The Left Back

I'm a little more upbeat than that (albeit on minimal evidence either way). It seems to me Onuachu was going to be an asset based on how we were playing (or at least trying to play under the Welsh wizard) when we signed him. Now we have changed our manager and the way we are playing that it is harder to know how it will work with him. At the end of the day he scored a lot of goals in a top flight league (yes only Belgium, but he's won a league and played in Europe), and he's at the peak of his career. I'd give him the benefit of time to settle and learn a new style of playing before writing him off.

Predictable isn't it. A bit like car crash TV, I know it would be better if I didn't watch but I can't seem to resist. Fair play to soggy, he gets mercilessly brutalised by three full-time trolls and just keeps coming back for more. He's making the most of his 3 posts a day. Just when you think he can't withstand the tsunami of bile up he pops ready for another round.

2 points from safety, 4points from 12th. 10 games to go. Not sure we’re quite in Nessie territory yet. But if it helps you think like this then fair enough. We all find our own way through these things. Me, I think it’s impossible to know how the last quarter of the season will play out.

Thanks for letting everyone know. Saves us having to bother supporting and hoping.

If you can’t see the difference he’s brought then I probably can’t explain it. It just feels so different to have a unifying figure running the team. It may not be enough to save us but he’s given us something to cheer and hope for. Today at the stadium it was just an outpouring of support for him. And very good it felt too

I know what you mean. but I reckon we’ve already lost about 5 ‘must win’ games this season, and I’ve concluded we’re already down around half a dozen times. As someone else said, can’t believe there’s still hope given what we’ve all been through

Loved Le Tiss as a player more than any other in my 50 years of support. Met him a few times round Romsey way and found him to be a good fellow. But there's just no defence of his recent stuff. It reminds me of the relationship with one of my closest friends. I love the guy and have had the best of times since school age but I pretty much disagree with everything he stands for politically. So other than the odd drunken fall-out we just get on with it. I'm not going to bin him even though I think he's a deluded, Brexit-defending, little englander. With him and Le Tiss I guess it's just about managing the contradictions.

Totally agree about the fans role Wednesday. No booing the announcements or subs please. No nervous groans if someone makes a mistake. Spirit of the great escapes needed for those old enough to remember. For those too young ask an oldie to mentor you on how to support your team in a relegation scrap.

I’m saying Bazunu should stay in the team because IMO he’s better than McCarthy and Willy. This opinion is based on having watched all three of them live and on TV in most of the matches they’ve played for us. I totally except this is a minority view and other opinions are valid. I agree his potential is not reason enough to pick him. I happen to believe he’s a better keeper than the other 2. I’m just hoping all this on-line debate doesn’t contribute to booing when his name is read out during the upcoming games.

Correct? Who are you, Clive Myrie on Mastermind? No one is suggesting there shouldn't be an effective immigration policy and process. But anyone suggesting that is what the lovely Suella's agenda is must be either deluded or cut from similar cloth.

Other than one troll-shaped nibble from the Farage fan boy, this is an uninterrupted stream of anti government sentiment. For balance please could someone come on here and have a crack at defending what’s happening… Anyone?

Don't forget Ramsey's wingless wonders. Revolutionary but would have gone down like a lead balloon among the Stadler and Waldorfs of the day. I'm not over keen on all the stats but agree with your sentiments generally, particularly on the broader societal implications and football's place in it.

I'm almost certainly in the minority but I think he'll come good. He's similar to Emerson in terms of physical stature and potential attributes (before I get jumped on I'm not comparing him like for like to Emerson in terms of quality). He's obviously had a tricky first season in the glare of the EPL (Ederson was relatively hidden away in Portugal at the same age), playing for 3 managers in a very unstable side. He's only 21, the youngest keeper in the division, and will improve. Like all keepers, his mistakes are there for all to see but I can't think of any/many games we've lost because of him. I think there were a few boos when his name was read out Saturday, and it just needs to stop. It's a perverse way to show your support for the club. The great escape mentality only works if the fans and the team or on the same side. People booing him and then in the next breath saying his confidence is shot need to take a long hard look at themselves. I don't mind some analytical criticism on here but some of the stuff about Bazunu has been ridiculous. It's almost like some are so invested in the need to be proved right that they almost want him to fail.

Nor me. My Dad moved there when I was 13. I had the chance to join him when I finished my A levels. This was 1980s Wisconsin. I was put off with the obsession with guns (and drive through banks but that's another story). Needless to say I haven't regretted my decision once.

This totally. Can anyone explain to me how it helps to boo our players when their name is announced or they come on as sub? All it can do is unnerve the player and rattle the others. All of which makes the job of winning harder.

