Oldeuboi

It's quite hard actually. I think we take the best from all football club methodology to make us quite unique. It is the rampant positivity throughout the club that makes us different. Other clubs have excellent recruitment, other clubs have good academies and other clubs rely heavily on sports science and statistical analysis. I don't feel many clubs have found a way to combine all that the way we do under a working methodology. I guess clubs like Sevilla would be the closest you can get to us, just because they repeatedly sell big and pick up shrewd bargains to replace. You can also draw some comparisons with Barcelona. Yes we don't have the absolute monstrous scope and level of their youth system, but we're quite similar in the way there is a clear pathway to the first team. All Barcelona teams play and train the same way, youth players are regularly invited to train with the first team and there's a big unity between youth and senior pros.

"Vanderkamp" now gone off twitter too. I guess these fake "experts" really can't handle it once they actually get reported. https://twitter.com/danvanderkamp?lang=en Wonder if the Mirror and everyone else who reported this completely ridiculous story will post corrections?

Reading his twitter. He's absolutely clueless. Obviously one of those fake "ITK" accounts. A few of the best ones, it's actually laughable: 2014: "Heard today #Falcao has told a couple of his french team mates he is going to Liverpool. Another colleague told me Real Madrid." (and after signing for UTD): "I also don't understand why Falcao would want to go there. At this stage of his career...surely, for once he would want UCL. Greedy *****" 2014: "As far as I am aware the only clubs that have spoken to Balotelli are #Arsenal and #Monaco. I expect monaco to sign him this week" 2015: "I personally think Liverpool will go for Petr Cech!" On the Benteke deal, clearly ITK: "He told them a deal has been agreed, and that Ricky Lambert will go the other way to Aston Villa. It is €42M and the player apparently" May 2017: "Virgil to Manchester City story is most likely planted by a bookmaker. He has joined Liverpool." (then the backtrack): "Also, when I said yesterday that Virgil was close to going to Liverpool it meant the clubs were close to agreeing a fee." and then still (before we took Liverpool to the PL): "It was never ever in doubt about Virgil Van Dijk. And a word of advice, don't believe any news paper described as a "tabloid"." Lukaku was also nailed on to rejoin Chelsea, Liverpool are nailed on to sign Aubameyang and Lacazette will join Madrid in January. Just reads like a Liverpool fan ****ing about. Every single ITK post is something that shows a deal favouring Liverpool. Why do people take this ****e as gospel just because someone claims they're ITK?

I was originally worried about the style of play Alaves had last season but after looking deeper I'm fully on board if we get Pellegrino. Played good football at Valencia and in Argentina. Just shows that he's a manager who can tactically adapt to the tools he has. I've no doubt we'd play possession-based football under him as that is what our players/club are suited to.

Alaves played long ball 11 men behind the ball football last season. Got results but much prefer being a team that keeps the ball. Wouldn't be anything close to an upgrade.

The same reason we got Romeu for 5m? Or Mané for 10m?

I just don't get how a team that creates the 7th highest amount of chances in the Premier League can be seen as "boring". That's the most baffling point regarding all this nonsense.

Confirms exactly how I've felt about the season, being someone who's very interested in analysing a game statistically on my way home. Great article. Well written and backed up clearly by evidence and case studies.

How can a team that plays boring football have the 5th most shots in the league?

How calm does Yoshi look in possession now? His passing and touches are fantastic. Always been competent defensively and aerially but great to see him slip seamlessly into our more possession based style of play... in his strongest position.

I love how you said "grammar" instead of "vocabulary" just to wind him up a bit more

It's not coincidence that we are pretty much viewed as the best run club in English football by other fans and pundits alike. It's just weird how people try to deny that about their own team. Should be proud imo.

Damn 3-0. The first 20 mins had so much potential for an evening of SaintsWeb wrist slitting and bed wetting.

This first half is just papering over the cracks.

Cedric's and Davis's (even though we stole it from N.Ire) are the only ones I really enjoy singing. Probably because they are catchy and pretty upbeat. Any "he hates pompey" song just makes me cringe so rarely end up joining in. The Gabbiadini one last saturday was the bitter cherry on the top of that cake. We need a revamp and some proper original songs. It's seriously dried up the last few seasons. The best example I can think of is comparing Celtic's (or even Liverpool's) "Just can't get enough" with our half assed "duh duh duh JAY RODRIGUEZ".

Yeh. Looked solid today. Carroll probably had a bit too much space for the first but it was a great pass. Weren't really troubled after that with the 2 deflected set piece goals.

It's the old "last season revisionism" back to haunt us. Last season: Long balls to Pellè = Exhilarating quick passing football Pellè chasing down a defender without any support from other players = High team pressing Most headed goals in the league = tiki taka

Doesn't it say that playing out of a 4-3-3 at youth level gives players the flexibility to adapt to many different positions and systems if needed? I think you've got it backwards. Our first team has changed style of play to one that is now a more fluid transition from the youth teams. Less of the long ball/knockdowns/quick counters and more possession. All our youth teams try to dominate the ball and have done as long as I can remember (at least since we've been able to watch the U21s/18s). Very similar to the first team with similar outcomes (dominating games then getting stung on the counter) much of the time but it's all about learning and growing. A cohesive style of play is almost impossible at youth level with players always moving between U18/21/First Team duties. Similar to the way we haven't been able to have a settled first team yet.

Boufal is the difference.

Yeh but twitter.

We've had 3 games in 6 days. We played our full first team for two of those games. We're thin with injuries right now so we have to go deep or risk more in a game we're unlikely to win anyway. It's just unbelievable that people are trying to tarnish the fact we're going to Wembley based on this game where (so far) we've been punished by an unbelievably clinical Arsenal.

Wonder which would've got a worse reaction? Putting out a second string side at Anfield, or playing a weaker team today? People wanting their cake and to eat it too. It's not like we're losing to some lower division side.

I did get the feeling people were just waiting for something to pounce on again...

THEY ARE OUT OF CONTROL. Puel needs to get a grip of this dressing room before someone gets hurt.