Aleksz

I meant in terms of tactical style but you’re right, 100%.

Muscat is actually the polar opposite as a manager to what he was as a player in terms of philosophy surprisingly.

I’m not quite at “Marti out” point yet, but even as a possession football advocate I think our next appointment has to be to go and find Pearson 2.0. Robins would be a good shout, Challoner at Stockport is the another that comes to mind.

To be honest I’d reserve judgement, even if the team is leaked it’s never normally this early. I’ve never been sent the team more than an hour or two before it’s announced.

The work permit is what I was alluding to - but to be honest I don’t think he’d be even warming up with the keepers before a game if that was the case. It’s all very bizarre.

You’d of thought so, but like I mentioned in another thread this week it seems the club aren’t getting asked the more “juicy” questions in pressers at the minute.

Just seen him in a social media post, Seriously what is the craic with this guy? Bloke was playing football in the conference league last season but isn’t even displacing Begovic on the bench. Didn’t know much about him, but I’d of thought we were signing a top end second division keeper at least, it’s not an aging third choice type signing (like Begovic). Answer to my own question would be that Marti didn’t want him presumably? Wouldn’t put it past this club that we don’t have appropriate paperwork, bizarre.

Why, every man and their dog on here has wanted a three at the back?

Don’t want to make it sound like there’s always something to moan about and they’re damned if they do/if they don’t, but if true it’s fantastic that we’ve finally decided to throw him in against one of the top 2 teams in the league and not the “easier run” of games we’ve been on. couldn’t write it.

Page is/was first choice for that group in the summer at the Euros in a midfield pairing with Fulham’s Seth Ridgeon who is also a cracking player. I’m sure Evans will play a bit part having not been part of the group - but they do like to rotate at youth level so maybe he’ll start the second game against Haiti.

Says so much about our squad that I’m looking forward to watching Page and Evans pull on an England shirt more than our own game tomorrow

I'm at a point where I'd like the wingers to occupy the front three too. They can all interchange as they please, PSG esque. Can sit here and say none of them are strikers, but I think we'd all argue our actual ones aren't either at this point.

Credit to the lad as he's great, but isn't it hilarious (on the club) that we've got a Spanish speaking account providing more academy news coverage than our own official channels do. Farce.

I’ve noticed this quite generally at the minute - Radio Leicester's sound bites are nowhere near as “juicy” this season. I wonder if the club really has the local media under the thumb at the moment.

Not sure I buy a contract dispute theory, it’s a bit early for there to be a stand off around a contract considering he had two years left on a deal last summer when it started. I just think he has 3 senior well paid CBs ahead of him in the pecking order and they don’t have the balls to a) drop them and b) take a chance on Nelson. Which is ridiculous at this point.

Today probably, pretty bleak. Beaten by a poor Blackburn side, with total silence in the ground at times other than being outsung by 800 Blackburn fans. Players putting in zero effort or desire. Absolutely nothing to bring off the bench to change the game. Thousands of empty faded blue seats by the 85th minute and total (deserved) toxicity at the full time whistle where the players genuinely looked shocked. Today was a bit of a landmark.

We don't have a wing back to our name that isn’t made out of corn flakes and/or is athletic enough cover enough ground, how is a back three possibly a solution Edit: Barring Aluko who can’t get a sniff

Great post.

Agreed on the face of it, but the alternatives are even worse, and he’s not realistically going to play all the kids we want him to is he.

I can’t bring myself to want him gone simply because this group are hanging him completely out to dry and will do the same with the next one.

How’d you sort this out mate? Also, for the OP, I also deleted mine before the first game of the season, only way to rectify it was to go to the ticket office, super quick process for them to sort but still a ballache.

Cheers for this as you’ve made me check and mine hasn’t updated either.

Great cop out for Marti over the next few weeks now Page and Evans are in Qatar. Not that it would have made much difference anyway.

Not 100% sure, think England might have qualified by being the 5th best performing team at the U17 Euros in the summer. That’s usually the format in qualifying for the U20 WC (After an U19 Euros) and the Olympics (After an U21 Euros). PS. Read an article on Uzbekistan recently, they’re pumping a load of their oil money into their youth infrastructure now, expect them to upset the apple cart a bit more often!

I just think the FA is very particular about keeping groups of players together and typically prioritise players that have come through the age groups - realistically Lorenz Hutchinson should be in whatever age group he's part of based on form - but because he's never been in a youth squad he's up against it. This is why it was huge for Aluko to break in having not had that experience. This is this years U17 group, the team going to the World Cup is essentially an U18 year group but named is U17 because of its qualification process of last season.