Midfield_General

Here's how the semi-automated offside technology works btw. Properly thought-out use of technology to provide a near instant decision, factoring in the experience of the fans in the stadium:

Yep, that's the way I always thought it should work too. - Goal-line technology: all good - Offsides: next season they're bringing in the semi-automated system which seemed to work really well in the Euros, so happy for that to be given a chance to succeed - Literally everything else: a limited two or three challenge system, with a proper, consistent and agreed step-by-step review process and everything between the on-field ref and the VAR done over the mic/ loudspeaker and big screens so the crowd can see and hear it, as per the cricket and rugby where they use it in a proper and transparent way. In it's current state it's not fit for purpose and should be scrapped. Not that it will be.

He’s fucking shit

Promoted

I'm actually starting to quite admire your stubborn refusal to accept that Bazunu might not be all that good. It's tenacious. Fair play.

I'm comparing him to Manning and Mara. It's not a high bar, admittedly.

Good: McCarthy Bedders Harwood-Bellis Smallbone KWP Decent: Armstrong Stephens Downes Aribo Poor: Manning Non-existant: Mara (surprise!)

Pull yourself together man! Maybe Super Sekou’s going to surprise us all… 😬

That would still be ‘tinkering’ though wouldn’t it. My point is not that he had to play Mara, it’s that he didn’t have a choice but to change the side. I agree that playing Mara is a huge risk.

Not through choice, to be fair to him. If Adams was fit he would have played him.

Right, well, this is his chance isn't it. If he can't rouse himself to actually look like he's trying in this one, then there is literally no hope for him. Time to step up or fuck off.

Ugh. In which case I think I'd actually rather chance it with Sulemana down the middle for the first 70 mins, and then throw Stewart on rather than move A Arma from where he's effective to where he's not, or have Mara anywhere on the pitch. At least if it's Sully his pace presents some sort of threat running in behind on the counter.

Yep 1-2 Saints for me too

Doesn't matter, I just pray to god we don't practice them because only weak-minded losers do that

Good on you for arguing and expanding on your points in a polite and civil way. You're right that these things can be discussed without it degenerating into abuse, so thanks for not calling anyone a sad fuck this time. However, this And this do seem to be rather contradictory points. And a 'dog whistle' is defined as 'a subtly aimed political message which is intended for, and can only be understood by, a particular demographic group', so I'm not entirely sure what that's got to do with anything, unless you consider the topic of whether Ryan Manning should practice spot-kicks to be a particularly inflammatory potential vote-swinger in the upcoming election. Anyway, I think I'm still with the German national team on this one.

'If you practice things, you get better at them' Is that really being argued against?

Agree with the others but not sure Lallana fits on that list. When he was fit he was a regular in the Liverpool squad that came runner-up in the Europa League and Champion's League, and won the Premier League, Club World Cup and Champion's League.

Very surprised that the COT have been beaten to the punch on this one. Come on lads, up your game.

Fair play to him. He was challenged to show he had a Plan B, he found one, and it worked. Now let's cut out the silly defensive mistakes and do it next Sunday when it really counts.

Couldn't agree more

What do you mean?

Aaaah I see

He can’t have been watching very closely then because we did! It was 6-1. Tessem scored for us. Both sides rested players but their reserves were unsurprisingly a bit stronger than ours and we were 5 down after 26 minutes. Strachan took Fabrice Fernandes off in disgust after 27 minutes and subsequently dropped him for the Cup Final. Jermaine Pennant scored a first half hat-trick. I was behind Jones’s goal at Highbury for that one. As the goals flew in he was getting some stick from Saints fans behind him, and he turned round, looked them dead in the eye and said straight to them ‘They are quite good actually’, which made me smile at the time.

Yeah I'm the same. The 'first team' (if such a thing exists anymore) haven't exactly covered themselves in glory losing the last three on the bounce, so that alone makes it perfectly natural for that to open the door for some of them to be dropped, and for other players to be given the chance to step in and impress. Turn it into a positive - give some of the youngsters a start, and tell them that it's not because the others are being rested, but because this is their chance to work their socks off and play their way into the team for the play-offs, some of the highest-profile games you can get. Give them the chance to give the manager a selection headache for the semis.

Well that didn't last long 1-2 Ipswich