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In some ways it’s quite a similar sport to football

Assuming you've only got two legs that's pretty unlucky.

Really poor post. Not least because we were comfortably winning with him in the team, and we conceded more chances once he went off.

I think we'll finish 5th, which seems extraordinary

😁

This all over. Good for Burnley for going straight back up and I hope they throw some of those comments back in the faces of those 'fans' next season. If you want an example of a team who 'takes up a space for someone else', it's Everton.

There's players I don't particularly rate or like but pretty much posting that you're pleased that someone's injured so they can't play is a bit off. Alcohol-induced or are you just generally unpleasant?

I don't rate Hanley, but this is rubbish. We were winning comfortably before he went off and our most frail time was after he had gone off - admittedly late in the game when Gibson was off too. To suggest this comfortable win is anything to do with Hanley going off is letting your own bias overrule sense.

I know that it is not a popular view, though I actually like Sorenson at Centre back. I am minded of - and I appreciate that I am reaching - Mascherano playing at Barcelona having been moved from midfield. I love this kind of move as a coach as it allows for excellent fluidity and options elsewhere on the pitch* You in effect combine your Centre back with your CDM, add a gentle sprinkling of libero and even some lateral coverage. Very much like Sorenson in a squad sense (utility covering many positions), you end up with the same conceptual idea actually in the team. Of course 2D football can present it with a challenge, though I also really like Omobamidele and think that this is his chance to step forward considerably. Not in a playing sense, but in an authoritative, leadership sense. It is what his game needs anyway. Necessity is the mother of invention and all that…. Parma

A few weeks ago he was being labelled as a terrible signing and L1 standard. Now people are worried about him. Weird.

Onel well worth a new contract. At his best he can compete in a top 2 team because he literally did that for us under Farke in his first promotion season. Since then, his end product has improved. I don't see him anywhere near a nailed on starter next season but he is incredibly effective at dragging us up the pitch which is both a defensive and offensive bonus.

3-1 83 mins A little bit excited...

Hesperange won 2-1! All eyes on Braga...

Not too many did when he was here I seem to recall. Popular .... Yes. Rated .... Not really. Having said that I would be less fearful of our defense having to face Adam Idah on Monday than I would of them having to contend with Jordan Hugill at his boisterous best..

…just to add - and particularly if the opposition is only playing one up - any kind of full press typically leaves certain players favorites to ‘have’ the ball. These would typically be a Centre back - considered ‘unthreatening’ structurally to the opposition coach-team, even with time on the ball - it would be brave, but seeing Sorenson ‘step beyond’ with the ball into the area between our defensive line and our midfield, with time to pick diagonal passes, progressive vertical passes et al would be a nice repeatable tactical plus for us. It would take a week or two for opposition teams to see that they can’t allow this. Weaponish. Parma

They should just concentrate on positive messages and what THEY are going to do. Not do what the Tories and whatever Saatchi (et al) have done before. Politics is becoming more 'fighting fire with fire' nowadays. I expect they've been advised that it works. That you have to hammer people over the heads. Those that don't watch the news. Some people don't connect governments with what's around them. I mean, with sewage pouring into the rivers and seas (and all those Tory MPs who voted for water companies), that should be enough alone. But what do I really know. I'm with Benchwarmer, my vote will go with my conscience (and that will be green in my case). Not that I don't hope that if Labour get in they will reverse a lot of what the current lot have done. I will be quietly willing them on. Still would like to know more about Labour's policies.

In terms of 'Norwich City', sure, he is one of the question marks in the 'refresh the squad argument'. It says a lot that Teemu and Krul followed the stretcher down the tunnel, you feel like their era of Norwich is drawing to a close. My remorse is more for the player himself. Let's say it is 6 months recovery, missing pre-season- probably not ready to play until November/ December when he will be 32. One of his biggest assets is that surprising pace, which would naturally start diminishing by that age and most likely be exacerbated by the injury. TLDR, I don't think he will be the same player. We would have no choice but to recruit a player capable of starting (whichever league we are in) so he could/would/should effectively be 4th choice by the time he's available again. In terms of Scotland, there are already younger players circling, so he's probably missing out there too. If this injury is serious, I think the next time he's properly playing will be for Hibs or someone similar for the last year or two of his career. Quite sad as endings go.

