Sibierski

Man Utd attack annoyingly good. But when you can throw £150m after £150m on it, it was eventually going to stick

But even without a striker, it was a known front three and personal, with usual midfield to work on attacking plays every day on training ground and we often were still clueless with the ball in attack. Our best chances coming from direct counters. It was frustrating that the few chances we created, a natural finisher would’ve took them (like the quarter chance we gave Wolt yesterday), but using the Isak situation allows a massive pass on clear things that have been off in our attack back end of last season with Isak, and start of this. If it continues into December, it won’t be a shock, but hopefully Howe can fine tune a couple of elements and it suddenly clicks. Because that’s football, fine margins and tweaks.

He gets stick from me as one of his biggest backers, because he has shown what a good base level he has and it’s just the final element that needs improving and he can be one hell of a player. Just frustratingly, that final element hasn’t come in past 18 months and right now his base level has dropped so it amplifies things more Like his goal against Latvia, whilst it’s Latvia, it’s the type of finish that is more of an anomaly with him then it being ‘trademark cut in and finish by Gordon’.

Mbuemo was the clear number 1 target, and he’d have been that. When it was clear it was Man Utd he was off too, Elanga as 2nd choice was a completely different type of profile.

The only positive in the Elanga signing is his age right now, could be 2 years down the line and he steps up, and he’s 25 and we get 3 peak seasons where there’s value still in the player to extend or sell. Just, it’s a long time to get that. Whole point our fans push back on signing lower price players who are more unknown, is we can’t afford to wait for them to learn / progress, so when we’re signing players for £40m+, we need them to hit the ground by November/December at the latest, otherwise, what was the value in the signing?

I do think we need to stop using the Isak situation as an excuse now. We were starting to look iffy towards end of last season (which people will put on Isak throwing in the towel), and our attack looks all sorts of bad this season. Our wingers are non-existent, midfield just a step off it attacking wise. You can validly say that after 3 seasons, opposition are more clued up on our weaknesses, and we don’t yet have an answer for it. Defence set up we’re stuck with till mid December really, but midfield and attack he needs to find something different in the approach. As the flat midfield three, wingers being wingers and a striker isn’t working as a collective as they encounter a wall of questions and same approach isn’t then answering them.

Howe is clearly a very good manager, but it’s fair to call him out for obvious blind spots in his thinking which all managers have. He’s is the persistence with the flat three midfield that will get passed around with ease at times and he won’t change it. Multiple times we’ve played likes of Brighton that expose it due to their style, and never is it changed and often it’s the same end result.

Why is the Brentford game last season the hope we improve after today? Last season, we were hooking up good games, then poor, before playing two proper shit teams where we racked up the goals. This season, we’ve not been good once, bar Liverpool second half, when we had a chip on our shoulder and a nothing to lose mentality after going 2-0 down. Based on so far, people are sticking their fingers in their ears if they think they next 3 will suddenly be three wins on bounce.

He wasn’t great last season either let’s be honest. Had some very good games, but it was blended in with many games where he was chasing his touch again and getting many stupid yellows. We have comfortably seen the best of him, and this season may need to be his last. £150k pw bench option for what he brings, wouldn’t be good squad building.

Think most had Sunderland pegged down to get less than 10 points before a whole new XI was signed though At that point, it was a complete unknown. What it’s shown, is you’ve made the most out of your home form, and beating the sides that will finish bottom 6, so that will always give you a very good chance of staying up.

Giving how much the club must have clearly had doubts about Hall fitness, I find it quite staggering that it was signed off Targett could leave with no replacement. Surely, SURLEY, Howe didn’t think Burn as back up LB is good option? It’s like Kelly at LB again.

Need to start doing better away. West Ham and Brentford should be 6 points away, but how we are playing away, we’ll be lucky to get 2 points.

Said in Brighton tread, top 4 will be same as last season. All same managers, all strengthened their sides and at worse will remain same level. 5th is anyone’s, and unless we sort our shit out quick, we’ll fumble that. Bournemouth and Palace look very capable of being this seasons Forest / Brighton, so top 7 will be a slog. Isak money could be going towards a write off season and having no Europe next season and coping with the rise in wages from new deals.

Howe needs to find something different with our midfield. Keeps rolling out the same three and more importantly, same flat 3 approach and too often it shows the same limitations in games like today. When it works, it works, when it doesn’t, it’s bad. Just no change up, unless Joe is injured and he goes 3-4-3

The attacking play biggest concern. When his end days came at Bournemouth, their attacking play dropped off. He needs to find a tune in our attack, can't blame the Isak situation for how shit we are in attack this season. Far too many off it.

Top 4 will be same top 4. 5th is anyones really, and we really need to sort our shit out away (and our general play altogether) so we can get a run going. HAVE to win all 3 now before next break to keep us within touching distance.

Welbeck Can the cunt retire so we can finally beat them away.

At least we’ve picked up an absolute gem in Wolte. Christ.

He’s a reflection of how crap we are this season attacking wise. Bar Murphy who can whip a ball in, we have been shit in nearly every single game from an attacking POV. Nothing has looked like joined up and nothing looks to be improving.

I don’t know what the plan will be though, as we’ve not tried anyone alongside Wolt yet.

Hopefully we score in the next 3 away games before we play Sunderland

Hopefully Ramsey is fit for a run of games as we need to shake things up in the middle.

And we spent £100m on Elanga and Ramsey for their squad places

If only he scored that one on one against Villa, could’ve been a totally different start to his career here

If we are to try 4-4-2, I’d try him up front alongside Wolte. Played through the middle a few times for Forest, but on the right I think his time is done for this international break which is damning. Unfair to put Ramsey / Wissa in same pile, but for £150m, we’re not getting a great return. Need it to change by end of the season or it can knock us back.