CHAPEL END CHARLIE

Ironically while some of us spent yesterday afternoon at the match supporting all our players (and what a fun time we had!) I now see that some of those who have been so vociferous in their objections to my view, were far too busy posting on here to go down to St Marys and support Guly for themselves ... oh well. For the absent members of his fanclub's information, I thought your man did actually manage to get a few decent crosses in - during the second half in particular - but for all the claimed "balance" he supposedly provides surely Puncheon down t'other side is the more effective a player. Nevertheless, I'd go so far as to rate this performance as high as a 6.5/10 PS - even littun did concede that he thought Guly had taken a "good" corner kick ...

Tracking back is all well and good, but unless the player doing the tracking is going to get some type of meaningful challenge in on a regular basis, all this effort seems of limited value to our defense. You are confusing perspiration, with inspiration. The record shows that the recent improvement in our defensive record predates Guly's recent return to the starting 11, and is explained by other factors. While we are on the subject, I just don't agree that Guly works as hard (or harder) than Lallana - an exceptional athlete - or that he contributes anything very praiseworthy to team performance over and above that which Adam offers - indeed I would have thought most observant fans would argue that claiming Guly is in any sense match for Lallana is just plain silly. How remarkable it is that (if memory serves) a forum member who was at one time extremely critical of this player and only recently was seriously claiming on here that Guly's regular substitute appearances were in fact the result of a clause in his contract that compelled this, rather than earned on merit, should suddenly perform such a dramatic 'Volte-face' on his opinion re this player. Never mind consistency too is overrated as a virtue. As for his performance v Arsenal specifically, the disastrous own goal has already been discussed at some length and I can only recall one noteworthy (late in the game) shot at the opposition goal which the keeper saved with ease. He played little active part in the Ramirez goal. Again although he does indeed cover his fair share of ground during the game (I have never agreed with those who think him lazy) I can't recall any outstanding defensive work from this player, at least not enough to justify the praise lavished on him here. Overall I rated this performance in the 5 (or 6 perhaps) out of 10 range. As ever, other opinions are available.

Thank you! I'll go back and take a gander. If it was that easy why the hell didn't he just say so? You do get some funny types on this forum ...

Don't you believe it! I'm told him any more trouble and I'm going to the Chelsea game tomorrow without him.

I hope he doesn't - I'm genuinely interested to see his opinion.

I will refer you to my previous reply(s)

Well as you can't (or won't) produce any evidence of the alleged post then I'm starting to thing that maybe it doesn't exist. But please feel free to take this opportunity to rectify the situation.

But I don't know what part of this thread you are referring to - it is rather long. If it's so difficult to you to find, why don't you provided a short summery here and now of your latest Guly view?

Please be specific.

Help me out here - which post?

Just after you tell me what your opinion is - this only seems polite as you started this thread.

Ha! I couldn't agree more. When were you thinking of coming off the fence and telling us what you think.

Well I'd ask him to reply my friend, unfortunately his grammar and spelling are even worse than mine, and anyway he's been sent to bed early because he's been a very very naughty boy today ... this trait may run in the family. Now I'll grant you that debating the finer points of the off-side rule and the advantages of the 433 formation may be a bit beyond him at this age, but surely one of the great strengths of football - indeed what separates it from lesser sports - is that it is in essence a beautifully simple and flowing game that people of all ages can both enjoy and participate in. When a 6 year old sees a forward player of ours miss a open goal, or stick it in his own net, it doesn't really occur to him that the player in question may add some ill-defined sense of 'balance' to the team, or maybe track back defensively on occasion. In his childlike way all he sees and feels is the failure to score and the pain of seeing the team he loves stuck in (or around) the relegation zone again. Despite their obviously underdeveloped intellectual capabilities, I think there is much the wise man can learn from children, if only he takes the trouble to see things from their viewpoint. I do hope I'm not the only person on here to have noticed that children have a wonderfully honest way of cutting through the bullsh1t that we adults spend our lives immersed in. Sometimes they can see things for what they really are in a way the rest of us find hard to emulate. No doubt you lot will vehemently disagree - but that's alright because I really wouldn't expect anything else.

