Midfield_General

It sounds basic but we could do a hell of a lot worse. We are extremely lucky to have a talent like Dibling. He is basically the only player we have who makes things happen every time he gets the ball and that the opposition are clearly afraid of. Telling the other dross to just give him the ball and let him run at people would draw the opposition towards him and create space for others (like Fernandes), and let us win more free kicks in dangerous areas and just generally have teams on the back foot more. We’re so average everywhere else that we should absolutely make him the focal point of everything we do going forward, as he’s not going to stick one in the top corner from 40 yards like Le Tiss did (though who else could do that), but he’s the only real potential game changer we’ve got, and the only one who repeatedly runs directly at people and gets them backing off which can actually to damage to a defensive shape.

So this OP was bullshitting then GOSH THAT’S A SURPRISE

And of course the legendary Knightwood Lounge*, where for just £300 you can step into a space where the sophisticated hues of emerald green and rich forest tones immediately transport you to a serene woodland. A beautiful pitch facing space, thoughtfully designed with wood elements and natural light, captures the essence of nature while maintaining an air of opulence. (* Brought to you by Costa)

Random internet twat known for being a wind-up merchant breaks major nationwide sports news story before any news outlet, the club or the betting industry. Yep, seems plausible 🤪. Why on earth hasn't this been locked, it's very obviously a lie.

Not going to try changing anything then? Just keep doing the same thing, and trust it'll come good. Cool.

Zero shots on target, and if they hadn't been so inept in front of goal it would have been 3 or 4 nil. Can't wait to hear Melchett smugging on about how much he enjoyed it, the cunt.

Oh no you haven't

On comes Muffin the Mule, terrific

Defensive mistakes leading to a goal: one. Shots on target: zero. Another superb half of football under this dickhead.

I'm feeling about it the way one might feel about an impending colonic irrigation appointment. Not expecting to enjoy it in any way, but morbidly curious to see just how awful what gets produced will be.

Yep, been one of the few who has actually been consistently decent, and also one of the few who can actually play the "system"* reasonably effectively, receiving the ball in tight spaces and playing on the half-turn. So let's drop him. (* By which I mean "guaranteed defeat process")

Opposing managers coming out with these identikit statements each week before we obligingly let them beat us without breaking sweat is just another part of the running joke that he has turned us into this season. That's what really hurts to be honest. I can take losing football matches every week, but he's turned us into a fucking punchline, and I can't forgive him for that.

—Martin on his style of play, 2021.[76] Bearing in mind he only had significant playing spells for Wycombe, Peterborough, Norwich and Scotland, presumably he can only be talking about Norwich as this team who were dominant with the ball? They were relegated twice while he was playing for them, much of which was as captain. So that’s apparently the experience he ‘loved’. He’s a loser. It’s baked into his DNA.

Martin saying that he's spoken to PGMOL and Webb has apologised and said that the disallowed goal against Brighton should have stood. Is that two apologies we've had now - didn't we also get one for the penalty not given against Leicester? If so, then that's PGMOL admitting that they've cost us between 3-6 points so far, depending on how you think the Leicester game would have panned out if we'd been given (and scored) the penalty. Absolute jokers.

I haven’t been keeping up but I was surprised to see the Middle East being brought up in a thread about Russell Martin. I know he’s made a few questionable decisions but it seems a bit harsh to blame him for the situation in Gaza.

Matt Bianco would also like a word

Yep, guarantee that Taylor had the balls to tell him it was bullshit and has now been ostracised to the bomb squad, even though we need him available.

Exactly how I feel now. Who gives a fuck, it's clearly completely pointless. We'll do the same things, make the same mistakes, lose again, and then I'll have to hear that smug, gaslighting twat wave it away after the game as though he's somehow not responsible for making us a complete laughing stock. We're basically relegated already - which before the end of November is quite an achievement - so it's not about going down anymore, it's just about pride and at least having a go at looking like a credible Premier League football team capable of winning the odd match. But if no-one at the club cares enough to change anything about that situation and actually give us a chance of at least saving a bit of face, why should I care either.

Precisely. Not only is he a completely useless tactician, but he’s a fucking shit judge of a player too.

Shall we talk about how outstanding Paul Onuachu was up until his injury? Some fantastic close control, holding the ball up and playing out of tight spaces, and generally bringing a freshness and unpredictability to our play, making things happen in a way that was the complete antithesis to the usual hyper-predictable snail football.

'Done well' = lost against Newcastle, lost against City, lost against Arsenal, lost against Liverpool, for a grand total of zero points. Not having a go at you, just says a lot about how far our expectations have been allowed to sink under this bunch of losers.

Absolutely spot on.

It’s an interesting question. Putting aside the idea of him being in a position to drop us because he got a better offer (which seems extremely unlikely), if we sacked him tomorrow, what would his next job be? I can’t see any other Prem club who had just sacked a manager thinking he’s the answer. It would be back to a Championship club with promotion aspirations, surely? Maybe one with a currently decent manager at that level who might get poached and need replacing. A Middlesbrough, West Brom or Blackburn. Basically where he was when he left Swansea, with an additional positive on his CV of having achieved a promotion to the PL, but that being counteracted by an additional negative of having been shown to be completely out of his depth when he got there.

And peak Messi

New piece from Jonathan Wilson in the Guardian: Southampton are doomed but it’s clear why Russell Martin will not change ’Few managers are idealists but the truth for the man in charge at St Mary’s is that his players aren’t good enough to stay up.’ ‘The routine has become familiar. Southampton play their goal-kicks short. They pass the ball neatly. They have a lot of possession; 56.6% – only three teams in the Premier League are averaging more. They don’t take their chances – no side have hit a lower percentage of shots on target this season. Somebody makes a mistake – perhaps one of their players, perhaps the referee – they concede and the game is lost. Their manager, Russell Martin, looking ruggedly masculine but in touch with his feelings, then speaks sadly and patiently about his belief in playing football the right way. Then everybody else weighs in.’ https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2024/nov/23/southampton-are-doomed-but-its-clear-why-russell-martin-will-not-change