Chez

hell yeah. Losing is bad, but losing without laying a glove is hard to take. It was like watching a lower league side play a Prem side. I guess with the monetary divide in the top flight, it is almost like that, but with a £113m wage bill, I still expect us to compete, even if their wage bill is three times that.

we were very open, Chelsea players ran into huge empty spaces. players weren't tracked. We weren't quick enough to stay with them. Our players didn't keep the ball well.

they did get a little lucky with some rebounds, but equally they hit the woodwork twice when scoring looked easier for one of those chances. 9 or 10 could easily have happened. We created one fantastic chance that Adams completely fluffed, which I found as annoying as some of the defensive fuck ups.

Martin Keown can maybe stop harping on about bigger clubs looking at him.

Players have contracts and it's hard to shift average. We basically have Long and Forster out of contract this summer. We are a £90m debt. We have an ownership that intends to continue the spend what you earn. What do you suggest?

it happens. Perhaps more worrying is the series of performances we are currently in. Lets see how we respond. That is perhaps gojng to be more revealing. It's a bad day, but having lots of them in a row is the bigger issue.

Fair point, but on a smaller scale Ralph had the chance to cull the GK position but gave McCarthy a new deal. Walcott got a new deal and what odds him giving Long a new deal. Viera had a clean slate, which I thought was a fantastic opportunity, but Ralph has had time to shape his squad.

we totally surrendered for the last half hour too, playing like we had ten men (everyone behind the ball etc.)

its the only thing solid today.

it's a good question. I think we are bang average side. This side is not in the same league as the one with Morgan, Ricky, Lallana etc. that could dominate good teams. When we win, by and large we offers at least a few chances. When those don't go in, sometimes through luck we get a result, when they do, we don't. Against the better sides we often hang on for grim life and get a result, but if decent teams get their early goals we've got nothing to hold on to.

in truth it could easily be 9 or 10 by now. We are getting off lightly.

Likewise. We've just played very poorly, allowing talented opposing players to show their stuff.

It's the last time we have to play Chelsea this season.

we were playing like a well oiled machine. Don't know why we changed that side.

you've got me there. Strangely, the following week I didn't feel nervous at all when he or Bednarek had the ball at their feet. I have a lot more confidence in them than say, Claus, or many other CBs that have played for us.

I am glad he has recognised he was wrong, but five minutes later he's spouting bollocks on twitter comparing the Daily Mail's inaccuracy in a story about Gary Lineker with reporting on Ukraine. As I've said previously, he's not as clever as he thinks and the more he talks the more he reveals that.

I don't know you SS, but I certainly don't despise you for not taking the vaccine and I am sincerely glad you didn't get covid and die as a result. However, I am not sure you really understand the process of bringing a vaccine to the public. Or did you just mean - when you said "rushed out" - that it `went quickly' rather than `steps were missed'? Either way, be well sir.

I don't see this at all. Our centre backs are pretty good ball players. They don't make me nervous at all when they are on the ball. Suicidal passes? Can you give a few examples. I can't recall a single occasion a CB has fucked us when passing out from the back this season. World class? No, but Salisu for example pings a decent ball with pace to full backs. I've never been a Bednarek fan, but he handles the ball OK and keeps it simple. We don't "piss around" with it at the back*. You have to keep the ball at this level. Tell me which top ten side doesn't play out from the back? *kiss of death right there

If you block everyone that is critical of you and don't follow anyone that has contravening opinions, you don't tend to get much balance. I saw a video interview with MLT a week or so ago and he pointed to a change in feedback on twitter, whereby he had received a lot of criticism initially to his posts/beliefs (about 80% critical and 20% supportive) but as time went by that split had reversed. I wondered if people on here think that is that indicative of UK society as a whole - I guess as time went by more people will have become sceptics about COVID/government policy etc. - or is it just a sign of an echo chamber as people stop following him on twitter that didn't agree and more started following him that did?

I think playing matches is the shop window. Photos of them training are more like the sales bin with a hand written "99p" sign on a luminous piece of card.

Seriously. Do you expect every player that is dropped to make an immediate transfer request? Players work damn hard to get to the top flight. You don't quit that dream just because things don't go well straight away.

Agreed. Not sure why fans are writing him off completely. OK, so it hasn't gone as well as everyone hoped, but get his confidence back in the summer and maybe things click into place again.

The praise Ralph has given him on recent months feels like its a precursor to a new deal.

In fairness, he put in some bloody good shifts for us last season, working up and down the line relentlessly and never shirking his defensive responsibilities. I was surprised at his work rate and that must have impressed Ralph (who obviously wanted to sign him). For me, he didn't look a player on his last legs, although the absolute pace certainly wasn't there and without it he doesn't really offer much in terms of flair, creativity or goal threat. I wonder if Long has impressed in the same way and will also get a new deal? I wonder also, if that will work out as well or we will all think we should have parted ways this summer too?

Even if we paid, say, 75% of his wages, Championship clubs are still going to be pretty wary of signing a player that has been injured a fair bit the last couple of seasons. They don't have much to go on in terms of form and current ability. Not sure he's going to get too many opportunities between now and the end of the season too. How many loans are they allowed to sign? Is there a limit these days? They won't want to `burn' one, when a good couple of loan signings from the Prem (see Forrest) can really transform your side.