kitch

And there it is.

Out for at least a month by the sound of it 😒

Got to be honest, this one surprised me! Good luck to him!

Ten men Sheff Utd unlikely to win, easing pressure on Everton. Nice work, Agent Holgate.

I thought Mara played pretty well, to be fair. Some good hold-up play, and got into some good positions, it's just Arma never passed to him and chose to shoot himself. Smallbone is limited at DM I admit, but he broke up play quite a lot and was mostly in the right place at the right time. Neither had an 8/10, or even a 7/10, but neither were terrible IMO. Arma and Charles were the two that concerned me a bit.

Saint Etienne's not exactly 'northern France' though 😄

What, the one in the first half where matey slammed into the back of Mara? Swore it was inside.

Never mentioned it once, did they? Looked like a pen to me.

Does anyone else see teams interested in our players or staff and think "Just fuck off!?" Sick of getting raided everytime we become even moderately better than abjectly shite.

Rothwell saw Mara's 2nd strike against Watford looking like it'd probably win GOTS and thought "Hold my beer." That was some volley!

I was wondering the same. Every assist and goal game from a sub.

Agreed. Liverpool is a free hit. My lads were worried about beating Watford because we'll probably have the run ended by Liverpool, but we'd have had it ended by Watford otherwise, which I think definitely would have knocked the wheels out of a shape a bit. Playing and losing to Liverpool is no slight on us whatsoever, we have nothing to lose! If we get beat, it's expected and we can focus on the league having enjoyed a run out at a top PL club again, and if we beat them, even better! Couldn't have gone better IMO.

Dunno, there are some people I'd not lose sleep over! A lot of respect for DB though, and look forward to this (if it goes through). Always rated him.

Still think he has a lot of talent, but he was poor yesterday (until he got moved to the middle, then he was nearly 'OK') It's like he runs with a rope tied round him, holding him back. He needs lots of game time at a high(ish) level, and we can't afford to give it to him. A frustrating talent.

This commentator needs taking back to the hospice and tucking up with a nice cup of tea.

One of the most enjoyable seasons since the Koeman days IMO.

He always went under the radar with some fans, because he wasn't the most exciting or the most prolific, but that was his job in the middle. He was an easy scapegoat for the fans who mouths dominate their brains, but he didn't get the nickname '8/10 Davis' for no reason; he always delivered an 8/10 performance. Terrific player.

I read that and thought somebody should add it...so I did!

Wikipedia page needs updating, no mention of Sport Republic! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valenciennes_FC

It would make it hilarious.

Who do you think would have been in the right place to slide that in? My point is we don't have players who often have that instinct to be in the right place at the right time, AND manage to finish it.

Regards the 'lazy' snubs, I think it's because of his demeanour. He never looks like he's busting a gut, even when he is. There was a moment in a game the other day, I forget which, where he'd come on as a sub and had a lung-buster to chase down a ball to the opponent's byline. It didn't *look* like he was pushing it at first glance, but look more closely and you can see he was. I think he gives off the impression of someone who's playing at a canter, and couple that with the fact that he's still young and learning where to be in order to gain that extra yard, it's probably why fans think he looks lazy. I don't think he is, especially given he's surrounded by the likes of Arma and Fraser, who've got shorter gear ratios than him, and go everywhere at 8000rpm! Mara looks about 6ft to me, and I can't remember many that tall who look like they're darting around trying to win everything. Think back to Pelle or even SRL...they never 'looked' like they were busting a gut, despite the fact they clearly were. Another thing for me is that of all the goals he's scored, there are none where I think that I could see one of the other players here managing the same finish (with the exception of the one against Walsall, which was a textbook Che Adams goal IMO). Otherwise the one against City in the cup, or the one at the back post the other day - I still don't believe we have other players here who would have finished against City like that, or would have been in the right place to slide home against Blackburn. I think there's a serious player in there, but my gut feeling is we won't see it here. You could be the most able-flying bird in nature, but if you get kicked out the nest before you're ready, you'll fall to the floor. Some players take longer than others to get there, and I don't think the fans here (or the demands of the league) can afford to wait. I hope he stays, though, because his mum is fit.

POTS: KWP is like having a cheat code in the Champ. Otherwise Janny B & Arma so far, for me. THB also in with a shout. Most improved: Edozie, Bazunu (and if they carry on the way they are, Aribo & Mara, though need a run of meaningful appearances from the latter, not 5 mins here and there).

Of course she'd say that, she's a pompey fan!

I already liked RM, but I like him even more now. Got it spot on, IMO. Acknowledge that Sunak's a fan, make him welcome, wish him a good time etc like any other fan (and I'm sure he is a genuine fan, no issue with that) but steer the conversation away from politics as you don't see eye-to-eye on them, and you're not there to discuss that anyway. Job done.