Doc H Ball wrote: ↑Fri Apr 19, 2024 2:59 pm I’m increasingly of the view that we need a new skipper. Zouma is never near the ref, players in trouble or vocal on the pitch and we lack that.

To be fair to the big man, he got a yellow card for doing exactly that.

The stuff nightmares are made of

Losing to Fulham was a big blow, but it has to be said in the past fortnight the Liverpool game has started to look more winnable than any other point in the season. So we could still get back on track by targeting that one as a Fulham ‘replacement’ victory. Man City have a weird record on the last ...

Weird thing really, we were level with them for 87 minutes away and leading them for 89 mins at home and yet it does feel like a comfortable difference in class in the tie overall, despite the storming opening 45 last night. Their late goal habit does have a strange distorting effect. Thought Areola...

That first half was among the most enjoyable I can remember. Writing was on the wall when we hadn’t scored another by 60 mins though and it was inevitable we’d tire. If anything it was a mercy to not see it go to 120 mins.

This week Rice is overrated, Saka's not nailed on to start on the right for England, Cole Palmer is the future of the English game and Haaland is a flat track bully. Give it a couple of weeks and it'll be someone else under the spotlight for better or worse. I think it's fair to say that Arsenal ha...

You’d have to assume set pieces are going to have to figure heavily if we’re to make it competitive given the stodginess that comes from losing that Paqueta-Emerson link-up and Bowen possibly not featuring. That and Antonio being able to convert when he’s presented with a chance. He’s sure to get at...

Bottom line is that if we’re still in the competition tomorrow we’ll have notched the most impressive victory of my time supporting the club. The chances aren’t great given the form, absences and simple general vibes, but just the *potential* for it to be a landmark occasion makes it incredibly enti...

How do you think it would go at West Ham if at the end of every midtable campaign we sold off a player for £50m, not on the rare occasion like we have just done with rice, but every season? It would be carnage. It is true that we haven't been a selling club under Sullivan, but the manager has still...

I reckon Lille are going to knock Villa out of the Conference League on Thursday, which is going to start some level of domestic clamour for Fonseca. One of my long-time footballing convictions that is based on nothing of substance – genuinely nothing – except vibes and bad juju is that Fonseca and ...

Doc H Ball wrote: ↑Mon Apr 15, 2024 1:26 pm Once more the barrel is spun, Moyes is handed the revolver and puts it to his bandana.

Each and every time before the chamber has been empty. Wolves, Fulham, Everton, Prague...

It’s a fair point. Moyes in a crossroads game has been an irresistible force these last two years.

I think my hopes for this match extend no further than an early goal to at least provide some thrills and tension for the rest of the 90, and see where we go from there. Hopefully a combination of their woozy few days after the title win and an early goal would create the conditions for a bit of upl...

One for Antonio’s bulging portfolio of comedy misses

My guess is that Moyes believes our chances of beating Fulham by 1 goal over 90 mins are bigger than beating Leverkusen by 3 over 90. (We'll run out of steam in extra time, for sure.) He’s right, and if it works it’s a good trade-off. I’d take 3pts and a tired Antonio on Thursday if offered it. Wil...

Amazed Antonio is starting.

With Paqueta and Bowen out we’re going to need a long shift from him on Thursday and he was our most effective weapon in the first leg.

At the rate the punishments are going Newcastle may just think - **** it and decide to go way, way over and just take points pain. One earned win could almost be enough to negate any points deductions if they continue to be as low as seen so far. Given the points deduction is subjective, and the in...

The one time in my life I back Spurs and this happens. I think I understand Spursiness on a deeper level now.

Baring in mind last time they proper shafted us I wouldn’t weaken the side for this one. Antonio is the only one who has a cast-iron case for a day off. He’s played a lot of football but more importantly was the only player who managed to unsettle Leverkusen. Need to have him fresh enough to be abl...

There’s a plethora of teams that have gone to Leverkusen and had a go including Qarabag in the last round. I accept they went to Leverkusen in the second leg, but across the two they still attacked them and took them to the wire, is our squad now worse than Qarabag? It’s *because* we have better pl...

I think Fornals would have started ahead of Cress and we would have had a back 4. Fornals and Benrahma would have played over the last few weeks and therefore we wouldn't have had pretty much everyone playing 4 games in 12 days. It's possible, but it should be remembered Hodgson himself confirmed w...