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Reply | Palace ready to be picked off
at 08:47 8 Jun 2024
I was just thinking this as I got to your post. Increasingly, the big clubs have top quality right through the squad, and so the home grow contingent need to be as good as anything the club can buy in Europe.Playing to England is a good clue about quality (Kelvin Phillips excepted - I never understood the adulation for him from the press and football community). |
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Reply | English Stadiums visited
at 13:18 5 Jun 2024
Oops, 12, with 4 former grounds. I guess I am not a good traveller. |
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Reply | England
at 11:29 5 Jun 2024
Oh dear, my mate describes Malta as an armpit, and not as good as two. |
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Reply | Stu Armstrong
at 11:26 5 Jun 2024
He has been released by the club. That might be by agreement. The fact is, he has only been a bit part player this season, and behind Smallbone. Says it all. |
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Reply | The awful stink of Digital ID
at 07:31 4 Jun 2024
We regularly go to the theatre in Chichester, our friend, an OAP gets the tickets on her phone. Never once have the rest of us been stranded whilst she nips off for an old lady loo break.
Having said that, getting in and out is like taking part in a zombie migration, with zimmer frames, walking sticks and old biddies clinging to the stair rails.. If there is ever a fire, I’m climbing over the top of the lot of them. |
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Reply | England
at 07:19 4 Jun 2024
Same for me, Surprised to see it when I flicked through the channels. 1st half was a bit turgid so I went to bed at half time. I guess it wasn’t so bad for a team that hardly know each other. |
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Reply | The awful stink of Digital ID
at 16:19 3 Jun 2024
No issues at the theatres and cinemas where I have used digital tickets. A group of 4 processed n less than 10 seconds for example. So long as there is a turnstile for paper pushers, I don’t see why the majority cannot move through faster. |
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Reply | Danny Ings
at 20:03 30 May 2024
So the blinds were closed. |
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Reply | Reality v Russell
at 06:49 29 May 2024
Whilst not convinced that the possession based approach was the best way for us, it has proven to be the foundation of our success this season. Players being comfortable on the ball is a vital characteristic that we will need next season though.
Hoofing the ball out of defence is not a great approach, and though we resorted to it at the end of the game on Sunday, most PL teams would relish getting the ball handed over so easily. I am not sure the team have yet learned how to balance the risk of possession at the back.
I was struck at some of the similarities between the game on Sunday, and the one the day before. We saw Man U absorb pressure, close down spaces and prevent City from getting the time to make decisions and pass the ball how they like. Our defence, whilst keeping out Leeds by and large, were not challenged by Leeds so much as they seemed at a loss to find the right player in the final third.
Luckily, one of the few times we attacked quickly, Leeds defence was all over the place. Incidentally, Armstrong’s success this season is largely down to our players spotting his movement quicker. He has done that for the previous two season’s without being found often enough.
I agree that in the playoff games, we didn’t really show the possession based game that RM promotes as his way. But the benefit of the basics from that style helped us a lot.I don’t think you could really say we had a style for the playoffs. It all looked to be a lot more reactive, and for large parts of the game on Sunday, Leeds looked more in control and playing better passing football until the last third.
We face a challenging transfer window. Without Flynn Downes we have been pretty feeble in midfield. Even with him, or a suitable replacement, I don’t think we will be strong enough in midfield. Apart from Fraser, who we have yet to secure, we do not have a proven PL goal scorer for next season, and by PL standards, our attack looks incredibly light weight. Goals against this season sums up our defensive capabilities. Stephens, Manning and Bree shouldn’t really be in any PL squad.Perraud is streets ahead of them, but most on here seem not to rate him, but that just reflects worse on the players we have.
The reality is, despite computer predictions to the contrary, I think, sadly, we will be favourites to go down without a drastic squad overhaul. |
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Reply | So Russel did it
at 15:18 27 May 2024
The new W ham manager jumped out of Wolves because they could not provide funds for acquisitions. He may not be happy with the midfield he inherits, but the truth is, Flynn Downes is un likely to be the answer to any of his questions.
yes, it depends on who we buy. |
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Reply | So Russel did it
at 19:58 26 May 2024
A great day indeed. Now the hard graft begins, but in the meantime, a chance for the fans to relax and enjoy the summer. |
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Reply | Talking of Wembley
at 18:46 25 May 2024
True, he did well enough for the rest of the game vs Rashford and Garnacho down the middle, but for that goal he was rubbish. |
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Reply | Russell Martin Sunak
at 10:28 23 May 2024
A bit harsh to put Blair in the same sentence as Johnson and Truss.He made a huge mistake over Iran, but other than that, first of all unified the Labour Party, then the country. I say that, despite the fact that he and the can’t Brown pillaged my monthly wage packet.He still comes across as smug, but if you listen to what he says, he is usually right. |
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Reply | Sunday is NOT "a good day out"
at 10:17 23 May 2024
This, the risks of not getting promotion very heavily fall on the side of further decline, Nothing in the past few years suggests that we can develop talent from the academy that will take us into the PL. We have been scavenging in the academies and reserve teams of other clubs, the number of loanees shows that we don’t have the money to build up.
The turmoil at the top, especially the Director of Football role shows that we are in disarray, and cannot keep anyone as soon as a half attractive opportunity arises, they are off.
I have stated several times before, at my time of life, I am not interested in paying good money to watch a live game with second raters playing second rate teams (and losing) however exciting others may find it. I have changed, but that happens. |
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Reply | Southampton Have Double Striker Injury Worries Ahead Of Wembley Date
at 13:44 20 May 2024
I hope that both are fit enough to get a run out. Marvelous through Smallbone’s goal was, I won’t be putting any money on him scoring in the final. Armstrong, Adams and Fraser are our most likely scorers going on the season as a whole, though Fraser has been a bit out of things recently. When he came to us, he had a point to prove, but he seems to have slipped into the ‘nice to have’ category that he found himself in at Newcastle.
I wouldn’t be surprised if any goals we score come from a defender at free kicks. It will no doubt be a tight game. |
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Reply | Biggest game of the season
at 17:33 19 May 2024
It is great that we won, and we all should be celebrating and hoping for the final win of the season next week.
The mat ch stats tell a story though,
Shots, S 11, WB 8
On target, S4, WB 3
Off target, S4, WB 4
Blocked S3,WB 1
It was a lot closer in actuality than the passion and result leads us to believe. WB were poor in attack, yet could easily have matched our output. And their defence blocked 3 against our 1.
I really hope that we are successful and get to the PL, but I stand by my previous posts about this prospect, and this time next season, let’s see if you are so cocky calling out the doubters. |
| | Berber
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Site Scores| Forum Votes: | 115 | | Comment Votes: | 15 | | Prediction League: | 0 | | TOTAL: | 130 |
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