Sibierski

They didn’t need to sell for PSR unless they wanted to buy (which they didn’t). They sold because it was a very good deal for someone who was a bench player.

Wolte and Wissa will play together… people still keep telling themselves.

Realistically it will be 6 tomorrow and it’s chasing down Chelsea / Man Utd / Liverpool All who have been indifferent and two of them will only get better.

Disagree fully he’s an issue away, if anything he should be an asset away because of his ball retention and bringing others into play. The fact we routinely play with him isolated up top is all on the coaching set up. We still have wingers getting chalk of their boots and no CM close to him unlike for Germany where wingers are more inside forwards and someone like Wirtz etc playing around him. We’re making him play to our previous ways, which is hurting us. Rather than adopting to him, which comes down to the coaching. In which case, what’s the point of signing him? It’s either Wolte or Howe next summer really.

For all of Almiron issues/limitations in final third, one thing he was really good at was taking ball under control regardless of pass / position in final third. Meant that even if he didn’t directly create anything, it helped us get up the pitch and stay up there. Elanga right now is hurting all our attacks unless it’s a high presses with turnovers in final third.

Have little issue with Bruno performance, as he tried to keep the ball first half. Still contributed to the poor display, but can at least feel after the game “what the fuck is the point” when you’ve got others who can’t trap a bag of sand or twat it long every time someone presses.

But then pick them again away from home and act all shocked when same happens again.

In fairness, with the players we have, if we had the ball like they did for 45 we would’ve created good chances. So it’s fair to say he was out thought tactically first half, because what did we change to try and get hold of the ball? We just got deeper and got more desperate. Was only Sunderland having meh attackers that kept it 0-0, nothing to do with how we were tactically, which was a mess.

Since early Jan it’s West Ham, Leicester and Southampton last season, and Everton this season (which is more like an anomaly) in 16 games. It’s not good for a side that wants to be top 5. More importantly, it’s 8 defeats. 50% of games we lose, so unless you are faultless at home, it’s not sustainable.

Does anyone know what the club wants anymore? If you are Hopkinson et al, you probably keep Howe regardless for many months to come regardless of results because he is the guy that delivered before and you don’t want your name associated with the man that sacked him. But if club wanted UCL, then surely questions is asked? But then like first point, who the fuck knows what the club vision is? Just being a prem club could be Saudis aim.

Minging today because he was asked to stay deep. Baffling signing if that’s what you want from him in those types of games. At Forest they were deep, but nothing like today, and then if they were deep, at least it was balls played through the lines to get the wingers attacking. We’re stuck with him for next 5 years, so hopefully get one peak season out of him like we did with Almiron.

Warming the bench whilst his home town club is challenging for the prem. Good move lad.

Today showed his limitations. How the fuck we played that whole first half, with superior players, without looking like stringing any passes together is all on him. Did the cunt sign Elanga to sit on Tino toes for these type of games? Love the guy, but fuck me he’s been a mess this season and for 18 months away from home unless it’s Arsenal. I do think he’s took us to our a good level but this is his ceiling. England come calling in summer could be a good decision for all parties involved. Said it before, but fans thinking Wissa will change our fortunes are deluded.

Also, none of the cunts who started deserve to start midweek. I’m sick of it, away form has been there all season to see and it was more of the same. Sooner we go out the cups so it doesn’t paper over how tragic this season has been to date is probably needed so a reality check is had.

That was fucking embarrassing today. How we set up and played is all on Howe, fucking embarrassing. Fair if you want to sit off for first 20 in a Derby, but to stay like that ALL half then continue it 2nd half was a joke. When you sit off that much, invite pressure, you are asking for trouble and whilst Sunderland didn’t do anything to win it, they deserved to win because of how little we wanted to play. The team we put out and not able to string any passes together is all on the manager for me. Pathetic.

It’s so important the Saudis don’t bail out Liverpool for Salah, because spending £125m on Isak with his wages will fuck them up slightly over next couple of seasons. They’ve gutted out their young sellable assets this summer gone, not really much more unless they sell Bradley / Jones. It’s then down to players that are old, players that recently joined or key starting players.

Tino has to be unsellable and we need to give him a strong contract. It’s not just he’s a good RB that can still progress, it’s he’s also a good LB. It’s two positions covered of quality, so when you are assembling a squad, you technically only need 3 natural full backs so funds/wages can be tied up elsewhere.

How we approached it last time was spot on. The gulf was large on paper, and Howe / the players executed the game plan perfectly. Got the ball down, played it and didn’t get dragged into silly fouls. Played the balls of quality that they hadn’t faced before and it was easy.

Rain, 50mph winds. Going to be a bit grim the conditions for this game.

Ramsdale is only player I worry about his weekend. He’s like Pickford, where he can easily lose his head from away fans and his concentration goes.

Absolute dream scenario for me is like the Everton. Ruthless, score our chances, be 3 up by 60th min mark and watch all the pink seats appear from there on. We will create chances as we always do, just we need to start being more clinical with them away from home. Midfield key for me. We have the quality that’s levels above, but the players need to show it whilst remaining emotionally disciplined.

Unforgivable for me how that happened multiple times. It’s not that hard to have 5 run front post and one, just fucking one, stay at back post. Was how they scored their goal. Arsenal score loads from that. Yet we kept having everyone run front post, where only one can head it and if all miss, there’s no back up option.

Christ, forgot about that. Imagine how shagged we’d be come final after that run Peak shithousery would be required to get job done.

Draws are no good anymore. People will point to ‘only a win off 5th’, but it won’t be that if we don’t start to win games we should be winning away. Spurs / Liverpool / Man Utd all ahead of us and all have their own issues. We haven’t captilised, but Christ we can’t keep hoping it stays this close whilst we wait for it to fully click. These next two away games are must wins, not two more draws. Because they’re directly against sides we need to get ahead of.

If it was anyone else top half away, it would be equally as important to me because of context of our weak away form and the need to start getting ahead of teams. We can’t just brush this game (against Sunderland or anyone) as a defeat doesn’t matter. It absolutely does, as we fall back off the pace, continue to play catch up as we come into a very challenging period and our next away game being Man Utd, another side we have to get ahead off.