Holmes_and_Watson

That was a quickly taken freekick. Offisde, so didn;t catch up out. Hopefully, we'll be a bit more focused with Adams there to receive and link up with the others.

Goal machine Adams on from Smallbone. Downeds off for Charles. Fraser on for Edozie Interesting, as that weakens our midfield.

Mostly QPR here. Stu has shown some real awareness in trying to swtich quickly to an attack. But we've not been able to get out. They get to use that space, even when we're a bit further back, at full back to get a ball across. We set up to expect that out ball from them thankfully. Always looks worse than it turns out to be. AA and Stu agian linking up well at the other end. We're looking to pounce on any space we get there.

First half highlights were...short. Noticeable that when we've lost the ball, while building up an attack, we've got enough structure to have people back. Such a difference to earlier in the season COYR for the second 45...plus... added time... plus added time to the added time... 🙂

Nice to tune in, just in time for a goal. Aribo closing things down,taking a yellow just as the ref blows for half time.

I look forward to wearing my replica hazmat suit, following my new Champions team, as dictated by my survival bunker overlords. The important thing is to watch them secure another Champions League final victory! Praise be to FIFA! 🙂

Beetroot

I thought it was a champions League/ other Euro competition replacement too. UEFA changing the format of the Champions League a response to this, not least due to some clubs wanting it to be even more fixed/ always spending beyond their means. The nonsense new league format for it going some way towards a super League type format. FIFAs timing of the expanded club championship not a coincidence. It's also multi purpose cash grab (can't have clubs getting lucrative pre season tours), undermining of UEFA and closing off about the only remaining fixture gap, before anyone else gets there. With a number of clubs already having said no, and after they made such a mess of it first time round, no guarantee it will happen. But a definite bargaining chip for the clubs. Only a LIV golf funding model away from happening too. There's some more pressure to drop the league cup. The Premier league is very lucrative. I'd have thought there would be a lot of resistance to that changing. I think I read that Man City played 61 games in a recent season. The new champions League format and this FIFA competition taking the place of some pre season matches, may well be about the same/ a few more if the League cup goes.

More pressure for us to get up this season. We need to establish ourselves back in the top league, to push our chances of an invite into the Super League! 🙂

Mr Woo's a footballer, now Keeps the ball in midfield, and how "The perfect player!" cries Martin "With 100% possession, he's startin'!" And Mr Woo's a footballer, now - George Formby

Talksport exclusively reveal Saints have blasted open their transfer record on the keepie-uppie world record holder. Manager Russell Martin, speaking exclusively to Talksport said, "£90 million may seem like a lot, but his posession stats are 100%. He never gives the ball away, and is the missing piece of our spreadsheet."

Rules

Invasion

Just missing that game would have been a dead giveaway. He'd want a longer niggle just so it wouldn't be so obvious. 🙂

Whisper

Burn

The hair envy for RM is a sad thing to see. They've probably got Stu threads for the same reason. 🙂

Despite precognitive powers, not likely to be appearing as part of pre-match Saints TV anytime soon. 🙂

Smallbone passed up the opportunity to have a similar shot a little while back. Martin has been pushing him to add that to his locker. Second time of asking, he takes the touch. But the good thing about it is that we've got players lookig to get on the end of clear moves. Just like the third. It adds structure to other bits of MartinBall, where our own players take advantage of gaps, which could appear in lots of places. Massive unbeaten run. Nice to get 3 points after the frustrating draws (note that it's good that the draws were frustrating, rather than us hanging on for points) Both Aribo and Stu look fitter, sharper and happier all the time. Both are handfuls for any opponent. Edozie lost a little bit of sharpness after being out the team, but clearly has improved and getting more minutes only helps. It's a busy period, and getting other players on the end of things can only help AA, who works his socks off, and will be disapointed not to have got more in recent games. There's clearly more to come. We were patient, but looking for a direct pass more today. Blackburn weren't good enough to stop us doing it. We're developing moves and structire within that patient build up, and Martin will be looking to create and finish more of our space and opportunities. Getting that second allowed a solid use of subs today. All of them did well. With lots of players getting minutes, we've got a happier squad. Bree and KWP look to give us a more balance. Although Maritn might like Manning and KWP, the freedom KWP gets, makes that a little awkward. With Bree, that freedom can be used even more, and we saw that today. Nice to see more goals for us, and we had other chances too (not least Alcaraz's penalty. Players always look dumb when those don;t come off, so maybe just do the job will be the message going forward.) We worked to the end, with our subs giving us more strenght, and Blackburn just couldn't keep up. Even if they'd had eleven, they would have found that closing spell tough to live with.

4!!!!! Alcaraz!

Just the spot AA would pop up in to finish off the back of Fraser's pass. Good to see Mara picking up that move, getting into the space and making the finish. Nice to see us trying out similar things well, with different personnel involved.

2 passes to Baz that could have been a little better, but there's not a change in his scowliness, and gets the passing going, no problem. Yay! The third! Mara!

Fraser nearly. We had runners going in, but actually neither of them looked likely to get on the end of it. SO he made the right choice.

Stephens understandably a little rusty playing BazBall. Just for a second, and he back peddled to create a better angle.

Oh dear... Removed from spot kick duties after that one. Glad there was nothing on it.