Happinesstan

That would require me to know what I'm going to say in reply to posts I've yet to read. Sounds like a facility for the contrived. I did acknowledge this, in my second, and longest, post of the four. Yet you appear to have missed it. Who knows what you might have missed if they'd all been in one post.

No longer relevant.

Actually, I wouldn't be concerned if Wilson is back and Isak switches to the left. And yes, he gets switched to the right when ASM returns. I don't care that he's our record signing, he's still very young, and he's the new lad, so he takes his chance when he gets it. I can't see it taking long for him to rise to the challenge, but he needs that challenge at this stage of his careeer.

TBF we haven't reached the final since 76, so it naturally feels irrelevant to us.

It's been a racket for a long time.

PL clubs currently [not this fucked up season] play 5 rounds in the LC before entering the FA cup in the 3rd round, so there are 12 games at the moment. If your idea is to replace the League Cup then the games will probably be similar. I do think it will limit te opportunities for lower league clubs to progress though, so it's probably a bad idea.

If 700 teams enter the first round, 350 are eliminated. How many are currently eliminated in the first qualifying round?

Twat

Away fans go to support the team. You don't travel to Bournemouth on a wet Tuesday night in stoke, to be entertained. You're [pardon the cringe] a soldier of the toon army on a crusade. You're the first call and you blow that bugle like your head of state and country depends on it. Of course these troops also perform their duties on home territory, but they are surrounded by the gawping masses to whom it is nothing more than ceremonial. Something to experience, but not partake.

"Let's keep building" Not "Let's smash everything we've built so far to shit because we drew with Bournemouth."

There was little understanding between our attacking players, but Isak has only been here four weeks. We might be able to splash £50 million on a player but we can't just buy the understanding required for them to blossom.

To be fair none of us know what goes on on the training ground, so saying with certainty that Botman is ready to be full time replacement is blind speculation. Howe, on the other hand watches both players every day and has reports from analysts, sports scientists and the tea lady, so I think I'll rust his judgement.

Too many go to be entertained. They've watched from afar, and thought "Oh Jerry, that football looks like a fun day out, what? Maybe we could take a picnic and make a day of it, by jove". It's a wholly symbiotic experience in which the fan plays a far more important role than they are given credit for, so new fans don't appreciate their role.

Aye but we're so rich now we can just throw anybody on the scrapheap if they dare to make a mistake.

When i used to go you could hear the stadium singing as you walked up to the ground. Even in the shittest of years the fans still started things.

I tend to think it's the crowd's job to lift the team. We've been shite for years and WF have taken the gauntlet and are doing a great job, but the average football fan is no longer the average football fan. The average football fan is now just the average person who goes to the match.

Jesus christ. Do you honestly think if you pick Isak in the position that shall not be named [because it confuses some people] he'll spend 90 mins running the line? People who say play him in that position are taking into account the way he actually plays the fucking game. If the game plan works he'll be in that dreaded position for a maximum 5% of the match. The problem we are addressing is a lack of finishing ability in the box, the solution is to pick such a player in a position that allows them to get into the box.

It worked against Man City and Liverpool but we're too narrow when teams sit beind the ball. Need a more traditional winger type in those circumstances, just witch them over for the last 15 mins at least. TBF we might have done that yesterday, I missed the last 20mins.

We've got 13 other "players like him" and we're not signing 14 players between now and next season. So prepare to be disappointed.

Nah. Dummett is what you call a limited footballer. Burn is much better than that. He's not top level by any stretch but h's good enough while Botman relaxes into his new environment, away from the spotlight.

'The project' is what got everybody excited. Do people even understand the concept in this "I want it yesterday" world.

Crouch was the best, he used to just fold up so his legs were five foot off the ground but his head was in the same position. That's how he scored so many overhead kicks.

I assume you're talking heat maps after the game.

Admittedly this video screams out for him to be played on the left, but there are 3 examples of what he can offer operating in the right channel.

Got to be goals galore I would imagine. Not pessimistic as I agree this will play to our strengths. Think it'll be decided by a single goal, or a high score draw. So put your house on 0-0. NFA