Lucas

It could have been whatever we wanted it to be yesterday but we really eased off the gas after HT and just played within ourselves with Wednesday night in mind. Plymouth looked the worst team we've played by far. Not a single shot. Unless something dramatic happens there, I've no qualms they'll go down. It's taken two bad injuries to Ampadu and Gruev but we have unearthed a special talent in AO Tanaka. Not sure what he's capable at PL level but in this division he looks a step above.

I've missed the start but I'll enter from this point. Aston Villa Double Chance (Win or Draw) 10/11 Liverpool to win and over 2.5 goals 10/11 £10 wins £36.45 (£26.45 potential profit)

Saturday 2nd November, 2024 Newcastle 1-2 Arsenal, 12.30 Bournemouth 1-2 Man City Ipswich 2-1 Leicester Liverpool 3-1 Brighton Nottm Forest 1-1 West Ham Southampton 1-1 Everton Wolves 2-1 Crystal Palace, 17.30 Sunday 3rd November, 2024 Tottenham 1-1 Aston Villa, 14.00 Man Utd 2-2 Chelsea, 16.30 Monday 4th November, 2024 Fulham 3-1 Brentford, 20.00

Van Nistelrooy will probably start ok. 6 of the next 7 in all fixtures are at Old Trafford and they have purposely gave him games against Leicester, Ipswich and Everton in the league coming up to install confidence. Not for one minute saying ETH didn't deserve to go, however, as per usual, you'll definitely see a few of the players who didn't like the manager suddenly try much harder now, most notably Rashford, whose literally been hiding under a rock for a while now. Always sickens me when players are so precious that they hide behind a manager and play within themselves, just to turn it on when a new man comes in. Feels so false.

Yeah, played most the current Top 7 and I have to say, we have looked the superior team in each fixture this season bar West Brom away which was a complete bore fest. I'll be disappointed if we don't do it, I still think we had the best team on paper last season but just choked when it mattered.

Saturday 19th October, 2024 Tottenham 3-1 West Ham, 12.30 Fulham 1-1 Aston Villa Ipswich 1-1 Everton Man Utd 1-1 Brentford Newcastle 2-1 Brighton Southampton 1-2 Leicester Bournemouth 0-2 Arsenal, 17.30 Sunday 20th October, 2024 Wolves 1-3 Man City, 14.00 Liverpool 2-1 Chelsea, 16.30 Monday 21st October, 2024 Nottm Forest 2-1 Crystal Palace, 20.00

200% It really does feel that way, like a select minority of us are in this game purely to suffer at the entertainment of others. If it's not been done before, you can bet one of us will have it covered soon. Still got Meslier's 96th min howler from Friday night replaying in my sleep now.

Saturday 5th October, 2024 Crystal Palace 1-2 Liverpool, 12.30 Arsenal 3-0 Southampton Brentford 1-1 Wolves Leicester 1-2 Bournemouth Man City 3-1 Fulham West Ham 1-1 Ipswich Everton 1-1 Newcastle, 17.30 Sunday 6th October, 2024 Aston Villa 2-1 Man Utd, 14.00 Chelsea 2-0 Nottm Forest, 14.00 Brighton 1-3 Tottenham, 16.30

Bad timing for us that Sunderland game. Losing Ampadu and now potentially Gruev, means we're staring at a new midfield partnership of Tanaka whose only recently just joined from playing Bundesliga 2, and Joe Rothwell. Not an ideal game to find your feet in. Dan James and Manor Soloman still out also so yet more relies on the likes of Gnonto and Ramazani to be the sparks. Just feel like after a tough game Tuesday night away, we're visiting a team top of the table, with a massive home crowd buzzing for our visit, under the lights and the primetime game on a Friday. They will be pumped. Smells of a Sunderland 1-0 win. Given the circumstances, I'd probably take a draw if offered.

Russell Martin, easy.

Yeah but to be fair, our aim is Top 2. Yours is probably 21st as of now.

