chinapig

Which should be a given on here but sadly sometimes isn't. For what it's worth I value your knowledge and contribution whether or not I agree with any given post of yours. I suspect and hope the majority would say the same.

Exactly. I doubt Murphy has seen any our games this season or last. It's not the Premier League so why would he? I doubt he could name 3 of our players if challenged. The punditocracy is full of ex-players who appear to know little or nothing about the teams they are talking about. Which guarantees you work at Talk Sport.

Except that clubs were told that this season contact had to be significant and have genuine consequences. In this case the contact was slight and the consequence was a player taking 2 steps then falling down. So right from day one a referee reneged on the deal, as they usually do with the changes they announce (think the clampdown on holding in the area that is still never enforced, as per Rob Atkinson being dragged to the ground in the same game). The subsequent apology proves the point but is no consolation, leads to no accountability and does not change referees' behaviour. Conspiracy, no. Continual incompetence, yes.

"I picked the wrong team. That first half, the way we defended, it was unacceptable. We tried taking shortcuts and we didn't do the basics well and it cost us the game. "That's as poor a performance as we've had in a long time*. We were second best all over and that doesn't normally happen to us. "We've got a lot of injuries and some players are still bedding into the team. But we were just really, really poor. We couldn't have got any worse." *Last week against Newport was their worst performance ever according to him (though mysteriously also all down to one unnamed player). So not really the worst in a long time then Nathan.

You may have stumbled on the solution. Put Jackie Weaver in charge of referees. Nobody would question her authority. ?

To be fair Wael has given them a new stadium. At least 3 times so far.

Probability statistics is a complex field but perhaps we should contract a professional statistician to calculate the probability of us getting so few penalties over such a long period, present the findings and ask for a response? Though referees can barely calculate added time so perhaps not.

Perhaps the EFL could award us a point for each apology? Guaranteed play offs then.

That's my feeling too. He seems a little diffident but I'd be constantly reminding him how good he is and encouraging him to just go out and believe in himself on the pitch.

Players develop at differing rates and it's often one step forward, two steps back. But there is so much talent there and we have only scratched the surface so far. I for one will be bitterly disappointed if we lose him.

The kind of person who would agree with you furiously.

He was injured on his first day with us. Subsequently the treatment he got didn't seem to be exactly optimum shall we say?

Unilateral breach of contract, that'll work. While we're at it let's not pay Semenyo while he's injured.

Williams cannot play 3 games in a week.

Never watched Soccer Saturday with Jeff Stelling?

It just means he got on his bike?

Maupay to Forest is the talk.

Yes.* *Though these days no pundit says yes anymore, it's always 100%. Though if they only half agree with somebody they never say 50%.?

And Wiemann.

You'd think so, which takes us back to the question of how the EFL can square the circle between the current, untested, regime and the one to come. What seemed like a good idea at the time may now be bogged down. From what Gould says things are still being debated. A dilemma for the EFL.

Points deductions are intended to be done on an agreed basis (Reading agreed theirs, Derby kept delaying theirs before realising they had no case, which made matters worse) so what you describe could be the case.

Agreed, the position the EFL might take is far from clear. If like La Liga cost controls were imposed in advance it might work but the EFL is now caught between two stools.

The extent to which the club is over the limit would determine the severity of the sanction I assume but unless the 72 clubs vote to suspend or nullify the current rules pending the coming changes I don't see how we could avoid sanctions altogether.

Absolutely, a rare thing in any context these days. One of the most valuable things my late Dad (a T&GWU shop steward) said to me was "Remember, sometimes the boss is right." A lesson I have tried to apply, replacing boss with the more general "person you disagree with." As to the forum, I am perfectly happy to give a like to a post I disagree with if I think it has been well argued. I'm fond of quoting Keynes: "When the facts change I change my mind. What do you do sir?"

He was but so was Richard Thompson yet he is now Chair of the ECB.