Patches O Houlihan

Ran the show tonight against Cardiff until he was subbed off on the 60 minute mark - presumably because he will be starting against Brentford at the weekend. The game went very quiet for the following 30 mins. Dibling set him up nicely for the first goal, but there was still plenty to do, and it was sweetly finished. Knee slide to the corner flag scored a 5.9 from the Portuguese judge and suggests a player who may have scored once or twice previously. 😉 😁

Kostić apparently not keen to come, so potentially a left wing/LWB spot available for Wee Man; assuming Edozie is out on loan. Taylor of course has done ok so far at LWB.

Matty Fernandes has been a nailed on starter all week I think listening to RM. 50/50 whether Big Les gets a start for me. 4-3-3 means Archer between BBD & Arma. Thought ABK did ok, but he did misplace a pass that would have been deadly in the PL. Edwards playing 6 at the end when he was already knackered was asking a lot. On the face of it a frustrating game for him, but you could see he is a higher standard than Wood. If it hadn't looked like going to penalties I think we would have seen SAA & Tyler subbed off, as both were knackered, but as it was they were left on to take them. Turned out ok due to Bree's Thunder Bastard. They both look excellent but for the next few months I see them as subs to get 20-30mins per game so they don't wear themselves out and get injured. Glad Archer got on the scoresheet. Assists for Fernandes, Taylor & Dibling (2) COYR

We need to get that Colwill kid signed up this evening before leaving Cardiff

For a month or two yes. Much longer than that and the endless hairpin bends, slow traffic, and crowds of tourists might get a bit tiresome. Restaurants, views and watersports are good though. Yes your millionaire footballer pad will be lovely but there's precious little flat land around there, so neighbours will be close, and you'll want security to drive you in and out of home games, and likely to watch the house/family while you are gone. Organised crime is still very much a thing there, and I know this from first hand family experience.

I've been to Trapani. The main street is quite pleasant but I can well believe that sort of thing goes on: Most of Sicily is the same.

Naples is a proper crime ridden toilet apart from the monuments, and they suffer with earth movement as they are on a geological fault. Bin men are always on strike whenever I have visited, and the waste piles up on every street corner absolutely reeking. My wife took a taxi into the town centre and the driver suggested she take her watch off and put it in her pocket in case they were car jacked for it at traffic lights. The Italian economy is in a bit of a hole, and the southern two thirds of it don't get very much of the monetary pie. The grass isn't always greener.

I think he has reading between the lines of some of his video interviews since the playoff final

Alfie House confirming Alcaraz deal is done, and it does include Victor Hugo to Goztepe. Immediately above that in my Twitter timeline this: Not ideal...

Sounds like ADHD to me.

The video of Ramsdale kicking is 90% long balls. Good long balls but not really the sweeper keeper stuff that Baz is pretty good at. Bijlow was more highly rated with his feet, better statistically, and a cheaper permanent buy - hence was first choice. But it would seem a wrist that may well need an op and 6 months recovery was beyond our risk tolerance. Look at that list of players. If we signed any one of those (with the possible exception of Trippier due to age) we'd be over the moon, so yes Ramsdale would be very welcome.

Was given the all clear. Seems like that was special circumstances though

Great. Get him on the bus

This is the transfer thread not the slate RM thread 😉

Nope, you seem to have an issue with attention to detail

https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/filip-kostic/leistungsdaten/spieler/161011/plus/0?saison=2023 According to this link. In 2023-24, and most of 2022-23 Kostic was playing 'LM' not 'LW'. I haven't seen him play much. Just reporting back. I would imagine LM plays more centrally than LW wouldn't you?

You haven't read much about Fernandes have you? I think RM sees him as a starter, not a fill in. Plus Kostic has played in central midfield (left side) for the last 2 seasons.

He's played Left Midfield for most of the last two years though - and we have Mateus Fernandes & Aribo in that position currently. 3 league assists last season. 4 goals and 3 assists in the league 2022-23. Presumably being 31 he will be down a bit on pace nowadays and less able to leg it up and down the wing?

Ramsdale/McCarthy Suga/KWP/Bree THB/Edwards Janny B/Jack/Wood KWP/Taylor/Cornet Big Les/Smallbone Flynniesta/Aribo Mateus/Lallana/Dibling Cornet/Arma BBD/Archer Yuri Alberto/Stewart Does this team stand a chance of 16th or 17th? I'd say it does. But we'd still have to really bond as a team, and play out of our skins on occasion.

Seeing chat on Twitter that Cornet could offer us two benefits: Left footed winger playing from the right wing Left Wing Back in a back 5. Apparently he played in that position for Lyon. Judging by the pic of him with Ings he's a fairly hefty unit We were linked with him in the summer of 2022 when we lost out to West Ham

People talk about a polarising of the Premier League - the have's and the have nots. We're seeing clear evidence right now. We all remember that historically in the first 6-8 games you'd see teams in usual places in the table. Hey Saints even topped the table in late Autumn under Ralph! But also you'd get some odd scores early doors that meant the table looked topsy turvy initially. Well there's next to none of that this year. Only two games, but even the goal differences has created a table which looks more or less par for the course. Not sure how to fix it, but it is a bit demoralising if you're not an Man City fan, and even they are probably feeling a little bit odd about it (or at least the older ones are who supported the club through thin, and thin) Current PL Table - Same as the old one

I agree. It's a chance to give the first team the feeling of winning together Nijlow Suga THB Edwards Taylor Big Les Flynnietsa Mateus Arma BBD Archer SAA & Dibling to come on with 30 mins to play

I'm already imagining Gio dressed as Egon, Turkish as Ray, and Trousers as Venkman.

That was a short thread. What shall we talk about instead?

Bold choice of striker for a game on Wednesday. Do you know something we don't know?