Midfield_General

You're right that he tries. Unfortunately though, Stephens' idea of leadership is to shout a lot, but he couldn't organise a piss-up in a brewery. He can't even organise himself. He's habitually out of position, and always watching the ball rather than his man, which he has been guilty of his entire career and at 31 is clearly never going to grow out of as a player. You need football intelligence to organise a defence, and he just doesn't have it. None of our current crop of defenders or keepers do. Fonte was amazing at it, from the moment he joined us in League One to when we were a good Premier league side. It's why Lovren looked like a world-beater when he was playing for us and then became a calamity when he went to Liverpool - when he went there he didn't have Jose constantly telling him what he needed to be doing. We need someone with the footballing intelligence of a Fonte in that back line.

It’s not just physical attributes that are missing though. We really, really need an ‘organising’ defender who understands how to marshal a back line and who is highly vocal and makes sure everyone is doing their jobs, in the right place, stepping up at the right time, marking people etc. We don’t have anyone who can do that and it’s one of the reasons we’re a mess at the back.

What in god's name are you on about

We need three things: a proper goalkeeper, a central defender who understands how toi organise a back line, and a defensive coach who kicks things off with how to defend corners. Get those in January and we're sorted.

Very festive

Got it - cheers 👍

I’m on Sky/ Now TV too and can’t find it - what channel number is it please?

Anyway, never been to the Bernabeu so I’ve got fingers crossed for Real Madrid away. Imagine seeing Ronaldo CR7 in the flesh! Need to get through the group stages first though 🤞

Do feel free just to post links in future lads rather than cutting and pasting entire web sites

"Pffft, you'll never get anywhere with a philosophy like that"

Quite a few Birmingham fans saying we're the best team they've played this season and that we're a better side than Coventry. Also full of praise for the 'absolute quality' we brought off the bench. Quick, let's sell them Aribo.

We'll have too much for these boing boing ballbags 4-1 and Adrian Chiles can do one

Yeah - it's how Poch had us playing too when he first came in. It seems to suit us as a style and is really entertaining.

Just throw the actual bench on. It would probably provide more defensive cover.

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