SambaMaverick

Just seen there's a Russell Martin XI charity match at SMS in three weeks. What sort of club backs themselves into a corner like that? Odd.

I thought we played ok today. Another day (maybe with Che instead of Archer up front), we'd have won easily. That being said, it was the most anti-Martin performance I can remember. Long balls, balls being played straight into the centre-forward, proper 'chase that' balls over defender's heads. We played forward with a decent zip 50% of the time thanks to Fernandes, Sugawara and Dibling, which is a big improvement on the usual 10%. It was a basketball match at times, which Martin has said he really hates because there is no 'control'. For all his posturing about having a strict style, no plan B because it means you don't believe in plan A, etc etc - he played today to win at all costs because his arse is on the line. That's what he should've been doing from day dot in this league. Build your system in block by block, don't just chuck it like shit at a wall and see what sticks. Hopefully he's similarly pragmatic against Bournemouth or his time is up.

Not sure what two shit passes you're even talking about but even without the McCarthy clusterfuck, we COULD have one point from four games. The Brentford and Forest losses were absolutely 100% down to tactics from RM.

And a lot of excuses making up yours, so there we go

We would've been dicked by United regardless and Newcastle would've turned us over without the red. How do you explain away the Brentford and Forest performances?

Even the penos are boring

That 30 seconds of pissing about at the back was just ridiculous

Just lumping it up to three tiny forwards It's shite

What on earth has he done, we must be paying him well

There'll be no battle at this rate, don't worry

Bet he smashes em in and gives it all the biggun no look panenka shit in training That's the problem with mental midgets like this guy, we've got half a team of them

An experienced football man would bin him off week one

Cornet and Ross looked like competition winners, so did BBD in the most part Archer- missing a penalty as a striker is a joke Lallana looked like he just wanted to get a highlight reel of kicking United to score brownie points with Liverpool Couldn't really see the goals so can't pass judgement on the defending but second half they were all scared of their own shadow Fernandes mustard, Lesley good but faded Didn't lay a glove on them after 2-0 because Russ has one speed and doesn't know how to change gear

Thanks for Wembley but your days are numbered pal He's just not at the level I'm glad because his football is shite and he's a smug fuck

Just get him in the sodding team. He's more likely to make something happen than Armstrong

Even Van Dijk would be exposed time and again in our setup. That's why I find this talk of formations and fours and fives a bit wearing - the way RM is currently playing in the Premier League won't work and never will, even if we had Man City's side.

He is risen

They'll turn us over anyway because they've got superior quality up front and we give the opposition at least two golden chances a game

I've had my wallet searched when going into a club quite regularly, wouldn't have bothered me too much if they asked on Saturday. Questioning the amount of cash is a bid odd though.

He's one of the most techincally limited forwards we've had in a while, which is why it's madness to stick him out so far wide. If he was actually working the space between the full-back and centre-back, I could see the reasoning but he spends half his time dropping deep or wide to collect the ball.

Embarassing watching those highlights back, Martin needs to find some shame pretty fast And what the fuck is he smiling at in the MOTD interview? Of course it's the 'narrative' when it happens every game mate

The love will certainly fade if they're getting sent out to be embarrassed every week

It's nothing to do with formation imo. It's just the style and philosophy of a naive manager who will do absolutely nothing or note in this league if he carries on like this.

How many times do we hear that one before it starts to really grate though?