Always supported him. The hatred against him was bizzare.

About twenty different angles of Sara's finish? Yes please.

You'll probably be right. But the one cause for optimism is that weirdly the injuries take a bit of pressure off the players who are still fit. We're almost underdogs for the first time this season. I'm actually looking forward to it - and I won't be too disappointed if we miss out: hopefully we'll at least see some sparks of hope for next season.

The reminded me of an odd stat. Statistically the average person has less than 2 legs.

You've got until Monday at 3pm to enjoy the idea

Not true. The current ban was imposed by the EFL because their accounts were late. Not only will this ban not apply in the Premier League because it's an EFL sanction, the ban will be overturned anyway once the accounts are filed.

We could rise again!

Another factor is that it is also relatively to other teams performance. This is perhaps one of the weakest leagues for many years and all the teams above us, with the exception of Burnley have not impressed this season. If there is one team who has been playing at less than the sum of its parts then that team is us. If one team has the potential to overcome the nerves of a run in for one of the playoff places then surely we can stake a claim as the team with the experience of been there and got the t-shirt. Our problem has been inconsistency. We just don't know what team will turn up.

Well done Burnley, fully deserved and Kompany + Bellers have been a revelation there! Be very interested to see that style moulded for the PL ...... However, the comments on book of faces from PL... Sorry "football fans" just cements why I hate the PL - 99% of the comments are "they'll go straight back down - what do they bring to the premier league - another team who take up a space for someone else" ... It isn't just us that gets this thrown at them - it's anyone who has the audacity to actually go back up after being relegated - because as we all know, unless you support a top 6 elite or moneybags fashionable club then your not really wanted at the top table 🙄

Should I list all the wins he's been involved in? The main difference is playing 3 midfielders but really you knew that, if you were watching.

