Midfield_General

"Squad planning is an art that only becomes clear at the end" ~ Johannes Spors, August 2025. Well I hope the end comes soon then, because from where I'm sat we're more than half way through and you appear to have built a shower of dogshit managed by a one-trick yes-man with no idea how to change a game.

He hasn't. It's just not working anymore because he literally only has one idea of how to play, never changes it, and opposition managers have access to videos of our games. They've immediately worked out how to nullify it and now he has absolutely no idea what to do.

I don't think Bazunu, Manning, Stephens, Wood or Archer would. Which is why I said it.

A lot of them who started today wouldn't even get into most of the Championship teams above us. If we put Bazunu, Manning, Stephens, Wood or Archer up for sale tomorrow, do you think teams like Coventry, Ipswich, Boro, Millwall would be scrambling to buy them? Because I don't. And that's half today's starting XI. Add in a manager out of his depth and that's why we are where we are, and it's why we're going to stay there.

A mid-table Championship performance from a mid-table Championship team. Boring as fuck and another opportunity for points drifts away. Miles off being promotion contenders.

Can’t be arsed to read the whole thread so sorry if it’s already been said, but one of our main issues at the back is the total lack of anyone who can organise it. Fonte was brilliant at it and instantly made all the players around him better because he continually instructed them and made them work as a cohesive unit. None of our defenders or keepers have that sort of football brain and without at least one player doing that effectively, you’ll struggle regardless of who’s playing and what formation they’re in. Stephens and THB think leadership is shouting and waving their arms. It isn’t. It’s nous and the ability to read the game and organise.

Go back and finish him off* with the jack** (* Not like that) (** Not Stephens, though it's a haunting image)

£50m spent to be bottom half of the Championship more than halfway through the season. Nowhere near good enough, but we are where we deserve to be and there’s no way we’re getting out of this division this season. It’s a horrible, lopsided, dysfunctional team and squad being managed by a novice who’s out of his depth and getting no support. From ownership to manager to coaching staff to players, we are aggressively bang average from top to bottom and there’s no hiding from it anymore. We had a chance to properly reset in the summer, and another one when we sacked Still, and we fucked both opportunities. Now we’re settling in as mid table championship dross, where we’re going to stay for some time, and SR has no one to blame but themselves.

Livingstone vs Celtic: 2-2 after 9 minutes

Zut alors, mais non

Nice thought but unless we sort out our non-league goalkeeper and comedy defence in Jan, Scienza will 100% be gone in the summer after we stay in this division. He’s way too good for this league, will absolutely get better offers and will know it’s his last chance to get a top flight move with top flight money. The club will need the transfer fee too, with the end of the parachute money in sight. So enjoy him while you can. Merry Christmas!

Two weeks 👍

Albert Grønbæk Strong shout

Yes they were! Well done, that's something you haven't got wrong. What's your point? Are you suggesting that because we got promoted with those two keepers in 2023/24 it has some bearing on whether we will get promoted with them this season? Because surely you of all people don't need me to explain the many, many flaws in that argument.

INNNA MOYOYSSSS AADDAMMM

And that's why we're not going up. Our choices are a keeper who is completely unsuited to how we play because he can't control or pass a football, or a keeper who panics his whole defence, is terrified of coming off his line and can't save anything. If only we'd have had some way of knowing they were both rubbish coming into this season. Oh wait, we did, we had three and a half years of watching both of them week-in week-out. Nice one Johannes 👍

The funniest thing about that image is anyone thinking that they're big time because they're in a roped off area of a fucking Pitcher and Piano 🤣

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Forecast Still only 39. CHDAJFU? Probably on a par with Long. Btw - just look at his career stats on that page. Tottenham -> Southampton -> Grimsby Town (loan) -> Eastbourne Borough (loan) -> Thurrock (loan) -> Bromley (loan) -> Gillingham (loan) -> Chelmsford (loan) -> Dartford (loan). Total appearances for Saints: 0. Total appearances for 7 mainly non-league clubs after leaving Saints: 34, with no more than 11 at any single club, even at Isthmian level. That's the player we agreed to part exchange for 7 x Footballer of the Year and 5 x Champions League winner Gareth Bale. I know we were skint at the time and got well and truly Levy'd but Jesus Christ I love this club, I really do

Great pod this, btw. Only recently started listening but now really look forward to it popping up on a Monday morning. Nice work 👍

Brendan Rodgers set to accept a job in the Saudi Pro League: https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/dec/15/brendan-rodgers-in-talks-to-take-over-at-saudi-pro-league-club-al-qadsiah I'm sure they've waved huge wads of cash at him, multiples more than we ever would. But would he have been tempted by the Saints job if he'd been offered it over Eckert? I guess we'll never know now, but it will be interesting to see how he gets on and whether his heart's still in it or it's now just a case of him going wherever gets him the biggest payday possible for the rest of his career.

And since then he has brought me to the verge of obliterating my radio with a lump hammer It's like listening to the lovechild of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Werner Herzog furiously drivelling on after a couple of lines of moody beak

Spot on. From Svensson, Fonte, Lovren, Alderweireld and Van Dijk to building the club around Jack fucking Stephens. Absolute comedy gold.

Fraser the absolute epitome of this today. Did he pass forwards or go past a man once today? Absolute coward of a footballer.

If Bazunu had come more than 2 yards off his line to come and claim that easy, lofted cross into the box like any proper goalkeeper does then it wouldn’t have been an issue. I was coming and catching crosses like that at Tyro level. He is fucking appalling.