Fabrice29

Just like society, it'll be more open, more reflective and more discussion around how we treat people and in this instance young footballers. So it'll be better, but almost certainly will continue not to be enough. The idea that "can't take a bollocking so must be shit and soft" will thankfully be even more laughable but again, there'll still be far too many saying it.

This just isn't reflective at all of what an academy does. I know you think it's just hoovering up talent and churning them out but Chelsea can point to a lot of examples of developing young talented players from a very early age into top players. It's their record for this that allows them to be in a position to then pick up talents from other academies at various age groups. Anyway, I'm leaving it because it's boring and even more boring when just discussing it with someone who wants to make it as simple as "they throw money at it and therefore get all the best players blah blah blah".

At no point have I said Chelsea academy is the place to be if you want to play for Chelsea. Chelsea is consistently one of the best academies and consistently churns out top level footballers however and if I/my child wanted a top career in football, it’s one of the top places I’d be looking to get a place in. Miles ahead of us.

Again, there’s a very valid argument that being at Chelsea is better for your development and opportunities for first team football in the long run.

I bet you there’s many more Chelsea academy footballers playing top level football than Saints ones right now. You are wildly neglecting the benefits of that move just because your mind and slightly rose tinted glasses are telling you ‘left Saints and hasn’t gone straight into the first team elsewhere = bad move”

You need to learn how stories like this are really released. Clue: The Athletic weren’t the only one who ran with it.

He will start 😂 They have two quality FB’s. He’ll get more than enough game time there.

He’ll be a very welcomed versatile player who can play on both sides which will be needed with European football. Great move for him imo and fits the way they are trying to play really well, whether it be inverted from the left or as a right back.

KWP to Spurs transfers rumours hotting up. Probably one of the more obvious transfers for the summer. Ticks pretty much every single box needed for Spurs.

Not sure that’s fair on West Ham fans. They don’t play down the success they’ve had under Moyes but if you spoke to any match going West Ham they’d tell you the football is terrible to watch and domestically the results are increasingly getting worse. I think they want to enjoy their weekly football experience rather than unrealistic expectations.

Go on…

Yes. Because the most important part of the game in these kind of games is the end, so I’d like us to be in a position where we would be strong at the crunch part of the game. Stewart simply will not start and end a game, so if AA down the middle is terrible and Adams is out then Mara it should be to get us through the cagiest parts of the game.

I actually do agree fwiw, Armstrong down the middle is the best plan B. I was just being facetious based on the guy also saying both Mara and AA down the middle were terrible options.

2 of these hopefully next 3 games could last 120 minutes. If Mara is such a terrible option, and Adams is out, the best thing would be to start Mara so that you can bring him off when it gets crucial and possibly extended. I’m sure you don’t want to be in a position of needing a goal and having only him to bring on.

It's weird how the penny still hasn't quite dropped for how rubbish you’ve been since Martin left and under Williams specifically. Etc etc.