Lucas

Yeah I like Ons, especially after watching the Netflix Tennis Documentary, Break Point, which was brilliant. From watching that, you know just how much she wants Wimbledon and she's a bit of a character. Plus it would be nice to break up the Eastern European dominance in Women's Tennis. Anyway, arguably the best day of Wimbledon tomorrow, Men's Semi Finals Day. Sinner v Djokovic in a repeat of last year followed by Alcaraz v Medvedev, which promises to be a cracker.

Southampton are moving. £9m is a fair chunk to spend on a player but given the success of Lavia, you've got to think the investment could be well worth it. At this rate, it could be an absolute coast for them and Leicester, unless one of the teams from last year get their ducks in a row.

Someone please beat Djokovic. Or at least, smash a ball in his face. I cannot stand his smug grin.

If Leeds were making that signing in Everton's position, I'd be pretty underwhelmed. You'd definitely be feeling it's groundhog day there. The only thing I would say, and I've said it time and again, Dyche is a brilliant man manager. No one has a bad word to say about him in the dressing room. I don't think he really believes signing Ashley Young is going to improve the quality of the team massively, but I do think he'll firmly believe someone like Young will be a brilliant voice of experience. Perhaps Dyche feels Everton could do with more leaders, those voice of reasons in the dressing room everyone looks up to. Why do you think Liverpool kept Milner for so long. Sometimes those guys are invaluable to team spirit.

Leeds business so far then. Out Robin Koch, Brendan Aaronson, Diego Llorente, Rodrigo, Rasmus Kristensson. In None. Still so much uncertainty about whose staying. Gnonto, Adams, Summerville, Sinisterra, Harrison just for starters. Surely at least two to three of those go. New signings will probably roll in right up to end of August and then time you bed them in, you're probably not looking at seeing something like the best of us till end of September/October. It feels like we are going to have a slow start to the league. Farke's definitely looking at a rebuild over two seasons with so many changes and they need to be extremely reslistic about that.

Rodrigo was always leaving. He had a release clause and we were pretty governed by that. Don't blame him tbh, it's a great opportunity at 32 to earn some coin although he's probably written off his International aspirations because of it. I don't think we ever got the true worth we paid for him. Struggled the first year, hit and miss the second year, but a reasonably decent season last year goals wise and he leaves on relatively good terms because he seemed one of the very few that visably put the effort in and engaged the crowd.

Annoying for us because we're crying out for a LB and he ticked all the boxes. Would be very curious to know how serious our interest actually was but fact remains, I'm still disappointed we didn't get rhis over the line.

Yeah, it's decent that. Could have been worse. Not sure if the pictures do it justice whsn you swipe but up close, there is a really subtle Peacock feather shape design which really looks class.

Going to be interesting to see if they have any new chips this year too. They've been quite innovative in their ideas previously and always seem keen to keep things fresh. There are a couple chips in GAFFR that I really feel FPL could draw on and incorporate into their game than the tried and tested one's.

The best Fantasy Game in town is back. Feels weird not being able to select Mitrovic, Solanke or Pukki as a forward.

That win is mainly down to the bowlers and given Robinson got injured and never bowled 2nd innings, to get Australia out cheap was key. Mark Wood absolutely galvinised us. A real difference maker. He was frightening on that pitch and the Aussies struggled to live with him. And you have to say, that little cameo after lunch on Friday with the bat injected some momentum back our way into the game. Chris Woakes was very solid too. Pleased to see him contribute with the bat as well as the ball. Today, he steadied the ship well when there was a sniff of a collpase. I think the 9 day break is good for us. Stokes is absolutely spent physically. I think mentally, every Test has been so intense and close that a few players need that mental reset. Bairstow especially, he's all over the place. Big decision whether to stick with him now. I backed him to turn it around at Headingley but he got worse. I don't think we can afford to take another chance with him, Foakes must be gutted he can't get in right now but it seems a straight forward replacement on paper. Got to do something about Moeen Ali as well. Guys bringing absolutely nothing with the bat and just pointlessly giving his wicket away eachtime. Only reason he is in basically is because they feel he's the only viable option for spin. Not right really is it. Could easily pick a couple others. And for god sake, do not play him at 3 again. I'd be dumping Robinson at Old Trafford and bringing in a resurgent Jimmy Anderson after a good couple weeks rest. You've got to back him on his ground and from his end. Very impressed with Mitch Marsh, he had a great test and offered Australia another level to Cameron Green. Didn't go much on Murphy but they look a bit shagged in that department as much as we are.

Great to hear, knew you wouldn't regret Headingley.

The boos for Smith seemed really loud on the TV. You saw a great days play, what was the experience like?

Root's dropped a regulation catch in the slips off Marsh. So frustrating. Bairstow's dropped two decent chances this morning in all. Honestly, our catching in this series to date has been absolutely woeful. We should have had the Aussies 6 down here easily. Vitally important we start being more clinical if we're to win this one.

