All Activity

Tim Lewis?

I don't think he and Jander works. For me the partnership is either Charles or Jander and Downes or Bragg.

Bad

Yeah i think beating Leeds away last game gave us a real lift going into the play offs. Our record against Millwall and Middlesbrough is worrying, not managed to beat either of those this season, just need Hull to finish 6th to complete the set

I don't mind admitting i was one of those that thought what on earth were we doing signing Larin at the time. However i absolutely love the bloke and his 100% commitment to the cause. I think we have to give Tonda a lot of credit for the way he has handled not only Larin and turned him into the player he now is with Saints, but also so many other players that we were all hoping would never wear our shirt again because of their pathetic performances. Tonda is not only proving he is a great tactician but also a great man manager who listens and takes advice from his backroom staff. Larin is a prime example of a bit of a journeyman who wasn't being played to his strengths or having a manager who was prepared to believe in him. Incredible transformation really.

Agree with this. We saw in 23/24 that he wasn't really suited to a DM role, and as much as he has improved overall since then, the defensive side of his game is still a bit lacking. He's not all that combative, and gets caught in possession too easily. Case in point: within a couple of minutes of coming on to replace Bragg at Wembley, he dithered on the ball and gave it away really cheaply leading to a shot on target, which is something Bragg didn't do once while he was on the pitch.

Company

He wasn't in the Prem squad really though he played reserves which basically was the youth. He definitely was considered a CB at one point as I remember reading him described as such on the official site or somewhere.

Tonda was a very brave choice, most of the fan base didn’t want him due to lack of experience and after we had just failed with another really young manager in will still it looked crazy for them to double down on it. as I said in the post above I think there may well have been some carry over influence regarding the bazunu decision and other stuff so maybe spors was badly advised here. in general though he’s made a load of cracking signings and also rectified the mistakes in January so thumbs up

To be honest I think Still's "tactics" suited him better. Tonda's fast transition, high energy game doesn't seem to suit him especially when he starts a game. Personally I'd like to see him further forward in an alternative for Azaz as he's got an eye for goal and I think he could be effective in those occasional games where Azaz isn't.

What’s the worst thing that could happen if we play a weakened side, we lose or draw and Middlesbrough don’t win. What’s the worst thing that can happen if we play full pelt and stuff them. Leo gets a muscle pull, or THB pulls a groin, or Bree is slightly off and therefore mistimes a tackle getting a red, and Middlesbrough still win. Impact injuries can happen anytime, but other injuries are caused by fatigue. Tonda has managed this side of the game extremely well, we haven’t had a lot of injuries compared to other sides. Let’s hope him and the medical team are all over this (I’m sure he is), and we don’t take any chances. The risk/reward equation is too far on the risk side imo.

😳

If he’s tried to stab the officers as well, then I’d go with the defence of making sure he wasn’t in a position to have another go.

If you're talking about either signing Larin permanently or giving Stewart a new contract, I'd be going with the former. Larin isn't injury prone and seems to affect games a lot more than Stewart does.

Apparently Tim Smith ex Arsenal vice chair was at the game with Kraft last night. Not sure if anything to do with Dragan saying if promotion happens would look at investment. Smith was involved in Kroenke takeover at Arsenal Apologies if another thread on this.

Sports Republic started out of the gate wrong. We were a PL team, the lack of backing for our hard pressing, attacking RALF ball, and then the appointment of killcoxs and RM hammered home the idea we were going away from pressing, high energy to pep light, boring possesion for possesion sake. Killcock to MANU (I warned manu fans that they would not like what he is selling) and RM to Rangers ( what a complete shite that was). After a bit of dithering and putting the boot up some arses, Dragonz SR make a dramtic change and in comes.......Spors, with an Under 21 coach that is from the same group he was involved with previously, RedBull. We have gone back to what we were before SR took over and long may it continue. We should have never left that type of football. I bring this up because Bournmouth is doing do well attacking the PL, Marco Rose is their next manager. No one can aruge thier board is not doing it right. Ariola was great, Eddie etc. It looks like we have come back to the RB way of thinking with Spors and Tonda. Have a look at Tonda's CV, he has work under Rose. As a coach, Eckert was assistant coach of the U17 team at 1. FC Köln from 2013 to 2016, before becoming assistant coach to Marco Rose of Red Bull Salzburg's U18 team in the 2016/17 season, when the team won the 2016/17 UEFA Youth League. Within the Red Bull group, he moved to RB Leipzig in 2017, where he spent two years as assistant coach of the U19 team, initially under Robert Klauß and then under Alexander Blessin. In the 2019/20 season, he was assistant coach to Miroslav Klose with FC Bayern Munich's U17 team. Lets keep attacking the leagues!!

Didn’t hurt last time we went into the play-offs.

You don’t think Larin offers the last 15 minutes option off the bench in the Prem? What gives you the confidence Stewart can stay fit and deserves another year instead of him?

As others have said, the most likely cause is probably too much, too soon. Don't be afraid of starting with shorter runs and building up (even if 5k doesn't sound far to you). Also, sometimes slower paced runs are more productive for building base fitness. Not every run has to be at a decent pace. In terms of shoes - probably not the primary factor, but could help - everyone is different. I'm a bit sad and have a few different types, but for my everyday runs I have Brooks Glycerin's and never had an issue (I generally replace shoes after about 600-700km). They're a bit clunky but so soft that it's like you're running on clouds. If preferring ASICS, I think the gel-nimbus are about the equivalent, but have never owned a pair myself. Faster, more lightweight shoes are probably more likely to cause issues. You could try a gait analysis, but a lot of running shops don't have people particularly well qualified to advise you properly (despite what they might claim), so a physio might be better if you have the resources. There's a lot of 'stability' shoes on the market - but I reckon a lot of people who are advised to use them, don't actually need them. I know when I first got into running, I got a pair, and regularly got pain but as soon as I switched to a more neutral shoe thing's improved. Try some out on a treadmill in a shop and see what feels best for you.

They also were not sure he was rigged to blow.

Year on year improvement is great to see. Slow and steady wins the race. Given time he could Quite easily become the second or even third worst keeper in the league.

Pretty much how I see it. I’d prefer to finish 4th all things being equal but would rather 5th and a full squad of fit and fresh players. The other thing the 4th-at-all-costs demand forgets is that it’s not up to us anyway … we could play a full side, get a win and still finish 5th. To me the risks of preserving with players who clearly need a rest outweigh the marginally possible reward of playing home 2nd. Bree, Jander, Fellows, Azaz and Scienza look in need of a break to me; Stewart, Larin and Stephens need managing as well. I totally understand some people will think differently, but I’m still not sure why the order of a 2 leg tie matters half as much as some seem to think. If there’s extra time, maybe … but beyond that? Certainly not enough to risk getting a tired Leo or Azaz injured for, when winning might not make any difference anyway.

Don't listen to this rubbish. He'll be a fantastic goalkeeper for you Cardiff, and a bargain at £10 million.

Yep much rather have key players fresh and injury free at this point.