egg

What do you mean that he "has already started to milk" the publicity? He really hasn't. He's denied the allegations, and last night honoured a commitment. Getting on with things the best he can is not "milking" anything.

Yesterday they made 6 changes and went to old trafford and got their manager booed off the park. We've never had the strength in depth at PL level to do that. Up to Koeman we got it right. Up to the VVD sale we mostly got it right. After that our recruitment has mostly been a pile of shite.

Ha!! Show me a period on our PL return where we've consistently signed players and managers as successfully as Brighton, and I'll agree with you...

He's a self confessed sex addict/predator so rumours supporting that aren't a surprise in themselves. The area of concern is anything non consensual, or otherwise illegal.

Lots to agree with there. The inverted full back concept just isn't working. The logical thing, as you say, is surely to have one full going while the other one sits. If we play that way I can see a role for Bree, and if happily see KWP shift to the other side. I wouldn't ditch Manning though - I think he'd add something in the midfield where he's played most of his pro games.

You're one of the good guys Whitey. This is a horrible time for you and your family, and my thoughts and prayers are with you all 💙

Like SoG, I'm surprised how much air time this has been given so quickly. However, Brand is a self confessed recovering sex addict and has admitted predatory behaviour, so revelations of him pursuing women for (consensual) sex aren't a surprise. The rape allegation though is horrible, and given the medical records and the messages in the aftermath, there seems to be a case to answer.

Yep, although I'm not sure what's to dislike about them. They're a small ish club, playing football as well as anyone, and they take cash from the big boys and buy replacement players who are at least as good, then do it again. They're doing what we intended to do, but have done it successfully. Fair play to them.

His possession based football has purpose and movement though. It also has an organised defence, midfielders who give cover. Basically, he does it properly.

Absolutely. RM's brand of football should suit any pro footballer capable of playing at this level. The only signings over the last couple of years that arguably isn't is Tall Paul, but even he was probably capable of receiving the ball and passing it five yards and then moving. As for the others, nobody is convincing me that any of them isn't capable of passing and moving. The primary with RM is how he sets his team up.

Every game is a barometer. Every game shows renegade and irresponsible tactics. Every result is a barometer. You don't need more games to see that his tactics are kamikaze.

So it's in us fans?! If I understand you correctly, you're suggesting that if the fans can buy into the process and sit quietly when it's going wrong and then it'll all come good. If I misunderstand you, please spell out the fans "issue" and what you are suggesting that we as fans should do and how that'll help avoid 3 on 1 attacks, etc.

Thanks...as damning as that looks, is it players doing as they're told, or is it players going rogue? Absolutely mental either way.

I sort of agree with that. Most teams had a midfielder who sat and one who went. Same as the 2 strikers, one went long and the other came short. Back to midfielders though, take Case and Cockerill. Case sat, Cockerill got forward. Sure, he got back, but that wasn't his main job. In modern terms I guess they'd be a 6 and 8 respectively. The titles are nonsense though, they were just central midfielders who worked well as a pair doing slightly different jobs.

I'd understand that argument if the bulk of the team were playing over the last few seasons. KWP and Adams are the only recent season (outfield) regulars who played last night. AA wasn't a regular, and plainly has a give it all attitude. Edozie was in and out last year and is a tryer. Everyone else is new, and the low spirit of previous seasons has nothing do with how they're being shoe horned in to a daft shaped team.

Milk

Danny Murphy did an article a few weeks back where he called the defensive midfielder a 5. In the olden days that player usually wore a 4. Now he's called a 6. Murphy calls him a 5. I'm not sure where the obsession of using numbers to describe a position came from. We'll be calling right backs a 2 before too long. Weird.

Breakfast

Absolutely. First priority is to make the team solid. Then it's to score goals. His philosophy seems to be little more than keep the ball, with no obvious plan on how the priorities will be met. We need more than tweaks imo. The team needs proper shape. The full backs need to be full backs who can get forward only when possible, the midfield needs a man behind the ball, and two other players actually playing in midfield rather than some sort of inside left/right or whatever the hell was going on last night. It's a mess.

Yep, we're in a results business first and foremost. Call me old fashioned, but I'd take an even mix of dull 1-0 wins and plucky 0-0 draws over 'exciting' 4-1 maulings every time.

Who wasn't? We didn't lose because Smallbone was played in a front 5 and did as bad as everyone else. Bizarre that this lad is being singled out.

?? It's a reaction to everything since the Wednesday game mate. Not tonight.

Yep. I said similar last week. He's their mate, not their manager. That never works. When you can't manage the players, can't coach a defence or midfield, then slate the fans like he did, you should be a dead man walking.

Cosy

Teeth