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Reply | If a miracle happened and we went up via the playoffs
at 17:45 19 Jan 2025
Ned, response to your post (forgot to Quote you...)
Maybe, but go up when not ready and we'll just embarrass ourselves again.
Look I understand wanting to get as high as we can, but winning is just so much more fun than losing every single week. It was horrible the last couple of times and looking at my Saints supporting mates, right now, the promise of a top 6 or top 2 season next season is scant consolation for them right now.
Slow build for me and if Marti can't wait, it'll be with whoever takes his job on. [Post edited 19 Jan 17:52]
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Reply | If a miracle happened and we went up via the playoffs
at 16:31 19 Jan 2025
We need to build, season onu season before considering it. Top 12 this season, top 8 next, then playoff semi finalist and then either automatic or play off winners.
Look at yesterday's team and performance. Look at last week v Leicester who keep losing in the prem. A different planet to teams in the prem. If we fluked our way up (and it would be a fluke), we'd have to mortgage the clubs future to build a competitive squad. That means doing a Forest.
They have got away with it by staying up. Does anyone think we would?
Build season on season. When we win more than we lose over 3 seasons, then we can talk. |
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Reply | Southampton plus?
at 16:23 19 Jan 2025
No.
Bottom three will be those promoted last season.
As will be the case next season and the one after that...
Money disparagy far too much. |
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Reply | Plymouth Match Thread - Post Captain Pugwash !!
at 16:20 19 Jan 2025
A "stinker". Sorry, Tom, but no...Baz, he's never been much good one on one, but it was a poor miss, but what a recovery with that assist, eh? Not sure on the confidence thing, but am fairly sure that won't last even if it is a "thing"..
I know it's all about opinions, but why does everyone else see it apart from a number of you on here?
He's not back up to speed, but there is no doubt that our recent success has coincided with Illy's return.
I am not going to go all social media on you all and get entrenched in my bunker that says he is god in this team and can do no wrong, of course he can. And yes, it's been slow in coming as he's just had his first two medium term injuries that wiped out his pre-season, but surely people see our left side has been shored up now that Paal has someone who tracks back constantly in front of him (note: not saying Saito was awful in any way, but Chair's work rate going forward and back is prodigious). Also, ball retention actually something we do now.
I know I go on about it lots, but am genuinely confused when people I respect on here have a very different view from me. He probably wasn't worthy of a piece in the team of the week, but he certainly was one of our better players yesterday... |
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Reply | Plymouth Match Thread - Post Captain Pugwash !!
at 17:49 18 Jan 2025
"A stinker"? Nah. An off game, but for "stinker", see Fox v Pompey, Ashby v Leicester, Celar for almost every game before Cardiff, Madsen, well every game. That was NEVER in that category.
Talk about judging Chair against a higher bar than everyone else. Tom! Madness...
Yes, he wasn't great, but no-one was in that first half - everyone else was giving the ball away for fun; it was very low quality at times from both teams. |
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Reply | Plymouth Match Thread - Post Captain Pugwash !!
at 13:26 18 Jan 2025
Odd pick for two poor performances there. Many others out there having stranger performances than those two.
Much the better team of two poor teams today.
Cannot believe we're not out of sight here.
Get at them from the off and we should steam roller them. But I suspect their manager is saying the same. |
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Reply | New Match of the Day Presenters...
at 21:12 15 Jan 2025
Love this. Every time an Enfield - Whitehouse sketch comes up on Social Media, I remember how damn funny they are. Some will find this offensive no doubt, but its just FUNNY.
Pure genius as is any Julio Geordio stuff Whitehouse did and Ron Manager for that matter - Jumpers for Goalposts...
oh and by the way those choices for presenters are absolutely brilliant... [Post edited 15 Jan 21:14]
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Reply | Ashby.
at 06:26 12 Jan 2025
This.
As bad as Ashby was, this game highlighted the issues we had early season with the forward wide players abdicating all defensive responsibilities. No coincidence that our RBs look better with Smyth there and the difference in lil' Kenny when Chair is playing in front of him is stark.
Maybe Saito isn't all that?
(Although it is clear that Ashby isn't all that either...). |
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Reply | Just back
at 06:14 12 Jan 2025
EVERYTHING was surreal yesterday. I was out for a works do on Friday night and had to get home from t'north, so I thought I'd go via Leicester. As a result, I was on my lonesome, which was strange in itself. Other things:
1. Pre-match - playing music at full volume drowning (or trying to drown) any crowd noise. And THOSE videos; yeah, you won the Premier and those cups and got to a CL QF, we get it. How long will they be going on about it though? Forest vibes there; great achievement, but yawn...
2. The fog. WOW. It just dampened any noise in the ground down and we could see nothing up the other end. Can remember playing in pea soupers as a kid, but never watched a game like it. The pen took ages for me to realise what it was for starters. Our bland kit and that ball were invisible.
3. Their fans - utterly silent. This is what happens when you play your pre-match music so loud. If they were singing, I genuinely don't know; could hear NOTHING from them whatsoever.
4. Our lot - "We can't see the ball, we can't see the ball, Leicester is a shithole, we can't see the ball" a particular highlight. Inevitably after being asked not to, many HAD to join in with the Chelsea Rent Boy song; bit sad really. But gallows humour as the goals rolled in.
5. The cold. I had inappropriate footwear on and couldn't feel my toes after 20 mins. The condensate from the roof kept dripping back down and refroze on the floor in front of me. Very treacherous under foot - dangerous.
