bluebruce

Just a lil observation. Tyrhys Dolan has played 881 minutes this season in the league, which is less than 10 games worth of football. With that, he has 3 goals and 4 assists. So 7 goal contributions, in less than 10 full games worth. That really isn't bad going for a lad who takes a lot of stick from some quarters on here.

Football is crazy. Capitulate pathetically at home to bang average Preston, then casually beat one of the best sides in the league away.

...but those three ARE players he paid fees for...

So Modric can't pass like him?

I was talking about the possession first mentality. The rest of my post already talked about the difference in the specific approaches, but it's variations on the same disease, the notion that holding the ball is more important than actually attacking. We don't really have the personnel for either approach, but I think it's hard to argue against the fact JDT's one has been more effective so far than TM's, regardless of how much anyone likes it. I definitely did see a fair bit of passing at the back under TM too, just less.

The season's results strongly indicate it is far less suicidal than the present system. Of course the last two games have been a total abortion and if we continue in that vein for the rest of the season you'll be right.

Mowbray already did the same thing for a full season, with a lower league finish than we are likely to achieve this year. But yes, it's infuriating. The only difference between JDT possession and TM's possession game when he tried it is that TM's was further up the pitch. But it was still pointless safety passing. If I was to hazard a guess why JDT's take on it is yielding better results so far, I'd say a combination of him being a more inspiring personality to work under, and the opposition being tempted to close us down at the back, which is a serious problem when it works, but creates space for us further upfield when it doesn't, to start counter attacks which is where we are most effective.

My God, these are deeply embarassing comments. We are third in the league and 4 points clear of 7th place. Yes, it's a false position, yes I expect us to slide down the league in the second half of the season to finish somewhere mid-table ish, but comparing it to Ince, Kean and Coyle is ridiculous at this stage. Similarities to Mowbray I can see, although it's hardly like the darkest days of his reign. In fact it's more like the best days of his reign given our position. I'm not old enough to remember Iley.

Ffs. Real shame that the best signing we made this summer is a bit injury prone.

Disagree. First season maybe. Even then only in patches.

No thanks, we had the actual Johnson and he was a bit shit.

Sounds like baseless speculation to me. A game on the bench hardly means he will be playing regularly, that's quite the leap of logic.

Not sure there is no upside. He isn't playing here and is at a stage of his career where he must play regularly. I'd certainly try to wrangle a bit of money out of the loan though, don't see how we should treat it any different to Prem clubs loaning players to Championship sides.

As far as I'm concerned, their female supporters are entitled to whatever they want...

Good thing we've just been off to a warm weather training camp, that should prepare them just nicely....

Tony wouldn't have been having any of that.

The lottery draw is the draw too. But you have to be fortunate to get the right draw for it. Undoubtedly you can get lucky with the draw, and we have been lately, but not this time.

Yes the reports said it was about 500k, that's why I didn't expect any profit. But yeh I forgot he had already moved on.

And since he has been robbed before, you'd think he'd have taken that step.

Because it's really, really fucking stupid and suicidal to play like that. As well as being dangerous, it's illogical and achieves zero perceivable advantage even when it doesn't go tits up. I don't care if JDT or Jesus wants us to play like that, it doesn't make any sense. I thought we already had this discussion, where you admitted managers can get it wrong? Kaminski is a goalkeeper, he should be keeping in the goal.

Yep. Looking at the highlights though, Ajax are even worse at it. They weren't learning at all either - we took advantage of it, robbed them and Dolan had a chance as a consequence, then from what appeared to be the resulting goal kick, they immediately did it again, got caught again, and this time Dolan scored. The Dutch disease appears to have become a football pandemic. Loads of teams are at it these days. We do it of course, even though most of our goals come from quick counter attacks and stealing the ball off opponents who pass it around at the back.

Would think we have a sell-on in that...but I would also think he won't move for much, so if it's a sell-on on the profit, doubt we'll get anything at all.

France definitely have multiple threats. Their frontline today was Mbappe, Griezeman, Giroud and Dembele. Feels pretty threatening to me.

I think people forget just how good Shearer was, perhaps because he wasn't flashy. He came 3rd in World Player of the Year in 1996. Really not sure who else we have had that could have done that.

Yeh very good volley from Hirst, but our defending at the start of the highlight for that goal gives me kittens. We best not do that in a real game, have a defender receive the ball in the middle of the box while Kaminski jogs out wide like he's virtually a fullback.