Coffee_Johnny

No never, if it compromises the probability of winning a match. Players who need pitch time, development, a confidence boost, tend to get played when there is no other choice or when a game is already won. Other than that strongest 11; always.

Don’t think that negates the point. He put him in when he had demonstrated he was ready and would be an improvement.

Big rap-stylee mayoral chain ? p.s. called civic regalia

I agree he’s a top prospect and really hope he is an integral part of a really strong team for years to come. However, Howe (pretty much any manager) will always pick what he thinks is his strongest team for the forthcoming match. Aiding a player’s development is always going to be a lower priority.

66 points with one transfer (Bruno in—again). Happy with that, given average was 50. Shame I got rid of Son (You’re welcome, Spurs fans!)

Table was a nice surprise this morning! Wish (obvs) I had stuck with my initial 1-0 to Villa and, abandoned due to low probability, 2-3 to Fulham!

Re the not fathoming bit. I do think Burn still has the shirt on merit. I’ve loved glimpses of what Botman has and will bring, but personally I don’t think he has done enough to oust Burn. Not because Botman has looked iffy—he’s had iffy moments, but has generally looked good—but because Burn—who has also had iffy moments— has been better, more confident, more critical tackles and is as people point out is more experienced and a good leader. Haven’t kept a record, can’t provide facts and figures but Botman has a bit more to do to take a shirt. He’ll get it, but it’ll be through consistency, and the confidence Howe has in him, not through the size of his transfer fee, potential, or pet-lip.

Gameweek 9 Arsenal 3-1 Spurs Bournemouth 1-1 Brentford Palace 0-2 Chelsea Fulham 2-3 Newcastle Liverpool 2-1 Brighton Southampton 2-0 Everton West Ham 1-1 Wolves Man City 2-0 Man United Leeds 2-0 Villa Leicester 3-1 Notts Forest

Yep, mood vacuum. Hope noise fills the space next home match. Silence angsting/waiting for the team to lift you, rather than vice versa, can too easily become a habit.

Howe did say he could see Wilson and Isak playing together. Those two and Maxi sounds pretty fearsome to me.

He’ll have no clue if Wilson will play. Even if fit.

Yep, we’re on the lower end of being on track. Charting it this way will help once we’re more games in. Even by end of October and we’ll be able to see if we are going to need a miraculous against the odds run in again.

I like Miggy’s industry/effort and no doubt Howe massively rates it too, but even having someone who is able to cross the ball, or cut it back from the right would in itself be an improvement. Create more doubt in opponents. We must be so easy to plan for down that wing.

Both of them? In what period of time?

Anderson wasn’t on the bench. Unfortunately, as it could have been a game for him to impose himself/make the difference.

Seems it was a Wigan fan and it was adopted/make famous when he was playing for Northern Ireland in Euros 2016. https://www.skysports.com/amp/football/news/11682/10294085/will-griggs-on-fire-fan-reveals-inspiration-behind-chant

I rate Fulham, at very least, as the best of the promoted sides. Can’t help thinking their style of play will suit us better than the others though, particularly at their place. Don’t think we have the creative flair (out wide mainly, particularly on the right) to break teams down and create genuine ‘harder to miss’ type opportunities. Far too reliant on Maxi when fit. Even when we absolutely dominated Forest we only scored twice. Three quarters of the possession and twenty shots against Bournemouth and no goal from open play. Fulham will have more of the ball and really take us on. Can see us getting a couple of breakaway goals/nailed on opportunities. If we can restrain our once loved mad bastard, really fancy a victory myself.

Really don’t think we were mind. Was it not an NI World Cup (?) song?

It was more the fact he must have been retired for 25 years, than Sunderland link (think he was with us longer than with them btw) and with all due respect to his ‘aerial prowess’, there have been many better than him since. Though if you’d said Wyn Davies then fair enough! ?

Wish I had access to that database! What an unexpected stat to be able to pull out.

Nominating you for a weirdest choice of players to compare award (I know there’s not one… but there frigging should be, Clive!)

Based on strength of opposition, plus home and away variation, in June I calculated how a top-ten kind of season would be likely to progress. I have corrected for the postponed game in September. On this estimate, we are two points below where we ‘should be’, at end of September, on the way to the estimated 54 points required. (10th had 51 points last year; 59 in 2020-21 and 54 2019-20).

Just came to ask the same.

We know we’re missing quality in a couple of positions, and depth in a couple as well. No surprises or drama to see. Even add an average ASM performance and I think we win this game. Unfortunate, but that is where we are at. We are not going to win all the winnable games.