Or Nunez... however, I do like your approach so I will do the same to the list as of Alex Neil's sacking too. Key to this is also that Webber didn't arrive until April 2017. So if we are talking about the squad he inherited the following needs to be taken into account: 1 - John Ruddy2 - Steven Whittaker3 - Martin Olsson Sold in Jan 2017 so gone before Webber arrived. 4 - Graham Dorrans5 - Russell Martin6 - Sebastien Bassong 12 appearances all season, sadly by the time he left, not many were gutted. Had long since played his best game for us. Zimmermann was a vast improvement. 7 - Steven Naismith8 - Jonny Howson10 - Cameron Jerome11 - Matt Jarvis 12 - Robbie Brady Sold in January 2017 so before Webber arrived.13 - Paul Jones 3rd choice paperweight, considering we have our then 2nd choice as our now 3rd choice too. 14 - Wes Hoolahan15 - Timm Klose17 - Sergi Canos Sold in January 2017 so before Webber arrived.18 - Youssouf Mulumbu great defensive midfielder if defensive = wet, soggy, trodden on paper bag.19 - Kyle Lafferty 20 - Tony Andreu loaned out, hardly played for us.21 - Alex Pritchard22 - Jacob Murphy23 - Harry Toffolo Barely ever played a game for us and loaned to S****horpe for the 2016-17 season. 24 - Ryan Bennett25 - Ivo Pinto26 - Michael Turner Old, a bit crocked and out of the side. Made no appearances in the 16-17 season in the league.27 - Alex Tettey28 - James Maddison Worth noting that whilst he was a good player, he made his only league appearances for us that season under Irvine, 3 sub appearances for a total of around 30mins. 30 - Carlton Morris No appearances all season likely injury.31 - Josh Murphy32 - Vadis Odjidja Ofoe Sold in August 2016 so gone before Webber arrived.33 - Michael McGovern34 - Louis Thompson 6 appearances including sub appearances, 3 in the league, 3 in the cup, otherwise struggled with injury. No Wildschut on the list here? On that basis: 1-GK: Gunn/Krul/McGovern Vs Ruddy/McGovern/Jones We are miles better now. Three international keepers Vs McGovern. Now. 2-RB: Aarons/Byram Vs Whittaker/Pinto Byram's injuries probably edges Whittaker and Pinto, though I think Aarons is better than both as is a fully fit Byram. Whittaker was better with crossing, I think Aarons still has the edge on him. Pinto was quick, but less able with the ball IMHO. Then. 3-CB: Hanley/Gibson/Omobamidele Vs Bassong/Martin/Bennett/Klose See, for me, at this point in their careers, I would say Bennett would have been the pick of the bunch. Bassong was making more mistakes than a Liz Truss cabinet and Martin didn't adapt as well to CB as was hoped, this forum was rife with people saying it. Plus the addition of Klose who makes it 4 Vs 3. Had you asked this a season or two ago with Zimmermann in form - I would say we had a better defence. Zimbo, for me, has probably been our best all round defender prior to the Haller tackle in the last 10-15yrs. Draw. 4-LB: Giannoulis/McCallum Vs ? There wasn't a senior left back at the club remaining by April 2017. So really easy straight up win here. Not to mention you can add that we have had Lewis in between as well. Now. 5-CM: Sara/Nunes/McLean/Gibbs/Sorensen Vs Howson/Dorrans/Tettey So, Howson is the standout, Tettey a great servant and solid at what he did. That said, for me, the best all round Tettey we ever saw was actually under Farke. His passing improved no end and he wasn't the weak leak in that regard, that we had seen exposed in the premier league. Dorrans was meh, nothing special. No better than McLean IMHO. We have more potential now too. Gibbs, Sara, Nunes all have age and potential on their side, less so Sorensen but still younger than the three they have replaced. Howson, pick of the bunch but I think we are better now just because I feel we have better technically gifted players than Dorrans and Tettey - though lacking in a physical DM. Now. 6-AM/Wing: Hernandez/Rowe/Tzolis Vs Wildschut/Pritchard/Jo Murphy/Ja Murphy/Hoolahan Hoolahan is a club legend, and I would probably say Pritchard of that time edges Hernandez and our other options now. That said, Wes' shine was on the wane. He gave us another fantastic season, one that was heavily influential on Maddison according to the man himself. Not sure I would take the Murphy's or Wildschut above Hernandez or the Rowe we saw last season. If you add Rashica and Marguinhos to the equation it's close. Definitely better depth now. And again, if comparing players in those snapshots - now and players here April 2017 I think you have to say only Pritchard represents a player that was going to be a regular going forward. Edge to then. Then. 7-STR: Pukki/Sargent/Idah Vs Jerome/Oliveira/Naismith/Lafferty Really easy one for me. Jerome is the only one you would take really, of those from April 2017. That said, Jerome did not want to stay - and again, from his own mouth, he said he didn't want to stay. So whilst still with us, he wanted to leave. Naismith was one of the main reasons we had to sell the likes of the Murphy's. Pukki absolutely smashes all of them out of the park. Sargent has scored more goals this season as a 22-23yr old than Naismith who was infinitely more experienced at that point. He also has a better temperament than Oliveira. I'd take Idah over Lafferty too. So now. Now. 7 areas. Nows: 4, Draws: 1, Then: 2. Better now.

Thought I'd have a look to see how our boy is getting on. It's a bit like Huddersfield v Preston with all the fancy stuff taken out.

Amazing stuff! Well done lyb you super star ⭐ I'll update the honours board when I get home 💪⚽💪🏿

Yes it's an ACCA and you're doing great. Hesperange lead 2-1 65 mins

No. Give him until half-time at least 😉

Because he's not off in a distant land and could be lauded as another Gem plucked out of nowhere 😉

HT 1-1 PUPpower for the second half...

