Chewy

Pretty much exactly as I see it. Only variation is that I think Aarons is planned to replace KWP if he goes so think we feel a replacement is definitely needed. I also think that final section is where we’re most desperate and have been for 3 seasons. We are woeful up top. We are woeful for cover in midfield and cb, but have starting players. We don’t have a starting 9 and haven’t since Ings left (bar about 3 months when Broja was on fire). I know some feel the same about GK but feel the club are sticking with Bazunu. We’ll obviously need to replace JWP and Lavia with at least one assuming they go but for the love of god can we please get a striker.

Random thoughts - a b team which all non PL sides do; 46 game season so no point playing your first choices in a competition you’ll never win. Assume Gillingham do likewise (as per their boss’ hilarious quote) it should still be enough. Hoping it goes well enough to see Dibling, Doyle and Ballard. Not reading anything into who isn’t in the squad from the first 11. We’re resting ArmA, Tella, Bazunu, KWP and Manning - not just JWP. I think Meghoma might actually be utilized in midfield but I guess we’ll have to wait 30 minutes to be sure. Why is Lyanco number 4 - I thought he got moved to 25? What number is Dibling? He wasn’t on the submitted list. Is Gillingham REALLY as bad as everyone is suggesting? That’ll do for now

I know what you’re saying, but I did the bbc prediction thing yesterday and found it impossible to shoe horn all the crap clubs into the relegation spots so they might just survive. Wolves - no money and upset manager Everton - no money and crap players Sheff U - no money, squad REGRESSED Luton - Terrible squad (for PL), not improved Then add AFCB and Burnley in the mix - they’d look obvious candidates in most seasons. Palace have lost Zaha and not improved elsewhere (not sure Roy will do well for a full season either). Brentford have lost their goal scorer. Even Brighton, who are weaker and have European football which historically hampers smaller squads. I’ve got those 9 and West Ham and not got to Fulham and Forest yet! Honestly, beyond the obvious top 8 that league is so poor. Makes our relegation even more depressing.

Richard Cooke?

I do think we should have kept Elyonoussi, though. For the 3 minutes of possession that Wednesday had his epic work without the ball was sorely missed

I understand not everyone favours possession football but I loved last night. Especially the last 10 minutes which is normally dangerous for the heart when we’re trying (usually failing) to cling onto a lead. We need more quality in the final third; Edozie is very raw and we don’t have a decent striker (3 years now, and still waiting …) but otherwise we totally controlled the game. We’ll let in goals - every team does. We’ll lose matches we shouldn’t - every team does. But that 11, playing like that, is good for top 6. And from the starting 11 we’re possibly losing JWP (he’d be replaced), KWP (likewise), and possibly improving Edozie for Sulemana; and with Lavia and Tino going we can surely find a striker. I’m feeling optimistic. One specific comment, if we do want to be slightly more threatening but risky, Stu needs to play. He was excellent. He’ll lose the ball more but he looked to have a bit of his spark back. Here’s hoping

Completely agree - justifying ArmAs dissent by claiming it was a wrong decision (debatable) is justifying the behaviour which has ruined the game for years. Suck it up - refs make mistakes but a lot less mistakes than most players. I’ll be the first to admit it seemed a lot of bookings for minor things, especially incongruous compared with Windass not getting a booking for his second rash challenge, but we just need time to adjust and get used to it. And if it stops issues quickly escalating into the ugly mass confrontations that mar the game, and especially favour the big, “untouchable” clubs, whilst setting a better example to kids and improving grassroots football, I’m all for it. As for the time issue - probably a touch excessive, especially the first half. But just over a year ago we had about 3 minutes of football in the second period of extra time in the champions league final due to outrageous time wasting from Real Madrid, including one player going down 3 times for an age. Add the time on and make him go off the pitch for 30 seconds each time and that behaviour stops. It needs to happen to regain control. I don’t doubt it’ll be watered down as the season progresses but it’s long overdue imho.

Yes, although less CoT, more CoN (collection of narcissists). Maybe CoW - community of w4nkers? CoD - congregation of D1cks? Whatever they are, they’re bl00dy tedious. This “joke” has gone on longer than saints’ failure to sign a striker and most of us are very bored at both these things.

