birchfest

Hmmm seems like this might be one we’ve asked about but the wages/player wanting to come here might be the issue. You never know, but it suggests to me that there are 2/3 players in the mix and we are keeping options open so as not to be left with no one in that position. Would be very exciting, but wonder if this might be one where the media are finding out after the fact.

Could see him going to Swansea to be honest, thar would be a good fit

I wonder if Hernandez is about to have a championship loan sorted, hence why he didn’t make the bench like Hugill. He needs to be playing football too, and if he’s 3rd or 4th in line then it’s a stretch to see him involved. It’s strange because I think if he hadn’t have had the injury issues last year, I think it’s likely he would have been involved and so more in the frame for this season.

Still extremely early days, but when ever we’ve seen hype trains derailed normally you can go back and look at the performances in hindsight and see where a degree of luck has helped them pulled together a good flash in the pan moment before being found out. Whilst I’m not ready to claim he’s this or that, I would suggest having watched him live and then the highlights we have someone with a lot of potential. For me the assist for the Rupp goal actually being the most telling; it was a one touch pass to lay it on a plate for Rupp. You could argue his first goal had a bit of fortune, but Rhea first assist and movement suggested we could see him become a really important player for us. That said, he still comes on in the 60th for me, especially if we are still at 0-0, the buzz it would create in the stadium and giving him a chance to run at tired defenders could be the perfect introduction to league football.

Back from the match, a cracking night apart from the behaviour of the gang of 15 year olds in the lower Barclay, likely there rather than sat with their mum and dad in south stand like they probably normally do on match days, truly embarrassing… fairly certain ‘you wot, you wot’ isn’t a normal match day chant from the lower Barclay, one particularly unpleasant sexist chant being utter gutter worthy. Won’t bother on cup games in the future, like being stood amongst a high school trip out. Anyway, that aside, a great performance against a very lacklustre Bournemouth. Sure they weren’t very good, but it was still up to us to do our bit and I thought there were stand out players across the pitch. Sargent and Tzolis stole the show, however McClean, Zimmerman, Dowel, Mumba and Williams all did really well for me. We needed a response after Saturday and that should give everyone a lift before Saturday! 6-0 but I’d take a scrappy nasty 1-0 against the foxes.

Thought he was fantastic, worked really hard and his close control was good. Looks capable of scoring ‘ugly’ goals because he’s willing to get into the box and throw himself on the end of things. 21 and with Farke should get better, a potentially great bit of business.

Some interesting questions now for Farke ahead of Saturday, a great problem to have. But as others have said, there are some big players to be blended with that lot and I’d fancy a mix might end up being the perfect combination.

How long till your breakfast show starts on talksport Fred?

I think I’d also add that yesterday’s 11 and formation will likely be different by mid September with everyone fit. No reason not to expect some new/out of the starting 11 players to start to push for starts. In Dowel, Tzolis, Sargent, McLean and Sorrenson we have players who could come in and shine potentially. Add s Williams and any additional signings and hopefully we have enough competition for the cream to rise to the top from who we have available.

Whilst I agree in a way, it’s getting spanked by a Villa or Southampton that would make me feel more like this. It’s going to be revealing to see how other sides get on against Liverpool and City, they both might end up going unbeaten for the majority of this season and losing by 4/5 is a fair standard score line for everyone not in the top six. I mean look at Leeds for example, pumped 5-1 on the first day of the season and lucky to not have lost by more.

Right, yesterday wasn’t pretty and I’m not going to try to spin a positive off that, I’m not even going to hide behind the gulf in money and class. We stunk the place out. HOWEVER, come on guys this place has descended into the sort of doom and gloom you see in May, not August. I hope the squad have got a tougher mindset then some of you, because it’s like the white flag has already been raised by many. What should we do just accept our fate now, sort of screams of the small club mindset many claim to hate and exactly the way other clubs and parts of the media think we should be viewing our chances. Stuff them. We’ve got a great opportunity to get back to winning ways midweek and also get some of the new boys on the pitch, who knows maybe Tzolis looks the real deal and grabs a start for next Saturday. We then have a good match and chance against Leicester, who whilst are a great side, are by no means a Man City or Liverpool. We should turn Carrow Road into a cauldron of noise and get after them from minute one. We also still have players to come in and that alone could transform us, a decent CM and we could see the puzzle pieces start to fit together.

