Patches O Houlihan

I think I've worked out why we are interested when we have already bought in two midfielders this week Quoted from Wikipedia: Arblaster joined the Academy at Sheffield United at the age of six.[3] He initially wanted to be a goalkeeper, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, before accepting he would play outfield due to his relatively short stature.[4]

Don't understand. Need subtitles 🤔

This data wheel is based on Primeira Liga stats. Since that league is dominated by 3 teams it perhaps ought not to be taken at face value.

So where should he be putting the needle?

This chart shows him being a bit of a Primeira Liga rockstar except for touches in the box, non-penalty goals and aerial duels. So for me he is probably more of a Lavia than a Bryan Robson. But I agree he is more of an 8 than 6. He would be Morgan, while Big Les plays the Big Vic role in a double pivot. But where does that leave Flynn?

You'd think a tailor would be more careful where he's sticking his needle

and Fernandes is a DM too. We’ve gone from being a bit stuffed when Flynn eats raw chicken innards… to very well stocked with guys who can play 6.

3 at the back suits us, but I'd be surprised if RM doesn't set us up in a 4-3-3, at home against a 'weaker' PL side.

This thread shows 3 really quality through balls. Hopefully there are a few more where they came from. I can imagine Arma, BBD and Archer thriving on these passes.

My Portuguese mate has got back to me. He supports Sporting: “Mateus was lined up to be on the main team this year, and he was loaned to Estoril (mid table) He played well for the team and was their best player all season. Sporting fans were expecting him to come in and stay, but with Morita, Hujlmand, Bragança, Pote, Santos and Araujo coming in Sporting ran out of space in the midfield. If anything could be said against him it was that he always came across that he thought he was the best and should be treated like so. I hope, for Portugal sake, he gets humbled a bit, and grows a bit too.”

Have never heard of him. But Adam Blackmore is retweeting Fabrizio Romano so it seems likely to happen. I have a Portuguese mate who is a big Sporting fan. Have asked him for feedback. In the meantime the chap above seems to be a genuine Sporting fan. Wiki Page TransferMkt This detailed Twitter thread is well worth reading: https://twitter.com/Ben_Mattinson_/status/1797681354114818116

26yo Dutchman. Plays for Feyenoord Transfermkt suggests €13m. Liverpool linked with him back in March.

When I'm describing Burnley I'm not describing how they play when they have the ball (play long). I'm describing how they defend; two rows of 4 big lumps and the two tallest big lumps stood only just in front of them. Those two players pressing get beaten all day long by 4 or 5 skilled defenders - every one knows that. Which is why coaches use 'pressing triggers' so that 4 or 5 players know to press in sequence as a team. Beating this requires the defender on the ball to only release the ball when their opposite number is close; otherwise their pass is cut out by an opponent. Look at live PL games. It is now common to see a defender stationary with his foot placed vertically on top of the ball. This position is literally inviting the press. The vast majority of teams cannot be patient for longer than 20 seconds before attempting to press, and thus creating space to play through. It is risk vs reward. We might have differing opinions but we both know Saints are shit at breaking down 2 regimented banks of four, so why not try something different.

You remember all those PL years when we used to complain about how our team couldn't break through a team that sat back and defended? We'd be good against Chelsea or Arsenal, and shit against Sean Dyche's Burnley? Which meant that at the end of the year we were lower in the table than we should have been because we lost many of the six pointers against our rivals. THAT By playing out from the back you draw the opposing team forward to try to press you. This creates space for skilled, practised players to pass through. A good pressing team will try to close off those gaps: So the possession focused team recycles the ball ,and tries again until they do find a gap to pass an incisive through ball through. I know you hate stats but we were right up at the top of the Championship teams for incisive through balls last season. When those balls get through they are received by one of our attackers in the final third. Instead of facing six to eight outfield players between them and the goal they now have two to five. It means we get to avoid the clusterfuck that was the second half yesterday. Normally Newcastle wouldn't be playing that way, but it proves that we still struggle breaking down teams that sit back. At this point you will now argue that it was the playing out from the back that caused the loss of the goal. But I will argue that our outfield players barely put a foot wrong playing that way all game. Yes maybe in that moment Jack shouldn't have played back to McCathy. BUT if in that moment he had been playing back to someone with reasonable feet, or the sense to boot it long then we would have been fine.

Ivan Toney with AA and BBD playing off him. Would be amazing, but seems too much to hope for

The reports are that there is no option to buy. Seems less able to play on the turn than Lavia; so presumably that will still be Flynn's job. But he does seem to have the destroyer element to his game like big Vic had.

It's the second coming of Victor Wanyama! 😁 Welcome Big Les!

Am concerned that when Chelsea sack Enzo Maresca, that RM is next on their manager shopping list. He plays the same style, so they won’t need to replace the 75 players currently in their first team squad. 😕

Cameron Archer: “That was one of the main reasons why I'm here, his playing style, his coaching and trying to improve me as a player. It's not a bad place to do that in the Premier League with Southampton. “I just want to keep scoring goals and improve myself as a player, and I don't think there's a better place to do that than with Southampton.” This may be an element we’re underrating as Saints fans. Players ultimately want to win titles playing expansive possession football for top teams. What’s the best way to demonstrate your ability to play that way? Play well for Saints in the PL.

He was listed as the fastest recorded player at the 2022 World Cup. So probably quite fast then 🤔

eg. Edwards, Sugawara [But also Mara, Edozie] eg. Sulemana, Tall Paul, Duje Ćaleta-Car, Ross Stewart, Boufal, Osvaldo [But also VVD, Danny Ings] And this is why there is always a stick to beat the club with. Unless every signing, at every price point turns out to be solid gold someone will find something to moan about. I wish we were Brighton... [hint - it's the data collection paid for outside the club, made possible by owning a gambling company that is the secret of their success]

YET Let's revisit that statement the week after the transfer window shuts. We all know that the majority of the big loan moves happen in the last few days of the window - happens every year. I would be amazed if we didn't get at least one quality loan signing in, based on our success with loans last year.

https://www.themag.co.uk/2024/08/how-are-chelsea-allowed-to-get-away-with-this-quite-incredible-what-is-going-on-newcastle-united-premier-league/ https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cy4yg422zjpo