JimJams

Soumare aside I think there's a lot of overreaction to that lineup. Should get the job done comfortably. Would prefer Golding in there. Alves and El K can get some decent second half minutes. Reid and Edouard offered an opportunity to build some confidence. Walsall are league two so it's fitting we're playing a league two goalkeeper between the sticks in the interests of fairness. Proper sporting gesture. No need to shit on Thomas though. I do wonder if Cooper is thinking about playing Soumare in the league now (not start), or if he's just using him here to avoid potential injuries to more important players.

Which would be stupid. Priority is staying up. If Buo is the better player, he should play. Worry about how you've developed players when we're in a position to. Right now we need to put out teams to win games.

Haaland shits bigger than Skelly.

So very Arsenal.

Watch them win it now!

Man City need to bring David James on and whack him up front.

I think we only need one.

Arteta ringing Cooper at half time to find out what he'd be doing in this situation.

Love the way whenever a player does some stupid shit the managers act like bitches and moan like it's everyone elses fault.

LOADSA REDS AND INJURIES PLEASE!!!

Walker telling the ref you're not allowed to score against them.

Not bad on your first start.

Cooper would wank into his best dress socks for that.

That looked too easy.

I think a lot of us were of the opinion that him and Fatawu would get a real chance to show their skills at this level because we'd come against less (or no) teams sitting deep and they'd have more space to work with. He's getting the benefit of that at the moment, but we desperately need Cooper to let them both loose on the opposition.

In fairness to Ayew, that's on instruction. The experiment of having VK play as the high fullback and having the left winger come inside to support the striker looks to have died a death and Cooper has decided to try it on the other side with JJ high up and Ayew coming inside. One day, hopefully soon, Cooper will realise that this is a shit idea and drop it. Or alternatively but unlikely, he decides that if he wants to play an attacking fullback high up the pitch then it might be an idea to start Riccy.

2.00 mark. Even without VAR look at the Refs view!

A goalkeeper deliberately handballing it outside his area is a straight red isn't it?

I actually don't think the players signed matter too much though. I know none of them were awe inspiring exciting signings, but they largely look decent enough. Okoli looks good at the back. Skipp well capable. Ayew, despite the protestations doesn't look bad, just should be utilised to close games out. Bilal, who knows? Buo on loan looks a good technical player. BDR was free, so who gives a shit? I think those players would suit an array of different managers with different approaches.

I find it difficult to be too hard on anyone with the way the manager sets us up to play. It doesn't seem as though he knows how to pick our assumed best 11, so it's fair to say that he probably doesn't play to the players strengths either. Look at Mav. Didn't start our first 3 games, and probably Coopers first failed experiment in trying to change him into a CF. Starts 2 games as an actual winger, scores in both games and looks our most dangerous player. But that took pissing about in preseason and our 3 opening matches to suss out that maybe playing last seasons left winger as a left winger might just be the way to go. My impression of Bilal is that he'd be best sitting a little deeper than he was deployed today. More 8 than 10.

Just watched the highlights. I don't understand how VAR hasn't pulled that back. Unreal.

What happened with him at Spurs will happen with him here. Almost exactly. He was good for Spurs when they played a style that suited him, but with a change of manager and the emergence of Skipp he lost his place. The whole thing is repeating almost to the letter. With the exception being we won't replace Skipp as well, but Cooper is not playing to get the best out of Winks and his system, if you can call it that, will be better with Skipp in instead in the long run.

So if there was any truth in player unrest I guess we can put Vesty and Riccy in as at least 2 of those players. 2 of last seasons best performers. Though at least Faes and Okoli have looked decent enough in general. Unlike our fullbacks.

On todays showing yeah. Long season though.

I was going to say I think O'Neill is having a worse run, but he's on one win in 14 Prem Games. Which is miles better tbh.