malcolm waldron

That would have been a great way to preserve the legacy wouldn't it.....

I have to wonder who is the random Luton fan who wrote this piece originally? For a start it's very long - and why would a Luton fan be bothered to go to this length of analysis having just lost their saviour to us? Absolutely glad that he did though. For me the interesting piece is how much they know about relatively low key players we have (or have loaned out). I understand that many football fans live and breath it every day (and I'm the same during transfer window closing week and the Ralph situation over the last few days) - but how many Luton fans really know about Larios, Mara, Smallbone (I get the Stoke connection) and above all Thierry Small. I'd blocked him out of my mind after Coventry and yet a Luton fan has the awareness to select him as one for the future NJ team. I'm very impressed! I'm a little out of touch but have now seen TS is coming back....when regrettably according to Port Vale he didnt get the game time he might have wanted? So - very grateful for the 'Luton fan' to have given us such a huge insight into Nathans career over the last five years - and it sounds a potential good match for us. I just wonder how much of the above text was lifted from Nathans first conversations with us back in the summer.......

I noted that too. Can't remember the exact passage of play, but I think it was our usual shovel it around at the back under increasing pressure before it goes back to the keeper for a punt downfield (and lose the header). Only this time Bazunu looked up and drilled the pass (to Armstrong I think) through a crowd of about 4 Arsenal players. More of that to come hopefully. We were trying to imagine McCarthy trying to do the same.

I thought the same - especially after his first start against Liverpool. Prove us all wrong tonight Moussa.

Interesting to see if the third Dean Smith games follows the pattern of the other two. In the first one, my memory is that we could have been out of sight in the first half (and Villa down to 10) - but that the second half was pretty uncomfortable for us, especially the first 15 mins or so. At Norwich I think we were less dominant in the first half but let in a poor goal just after we scored to keep Norwich in the game. The second half Norwich came out going for it and my sense in the away end and from those around us was that if a goal was coming - it would be a Norwich one. Step forward Alex to give them three points. Did Theo miss a great chance in stoppage time having said all that? I feel we're now moving on from Ralphball 1.0 (first half great, second half poor) but tonight will be a big test as Norwich are desperate for a result.

The Conte post match interview was fantastic. I know its not his first language and so we should give him some leeway, but it was just a series of mumbled words with no meaning. Great that we reduced him to rambling incoherence....

I think this series of pictures says it all. Broja was clearly taken out and I'm convinced that if that was Bednarek on Kane it's an immediate free kick and a yellow card. Anyway play continues very quickly and a goal is scored. In my view the reason the referee didn't stop play for the head injury (wrongly of course) is because of how quickly play developed - and he simply bottled making a decision to stop the game. The madness then occurs as VAR rules the original foul was too early in the phase - or words to that effect? So we have a ref bottling a decision because of how quickly Spurs threatened our goal - and yet the VAR ref decides the contrary. How can that be possible??

Isn't he unavailable this weekend?

Typical of you - always trying to deflect the plaudits away from others. I too was going to massively vouch for FT's credentials as well (not that I've any idea who he/she is), but forgot to and so also missed out on the abuse. You won't find me mentioning it on here though. The Dean Henderson transfer though - well that's a different matter.......

I can't help thinking that Fraser's late second half drop kicks being shanked towards his right (my left as I looked on from the Chapel) were all deliberate. It seemed a case of - we'll give Spurs the ball back but from deep in their own half so that we can keep our shape in midfield and at the back. Stuart Armstrong gave Fraser a massive above the head clap from that position after the ball had gone straight out at one point - hence I think it was a deliberate tactic. Ultimately it worked. Let's see how he kicks it on Sunday.

I need some advice from well travelled road users as my evening game experience is pretty grim usually. I'n travelling down the A34 and will typically loop round the M27 heading east and, leave at the Bursledon exit and go over the Itchen bridge. This is a long way round the city but the motorway usually is free flowing. Can anyone offer a better quicker route without massive jams? Some ask i know! There's obviously the airport junction or The Avenue but I don't know how these are typically during evening matches or where best to park if coming in one of these.

Not at all impressed by Perraud from a very causal glance at those three minutes. i was expecting him to have played a key role in all four goals and weighed in with a direct free kick for a fifth. if he doesn't sort it out for the next game then I feel a loan spell in L1 might be needed to toughen the boy (as Dave Merrington will no doubt start calling him) up a little......

Do we know why KWP went off? Injured or tactical? If the latter then why disrupt the midfield. Better surely for Diallo to come off for OR?

I have to disagree I'm afraid. I spent a large part of the first half wondering where the midfield had gone - especially when the WBA midfield were running in behind. Diallo frequently seemed to be in full FIFA21 mode - just charging forward at all the wrong times. If you watch the build up to the first goal (pen) you can see both JWP and Diallo caught forward (albeit marginally) and Maitland-Niles then running into a cavernous space behind them. Shades of the 2nd half of the Leeds game all over again. I was shouting at the TV for one or both of them just to sit in for a bit and Theo to come in tighter to KWP - just to try and gain some control for 5 mins and take the pressure off the defence.