I know what you mean, but I just don't think we should be adjusting our team to cope with Rotherham at home If we pick a balanced team with a proper midfield we should be able to control possession and starve Hugill of chances while creating plenty of our own We should be backing ourselves to win comfortably

I completely agree - have been saying this for a while. Plus Sorenson is seemingly comfortable playing left side centre back which Omo seems less happy about. People seem concerned that he isn't a traditional 6'3" stopper but it didn't do Baresi or Moore any harm and I see his composed, almost detached air a potential plus in that position, particularly alongside Omo's more traditional physicality. My only concern would be that it would leave a relatively young and relatively quiet paring so Gibson is still a miss for me in the short term.

My brief flirtation with non-league as a teenage centre back ended with a dislocated knee. Entirely my own fault as I tried to do a quick turn on the ball which really wasn't in my skill set and evidently surprised my left leg which resolutely refused to comply with the rest of my body and stayed where it was. Still played University 1XI but that was it in terms of any pretence at anything more. Turning circle of an oil tanker after that.

Who is this Hayden bloke anyway?

Did one of mine around 6 years ago, was in a leg brace for 6 months and then another 3 months rehab after that. Very depressing time indeed, ended my 'Sunday' football for good as Drs said if I continued I'd do the other one within a year or two and I couldn't face 9 more months of recovery.

Proof of what we knew at the time, Minford is a **.

Totally. If you want a further irony, imagine Isaac Hayden coming in and delivering some heroic performances at centre-half, thereby securing promotion and triggering his permanent signing...

Thank God it's not like that now......

The trouble is last time we decided to send him out on loan and get someone better in we spent millions and millions and ended up getting him back because the players we bought in were not as good.

5 assists and 1 goal under wagner

Funny how we see things differently, I had Hernandez alongside Gibbs and Sara as our better performers. Agree about Marquinhos though.

Will it though? I'm not disagreeing with the concept here, but take a look at things. Hanley, and McLean are two of the ever-present players that have been involved in both relegations. Gibson is arguably the player who came out of last season with the biggest "hit" having been exposed to both pace and not being quite good enough in general for that level. The others that have been around and played through both relegations are Pukki and Krul. The former now playing to form what will be his legacy at this club. If today is anything to go by, he is wanting to go off on a high - so you can probably discount him. Goalkeepers are also a little different, I they can only impact the game so much and have to be able to handle defeat, possibly better than any other position. Then it's Aarons and Hernandez. The former has aspirations of playing at a higher level and is still only 23. Hernandez wasn't part of last season and at least appears to be one of those rare kinds of people who not only is a glass half full, but a my glass is never empty positivity types. Boundless enthusiasm - like others have noted at times, in a similar way to Tettey. Evergreen optimism. The rest are best described as young and hungry players. So with potentially three of those longer in the tooth players who's subconscious is probably telling them this is the best they'll ever be or whatever, could we actually be in a better position mentally? Could this be a sort of "happy little accident", as Bob Ross would tell us? Having players who have been wanting just this sort of opportunity? Omobamidele, Sorensen? Sargent essentially knows that if he smashes the remaining games he gets to not only stake his chance to be our leading striker next season, he has a shot of making that claim in the premier league - the one hurdle ahead of him, Pukki, is leaving. Strange things happen in team sports. Sometimes, like today, losing those experienced players is like an old tree in the middle of a forest, being felled by a strong storm. The space left enabling a younger tree to burst into the break in the canopy to take up the space the light is now hitting. Proof is always in the pudding, but we could actually be in a prime position for Wagner working some psychological magic now we could well be in backs against the wall situation with more young and hungry players than old and jaded ones.

If I'm not mistaken, our points per game record has been better with McLean in the team than without him in every season that he's been here (including this one).

Didn't know he was captain there, really pleased for the lad. He had a really good pre-season and I could never understand why Smith didn't give him more of a chance based on what we saw. Have no regrets on him leaving however, it was clear he wasn't going to get gametime here so good for him. I'll save my regrets for Monday!

Definitely more spaced out now

Aston Villa