Midfield_General

I think it’s highly unlikely anyone would walk away for nothing when they could stick it out for another couple of weeks, get sacked and walk away with a pay-off of millions instead. EDIT: Oh god, I’m agreeing with MLG.

Answer: security, and lack of any better options. If I was coming towards the end of a contract on a huge amount of money that I knew I wasn’t going to get close to anywhere else, and someone offered to guarantee it for another 3-4 years, I’d sign up too, whether I was happy or not. The real question is why on earth we offered it to him if there were major question marks over performance. Same as McCarthy. It’s just really poor executive management.

Who should ‘name the players involved’? They’re leaks, not officially sanctioned interviews. The whole point is that they’re anonymous. Obviously the Athletic isn’t going to name their source, and it’s not like the club press officer is in the background calling up the Athletic and saying ‘Do you want half an hour on the phone with Che to talk about how the manager’s lost the dressing room?’ It will be happening via a disgruntled player’s agent on condition of anonymity.

All summer to plan for it and almost a full squad to choose from, and he comes up with that absolute mess of a side. Leaving Adams on the bench in favour of an out of position midfielder up front is so obtuse, it's genuinely farcical. That was an absolute tactical shambles today. He's had ages and still doesn't have a clue what his best formation or first XI is. Confused thinking and square pegs in round holes all over the place. What was even more concerning was how quickly the heads went down. In the past, even when we were really shit, we had really limited players who put in some fighting back-to-the-walls performances to rescue something from games, or just to avoid a hiding. Didn't see any of that today. As soon as the third one went in we just meekly accepted getting tonked, and on day one of the season, that is worrying. Unless we improve drastically in terms of tactics, organisation and mentality, we are bang in trouble. And I hate to say it as I've always liked Ralph as a bloke, but I'm just not sure he's got it in him to do it. He just looks lost to me. Need to beat Leeds, and convincingly. If we can manage that then maybe we can build from there. But he's had time, and he's been backed - there are no excuses left now.

Strong bench

Yeah, completely classless. It was sweet wiping the smile off his face.

She says differently #Pintofsnakebiteandabagofchips

When I look at that I can just hear 'Hello... is it me you're looking for?'

We signed Speedie from Blackburn, though you’re right of course that he was best-known for his time at Chelsea.

You said they've been told "you will play in the PL". "Will" is an absolute. That would make it a guarantee.

So all our new signings have been guaranteed first team starts, have they? Please provide the evidence for this claim.

Absolutely this. He’s already left a higher-profile club because he wanted to play every week and be a regular first choice, which his talent deserves. Unless they offered him stupid wages* you’d hope that he’d pass on an opportunity to go back to being a back-up or hoping James gets injured. (*Which of course they might)

Bazunu KWP, ABK, Salisu, Bednarek, Perraud JWP, Romeu Aribo, Adams, S. Armstrong Keep it tight, get to HT 0-0 and then try and nick something second half. Lavia to replace Romeu when his legs start to go.

£85m for Wesley Fofana. Right.

Maybe, just maybe, it’s worth judging a performance over the full 90 minutes?

It’s all gone quiet over there Aaaaaaahhhhhh

Behave

That is an absolute blinder in anyone's books - Zlatan would have been proud of that

Provide that evidence please.

KWP is surely a good model for this too. Only an inch taller than Armstrong, but looks like he works on his physique and regularly out-muscles, holds off or turns players much bigger than he is. Lamptey at Brighton as well.

Totally. That's why it seems odd that no-one appears to have worked on that with him. Height and frame are obviously what you're born with, but given that being short doesn't have to mean being skinny too - especially if you're a professional elite sportsman surrounded by facilities and conditioning coaches all day - you'd think that they would have helped him improve his bulk and upper body strength a bit by now. He still looks the same size and shape as he was when he first arrived. Maybe it's a deliberate thing, but if so I'd be interested to understand the thinking behind it.

One thing that’s really noticeable in that video is how physically slight Adam Armstrong looks compared to the other players when they’re talking to him in those interview segments. It’s not meant as an insult, but his natural build means he looks like a child surrounded by men there. Given what an important attribute physical strength is to help create space and opportunities for a forward, he really looks like he needs to bulk up a bit.

Was making Bednarek captain for that game an indicator of anything, or not?

Except of course that that’s been directly contradicted by someone with actual knowledge of the situation, which makes your statement objectively wrong.

Two Wrights very definitely make a wrong 😱