Farmer Saint

Yeah, we could, but our defence is so bad we need that extra man. We also then have to get width another way, and our wide players are Fraser, Sulemana, Cornet...hmmm. We're better through the middle, and that's why it makes more sense that we use our wingbacks (who actually are good going forwards) in a back 5.

Did Ched Evans spike her drink?

It can't be that mate - was saying that 6 weeks ago and everyone was telling me how wrong I was.

Downes won't go to the PL I wouldn't have thought - he's been poor this season and didn't get on well at Wet Spam - he's a very good Championship player but that's it.

Can't happen mate - I've been ridiculed over the last 6 months saying that's what we're doing.

Rarely in a back 5 TBF. Very few teams (and I can't think of any in the Prem) play a back 5 with fullbacks and not wingbacks.

But that's playing wingbacks and being exposed on transition. If we need to play 5 at the back because we think we have more chance as our defence is utter jank (as we did in the playoffs last year), then that is always likely (unless we play a fixed 5, but that gives us no chance going forward) - the fact is you need the CBs to shift across to that LB position to stop that happening. Either way it's unlikely you're going to stop a team like Liverpool getting a chance like that. The reason we conceded was due to McCarthy being in absolute no-mans land.

But it was McCarthy who was the biggest fuck up and the reason we conceded there.

It absolutely does matter, especially if your keeper is on walkabout. You expect Salah to not get away from Championship level defenders?

We are taking purely the mistakes yesterday, and goals 2 and 3 had nothing to do with ponderous football. Goal 1 was them trying to break too quickly, which was the opposite to ponderous football, but it was mostly because AMac is shit and threw into a dangerous area. All Managers are the boss from hell if you cross them - football is littered with players that have been sold out thrown out after altercations with Managers (see Beckham, David and Stam, Jaap with a certain SAF).

Absolutely, his football leads to mistakes at times, but yesterday's mistake for the first was such a cluster fuck by the 3 players that I just can't blame him solely for it. These are supposed to be professional Premier League footballers. There is no excuse for what happened for the first goal. However, even with that, we should have won as the other two had nothing to do with the football we play, it was just appalling mistakes that shouldn't happen.

I think it'll be Downes and Charles - no PL team is going to want to buy him.

But I don't think that happened yesterday, in fact considering that was Liverpool I thought we did OK, didn't you?

You mean Mo Salah, probably the best winger in World football? And Alex McCarthy playing like someone on FIFA purposely making their keeper go walkabout. This is what I talk about - it removes any credibility that the argument has. He needs to go without doubt, but not everything is his fault.

Not a lot, I agree. However, blaming him for absolutely everything, including the players making cock-ups unrelated to his management, takes away any objectivity in the posts criticising him. My issue is that there is such a cult clamour for everything to be his fault that a lot of people fail to see the wood for the trees, and also makes the militant stance that everything that happens on the pitch is his fault seem extremely flimsy.

This thread has made me look forward to next season actually.

1 of the three was due to playing out, and that was appalling from all 3 players involved - throw straight into danger, a poor lay-off which meant Downes was unbalanced and then a horrendous attempt at kicking the ball. Let's criticise Martin for what he's actually done wrong rather than moving all blame onto him.

You may do stuff to toddlers, I don't.

Then what is your point? We were discussing why the players throw it out in bad areas.

Then what is your point? We were discussing why the players throw it out in bad areas.

Ok, so how did that contribute to today?

These are professional footballers, not fucking toddlers. They don't need to be told to not throw the ball into dangerous areas.

There is a weird obsession with making EVERYTHING Russ's fault. We get it, he's not learning and he should probably go, but at the same time we conceded 3 goals today and each one was because our players are not good enough. Goal 1: Shit underarm pass to the wrong player, poor pass back by Fernandes and a Sunday League quality misquick from Downes. Goal 2: Long ball up, McCarthy in no-mans land. Goal 3: Player misjudged the flight of the ball. I think he should go, and he has done more than enough to earn himself the sack this year, but don't just create reasons for him to go to make you feel better. There are 3 issues with the club and the reasons that we are going down are, in particular order: - The ownership not sacking Martin - Martin not adapting his philosophy as much as he needs to - The players being not PL quality - PSR not allowing us to invest in said PL quality players

Probably because the previous time we pushed up they played a ball over the top and scored their second goal.

I think you're wrong that for 60 minutes they didn't play the way Martin wants to play - Martin has consistently said he wants the ball forward quickly. Irrelevant though, we didn't lose today because of Martin. We lost because our players are a bit shit.