verlaine1979

Based on form over the last 10 games, Fulham are averaging 1.1 points per game and we're averaging 0.5 points. If that continues, we survive by an impossible 0.2 points. Their goal difference has also improved dramatically against ours over that period.

No power or pace in this side at all. We've been done the same way by Leeds, Newcastle and Wolves, and we can't do the same in turn because our wide attackers are so slow and weak.

Bednarek is a great last ditch defender. Most of his memorable work (aside from a couple of bizarrely good goals) is in the form of throwing himself in to block shots/make goal-line clearances. Ideally, you'd have a defence that doesn't give up those kind of chances in the first place, which is why he's a good candidate for upgrading. Then you have the question of his speed of thought and quality of distribution when we're building from the back. He doesn't suit the style we want to play, whereas Salisu is clearly very confident popping the ball about in the 10-20 yard range. It's not difficult to see which one of them has the better raw attributes to play in this team.

What if the playbook he came up with after the lockdown is the only one that'll work with our small, lopsided squad. It's not as if we have any strength or pace in the team, so energy and opportunism, coupled with a high-efficiency striker is really all we've got. We're not good enough technically to play like City (or even Leicester/Wolves) and we're not physical enough to play like Brighton or West Ham (or Burnley for that matter). Plan B would require players who can make a difference playing in a different way. We don't have any.

How many points did Bournemouth have at this point last season?

In addition to some good defensive work, he looked composed passing the ball out. Bednarek always takes an absolute age picking his pass (as does Stephens quite often) which definitely contributes to our slow and toothless build up. On that showing, Salisu and Vest are the better pairing for playing out from the back.

On that showing, Adams' link play is vastly superior to Redmond's. And since there's nothing to choose between the two of them in pace or finishing, it feels like the obvious change to make.

We've just got no threat or urgency through the middle. Makes us extremely easy to play against, especially as our wide players don't really frighten anyone into doubling up.

Mid-tier clubs don't typically generate a lot of excess revenue, so I'm curious about the time horizons for a private equity investment in football. I'd imagine they're hoping they can build a cheap global network of clubs and then flip it as a ready made set-up to a passing billionaire or Red Bull-type investment vehicle in 3-5 years. If that bigger fool fails to come along, I wonder what approach the investors will take?

Very little power in the team. Saint-Maximin brushed off Bednarek and then just accelerated away from him for their first. Our quick players aren't strong and our strong players aren't quick.

Redmond is a real propaganda footballer. He tries very hard to never lose the ball, and I don't think it's out of a devotion to possession. He knows his limitations (he's got no pace over more than the first yard) so he tries his very best to avoid that weakness ever being on show by never taking anyone on.

We became a championship club again 10 years ago, with a decent infrastructure and a good reputation. If our scouting/black box/yadda yadda was actually as good as we claimed at the time, our current crop of 16/17/18 year old players should presumably be top drawer. Ah, and having just checked our under 18 league placing, I see we're actually second bottom.

What was strangest to see was that we were defending a lot of the time with the cliched 'two banks of four' - but we were completely static in the formation. United just passed and ran through us at will while we kept to our allotted positions. I'm assuming that's not how that tactic is meant to work...

Does anyone have a plausible explanation for why Che's goal was given offside? Usually there's someone with an alternative view on how the lines are meant to be interpreted, but so far I've not heard anyone even try to explain how Adams was off, given that all the parts of his body that could legally play the ball looked to be a good 6 inches behind the feet and knees of at least two United players.

Now that he's gone on loan after hardly playing this season, is there any sense at all that can be made of the decision to give Long another 2 years last summer?

He looks extremely hard-working. I contrast this with Shane Long, who merely looks limited (the difference being that hard work should at least be useful). Speaking of Long, any sign of Bournemouth answering our prayers?

Minamino looks genuinely two footed from his highlights. Hopefully Che will be inspired by that.

Didn't look out of place at all when he came on. Found space, asked for the ball, and played a couple of decent passes - one particularly incisive one in the build up to the disallowed goal. Wishful thinking probably, but would love it if he turns out to have what it takes to play as a 10 (a bit like Pogba at Juventus).

Adams just isn't a finisher. If he can't put his right foot through it, he doesn't know what to do.

Redmond never backs himself to win a one on one with a fullback. Such a frustrating player to watch. The difference with Grealish is startling.

If KWP is out and he doesn't consider Valery to be an adequate replacement, then it's moot.

Clearly I'm not saying that only players who've made it by 21 will make it. My point is that player development is such that you can almost always tell if an attacking player is going to be good enough to make it by that age - assuming they get given enough sub opportunities that you actually get to see them play. And yes, I'm aware that Lallana was a League One regular at 21. Saying a player who was contracted to a lower league club wasn't playing in the Premier League isn't the empirical flourish you think it is.

Both Kane and Lallana were nailed-on starters for their clubs by the age of 21. Thank you for illustrating my point so adroitly.

I think it used to be the case that the level of protection was much lower, so players had to be a bit older to cope physically, but that hasn't been the case for years. In attacking positions in particular, if you're not ready to make a telling contribution at the highest level by 21, you'll probably never be ready.

This is what's so dispiriting about Jankewitz. He immediately looked to have the confidence and first touch of an established PL player when he came on. No nervous miscontrol, no desperate over-eagerness. When was the last time you could say that about a Saints youth player being given a 5-10 minute cameo?