Guest

Unless they literally couldn't continue then bringing off McGinn, Gilmour and Robertson seems a really odd thing to do

Go on Youri, some hit

I did sometimes wonder what he'd have been like on the left instead of the right and apparently the answer is he'd have been like the mirror version of Mahrez

Deliberately so, yes. I'm not equating Billy Sharp's current ability as a player to Steve Cooper's as a manager. Replace his name with Fabio Silva or any other very average but semi-plausible Premier League striker if it makes more sense to you. My point is I think the "argument" you proposed is not one that makes any sense because I don't see why having a list of available and willing managers should be an prerequisite to expressing disappointment with getting Cooper. I think it's a middling-to-underwhelming appointment because as a footballer supporter I've watched his teams play, and yet I don't have a little black book of plausible alternatives to hand because I'm not a football agent or well-connected journalist. Similarly, when Rodgers was stinking the place out I thought it was pretty reasonable for people to say he needed sacking without necessarily being able to name a replacement.

Because it's absolutely deranged mate. "Had Leeds hit form" - from January to April they went on a 15 game unbeaten run of which they won 13 and yet we finished 7 points clear. You say it was OK when we won, then when it's pointed out we won most of our games apparently that doesn't matter because when we won we were lucky and we also lost some games. It is complete and utter drivel from you unfortunately and I really believe you ought to go to bed and have a think.

Very confidently asserted that Scamacca was left-footed as well, which he isn't. Perhaps lost his notes and/or mind

They could well end up being quite similar except now it will be the other team having all the ball and winning

There's not really much point engaging in that argument because unlike the people responsible for hiring Cooper, fans unhappy with the appointment have no way of knowing who was or wasn't interested in the job, nor can they conduct a recruitment process using the contacts and resources the club has. If we're in the market for a striker this summer and we end up signing someone like Billy Sharp, I think I'd be justified in saying that's a shit signing without producing a list of alternative targets because I don't get paid a lot of money to identify them.

Reminder that if you don't think this is a masterstroke appointment then you are not a TRUE FAN and must report to King Power HQ for mandatory re-education (they strap you down Clockwork Orange style to watch 24 hours of Top playing polo and force feed you donuts)

Pretty much where I'm at. I sorely hope the stuff Forest played under him was a result of the disjointed nature of their squad or else this season is going to be even more unpleasant than previously anticipated. I don't get how going from Maresca to Cooper fits in with our "vision", or how we end up with the final two of our shortlist being Cooper and Potter - what have they got in common besides both working in England? Does nothing whatsoever to dispel the notion that they're just making it up as they go.

The first couple of levels are definitely the most difficult I would say, just because of how few tools you have to affect battles. By level 3 everyone will have their subclass unlocked, level 4 gets you your first feat, level 5 lets most martial characters attack twice with their action and gets spellcasters 3rd level spells which is when they start to get really powerful. As @syston_foxsays, saving often and focusing targets are both very good habits to get into. I would also personally say that healing during combat is a bit of a waste because you're likely not going to outheal incoming damage without expending all your best spell slots, which you could just use to kill the enemies and prevent the need for healing. Rest at camp often because the world is absolutely crawling with supplies (pick up all the food you find and then send it to camp so it doesn't weigh you down), it fully heals everyone and progresses quests and relationships. I wouldn't worry about combinations of classes necessarily, more having a good mixture of capabilities i.e. single-target damage, area damage, crowd control, buffs and so on. It's nice to have someone with high Charisma for dialogue, someone with high Dex for picking locks and disarming traps. I like bringing a Cleric because they're very versatile and martial characters like Fighters tend to outperform spellcasters early on, but having said all that you can more or less just bring whoever you like. Most problems you encounter will have enough potential solutions that you shouldn't feel punished for not bringing a specific character or class. As for spells, things that help you land hits more reliably are good early on - Bless gives +1-4 on attacks, Faerie Fire makes enemies easier to hit. Despite what I said about healing in combat, Healing Word is very useful because it allows you to revive downed allies from range and is a Bonus Action to use - it doesn't do much actual healing so they will often just get downed again but that means enemies are essentially wasting their turn. Clerics and Druids get Guidance which is +1-4 to ability checks and is a cantrip so can be used endlessly at no cost. If you are using Gale and/or Wyll as casters then you can give them a shield to make them a bit less squishy. Don't use Shadowheart or Astarion's Firebolt cantrip because it uses their Intelligence modifiers which are not good. To the north of the starting beach there's a little dungeon where if you fully explore you will meet a nice old man who can revive dead party members for 200g. You can also use him to change classes and respec ability scores for both you and companions. I rarely do the former but almost always do the latter because most of them start with sub-optimal stat spreads.

I can't see what the point would have been in him playing a warm-up game for a tournament it had already been decided he wasn't going to, and perhaps he couldn't either

Is there anything in particular you're struggling with or would like to know?

I sort of agree in that they rarely tell you anything you couldn't work out on your own, but in this case with it being a major tournament on terrestrial TV you have to imagine there are going to be people watching who will genuinely have no idea what's going on. Plus as you can see it upsets proper football blokes which in itself makes it a worthwhile endeavour I think.

Maybe an odd thing to say given how good he obviously is and the season he's had but in the absence of a natural left back I would seriously be considering dropping Foden. Just ending up in the spaces Kane and Bellingham want to be in.

WIth respect, that is mental

I know Sam Matterface gets a lot of stick and rightly so but the combination of this twat and Lee Dixon should be looked into by Ofcom

To be fair to him he had a very difficult job breaking into that Palace team given he plays for Everton

Surprised Branthwaite hasn't made it. Very easy to imagine Stones not being fit and then it's problem time. Guehi not played a full 90 since January, Dunk I have always liked but I don't think has had a great season and has looked ropey in some of his recent caps, Gomez doesn't ever seem to play centre back these days and Konsa likewise seems to be considered more of a utility option. Palace with the most players in the reported squad which is cool.

Glad it's not just me who remembers that

I don't dispute any of that

It didn't feel like we were being very lenient on Maresca when we were demanding for the bald fraud to be sacked while top of the league

I would probably have him back yeah on account of him being our manager, and forking out a load of money to sack him for having the temerity to apply for a better job would not be very clever I don't think

That all makes perfect sense but unfortunately you are wasting your time mate because nobody who thinks appointing Cambiasso as our manager is a good idea has any interest whatsoever in logic or reason