Fabrice Fernandes no.1 fan

Really?! He was a top 5 scorer in Serie A last season and is exactly what we need, a good finisher and physical. Can't see how we can say no that sort of striker from 19th in the leauge...

Put this up in the changing room, we might be able to motivate the players that a good game leads to the promised land of Merseyside. 3 fairly different career trajectories after moving to them there...

Redmond scored a lovely goal for Besiktas last night, some of the class that made him a key player the last few years

Would work wouldn’t it: Bazunu KWP-ABK-Salisu-Perraud Lavia JWP S.Armstrong Aribo Adams A.Armstrong Basically what we have already but pushes the Armstrong up top alongside Adams, brings Aribo more central and Lavia sits deeper actually looks like a hybrid of what we’ve played at times this season, and some of the better performances we’ve had from the current squad

Think this covers quite nicely how I feel, the players haven't been putting in performances. We've tried a turnover of coaches, and some players, so the next step seems to be manager. Hopefully most of the squad take the world cup break to work on their personal fitness and to come back ready to play for a new manager with the respect, passion and determination they should have been giving all along under Ralph, hopefully coupled with a tactical reset that gets us back to playing better football.

Agreed- obviously very easy to comment when you're sat on the bench in Turkey or annoying the rest of the team in Australia. Will be interesting to see how much changes with a new manager, especially if Selles is staying on as no.2

This seems so obvious, but the club seem to be so unaware. He plays well as part of a 2, has done for Scotland and for us with Ings/Long/Broja. Why do we keep putting him in isolated positions, when that doesn't suit his game.

I guess that means Longstaff starts again so he is the weak link to try and target in the midfield. Not sure I trust JWP to go up against Guimaraes like I would have last season, but with Lavia back too maybe we can. Would ideally like to try and match their 4:3:3 shape but not sure about right back position, so guess the team would need to be 5 at the back again to protect that side of the defence, so I'd have something along the lines of: Baz, AMN, Lyanco, DCC, Salisu, Perraud, Lavia, JWP, Aribo, Adams, Mara in a 5-3-2 Mara gets a nod off the back of 4 goals for the B team (although scrappy goals, deserves a shot at 90 minutes for the first team and to reward him off the back of that makes sense to me). I've always thought Adams is best as part of a top 2. With Ings he worked well dropping off a bit to hold the ball up, rather than being the "poacher" finisher role too. For me Aribo's spot could be him, Ely or S Armstrong, none seem to be in form at the moment

I've been thinking this, sliding doors, if we keep him he doesn't start the season playing much, so isn't confident when we then do give him game time so doesn't score or play like he has at Burnley.

Good to see we’re testing out next seasons starting 11 for the championship… Very strong squad that, got to feel for some of the B team who work so hard to play each week and will have to sit this one out or drop back to u18s. Will be interested to see how Edozie and Mara do across 90 minutes and bloody glad to see Lavia back

January rolls around and we sign Jay-Rod and Lallana to try and get the gang back together and Ashley Young to play left wing...

I have never seen a player walk as much in a game as Aribo has today. Few minutes ago he did what I try and get away with at 5-a-Side, watched Saka run away from him and pointed it out to Perraud to sprint further to track him rather than running himself. He’s a quality player on the ball but we can’t carry his lack of effort at the moment.

And look at the players who have scored today; Ings has 2, Bailey, Tielemans, Barnes, Rodrigo It is quality we don’t seem to have this season

Feel like the question can also be, why no Mara, seems the most likely replacement for Adams but will be sat on the bench next to him. Why buy him to give him such little game time but persist with things that aren’t working

Surely, he played right back for city as much as he did left. Would rather that than Djenepo or anyone else that far out of position

Think we can bother their full-backs if we play with pace out wide, so one to drop Moi for probably. Billing is the sort of player who will either be anonymous, or we'll give him plenty of time and space and he'll make sure we're beaten comfortably. Not sure otherwise where their threats come from. Assuming that Ralph is sacked later today, and I'm given the call-up for excellent tactical policies in my Fifa career modes to date, my team would be: --------Bazunu------- KWP-DCC-Salisu-Perraud -----JWP---AMN------- Edozie--Aribo---A.Armstrong --------Adams---------- Try and get at them early, front 3 pressing high and Aribo linking with the midfield base.

Cannot believe they're treating it as an actual victory. Average age of their starting 11 was 24, with average of 120 appearances. Our average age was 19 and average of 26 appearances. Take Lancashire and it becomes an average age of 18, with 2 total appearances for first teams. Well done Pompey, your first team squad beat our under 18s, who scored twice while down to ten men.

