Death by Football

Sorry but I don’t like chess and find it’s not the best spectator sport. As I’ve said on numerous occasions I am enjoying this season, I am very pleased with what is being achieved, just find the football to be duller than it could be given the quality we face each week. I think modern football has less room for flamboyance and individual skill than it used to and that I think is a shame. I don’t expect or need you to agree with me on this.

I think you missed my point which was that we are building a style of play that relies on having better players than the opposition. Right now we can play that way but going forward we'll have to adapt. We're not doing the same thing as the top teams in the world - we're just trying to and we are not as good at it as they are. Far from being entitled, I have no illusions of us challenging at the top again regardless of methodology/ideology in our play. I'm merely stating that I think our current perceptions of how well things are going and how good this system is are skewed by the quality of opposition we face. Don't get me wrong, I'm enjoying being down in the Championship. I love the fact there's no VAR, seeing some different teams for a change and being the big fish in the small pond. I'm just not particularly enthused by the football right now. I can see it's effective, I understand how and why it works, it just doesn't excite me. But that's just me. I back Enzo and the team 100% and when I'm in the ground I sing shout and chant more than the average fan (which isn't much I know ). I support the team at the ground then moan on here.

Since Gary Taylor-Fletcher?

The big differences for me.. The fact that in 13/14 we were on the way up after a sustained period of crap followed by uncertainty and the club had a clear, exciting new identity and belief compared with now when we're on a reset in a division we really shouldn't have ended up in. It's good to see we have a clear identity and the players are playing for the shirt again but it still feels a bit like we're doing community service down in this league. And the fact that I'm even older now. For me the most exciting time as a fan (barring the obvious in 2015/16) was under MON in the 90s. The football wasn't great most of the time but I was in my late teens/early twenties watching with my mates then going out afterwards, young free and single. The older I get the harder it is to get as excited by the football.

Or bore them to death

It’s amazing how polarising this topic is. You don’t have to be a football hipster to understand or appreciate the current style just as you don’t need to be a knuckle dragging mouth breather to want to see a little more flamboyance in our play. Football at the top level has changed to adapt the current philosophy but it will also continue to adapt. My concern is that we are implementing a style of play that has already been implemented by most other top level teams who are way ahead of us at the moment. By the time we catch up they will have adapted again. You can’t shake up the established elite by copying what they do using weaker players. At the moment we’re flat track bullies with the talent in our squad to beat most teams in the division regardless of style. All credit to Enzo for picking a style that works right now but also bear in mind he didn’t develop this style himself. He’s clearly a genius to have turned Vestergaard into a potential player of the season but let’s not pretend he is running some tactical masterclass week in week out.

Just as a backwards pass isn’t always bad a forward pass doesn’t always have to be long.

I find this a difficult argument to come down either side. I disagree that football is just about winning games. Of course it's a competitive results based industry, and I'm delighted to win games, but I don't go down to the football to tally points or review statistics. If it's just about winning, why do thousands of fans turn up week in, week out to watch their team get battered? For me the real entertainment comes from watching football that excites. The football we're playing is very effective at winning games but it doesn't get you off your seat very often hence the quiet atmosphere. I'm happy to watch us control matches and win games but would like to see us be a bit more adventurous. I'm not one to grumble and shout "forwards" in the hope we just lump it up (unless it's prime Rodgersball and we're on pass 785 between the centre backs 15 minutes into a match yet still 3-0 down!!) but I do believe with the squad we've got (at full strength) we ought to be able to carve out more dynamic attacking opportunities than we do. That said we are playing against teams that sit with 11 men behind the ball for 90% of all matches so requires a more scientific way to create chances. I'm fully behind Enzo and what he's achieving but would be nice every now and again to take the handbrake off a bit.

Has Enzo done a presser for this match?

It is mental how they are missing a perfect opportunity to get new generations of fans into the stadium for the FA Cup. They've priced it right - Maximum £20 for tickets and £5 for kids and no need for membership. They should be all over the socials advertising it. I might rock up without a ticket at 2:30 and see if I can get in for old times sake.

Lots of single seats dotted around. Not many groups of seats available though.

I think we will shithouse a win tonight but it won't be pretty. Worst case scenario we are still 4 points clear at the top of the league with first team players still to come back into the squad. Best case scenario we smash the team that have been breaking records with us and sit 10 points clear. A solid win here and I don't see anyone catching us for the automatics.

You lost me at word 4

I think he's a very long way off Mahrez unfortunately. Mahrez's touch and vision were out of this world. The most skilful player I ever saw play for Leicester. I do think Stephy has what it takes to be a steady squad member in the Premier League but I can't see him reaching the levels Mahrez got to. I hope he gets enough of a chance to prove me wrong.

If we'd drawn all the games that posters have said they'd be happy to take a draw from beforehand, we'd only be on about 26 points!

I didn't realise we played different teams to the rest of the division! Bloke's a bellend - end of.

If you're looking for him to attend on a regular basis it's worth getting him one as most games seem to be membership only now. I can't remember what the annual bonus points are for renewing membership but it's the quickest way to build up enough for a season ticket. Assuming we go back up this season it's probably going to be 35-40 points cut off for Season Ticket ballot and I reckon all games will be members only next season.

I don't think he's rated highly enough to get any of those jobs. They all need a bigger name.

That's a fair point - apart from Palace there's no signs of any of the lower Prem sides making a change now or any of last year's relegated teams/top championship teams either. If he's keen to keep working then Brum are a team with potential and Cooper knows this division well. He'll probably see it as a decent challenge.

I think we need to have some balance. We should rest some key players - Winks, Ricardo, Jannick(! still can't believe I'm writing that with a straight face!) - but it's still the FA Cup and I'd like us to take it seriously.

Probably saved yourself a fortune.

I'd prefer Ipswich and Leeds to draw and obviously us beat Rotherham. Both of them dropping two points has to be the most positive outcome surely? If we can then beat Ipswich we're putting distance between us and all the chasing pack.

I think it does matter. We should live in the now and aim to win the division we’re playing in this season. Yes second place gets you promoted but I want us to win trophies from the level we are currently playing at. I would much rather Ipswich get second place than the other relegated teams as they totally deserve it based on performance so far. I would like there to be a six point gap between us though. Enough to keep the pressure on but also a little breathing space.

I feel like this would seem a more significant achievement if Ipswich weren't already on 51 points. Shame because it is a hell of an achievement - just shows how crazy Ipswich's return to the league is.