TheInfiniteOdyssey

Martinelli needs a proper kicking like.

“Something amazing just came across my social media timeline John”

Well it depends, doesn't it? It's been a very underwhelming league campaign with some disastrous results (e.g. the derbies), if we end the season with a whimper, I think the fans would be within their rights to be unhappy.

If that's your genuine position, then I guess. It seems a comforting lens to use given our recent record against them and I won't pretend to not find it a bit odd.

Considering Sunderland an irrelevance / unimportant, is something I’d again wager, serves as just pure copium from some to help process our absolutely pathetic contemporary record of results against them in the league.

They absolutely 100% would.

I think for some on here it’s just pure copium in relation to our overall disappointing season.

I think to not acknowledge the derby defeat(s) would have been a worse look personally. It's a really emotive sport and we didn't turn up in either game, to just pretend that everything is fine and it's like any other week doesn't really land imo.

I see nothing wrong with what he's said there, the club needs a bit of a kick up the arse.

Please not another long-running summer transfer saga.

I’m leaning towards this have to say. The entire club could do with a bit of shock therapy.

If we finish with a whimper and end up bottom half of the table, it’s been an absolute disaster of a season for me. I can’t honestly believe how far we’ve went backwards in the last year.

I don’t find it unfair at all to be honest. My point is that there’s been quite an array of limp performances this season, at the start, in the middle and now the closing stages of the season.

How bad is that from Kepa

Do they really fight for the badge? I would counter-argue we’ve played like utter fannies in quite a few games this season, with no grit to be seen.

Most obvious AI script I’ve seen in ages

He really needs to figure out the game management side. Feel like we’ve been absolutely hopeless all season at assessing the dynamic of a full 90 min game and how the momentum swings back and forth. We concede goals in quickish succession. We don’t seem to be able to hang onto a lead, our decision-making in second halves becomes ragged. Some of that is due to fatigue but there’s also a real softness to the side this season. There have been some outliers, but on the whole, we don’t seem to have a gritty determination / nastiness when playing. There’s matches this season where it feels like they already look like they’ve lost before they’ve even kicked off.

It’s such a raw one this that I’ll be honest and say I’m really not bothered if he was gone in the summer. He’s undoubtedly a club legend (and wouldn’t trade that cup win for anything), but everything about us is so stale, at times it’s painful to watch. I’m sure I’ll be more measured in the days to come but there’s a part of me that’s longing for a sharp reactionary turn to have some kind of appraisement about where the club is going.

Not really sure where we go from here honestly. At least there’s the international break to sift through the wreckage. But my instinct is that this defeat shouldn’t be underestimated. It will take a long time for fans and the club to recover, as well as the relationship between them.

Still my fav film by McDonagh tbh.

A memorable and fun champions league campaign, something unthinkable not too long ago. I’d be lying though if I’m not quite worried about that performance second half. Yes you’re against one of the best teams in the world but the manner of the collapse was horrific. At any level, the lack of leadership and overall mentality to steady ourselves would be alarming. We didn’t do the basics - keep our shape, defending crosses, slack passing etc.

Insane that all(?) of their goals are the result of shite set-piece defending and unforced errors.

Perfect preparation for the derby then. Players going to be absolutely shell shocked.