The Kraken

I think the point being made is that there may or may not have been a loan fee, but whatever the deal was, it was originally agreed by Rangers. Rangers then decided to back out of that agreement, rather than a new fee being introduced which pushed them away. Like you say, net result the same, the deal didn’t get done. Given we’ve got BBD, Cornet and Wee Man, Edozie looks to be in a pretty tricky place. Either he fights for his pace and gets it back or we look to a January loan.

🤣 Yeah he should definitely go to Chelsea and compete against the likes of Cole Palmer, Nkunku, Mudryc, Neto, Madueke, Sancho and Joao Felix. That’ll be great for his short term prospects.

This keeps coming up, it’s a ludicrous suggestion. Adkins got off to a horrendous start but had more than turned it around before he got fired. We were in 15th place in the table at the time he was sacked. Adkins managed us for 22 league games that season, after eleven of those we had 5 points are were one place off the bottom. The next 11 games saw 4 wins and 5 draws, and the team was really playing some good stuff (we had very entertaining draws against Arsenal and Chelsea where we more than gave them a game). The parallels between Martin and Adkins start and finish at the point that they’ve both had shocking starts to the Premier League with us. If Martin can turn it round like Adkins did then he’ll likely save his job.

Whoscored.com do match reports that show average player positions. I only looked at a random 5 or 6 but it looks like his earlier games were much like for us, him out wide left. Later games (in particular against Forest and Everton) he was much more central. I think he looks well out of it playing on the left and would much prefer to see him bothering the opposition centre backs rather than the right back. 6 goals in 14 PL games says he’s got something about him. But he’s certainly not doing it for us so far.

To be followed by a continual monotony from our Welsh hero: “I was the better fighter, I was the one on the front foot, I deserved more from the fight….”

I’ve got a video of him flicking a bogey at Sam Edozie.

Nate would get fucked up. He’d buzz about and get a few jabs in but eventually Russ would stop fucking about and land a haymaker.

True. Brentford passed quicker and broke at ease. The one time we did it properly, first half, BBD got a pass and drove on and played in AA who could’ve gone down after an ankle tap, it looked genuinely decent. Other times we just retain the ball and let their defenders get back into shape.

You joke but I genuinely have a bit of hope that something like that could happen. We know Lallana isn’t just here for a playing career swansong, he’s got coaching/managerial ambitions. And he’s getting a rep for putting his ideas across. The big hope is that he’s the experienced voice that RM needs to hear against him.

Agreed, but for slightly different reasons. Jones didn’t seem able to put any sort of his own stamp on the team (or at least not in any sort of positive way). The team just looked adrift and often didn’t look like they knew what they were doing. Under Martin, they definitely know what they’re being asked to do, it’s just that what they’re being asked to do is madness: defensive suicide and playing systems/formations that make little sense.

I don’t think anyone has mentioned it before but he reminds me very much of Jack Grealish….

Be interested to see Dibling play centrally as we go onward, see how he does there. The boy glides.

I don’t disagree, it’s not the team I’d have picked. Don’t like 3 at the back, don’t like our strikers being so wide. In terms of players, football is about taking/missing chances when they’re given. Smallbone fluffed his and Fernandes looks likely to have that spot as he took his chance. Armstrong literally missed an open goal, if he actually makes contact with the ball and scores that then no way he gets subbed. But I’d have him out, he’s blinded by the lights again, My issue today was less the personnel and more the system. As I said, 3 at the back is shit. BBD playing left wing is brain dead. I certainly wouldn’t be playing Aribo, Smallbone, Armstrong next time we play but I think we could have started with different players today and still got equally undone as the system he’s playing them in is the most flawed thing of all.

Tbf that’s about the only thing I give him a pass on. He gave his first teamers a last shot, they fucked it up and the two worst culprits got hooked at half time. i hope Dibling doesn’t get rushed. He looks a proper talent but still so young and may do better as an impact sub for quite a few games. I think Fernandes has earnt Smallbone’s slot next game though, and I’d probably start Lallana instead of Aribo, although he’ll do well to play an hour.

Russball vindicated 😎

Nothing like that scenario. Adkins made a horrendous start to the season, lost something like 8 out of the first 10. But he turned it right around and Saints were well out of the relegation scrap by the time he got sacked. We’d have stayed up easily with NA in charge.

Nando looks brilliant.

Sweepstake on timing of the first sub? Im going with 55 minutes.

Nil?

Just fuck off Arma 🤣

Fucking crap

At this point I’m just hoping we can get to 60 minutes at 0-0 and then bring others on. Poor midfield players, poor formation that is giving Brentford CBs no bother at all. One of their defenders was crocked for about 10 minutes before getting hooked and we still offered nothing. This is really shit.

And he’s still hugging the left touchline. Ridiculous.

Both utter shite so far.

Not particularly enjoying this, big hole in front of our defence and midfield when Brentford break. As for up front, their CBs must be loving it, day off so far.