Saint_lambden

Where's that come from? Manager just said everyone bar Tella is fit.

The midfield battle will be key. If Ori and JWP can get the better of Van De Beek & Allan, we're half way there. They're a big side so we need to have one of our better days at defending set-pieces/balls in to the box as we're very hit and miss at that. They're defensively shite though so Broja and Adams should be looking to get the better of Holgate and Keane who are having a very poor season. They've won 1 of 11 away from home but represent a bit of a bogey team. 2-1 win if we play the same team as last two games.

Confidence, a competent goalkeeper, Armstrong coming in which allows us to keep the ball better in the final third and utilise the full-backs when he tucks inside; and getting the front two partnership right.

In fairness, all they need to do this window is improve on what they have in a few positions and do enough to stay-up. In summer, they will be attract a higher echelon of player if they're still in the Premier League but the top tier of player won't want to go there yet whilst the threat of relegation is still real.

Burnley now not signing Orsic but are pursuing Weghorst who would be a decent replacement for Wood. Still don't think they'll have enough to stay up.

Not really relevant to his football ability though, which stopped being Premier League standard a long time ago.

Those 2nd and third goals were horrendous. Forster shouldn’t have come for the 2nd and then he assumes the first header is going in rather than anticipating a bounce off the post. Defence stops playing for the third. Didn’t really learn much new from that - they’re better in both boxes than us.

They've a few out injured, including Neto, Neves and Marcal and Boly & Saiss are at AFCON.

The fact that none of Chelsea's striking options have nailed down their number 9 spot makes it near certain he will go back there. Lukaku wants out already, Werner doesn't suit the Premier League and Havertz isn't conventional in that position. We could try and use Livramento as leverage in any deal, to 'sell' him back to them at cheaper than whatever buyback we have agreed with them or in part exchange, but their urgency for another right-back could be less severe than their need for a top striker, which Broja clearly is. As others have said, a second year on loan is the best we can really hope for. It would either maximise the potential fee Chelsea could then ask for from other clubs at the end of year two or the potential of the player they would then put back in the first team. I can see him ending up somewhere like West Ham. They need another striker to support Antonio, they could outbid us and it would keep him in London.

One of, it not the best central midfielder outside the 'big six' for me. Perhaps pipped to it by Rice but his contribution is enormous.

Henderson or Johnstone in the summer should be number 1 priority.

I think the Northam when given to away fans as a whole holds 5,500 which they will sell easily. £15 for adults, fiver for kids. Pack the place out.

Then you won’t want Boreham Wood.

Hardly played but he's got Alphonso Davies and Lucas Hernandez ahead of him in the pecking order so it's not surprising.

Subtle dig at the Pompey fans hopefully who still remain without a pot in which to piss.

Tadic and Mitrovic in please.

Ashley Barnes is fucking horrible c*nt.

Well that’s the team talk sorted for the rearranged game - use it our advantage and it’ll be even sweeter when we do beat them.

It's two years from 18th August 2020 when the IPO was completed/they started trading.

The couple of people I’ve spoken to who make out they know something about the takeover think it’ll be done by March but won’t say why then or who is involved, so could well be BS.

Stephens and Lyanco will be back for Newcastle so little worry about Bednarek picking up another yellow (he shouldn’t be first choice anyway).

They're struggling to score so as the league's perennial charity cases, I'm sure we'll kindly fix that for them. 2-0.

I agree that it's the correct decision at the moment and the current restrictions are about the right balance, even if the messaging has created a lockdown by stealth. The biggest spike appears to be London which is not coincidental considering their relatively low vaccine uptake compared with the rest of the country. 9/10 of those in ICU in South London are unvaccinated which begs the question quite how long we can continue to throw a protective blanket (restrictions) over these people for their decision to not get protected (as much as is possible) via jabs. I'm not saying don't treat them if they become ill because that's opening up a huge can of worms that people then could argue could the same for treating lung cancer in smokers, heart attacks in obese people etc. or that we should segregate them, but something has to eventually break the chain of twice-yearly lockdown in reaction to new variants. Hopefully vaccines which are configured based upon numerous variants rather than the original strain that we are using currently - in the form of an annual booster programme - and placing a heavier reliance on life-preserving medicine proves to be the answer in time to getting back to 'normal' for good.

He was never going to 'cancel' Christmas two years in a row, especially with just a few days' notice. He's tanking in the polls already and doing that again would have been the final straw for many, especially in his own party.

If we don't beat them on 2nd Jan they should automatically demote us.