Matt

Another one for the bloopers reel. Why do they do it. Funny as ****. Carry on.

I see Evans hasn't changed causing problems for his own team from playing out.

I made a big thing of a siege mentality built at Everton due to the -10, since they've restored parity despite the -10 has the siege mentality been lost and complacency crept back in, would expect that from a Sean Dyche side though. Very impressed with Wolves.

Another great win, another 2 great goals. The 1st goal made even better due to Cardiff playing out and getting caught - Oh I do love to see it (except when its us) - Years ago they'd be on bloopers reels on Christmas DVD's, now teams are lauded for 'trying'. Great scenes on and off the pitch at the end again.

Oh I do love it when a team ****s up and concede from pissing about and playing out (Aslong as its not us). Serves them right! Get in!! Now, follow it up!

Found quite a refreshing and fascinating (To me) article which articulately says how I feel about the game overall. For the record, I reiterate (again), I'm actually enjoying how we're playing this season in general, firstly because I understand and agree with the theory behind it - in this league, secondly because it's actually working, anyone who is saying this style works unequivocally needs to look back at our previous 2 seasons and thirdly imo it's not pure, rigid, possession based football but if/when we go up, I fear for us and I don't think it'll work, no-one is going to be coming up against Leicester in the PL scared and there will be no excuse or reason to play like it - time will tell and it's not to worry about, yet. Anyway, to the article - We/Enzo get's a mention in the final paragraph: In football’s third age, old certainties have melted away and nothing is as it seems | Football tactics | The Guardian @StriderHiryu

Was just going to ask the same question myself! I have a feeling it’s not they certainly haven’t advertised about the red button but if anyone can confirm either way?

From what I saw it was fuller than i've seen in a long time, still lots and lots of empty seats though. Bit like our place after 85 minutes in fairness.

Meh, take it on the chin. 1 controversy every few games (if that) or several controversies in most games Would/Should have been game over if we'd had some attacking impetus and gone for the jugular.

I'm a Nacho fan but the more we see of him the less I can stick up for him.

Basically this is one of my main grips of playing out from the back, if/when you lose possession it's right on top of you, you're in the shit and you're likely to concede. Whereas if you're a little more expansive, forward, positive, and you do lose possession it's generally higher up the pitch, atleast you've got time to put things right. It's supposed to get easier when scoring 1st and/or we take the lead, it seems we made it harder for ourselves. As you say, the alternative isn't hoofing but there are other option and alternatives. Especially in the dying stages of a match with only a 1 goal lead, there's a time and a place, the situation we found ourselves in was far from controlling the game. Play the percentages.

Jonny Evans has now made the same amount of appearances for Man Utd this season as he did for Leicester City last season.

Jonny Evans has now made the same amount of appearances for Man Utd this season as he did for Leicester City last season.

Being incredible critical (More playing devils advocate) even by my standard but personally i'd have rested players for the Rotherham game rather than the Ipswich game, I questioned it at the time on Saturday in order to play a stronger team last night, hindsight suggests that was the way to go. I'm ruing last nights substitutions aswell. That said, I understand had we not beat Rotherham people would have been going even more crazy, with Ipswich losing on Saturday it was imperative we won and it was more of a case of not losing last night - I think last night team would have beat Rotherham though. Now, I know people are gonna say we "shouldn't look at the PL" ahead of actually getting there but style still concerns me if we carry on as we are next season, we are going to get battered, I can't stress enough that I get it this season, in the here and now and dare I say it, quite enjoy it - because I can understand why we're doing it. Next season however no-ones coming up against us being scared of us, threatened by us, putting players behind the ball, allow us to make the mistakes we're making this season and we'll most certainly concede late on as habit. I'll probably get pelters for all of that and as I said i'm being critical even by my standards - but I don't even mean it in the case of slagging it all off because I see these bad things in hope lessons will be learnt and as we've seen following the losses this season or following international breaks we've always came back better and stronger, learning.

Portman Road sounded awful last night on TV (arguably worse than anything at Filbert Way this season) - on their part, generally all you could hear was Leicester. Old ground, Boxing Day, no excuses, should have been rocking and a fortress for Ipswich. I appreciate its TV mics picking stuff up at pitch level but when you can hear the players shouting you know it’s a poor atmosphere.

Hard to say I’m disappointed by him because he’s hardly played. Its incredibly harsh that he hasn’t played much, when he signed I was genuinely buzzing, thought he’d be an important player and go straight in as captain and unfortunately for him if it wasn’t for the first injury of his career when joining us he’d have probably started the season for us and he’d be a mainstay. When he has played I’ve not been blown away by him as I expected, that’s probably more down to lack of opportunities. I can imagine he does a lot of important work of the field keeping to team tight and great for morale.

Annoying it ended in a draw but probably would have took that before the game. Thought we were ok in the first half, second was a drag, pretty poor - however during the second half I was fully committed to coming on here after the game and saying I never felt worried we’d concede or not win. How wrong I was, complacency by myself and the same can be said of those who can do something about it, the players and management. I questioned team selection on Saturday saying I’d have made the changes for that game in order to play a stronger team last night - hindsight says that would have been the way to go. I’m also ruing substitutions last night. But we use last night to learn as we did with our losses so far this season and the international breaks where we’ve always come back better and stronger.

Birmingham 0-2 Stoke. 35 minutes gone. I've heard Birmingham say on a few occasions that Rooney is a long term project but he can't have long left surely.

Hmmm I mean, they started selling out last season during/ahead of the playoffs last season but before that the last time I heard of them genuinely selling out and the stadium actually being full was Chelsea, in the FA Cup, 2009, 14 years ago. Bias aside, their away following is top notch and fair play to them, but home is diabolical, people actually turning up they struggle to get over 21,000, general sale or not, local derby or not. They're here, they're there, they're everyfuckingwhere, empty seats, empty seats.

I, like many predicted Wolves to struggle after the goings on during the summer, it was a carbon copy of what went on with us the previous summer. Their previous manager didn't want to be there and credit to him walked away, and credit to O'Neil making them resolute and dare I say it build a siege mentality, unlike what we were last season.

God awful defending - playing out from the back and attacking in one passage of play right there, all from the best league in the world.

Didn't think there was quite the mass exodus on 85 we have been seeing....then we hit 90 and people left in their droves.

I've not used the boring word much this season, if at all? First half I found quite a struggle and boring, wouldn't say it was due to Rotherham being overly defensive, negative or putting men behind the ball either because I don't think they did, it was simply just a boring game, a nothing game, abit meh. Second half we came out quick as we do as blew them away. Good stuff! Onto Boxing Day and a 6 point gap hopefully becomes 9. Enjoy Christmas everybody!

EFL says referees have got 85% of key decisions correct in the Championship this season. I'd like the stat on referees/VAR in the Premier League, I imagine it's lower and more controversial. I think we can all accept mistakes, but when they're using technology to limit mistakes and it causes more mistakes and more controversy that's unacceptable.

Might be going off subject here, i'm not sure. I have an overseas visitor coming next year and it coincides with a game, they've always said they'd like to come to a game so it ties in quite nicely. I've just had an email saying I can buy up to two ticket for friends and family for the Rotherham game (This isn't the game but it got me thinking and looking into it) -As a STH I can buy guest tickets can I not? -Am I right in thinking I'll need to set up an account in order to buy an additional ticket for them? I mean atleast i'm not expected to payout for a membership for them but even so, it's still a faff and abit pointless isn't it considering they'll likely never come to another game.