derry

So you keep saying. However the PL have just said that they will not be changing the criteria in mid season as it could affect the integrity of the competition, The international body have just emphasised the clear and obvious intention.

As defensive coaches get to grips with the implications, lines of defenders are going to be better drilled and as soon as a through ball looks imminent, defenders are going to be moving forward quickly in line setting an offside trap, that'll put the cat amongst the pigeons. The whingeing now is mostly a media campaign and managers etc of teams caught by the cameras offside. The sensible thing is stay onside. It's mostly thick forwards not paying attention to defensive lines and being caught out. It won't matter where the line is drawn as there will always be marginal calls. Now that there is technology that gives proof, if VAR allows players to score goals when they are no longer level but marginally offside it will not be accepted ever. As people are already saying the reaction will be worse because now offside goals don't get given. Allowing marginally offside goals is a nonsense.

The important thing is where the offside line off the defender is drawn. It is the reference point nothing else, anything goalside of the line is offside. It is consistent and fair. What is happening is that defenders are getting better drilled to keep a good tight line. Saints are doing this, it's no coincidence we are getting favourable decisions. Forwards have to now get better at staying onside. Wherever the line is drawn forwards will push the boundaries. Stay onside and it's a goal, not too hard is it?

People talk about error margins. Patently they are acceptable to the authorities. Therefore it's where the line is, no ifs or buts. Using a margin of error casts doubt one way or the other. the line is where it is with zero tolerance. I accept that. What I don't accept is the best teams, with the best attackers, who score the most goals being further advantaged as they always have by making it a referees decision or moving the offside line further offside.

Firstly any error could work both ways, the player could be offside by a bigger margin than shown. It's no good arguing about fine margins. It is what it is, otherwise change the rules. I favour going back to two players between the attacker and the goal any overlap is offside, the VAR must show a gap or it's offside. The changing to the level rule favouring the attacker is the problem because overlapping goalside isn't level it's offside. Allowing clear air the other way in favour of the attacker is nonsense. In cricket, tennis, rugby fine margins are accepted, outside it's one way, inside it's the other. If the rules aren't changed then just accept the present criteria and if it goes for or against accept the decision and move on. A lot of the problem is managers, players and supporters disputing the decisions. Just get brutal and hammer the protesters hard so that whatever decision an official makes is accepted and move on. Anyone would think that football is the only sport with passion, it isn't but it is riddled with cheating and indiscipline. That needs stamping on hard and it would be a better game.

It probably wouldn't have been given in Scotland if they had VAR and it was shown that it went in off his hand.

What's happened is that referees are no longer getting away with outrageously wrong or no decisions at all because VAR is getting it right most of the time. If the criteria for offside is breached then it's offside. What is wrong and this weekend I've watched at least half a dozen Premier matches and every time the VAR allowed or disallowed it was correct. What is wrong is managers and players throwing childish tantrums when the decision goes against them. Coady of Wolves after the match still in denial that Lallana's assist for Mane was hand ball, Everybody could see it hit him on top of his shoulder. The VAR pictures as shown on TV should be on the big screens so that it is chrystal clear to everybody. If any body in Rugby behaved like football players they would be carded immediately and probably get a big suspension. What players and managers are doing is rank hypocrisy, for them great, no problem, against, big tantrums. Get used to it, at least in the main VAR doesn't favour the big teams as refs have been doing for years. If it goes against us, accept it and move on. If a goal is not given for offside, that's because it's not a goal. Wherever the line is drawn that's the rule. The players have it in their own hands to stay onside, then it'll be given.

The fact is he is not playing the way he was when he was one of the worst players in the side. He is now getting stuck in, not standing off and his 50 yd crossfield ball to Djenepo was a collectors piece. Well done for stepping up a few gears.

