Whitey Grandad

The population of Hampshire is about 1,856,800 of which Southampton is about 220,000 and Portsmouth 210,000. Newcastle upon Tyne itself was about 298,264 in mid 2021. It all depends on where you draw the borders. Back in my Chamber of Commerce days Eastleigh and Fareham were each around 120,000. All very argumentative.

No. He’s the reason we are where we are.

Cambridge away. Other than that I’m struggling.

Shame 🥳 Who am I going to blame now?

And Rashford. Hopefully.

Meh. Woefully exposed by the paper thin excuse for a defence in front of him. With a different goalkeeper the results would have been much the same.

We all know that they’ve been bribed to say that. Not directly perhaps.

No, I’m not exonerating him. But there’s a hell of a lot of other stuff that’s wrong with our defence. In this instance I feel that Bednarek is more to blame than Bazunu, who was not great.

If only… West Ham, Everton & Chelsea to get relegated. What are the odds of that?

You’re too blinkered. Try to look at the wider picture. Do you really believe that the presence of Bednarek had nothing to do with it. Try and be honest.

But with a clear sight the shot, if you can call it that, would not have gone to that position. These attackers don’t just close their eyes and shoot blindly. Firpo waits until Bednarek is in line with Baz before he has a go. He’s on the edge of the six yard box. He’s going to score.

The Republic of Ireland is never going to join the UK. Northern Ireland is never going to join the Republic. The best that could be hoped for is a situation that worked for both parties and we had that before Brexit.

I’m not defending him whatever anyone might think. I have always said that it’s a collective defensive problem. Whatever position Baz was in they would have scored. Once any body gets to the edge of your goal area they’re going to score. They simply pass the ball around any defenders including the goalkeeper.

Maybe. But then why was he standing so far back, almost on the goalkeeper’s toes?

But then Bednarek would have moved across too. It’s what he does. He retreats until he’s standing right in front of the goalkeeper. It’s only natural that you, as a former goalkeeper, look at our individual’s positioning but as a former defensive myself I criticise the whole defence, goalkeeper included. Did you ever have a centre half who stood on your toes?

HIS HAND, NOT HANDS. But his view was blocked by Bednarek who even twitches a foot towards the ball as it rolls by him. If that had been an opposition player standing in an offside position the goal would have been disallowed for interference.

Take a wider view. We have three defenders standing around, two in the goal area and one just outside it. Then count the unmarked Leeds players all waiting to have a shot. Our defence is a total mess and it doesn’t matter who you put in goal with that shambles in front of him. By the time the opposition have got themselves to the edge of the goal area they are almost certainly going to score.

That defender was defending nothing. Look again. Bednarek is not on the 6-yard line, he’s halfway between that and the goal.

No goalkeeper should have to dodge about behind a defender standing virtually on his toes.

Because he was having to look past Bednarek. Take Bednarek away (please) and he would have seen it and saved it.

Is, Leeds and Everton.

Yep. It’s all we have left to cling to.

I’ve just seen that and Benarek has to take the main share of the blame. Why the feck didn’t he just attack the ball? That joke of a player is going to get us relegated. Thanks a bundle Nathan Jones. Coming to a cinema near you soon, Bednarek - The Terminator I had intended to call him The Regulator but there’s not a lot of difference.

What, Bednarek???