Patches O Houlihan

Baz lets them in and we've taken off 4 out of 5 of the attacking talent in our squad...

Not entirely true. Jander has taken the ball turned and charged forward with it a couple of times, but Fellows seems to be crap at loosing his marker (in every game) Arma is squeezed between 2 huge CBs and Scienza is in space but miles away

The issue is that he looked at them via Zoom - he wasn't stood next to them. Plus Spors looks like a small chap too so everyone looks tall to him 😉

I screenshotted this earlier Admittedly our CBs were lined up on the 6 yard line but even so. These are all good, skilful players "with the ability to be worth more in 2 years time" but you can't fill a Championship team with small skilful players unless they are re-incarnated 1970s Brazil

Dog shit

Is it just me that thinks this team is playing like Stephens is the coach? Backwards passing endlessly and inviting the press

You've got it wrong. Tonda watched against Real Madrid. Baz is the striker and Arma is in goal

He's not playing in the PL this time though is he? He's playing against the likes of Smallbone & Aribo. Also being cynical he's currently unemployed, and fancies another 2 year pro contract from the team most likely to value his services and pay well

Is it the same mysterious board member hidden in the shadows that was pressuring Nathan Jones into not doing things his way in Feb 2023?? “I have compromised. I’ve compromised in terms of certain principles because of one, personnel, but two, the way that people want to play and so on. I’ve allowed certain things to happen and gone away from what’s made me successful in the past. … What I said was I have compromised things I do on a day-to-day basis, which are my decisions. I don’t get pressure from anyone. I listen to people, like I do at every other club. But I live and die by my decisions. That’s not shifting the blame.”

One bullet... bang bang

Sadly he’s managing Uruguay, and they are FIFA ranked 15 in a World Cup year. Nice idea though

I agree with all of this. Yet I do wonder how a gegenpress style will get us into the upper reaches of the league: If we get good at Ralfball the whole league will sit back and hit us on the break. Even though he was a striker I don’t see Ralf as a Pep type who could coach breaking down all those stubborn teams consistently. Great in the prem for a lower side like us though

We sounded him out in the summer but couldn't shift Aribo and Edozie to make space in the wage budget for him to join us > that budget matters less right now. He really wanted to return and if not to us perhaps would retire. Just my theory but it might be accurate. I think I read he's been playing for a Portuguese club to stay fit

There are other ways to Dad...

He was seen at Staplewood before the pre-season team meet up in Spain

The interview was filmed at St Marys by club staff. Wa released on YouTube 4 days ago. Will have taken a day to shoot and a day to edit; so they've known he was coming for 6 days at least.

The more I think about it, the more I think the timing of all this is not a knee jerk reaction to this week's events on the pitch. This is a video the club put out. It will have been filmed and edited a week ago. During this interview Ori and possibly the others would have known he was joining.

Suggestions that Romeu was seen at Staplewood before the pre-season training camp in Spain where he was pictured with the squad. Maybe he would have joined if Aribo and Edozie were sold but management felt the squad would have been too big. Now they feel it is worth it to try to raise standards in the squad and morale amongst the fans.

I'm hoping that we see the really strong solid guy who reads the game really well sitting in front of the centre backs with Jander and possibly Downes to do most of the running for him. [both have a good engine] He won't have forgotten how to pass a ball or spot an attack developing and hopefully he can be empowered to communicate that message amongst his team mates - like having a coach on the pitch.

You got there before me 😁

For those who haven't seen it. Posted 4 days ago: Half hour interview from 6:00m to 36:00m. Starts with highlights of our comeback win against Inter where he set up Virgil via the crossbar

Scienza and JWP fighting for free kicks. Manning shouldn't get a look in

Imagine his positive advice and influence on Shea Charles and Casper Jander - never mind the rest of the team. This news has really cheered me up.