dmayne7

Last week, 2nd half in particular. Alves was deeper than Thomas half the time. Assuming you missed the game?

Can't spell your (Rudkin's) own name first name. You've definitely confirmed you're Rudkin

Trying to step up a gear? I posted that after he got out

Balls. Gumbs definitely needs to add another gear to his game but it was doing a good job for him and the team today. Ideally no more wickets today but if it's just 1 and they can dent another 60/70 into the total, still in a good position

He's a Belgian full back. Used to play for us.

And in the Bundesliga team of the season before that. Incredible take to suggest that Faes is anywhere close to peak Soyuncu in ability

Broadly speaking I think you're right in that he's not a leader of a defence. But he was certainly the top defender. It wasn't just that he got in the PL team of the season, he also did that in the Bundesliga. Obviously it went wrong for him but it's not like he only did it 1 season in his career. Had it not gone downhill, he'd certainly be first choice centre back at one of the biggest clubs in Europe.

Total stab in the dark but £50m maybe (not even considering debt). Not checked the transfer values which may sway that but only a 10,000 stadium, no idea on training facilities, not really done anything of note. Club Brugge got valued at around £160m- 200mish a few years years back and they're the dominant force in Belgium. Constant CL campaigns, able to sell players for good money, 30,000 stadium etc. The major upside to Leuven or any smaller club in Belgium is that it probably feels more achievable to get into the CL or European football with a bit of investment and luck. Even more so with how mental their league structure is.

Dismal

We just lack players who can really put the opposition under pressure both with bat and ball

I don't get that one. He averages 20, only 6 50's and a best of 75. Why the f was he opening

Scriven's great. Not a potent bowler but as a 4th/5th bowling option coming in at 8, he's a good championship player

Saw the clip from Talksport yesterday and it was probably the most pointless 10 mins of that show I've seen (which is saying a lot!). Absolutely no decent information

Was a great shot choice. Just unlucky

True. But they also produce these guys much more often, create enormous revenues and the big clubs pinch young players off each other all the time. I know he's an incredible talent but it's not really comparable for them losing him vs us losing Motsi for nothing. Sad realty.

Ahmed been in such poor form

Frustrating

If you're being ultra simplistic re Vestergaard, then you're correct. If you're applying a little more thinking to it, he was 100% responsible. That's been confirmed multiple times since. He did some good stuff culturally but other things were poor; just look at how some of his signings (because they were his) behaved when he left. Comparing the Hamza scenario to Enzo is nonsensical. Man City have a structure that manager's work to, so his input will be limited until he's earned the right to have more control ala Pep. I think anyone with a moral compass/decent standards has the right to judge him for giving Hamza the armband the very next game. It's not like he did that 6 months down the line, it was literally the next match. Rodgers was a spineless little toad but even he binned off the players for the COVID party, at a time when we needed them more than ever. The fact he did that for a player who was very replaceable is embarrassing and reflects badly on him. The squad is completely different from the one he had, and despite selling players, he still got £50m to spend and the largest wage bill that league has ever seen. So yes, it was an easy job. It doesn't mean he didn't do a good job but it's farcical to suggest it wasn't easy. If you compare it in relative terms, it dwarfed what Man City or Arsenal have compared to other rivals. I think he's a good manager, but some people make out as though he's on the level of Pep or Klopp. Long way to go for that.

And he also went on a run of 10 points from 10 games with those players; relegation form. He was also responsible for giving Vestergaard a 3 year deal and rewarding Hamza's drink driving with the captain's armband the next game. He ultimately did a good job, but it was an incredibly easy job, not without some very bad moments/decisions.

But it's also because we conceded 3, had 2 more ruled out and other sitters they missed. Not saying he was at fault, but would be a bit weird if people were saying how great he was/what a difference he made given how we defended.

Shame he cost £120m (probably what that ridiculous £8m claim has gone up to now)

Yeah, I've banged on about it in this thread and elsewhere, but it's not even a normal mistake/error, it's complete negligence. Not like he was caught out with a quick free kick

Set piece takers, fair enough. But to trying and micromanage what the goalkeeper does is madness. Russell Martin should never be a better judge than the goalkeeper in goal as to what is needed in that situation. Irrelevant anyway as that goal has nothing to do with the wall. It needed to be a newer perfect strike to go in from there, with or without a wall. So the fact it was not very pacey and nowhere near the corner means McCarthy has embarrassed himself

Russell is a clown but blaming him for this is silly. If your manager is directing the wall size/who's in that wall, you've lost the plot. All on McCarthy. Should barely need a wall from there anyway

The other save was decent; had that gone in, it would have been shocking. Plymouth he has a great game. But i don't even classify that few kick goal as a mistake. The step to his left was an error but his set up was beyond embarrassing. Even if there's no wall there, it should take a near perfect strike to score from there, and it wasn't anything close to that. Probably the worst goal direct from a free kick I've ever seen (that didn't have a deflection or was taken quickly with the GK out of position). I know we can all be hyperbolic and say 'I would have scored that' when somebody misses a sitter but obviously you'd need to be up with play, have the composure under pressure etc, but I think majority of people would never have let that in. Might have fluffed the save but would never be set up like that so the shot wouldn't come. But any comparisons to Danny Ward are silly. Don't think it was about him being a terrible keeper, instead he looked like he had the goalkeeping equivalent of the yips. Would literally move out of the way of the ball at times, so some kind of mental scarring there. You'll never see a worse keeping performance than that season.