Nod.E

Done 4 10k runs now and got my time down to just over 56 minutes, improving each time. That site has a 'novice' (running for 6 months) at around 54:30 for my age. Given that I'm 2 months in, I reckon I'm making decent progress. I don't just do 10ks, I have been mixing it up with shorter runs, sometimes trying to set PBs but mostly just running at a steady pace. I'm doing an event in 5 weeks this Saturday, my first run at an event. I think that novice time should be a decent target for me.

Pretty much ever since I posted this he's gone back to being total shite. I don't think he'll ever be tidy or consistent enough to turn out consistently for a top half Prem side. And for us next season? It's a tough one because his goal contributions have been huge for us this season, but I'm back to thinking I'd like to see us cash in on him for some much-needed funds to help us to rebuild. I think his poor passing and control in there is a huge factor as to why we fail to control games at the moment. You look at those two glaring weaknesses in his game and for me it's attributable to our lack of chance creation (at the moment), and our inability to see games out. I suppose you could say that when he plays well, Leicester play well. He's in shocking form and we look awful for it.

I get what you're saying, and there was some good defending in there. If we're honest though, we made all of the same mistakes that have led to late goals in the past few months. The only difference is that this time we didn't get punished.

For god sake can we learn how to see out a win? Just a training session practicing taking it into the corner or something? Or, I don't know, maybe show some attacking intent at 1-0 and put it to bed. Absolute heartburn of a performance second half. We win because Sunderland are crap and the ref is a bottle job in the end.

Refuse to even click the link to that rag. 'Could'? Yeah, no shit. Most teams 'could', because they, like us, don't know the details of the latest finances. Nothing we didn't already know, I'm sure, which is that relegation put us in a tricky spot, and financial regulations are getting tighter and tighter.

Would drop Mavididi, agree with every other selection.

As much as I think Enzo has got a few things wrong (Nelson, KDH on right, selection of strikers/wingers), this is the biggest problem. The system has treated us well, but it does rely on players in central areas being able to find a pass. It also relies on everyone on the pitch being capable of sharp, accurate passing to move the opposition about. QPR forced us wide, which meant Mavididi (won't pass), Fatawu (high shot or looping cross), and Justin (spooned out of play) saw an awful lot of the ball. As far as the system is concerned, it's small tweaks. We have to knock this floaty ball on the head. Personnel wise, I'm surprised Maresca hasn't swapped a few players out to better suit his idea of the game. Obviously as far as 8s are concerned, we don't have that depth

Said in another thread, the irony is that the gammons who have been waiting for this drop in form so they can pile in on Enzo, are finally able to now that we appear to be lumping the ball aimlessly into the box. Are those same people now willing to accept that perhaps we were onto something before? I reckon the issue is that our midfield has been decimated. But also, some players who we do have deputies for need dropping.

Sorry no. The guy can't pass, today's showing wasn't surprising. Spoons for feet.

Genuine question as it appears to have passed me by. How bad has Doyle been since his return? It's baffling to me that with Enzo's style he'd persist with a player with such a poor range of passing. If he's only there to provide pace to recover for Faes and his errant charges forward, I'd suggest we drop both. Choudhury Vesty Coady Doyle

Runners from deep, overloads creating 4v3s and 3v2s. Manifests as either a slotted 1on1 finish, a pass with the second player having an open net, or a pull back resulting in an easy chance. If you can't envisage the passage of play which starts with a centre half pinging it off either Winks or a striker coming deep and ends with our runners outnumbering their back line, then I don't think you've been watching us very closely. What's concerning is that I am noticing less and less of that pattern of play. I'd take relief from somebody telling me I'm wrong and showing examples from today or the last couple of games which shows we're still doing this? Today it was a case of play it to the winger. Winger cuts inside and floats a harmless ball in. I don't know, maybe teams have just stopped falling for the press-baiting. Or we're not doing it at all? Ironically it seems to me that those who have been frothing at the prospect of Enzo struggling, finally have the opportunity to do so now that we're doing what those fans would have us do. I.e. no 'tippy tappy shite', but I'd argue the lack of it has been to our detriment.

Couldn't disagree more on the first point. In those games that we won, for the most part we played decent football with clear patterns of play, and had chances to score. I don't know what's happened to us (well, apart from our midfield being decimated), but it all looks a little every man for himself out there at the moment. And the last few games we really haven't looked much like scoring.

Mavididi. James Justin. Daka. Drop. Them. We are so criminally short in the middle that our right back being out meant we had nothing creative from the middle. QPR happy to let us pass it wide for Fatawu to hit it over or Mavididi to step over his way into the full back's back pocket. But James Justin, what the hell was that? Did he have his boots on the wrong feet? Oh one more thing. PLEASE, can we stop these pointless floaty crosses to the back stick? We are so frustrating.

Absolutely crap. Make no mistake

Hate to be one of those match thread bed wetters but this has been really, really, really bad.

This is not fun. Losing at home to QPR and streams won't go 5 seconds without buffering. This is not how I should be spending my Saturday.

Worst day for streams I've experienced for 10 years

Soccerinhd usually faultless but can't get through 10 seconds without it buffering today. Any better alternatives today?

Would be nice to not have to rely on fortune. When you allow shots on the edge of your area, deflections can and ultimately will happen. We must get better at the dark arts of football by disrupting games by any means necessary when the other team are on top.

He was good tonight, but crucially he made two poor mistakes. One led to a goal. He's been great this season but I'm not sure we can afford his volume of mistakes when asked to defend for larger periods of the game vs. what's asked of him against the likes of Huddersfield.

Will it? We don't appear to be learning...

With respect, motorcycling is inherently dangerous. We play football in an inherently dangerous manner in the closing stages of games, then seem shocked when bad luck strikes again. I don't ride a motorbike because I know that bad luck can lead to unfavorable circumstances.

We weren't poor, we put in the perfect away performance. But then we missed easy chances and failed to kill the game in the final 15. Just like all of our other bad results this season. The fact we were actually really good tonight just makes our shortcomings all the more infuriating.

It's not just those occasions though. It's not only a matter of taking key chances that sets up the situation in the first place (poor finishing ability of strikers / lack of elite mentality to perform at most important moments), it's also a fact that the majority of our goals conceded occur in the final 15 minutes, and it's not just the games you reference. It absolutely is a worrying trend, and we have to get better at seeing games out. Maybe it comes down to an insistence on playing total football right to the last, when perhaps a dose of shithousing is in order when the pressure is on.

Yes, but even with the chances being missed, the likes of Man City slow the game down in those situations. Constant fouls, subs, knocking the ball out for throw-ins. Yes it's lucky that a double deflection ends up in the back of our net once again, but the ball has to end up on the edge of our box in the first place, which is always likely to happen without evasive action against a side pushing for an equalizer. Again, isn't it incredible how often we seem to fall foul of bad luck? It's not a coincidence.