I can't see us getting less than 4 points. Would leave you needing at least 7 from your last 3 plus overtaking us on goal difference. A tenner each to charity will be a good outcome to be fair.
Anything can happen the way results have gone this season Trix but I won't be too distraught. Fair play you have done well. I just don't like your manager Nolan or Carroll!
Allardyce has done well for West Ham...got them back up and midtable this season. Wouldn't suit Saints, but horses for courses. Redknapp has set the bar so high on the annoying managers scale, that all others can limbo underneath wearing stilettos.
For once though, I'm hoping that those three men have a good Saturday next weekend. At home to Newcastle, given their past links to Newcastle, I'm hoping for a nice Wet Ham win. It would almost end Newcastle's chances of finishing above us.
I haven't seen the game so I can't comment too much on the performance but, assuming we don't find some way to get ourselves relegated, a couple of games like this may serve as a reality check which may not be a bad thing. The current squad isn't good enough or deep enough to finish in the top 6 and a couple of losses may highlight the importance of strengthening certain areas (I'm specifically thinking the centre of defence and the wide attacking areas). Also, am I the only one very slightly concerned by the number of knocks and niggles Luke Shaw seems to pick up?
Sorry this is scatty but my head is pounding... And yet the debate still rages... I think we agreed that he is a technically talented footballer, but his negative contribution to the team is so far outweighing the positive. I hope CBK is right about him engineering a move in the summer. How very wry Godders, of course you are allowed to ciritise a player; then it's carefully considered. If anyone else does it it's a knee jerk reaction. I notice you've dropped your ill thought out nick name for our now first choice keeper... Utter Bollocks didn't really catch on after he put in some good performances. I've let the game sink in, watch the highlights, hangover has subsided. From my seat in the Kingsland I saw it like this; Our defence was crap, especially the left side. I don't want to single out Hooiveld because I realise that he had to compensate for Fox, but neither looked good to me. Boruc made a few good saves when called into question. Clyne had two of the best chances of the game. Davis made a few nice passes... Gaston came on, started running at defenders, taking people on, got into a good position and selfishly decided to shoot when he had better options available, then got sent off. We struggle to play against teams that use the more direct style. We showed a lack of imagination, there was a few nice passes around their box, but we really didn't know what to do with it in terms of actually getting it into their goal. Olsson won everything in the air, and there was lots of crosses straight to their keeper. MOTM for me was Lukaku, he's a beast and we really couldn't handle him.
To put this defeat into context, Wolves are on the brink of back to back relegations. Only a minor miracle can save them.
Oli, I can't disagree with Lukaku as MOM. Questions: apart from being sent off yesterday, why do you think Ramirez has a negative impact on the team? Someone not always playing at their best, doesn't equate to a negative impact. I still stand by that he has had several very good games and keep listing them (can't be arsed to anymore). You highlight that he looked like he wanted to do something and then focus on the one occasion he shot when he could have passed. Maybe he wanted to score? Do you not think Clyne had a very good game? Davis only made a few nice passes? He played very well in the first half against a very well organised team. No mention if Morgan? Even when we had descended into a bit of a shambles he still continued winning tackles, making interceptions and giving passes. My last point is this: after the last game you posted that you were so pissed at the game you couldn't remember it; today you are nursing a hangover. Did you have a few beers before the game? I too sit in the Kingsland and I too think we were generally poor, but don't quite share the same downer you have on some players, with the exception maybe of Fox, who looked particularly poor.
Tom, you must stop trying to post reasoned comments. We lost to a good team and so we are **** and have no hope. Sell everyone.
Yep, I said this at full time, with specific regard to Jos. On the one hand people are talking about Europe and top 6, but on the other hand people seem happy with Jos. Yes the guy is a fans favourite, and yes he has little wrong in recent matches. But he's not top 6 material, not by a long way. Lukaku has hopefully reminded a few people of this. And I agree about the need to strengthen in the wide areas. I said yesterday that Lallana frustrated the hell out of me. Part of this, as always, was because he constantly drifted away from the left flank in the second half, when we were basically playing 4-4-2. Shoot me down now people, but I honestly felt sorry Fox at time - as I did against Swnasea. He'd receive the ball, and then have absolutely no-one to play a decent one-two with down the line, and get in behind Reid (a very poor RB, IMO). I don't think people realise just how key wingers are to Swansea's play, for example.
If we are realsitically going to look to be top10 or even top 6 we need to strengthen considerably. Luke will be world class but he can'yt play every game. We need a top class left back, at least one more CB, some cover for Clyne etc. It will be en exciting close season!
No we don't, unless Shaw leaves. We need someone who can capably fill in for Shaw. A top class one would demand to be first choice.
Well it didn't show it on FLS but apparently he made a rude gesture at the Brighton fans. Also Ian Holloway is being a moron again.
Quite. Apparently grabbed a certain part of his male body, before making the associated hand movement. I presume his hand remained on full view though?
I liked Olsson in defence, would love a player like that next season. But I don't like focusing on individuals too much anyway, it wasn't anyone's fault we lost, the team did not play as well as theirs. MP was the first to acknowledge this though so we don't need to go into full crisis mode yet. I think it probably emphasises that we are one or two players short of making a sustained challenge for top 10 next season, Poch tried to change the game at half time but he didn't have a lot of options, we needed one or two more. Every promoted team has to deal with that, and we have been lucky with injuries so it hasn't cost us. Good players will have to be dropped, though. Earlier in the season everyone was raving about the Clyne-Puncheon partnership, and Puncheon was good, but what I actually think it was is "Clyne being amazing". A lot of Prem teams have missed out there. The rest of the defence were earning their spot but Poch might be tempted into a change now. Anyway hope our favourite ex-manager can beat our least favourite one today.
From purely watching Davis' first half against west brom I saw that he is quite a passive defender choosing to come within a metre prop and stand still rather than tackle. His stock plays are to be in an advanced position move to the ball carrier and play a one touch pass back to where he recieved the pass from. Also Davis twice dribbled forward slowly at 50 degress and then passed backwards, stymying any attacking momentum. Add to this he is weak in the air and going from previous times I have watched him he is also weak in the tackle. These are steve davis' sats from the first half gathered by me 10 back passes, 6 good short forward passes, 6 miss placed forward passes 2 decent crosses, one found a man, 1 bad cross, 1 overhit through ball, 1 freekick won 2 short square passes 1 easy intercept from a **** pass then a mid distance square pass 1 corner straight to foster 1 foul on goalie, 1 good clearing mid distance pass, 1 aerial duel lost, 1 won 1 tackle after opponent fell over 1 clearance At 23 minutes rodriguez intercepted in a dangerous area, passed to davis who then hit a very poor ball forward to lallana, it missed the defender and dribbled out for a goalkick when lallana could have easily run it down I can't be bothered watching his second half but for a better statistical analysis of Davis' play have a look at http://www.whoscored.com/Teams/18 I would agree that "His contribution to our possession, closing down and winning the ball back is very important," to keeping possession but not winning games of football. When Davis is allowed to dictate the tempo he strangles our attacks, perhaps you can't see this but we did pretty much nothing with our possession except when Ramirez was on as he was looking to take chances with his passing rather than look for an easy pass.
