Other Matches - Saturday 6th October

[Dan+]

I did think Marriner was a disgrace today. Never seen a referee so biased with his awarding of cards.

[Stan]

Just now, Dan said:

I did think Marriner was a disgrace today. Never seen a referee so biased with his awarding of cards.

The guy against Huddersfield was a bit of a prick but Marriner eclipsed him. How did the guy that swiped Chilwell out not get a booking?! 

Not that I'm blaming him for the loss but the inconsistencies of decisions is frustrating. Again. 

[Dan+]

5 minutes ago, Stan said:

The guy against Huddersfield was a bit of a prick but Marriner eclipsed him. How did the guy that swiped Chilwell out not get a booking?! 

Not that I'm blaming him for the loss but the inconsistencies of decisions is frustrating. Again. 

I have absolutely no idea how he can decide Morgan's were both bookings yet that wasn't. I'm close to just not being slightly bothered about it anymore. It's so laughable and yet nothing's ever done about it. Marriner will have a game in the next matchday seeing as there's no standard they have to meet.

Evans will be in for Arsenal and Morgan will be back for West Ham while our new £20mil+ defender that Arsenal wanted is still pissing around in the U23s. I'm convinced there's something political about it now. We've spent £35mil on three centre halves this summer yet continue to persist with a defender who has been out of his depth for a long time. I'm fed up of repeating myself on it. It totally undermines everything Puel's trying to do.

[Stan]

2 minutes ago, Dan said:

I have absolutely no idea how he can decide Morgan's were both bookings yet that wasn't. I'm close to just not being slightly bothered about it anymore. It's so laughable and yet nothing's ever done about it. Marriner will have a game in the next matchday seeing as there's no standard they have to meet.

Evans will be in for Arsenal and Morgan will be back for West Ham while our new £20mil+ defender that Arsenal wanted is still pissing around in the U23s. I'm convinced there's something political about it now. We've spent £35mil on three centre halves this summer yet continue to persist with a defender who has been out of his depth for a long time. I'm fed up of repeating myself on it. It totally undermines everything Puel's trying to do.

I think they were bought to cover the possibility of Maguire leaving. They may not have known what Maguire might feel but thankfully he stayed. 

Morgan was quite lucky not to be sent off a few minutes before for cleaning out Richarlison to be honest. Morgan can't really have any excuses to be quite frank. Not surprised Everton placed Richarlison on him to dra win fouls and it worked a treat. 

I'm actually quite annoyed about the two easy chances we missed. Vardy should have scored the one on one which didn't even end up remotely close and Amartey's header in the final minute should have been scored. Playing with 10 men though makes any kind of game that more difficult, let alone trying to chase/rescue a game.

[Dan+]

3 minutes ago, Stan said:

I think they were bought to cover the possibility of Maguire leaving. They may not have known what Maguire might feel but thankfully he stayed. 

Morgan was quite lucky not to be sent off a few minutes before for cleaning out Richarlison to be honest. Morgan can't really have any excuses to be quite frank. Not surprised Everton placed Richarlison on him to dra win fouls and it worked a treat. 

I'm actually quite annoyed about the two easy chances we missed. Vardy should have scored the one on one which didn't even end up remotely close and Amartey's header in the final minute should have been scored. Playing with 10 men though makes any kind of game that more difficult, let alone trying to chase/rescue a game.

Vardy's miss was awful. I was already celebrating a goal once it had gone by the keeper. The horror on my face the minute it didn't only go wide, but well wide

Every time you start to think we might be clicking we go and turn in a display like that. I feel like this is forever going to be the story under Puel. Plenty of promise, but ultimately we fall short time and time again. That was a winnable game today and we didn't do enough, again.

Arsenal away next. Good job we haven't lost our last 10 visits there or anything.

[Lucas]

Said last season in the Championship thread that Wolves were the best team to get promoted since Swansea City the way they play and it's being rightfully proved. Good on them, another good result and clean sheet. If they had a ruthless striker they could be dangerous.

[Stan]

12 minutes ago, Dan said:

Vardy's miss was awful. I was already celebrating a goal once it had gone by the keeper. The horror on my face the minute it didn't only go wide, but well wide

Every time you start to think we might be clicking we go and turn in a display like that. I feel like this is forever going to be the story under Puel. Plenty of promise, but ultimately we fall short time and time again. That was a winnable game today and we didn't do enough, again.

Arsenal away next. Good job we haven't lost our last 10 visits there or anything.

I think it's indicative of a club like us i.e outside the top six, trying to be good enough to be the best of the rest but not quite being consistent enough to do so. Whether it's Puel or not I don't think all the blame can be pinned on him. That's grossly unfair. It was winnable but as said above the game-changing moment was Morgan being sent off. I think had he stayed on and we continued our momentum there, we'd have capitalised on it I reckon. 

It is what it is though. We lost and I don't really expect anything from Arsenal. Absolute miracle if we get anything there given the form they're in. 

