Big_Nige

I get all of that, and today is a huge opportunity to put breathing space between us and the bottom 3. Losing to a relegation rival at home is a game that could and probably will define where you finish come the end of the season. But losing today doesn’t mean certain relegation, it’s just people being melodramatic

Today is massive don’t get me wrong, but the amount of people saying we’re down if we lose today is just bizarre. We’re not even half way through the season yet. If we were Southampton marooned on 5 points then fair enough, but we’re bunched up in between teams equally as poor as us. Lots of twists and turns to go

With someone like McAteer, I don’t think it’s unfair to say he’s not blessed with outstanding technical ability. But there’s something there. I get the feeling he’s a very coachable player, takes on information like a sponge and is willing to learn and listen. I think a season in and around the first team at premier league level, not necessarily a starter, but getting minutes off the bench will do him wonders. I think we’ll see how much has improved by the start of next season. This season is still all about his development He’s definitely not the finished article in my eyes, but he needs to grow with the club. If this actually is his ceiling, then we should look to move on and bank the profit

Our accounts end on the last day of June. So whatever has happened between July 23 and June 24 has happened. We don’t know the outcome of these yet but KDH and Enzo going. Plus Barnes to Newcastle and reduced wage bill all fall in to that period. That’s some serious pure profit, coupled with a low amortised spend last summer. I think we’ll be ok For July 24 to June 25 I’m hoping we’ve joined the “if you can’t beat them, join them club. Flaunt the rules. Spend money where it’s needed and if that means in June we sell a random academy lad for £15m to Villa in a clear case of cooking the books then I’m all for it. PSR is the absolute pits I think the early (late in my opinion) sacking of Cooper shows Top has learned. We were shit scared of PSR last time and tried to ride out our financial mistakes. I think we’ll back Ruud and we’ll find a loop hole to stick two more fingers up at the FA if needed

These days beating the traffic means staying to the end

Just been catching up on some of his interviews before and after the West Ham match and it’s exactly how you've put it. He’s affable, charismatic, confident. You know he commands respect when he walks in the room Cooper can probably take a club on its arse in the championship and instil a bit of believe in them. That’s his level and there’s nothing wrong with that. But he’ll never be directly employed into a premier league vacancy again. So far out of his depth it was scary

Games like today, for various reasons, are where you want your players to stand up and be counted. He did that today in spades. He marshalled the defence and he was constantly talking, defending on the front foot and was good on the ball. Can’t ask for anymore. Our defence has been a shambles all season and today he was part of a back line that deserves a bit of credit. One swallow doesn’t make a summer but give him a run of games, which he has never had in a Leicester shirt, and we might see the Coady that was good enough to push for an England spot, not the glorified cheer leader he’s been for the last 18 months

Ruud and Enzo were teammates at Malaga. Football friends

It’s not just Justin though is it. He’s a big part of the problem but It’s no coincidence that Faes plays the right sided centre back. Putting Hamza there, or Okoli, or a youth teamer doesn’t sure up that side. It’s not even a system issue, it’s football basics half the time. For Brentford first goal, to play 3 at the back and have a gap that large between centre back and right back is borderline criminal

After Cooper i’ll take just having a Plan A for now

This Don Hutchison?

Genuinely excited to see what Ruud will do with us. He’s got gravitas and he’ll command respect. Let’s get that KP rocking on Tuesday

When Man U played Chelsea the other week it was mention on comms. Took me by surprise, I knew they both played for them, but never put two and two together

The word itself means an unjustified feeling about deserving certain advantages or privileges. So no I don’t think we’re entitled at all. What has happened is we probably hold the club to a higher standard now than what a lot of older pundits, or footballers of a bygone generation, do End of the day in the past decade we have won the league, the fa cup, community shield, played in Europe 3 times and regularly make it to quarter finals of cup competitions. Surely that is enough to expect a little more than just to make up the numbers? When Villa and Newcastle got relegated and bounced back up nobody would have expected their fans to just be happy to be in the Prem again. What’s the difference?

I’m massively on board with Ruud. A gamble but it’s what we need

Matt Targett types I imagine

The only bright spark, especially in the first half. Glided past players, played some lovely little weighted passes. He was the glade airfreshner in what was an otherwise unflushable turd of a performance

It’s not just about passing for passing sake, any old fraud can claim they coach possession football. Modern football doesn’t just mean 5 yard square passes Football has moved on massively, not necessarily for the good, even as someone who enjoys a slick possession style, football has generally got a lot duller as specticle, but managers like Cooper just cannot set up a team in this era of football. He’s out coached game in game out, we look so far out of our depth, and it’s not just the lack of quality players here. Granted we have a lot of average footballers in our squad, but we’re hardly taking Brian Carey’s and Gary Coatsworth’s here. A competent coach would get them well drilled if nothing else. Cooper is a championship standard manager at best

Him not dealing with the high clearance that he let bounce led to the throw which the first goal came from. Sunday league. Then it was his hit and hope no look clearance into the middle of the park that nearly led to Amad scoring just before half time. Own goal, he was unfortunate, but I’d like to see him get in front of Fernandes. He's really limited. And just not good enough for this level week in week out

Definitely. We were a last minute Nick Pope save from Castagnes volley in our penultimate game from staying up. And that was after stinking the league out for 99% of that season, If we’d have got rid of BR when we should have (Brighton + Spurs A in September) we’d have stayed up, no doubt in my mind

I thought about this yesterday. If memory serves right, at Lille he played alongside Andre who played as that holder/metronome type player and Soumare had the license to drive with the ball. Rodgers tried to change his game with us as soon as we signed him and had him as a holder, sitting in a 2. It didn’t suit his game at all Perhaps Cooper has just reverted Soumare to the style of game he used to play at Lille? I'm probably clutching, and I don’t trust Soumare starting games. He just doesn’t have the concentration, but chasing a game, running from deep and getting us up the pitch. Let’s be fair, he’s a better option than Hamza

I thought it was a pen, or more to the point, you see them given. It was over zealous, but ultimately just a shoulder barge. I fully expected the ref to blow, but I wouldn’t say it was stone wall either. Just more often than not you get them in the attacking teams favour Phillips should have walked in the first half, which would have completely changed the completion of the game at that point. Cowards challenge and 100% should have been a red. VAR should have got involved, but then it was Stuart Atwell watching and he’s as incompetent as they come I think both teams can point at the ref about key moments To reiterate what most have said, good first 15. Horrific then until Phillips eventually red. I’d love to know what we work at on the training ground because what kind of a performance was that? I saw Ricardo invert for 15 minutes, then it seemed to just be long ball clear your lines nonsense and we lost all momentum. Our wingers are so isolated, in fact all over the pitch our players don’t get near enough to each other when we’re in possession. It’s all so disjointed and frustrating to watch. Lovely goal, the touch from Vards was delicious

He’s a solid defender, and I like how he doesn’t take any shit. But he’s too limited on the ball for me, offers nothing going forward and hasn’t linked up with with Mavididi at all. He played Hutchinson well yesterday though so fair play. He has that in his locker, but it wasn’t too long ago Luke Thomas had Mo Salah in his back pocket so…..

Terrible off the ball, doesn't matter if sometimes he shows he’s decent with the ball at his feet. It’s not about the runs he can go on, it’s about the runners that breeze past him while he jogs back into position He wasn’t the answer 2 years ago, and he’s not the answer now

The fact he’s on 194 goals in total for us and it’s pretty evenly spread home and away just reiterates that point. Champions league or Torquay away. He scores when he wants