shurlock

Nah- don't buy that. He initially looked pretty good under Poch -at least IMO- but then got injured (if you'll recall). But the specifics are moot: players take time to settle with new managers. You just have to look at his subsequent career at Liverpool, despite having another season of experience under his belt and playing alongside better players. Admittedly, there are many reasons why he hasn't hit the same heights; but MP's ability to get the best out of him, both individually and as part of a system, figures highly. Still fill your boots if you think Lallana would have progressed the same had Adkins stayed on

Yep. Lallana went from a player many on here were calling to be dropped to one we fleeced Liverpool for £25m.

As for the talent MP is working with at Spurs, he's lucky to have inherited a few gems, though he's also recruited smartly (e.g. Dier and Alli) without breaking the bank, given chances to players (e.g. Mason) who look pretty average and got the best out of the likes of Rose.

Yep. RK played him out there to good effect against United (at least, till the whole side went off the boil) and you'd think Cedric would complement him better than Yoshida.

Actually thought JWP had his best games under MP - the 1-1 away at the Britannia was probably his best game in a Saints shirt. Saying that, MP never really committed to JWP and often used him to fill different gaps in the side, even as a RB on an occasion.

I'm not even sure you know what you mean by religion or, at least, the causal claims others are making on its behalf, beyond the trivial and banal truism that ISIS and other extremists appeal to religion to justify their actions (which as far as I can tell nobody disagrees with). But, hey, I've come to expect nothing less shoddy and inconsistent thinking on here.

Are you sure almost every expert agrees on this? Many of the accounts I've seen point to multiple motivations. For instance, a particularly powerful driver behind ISIS emergence as a territorial force is that many Sunni tribes, disenfranchised by the new Iraqi government, suddenly needed a protector (also true of the vacuum in parts of Syria). Never mind ISIS was able to copy or simply hire ranks of newly unemployed soldiers, generals and intelligence officials. I could go on (btw, Zarqawi, the founder and godfather of ISIS, was your classic sociopath). There are certainly religious factors at play, though they fall short of the kind of determinism that creeps into thinking on here and elsewhere. But the larger point remains the same: totalising the enemy and its motivations (religious or otherwise) is not only bunkum, it is also profoundly damaging from a military and political perspective, a point Emile Simpson makes forcefully in his book on how the West has dealt with the insurgency in the recent war in Afghanistan.

I don't remember Clasie being here last season, though I do remember Toby being played badly out of position and Yoshida stepping in when we had an injury crisis at DM. Are you telling me that was obviously preferable to letting Toby continue to excel at CB and giving Reed a run?

Bringing players through is one thing (and it's arguably not even the most important thing); it's about getting the best out of players -and with the likes of Lallana and Jrod, the transformation was almost night and day. Have no doubts that had MP still been around, we wouldn't have gone the back end of last season, playing Toby out of position as a DM rather than giving Reed a run.

Are we technically to blame for that chant?

Villa under Adkins? Nothing immediately comes to mind.

The early goal didn't help - we do pragmatic football under Koeman; we don't do swashbuckling comebacks and the crowd knew it deep down. Stoke fans were poor value, not just the numbers; even after going a goal up, many seemed to be anticipating a response, so couldn't fully enjoy the occasion - guess that anxiety is part and parcel of supporting a counter attacking side. Either way, there was nothing to feed off. Plus it was cold. Finally, the Northam seems increasingly filled with cretins - the loudest I heard them was at half-time when the two participants on the final leg of the relay race invariably slipped. Perhaps a cameo appearance from a Mars Bar might have made a difference...

It's not the first time; but it's staggering how much Cedric tucks in. He an abject game all round.

No it was palace away.

Stoke played some good stuff and beat us comprehensively on the deck. Can name a number of players who had worse games than Vic - the entire back four for a start.

As have I - and while I remember some good atmospheres in the (pre-lowe) championship (Bristol City under Pearson sticks out in particular), Block 4 became very good, especially after we were relegated. The top half of block 4 was consistently excellent. Did you sit in Block 4 after 1-3 were closed?

What a load of garbage. Block 4 used to be excellent after the corner was closed. Many of the regulars there then migrated to Blocks 1-3 after they reopened. Quite a few look back to block 4 with nostalgia.

Was a lot worse last season.

The fact that the attacks were aimed at a football match, if not the values behind it, does bring a special poignancy and connection which in no way devalues other tragedies or implies one life is more important than another.

Exactly.

Is that another f**kw*t thing TalkSport has told you to say or is that one all your own. You do realise, Jamie, you're attention-seeking 'disgust' ain't a million miles away from the charity narcissism that you seem to impute to every minute action and seems to give you a near-permanent hard-on.

Depends what tone the PL wants to set -presumably it has consulted French authorities regarding its appropriateness. The anthem has a controversial past and, at times, been sabotaged politically but it stands as a message of unity and defiance in the face of tyranny (originally the Austrians). In that regard, the logic behind playing it makes perfect sense. For me, there's little or no difference between a minute's silence and the anthem. Rather the issue, as others have pointed out, is whether you do either at all.

Not sure how you can be for a minute's silence but against the French anthem being played (as some are doing).

Interesting you ignore the other 'random' further down the page, discussing how religious verses have been robbed of their historical context. If, of course, what he says is true Make a mockery - you couldn't be more pompous and disingenuous.

What on earth are you talking about? Some evidence that this is a widespread phenomenon would be a start.