tajjuk

The players didn't really embrace Ralph's methods for that first run of tough fixtures, after that result, it seems everyone was on board to turn it around and we've been more like a top 8 team than a bottom 3 team in pretty much everything. Shows how far application, hard work and teamwork can get you considering the massive change in performances and results from the same bunch of players.

Baldock is a wing back to be fair, that is a lot of running as well. But should also be noted that we are not a possession side and he (JWP) is not just a sitting midfielder in a 3, so it is very impressive.

So basically we really need to keep hold of Bertrand, JWP, Redmond and of course Ings. If we find a midfielder who is good at recoveries, can shoot a bit and pass decently, we will have found an upgrade on Hojberg. If we can find an as good shot stopper as McCarthy who can also distribute better, we can upgrade the GK position. Improvements can obviously be made at centre-back but if Bednerak can keep improving and reducing the mistakes he'll become a very good one.

To be fair on Leicester they have had big injury troubles. They have not had Maddison and Pereira for most of the re-start I believe and also have had Chilwell missing for several games now, and then Seyoncu got himself suspended, plus Fuchs the back up left back got injured as well. So for the last 4-5 games they have been missing basically 3 of their best players, it would be like us not having Ings, Redmond and JWP or something, we'd probably not be getting the same results. Their back 5 against Spurs was James Justin (who was playing league 1 last year I believe), Wes Morgan who is past it, Evans, Ryan Bennet who is like the epitome of a championship level centre back, and Luke Thomas who was playing his second senior appearance. Taking on an in form Kane and Son.

Do players who go back to their old clubs ever really work out? I feel the link is just a bit too easy, available on a free, we're his old club, losing a midfielder, looks very much 2+2 = 5. Objectively he is a 32 year old with a poor injury record, who would probably demand high wages (part because he is on a free and part because he was on high wages at pool) and there are serious doubts about him being able to play in a high intensity, high pressing system given his poor fitness, especially as part of a midfield two. It just doesn't look like a fit at any angle.

There was an article in the Athletic about PEH and why clubs want him, basically he is a complete midfielder and is at a good age, there are certainly issues in his game, but he rates very highly for interceptions, tackles, ground covered, ball progression but still decently in other areas and is described as an all rounder. This offers something that neither Everton or Spurs possess at the moment. He is also apparently very tactically aware on the pitch and is good at making sure the manager's instructions are carried out on the pitch. I think he is under rated by many fans, but is probably one of those players that is well rated by managers.

Don't forget Joelinton was £40 million as well. Ok both younger, but it shows what PL clubs were paying for goalscorers outside the PL, one proven in the league who also offers so much work for the team as well, and is English, you'd have to say in the £65-75 million bracket. I doubt it. Kane is like a once in a generation talent for a club like Spurs, I mean Spurs have had a shit season, he's had a stop start season with injuries, he's now in a negative Mourinho team and he's still scored 17 goals in the league and 23 overall. He's just that good, his finishes today were world class and he can do that with both feet, and he played an absurd reverse pass to Son in the second half that if Son had scored from it people would be calling it assist of the season and would be purring over it if someone like De Bruyne had done it. I swear as well now he has got fit again he's gained a yard of pace all of sudden. He's the complete striker, he scores headers, long shots, finishes with both feet, can hold up the ball, run in behind, and drop deep and play as like a no 10. Plus he's 26. They'd probably be like a mid table team without him as it's very hard to just go out and find a 1 in 2 striker but he's done it like for the last 5 years. They'd be silly to sell him for anything less than silly money.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/harry-winks-tottenham-future-doubt-22376928 They seem to think Hojberg replaces him, so if Mourinho doesn't rate him and they want to balance the books they might let him go.

He's on £600k a week, I think he has basically decided Real can F off for mucking him about and treating him badly. So he'll just sit there collecting his pay cheque and if they don't want to play him, that is their problem and he gets to play some golf, and will play for Wales by default anyway.

There is a bit of a worry that part of our better play is down to Ralph being able to get his instructions over to the players more easily and the drinks breaks, both giving our high pressing players a rest and allowing more tactical instructions to be conveyed. I don't think the crowd thing directly is much of a problem, clearly we could perform well away from home against a hostile crows and I agree with Noodles, our home form is a lot down to not being able to break down deep, defensive teams. We are counter attack/counter press team, when someone sits deep, allows us to have possession and hits on the break, then we struggle, we seem to lack ideas. Carl Ananka (sp?) in the Athletic has highlighted our lack of a plan B, our plan A is very effective and wins games, but we don't really have a back up plan. We also don't have the most creative midfielders/forward aside maybe Redmond, no clever playmaker to unlock stubborn defences with that killer pass.

Rennes are potentially in the Champs league next year if they get through the qualifying round.

And whilst they have maybe not used it wisely that is the problem, they have to be near perfect in their recruitment to compete, meanwhile someone like Man Utd can afford to pay Sanchez 500k a week or whatever and he's not even playing for them or Real Madrid can have Gareth Bale on the bench getting paid £600k a week. An amount of money probably half our first 11 aren't even on combined. The big clubs can have plenty of transfer flops and it not really matter to them, they just go out and buy someone else. Whilst yes ideally you don't want any Portsmouths, at the same time how are smaller clubs ever going to compete if they can't get outside investment?

