Fan The Flames

So the 'one more year' song is one of our shortest featured songs only beaten by 'you look like a wotsit'.

Spooky

Enjoy, I've resigned myself to watching it on the telly with a couple of ciders.

We bought Joe Lumley in, will we buy another?

No matter how many times you say it Fassnacht wasn't Stephens man, he was Mannings Man. You're now scaping the barrel trying to pin it on Stephens, you reckon Sargent, Norwich's top goal scorer is no danger but the bloke miles out on the wing is so dangerous that Manning should leave Fassnacht completly free in front of goal to cover him. Clueless. That's the last I'm going to post on this.

Stephens is making Sargent, Manning is on Fassnacht. It's clear in this screenshot, as I said if you actually watch the move unfold instead of trying to work it back in your mind. Sargent checks his run and Fassnacht speeds up into space, Manning doesn't go with him, it's as simple as that. Sargent checks his run to create space for a square ball and to probably try to pull Stephens out to create space behind Stephens for a pass for Fassnacht to run onto. Stephens has to stay with Sargent to cover him, in case there is a square ball to him, so slows down his back tracking, but continues to back track to stop the space behind him opening up. He actually does well. Fassnacht is behind Stephens the whole move, only in an anti-Stephens world would he be expected to mark both Sargent and an unseen player at the same time. So I'm sorry mate you are completely wrong on this one.

Fassnacht is behind Stephens, two yards in front of Manning. If you watch the move unfold Stephens is watching and covering the player in front of him. He's back tracking but slightly holds it as he is anticipating a square ball to his player. Otherwise there is no one covering them. That player is Mannings all day long, otherwise Manning has no one, the player out wide is of no concern. If and it's a big if, the ball does go wide, they turn and Manning goes out and then Stephens goes to Fassnacht. Manning has to get closer to Fassnacht and is so close to him its criminal that he doesn't. Then his touch is atrocious. To blame it all on Stephens is nuts.

I agree, to write both of them off as they are shit is just wrong.

That also goes without saying and no one has said that.

That goes with out saying, what's your point grandad?

If you think top footballs get there without passion/spirit/effort then you are wrong, yes it's nebulous but it is a thing that is at the heart of a sportsman. You say it's just words then admit it can help. Just look at Ronaldo, bags of talent and hard work but he also has the drive/passion/spirutto elevate him beyond his equals, you see it everytime he plays That happens at every level. And if you think Stephens and Bednarek got to play in the prem with out ability, hard work, technique etc then you are wrong. They are elite players, average amoung the elite, playing for an average side.

Plymouth was my dads team, used to go to Home Park all the time in 70s-90s. Booked a hotel for it and wanted to take my boy, but the tickets sold out on day 3! They were great last season and really resilient, often winning from losing positions, I like Mumba and Hardie. It should be a good game, but I think we will come out on top.

'Against the ball', that triggers the old boys.

A well executed post, I'm not a lover of playing a 8 or playing a 10, but really it's just a different generation with different terms. I don't think transition and on the break are the same thing.

Well no one's scoring with their hand anymore.

1st Stephens doesn't lose his man causing Bednarek to cover, Bednarek follows Sargent into the middle of the goal just behind Stephens who is making another player, then Sargent pulls off to the back post. For the last one Fassnact is behind Stephens and should be picked up by Manning, Stephens was covering someone else, Fassnact make a run and Manning doesn't go with him. Fassnact doesn't collect it, then Manning miscontrols instead of smashing it away. To say Stephens is at fault for both is harsh. You are also reluctant to credit his goal saving block, suggests you want to find fault with him.

Thats a strange take, the moaning along with some shocking decisions made it impossible to resist VAR.

Really, the first one Manning should have challenged Barnes, so he couldn't take it down, then Manning and Edozie should have closed the cross down. The 4th one Tella lets the guy get away too easily and then Manning just had to smash that ball away. Stephens was being reactive in both goals but you'll be hard pressed to say he was the fault for either of them.

Why do you need to spell passion and loyalty that way, it detracts from your point. The point about passion, spirt, effort of what ever you want to call it, is that a footballer needs that to operate at their best and it can compensate for other deficiencies. They are average players, but that doesn't make them shit players.

His block after KWPs fuck up was worth a goal.

Are people moaning about VAR decisions or just the length of time VAR takes. Most VAR decisions I reckon are correct. People don't like the marginal offside decisions made by VAR but are happy to accept the maginal decisions made in real time by the linesman. So that suggestes its the interuption to the game that annoys more and I get that. If they could speed that bit up it would improve VAR. We scored 6 goals this season and VAR could only have got involved in one, the first yesterday with Stephens slightly shoving the defender. Norwich had a goal ruled out mid celebration, so it still happens.

People aren't focusing on his hair or religion, just interested in it. But when you allude that fans have been suckered in because of his nice voice etc people stop listening to you. Martin said he was angry with letting four goals in yesterday. What is interesting, is after the match he saying stuff similar to Jones, but his choice of words and delivery is better, so he doesn't sound like a prick.

You used to be able to measure how dirty a game was by the amount of cards. But not anymore and probably not for a while, most yellows are for shirt pulling, ankle taps and dissent now. There was one, maybe two for kicking the ball away after the whistle went yesterday, so players are learning. McLean got one for questioning the ref, then 5 mins later went to do it again and stopped himself half way by hitting his head with his hands. So hopefully the yellows for this stuff will slow down, but we are due a period when loads of players in the league are suspended for totting up stupid yellows. Players use a decision against then to just shout at the ref and vent some of their their pent up frustrations and get a bit of adrenaline going, so I can see why the ref body are trying to clamp down on it.

That was the problem, no one sucked it up, fans moaned, managers moaned in press conferences, Sky had whole segments after the match moaning, fans on phone ins were moaning, the papers the next day were moaning. That's why VAR came in.