Pulpy, I wonder if these good on here know why I'm so obviously in your 'bad books' as the saying has it - the truth being of course this has little or nothing to do with Guly do Prado. Methinks I better explain. Before Xmas you thought it would be a smashing idea to start a thread in the Lounge promoting the ridiculous - if not to say disgraceful - notion that the Apollo Moon landings were some vast fraud and that Neil Armstrong et al are a bunch of foul lairs. Now when (to your apparent surprise) you discovered that the rest of the forum decisively rejected this nonsense as the risible garbage it undoubtedly is, you took great offence at that and worked yourself up into a right old tizzy about it. My advice to you is just learn to accept that you're certainly not the first (or indeed the last) person to make a fool of themselves on here, and that in the grand scheme of things this minor embarrassment doesn't amount to anything of great importance. But if you really want to try and get your revenge on me then by all means carry on - but I do hope you realise that constantly picking at your scabs is unlikely to make them heal any faster.

And if you cannot see that there is nothing inheritantly wrong, or out of order, in pointing out that a forward player of ours has failed to score in a year, then I don't know what the point is in speaking to you frankly. Let me ask you, were you happy to see him miss a open goal at Stoke when we were 3-1 up? How about at least one decent late chance to equalise v Sunderland the week before? When push comes to shove this player just doesn't deliver and its costing us points we can't afford. If Guly is indeed the best (sans Lallana) option we have on the left, then that is a pretty damn good argument that this is the area of the squad that most needs strengthening I'd say. Or do you disagree with that too?

Lambert, Lallana, Cork, and Spiderman always looked looked like potential PL players - their success really should come as no big surprise to anyone on here. Fonte however I would describe as a borderline case - a pretty dodgy start for sure, but now looking every inch the accomplished PL defender I hoped he'd become. For that reason he just pips Morgan for player of the Season for me - but ask me again in May.

I just checked and no sign of any implosion as yet - sorry to disappoint. As a big fan of Gods gift to football how would you rate Saturdays performance on the traditional 1-10 scale? I'm going with 5/10 by the way.

My dear Pulp, it comes as no surprise to see that you too are a fully paid member of the Guly fan club - indeed I find this news comforting.

Think about it. At the risk of being accused of bias again I thought that the Arsenal LB (Gibbs?) had Puncheon in his pocket all the game, but Puncheon on the whole has done well this season. Despite Puncheon have a bit of a mare and a stand-in RB behind him (Cork of course) we still looked more dangerous down that side - IMO.

Rather a long time ago. You don't see goal scoring as an important feature in a forward players game?

OK then, how many years will this regular feature in our team have to go without scoring before your lordship would consider that fair grounds for comment? He's signed until 2014 I understand ...

Firstly, I can see nothing "extreme" in pointing out that a forward player of ours has failed to score in 12 months - this is a matter of fact as you concede. Secondly, he never truly lost his place to Billy Sharp & Tadanori Lee - fairer to say he has been in and out of the team over the last year. Thirdly, your "few" substitute appearances (I believe Guly has made 14 appearances so far this season alone) amount to a significant amount of game time - certainly far more than either Lee or (the departed) Billy Sharp have enjoyed. It is also a matter of fact that Billy Sharp netted 9 times for this club during his brief stay here last season - for that matter we have central defenders who have scored more often than this striker/wide player. But apart from these few points this is a good post.

I think even you would struggle to argue that his most significant contribution to todays game was not the own goal - but if you disagree then please explain why. It is a matter of fact is it not that this player has failed to score a goal in (other than todays OG that is) in nearly 12 months of football. Now you may call that prejudice, I call it the truth.

Why won't you share your opinion with us? - You're not known for being shy.

Funnily enough I though both AOC and Theo were very underwhelming today - I'd have both of then back in a 'New York Second' if we could afford them mind ...