FFS you can't break massed defences down by slow passing in midfield or on Boufal's case running at six defenders. What the hell was Redmond thinking with his undisciplined nibble, of course he was going to go down. I knew that, so he had to. We may have to get in sometimes, but he was going away from goal, covered and no danger. As for the free kick, nobody went for the ball, Bertrand was on his heels and Stephens was jumping late behind Tomkins. The defenders have to attack the ball. We are not going to win many at SMS playing this slow build up against a retreating team. We gave them too much time to set up. We didn't have a shot in the first half. We have to play quick and press them hard in their own third. That was nearly our best team at the end, Long for Redmond for me to help Ings and until we bring players in that's about our best team. Adams didn't really cause CP centre backs any problems in the air. Long would.

PEH drives me mad at times with his poor pass completion. Yesterday after Cedric and Armstrong robbed Chelsea in our half he made a superb through ball thirty yards to Obafemi to turn inside and score.

Possibly try putting the VPN on UK then access Amazon and register a uk address.

Excellent performance from the back. McCarthy deserved his clean sheet. Both full backs defended well and when able especially Bertrand attacked well. The centre backs defended really well but for God's sake under pressure be smart, don't dither, whack it up the other end. In front of them Hojbjerg and Especially JWP who probably had his best game ever. They supported each other and played fairly close to each other. Armstrong was brilliant at times and worked really hard. Redmond had a good game, supported Bertrand as well as Armstrong on the other side. He had several chances, good crosses and finished well for his goal. Adams worked his socks off and was an important part of the win. Showed good control and fought for everything. Nearly got on the end of Redmond's pass but it was just deflected away from him. Obefimi took his goal brilliantly. At times he was switching off and letting Chelsea players go. He needs to raise his concentration because he could defend high up with his pace. He is still playing at U21 thinking except when on the ball when he picks up the pace. Very young but could be a proper handful. Ings, Romeu and Boufal helped us get over the line. Another good win without playing backwards and sideways. 33% possession, two goals. Possession just slows us down, defend and strike quickly suits us better. Our best performance of the season. Now to sort out our home form. I don't want to see the slow passing around at the back that plays into our opponent's hands. It ruins our tempo and pressing. Well done to Ralph for setting it up right and picking Obefimi with a rest for Ings. What the hell was Bertrand's booking by Jon Moss about that early in the match. Aspilecueta took a lot longer in the dying seconds and Moss let it go.

Never meant to be. Play the beautiful football against the teams that play open football. Losing beautifully and stupidly isn't what the home supporters want to see either. Winning ugly will send them home happy that we are coping at last.

No, but I'm not advocating a preference for a system. What I am doing is advocating a way to counter teams coming to defend. We are patently at the moment suffering from a team that is not good enough to play through ultra defensive teams and also be organised and quick enough at the back and midfield to cut off the break that loses us games. We leave ourselves wide open. We have lost most of our games at home because we haven't taken our chances but conceded too many on the break. All I want to see is us out of the mess we are in at the bottom of the league table. To do that we have to get better results at home. What I'm advocating is a counter to massed defenses. Twenty passes between defenders is a sight more boring. We get our best results with the least possession. the more passes we add up the more likely we are to lose.

Playing the way I proposed I wouldn't see the full backs as attacking options. If they get the ball they just stick it down the line and just hold their defensive shape. Let them park the bus but pile the ball in on them. Cut out the possession passing altogether and just put awkward balls in at the defenders and press the life out of them as they break. Eventually we will make chances. Play from the start as teams play the last five minutes trying to get an equaliser by putting the ball into the last third pressuring the defenders rather than trying to play through them. In other words force throwins, draw fouls, play for the free kicks and corners that often produce chances.

I'm afraid the slow possession completely neutralises us. It's all very well to think we can't do anything about it but we can. With the same team as Saturday against a team setting out to counter attack and sitting deep, keep a solid defence, miss out the midfield and stick the ball quickly up front wide of the central defenders for our forwards to pressure. If we hold in midfield and don't over commit the back four we can stifle their forwards and bombard the box and create defensive errors. It won't be pretty but it will be pretty difficult to defend against. Falling into the over committing trap time after time is idiocy. Don't play defensive teams at their own game. If teams feel that vulnerable and want to defend and stand back against slow two thirds possession passing exposing our centre backs by over committing numbers give them something entirely different to cope with.