Well it's not 40-3 but 50-2 and Wood charging in like a freight train, looks frightening. No one's got close to his speed from either side in the series to date. Sorely missed. Keep it up Woody. Could easily have two or three wickets so far let alone the one.

Hmm. It would be tempting, got to be honest. But I dunno, when all's said and done, we have a potential match winner there. Contrary to some of the mistakes he's made, he's got something extra about him that I'm not sure someone like Pope has. Also, not sure I'd be taking him out at Headingley, his home ground and especially not after what happened the weekend. He's going to be desperate to put that right.

I think we'll see Mark Wood at Headingley. He's obviously not been fit enough but they have tried to save him. We miss genuine pace. He's the only one that can really provide it bar Archer and that man's sadly a fucked unit. I think with him charging in with the Headingley crowd behind him, that would give us more a threat in the bowling department. We've not really had that quality start yet where we've got Australia 40-3 or something like that.

Not to have a go at you here but I don't want to hear that bollocks because that's just a sweeping statement being made that we are all saying that and we aren't. I was happy with Starc's catch. More of a catch than Steve Smith's off Root if I'm being honest, which is exactly what I said yesterday in this very thread. But that run out is total unsportsmanship. Don't sugarcoat it in any other way, you know it's shithouse behaviour. You don't just leave a trolley in the middle of Tesco's when you've unloaded your shopping in the car, even though you don't have to technically put it back in the trolley shed, its just wanker behaviour though that isn't it. But it's done now. That is my view and how I see the spirit of the game. Tbh, had Carey not done that, I don't think we'd have seen the Stokes fireworks and it didn't really have any bearing on the result overall either. Anyway, enjoy Headingley next week. The atmosphere should be proper class, especially after today. Got a feeling we could be in for a corker there as long as the weather plays ball. It's nice to have a bit of an edge to the series now, I expect the quality to go up a notch.

We lost that match because of that shocking collapse in the first innings where we spent a good hour and half trying to fly swot high balls that just got us out. Careless batting. To even come close having been 4 down shows a bit of spirit, testiment to when Stokes goes into "Fuck this shit" mode, but it would have been get out of jail time had we won that match. I didn't feel we were on top of this one as much as the First Test, Australia deserved it. Just on the Bairstow incident though. Yeah, maybe it's a little careless of him but he's got no intent to run, it's the end of an over. He has even put his foot back on the crease and held it there a second then thinks its a dead ball and goes to have a chat with Stokes. That's just not how you do things and you can say what the fuck you like about the technicalities of it, you just don't do it. Same as anything in life, most of us aren't cunts and think as decent folk would, we know what we should and shouldn't do. Do we really want to see that stuff come up in the game? Course not. Sadly for Australia, that will taint what was in the main a very deserved victory. Headingley will be spicy, especially on the Western Terrace now. Expect fireworks. Maybe that's the catalyst we'll need to fire ourselves back up again because it's obviously must win territory now and perhaps both sets of players have been a little too nicey nicey with eachother. Thank god Lords is done though. The MCC members having a pop at the Aussies in the long room want to get back in their box, most noise they have probably generated in years there.

I actually think that is more of a catch than Steve Smith's was of Root.

What the fudge did I say? 325 all out. And with it, the match, probably. Stokes lasts 2nd ball of the day. Gone. Harry Brook. Get's to 50, plays an absolute soft as shit swot shot from a high ball and off he walks. Bairstow, poor timing, gives a dolly to the fielder. You can't just keep expecting to whack the best team in the world all over the shop. It's bordering on arrogance and nearly every dismissal just looks incredibly naive. But as long as we're entertaining along the way right? Cake walk for the Aussies and they are basically playing steady eddie cricket watching us implode.

Got to say, we've really threw away a solid foundation. 188-1 to 222-4. This at a time when Lyon's out the attack injured and the seamers are starting to feel it. Not through any really great balls, just mindless shots. Three wickets out from short balls. Timid ways to get out but especially frustrating for Pope and Duckett, the latter on 98. Root never looked comfortable. Got lucky to get away with the out off the no ball from Green in truth. Big pressure on Stokes now. Wouldn't trust Harry Brook not to play a silly shot so it's vital Stokes get's in and stays there because before you know it, a tremendous start evaporates to 320-340 all out and you're staring at a big deficit. Got to be a balance with this style.

Not many but he could be. Beautiful to watch, get's in and starts to really dictate the flow of runs. Then just has a random brain fart and undoes his work. So frustrating. Not sure what the stats are but I bet his percentage of converting centuries from 40/50 odd is shocking.

Zak Crawley. Lovely player to watch, get's in, starts to dominate and then gives his wicket away. Textbook Crawley, that. Just cannot seem to go on and nail a big score. Until he masters this, he'll never become an elite level batsman.

Given it was 316-3 with Travis Head on a roll and Smith looking rock solid, we actually did well to come away from that situation with just another 100 to the total. You'd have felt 500+ was on for them there. 416 is still a lot of runs scored mind when conditions should have favoured us but we paid the price for being sloppy yesterday. Hard graft really starts now but we're still in the test at least.