coalman

Or cut their wages in half because they don't show up for the second half.

Our late purple patch will result in extended contracts for Tonda plus the usual suspects. I can also see the wheels falling off completely as Tonda loses the dressing room when he tries to address our absenteeism in 2nd halves for the next couple of months.

I hope someone has taken Peretz's passport away from him. Last thing we need is him getting straight back on the plane.

Manning is going to be so fresh when he comes back from Dubai that it'll be like having a new signing.

If Sport Republic are good at one thing it's the ability to continue doing something that's not working. I wouldn't worry.

Obviously, Fellows is playing on the right of a back 3 with Jelert at RB. That way he'll have even further to run.

Since when did any Sport Republic employee "find the best decision for the club"?

I want the team to play with some intensity instead of being passive and playing at walking pace. A formation change won't matter if we aren't able to compete.

Totally. Same goes for most promising players we bring on in any position. We don't have an environment where they can flourish.

It was more a dig at Sport Republic who are adept at signings players who aren't going to make the first team. Plus the fatalism that even if they do replace Baz and McCarthy that we may wind up in a worse spot.

Meanwhile, in Portugal, Jose Mourinho is unhappy with his Benfuca side. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c07xzzn3j39o

I don't think they're going to cut short Long's loan. In many ways he's the model Sports Republic signing. Brought in to have around the place on the cheap and never play or offer competition. Other clubs must envy our ability to scout and attract squad filler.

I'm torn on this. I haven't seen him put in a good performance in a Saints shirt yet. But then he hasn't put in many performances in a Saints shirt. But then, when he has played he's look more of a liability than the rest of our back line. But then he's been played at right back or in a 3. I don't think we've given him a decent crack in a Saints shirt but, given our central defenders, the bar for standing out is not high. Given he's not getting in the team, better to have him off the books. Another example of Sports Republic's scattergun recruitment after our promotion.

Don't get me wrong I would want my captain to speak up. I also think that Jack's new contract was a clear signal of Still and Spors unsuitability. However, I've also seen that people can change behaviour as a culture changes. Only a small number of people are capable of driving a culture change. Some will actively oppose it it but the majority will happily adapt if they are shown there's a better way. To often extraordinary outcomes. I don't see Jack turning into a different footballer but I do see him as a player that could be valuable for the squad.

In partial defence of Jack, he's been in an environment where this response to adversity has become normalised. That doesn't mean he can't learn new responses in a better environment.

The outcome of the "millions we spend on sports science" and analysts appears to be a team that cannot compete for 90 minutes. And that isn't set up to exploit our opponents.

Except I don't see my username in that list of people you've quoted. I don't believe I've made that point.

Inventing a made up point for people you're disagreeing with doesn't strengthen your own point.

The best time to understand what's gone wrong and learn is while the experience is fresh. We appear to be ignoring this opportunity. There is another game coming up this weekend we should prepare for. Unless people think Doncaster are so easy we can just show up. That's just disrespectful to our opposition. I wouldn't cancel holiday for people. I wouldn't have approved it in the first place because this is a key part of the season. Unless we were in a good place which we were/are not. It is possible to improve our chances in the next game without high intensity training. In fact recovery times improve by doing light work the day after. It is possible to improve as a team while recovering from a busy schedule. We are doing neither.

That's all part of the culture now. Playing the victim in public over how hard you work or unlucky they were. Taking ownership is a form of performative art. If you've been utter shite for most of the last two seasons how about shutting the fuck up and putting the work in rather than gaslighting the fans. The playoff final win is in the increasingly distant past.

Yeah. Going on holiday screams that everything is ok and nothing needs to be learned or change. A lack of professionalism I don't believe that would be tolerated in any other field.

The only downside is the alleged culprits are only part of the problem and are likely to be a scapegoated by the other part(s) to buy time.

After the last four games I'd hope they're at least spending time understanding why we played as we did over the festive period. Even if that's just making them watch the 2nd half against Middlesbrough on repeat. I'd buy that you're unlikely to be doing a bleep test this week. But fucking off somewhere else seems like a continuation of the culture of complacency and failure to take responsibility. If they're in Dubai, two 7-10 hour flights are not going to aid the recovery of tired muscles. Depending on the plane you're either at effectively 1600m altitude or 800m in terms of oxygen levels. In a very dry environment with recycled air.