filbertway

First half I thought we made a team we are far superior to look at least our equals if not better. Had it not been for a crazy challenge we'd have struggled to register a shot on goal in that first half. I'm more talking about how we look in the game as opposed to them dominating at the end with us having 10 men. We've not really been tested too much in this regard so it's a really small sample size to work from. I'm just yet to see us look commanding when the pressure it on and the opposition are fired up. Even at our gaff Cov we're much the superior team for 75 minutes of that game. The Southampton away is probably our most impressive, but this is at a time where they were absolutely honking and taking a fair few beatings.

I think most other days, we go onto win that game if we create the same chances but the finishing is different. The main downside of losing is that there's a very real chance we could now record back to back losses. Based on some of the mad reaction to a good performance that resulted in a loss, I can't imagine the amount of pant wetting that will go on if we look less impressive and lose again We need to be fired up on Friday. However, like you say, we have one style and it's not the type of style that lends itself to benefitting all that much being fired up. Mentally we're kind of on the back foot in that regard as we're being kept in check tactically. If the other team is more up for it, regardless of how up for it we are, they'll have more freedom to take advantage of that extra adrenaline and boost they'll get from the crowd. Whereas it'll probably just increase our anxiety as we robotically try to stick to our method, especially if something goes wrong in the first 10-15 minutes.

Based on how we wilted at Cov, I don't hold out much hope at a fired up Elland road against a team that must be in supreme confidence. Not to say I don't think we can pick up a win or draw (in fact we really should be capable of it). Next season we'll be looking at this as one of our most winnable games if we both go up. So far though, most of the evidence we have is that the team doesn't respond well to genuine pressure from decent teams. Either from the stands or on the pitch. That being said, I don't think it alters the fact we're going to win the league. Unless we lose about 4/5 players to long term injury, we're just literally too good for most teams in this league.

If you watch it, their player doesn't even know Justin is there and I'm not sure if Justin knows where there guy is, he's just stepped across their players path in an attempt to play the guy in the middle offside. It's just a coming together and unfortunately for Justin he's come out of laying on the floor. Me and @Dahnsouff are in agreement, it's a rare day In watching it back, I also noted Vesty desperately trying to step up after being so deep and in doing so, letting their man run clean through with no way of catching him was the kind of stuff I expect to see routinely happening next year if we decide to retain his services.

Wouldn't be shocked to see a baggies win tonight considering Southampton have shipped 6 in their last 2. Martin's following the Rodgers playbook to a tee.

It's annoying that we have to wait for a manager with an elite mentality to move the club forwards, that's what our DOF should be doing. Every time it's a coinflip hoping the gaffer can do the job of the DOF.

It was really poor by Blackwell, he's lucky he didn't get the Pearson/Stringer treatment.

Poor us having to play with 3 internationals and a guy with 20 goal contributions. It really is unfair :p

"Barely professional football" is what got me confused

Sorry yeah I was working on the assumption we will be going up

On paper he has the tools to be an effective 8, do wonder if Enzo will have a chat with him and see if they think that Soumare has the determination/desire to actually give it a go and not spend half the game jogging aimlessly.

We have an obligation to buy with Fatawu, huge difference to the deal at the end being optional. Agree though, it does seem like FFP may actually do some good and start to see the mad transfer fees and salaries that players recieve begin to drop as clubs have to start cutting their cloth accordingly. Maybe we can get to a point where clubs can charge fair prices to attend matches as well.

Well he was taking the pay cut regardless to be fair.

I feel the pain. Just be thankful you've had a season off of having to read "spuds" and "florist"

I appreciate the man for staying with us, he shouldn't be anywhere near this league though. Fair play to Enzo as well, he's managed to get basically a full season out of Ricky and Justin, which we've not seen for a good couple of years.

Ashworth is one of the best around and the standard that Rudkin should be measured against. While he's still picking up latte's for Top and taking up 1 salary for 4 jobs though, we don't need to worry about him being anything close to elite. It actually looks like Racliffe has a brain, this could actually be a turning point if someone with an iota of footballing intelligence is allowed to play with their resources.

Haha I remember when he came in that first 6-12 months he created and got on the end of so many chances and it was as if he thought that the aim of the game was to hit the keeper rather than the massive space either side. When that finishing improved though, my god what a player. It's a shame we never got to see him in a team with a genuine right winger playing at the same time.

In a much better team his output is similar to what Harvey's was for WBA when he was 19/20 (9 goals and 7 assists in 26 league games). Mav has 10 goals and 4 assists in 32. I think people are getting massively carried away and forgetting the gulf in class between the two divisions. Not to say Mavididi can't be effective and have a role in the team, his pace and trickery will always be an asset and I don't see that being any different in the Prem. Fairly confident we'll hear much more complaints of wastefulness next season. The one edge Mav has over Harvey is that he can create something out of nothing. Barnes always struggled beating a man, especially from a standing start. I think Barnes is the better all round footballer though (although maybe not since his knees turned to match sticks)

I did, it was a decent performance by a team that is much superior to the opposition. Nowhere near our best half of football. Fair play if Strider reckons it was the best example of us putting the tactics into play. I dno, I'll be interested to see if people are still giving each other soapy tit wanks and high fives for loving being robotic and creating little excitement when we're facing better teams. 3-0 losses will be rated in our top 10 performances as Harry Winks and Vesty touch the ball a combined 500 times. The hyperbole is what annoys me to be honest (I realise I used it just now :D) , people going well overboard. It was a solid performance against a team we're better than. Best half of the season is a wild statement.

Eh?

The Brendan Rodgers tribute act warming up for his last act of the season, the complete and utter drop off of form and bottling.

I actually disliked him at first and then the more I watched his stuff the more I rated him. Like you say, his audience work is entertaining. Comedy is pretty subjective though, so I think as long as they're doing well for themselves then they must be doing something right.

Best half of football in ages resulted in 6 shots at home to Wednesday? I genuinely feel like I'm a reporter in Jonestown we're definitely at cult ideology levels here.

Also, a yellow and a blue card would result in a red card anyway, so it doesn't really solve that problem You're right though, one of the main issues with refs is that they don't apply the laws of the game consistently in the same game. They think they're orchestrators. The amount of times you see yellow card fouls in a first half and then absolutely nonsense yellows given in the 2nd half is awful. It's literally cheating, but they get applauded by commentators for "managing the game well"

We nearly scored by countering our own style of football. This game is getting meta