FFP is a sham anyway, its the elite 'old money' clubs that pushed UEFA to come up with it so Man City's and PSGs can't do what they do and no new ones appear. The whole game revolves around money, you flash your cash and wages and players come running, the clubs with the most, most of the time, buy the titles and trophies, and if a smaller club does well, they pick them apart. Until they get actually spending caps in I don't really see why it matters if Man City's transfers/Wages come from a rich investor, whilst Man Utds/Liverpools come from plastic fans all over the world, whilst Barcelonas and Real Madrids comes from hogging the TV money, whilst Bayerns comes from just raiding all their rivals so no one can compete with them, so they earn more and more money. Which is the problem with most European leagues, they same people win it over and over, and they get all the money, champs league, prize money sponsorship etc. etc. so can afford the best players, and then do it over and over again in a constant circle, buy the title, get more money to buy the title again. Most leagues in Europe have basically the same clubs over and over winning the league, and aside PSG, most of those clubs are not financed buy big money investors they just got success and that then steamrolls their income to allow easy mode more success and for them to financially bully most of their rivals.

Most of us rate him, fans of other clubs rate him and pundits rate him, plus Ralph obviously rates him, it's just a few weirdos on here that don't.

Half decent at free kicks seems harsh, he's score 1 less in the PL than Le Tiss IIRC in way less games. I don't think over the last 2-3 years there has been many more consistent set piece takers in the league than JWP. Probably only De Bruyne scores as many and Man City probably get way more free kick chances than we do. The only guy in the world that consistently scores like 5-6 direct free kicks in a season is Messi who is probably the best footballer of all time, if you look at everyone else then someone scoring 2-3 a season is amongst the more consistent takers and that is what JWP has done for the last few years. He's not like world class at them like Beckham, Messi or someone like Juninho Pernambucano, but I'd say he's very good at them. That one at Watford for example, very few players I think could have got that up and over the wall with that much dip from so close. Yeh his pace and power is what will stop him being a top player, he's probably further ahead at 25 than Henderson for example at 25 was, but Henderson has the advantage being bigger and being a more powerful unit. He can only work with what he has got and I think he has got stronger over the last year or so and teams to be more tenacious in his tackling even if bigger players can maybe shrug him off he doesn't leave them alone.

I think he is playing similarly to how Morgan played with us, albeit probably being a little less physical. His work rate has always been there and he can run for days, but his tackling and interceptions have come on massively, he's generally a good passer as well, though the stats won't always back this up for any of our midfielders because I think they are encouraged to play the ball forward quickly into dangerous areas and such balls will have a low completion rate. A year or two I seriously doubted his ability to play centre-mid, I thought he would end up being some sort of Beckham like wide playmaker, using his crossing and passing, as I didn't think he had the physicality and defensive game for those centre-mids spots but he's proven me wrong. Our most important player beside Ings now IMO.

After watching that drab showing between Spurs and Everton, teams with more to play for you have to give credit to our lads of the performances they have been putting in. Everton just didn't look like they cared, at times it didn't even look they knew they were losing and Spurs were not much better, Kane seemed to be defending more than attacking against a team that was barely attacking.

Thought he was excellent today, shackled Sterling very well so much so that I think he ended up switching sides. But it's only one game, something to build on though, there is clearly some talent there. Also lovely pass and vision to almost put Ings through as well. Can expect Spurs to massively over charge for him though.

Yeh we'd have to win here to have a shot and I think we probably need to win 4/5 for Europe and draw the other one. 8th is 5 points away and 7th is 6 points away, we can only get a maximum of 58 points, and that would still be Sheff Utd picking up less than 7 points from from 5 games. So it's still a bit of a long shot, results over the last round didn't really go our way. Personally I think it would be good to get top half and finish above Everton, Burnley, and Newcastle, as I don't particularly like any of those teams We do always struggle against Everton but form seems to be with us and it's away where we are good, plus they have no Goodison crows to spur them on, so maybe.

Just wow.

Over £50 million I'd reckon, even with the financial impact of covid, he'd be on of those players that I think any manager would like, very professional, does a huge amount of running, tackles, interceptions, very good at understanding his tactical role and can probably convey tactical instructions from the manager on the pitch to the other players a bit like a quarter back, technically sound at everything he does and offers a set piece threat. I can see him being one of those signings at a big club where he goes for a massive fee and everyone questions it but he ends up being a key component for many years, like Henderson for Liverpool or Fernandino, of course I hope we keep him and that doesn't happen. I also think he'll be one of those players still playing at the top level at like 36-37.

At a guess negotiations with Spurs are ongoing about Hojberg but they want to pay in instalments and we need the cash to go out and replace him. I wonder if we'll see some movement pretty soon with his transfer.

So can't dispute the facts and just resort to name calling, so who is actually 'pathetic'.......

Yeh he did.

Yawn indeed from you. Strawman much? Facts are not whinging, was I complaining about the result or asking to change it? No. I was just stating the FACT that the vote was driven on immigration and those complaints on immigration were largely false and based on people's ignorance of the subject matter, largely because they are led like sheep by our right wing politicians and media to distract them from the real problems that the right government is actually responsible for. It's right wing politics 101 since the beginning of time, play on people's racism and prejudices to blame someone else instead of the government for domestic problems like under funded services, high crime rates in their areas, high employment etc. It's exactly what Trump has been doing and in part how he got elected. That is the simple reality of the situation, it's quite hilarious when you see people getting sensitive about the leave vote being linked to racism when in fact there is plenty of evidence to support that view. Lots of people voted leave because of immigration and those people stated reasons about immigration impacting them that are just factually false, now why would they do that? Maybe because instead of looking inwards and towards our government for their problems, it's easier to blame the foreigners for all our problems. But hey I know people struggled with facts and reality in modern times. But I find it hilarious that people can't accept what the leave vote was driven by because it hurts their 'feelings', when all the data is there plain as day.