 

[Dan+]

3 minutes ago, Stan said:

I think it's indicative of a club like us i.e outside the top six, trying to be good enough to be the best of the rest but not quite being consistent enough to do so. Whether it's Puel or not I don't think all the blame can be pinned on him. That's grossly unfair. It was winnable but as said above the game-changing moment was Morgan being sent off. I think had he stayed on and we continued our momentum there, we'd have capitalised on it I reckon. 

It is what it is though. We lost and I don't really expect anything from Arsenal. Absolute miracle if we get anything there given the form they're in. 

 

Puel's the one who continues to pick him. I agree that it isn't all on Puel, but this Morgan situation is just beyond a joke now and yet he either can't see it, either doesn't have the balls to drop him, or can't drop him for another reason none of us know - we've all been saying it for months and time and time again it rears its ugly head.

I'm not saying Evans or Soyuncu are going to magically make our defence work but we've got to roll the dice now. How many times can he let us down and get away with it?

[JoshBRFC+]

Brilliant free kick from Mata. Hope United pull this off somehow. 

Brilliant from Newcastle’s keeper there, wow. 

[JoshBRFC+]

Fuck sake.... move this post please mods.  @Stan

[Stan]

37 minutes ago, JOSHBRFC said:

Fuck sake.... move this post please mods.  @Stan

Pay me. 

[Dave]

12 hours ago, SirBalon said:

But you've just finished criticising him for not getting overseas players mate... Although I admit I went a temp further.  But his tenure as England head coach and what happened at Liverpool would dismiss him for me from coaching in any of Europe's top divisions.  Crystal Palace can do better with more thought put into it all because in the same fashion as I said to Bluebird Hewitt on the fact Leeds Utd managed to land Bielsa, Crystal Palace can do so much more and be more inventive than go for what we all know about... A safe appointment that for me isn't all that safe.

You have literally just described Frank DeBoer as our next manager.

This club works on its roots and values. Roy deserves the whole season to sort this shit out. He just needs to remember he will get judged on getting the best out of Max Meyer.

[Dan+]

Just watched the highlights on MOTD. The defending for their first is just utterly astounding for a Premier League side. I'd be questioning a League Two side for defending like that. Could we possibly make it any easier for them? Schmeichel's awful at crosses, Ricardo can't defend, Amartey has to do better.

Wes Morgan. Thanks for everything, but if he starts another game this season barring an injury crisis then I will genuinely believe there is something fishy going on. What the fuck was he thinking?

Gylfi Sigurdsson's goal is the best scored past us in a long time. Outstanding turn and shot.

[Stan]

4 hours ago, Dan said:

Just watched the highlights on MOTD. The defending for their first is just utterly astounding for a Premier League side. I'd be questioning a League Two side for defending like that. Could we possibly make it any easier for them? Schmeichel's awful at crosses, Ricardo can't defend, Amartey has to do better.

Wes Morgan. Thanks for everything, but if he starts another game this season barring an injury crisis then I will genuinely believe there is something fishy going on. What the fuck was he thinking?

Gylfi Sigurdsson's goal is the best scored past us in a long time. Outstanding turn and shot.

Best since De Bruyne last season I'd say, from memory. As soon as it left his foot you just knew it was hitting the back of the net. A goal like that in itself deserves to win a game. 

I think Evans and Maguire is and should be the new partnership going forward. Evans must be wondering how he hasn't started more games if he's fully fit. I wouldn't even play Morgan in the cup games unless it's some lower league side. 

 

[roversgirl]

Just seen Sigurdsson's goal...wow! Bournemouth very impressive against Watford albeit against 10 men and Palace need other player's other than Zaha to perform and score goals (just seen the stat they haven't scored a goal at home so far this season like Huddersfield). 

The current table is looking very similar to how it will be at the end of the season IMO with maybe Bournemouth dropping slightly and Fulham finishing slightly higher up.

[Dan+]

7 hours ago, Stan said:

Best since De Bruyne last season I'd say, from memory. As soon as it left his foot you just knew it was hitting the back of the net. A goal like that in itself deserves to win a game. 

I think Evans and Maguire is and should be the new partnership going forward. Evans must be wondering how he hasn't started more games if he's fully fit. I wouldn't even play Morgan in the cup games unless it's some lower league side. 

 

Morgan would be 4th choice for me now. Maguire, Evans, Soyuncu then Morgan. Don't spend £20mil+ on Soyuncu to then have him consigned to playing in the kids team. I can understand giving him one or two games at that level to get him a bit used to the conditions but how long does he actually need? He was playing regularly in the Bundesliga last year. It's going to be mid October by the time we've even gotten him in the eighteen.

The point for me is that you can accept mistakes more from new players / systems because they're going to take time to work. We are wasting chances to not only develop an understanding in the defence with the new players, but we're doing it while still conceding soft goals and throwing points away. Morgan wasn't really at fault for the first goal but I think his red totally turned the game. Before that, in the second half we were all over them.

[Dan+]

2 minutes ago, Cannabis said:

Watched the goals on my phone, exact same opinion to you really. Horrendous defending from you for 1-0, obviously you know more but Kasper seems to have gone massively backwards in the past two years? 