So, at 5-2 faced with a longish drive home and no way back in the game, I left. I wasn't angry, I wasn't storming out, I just could not think of a reason to stay where I could not see the game. A very bizarre day out... |
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Reply | If Chair plays tomorrow...
at 09:07 7 Jan 2025
Modern day legend. Would love him to become a one club man, but I guess many on here would say he's holding on to the club for far too long.
Even when not on song, his desire to constantly show for the ball, bust a guy to get back to help and hiw he keeps hold of the ball utterly changes our team's dynamic.
No coincidence that lil' Kenny has finally started to play now he has Illy in front of him.
New contract soon (please).
Let others develop to be flogged; Chair needs to stay... |
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Reply | Clash of heads?
at 08:15 5 Jan 2025
If you mis time a tackle and kick the player after he has cleared the ball, it'd be a foul, right? This was the same but with a head...
...but it seemed strange at the time.
More peeved how long Pedro rolled about for after a bang of heads. Yep it hurts, but slapping the floor like that whilst looking at the ref through one open eye...
Dare I say it was a little bit like when Jimmy collapsed under the force of Baah's flailing arm that got him in the chest on NYD...  |
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Reply | Luke Littler
at 10:26 4 Jan 2025
Yep, there will always be these haters around. I'd expect someone that good to be a little arrogant. So much of sport, especially "individual" ones like darts is in the head. If you start thinking you are anything but the best, your level may drop
He was phenomenal last year; next level this.
He'll win more than most in the coming years, but won't win everything like some are predicting; there are too many good players around to let that happen and to many things that will affect him through life.
A great, if predictable watch last night. |
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Reply | Varane
at 17:15 2 Jan 2025
But letβs not starting putting him and Declan Rice in the same sentence just yet...
You just have!
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Reply | Promotion to the Premier League is tough.But is survival effectively impossible?
at 17:11 2 Jan 2025
Turkeys voting for Xmas.
Crumbs from the big table to make those in the cash club to feel better about where they have come from.
Couldn't give two shites about whether the pyramid survives or clubs go to the wall chasing the pathetic dream.
The cash gulf is killing competition and the PL clubs just want to sustain that - why would they behave any differently? We wouldn't. But it does not change the fact that it is killing the pyramid slowly, but surely season after season. It WILL soon be a closed shop of the same three going up and coming down.
Yes, it will take one bad season to get you relegated, but you'll have to work incredibly hard not to get promoted straight back up even if you had Tony Fernandes and his clown crew in charge...
And there is no way on earth Benham or any of the Prem Owners wants to keep the EFL "strong" - do not be so ridiculous. Why should they worry about anyone else? It shouldn't be up to the clubs, of course, but the FA is just their puppet now; we all know who runs the game... |
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Reply | Promotion to the Premier League is tough.But is survival effectively impossible?
at 17:05 2 Jan 2025
You lucked out in the timing of your rise.
Never before has there been such a financial gulf between the top flight and the second tier. As an example QPR got it right in the 70s, through the 80s and into the first few seasons of the Cash League. When we did not bounce back at the first time of asking (thanks, Mr Houston and Mr Rioch), we can clearly see how we "missed the boat".
The fact that there have been 51 teams in the Prem says it all - there HAS been a turnover of clubs, but the majority happened in the first 10-20 years. Aside from Lootown, yourselves, Brighton and Bournemouth, when was the last "new" team to get promotion? Blackpool, Bradford? (Just checked - Cardiff 2013-4),
The cash differential means that you are going to have to work REALLY, REALLY hard not to get promoted back. With player sales, etc. you'll be operating with a c. Β£100m budget advantage in a league where a club can only lose Β£39m over three seasons.
The absolute definition of "LUCKED OUT" as far as I can see...
...and (seriously) good luck to you - we were utterly magnificent in my formative years between 1974 and 1995 and it was great. |
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Reply | How have things changed so drastically in last ten games
at 17:21 1 Jan 2025
This. Especially with our team. It amazes me how much a factor this is - we have been so, so brittle in the past. One defeat setting off a run of defeats, which have been nothing to do with bad luck; just abysmal, abject performances. Even in the middle of "good runs" we chuck out a Stoke (a), Hull (a) last season and a Derby (a), Pompey (h), Swansea (a) and first halves against Oxford (h) and Bristol C (a) which are as bad as anything and yet we start picking up points.
Just goes to show the low quality in this league. Probably why Sheff W are only 3 points off the playoffs currently and Millwall are as high up the league as they are. Even Oxford, who chucked out one of the worst performances I seen at this level against us are now FIVE points above the line.
But that was a really good performance today. Got in control with a strong, physical first half and just when you think we have gifted Watford a way back in from Smyth's only aberration of the day, we go straight back up there and score.
Its the gap between us at our best and us at our worst that will baffle everyone - there is a MASSIVE gulf. |
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Reply | Hoops vs Hornets Match Thread
at 14:54 1 Jan 2025
Thought that, but it was him giving the ball away that led to their goal. Otherwise a shoo-in.
Personally I find it hard to look beyond Jimmy with honourable mentions to Varane, Frey, Ashby and Paal - the latter two putting their best displays of the season in... |
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Reply | Hoops vs Hornets Match Thread
at 13:35 1 Jan 2025
Nice way to start the New Year.
Keep it going Rs and fingers crossed Jimmy comes back out... |
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