Lillehamring

So dissimilar due to the amount of contact, but similar in every other respect - player running into the box, contacted from behind, player perhaps makes a meal of it, referee decides to give the defender the benefit of the doubt

I think also you can add to this that we are playing in a way that is more likely to be sustainable at a higher level, it allows us to add (when funds allow) better players without having to change the system. Whereas Ipswich is all about 'win today and worry about the future when it happens'.

Probably wouldn't have done anywhere near as well as he's done with ipswich - they're an ongoing project with bags of momentum. we were a train wreck in need of a complete rebuild. I think an awful lot of our fans (not directing this at you, John) - massively underappreciate what Maresca has done, given the mess he inherited, practically and psychologically.

Feel like it was similar to the one not given on KDH? So at least there's some consistency there...

Said it before but i'm sceptical of classing anything as a 'masterplan' when it involves surviving 18 shots on goal. Unless that 'master plan is: hang on for dear life, pray that their finishing is woeful and if we do miraculously manage a shot, make sure it goes in'.

...and that's the last day i'm visiting this forum for a bit. I get that it's a bit worrying, i get that we're not happy - but so many posters on here, talk about bottling it. Unbearable listing to you lot of entitled bitches.

Really disappointing - another game that we've completely dominated without really testing the keeper, in fact the only real quality came from the free kick and the goal, and even that wasn't exactly a clean strike. I feel like Maresca needs to make some changes for the next game - our wingers were atrocious today and i lost count how many times justin put it into touch (surely he had to bring Doyle on?), daka just isn't composed enough for these sort of games. i'd say even KDH could do with replacing but there's not really any other option - god knows why the #8's were inverted it just didn't work - on the left yunus and mavididi were on a different wavelength and playing on top of each other, on the right, we were stuck with two player perpetually turning back on to their left feet and into the overcrowded central area. I'd say this is the most disappointing outing from Maresca. As for the players, can't fault their effort but the quality from too many just wasn't there. What happened to 'get men in the box, get the ball in the box'? Just, very very disappointing.

Sure, but the more stats you factor in the clearer the overall picture is.

Oh, come on, you know better than to post stats like that - a classic example of why these things can't be taken at face value is the wednseday game, where he comes on and we drop 2 points. You can't say we lost that because of his presence anymore than you can say we win more because he's playing. Or the first game of the season, with him we trail coventry 1-0, praet comes on to provide a more attacking edge and we win 2-1; or cardiff ndidi comes off at 1-1 casedai comes on and bags the winner. There's simply no way to say how crucial his presence or absence actually is. That's not to say I don't believe we are better when he plays, i understand his influence and i'm not unhappy when he does play, I just feel like sometimes i'd rather us go with someone more attacking to try limit these close games by giving us more goalscoring and creativity early in games.

He completely miss-controls the ball and then, i beg your pardon, it bounces off a west brom player, after which he makes an unpressured routine but decent pass. Describing his pass as 'superb' is more indicative of agenda building than me correctly pointing out that he was clumsy in the build up. I have no problems with nacho when he plays well, but it's become apparent that he's simply not good enough often enough

If people can't understand what i've written, then it behoves me to spoon feed my point to them so that they can see it. It's borne of displeasure in someone clearly not reading what i've put but seeing the chance to get a few 's because they think, incorrectly, that they're smart.

Trouble with citing that as an example is that we all know he almost fell over the ball, which then bounced off his knee....

Or we should completely disregard it because they are, according to Enzo, playing in a completely different way now. IF anything, it sounds like they've started actually playing some football, which could benefit us as opposed to the 20% possession they had last time.

he's just so inconsistent 12 games under 6.5 is not great especially that run of games since swansea. The run of games where he scored: 14 minutes, 28 minutes, 6 minutes - that says something about the kind of player he is, same in the bournemouth game. The only games he's had 'good games' are Burton, Norwich and Stoke. I know this doesn't really factor in off the ball stuff, but as far as his general play and his end producct is concerned, he's not exactly undroppable.

I'm inclined to think Vardy would disagree.

It can be - at other times he looks like either a) he's wearing rubber boots, b) he's not sure what team he's playing for, c) the actual geography of a football pitch, d) he just isn't interested or e) all of the above. Arguably the most frustratingly and spectacularly inconsistent player i've ever seen in a city shirt.

Um, it's all there if you take the time to read it. But just for your benefit (and i'll highlight the distinctions to make it a little easier for you) the point i'm making is that there is a perception that we have been wasteful in front of goal (especially in the boro and leeds games), but the reality is that we're actually really good at finishing. pretty simple, really. Go on read the posts again an you'll see that it all makes sense

Or maybe his form has dropped because he's been struggling with something?

My only issue with ndidi is that, as enzo said, he is more of a defensive midfielder - and yet he's been played in games where we really haven't needed that extra defensive body, but a more creative one.

Home of the immortal lines (when asked how old youngest son is) - "Oh, he's 15 next week" When you have to lie but you just can't quite get over the line

I think he's got more chance of turning into Brian Blessed....

Much obliged - i'm sure there's a few of us around - keeping up the tradition of the old rockers, still rocking!

Totally - it's in our own hands. We have a buffer if we lose or draw, for the chasing three every point dropped is two points they need to make up with one less game to do it in.

It's a very isolated sample this though. Our shots to goal ratio is 10.9% (70 goals from 642 shots) - only preston have a better figure (12.4%) leeds are actually 7th with 9.2% Our rate is the same as Arsenal who are third best in the PL (behind newcastle and villa) Everton are dead last on 5.5%, Burnley are at 7%. So, generally speaking, our finishing is not a problem - we certainly aren't wasteful, even though it sometimes feels we are.

Yeah, that's a foul - but again, does that make him 'awful' - does every decision have to be spot on to lift a ref's performance above awful?