I know Coventry haven't started well but it still surprised me how much we cruised that game. They really offered nothing which is a surprise given they took 4pts off us last year. Now we're just starting to settle into the season, early signs for me are that whilst we've lost three superior players in Summerville, Rutter and Gray, we do seem to have a better balance in the team. My main concern is goals, because we do seem to spurn chances. But hopefully that will improve. Big week coming now with back to back away games at Norwich and Sunderland, two tough places to go. Should learn a bit more about this team after those.

Saturday 28th September, 2024 Newcastle 1-2 Man City, 12.30 Arsenal 3-0 Leicester Brentford 2-1 West Ham Chelsea 2-1 Brighton Everton 1-1 Crystal Palace Nottm Forest 1-1 Fulham Wolves 0-3 Liverpool, 17.30 Sunday 29th September, 2024 Ipswich 1-2 Aston Villa, 14.00 Man Utd 1-1 Tottenham 16.30 Monday 30th September, 2024 Bournemouth 3-1 Southampton, 20.00

Class from us to give Sol the send off he deserved. Embarassing to see the Cardiff bench sat down like that but that's not why the manager would have been sacked. Of the 3 games I've seen us play Cardiff last season and this, they have been appalling. Never really be reknown for good football but what he had them playing was incredibly negative. I won't mince my words, they are an absolute bang average team and the fans are completely disengaged. You only have to see that through the attendances. They dont care. In some ways, its a shame for them they didnt act quicker and got Bellamy when the opportunity was there as I could have seen him being the perfect bloke to unite the club and repair the relationship with the fans. I really don't know who the answer is now. Maybe it might be worth going for Nathan Jones at Charlton who is trying to repair his reputation after that Southampton debacle. Cardiff lad, might just get it. Played decent football with Luton, obviously would come at a cost but chopping and changing managers is never gonna help you progress unless you go for someone with a better fit who the fans can relate to.

Haaland should be banned in my eyes and this is from a Haaland fan. You cannot really act like he did, throwing a ball at someone regardless of how hard/soft it hits someone's head. Its not even about that for me, its more about unsportsmanlike conduct. You don't need that kind of stuff in the game with kids watching and idolising him. Haaland completely lost his head and the way he acted at Full Time having pops at Arteta and Jesus shows a weakness in his mentality to me, he can be very easily rattled. I'd personally like to have seen a two game ban envoked as a reminder to conduct yourself with class on the pitch than act like a petulant child.

Pretty easy win Saturday albeit very frustrating that we took so long to seal it. Cardiff were hampered by the red but it wasn't much difference really to when we went there in January. They just stood off us and let us play. Got to be critical of our finishing though. That's always been our way, don't really have that killer instinct to go put 4's and 5's on teams abd then they will go and spawn a goal and it's done us.l, much like Burnley last week. I think we're too laid back with our finishing and Farke alluded to this post match in his presser, especially the lack of any real reaction to the pen miss. Have to work on this sharpness as it became our downfall near the end of the season. Defensively, we've only conceded the one goal in five games since that strange opening day Pompey game and away from home so at least thats looking reasonably strong. If we can get things right at the other end, I'd like to think we'll be in and around Top 2.

Saturday 21st September, 2024 West Ham 1-2 Chelsea, 12.30 Aston Villa 2-1 Wolves Fulham 2-1 Newcastle Leicester 1-1 Everton Liverpool 2-0 Bournemouth Southampton 1-2 Ipswich Tottenham 3-1 Brentford Crystal Palace 1-2 Man Utd, 17.30 Sunday 22nd September, 2024 Brighton 1-1 Nottm Forest, 14.00 Man City 1-0 Arsenal, 16.30

Saturday 14th September, 2024 Southampton 1-2 Man Utd, 12.30 Brighton 3-1 Ipswich Crystal Palace 2-0 Leicester Fulham 1-1 West Ham Liverpool 2-0 Nottm Forest Man City 2-0 Brentford Aston Villa 3-0 Everton, 17.30 Bournemouth 1-2 Chelsea, 20.00 Sunday 15th September, 2024 Tottenham 2-2 Arsenal, 14.00 Wolves 1-1 Newcastle, 16.30

