Midfield_General

In a world where Tuchel, Conte, Flick, Mourinho, Poch, Klopp and probably soon Ten Hag are all available, and Bayern Munich opt for freshly relegated Burnley manager Vincent Kompany, I think it’s fair to say that Brighton being interested in Martin is not completely out of the question.

If they sack Poch in order to bring in McKenna, that’s not far off batshit mental either, in terms of sheer level of risk

That kit was utterly absurd from the start. 'OK lads, the colours of our home kit are red and white, what shall we have for the away kit?' 'How about red and white, but in different proportions?' 'Brilliant! Can't possibly see any problems with that - that's what I call out of the box thinking! God we're clever. Now, who wants lunch?' Wasn't that one of the multiple kit-related disasters that happened on Cortese's watch?

Yes, you're right, it has had an impact on how we play, though it does still go back to McCarthy plenty, and when it does he is still looking to play out and pass it as much as he can. You can see he's been coached in that respect, and it certainly looks to me like he's significantly improved. Quite aside from which one I think is the better goalkeeper, I've generally felt more comfortable watching the way we play when McCarthy's in goal, taking fewer mad risks at the back. Out of interest, if you were in charge and they were both fit, who would you pick for the final, with the associated knock-on effect on playing style etc?

One thing the last few games have shown is that the narrative that McCarthy can't possibly play in our system because he's not good enough with his feet, is nonsense. His first touch isn't as good, so he doesn't like receiving it under pressure, but then it's generally suicidal to pass back to the keeper anyway if they're getting pressed, whoever you've got in goal. When Macca has the ball at his feet and he's not under loads of pressure, his ability to pick a pass looks pretty much on a par with Bazunu to me. He's regularly been pinging 40-50 yard passes very accurately to unmarked players in our midfield. Not every single one comes off, but then neither did Bazunu's. This idea that Baz is some irreplaceable, Ederson-level talent with his feet just doesn't stand up. Add that to the fact that he has made several big saves at key points, of the type that Baz very rarely seems to make, dominates his box much more effectively to relieve pressure, and seems to make the whole defence more confident, and it is very surprising to me that there's even still a debate about who is the better keeper at this level. I think it's all academic for next season though, because I think Macca will be released regardless, and Baz will still be injured. If we go up, we'll absolutely need a proper PL-level keeper. It doesn't always have to cost loads to get someone perfectly decent at that level. Leno to Fulham for £8m, Sa to Wolves for £6.8m, Brentford picking up Raya for £3m, Johnstone to Palace on a free. There's usually some good value out there if you look for it, and don't try to be too clever.

If we don’t go up I’d be surprised if we didn’t at least take a look at Lis in the close season, given he’s our player and seems to be doing pretty well in Turkey (though no idea of the standard of the league he’s in)

Rumours that Celtic are sniffing, to replace Joe Hart who retires this summer: https://www.footballscotland.co.uk/spfl/scottish-premiership/alex-mccarthy-celtic-transfer-wait-29195113

Hang on a minute - how's he so sure-footed doing that celebration on one leg? Unless... That's not his leg he's waving about, is it? Which begs the question... whose is it?

Prosthetic leg man - take a bow son

The result of an early rounds Apperentice task, that’s what it looks like. Shat out by a team who’ve called themselves ‘Bravery’ up against a crippling deadline and the withering glare of Karren Brady. Wonder if Rusty will be invited into the boardroom later tonight

That has to be a joke, surely. The clip art footballs, the starbursts, the fonts, the lightning bolts... fucking lol, it's like something Gareth from the Office would knock up. Did Russell do that one himself?

Norwich respond to their monumental shitting of the bed by immediately sacking Wagner: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cpvg3kz91ngo I thought it was weird last night when he smiled at the end when he shook Farke's hand, I suspect with hindsight that he knew the game was up.

They need to get Gunn off. Head’s gone

Norwich completely shitting the bed. 3 goals, all from shocking errors

Angus Gunn 🤣

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.