Sheaf Saint

Not entirely disagreeing with you, but who else on the pitch would have been a better option? Great save from Ramsdale.

Well BBC Sport has us down as playing 3-5-2 but the lineup suggests otherwise. Stephens obviously kept in due to his ability to wind up BF. Really excited to see what that midfield can do. Dammit I'm actually excited and cautiously optimistic now. Wonder how long it will take for them to rinse that out of me!

I think JWP disproves that.

Head, shoulder... What about his knees and toes?

Took me a while to work out why the Finnish national anthem sounded so familiar. But of course it's from watching all those F1 race wins by Hakkinen and Raikonnen. What a dreadful atmosphere at Wembley so far. I know the weather is crap, but even so. Shockingly quiet.

Or maybe the whole thing is a deep fake! It's all part of the Loch Ness Drogba conspiracy

Been so many years, I had forgotten that one. That was a Tom Clancy novel as well. Was he playing the same character? Edit: just checked IMDB and yes he was.

RIP JEJ. Aside from being the voice of Vader, I remember him mostly from his other stints appearing alongside Harrison Ford in Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger. Great actor.

The goal NI conceded against Bulgaria earlier had a very Saintsy feel about it.

It wasn't even that. Happened while he was in mid air with his leg at full extension trying to reach the ball. He was already in extreme pain before he hit the ground. Horrible injury. He was a real rising star when it happened. I remember watching him make his return and he looked like he was running through treacle. I think everyone knew at that point that he was never going to be the same player.

Didn't realise that. Thanks.

Coleman getting injured is a real blow for Everton. Leaves them potentially needing to play Holgate at RB. What a shame.

But they've got the mighty Smallbone in midfield. They can't be that bad.

Not having that. I was at the Hawthorns for the 1st leg of the playoff semi, and when he came on I thought he looked lively and brought some much needed dynamism to our attack. Was unlucky not to score as well. However, whether or not he can do it in the PL is another question entirely.

Industrial strength adhesive on 'removable' labels 😕

Surely there must be.

Indeed. Let's remember that, when we signed him in the summer of 2022, we subsequently sent both Stephens and Bednarek out on loan, having deemed them 'surplus to requirements'. How on Earth have we now got to the stage where both those players are not only still here but somehow keeping him out of the team?

It could be that we are still trying to sort out a move for him to a league where the window is still open. But if that doesn't come off then we need to find a way to utilise him. If he wants away, he isn't going to get many decent offers if he's not playing, so it would be in everyone's interests.

If that was the case then he wouldn't have played the second half on Wednesday. At least you would hope not. What actual evidence do we have that there is an attitude problem with him?

ABK alongside Bednarek woukd mean we don't have to play the 3 at the back that isnt working, and can drop both THB, who doesn't seem quite up the the challenge of the PL so far, and Stephens who has shown time and time again that he definitely isn't. Time for Russ to really show how good a man manager he is and find a way to get a tune out of a player who should be our first choice CB.

Yes. Or stupid. Difficult to tell the difference sometimes.

He can fuck off then. I said many times last season that I really doubted his suitability to keep us up if we got promoted. I have to say, it's not looking good.

That was a much harder shot than either of those. HTH.