliant for the most part. Second half was very similar to West Ham. Fuck all in the way of chances, team went to shit after a goal and the changes we made. Nowhere near as woeful as Palace and we got a point there. But I’ve seen that second half one too many times now.