dmayne7

We're absolutely f***** if we don't go up. In our current situation I'd still take keeping Brenda if it meant going up and I hate that man like no other

He's becoming one of my most hated players. Crap, arrogant and almost no redeeming qualities

What a disgrace (again). How do you lose all intensity after scoring? The fact that we regularly have more men behind the ball than ahead of it when attacking says it all. Lucky if we end up with 2 in the box when it's put in there. Funny that Enzo talks about having fun with playing football yet we do everything to the contrary.

Doesn't matter where they stand, they won't get the ball anyway

4 mins of stoppage time . Boys barely been in play that long!

The fact he's not on the bench (if not injured) tells you everything you need to know about Enzo

The hell was that all about from Mads

We'd started really well then totally dropped off for 5 mins before the goal

Hahaha

Both full backs have started really well, albeit in completely different ways

Have to keep this tempo up. So often we've done this and then completely fallen away

Attacking decision making is so bad

So much space for us in midfield

Not sure I'd say he's too nice, just to wedded to his way of playing. But that quote is bang on

Might be the worst decision I've ever seen. He's standing at least a yard outside and he moves forward to block it. What is the assistant doing as well to not spot that

Crazy that Southampton have lost fewer games than us and West Brom only 1 more. If that was a sign we chase games and lose at the death I'd be fine with that but sadly that's not the case

Well we haven't? That's the point

But if we had started like this and this is where we'd ended up, he'd have been sacked. I appreciate that the context can distort things but the whole point is it was meant to get a lot better as time went out and it's been dire performance wise for a long time. As for Pep, he didn't have the best group of players at first and in fact, an ageing team. They still did ok. Certainly improved as time went on.

Let's be fair, 2 sitters but one of them, I'd genuinely be gutted if I missed that (and I haven't kicked a ball for about 5 years!)

Just had a look at can't believe he's scored 7 and got 5 assists in just 17 games . Is that right?

The Ricardo one is odd. He's been great in this system but if he was even a fraction of the player, he was at his peak, he'd be the best conventional full back this league has ever seen. Maybe it is a good move because he doesn't have the same pace as he did before so hard to say if it's been the best decision, especially as it's also neutered JJ somewhat and those are 2 guys who's peak levels are far beyond this league

This notion of needing the sign players to got the system is a nonsense. That's fair enough when you don't have the quality to compete in a league but even if some of these guys aren't best suited to it, they're still a cut above so it really shouldn't be an issue. A problem in the PL for sure but that's why you have to adapt to the current group of players. He doesn't have to abandon his philosophy, just tweak it slightly. To come into such a strong squad and feel that you need to rip it to shreds in terms of playing style, is poor management

Spot on. All these things and I suspect an element of being older and as much as it's a key part of your identity, it's importance has diminished just that little bit compared to other things in life

Stressful? Not even close. Just look back at recent years and those are stressful seasons. I understand the sentiment around the future of the club but that damage was done last season. Certainly one of the most joyless. The football has been largely uninspiring with a quality of squad that should be far beyond this league so even winning games has been a bit meh. The fact that I forgot we were playing Liverpool on the league cup earlier in the year and that I've missed parts of several games when I've been around (don't get to many games on person but have built my weekends around streaming Leicester since we've been able to watch them), shows the lack of interest my side. If we fail to get promoted this year then the club as a whole deserves the misery that follows for the next 5/10 years but it's been a shambles.

Maybe my time has come and I'm going from glass half full to half empty but can you really trust any football manager who describes it as being like a game of chess? I can't think of a sport that is less like chess?! It's meant to be fast and frenetic for large portions. The strategy and tactics are that to give a core structure to your team, not to be used to control all patterns and possibilities. 99/100, it's the most well rounded team, given the clearest and cleanest style of play by a manager who inspires them, that wins things in football. You then trust those players' individual qualities to win you games. Anything contrary to that is just stifling your ability to play. Said it so many times, but the value of tactics are for those subtle tweaks or to negate a key threat; the extra 1%. Thinking it's more than that is just sheer arrogance.