Trying to think how he would handle the current squad. Sold Beattie, loaned out Blackstock, Best and Dodd to make room for Redknapp, Quashie, Bernard and Camara. So i make that selling our best player from the previous seasons, two promising attackers and a good club servant, for an old midfielder, crap club captain, pensioner and championship striker who is also an international. My guess would be coming in, selling JWP, loaning out Ballard, Morgan and Walcott so we can sign Andros Townsend, Tom Cairney, Seamus Coleman and Josh Sargent Thankfully this now doesn't need to happen and we can all rest easily knowing that SR might be struggling at the moment, but they're not Rupert Lowe and Clive Woodward running the club into the ground hiring other slimey twats

My concern is Walcott can probably only do that for a few minutes at most, looks like he's running in treacle after that Sit Adam Armstrong down this week and make him watch Rodriguez and Long pressing for us, they really understood the role

At this stage we’re probably better off letting Ballard, Morgan, Pearce and Edwards getting the game time, and Dibling too

Cannot get my head round this being the 97/98 set, Heaney left us in Nov 96, Souness wasn't manager that year, Venison had retired by the start of the season. If you feel extra nostalgic you can get a Barry Venison match shirt on Classic Football Shirts at the moment for £400!!

I wasn't comparing, just showing he does have that record now. Davis's stat is for premier league, his championship stats would be different yes.

Looking back at previous keepers who have played for us in the premier league (post 1992) Bazunu: 9 games and counting with 0 clean sheets Forster: 1 game before first clean sheet Mccarthy: First game was a clean sheet Gunn: First game was a clean sheet Stekelenburg: 2 games before first clean sheet Gazzanigga: 6 games before first clean sheet K Davis: 4 games before first clean sheet Boruc: 3 games before first clean sheet Blayney: 3 games no clean sheets P Smith: 2 games before first clean sheet Niemi: First game was a clean sheet Keller: 4 games no clean sheet Jones: 3 games before first clean sheet Moss: 1 game before first clean sheet Woods: 4 games, no clean sheet Taylor: First game was a clean sheet Beasant: 7 games before first clean sheet Grobbelaar: 8 games before first clean sheet Andrews: 1 game before first clean sheet Flowers: First game was a clean sheet So a record breaking game against Man City, taking the record from Grobbelaar (although in his 8 game league run he did keep a clean sheet in the league cup)

Tomasz Hajto for me. Came in and played the first half of the season in the championship, Polish international who was what we needed at right back with Dodd , Telfer and Nilsson all going. Never worked for him particularly well (in hindsight Baird was probably the better option) and he went to Derby in January. Since then he's had a manslaughter charge and played a few years in Poland.

Think it starts by looking at what isn't working, and what is. 9 league games and we've conceded in all of them, so even if the actual individual defenders have improved from last season, clearly there is an issue with how the team is defending. Bazunu hasn't been brilliant but not sure changing the keeper helps, so the ideal is to limit the amount of clear chances we're conceding (which is high in my opinion). With Lavia out injured we don't have a capable midfield partner for JWP to do the defensive work that Romeu did and Romeo was doing this season, and we're so often leaving the centre backs exposed. I think the short-term answer is a move to a back 5 to shore up the defence. Without Lavia it seems the system that suits us best. One question is who you play at left back, where we seem to have no fixed option. I would argue Djenepo played the best so far this season, so either he or Larios. Perraud needs some time to get properly fit again. Ahead of that you have JWP and AMN/Diallo as shuttling, progressive midfielders, with the instructions that they move the ball forward or wide where possible with the wing backs playing high in possession. Aribo then plays as a 10 with the ability to drift wide to get the ball. Up front you have Adams and A Armstrong, to hold the ball up and play on the line of the opposition defence respectively. When out of possession Aribo and Armstrong could split wide to mark full backs if needed, making it more a 5-4-1. Overall aims, get Aribo on the ball more, take defensive responsibility away from JWP so he can focus on his on the ball game, and stop conceding so many bloody goals. In possesion: -----------Bazunu------------- -----ABK----DCC----Salisu----- KWP----AMN----JWP---Djenepo -------------Aribo------------- ----------Adams---Armstrong-- Out of possesion: -----------Bazunu------------- KWP-ABK--DCC--Salisu--Djenepo Aribo----AMN----JWP---Armstrong -------------Adams------------