BKLFox

You will have a blast, I went to watch WAL v SA @ the Principality about 6 years ago and I've never experienced an atmosphere like it and speaking as an Englishman that stadium and crowd are a amazing. I went down on the train mixing with all the SA fans fully intent on supporting SA but once in the stadium and with pre-match entertainment underway and when the players came out it was a true hairs standing up on the back of your neck moment, it certainly tested my new found SA loyalty, thankfully I gave my head a shake and managed to keep the faith. Whilst it was alcohol fuelled it was a better experience than any I have had @ Twickenham to date. Anyway I stayed at the Royal Hotel a modern boutique style hotel which might appeal to the other half as a bit different to the standard chains this is on St Mary's Street & you can't get anymore central than that, whilst a little pricey (I'm sure I got a deal) there are a few other hotels on that Street. I'd suggest booking early over a Rugby w/end thou. The good thing is the Stadium is only a 5-10min walk from the centre so it makes sense to stay close and unlike places like London all the bars restaurants are tightly packed around that area in the main. It has the usual big chains with regards to bars, Tiger Tiger, Walkabout and such like but all get packed before and after so Top Tip book a restaurant for just after the match otherwise the 70k people or so making that short walk across soon fill those many bars up. I booked an Indian restaurant which had people queuing out the door when I arrived but my group just walked to the front and got seated and they didn't mind that we just ordered beers and some starters giving us an hour in there for the rush outside to die down. Im smiling as I type remembering the w/end it was rowdy yes but with that amount of bodies in a smallish area it will be yet I didn't witness much trouble to speak of and felt safe the entire time we also had a few females in the group if you thinking about the other half, everyone's just out for a good time, even the locals they lost btw, but were superb in defeat. I feel like I've written that for me but hopefully started you off with a few ideas of what to expect, I'm sure you'll have a great time enjoy ?

Please note I’m not slating Maguire and if he stays great, I’m just saying if we get the offer we have more than enough to cover his loss so I would take it

In my defence I do say long term. Yes for Maguire he's good but not great, I've followed Benko at Celtic and have colleagues that watched him week in week out live and reports from them is he's the real deal & as you know being at the ground you see more on how a player really is etc than on a high lights real. Evans I've said before is the best CB at the club currently and it's him +1 until he can't do it then Cags and Benko.

Rogers will have a right conundrum next season with who to play as CB pairing. With Morgan getting the extension, Maguire possibly staying and Benko coming back along with Cags and Evans that's before he looks at the likes of Hughes, Knight etc in DV squad. Those players give us the option to switch when required for 3 @ back but with how the team are playing now not sure he will do that often. Long term it's Cags and Benko for me but when do they get the chance ahead of Maguire and Evans for next season and will they be happy with bit part, especially with Morgan probably taking the bench place must Saturdays. Something in me says take the money for Maguire if it comes otherwise we are going to lose 1 of those 2, who in my eyes are silkier versions of Maguire, both comfortable with ball @feet both like to bring the ball out and go on marauding runs down field, both faster and younger and both can defend, ok Cags has made the odd blunder but don't they all. Id imagine DV players will / should go on loan so rules 1 of those adding to the immediate headache but what a headache to have I guess.

Arphexad

Agree Tierney not moving unless he 1st choice LB and not sure he'll leave anyway, I know everyone has a price but he is Celtic thru and thru. As for McGregor he is a much better player than Mendy is, I like Mendy but McGregor has more in his locker. He can do the dirty stuff in CM and has covered in that position for Brown this season and done very well but he also drives Celtic forward with most of their play going through him he's like a hybrid of Mendy/Ndidi, Tielemans and Maddison would definitely look to buy and he doesn't have that history with Celtic like Tierney it was Rodgers that brought him on.

It's as if your in my head Foxy Bear, these 3 for me also. Tielemans a must Mitrovic is a more all rounder than say Wilson And a few Celtic fan friends say for all the talk of Tierney they believe McGregor Is the best player at the club everything goes through him and he can do everything, pass short, pass long, shoot and tackle, dare I say an upgrade on Maddison? And the same if funds left a back up LB and Winger

Can 1 of the elder statesmen of the forum or 1 of the mods advise on the regulation time We must wait until We can stop saying “it’s not his team (new man) he needs n*transfer windows before we can judge him..” and start getting on his back?

Signing in the summer according to Irish media https://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/league-of-ireland/boost-for-bohs-with-ali-reghba-set-to-rejoin-club-on-short-term-contract-37839772.html

Only 2 pundits that I'd take any notice of for both good & bad comments are Gary Neville and Liam Rosenior who needs to be promoted above all those mentioned In previous posts + the normal five on soccer Saturday they have got a little complacent ala Keys/Gray combo thinking they too big to drop & don't get me started on the BBC and BT so called experts, all garbage. At least these 2 give thought out technical and tactical insights and seem to do more research into teams they comment on or for debates they engage in, not just cheap throw away comments looking for a laugh and sprouting the same pundit buzz words like the masses.