Saturday 31st August, 2024 Arsenal 2-1 Brighton 12.30 Brentford 2-1 Southampton Everton 1-1 Bournemouth Ipswich 1-2 Fulham Leicester 0-2 Aston Villa Nottm Forest 2-1 Wolves West Ham 1-3 Man City, 17.30 Sunday 1st September, 2024 Chelsea 1-1 Crystal Palace, 13.30 Newcastle 2-2 Tottenam, 13.30 Man Utd 1-2 Liverpool, 16.00

Saturday 24th August, 2024 Brighton 1-1 Man Utd, 12.30 Crystal Palace 2-1 West Ham Fulham 3-1 Leicester Man City 4-0 Ipswich Southampton 1-1 Nottm Forest Tottenham 2-0 Everton Aston Villa 0-2 Arsenal, 17.30 Sunday 25th August, 2024 Bournemouth 1-2 Newcastle, 14.00 Wolves 1-1 Chelsea, 14.00 Liverpool 3-0 Brentford, 16.30

Friday 16th August, 2024 Man Utd 2-1 Fulham, 20.00 Saturday 17th August, 2024 Ipswich 1-3 Liverpool, 12.30 Arsenal 2-0 Wolves Everton 1-1 Brighton Newcastle 3-0 Southampton Nottm Forest 2-1 Bournemouth West Ham 1-1 Aston Villa, 17.30 Sunday 18th August, 2024 Brentford 1-1 Crystal Palace, 14.00 Chelsea 1-2 Man City, 16.30 Monday 19th August, 2024 Leicester 1-3 Tottenham, 20.00

About 5 of the Spanish lads really, but I'd have to say Xavi Simons looked a threat for the Dutch. Always seemed to be involved in what was good for them going forward.

The only thing that's been obvious to me in this tournament is we've produced our better football being a goal down. I don't know why we've needed that to happen, but for whatever reason, suddenly the shackles come off and we play more freely. We up the pace, we force the issue a bit more. Last night, despite being outplayed, despite being the second best side on the pitch, we actually got ourselves back in the game at 1-1. That was the moment. The first bit of momentum we had and if we were ever going to win that game, that was where we needed to carry on taking the game to Spain. There was an opportunity there to really take the game to them because we'd upped our tempo and pressure and just scoring the goal from nowhere was a big psychological lift. I think it shocked them us equalising. But we retreated. We reverted to type, let them come back on to us. We even had the warning from Yamal moments before the winner and still sat off. We were very reactionary all tournament and that's what disappoints me most because no one can tell me we don't have the players to dictate games.

Rodon has returned. Official. Very good deal from us given he had PL interest from the three mentioned below. Could have gone to the PL but he's bought into staying and fighting for this club, he obviously has enjoyed it here. No question he made a big difference when he came into the team.

I do get the public outroar but we've never been a free flowing, entertaining side that racks up goals and smashes teams. It's never been the England way. Every now and then, like smashing Holland 4-1 in '96 or Germany 5-1, we get treated to a truly exceptional performance. 100% I expect more from this team, the personal etc and I don't rate Southgate at all, I think he's our major achilles heel. It's a real struggle and graft with us at the moment, tough watch etc but the most important thing to date is.....we're still in it. Greece won this by being dour. Portugal win it by being as equally dull. If we were to win it by scraping through each game in unconvincing fashion, no one is going to give a monkeys if we end up lifting the trophy, let's be honest. We got a massive get out of jail moment yesterday but the way in which we saved ourselves so dramatically and then won it, has surely given the players a shot in the arm. I feel like maybe the shackles might come off for us a bit now and am hoping we'll take some confidence into the Swiss game. We'll need to improve to beat them for sure.