CountesthorpeFox1

Yeah, I’m starting to have this horrible thing called hope. A draw is a good possibility it’s more if we have it in us to beat West Ham.

Bookies have Everton as a shoe in to win! They have Everton at 4/9 & Bournemouth at 13/2. That’s crazy considering how bad Everton are. I mean I think they’ll win but that’s pretty good odds as you can’t rule Bournemouth out, they’re a better team!

I’m not one to be negative, and completely understood the setup to bore the game out and try to go at them last 20 mins or so, but we never did the latter. settling for a draw is a defeatist attitude because putting pressure on Everton isn’t enough, we’re at the business end of the season. I understand going for the win would have left us exposed but we don’t have a choice in games like tonight but to go for maximum points at the end. I’m not angry with the result, I’m angry with the acceptance of the result before it’s happened. If this was Christmas I’d say great point, but that’s just relegated us IMO., not mathematically but I can’t see anything but a win for Everton on Sunday (will be happy if I’m proved wrong)

I genuinely can’t believe we were plying for a 0-0 at the end. It’s criminal, total embarrassment. when Newcastle’s centre half’s we’re stood with the ball in stoppage time and our forwards were not pressing I've never been in such disbelief. How on earth is it a good idea to settle for a point when now Everton just need a win to relegate us. I’d rather lose trying than draw not. such defeatist attitude.

It’s Smiths game plan! expect, he wants this until 65/70 minutes and he will introduce madders, Barnes and Daka and try and get a foothold at that point. Newcastle will naturally sit back if they don’t score by then as they only need the point. that’s our best shot of getting 3 points. It’s just if we can hold off until 65/70 minutes. Half time was certainly needed!

To be fair that Isak is some player

I mean, I wouldn’t have started Thomas personally. We have no midfield 3 that people would be happy with though. Yeah, Mendy should be starting but for one reason or another smith doesn’t fancy him and we all know that. You could take any of them 3 midfielders out and put Mendy in and people would be moaning about the other 2.

500/1 to pump them 0-4. Ive had a couple of £ on it. Just wanted to let you all know as by me putting money on it, it’s made it even less likely to happen 😂

Not sure why people are disappointed?! We’ve got two up top and trying to keep things tight at the back. we need to ride out the first 20 odd minutes as they come out all guns blazing every game. Dean smith has had the balls to drop madders & Barnes, these are players everybody has been calling him to drop as they have no fight. Going all out attack against these would lead to us getting slaughtered. Glad to see Nacho back!

Agreed, but I think they are probably the most physical team in the league. The alternative option is Faes who let the ball bounce for Liverpool’s first game and you’re taught to not do that at Sunday league, which in turn created our collapse against them. either way, it’s a ‘worse of two evils’ situation and arguably they are as bad as each other haha

I’d also go Souttar and Evans. I think we will need Souttar size against these

I feel your pain, exactly the same boat. Waking up to videos from the stands and messages mocking me. The annoying thing is, I’ve not given any of them any grief since they came up (even before a ball was kicked) They only hate Derby though…..

I sold up in November 2021 and moved to Notts. I had all these delusions of laughing at all the Forest fans around me. It just so coincides that we've been on a downward spiral since that date (I know we won the FA cup). I feel like ringing my mum crying and saying I want to come home…..

I won’t allow myself to creep into this ‘we have a chance’ mentality like every other week. The most physical team in the league Vs a team full of players that won’t go into 50/50s in fear of missing pre season at there new club they’ve already verbally agreed with. only play players who will be with us in the championship and kids with a point to prove, we will probably get a better result

I’d really like to take a punt on that Will Still, but imagine he’d only be interested if we stayed up. I’m also not sure what implications we’d have with him not having badges. Are the rules the same in England? I.E would we have to pay a fine? Even if you do you could quite easily build that into his contract that it’s in essence paid from his wages and we pay for his badges and as soon as he’s qualified he in essence gets a 22k pay rise. So from a financial perspective he doesn’t get a pay rise as we’ve paid it the whole time but from a personal level he does. I’d still make an audacious attempt to get him if/when we go down but as said, imagine he’d say no.

I voted to not sell. We’re all emotional right now. They’ve made some poor choices over the last 24 months but that’s business, it happens. How Top learns from them is what counts. I don’t think we would be in this position if Vichai was still around but again I think that’s business experience. without KP, we would never have won the Prem and all the other accolades and none of us would have witnessed our club in a champions league quarter final. football fans are fickle, we are still in (even with relegation and the financial blow that will come with it) a far superior place as a club than we were when they took over. If you asked any of us 10 years ago to go the ride we’ve been on and be back where we started at the end of the decade each and every single last one is would have bit your hand off.

Oh no, that’s not my starting midfield 😂😂 play a 4 2 3 1 in the championship just keeping them around would be good. I think KDH and Mendy would be good players in the champ and bringing the Loughborough lunatic to see out games when needed

I’d try and keep: Iverson justin, Preira Souttar Kristianson Mendy KDH Choudary Kel Vardy (would try an negotiating a player coach role to reduce his wages but guaranteeing a coaching role which would extend his contract) Daka of course, some wages of them players could force them off that list. Try and get in some creative championship players and try and bleed in the likes of Braybrooke.

This! when my friends ask me who we should sign if we go down I’m stumped because my football league knowledge has gone from knowing everything to knowing nothing over the course of 9 years. Ivory tower and all that. At least something to be excited about is ‘learning football’ again.

The thing is with that penalty is you’re right if that goes in we go on to win, and I think convincingly. Everton are as bad as us for collapsing. For me, the issue is the mentality when we miss it, from the whole team. It wasn’t an awful penalty like kermagant trying to chip it at Cardiff (Still hate him because at least waghorn put his laces through it and missed) and if Pickford dives it goes in but he had done his research. I'm a big Maddison fan but I also think he has his faults, and this is probably what Southgate see’s. For me, Maddison form will be dictated by himself and mental state. I feel like he self criticises his self/game. I think he really does care and feels it’s on him to step up and make things happen because he’s the best player (which he is) but that self pressure is making him try ‘too hard’ and it’s making him subconsciously make poor decisions like hang on to it too long. Maybe when he goes on to a top club they will manage that side out of him because when he just plays without pressure he’s one of the best in the league. Everybody is calling for Youri to be dropped, could be worth switching him a bit deeper and playing Youri in the 10 to take some pressure off of him

I love how you feel that’s more far fetched than us keeping a clean sheet!

I agree, but if he plays 3 at the back it would force his hand to play 3 in the middle. As much as Smith had his faults he at least seems willing to change things and see’s faults in his own system so I hold a slight bit of hope he will change it up tonight. I’m still baffled as to why he hasn’t given Mendy a good go considering our DM’s bar him have been horrific this season

Exactly this! DS has set us out every game with high intensity in the from the off looking for the early goal. I believe our defensive problems are all from midfield leaving huge space in behind. We need to slow the game down from the off, keep it a boring 0-0 for as long as possible and try and nick one when they throw bodies forward as they need 3 points as much as us. Sounds counter productive because of our serious need of points but that’s how I think we should approach it.

So, after about 16 years of reading FoxesTalk I’ve decided to finally take the 30 seconds out of my day to actually sign up. much like most, after every game I think that’s it as we can only bottle so many ‘must win’ games but somehow by the end of the week I have this sense of hope and optimism which isn’t like me at all. I’d go with: Iverson Faes. Souttar Cags Riccy p (if fit). Castagne Mendy Youri. KDH Madders Vardy 2-0 City (we have to keep a clean sheet at some point) Souttar & Daka off the bench.