Cracking little article on sky sports that Barnes has done about how hard it is to get the break as a young player and how huge the step up from U23 to Premier 1st team is which is forcing the pool of English talent abroad to get their chance. He then starts bigging up Leicester's / Puel willingness to put faith in youth, says all the young players are seeing this not only internally current 1st team, fringe and development players but also externally. This surely will benefit us in the summer window when those young talented players are looking for their next steps, even those currently knocking around in the big 6 teams and just not getting game time. We have U22s playing regularly in the 1st team and we have a large contingent in all age groups not only for England but Internationally and they must talk about the club and its plans..futures bright futures blue

Sorry subtle attempt @ humour with their nickname

I know you can't say that anymore the words travellers.

Thanks for doing the leg work on the starts Doc I thought I’d seen this somewhere. Remember these are stats taken on current play, if we changed to just counter attack which is what some are suggesting those shots against figures would go up and something I can do, percentages for some reason, the quality of chance would probably go up. we need to continue as is, but slicker and hopefully with Barnes in the side someone who’s not afraid to shoot can chip in to aid on the goals front.

I wouldn't say Counter attacking is our best chance of picking up points because counter attacking is opportunistic, it has to present itself in order for a team to do it. There is more chance of achieving against the footballing sides so top 6 and maybe 1 or 2 from the rest meaning against 11-12 other teams the chances of hitting on a break are reduced. This is where the boring side to side backwards stuff comes in as we try to draw the opposition out, again only works if we can do this slickly which currently we can't but it could just take that 1 new player to trigger this or unlike me with algebra it just clicks 1 day and it becomes second nature. It is also very risky to rely on this as your only option due to the fact that in order to achieve this the opposition will be in and around our own box which would obviously lead to more shots on our goal, currently I believe we score quite highly in least shots against, won't put my house on that statement as I've already mentioned not great with all things maths.

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Motivation - Simpson knows he is on his way out & Diabate has been plucked from the French 2nd Division to be playing in the biggest league in the world, i don't think either of them, for different reasons, would need any extra motivation to be able to put their boots on & cross the white line regardless of oppostion. I hear you regarding play full strength againts the more winnable games, maybe he thought as the other 9, ok minus Nacho, were 1st 11 starters he had enough to win the game, he did have the others on the bench & after all the bench is there for tactical changes in the main & i know if we started with 1st 11 & some how were losing i'd rather have Gray/Ricardo coming off the bench than Simpson/Diabate last night, recently our bench has looked a little thin on the ground for impact changes. End of the day the squad is 25 players & 25 into 11 doesn't go he needs to rotate due to injury, suspension, tactical & simple man management otherwise why we wasting all that money on wages & fees for half-time orange boys if we only going to use 11 of them.

9 games in 30 days he is using his squad, he probably looked at the Fulham game as a more winnable game than Spurs & thought i'll put 2 of the fringe players in for this to give them game time for when/if i need them later in the month & rest 2 starters for the Spurs game because thats all he changed, Vardy was forced, some making out 5 or 6 changes were made with comments of why's he putting a cup team out.

Had my comments all typed out did a refresh and saw your comments Xen which virtually mirrored mine, its so hard for a manager to manage a rush of blood to the head, maybe he should go down the same lines as Ranieri with stick and treat and take away their Dr Beats for the trip home if they get a yellow.

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He is a natural (instinct) goal scorer something you can’t teach, the rest around that like work rate etc you can as long as the player signs up to it himself, which on most occasions he hasn’t. If he applies himself he will make it here if not then he’ll be off.

Great to watch you see things that you've missed on the day like Kasper giving Shaky a proper emotional man hug near the end there & Cambiasso with Albrighton etc

First thing I should say is that I am neither Jonny Evans himself or in love with Jonny Evans but 99% of the current CBs in the Premier lge struggle against 'quick and nippy strikers' Vardy himself has made a fool of many a top international CB. Evans when fit and on form is the best CB we have on the books including Maguire who is not without his faults which have cost us in the past without being singled out because it's easier to blame his partnering CB.

Bit of an odd thing to bring up, so your pitting Evans now v Huth in his prime, but what about when Evans was in his prime? Huth's biggest club, apart from us obviously, was Chelsea he played a total of 62 times for them. Evans however played nearly 200 times for Man U are you saying Fergie got the wrong defender? It's documented that Fergie was stunned when LVG sold Evans, if Fergie was still in charge I'm sure Evans would have been a 1 club player along with Scholes, Giggs & G Neville.

Players and staff will be emotionally and physically drained after these past 2 weeks but 4 from 6 Vichai would be proud I'm sure I know I am, players, staff, fans, the city I salute you.