egg

SR people did their homework on the players we signed and some of them aren't PL ready so let's not assume that their judgement is solid. Moreover, we can't risk this - we're staring relegation in the face. We need a manager who'll command respect, and knows the league and it's players. Jones ain't that man imo. Don't get me wrong, Gerrard ain't the man I'd choose given the whole market, but if it was him or Jones, I see him as the least risky. Regardless, it ain't our pick, and I'll get behind Jones brand of 352/532 longball football and hope for the best.

What confuses you about preferring a manager with top flight experience in Scotland and England to someone with no such experience as a manager or player? Don't get me wrong, the option of tried and struggled or a high risk experiment ain't a great choice, but on balance, I'd have been slightly less concerned with Gerrard who failed at Villa than a bloke who failed at Stoke. What's Jones done that makes him more impressive to you than Gerrard. Was it his recent 4-O defeat to Watford?

I get all that, but he at least has top flight experience. If it was Jones or Gerrard, I'd grudgingly take Gerrard.

Oath

Based in what? Redmond came across brilliantly in the article posted on here, and would have nothing to gain. Seems clear to me that there's all sorts bubbling away behind the scenes, and the leaks/plants are calculated and coming from way above player level.

Stranger things have happened.

Agree with that. On the last bit, it'll be someone unknown or so keen to have crack at PL management that they won't be fussed about that. From the outside, it feels like a proper shambles though. I'll resist being the first to ask whether it really was worse under Gao.

I'd assume that Semmens is going too. Bloke comes across as an idiot, and all the noises suggest all is not well. We need a clean sweep on the football side - new DoF or similar, and a new manager with his own coaching team. The precise timing doesn't bother me as long as a) Ralph goes now (the Liverpool game is beyond us, and a caretaker can oversee the inevitable) and b) the new manager is here for the majority of the world cup so he has time to work.

Once you take the emotion out of it, the club is a business. The players and management are staff of that business. I can't think of any business where the board are expected to watch their staff work. You can still analyse results and performance without watching it. Aside of that, perhaps they were working tirelessly on sorting out a new manager and Semmens replacement.

In other news, the bench looks decent. Especially the pigeon.

A chocolate orange is my favourite fruit at Christmas. Don't quite do 5 a day though. With you on Terry's all gold. Shocking box of chocolates, but not as bad as dairy box.

Well, Aribo has been shit so I can sort of see the point of Walcott, but I'd have preferred AMN up there and Lavia in the middle. Not sure wtf the full back situation is all about though. We're fucked.

Bingo 👍

Who wants rid of him? Having the opinion that he ain't all that, is not wanting rid.

A tin of them, the triangles and the green block would have been my ideal for me. Cracking idea though.

Really good read, thank you. He comes across really well. This bit was telling though, pretty scathing: “But the morals and values I signed for, the longer I was there, the more I saw them slip away. “One was the style of play. I always appreciated my time with Ralph, because he saved us from something very bad. The next season we finished 11th but after that, we were just in a long, transitional phase. I don’t think we knew where he wanted to go".

You're getting there mate, just keep repeating "Ralph must go" 🤣

Good post, and it highlights that JWP has never been a DM or AM. He also lacks pace to play out wide. To be effective he needs to be accommodated, but he's not good enough to build a team around. Personally, I'd play a 433 with Lavia holding, JWP on the right of the 3, AMN or Diallo or SA on the left. That gives him the ability to be as productive as he's capable of.

Didn't realise that was a thing. Thank you. Will order one in - nice to have a tin without the creams, toffee penny or the fake bounty.

Sadly not. They're a good side and I think they'll win at a canter. I hope I'm wrong.

He's hugely overrated by many. He's hardworking, committed, neat, tidy and takes a good free kick. Apart from the free kicks, none of that is spectacular. He has no other stand out attributes - no real pace, he's not a great tackler, he's just decent without being great. In open play he offers very little in an attacking or creative sense. Someone has questioned if he offers more than Henderson or Winks. He doesn't imo. Henderson is no less creative, but he offers more physically, a bit more guile and much more drive imo. Winks is similar to JWP. I feel for the lad that he won't make the world cup squad, but so many more players deserve to be on the plane.

I'd eat all of that, but reverse that list. I love pannetone, and trifle is the pudding of kings.

Drops

Private

It's bollocks. Winter for a start. Interrupting seasons. Players playing in crazy heat. Not a football country as host. Then the deeper issue of the obvious corruption to stage it. Horrific treatment of workers, and massive loss of life. Their human rights record. The anti LGBT stuff. The properly shite fan experience. I've always been excited about world cups, but not this one. It's shouldn't be happening there, or at this time year. It's bollocks.