How shall I fuck off lord? it’s not just comedy, it’s comedy gold

Blimey mush, calm down, I'm worried you might explode. You've made so much money from Brexit I'm not sure what's got you so angry. There's many of us against what's happened, trying to plot a workable way forward, without needing this sort of contribution. Firstly "Does NI not reside inside the EUs borders and is what you would call a member of the EUs single market?" This is not 'two simple questions'. It appears to be one question that morphs into a second half way through. You yourself say 'question' when you ask it. Not 'questions'. You helpfully say the answer is yes and yes but I'm not sure I understand: Yes - "NI does not reside inside the EU borders" and Yes - NI is what warrior saint would call a member of the EU single market. Have I understood you correctly? Secondly; I've asked you this several times before in various versions. So let me try a semi-simple, singular question again. What, other than the size of your own wallet, have been the benefits to the UK of Brexit? Thirdly, I don't know warrior saint, and I've been away for a while so might have missed it, but how is he so against England and English people? (btw that sentence is all wrong - your should be you're, english needs a capital and you don't need commas before fuck off). Finally writing fuck off in capital letters is not a good look for you (or anyone really). It undermines your power and therefore the strength of your argument. PS if you don't care about people's grandmothers (btw it's two shits not too shit) what do you care about?

I managed 23.05 at age 57 if you want a target to shoot for. Agree with lens replacement surgery. I had it done at 53 and it was transformational

Harking back to the late 80s and 90s, there came a moment in most seasons where the mood changed from moaning about why we are in the shit to getting fully on board with the reality and uniting behind a passion to help get us out. It was hard to identify when that moment was at the time without the benefit of hindsight. Probably the most famous one was Ruddock's penalty against Newcastle in 89. The concept of the great escape seemed a regular feature of the 90s but how did it start each session? When was the liminal moment? What was the catalyst? I was hoping it was the Man City/Everton wins, but it feels like we are now back where we were before then. Perhaps it won't happen, we'll moan our way down to the championship. I'm hoping there comes a moment when something happens and we all can click into 'great escape' mode. It may not be enough to save us it but at least we could say tried. The question we seem to be debating on here is whether it's the fans jobs to do this or the team/manager's. I don't think it works like that. It's a sort of symbiotic thing, but it probably does need some of the toxicity to recede to allow it to be a possibility. Right now too many people seem to be moaning, primarily about the manger, secondly about some of the players and thirdly about the ownership of the club. On the one hand fans feel justified in raising legitimate criticism, on the other what purpose does that actually serve? If we complain we are non-supporting bed wetters, if we don't we are deluded happy clappers. I've posted on this thread because I think some believe we need to get rid of Jones to survive. Perhaps that's right and replacing him would provide that liminal moment. But I just don't think it's going to happen. In which case, as a supporter, I'm for setting that aside for now and putting my energy into supporting more than critiquing (in the ground, in front of the telly and on this forum). Those who think we are doomed if we stick with him have every right to say so, and I don't blame them. But I think it lessens our ability to galvanise support for survival.

Great lists, resonating with so much of that. Humour, grieving and pathos in equal measure. I'd add: Going deaf. Wondering where the melodies and choruses are in modern songs. Needing to wear thermal long johns from November to March. Talking too loud and getting told off for it. Railing against Love Island and reality TV in general. Railing against cosmetic surgery and other modern day fads. Railing against excessive tattooing. Aching when sitting for too long, aching when moving too much. Remembering minutiae from the 70s while forgetting what you had for breakfast. Not knowing how electronic gadgets work. Being asked what a floppy disc was. Having said all that, I've never been happier. 60 is 18 months away - bring it on.

I'm not good at the linking thing, but found this monologue from Andrew Marr quite interesting vis Labour's position on post-Brexit trade with the EU. It's the New Statesman so obviously left-leaning and therefore kind to Starmer. Nevertheless it's the first thing I've seen/read that paints a hopeful yet realistic picture.

Fair play to Soggy. After starting this thread in November and getting a right load of flak, it’s still here 13 pages later. Sadly it feels like it’s actually getting worse. It’s a depressing read, and the voices defending the indefensible are getting quieter.

The desperation for a striker is understandable but does rather remind me of similar froth before we signed Carillio. So lets no repeat that mistake. if we get someone I’ll be delighted but don’t agree with the general apocalyptic mood if we don’t. ps mini cheddars, original flavour. Everything else is a poor second.

I’m broadly with this, but without the word happily. Also don’t underestimate the benefit of winning games, no matter how well and in what competition. just catching up with this thread. There’s a level of moaning on here that I just don’t get. And criticism that’s way, way over the top. we put the reserves out and won. We scored two cracking goals.We looked fine and in total control until they scored and then understandably frail confidence kicked in. We got through a tricky tie without injury and it was good prep for the big Tuesday game. Lavia lasted 85 minutes, and it was good to see ABK back. He played well enough apart from the one brain fart. Perraud was good as was Lyanco and Edozie. The reserve players all brought something apart from Orsic who was way off and AMN who looked disinterested. the atmosphere was not as good as Tuesday. today was the first time I thought Jones got his first sub wrong. Edozie should have stayed on the right and AA bought on for Orsic.

Conversely if you were to have backed us to win every home game this season you'd be ahead right now. 12/1 against Man City and 5/1 v Chelsea almost covers the whole season. It doesn't feel like it though