itchen

I maynhave said this before. I was working in Italy with Juventus fans when we signed him. Their verdict was that he could occasionally be good but generally showed a lack of consistency and commitment.

Looks like it was.

I'm not going to read all the negative crap that I know will be on here. I'm encouraged that, at last, the team showed a bit of effort. Losing Ings was a blow and it looked like a Spurs handball before the penalty. But, on the whole, much better.

Many people have said the EPL won't dare kick out the 6 because the TV money would plummet without them. I'm sure this could be true. Much of the money in the TV rights comes from abroad and it can't be denied that these six teams have more support abroad than the rest of the EPL. But, if the money in the game was drastically reduced by a lower TV deal, would that necessarily be a bad thing? Most of the TV money goes straight into the pockets of players and their agents (and to pay compensation to Mourinho;-)). If most EPL players were paid a little bit less, they'd still be probably earning way more than most other people. I don't see that it would deter young players from taking up the sport professionally. Clubs would be forced to stop living beyond their means in the hope that the next TV deal will come to their rescue. Clubs would depend more on match day and merchandising income. Football could become more interesting to watch with all teams having more of a chance to have a great season even if they are not backed by a USA billionaire or a Middle Eastern royal family. There was football before the EPL, before Sky and before clubs became companies. And, in many ways, it was better.

We're half asleep but this commentary is driving me nuts.

When could we last sing "2-0 and you f***ed it up"?

Put this in the internationals thread as well. https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/mar/25/james-ward-prowse-scuttles-shines-lay-down-euros-marker-england-san-marino?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

The Guardian very keen on JWP. https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/mar/25/james-ward-prowse-scuttles-shines-lay-down-euros-marker-england-san-marino?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

Full marks to the random guy on Facebook who said that if we drop Redmond and Djenepo we'd be in with a chance.

Quite encouraged by that. Strange thing to say about a 5-2 defeat but play like that against lesser teams and we'll be fine.

VAR looked at it and said no. Sky commentator doesn't think McCarthy touched Foden. Let it go.

He did and he made it well. Turned out to be offside but it was still a good save.

Suddenly feeling optimistic. Things will look a lot better if we finally get a win today.

The whistle definitely came a fraction after JWP took the free kick. The question I'd like answered is whether Marriner had instructed JWP to wait for the whistle. It's not automatic.

It's difficult to watch the game with these commentators. They think they're on the radio and daren't leave any silence. They have to say something even if they already said it a few minutes earlier. And, of course, the constant shots of Tuchel and not the game. Bloody irritating. Now, can we just park the bus please?

Worked for me too. Vibrant Forest Pupa delivered this afternoon.

Need to bring Shane Long on.

Time to bring on our attacking talent and take the game to them. Oh.

We haven't lost by 3 goals or more since the Spurs game. Usually there's one goal in it when we lose. Perhaps scoring more might just be the answer to our problems? I thought Valery and Vokins did OK but clearly Ralph didn't and I reluctantly accept that he probably knows more about football than I do. I'm pretty sure we wouldn't have let them go without his approval. And he would have known the risks that we might not get our targets and still let them go. I'm still seeing this as a positive window. And, even if I didn't, what difference would it make?

But the experts here groan every time Valery and Vokins are named in the team and so they are clearly not good enough. And, if they're not good enough, why keep paying them? You can't have it both ways. I accept we are a small club punching above its financial weight in "the best league in the world". We tried to get full backs in but none were available at what we can afford. Instead we identified that, apart from the injury crisis, our problem is we can't score goals and so we've got someone in to address that who none of us predicted coming here. I see this as a good window if Minamino is as good as many people think. It's a pity we couldn't have upgraded our reserve full backs but that's the way life is.

We came up against a team who have been consistently improving for a few weeks at a time when many of our regular starters were injured and others (Ings and Walcott, for example) are not playing as well as they were. We need to do better and i'm sure we will when we get key players back. While there were individual mistakes that led to Arsenal goals, there is no point in scapegoating those responsible. The real problem is that we rarely look a threat in open play in and around the opposition box. We are either too ponderous or reduced to speculative, badly executed long range shots when a pass would have been better, if only someone had got themselves into a position to receive it. Earlier in the season, Adams or Ings got into those positions and players were able to pick them out. I'm not sure why that has stopped happening. But, as I started out saying, we can't just blame our own players. We came up against a team bang in form.

I don't want him to leave and the team will be poorer without him. It also seems a little ungrateful to the club who took him on when he couldn't get a game at Liverpool and which developed him further into the player he is now. But that's football. Players come, players go. If he thinks he'll get more money or win some trophies elsewhere then loyalty and gratitude take second and third place. I'll be disappointed but I won't lose any sleep over it. The club have offered what they think is in the best interest of the club, striking a balance between giving him the best deal they can afford and acting for the long-term future of the club. I'm confident we'll find another player either from within our own ranks or by a shrewd transfer. Ings is good but not irreplaceable. Many here said we shouldn't have had a commitment to buy him when we took him on loan. Ralph knew better then and I'm sure he has a plan for what to do post Ings if Danny decides to quit. In the end, it's up to the player.

Perhaps Hasenhutl needs to try other players and give them practice and confidence. JWP has played very game for God knows how long but we shouldn't be completely reliant on him for set pieces. It seems a good opportunity to try someone else.

It will be a shame and a blow if he leaves. But, no doubt, we'll find someone else, maybe not quite as good. But it was only a couple of years ago that many on here were saying that we shouldn't have committed to buy him when we took him on loan. Looks like an excellent bit of business now.

There are a few issues with giving Bertrand a three year deal. He doesn't seem to be the player he was (although I thought he was better against Leicester than he has been for a while, apart from the unnecessary booking) and he's only going to get slower. Much though I like Shane it appears that two years may also have been over generous so we shouldn't repeat that mistake. Mind you, I'd offer him a five year contract if he promised to learn how to take a quick, positive throw-in 😉