RevidgeBlue

Different type of argument altogether. I don't think even proponents of Forshaw's limited abilities would be advocating he start. For me, if he isn't starting he is just blocking the pathway of a younger player coming through. The experience should come from the starting x1 not the fringe players. So either it's a sign he's likely to be replacing Travis or Tronstad directly or he's going to be filling out the squad in which case it's a completely pointless and ultimately counterproductive signing.

Wow......well, that's one way of spinning it. Chaddy would be proud of you for that one. Simon Garner had better fetch his boots down out of the attic. VI might fancy sprucing up the attack as well.

Chaddy must be locked in his war bunker discussing furiously with his Press Secretary how to spin this signing. I'm Predicting: "Pleased with this signing. A good dollop of experience to help the younger players". 🙂

Exactly.

People used to accuse Eustace of this and I felt that if he had specifically been told "We know what happened with JDT but don't worry it won't happen again" then he was entitled to take that at face value until proven otherwise. However, now that it's happened TWICE I have a very hard time believing that VI could be naive to all this or that he isn't fully complicit and agreeable to anything that happens as long as he draws his salary.

100 % agreed. Money is tight and we're spaffing it away on Forshaw. Surely the money could be far better spent. What next? Cauley Woodrow?

I mean I've always thought that in the past but it's been so blatant for quite a while now it's coming over as malicious.

Yup.

Wouldn't be surprised. This has to be a(nother) line in the sand moment surely. Enough is enough.

We didn't want him originally, what's changed?

Forshaw. What a fucking joke. Chaddy?

I don't particularly rate him, everyone else seems to. That's cool. A lot of people didn't even rate Raya. Our former manager included.

Travis, Beck was top class, Brittain was very good last year, Dolan's decent at this level, Ohashi and Gueye are good value considering what we paid for them. Carter still has potential and I rate Scott Wharton subject to fitness. That do you? Edit: And Batth

Someone at the Club or connected with the Club is doing a cracking job of linking us to players we've no intention whatsoever of signing. Makes us look like we're doing something I suppose. Edit: Whoops Mark beat me to it.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/gareth-southgate-england-next-manager-35405149 According to the Mirror Southgate has offered his services to Poland. He might do well with a Country which has no real expectation of success.

You're entitled to that point of view, we'll see who's right this season. We don't exactly appear to be beating the suitors for Tronstad off with a stick this summer though do we? What is it they're not seeing either?

At this stage, no idea what you're on about, you're not even talking about the same thing that everyone else is on the thread.

Don't understand the obsession with shipping Pears out. Pears and Toth are both fairly crap but Toth is clearly the worse of the two imo. Neither are the answer. Have there been any concrete links to Pears leaving or are people simply speculating? Apologies if there have been said links and I've missed them.

Hee Hee Chaplin's inside the Oak Tree which is now a Tesco Express. There's a blast from the past. Not all things change for the better sadly.

He's a politician first and foremost who was brought in by the FA to pour oil on troubled waters after the Big Sam debacle. Did better than expected initially, healed factions within the squad and imo did pretty well in 2018 and 2020 apart from the crucial games where his lack of proactivity and in game management cost us. Should have been replaced after the Italy final for me. Heard a rerun of an interview between Simon Jordan and Allardyce recently where big Sam attributed Southgate's failings to lack of managerial experience. He said the longer you've been doing it the better you are at in game decision making.

That was John Butcher for the old timers. Not many modern keepers confident with crosses these days.

When you're in a hole stop digging. The only thing we can control is whether or not we reach a particular stage of any competition by beating whoever is in front of us. We have no control whatsoever over who we play. if we end up with an easier game at any particular stage than we would normally have expected because another fancied team hasn't performed and the draw hasnt panned out as expected, then most people would describe that as an element of (good) luck. If we meet a particularly strong team earlier than expected through no fault of our own then most people would describe that as being slightly unlucky with the draw. RF 99 has described it very well above. I think most people would describe draws over the years against Sweden, Croatia, Denmark, Switzerland, and Ukraine as extremely favourable. Italy were far from the strongest side at the time in 2020 and in the last Euros we were in a side of the draw which meant we avoided Spain or France until the Final. We also avoided Germany because they unexpectedly lost to Switzerland. You still have to win the games whoever you play, but to claim there isn't an element of luck involved at times is ridiculous.

I doubt we'll be selling many female shirts this year!

I know it seems to have been popular in general - I just didn't like it at all.

I agree........ But......IF we played well and got knocked out in the semi final or were losing finalists, I wouldn't necessarily consider that a failure for his first tournament bearing in mind he would have either equalled or surpassed anything Southgate achieved at the World Cup.