Davefevs

Nope

Good Q! Bentley Sykes Dasilva Massengo King Martin Bell (I wouldn’t include Low nor Kadji, and Klose’s age may well’ve caught up with him). Woukd be helpful if Kalas was available.

Weimann - loan from Villa

He picked up a calf strain (reported by Nige as precautionary). As GC says, he’s back in training. I wonder whether he might be involved today???

Is that the whole club, I thought the first team were in a higher part of the pyramid???

My question is - would he have got the land and the planning permission without doing the sports stuff? If I was completely cynical one might argue the sports stuff could be seen as a “back-hander” to the council?

Nope Nope Nope If you’re thinking “I’m sure Fevs said he was a CB and therefore he must be one of the taller ones”…you’d be wrong! ?

My side, assumes Atkinson fit, not necessarily what Nige will do: O’Leary Vyner Atkinson Pring Weimann Scott James Williams Semenyo Wells Conway i think it gets our best available players on the pitch. Semenyo over Dasilva (despite Semenyo’s poor showing on Tuesday, Dasilva was no better btw), and also has a bit of power and pace to it. If Sarr plays and swaps wings I’d play Semenyo on his side. Zak - don’t play narrow. If Atkinson isn’t fit, then I think we might see the “front sweeper” - either King or Williams. If it’s Williams, then King comes into the midfield. Its not easy typing in a straight jacket!!!

It’s an extended version of WTF - what the eff!! What the absolute eff!!

Guess.

Yep, mostly sub appearances after doing really well for Waterford.

That is a very good point. It has to be two way. Can’t just rely on the scout’s say-so…how do you critique the scout too. Funnily enough I was speaking to a guy at Brentford about exactly this a few months back. How do you know if the scout is reporting a player having his one “worldie” a season, or whether that’s there normal level.

They invested heavily in a huge scouting network too…eyes are the first part of their screening process. Data confirmation / rejection next, then eyes again once narrowed down. They did indeed get data experts though, proper data experts, not interns for zip like some clubs. I was chatting to someone the other day who’d been approach by a league one club (not Rovers, although that would’ve been even funnier had it been them) asking if he could provide some data charts for a player they were looking at. When he asked why they didn’t use their own data, the reply was “we haven’t got any”. The next question was “and can you do it for free”. A league one club. I was shocked! He said “piss off”!

The signs were there last season with Liverpool. They’ve been sussed a bit, but also transitioning from Salah, Firmino and Mane has not been as seamless due to the likes of Jota being injured. But teams just hit balls in behind the high full-backs.

I would’ve agreed with you 1 month ago. But…I think the O’Leary we’ve seen since PNE on 12th Oct is a different keeper to the one we’ve seen previously. But as you say we need to see longer term evidence that this isn’t one keeper out of form and one keeper in form, and the incline / decline back to their “normal levels”. Max does look like he knows this is it for him, and so far he’s proved as much. But a long season ahead.

I think what you’re really trying to say is that we need to play 1-8-1 ?

Is that because you see Weimann as a goalscoring LWB ???

The issue for Williams is having to make 50-60yd lung-busters throughout the game or should I call them hamstring-busters!

Correct, see my latest thread.

Ultimately a combo of several things…but stem from communication, anticipation and positioning, by several “culprits”. Shit happens. That was shit ??? I didn’t. I remember watching Grabban a few seasons back be the master at communicating through his body position where he was gonna force his opponent CB to go…so his teammates could take the lead. Reid and Pato were obviously good too…but we also played a much more condensed system too in that 17/18 utopian period!

Hold that though, see my latest thread! I’m trade-marking it!

For those of you that read my other thread, here’s where we get it right! Pic 1 - fairly solid as we make Boro go backwards. Pic 2 - Semenyo in touch with Giles, Scott on Hackney, Williams tight, Conway tight, Wells able to split….but he is running towards the Boro CB, forcing Hackney inside…AND into trouble! Pic 3 - Hackney plays square, the trap has been laid. Think it’s Howson who has no forward passing option (Semenyo and James in good positions), has Conway up his arse. Howson now needs a good touch under pressure. Pic 4 - under pressure he takes the touch of a skip-driver and becomes sandwiched by Scott and Conway. Weimann is just getting ready to get on his bike.

I had no idea!