I wouldn’t be too surprised if we sell KWP, buy Aarons, and go with him, Bree, Manning and Perraud (or Larios/Meghoma if we sell or loan him out). Lots more to happen - Lavia out and replaced, Lyanco out (loan) and replaced; maybe ABK, maybe JWP, one of Tella or Sulemana plus Adams (sold) and Onuachu (loan). Id expect a striker, replacements for a CB and Lavia but not a huge lot else in. I’d personally like a new Keeper and another striker … doesn’t look like the club feel the same about a keeper though (not a 1st choice anyway)

BBC report stating that Caicedo won’t be going anywhere this summer. Which might help drive up interest in Lavia. Or just drive up what Chelsea pay Brighton for Caicedo. Hopefully the former - anywhere but Liverpool 😁

I guess I don’t really care that much so long as we get the most cash possible … but it would give me a warmer feeling if he went to United than Liverpool - not gonna lie.

Thanks - about the only thing we can glean from that is that Simeu isn’t listed and his number has been re-allocated. Certain to be leaving then, whether loan or permanent deal.

I feel more like the hungover parent at a soft play centre watching the feral kids behave like 2 year olds, wishing they’d all shut the f up and let me get to the pub for some hair of the dog an adult conversation.

It very much reminds me of the Peppa Pig episode where she sets up a secret club. Only slightly less mature

When i said nothing I wasn’t being literal. And I’ll be honest I like Adams - he has a good attitude, normally works hard and has some attributes as a foil. But as a lone striker he doesn’t offer enough of a threat to be worth playing. His finishing is dreadful. And your stats above actually prove the point I was making - he’s gone from a 20+ goal striker in the championship to scoring 1 in 4 and assisting 1 in 7 in his first PL season. And then got worse. Form and confidence are shot. Same goes for ArmA. You didn’t include his stats and I haven’t looked them up but imagine they’re even worse. He reached the point last year where he couldn’t even control a football. Again, nothing wrong with his attitude but form and confidence are gone and I’d be amazed (very happily so) if he returned to the form of 3 seasons ago.

We’re in the 5th best league in the world, remember?

Since when they’ve spent 2 years being cr4p, scoring nothing, and losing all form and confidence. It’s irrelevant what they did 3 seasons ago. We may as well sign Dele Ali on that logic

Edit! Sorry!! ! Meant to quote the comment about how Stephens, Manning, JWP and Stu were leaders and don’t know how to fix it??? I’m actually pretty optimistic about how things will turn out but this is far too positive a spin on things. Neither JWP nor Stu are leaders. Their age and experience gives them a touch of gravitas compared to the rest of the squad but they’re not leaders in any way. I’ve not even seen Manning so can’t comment but I wasn’t aware this was a quality of his? Stephens is more of a leader-type but quite frankly shouldn’t be playing; he’s not good enough I’m sure we’ll get improvements in once the outgoings start happening and am comfortable it’ll happen in time, but we desperately need a CF, a CB and a leader. And we really could do with a GK and most likely 1-2 CMs. Saying we don’t need a leader because we have one in the above list is as dangerous as saying we don’t need a CF because we have Mara, Adams and ArmA. They’re not good enough and Id be worried if the club don’t understand this

We’ll probably get dinos

Depends who/what they’re offering it for.

Only exception being the skates who are all absolute weapons

Funnily enough, the same 3 positions we’ve been in desperate need of for some time. Doesn’t matter how much we go on about coaches, managers, formations, leadership, squad size, player cliques etc, our big issues over the last few years have been not replacing Ings, not replacing Forster since he got injured and his form bombed, and not finding any good centre backs since VVD left. VVD would be hard to ‘replace’, but Hoedt, Vesti, Bednarek, Stephens, Salisu, DCC, Lyanco plus a couple of others I’ll have missed have all been nowhere near PL standard. You can survive 1, possibly 2 of these gaps but not all 3. We do need at least 2 of these sorting if we are to get promoted IMHO. The rest of the squad looks good, potentially very good.

Unfortunately the list starts with both our goalkeepers

I think this is the crux of it. The fans and media fawn over them as if that list is recent history. It’s over 30 years old. In the last 30 years they’re behind both Manchester clubs (especially funny) and 2 London clubs. Yet they go around as if they’re football royalty. They only time they bucked that with a league title in 30 years was done on massive credit and now they have to pay it back they can’t compete. Again. Why should the rest of the footballing world subsidise that? Of course, in their fans view the football world should subsidise them because they’re somehow the victims. Again. They’re not - horrible city full of criminal gangs shooting each others kids, moaning about how tough they have it and blaming Thatcher who’s as irrelevant as their 1980s league titles. And doing all this in the worst accent ever invented. I’d rather be stuck in a lift with a yank, South African, Glaswegian and Ian Paisleys ghost than one scouser. Horrific accent. Horrible people. Entitled attitude. Victim mentality. And the spitting Jamie Carragher. I’ll come back to edit the post when I’ve remembered some more …

Keep him. Next question?