Match Day Thread WBA v Saints. Saturday 3rd Feb 3pm.

I absolutely hate zonal marking.

 

I'm backing you to reach double figures


Obviously there is a very real chance of us losing 6-1 on Sunday. I mean, I do know that, I'm not daft. But I have this strange, irrational conviction that we'll get at least a draw.

 

Garth Crooks unashamedly trying g to sell Lemina to Arsenal via team of the week! I suppose he won't be happy until the league is like the Primera Iiga, then the pundits can talk about 2 teams winning every week. That will be fun for them!

 

Yeah just read that piece, an absolutely disgraceful piece of journalism. In essence completely slagged us off.

 

Wanyama's goal is easily winning the Sky goal of the weekend....and not surprised as it was a rocket. However, I am just pleased to see Lemina's goal as one of the 4 being considered....how often have we had a good goal to admire this season. Proud.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/42939013

He contradicts what he says in the Stephens' summary (yes, guys, we have two players in Team of the Week). In that paragraph, he says we have to stop selling our best players and decide to go for something....a cup or regular qualification for Europe. He also mentions our regular flirting with relegation.....forgive me if I'm wrong, but isn't this the first season we have done that since promotion to the EPL this time round.

 

Since when has anyone taken any notice of what Garth Crooks has to say. He is almost as stupid as Danny Murphy in the things he says at times. If anyone thinks that Wenger seeks Crooks advice over player purchases they need to get a life.

Crooks is not half as clever as he thinks he is, in talking about Jack he is saying we shouldn't sell our player then that is the very thing he suggests when talking about Mario.

 

It is pretty savage -

"This lad is playing for the wrong team. Seriously. Mario Lemina is an Arsenal player if ever I have seen one.

For far too long in my opinion, Arsene Wenger has faffed around with the likes of Mohamed Elneny and Francis Coquelin. Wenger should have invested in Lemina during the summer and got in there well before Southampton did.

Lemina is wasted at St Mary's. Sorry, Southampton fans, but you just do not have the class of player to bring the best out of this lad.

His performance against West Brom was immense. Admittedly, we have not seen enough performances like this - but you would if you put him in a proper outfit."

 

The bit underlined about putting him in the right outfit was the bit that crossed the line. He is entitled to think Lemina is good enough to play for a top side, but by saying 'if you put him in a proper outfit' implies that we are not a proper football team.

 

Haha, that is brutal. He has a point about Lemina being what Arsenal are missing, just decides to say it in true TalkSport controversial style to try and stay relevant I guess. As if anyone gives a **** what Garth Crooks thinks, his team of the weeks have been a laughing stock for years.

 

I have added Garth to 'the list'. Obviously he's spent too long in Robbie 'rent a gob' Savage's company.

Shouting is not passion, controversy is not journalism, poor show these days BBC.

 

Reminded me of the classic TalkSport segment where the "experts" were debating with a Man City fan who had called in just after they had signed David Silva and Yaya Toure. The so called expert claimed that he had never heard of either player and that neither were any good. I mean surely this is them just trying to wind people up to get them to phone in and create good listening? Surely nobody who has a slot on national radio as a "football expert" would be this stupid?

 

There have been many complaints that GC never mentions our players and now when he does, he uses it as a stick to beat us with, better if he didn't mention us at all pehaps?

 

If Arsenal want to put a bid in, for as much as they like, for Lamina, I’m totally all for it. We can send the up the tea lady, because we don’t actually have a player of that name.

 

Just re-watched the highlights on Sky and Lemina looks even better when seen for the second time. He was involved everywhere and did at least 2 important clearances. And he was the first player to put Boufal right before Hoedt caught the ball and passed it to James....and then he had a word with him again when he applauded the fans (who were presumably calling his name)....reporting that not to put Boufal down, but to point out Lemina's assertive qualities.

Also evident that JWP is becoming increasingly important and Jack has to keep scoring because he doesn't fill me with great confidence defensively....still has time to improve with experience, but perhaps he isn't a natural CB.

 

Tbf he's also been trying to sell Mahrez to City. Bloke's an utter berk.

 

I once saw a man catch a fish that looked like Garth Crooks

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Not surprised to read the negative comments about Garth Crook's assessment for his "team of the week." It did make me quite angry even though he contradicted himself regarding Saints ability to hold on to players. Lawrenson made a similar point about Lemina back in September and suggested that Liverpool were slow off the mark in acquiring his services. Until Saturday's performances, I felt that Lemina had generally underperformed and, in my opinion, had been a liability in some matches.

It is an interesting observation to make that a player who has generally been indifferent in a generally poor squad would be "improved" by playing in a better team - especially as there would be no guarantee that he would be in the starting 11 to begin with, Some ex-Saints have improved when they have moved on with Alan Shearer and Adam Lallana being perhaps the best examples. The curious thing about this selection is that Crooks has probably only based his assessment on the Match of the Day highlights and could not have made an assessment of each player's performance over 90 minutes. His assessment is no more valid than any other spectator yet his "reports" are little more than tabloid soap opera material. Nothing was mentioned about Stephens being at fault for the first goal and Leminia's poor form since his injury would have occasioned him being nominated for a "Worst Eleven" in some instances. I always thought that Crooks was a pompous idiot and this article does little to dissuade me from this opinion.

 

Is that Claude Puel?

 

There are some seriously bad pundits out there, but I have always felt that Crooks is by some distance the worst. Thankfully I very rarely watch Final Score, and that seems to be where the BBC confine him too.