On a previous thread I criticised the aimless possession amongst the back five. I emphasised that we got our best results with our possession reduced into the forties, Yesterday we achieved 44% possession again a win. It tells me that apart from what my eyes told me, the statistic showed less passing at the back, McCarthy kicking most of the time, plus a quicker transition forward and more quick breaks ending with some form of completion. We need to continue playing that way. Cut out the aimless possession often instgated by the keeper to a defender.

I watched the whole game twice and I think Obefimi is purely a striker with pace. there are a lot of things he just doesn't get. In those sort of situations, Long has done that twice lately watching the ball in our net seconds later, they have to get into the opponent and harrass them all the way, all over them like a rash until they win the ball or force them to pass it back. I think there is a very poor quality of defensive coaching for all the players at Saints. Top teams get this completely. the closer to their goal the tighter the double teaming and closing down the space.

I think they are just thick,

We need to take care of him. We don't have to run him into the ground every match. Rest him during the second halves to keep him fresh as we are doing.

I said it was a good performance but these two players repeatedly in games we have to win act stupidly. This time they have got away with it. We are in a relegation dogfight and points are hard to come by. We need to be ruthless not sloppy or stupid. Against a better team we may have lost all three points. these two players specifically have to be taken to task so that they help make us difficult to beat.

That was a very good win but I'm going to emphasise three acts of stupidity yet again from the same serial offenders, First 2-0 up near the end of the first half Hojbjerg in the clear played a casual chipped crossfield ball straight to Grealish of all people and immediately caused us problems. In the second half near the end, Cedric great break ignored the open player and shot straight at the defender, the ball was back in our half seconds later with us under pressure again. He just needed to give it and put the player in or go to the corner. Hojbjerg did a great run from his own half then with three against two took a shot straight to Heaton and the ball was back in our box with us hanging on again. The pass was the answer not the shot. They need a hammering because those decisions were brainless. Both these players despite being internationals continually display the sort of decision making that tyro players would have knocked out of them quickly. Small wonder we're in the position we are. Stephens had a good game, very solid, a great run and a chance capped with a goal, well done. Ings class. Armstrong played well, The team played well.

I think that's because in my opinion Yoshida is our best centre back despite the odd mistake usually brought about by indecision in possession, or an underhit backpass. He sometimes isn't aggressive enough and gets bounced, ie Rashford this year. Sometimes he needs to just put his foot through the ball. Romeu also played as a defensive midfielder holding in front of the centre backs. We lack discipline and shape in midfield, both Hojbjerg and JWP are undisciplined and have absolutely no idea the problems they are causing by leaving the midfield empty as they push forward mostly supporting play on the wings and allowing the opponents to get at our centre backs. We need to play a permanent holding midfielder Romeu or give Stephens or Danso in front of Yoshida and Bednerek a try with two attacking midfielders, possibly Armstrong and Redmond or Boufal with Ings, Djenepo and Long. Stop attacking with the full backs and use them as defenders primarily. This gives us depth, cuts out the exposure and allows a high tempo press from the front without exposing the centre backs. Soares is physically weak, poor in the air and undisciplined so try Valery without the wing back duties.

The problem with our aimless possession based passing at the back is that eventually when McCarthy hits a long ball or one of the defenders chips the ball into the centre field there are no channels just 10 opponents formed up filling their half waiting to win the ball and hit us on the break through our midfield. It is a fact, the higher our possession percentage against other than the top sides the more likely it is to end in defeat. Our best results against the beatable opponents are when we have about forty ish percent possession

I often wonder with the money slushing around with agents etc was there an opportunity to get rich. I just can't see how we could rate and buy some of the players we did for the reported prices we paid and the attendant wages. Carillo FFS, how long did he last. Lamina's work rate and character etc etc.