I don’t think anyone wants a complete philosophy change, more just the flexibility to have a different approach depending on our opponents. Going toe to toe playing the top teams will see us occasionally win, but more times than not see us getting thumped, I’d like to see a slightly more pragmatic approach to those fixtures, especially away from home. But then at home against the teams outside the top six we should be going back to our fundamentals. The phrases I’m hoping we don’t hear and I’m sick of is ‘bad luck’ and ‘best bottom side ever’. I’d love to see us bloody a few noses to get 0-0’s and 1-1’s in games away from home where we have less possession.

It’s a tough one, because you can lose 3-0 one week and be encouraged and then lose 5-0 the next and feel like we’ve regressed. Whilst it’s important to remember the two teams we played will likely be 1st and 2nd this season, the manner of the defeat as a result of what we can control ourselves is frustrating. I hate to use a cliche, but as a squad we have got to wise up and fast to what it’s going to take week by week. I feel like some games we need to change a little tactically to be a really horrible side to play against, anti football almost. Against sides like Man City, Chelsea etc it’s just too much of an ask for us to try to go toe to toe with them right now. We can switch it up again those in and around us, but today we were just left chasing shadows all over the pitch. I trust them to get it right, it’s going to take some time and a couple more signings, but that’s just my reading of today,

Personally I’d start Gibson and Hanley, we need them to sharpen up fast and they will only do that playing games. Both have missed a lot of football, too much to be not getting the extra minutes. Rest Pukki, give Sorensen, Tzolis and Sargent a start and try to get Dowell, Cantwell and Rasicha minutes too.

Doesn’t matter if you get it or not, It half sounds like you’d settle for dross or bend over to the selling clubs demands for someone who isn’t worth it just for the sake of having it done. As others keep pointing out, they don’t make signings in order of priority and a bit like Tzolis who they thought they would have had earlier in the window there are so many factors that change and move. I’m fairly sure the club will have had the inside track on Skipp too, and likely have known for probably a month or so that he isn’t coming back. But to quote Webber, he is always welcome back but we are planning for life without him.

It’s a pretty silly thing to say ‘why don’t they get on with it’. Yeah good one, I bet they didn’t think of that. A club of our size has the balance of firstly finding someone who is good enough for our current standard but ideally a little better to improve our squad. You then have to factor in who of that bracket is within the price range we can afford or if the selling club would make it almost impossible. Then you need the player themselves to actually be open to coming here and accepting a wage in our set up, and that’s without getting into first finding out if they will fit our club culture as a person, as the best player in the world won’t be that if they come in and disrupt the squad and anger Farke. After all that, you then have a slow market which means most clubs don’t want to sell unless they know they have a replacement lined up, which in turn can be a problematic as all of the above. You can bypass most of that normally if you’re a huge club with bottomless pockets, but then again look at Man City. ‘WHY DONT THEY JUST HURRY UP AND BUY KANE, AND NOT WRITE OFF THE FIRST GAMES OF THE SEASON’….

I have to admit I thought that they had it all shaping up for them this season, whilst I’m sure there is the expected bedding in process with that many new signings, I’m just curious how long the new owners and the fans will actually keep their patience. That’s the trouble with the over excitement, their expectations are so high he’s probably lost a game or two of leniency.

I suppose the other positive is that ultimately, if he comes in and displaces either Dimi or Max then he’s going to be playing really well, or alternatively if he can’t they are also hitting form. Really we are all worrying about something that only Farke needs to be concerned about. Let the best men win for the job, we can see cream rise to the top and benefit as a team.

I think people are missing the sort of obvious intention of this. We already know our current full backs are better offensively and would work better potentially as wing backs, and we know the 3 at the back is something they want to work on. If he’s been seen to play that position in a back 3 for United then I’m almost certain that’s why we are in for him. A bit like how England effectively used Walker in a back 3 as then we would have someone with pace at the back to mix it, whilst allowing Gibson and Hanley to step into midfield in bursts. Also allow Max and Dimi to play a little higher and push on.

Gave them a full run down of the code of conduct, they know when to shout ‘GETTT IT UP THERE’ at the correct moment

And it’s gone, sorry folks

Ticket sold now, sorry guys,

Don’t need to worry about anyone else except ourselves. Fair play to Brentford, did exactly what they needed, but my god Arsenal were poor.

The fun thing in this situation is we don’t have to hypothesise, a bit like the Ajer deal. Southampton struggle to score and Brentford inevitably ship a ton of goals then it will look very astute business. I view both as a similar standard to Pukki and Gibson, therefore not a marked improvement as so unlikely to provide a whole lot more than what we have. That’s too much of a gamble to throw that money at. What more, we sign those two and there’s no money too PLM or Tzolis.

He was very highly rated when he arrived and I’ve got hopes he could make the step up. I think a championship loan would be a fantastic opportunity for him