Disappointing goal to concede at 1-1 but hey ho, Gylfi pulls out a worldie and we win 2-1. 

Agree about Wes Morgan, blokes a clown. Ashley Williams 2.0. I thought he was bang average in your title winning season and has since slipped to new lows, with the defenders that you have it's absolutely laughable how he starts so often.

Schmeichel was at fault for a silly number of goal last season and had in my opinion his poorest season for us (which made his inclusion in the FIFA goalkeeper of the year award all the funnier) but I think up until yesterday he's been fine this year. An experienced keeper should be doing better than that. The entire defensive effort was appalling, even before then Bernard is allowed to put a cross in completely unchallenged.

Ashley Williams was my comparison as well. He's had his day now and he shouldn't be starting for a side who keeps saying they want to qualify for Europe.

[Stan]

4 minutes ago, Dan said:

Morgan would be 4th choice for me now. Maguire, Evans, Soyuncu then Morgan. Don't spend £20mil+ on Soyuncu to then have him consigned to playing in the kids team. I can understand giving him one or two games at that level to get him a bit used to the conditions but how long does he actually need? He was playing regularly in the Bundesliga last year. It's going to be mid October by the time we've even gotten him in the eighteen.

The point for me is that you can accept mistakes more from new players / systems because they're going to take time to work. We are wasting chances to not only develop an understanding in the defence with the new players, but we're doing it while still conceding soft goals and throwing points away. Morgan wasn't really at fault for the first goal but I think his red totally turned the game. Before that, in the second half we were all over them.

There has to be more to the story of Soyunco not playing because he's not learnt English yet. That's absolute bollocks, for me. I reckon he's just home-sick and just not playing that well but they don't want to admit that because of how much is spent. Not that the language thing is a better excuse anyway. 

6 minutes ago, Cannabis said:

Watched the goals on my phone, exact same opinion to you really. Horrendous defending from you for 1-0, obviously you know more but Kasper seems to have gone massively backwards in the past two years? 

Disappointing goal to concede at 1-1 but hey ho, Gylfi pulls out a worldie and we win 2-1. 

Agree about Wes Morgan, blokes a clown. Ashley Williams 2.0. I thought he was bang average in your title winning season and has since slipped to new lows, with the defenders that you have it's absolutely laughable how he starts so often.

Morgan was fine in the winning season. It was the season before where he was worse. In that 15/16 season he was solid with Huth. Having someone like Huth next to him was a big help but I don't for one second believe he was 'bang average'. Obviously not world class so don't want my words twisted but sometimes his performances were a big part of the reasons that we'd win games or keep clean sheets. There was a period in Feb/March of that season where we won a series of games 1-0 and he was huge for those games. 

However, there's only so much time that loyalty or past performances can get you. Morgan's time as a regular centre-back was coming to an end towards last season where his lack of ability would be easily exploited. We signed new centre-backs to cover the possible loss of Maguire but they should now be used to partner him in place of Morgan. The fact Evans hasn't been used more regularly surprises me just as much as Morgan being used so much. I'd actually be quire frustrated if Morgan somehow waltzes his way back in to the side. It's so clear to see to everyone he is past his best and shouldn't be playing in the first team unless absolutely necessary or unavoidable.

[Dan+]

Yeah I'd have to agree bang average is harsh, I think we just managed him a lot better by actually giving him quite little responsibility - the same as our whole back four really, they were pretty much instructed to stay as a compact, disciplined back four that just focused on defending and nothing else. It's completely different under Puel.

Obviously you got away with that defensive set-up a bit more when you had Kante in your side.

[Stan]

Found the true identity of @Bluebird Hewitt

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=319743771912533&id=338233632988842

 

[Bluebird Hewitt]

7 minutes ago, Stan said:

Found the true identity of @Bluebird Hewitt

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=319743771912533&id=338233632988842

 

Fucking hell. What is he doing? 

[Stan]

22 minutes ago, Cannabis said:

Wonder where you found that link from @Stan ? 

yes, your Facebook but wasn't the first time I'd seen it  

[Dave]

Some big surprises here, the most notable one being at Vicaridge Road. It kills me to say it because off the ball I hate both teams but when we have played both of these sides Bournemouth have the ability to pass, move quickly, counter, create space and finish chances. Watford didn't. They have good individuals Perrerya and Hughes but they havent clicked. So the convincing win isn't as surprising to me as others.

Another surprise for me was at The King Power. I don't dispute for a second that on paper Everton are a better team than Leicester. That all said, for Everton to pick up three points away from home is massive. A great goal from Sigurdsson too.

Two unsurprising results elsewhere. A little surprised that Spurs didn't win by a more convincing margin but then again I imagine Cardiff will become more difficult to beat as they adapt to this division. Whilst I couldn't be fucked to watch highlights of Burnley and Huddersfield.

As for us, well we had a game plan and it very nearly paid off. We nulled the attacking threat of Adama Traore by bringing Sclupp in and were resilient for large parts of the game. Credit to Wolves though as they've been lethal in winning games they should be drawing and that should see them reach a top eight finish.