deep blue

I was impressed too - great team performance and some good individual ones too. The 2 fullbacks looked really good.. Then I read the comment above about the relative ages and that dulled my enthusiasm. Party pooper!

For myself, I'm partially in agreement with you that we were far from our free-flowing best, though the pitch may account for that to some extent. Where I thought we were magnificent was in the way we fought and fought to wrest control from them and played with that same determination right though the whole game. There are different ways of putting in a good football performance, and this was one of them. It was particularly pleasing in view of our collapse last season when we didn't show that same fighting spirit, and a hopeful sign for the rest of this season.

Thanks for the reply, and the info. Hope for his sake he makes a full recovery.

But then that leaves us without a left winger.

Bit unfair on Barnes.

That's a fair view and a good point. I guess my suggestion relies on the fact that since Justin is so adaptable it's not such a case of "square pegs in round holes" as it would be with most players. Justin seems to be able to quickly manoeuvre the hole into the shape that suits him. I certainly like the grit, competitiveness and drive that he could inject. Our midfield seems to lack those in some games.

Bit of a curve ball but, if Pereira comes back very quickly to full effectiveness, would it be possible for Justin to be pushed up to fill Praet's role? Yet another unfamiliar position, it's true, but his energy and combatitiveness lend themselves to our needs in this position, and he has been phenomenal in his adaptability and ability to learn quickly.

The Muzzie penalty at OT was probably the most blatant ever cheating by a ref in the Premier.

Muzzy, do you think there's any possibility that Edouard could have any lingering, long-term effects from COVID? If we want to buy him but have any doubts about his capability to develop sufficiently with us, I guess it would make sense to try for a low basic price but bulk up with add-ons.

"Makes zero sense." On the contrary, it makes perfect sense. Crowd-hugging is the scenario that this virus loves; ideal for multiple transmission.

I agree, As the national situation is getting more and more worrying, and the virus is beginning to infiltrate numerous football clubs, I think that it's approaching that moment when fixtures will have to be suspended. Hope not. As you say, this tie in particular looks intriguing.

Last throw of the powers-that-be to stop a "low coefficient club" winning the title?

I guess that's why Pearson didn't own up to the author of the plan. There might have been resentment from a few, which he couldn't afford as he needed everyone to buy into it 100%.

Agree with that, if he is as hard a player as people on here think. Someone with that profile may have been just what we needed to stiffen our resolve in the second half of last season.

Look to 2014-5 when we held up the table for so long but then produced our great escape. Our great team spirit, giving our all, and never-say-die spirit were key elements in that escape, so looks like you have the right ingredients for it. I hope our lads can help in pushing you up the league.