Patches O Houlihan

Bielsa won the fair play prize at the end of that season too…

When the FA sanctions one of their rules being broken it is an insignificant fine for financial doping across years on a huge scale. The FA can fuck off

Also it is the FA sanctioning a manager for an action that is not against their rules in the Premier League (or across most of Europe.) He broke an EFL rule and we’ve already had their sanctions.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/teams/southampton?post=cky8zy93vqn9o#post Ankersen resigns from role at Southampton (and looks less smug than at any previous time)

Do you often go out for a spur of the moment walk in Middlesborough? No I thought not - because its a shit hole - terrible place to go for a relaxing walk

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We only had four principal players for central midfield last season. How many spare players for each area is it sensible for a Championship side to stockpile? We also have Akachukwu and Azaz who could do a job potentially.

Abbott has played more games at RB than CB for Forest - and did well there in big games

Loving that Azaz had a uncharacteristically 'quiet game' and still managed 2 assists and a goal 😁

🎶 He's one of your own, the ref's one of your own Sam Allison - he's one of your own. 🎶 Sing that loudly and clearly within the first five minutes and that ought to even things up a bit...

I think inevitably there is a bit of nature and nuture - you'd be up shit creek trying to train Archer to play as a traditional big man Championship hold up striker. But as someone suggested to me last week there is more than one way to hold the ball up; you can run into space sideways to receive and then take chasers down the channels or out to the byline while your team mates catch up or get their breath.

Jwp is not. Candidates for 'Best Eleven Players' in no particular order: 1) Jander 2) Downes 3) Azaz 4) Larin 5) Scienza 6) Schotterbeck 7) Peretz 8 ) Manning 9) Bree So presumably besides all those players listed above you consider at least two (possibly more) of Matsuki, Fellows, Bragg, Stephens and Wood to be undeniably superior to JWP as well? I would remind you that JWP has 11 England caps, and was sold a little over 3 years ago aged 28 for £30m. He has played more than 420 PL games, scoring 57 goals (a goal every 7.3 appearances) He also is the second highest fee kick scorer (17) in Premier League history only one kick behind David Beckham, partly because they wouldn't count the goal he scored direct from a corner. Incidentally no one else is close to Beckham and JWP. Pep Guardiola (2020): "Ward-Prowse is the best free-kick taker I have seen in my life" (Messi scored 11 free kicks while playing for Pep at Barcelona 2008-2012) in 2021, he became the first Premier League player to play every single minute of two consecutive Premier League seasons, and is still known for excellent fitness and stamina. He is now aged 31. I completely take on board Ducky's Souness discussion. JWP is far from a complete player. But I really struggle to see the logic in your argument, particularly when mysteriously all the players around him have had an upturn in their effectiveness since he joined the team: Downes, Bragg, Wood, Fellows We bought him for £800k FFS!

@Baird of the land Is it too much to just enjoy putting 8 goals past the league leaders in consecutive home games without slagging a player who has been virtually faultless?!

Bore off

I think we play like last season - enjoy having quality with fresh legs to bring on. Means Tonda will be less tempted to bring on a third CB and surrender the initiative.