Infinitely Content

Woltemade up top would feel gratuitous imo, you surely have to earn it with performances and fulfilling the game plan, and I would say Osula has done that recently. Would be harsh to drop him.

I was mostly joking, but it was also just a gentle reminder to try and appreciate being there a bit, watching a group of players and a manger who we can be proud of regardless of the bad season. It doesn't have to all feel so flat and doom and gloom, we do have a choice. Hope we beat them convincingly and you have a class time

You'll give up your ticket for the next home game then? There's a lot of people who would be delighted to be there - try to enjoy it man, it's not so bad

Bit confused as to why Burn has been dropped for Botman recently and from people's line ups on here. Burn is the better player.

Wow Olise

3-3 Diaz, some hit.

Ferland Mendy is class for the 4-5 games he's fit per season. Shame about his injury record as otherwise he'd probably be considered the best left back in the world, certainly defensively.

Canny this

Big Dayot Oswald been watching clips of Schar. Great run and pass.

Bayern going to be a looking at a Gordon/Ramsdale double swoop. Will have to start playing Jerusalem when they score instead of the Can-can.

Neuer should probably save that like. One of those that goes in and something just feels a bit off with it.

I think we have tried to pick and choose our moments to press yeah, but I think we've done it badly, in the sense of not doing it enough or very effectively. I also don't think we've been anywhere near good enough on the ball, and that Longstaff quote on the surface appears alarming, although we of course don't know what goes on in training for the most part so I'd be hesitant to draw conclusions on his training methods. What Howe has tried this season categorically hasn't worked, it's been a failure, but I do still believe he has it in him to come up with a system which combines patient possession and patterns of attacking play with moments of high intensity pressing. He needs to be better, and he also probably needs better footballers too, and maybe a coaching staff refresh.

Although we were high-intensity and somewhat chaotic in Howe's early years here, we still had measured, patient and repeatable patterns of play in the final third designed to break down teams sitting deep. I'm thinking of those Longstaff runs into the box between the full back and centre back, Trippier & Bruno's patient possession looking to get Almiron in over the top. Without any of that season, we look haphazard, stale and toothless and it's partially what has led to question marks over Howe as a coach. For me I disagree with those question marks to a large degree, as he's already shown that he can blend high intensity with clever passages of play, we just need to see a return of it - and I believe we will if we give him more time. I want to see more from Lewis Hall in this sense, he needs to be more creative in the final third as he has all of the ability to do it, and full backs are the best creative outlet as they have the most time and space when a team is sitting deep. Howe can do it, I'm certain of it.

To be fair, Klopp adapted his Liverpool team over the years from the initial chaotic, constant pressing style to a more measured approach where they kept possession more, conserved energy and chose their moments to press and up the intensity. I think it's what Howe has tried to do with us, it just hasn't really worked for whatever reason. Quality of players is likely one of them.

Summer 2027, is he walking like?

Mamardashvili not covering himself in glory here like.

I'm alright, I'm infinitely content

Shearer is one of the worst when it comes to commentary/punditry tbh. Bit of a Danny Murphy/Lee Dixon character, miserable, dull and a difficult listen for the most part.

Hauled off

What a lovely finish by Ferran Torres. Would be a dream signing here for me if he ever was to leave Barcelona.

Liverpool fans booing the PSG away end for making noise I think

Hoping this is the best use of my Amazon subscription since they sent me a free copy of T.S. Eliot's Four Quartets.

Better beaches

Of course if Liverpool come in, or Man U even it's going to be hard for us to compete there - but there's definitely reason to leave Brighton for Newcastle. We're a better club by pretty much every metric imo. Also our goal for next season will not be top half, I'm almost certain of that, it will be top 5.

One, two maximum imo (only if the fee is above our valuation and hard to turn down). We shouldn't be actively looking to sell Livramento, Tonali and Gordon. We have a lot of work to do already this summer without having to additonally replace 3 of our best players with ones of the same or better quality. We know how difficult transfer windows can be, bringing in replacements for those 3 is a summer's work in itself.