OTF

My god, fuck this is making for terrible watching all these soft as shite 'fouls'.

That was a good tackle from Shelvey, bad call, but that finger wagging afterwards is not going to win him any friends. Sadly we seem to have a shit referee once again.

Switch roles and I bet Almiron doesn't get that call.

The refs really hate Almiron, he so rarely gets a call. Didn’t commit a foul there and yet they got a free.

Miggy has been at his best for us when played through the middle, interested to see how he goes. Other than Fede again I like the looks of this side.

And the thirst from you lot for a picture of the lower region of a flat chested bird that even The Fish wasn't keen on. The shame. PS - If it's still around I'm going to need to see it to properly understand how embarrassed I should be for you all.

Also as Schar died in the arse down the stretch and seemed to have some sort of injury issue I think you're right that we may see Lascelles and Fernandez, and that Burnley is one side that Lascelles 'style' of defense may be adequate for. I just hope that Ritchie doesn't come back in as a fullback.

I'd have another Colo here in a heartbeat.

Still though, watching a back catalogue of our games would have given him and his team this information regardless of what Jones said. Clark is unfortunately a hairs breath from a clanger far too often and Lascelles is all huff and puff when it comes to actual defending. Ritchie is too reactive and impulsive to defend, his positioning and marking is all over the place. It's fair enough as he's near the end of his career and has never been a natural defender. As for Krafth, you could probably carry him as a fullback if the rest of your defense was strong. We don't have that luxury so he's far from good enough to start. You're all right though, the retention of Jones is unnatural and appears to have had a disruptive effect. He did well for us historically, aiding some of Bruce's major deficiencies he should have been thanked and moved on.

It makes you wonder how many more points we may have if we'd been selecting our best defense; one that does not include Lascelles, Clark or Ritchie (or Darlow).

Thanks @Rayvin I've never had any urge to do this until now. Might even send a spring roll conversion through once they're up.

This is not a direct criticism of Howe, because it's something we've seen with so many managers and I'm sure it happens elsewhere but how is it that he can't have realised that Fede is the best defender we have at the club? Simply watching back games from our recent history would have told Howe and his team this. It's one thing to train well, but if you can't do it during games then you shouldn't be selected over someone who can. Lascelles and Clark have been left wanting time and time again, and whilst Fernandez is not perfect he's clearly stood out as a better defender than both whenever he has played. I would have thought that even before accepting the job Howe would have been watching all of our games to get a real understanding of what he was working with, and then having been given the job again him and his team should be going back over games to help with player improvement but also critically with team selection. It's the same with Ritchie being played as a fullback, his extra enthusiasm and supposed free kick ability have to take a back seat to his poor defensive positioning. I just don't get it. Howe has come out now on several occassions saying that Fernandez is an absolute professional and that he had a great game etc, but why has it taken a sending off of an inferior player for this to be realised?

Liverpool were brutally clinical in what Insaw of it, if Everton game them an inch they took it all and more and made them pay. SMB will also have noted that Pickford was beaten at his near post.

@Christmas Tree it's good to have you back mate, happy birthday.

The name's Tree, Christmas Tree, double 0 32" waist. *bag falls over, pasty falls out* Love the subterfuge to flaut the rules and save a penny.

If Howe read the thread title pre team selection we'd be having a different experience right now.

You have to wonder what sort of players we'll be able to attract with relegation staring us down.

Nice rant very true about Lewis he gets no support when he has the ball, which often does not end well.

At least we're mixing it up. I reckon you're right though next up will be a major injury to ASM and or Wilson.

My "Limited Edition" Retro Castore shirt is due to arrive today to rub salt in the wound. Thanks Ciaran you fuckwit.

He (Raphinha) was rolling around on the ground 20 minutes back with the Leeds players upset that Palace didn't play the ball out.

This. I still have hope for Lewis (until Jan 😉) and for me Manquillo is miles ahead of Ritchie as a fullback. Schar and Fernandez have ball playing technique that Lascelles lacks. If we're going to try to adopt a new style of play they should suit it better.

Hayden came on and looked more lethargic than just about everyone. Joelinton put him to absolute shame with his running and closing down.

If there's any consolation it's that they come out of this feeling worse than us. 80+ minutes against the dead bottom unwinning team and they have to come back to get a draw. Not much consolation tbh. I'm sure Clark feels a right tit, and rightfully so. Unacceptable. Poor in thr leadup to their goal from Dubravka, made up for it with a cracking save after a late Schar error.

Apart from an early ambitious pass that didn't come off Fede has been outstanding defensively and with his distribution plus he won us the pen. No idea why he's not been playing unless one of his legs falls off down the stretch.