Interesting that the only shirt (i think) that they haven't produced in this range yet is the classic 1989 - 1991 home shirt, the first time we wore 'traditional' stripes for years. That shirt brings back some very happy memories of Shearer, MLT, Rod Wallace etc in a 4-2-4 formation. Now.......why would that shirt not be produced along with all the others I wonder.....??🕵️‍♂️

Didn't Lawrie always say we need violinists and road sweepers? Or was that Claude Puel..........?😉

Treated myself to watching the whole match again - this time without the stress but with the ability to look at certain players and watch what they were doing. The main thing that struck me second time round was the work rate Theo put in defending. Many times (including the first half when it was a more even match) he sprinted back to provide defensive cover. We all know he's quick but when that pace is used to defend and get back in shape it's a great asset to have. I must admit the second half second time round was still stressful - in terms of much of that Liverpool build up play down the left side. Hard to believe that all of that only led to one shot on target! 😃

It's a while ago now but he had extreme balance and could get on the ball early and beat a player on either side. He could turn and pirouette on the proverbial pound coin and so always got the ball and team moving forward in midfield. I won't say anymore as things can change so quickly but you could see the natural attributes were there, and there's no reason why they shouldn't still be there. Hopefully the rest is down to full time professional coaching rather than enthusiastic amateur coaching! I'll say again that he has a very grounded family and so hopefully all the support is in place to help him progress. In my view he deserves it.

I was lucky enough to see a lot of his football going through the age groups (my son played in the same team). He's a lovely lad, his parents I'm sure are keeping him grounded and let's hope he can build a career from here. It's a great example of a young boy with all the attributes that somehow the scouting nets failed to find, finally entering the system and benefitting from full time coaching. Good luck to Kegs!

I've been thinking and, although by know means fully formed (some may say half-baked), I do have an idea. It's called 'wild card' - see, I'm already ticking the important U.S. box. This simply means that Liverpool get five 'wild card' match choices a season. They can select any game as a wild card choice (other than against a fellow Top 6 team - Man City, Saints etc) and automatically be awarded a 3-0 win. So they can avoid tricky away games at Turf Moor, annoying long away games e.g. Brighton, or boring mid week easy games e.g. Arsenal. When they play a wild card for a fixture they were due to be on TV for (i.e. all of them) Sky can simply instead televise the usual load of ex-Liverpool 'pundits' to embark on a two hour snorefest of rose-tinted nostalgia on all things scouse. After three seasons they will campaign for an uplift to seven wild cards, to allow more overseas profile raising trips.....

Plenty of talk earlier about biased reporting but this clip from The Guardian (yes i know no one reads it😉) is typical of the London media's inherent blinkers. At the time the commentators on TV were lauding the blind pass from Jorginho that led to their second goal. The same too on MOTD last night. I then thought Oriel's pass was near enough exactly the same - and led to Che scoring. Here's how The Guardian saw both passes: 1. Jorginho swept a glorious ball over the top and Werner lobbed McCarthy before nodding into the empty net. 2. Chelsea’s loss of composure was summed up by Zouma’s failure to deal with a routine punt in the 57th minute. Cracking last 60 mins though and it's just a shame the game couldn't have lasted 5 mins longer as there was only one team in it at the end.

This may have been covered earlier but I'm getting fed up with the Sky strategy of appointing a 'fan' to co-comment. They should be there to analyse the game from both sides and identify what TV viewers maybe can't see. Instead we get a lop-sided commentary culminating in Neville still banging on about a potential red card a whole three minutes (sorry - I timed it) into the second half. That quite simply is a fan talking and not an expert summariser. At that point i muted and synched up to 5Live where Chris Sutton was far more objective and even identified two free kicks on the edge of their penalty area that we should have had but which weren't given. Somehow i doubt Neville did the same. Still, a cracking match and proud of the team taking it to the opposition so well.

Anyone else think the KDB free kick was taken from the wrong place? I haven't watched the replay yet but my first thought when Armstrong committed the foul was that we were lucky not to have given away a penalty there. I was only mildly panicking thinking that it's very close to the goal and the angle isn't great. We then see the ball being spotted a few yards back and more central alongside the 'D'. I know its all academic but at the time I wasn't happy........

It's not often I use the ticket site so please bear with me. I'm buying two tickets tomorrow and having tried a dry run today (to know more for when I'm eligible tomorrow) it wasn't obvious how I buy two together at the same time for the two season tickets. Can I select two seats at a time and then assign them to the two STs, or do I have to select one seat, attach to a ST, remember the seat details and then go back and get the other seat and attach to the other ST? It can't be this option surely?

I might be mistaken but wasn't one of Nigel's many corporate jargon expressions 'hard work beats talent if talent doesn't work hard'?? I expect todays game may well be a mirror of that phrase and it will be very interesting to watch the commitment and togetherness of both teams, and how hard they visibly work for each other. My mind goes back to last week with Redmond cutting in on to his right foot and spraying a 40 harder straight into space with no red and white shirt anywhere near. The look on his face was one of pure 'I've just produced an amazing pass and you lot should know what I'm going to do......' Never mind, he may still turn out to be the new Henry. As others have said, I've gone from looking forward to home games knowing whoever we play we're going to give them a battle, to a feeling of we'll be lucky to beat Burnley. All in two seasons. Having said all that, play a 352 with Boufal central and we'll provide a barnstorming 4-0 home win.......