benjii

Is Sakho good enough on the ball for our style?

Yes, this has been the way with big clubs for years. I had two Man U-supporting mates in Soton who held season tickets at Old Trafford for years but, over a season, would do maybe half a dozen home games and some European aways. The rest of the time their tickets were passed round a group of fans for use.

Apparently he said: "We have 18/19/20 players ready for the game. Some played yesterday, some didn't". On the basis that two of those are goalkeepers and some are players coming back from injury I reckon they'll make about five or so changes from the weekend. Either way, nothing to be scared of if we play well.

I get that. I don't see why you can't do that in a different part of the ground though? And I can't see how it would feel like an away game. For what's it worth, I think it's a little petty closing the stand but I can see why they do it; particularly as we now seem to have such a shallow, whingeing, pathetic fan-base full of moaners that we can't even sell out a cheap cup semi final. What will make the whole thing most like an away game is if home fans don't come, or do come and spend the whole evening moaning into their flasks.

Sounds like a good Tweet....!

Good post Alpine. Sensible point, carefully explained.

I find those the most interesting parts by a distance.

Come off it.

We aren't! We've got eight games between 11 Jan and 11 Feb inclusive and if we beat Norwich that will go up to nine games. We don't really get down to one match a week until after the West Ham game on 4 Feb (and that assumes no more cup matches).

I don't think anyone doubts our squad is weaker than it was last season. The question is whether to indulge in portentous self-important doom-mongering and finger-pointing or crack on, support the team, keep an eye on the longer term and enjoy supporting one of the top dozen or so teams in the country.

I've been shocked how pathetic some of our fans have been this season. Really weird attitudes.

Agree. There's some unbelievable helmets knocking around lately.

People like you need to get a ****ing grip. "Protest match" FFS. Do you know how pathetic you sound?

I think the midfield bluntness is a confidence thing. I don't, for one minute think Puel instructs them to never get "in there". We have had a few games this season where we've started really positively and put the opposition under pressure and got men into scoring positions. When we've tended to back off and play safe, it's usually followed the other team scoring - which is often with their first attack. I think that's a confidence thing. Plus Puel has been given a midfield where the most prolific individuals have usually only got 2 goals a season for us.

All those saying "Belmadi" - he was good. By all means, like him, but don't keep associating him with some of the rubbish we've had! Lee Todd, for example, makes Cuco look like Cafu in comparison.

I'm not saying he's great - simply that he is better than that CV suggests. Whenever I watch him play he is one of the best players in his team.

League One average salary is only about £70k, I think. Hardly stellar for a 15 year career or enough to set yourself up for life. Console yourself with the knowledge that you won't end up as some washed out has-been!

I've always quite liked Snodgrass. He could probably play in one of our "shuttle" roles. I don't think we'll be in for him though.

Being a bit ****e is the most likely explanation for Jamie Oliver's gaffs packing it in.

Agree with this, in terms of on-pitch effort. Whatever has been going on he has still been committed and passionate on the pitch. I haven't seen any lack of effort, even if his performances aren't perceived to be as good as they were last season. Off the pitch, who knows?

Wow. What a brilliant point! Great point. Seriously, good one.

And there's the third!

That would only work with a boner? If that's true he's got to go. Can't have boner's being swung around in the dressing room.

I don't think anyone's saying he's irreplaceable, more that you can't allow one or two players to dictate the management of the club.

But maybe the club has identified a system as giving them the best chance of success in the long-term. The squad will evolve to fit that system. To begin with, some players won't fit it all that well. I don't know if that's true or not but it's a possibility. You are basically advocating adopting the formation/style used by most of the "Big 6". That's fine but they have better players than us so by doing that we are unlikely to finish above them very often. I can live with that but a lot of people seem overwhelmed with despair at our recent league position. Maybe we have decided our best way of being "disruptive" in the long-term is to develop a different style. Leicester - not a great example as it was a complete freak season, but anyway - won the league by playing a fairly unique style (coupled with large helpings of luck). They certainly wouldn't have won the league by trying to be facsimile of a Klopp, Pochettino or Guardiola team or trying to play like Arsenal. I've no idea if that's the long-term strategy at all but it's an explanation. Maybe Puel is being stubborn by design.