LondonBristolian

I like Wells’ movement too - I just think it is different to Semenyo’s movement in that I think Wells is good at exploiting space created by others but Semenyo creates that space for others to exploit and that’s what we need to find a way ti replace. As you say, we’ll have to wait and see. I reckon, this time last year, few of us would have backed Scott or Semenyo to develop to become as crucial as they became. Hopefully everyone outside the first team will see Semenyo’s absence as a chance to get in and make themselves undroppable.

I think the major issue for me is how static we looked at times last season without Semenyo. At times the player with the ball had the option of passing to or eight statues or Weimann, who was easy for teams to negate as he was the only mobile player to worry about. That would be my main worry about Wells as a direct replacement. I feel both Wells and Martin need other players’ movement in order to play their game. I’m not convinced Scott and Weimann with Wells or Martin would produce that movement either but pre-season is a chance for Scott to prove me wrong or for one of Sykes, Conway or Bell to stake a claim.

I think I agree. I think we'd do very well to recruit a better goalkeeper than Bentley but I think - if he moved to a Premier League team or Championship promotion favourite - he might be struggle to be first choice.

Being in the Premier League must make a difference. If they keep progressing, they may be ahead of QPR and Fulham, if not Chelsea, for local youngsters,

I certainly don't want to write off O'Leary but I think we also need to be pragmatic. He's 26 in October and made his debut at the very end of Cotts' reign. Six years and three managers later, he's spent the last two seasons as back-up to a keeper who is only three years older than him. O'Leary might be relatively young but Bentley was the same age as O'Leary was when he joined us as first-choice and had already been a first team Championship goalkeeper for three years. I honestly don't think Bentley is going to get a Premier League club come in for him and he might well be here for the long-term. There has to be a point where Max wants first team football and I think, if he was going to dislodge Bentley, last season was his chance, which he did not quite take. I can easily see O'Leary moving on, getting regular football and becoming a good Championship goalkeeper but he is at a point where he needs to be first choice. I honestly don't see that happening this season and I think, for his sake, a move would be the right thing.

I reckon you're right. I was assuming ba-jique but that was on an assumption it was a French Surname. If it is from Eastern Europe, Buy-itch sounds about right.

Pretty much my thinking. Surely any replacement for Bentley would have a bit more experience?

I just came onto the Semenyo thread and read the last post. Now I'm really intrigued to go back and find our how we got here from a discussion about Antoine Semenyo!

A terrible performance but nonetheless an utterly ridiculous red card.

The reality is Southgate has the best record of any England manager 1966 and, whilst it is easy to talk about easy tournament paths, we’ve messed up easier paths than Southgate navigated. However all managers have a sell by date. Robson left at the right moment whereas Sven would have been remembered far more positively had he gone in 2004 rather than stayed to 2006. I am starting to think Southgate’s moment has peaked and he will move on after 2022 but he deserves a lot of credit for what he has done so far. In terms of @Davefevs’ comment about the players not being as good as we hoped, I think the jury is out for me but certainly we have a lot less attacking players in form than we did a year ago. Greenwood is obviously out, Grealish, Rashford and Sancho are struggling for form and the fact Southgate has brought Sterling on to play alongside Kane shows the amount we are relying on two forwards at the moment. Even if Southgate went, we’d be left with a manager trying to get a tune out of a lot of out of form players.

I think that's a harsh spin on what I said but not an inaccurate one.

Being honest, I struggle to think of a footballer in the Championship who better fits the criteria for a future Crystal Palace player...

From everything I've read, I get the impression that Semenyo and his agent are both quite grounded and have got a pragmatic view. I absolutely agree that he will leave for the right offer and the right Premier League club (and I think it will happen - I just really hope it is next summer when it does!). However I honestly don't think it will just be about the wages - it will be plans for him, style of football, chance of game time and finding a club and manager that have a long term plan for him too. I don't think he'll rush off for the first offer he gets and I'd not be shocked if he took an improved contact in the medium-term, as long as he gets reassurances that we won't stand in his way when an offer comes that is right for him and the club.

I think the connection between Palmer and JET is that both are confidence players. When they don't understand their role, or the way the team is set up isn't getting the best out of them, their heads drop, they become withdrawn and they drift out of the game. I can easily see how it "looks" like laziness but I agree with you that that isn't how I'd see it.

I really think the post below proves your point: I reckon we all know people who are by no means wealthy but choose to have a nice holiday every once in a while (especially after a couple of years of a pandemic). Footballers obviously earn more than the rest of us and the Maldives might be a bit nicer than some of us can afford but I find it genuinely ridiculous to suggest the fact Palmer went on a family holiday to a nice location as somehow proof of his mentality or some flaw in his character.

Don't forget it works both ways. Clubs can sack a manager far easier than they can sack a player.

What a ridiculous comment. We’ve not won a game for over six weeks and you want to give Pearson another month?

Christ - that's a hell of an impressive person to claim as a Great Uncle! I think the fact that I - as someone born in 1982 - am impressed by the name of a foreign secretary who served over three decades before I was born shows the difference in calibre between politicians then and the cabinet of today. I suspect anyone in three decades who refers to their Great Aunt, Liz Truss, will get a resounding shrug and a "who on Earth is that?"

Given our shape, I don't think there's really that much of a difference between a back 4 and a back 5. Assuming there are no key departures, I think it is a given that 10 of the players will line up as follows: ------------------------------------------GK ---------------------RCB--------------------------------LCB RWB-----------------------------------------------------------------------LWB -----------------------------CM------------------CM ---------------------------------------AM ----------------------------ST--------------------ST There is then a question as to whether the eleventh player is a deep midfielder screening the defence or a third centre-back. But I don't think the answer significantly changes our basic shape and nor do I necessarily think the answer will be the same every game.

I agree it's a shame. A few years ago I remember the Secret Footballer talking up a teenager at his final club who he felt had the potential to go to the absolute top of the game. There's a general consensus based on the evidence that it was Dave Kitson talking about Callum O'Dowda. It's really hard to justify us keeping him and, beyond the injuries, he has to look at himself as to why he's not delivered on all his potential. But it is a massive shame for both us and for him that he's not become the player everyone wants him to be. It's impossible to wish him well given he has gone to Cardiff. But he now has an opportunity to prove the doubters (and maybe himself) wrong and finally kick on. It's down to him to take it.

I really liked a couple of things from last year (the robin vest and the multi-coloured goalkeeper themed t shirt with images of Bristol on it). The new collection is decent enough but there's nothing there that I'm rushing off to order.

Very glad you haven’t. You can’t put a sign like that near a school. The English teachers will give you a C at best because the rhyme doesn’t quite scan properly. Maybe try “You’ve run out of luck”instead?

Blimey. I expected him to go to Arsenal - not some local team I have never heard of!

Why on Earth have we launched the new Arsenal kit? Is it April Fool’s Day?

I cannot imagine an interview with Gould, Pearson or Lansdown would need to be embargoed. Given it presumably must announce some news that cannot be released yet, and it is unlikely the club will have leaked a new signing, my best guess would it would be an interview with someone who is about to leave the club but that the announcement has been delayed. There is an obvious candidate who most of us fear may be about to announce they are leaving for personal reasons but I’ll wait and see rather than stating a potentially wrong guess and turning it into a rumour.