The Beast

Interesting that when PC was commenting on Sterling's criticism of his team mates he held up Van Dijk as an example of how to behave. Guess what the big Dutch weirdo has just done? Yep exactly what Sterling did.

He needs fucking gone

Also having a £4M or whatever he cost player on high wages as third choice isn't ideal. Assuming we bring in viable replacements for him and Roofe it would be better for all parties if he moved on. I reckon he would actually be quite marketable on the back of a 20+ goal season.

Fuck I forgot about Davies. Is he injured or just not in contention because he's rubbish?

His decision making is baffling a lot of the time. He obviously has a bit of skill and is fast of fuck and occasionally scores wonder goals but 98% or the time he looks like he's never seen a football before.

And to think we brought him on loan rather than a striker.

Good first 10 minutes then it all started to go to shit again

He's not the right player for this game or at least for this stage of this game. It would have been better to bring him on in the last 30mins when he's against tired defenders.

Tav got away with leaving the RB slot exposed when Goldson was able to cover more. Since Goldson's decline he's not been able to do that anywhere near as much

Not unreasonable questions. When Tav and Borna had the legs to support that system it largely worked well although made us very one dimensional at times. Borna is done and Ridvan is an different sort of player. Tav doesn't have the engine to get back quickly enough when he goes forward. I still think that his future should be in a different position to RB. Whether that's in a more advanced position on the right or somewhere in the middle.

Tav will be going nowhere unless the rumours of Gerrard offering Saudi silly money are true, Goldson still has a contract and nobody is going to pay a fee for him and match the overinflated wages we pay him. Wright will be kept as he's Scottish and will be seen as useful to make up quotas in European squads. The rest can go.

In any workplace the attitude of leadership permeates through the whole team. If the leadership are cautious and risk adverse then people being pack animals tend to follow that line. Equally if the leadership are poor motivators and poor at inspiring confidence then you typically see that in team outcomes.

I'm guessing he means disappointed.

Another good example. He didn't need an armband to be a leader. John Brown was another one.

Yes for the people I've called out but there have been many captains who weren't close to being the best player. Two that spring to mind are Brown and Aitken for the scum. We hated them but I'm sure we would have welcomed a player of their mindset in our team

You may be right and it would be mad to change captains at this stage of the season unless you really had to. But just maybe there is a new cadre of dressing room leaders emerging; guys like Sterling, Butland and Souttar who again if you divorce the player from the leader may well help drive a different mindset. It all could obviously all change depending on who comes in and goes out in the summer.

The very best captains are not necessarily the best players, they're not necessarily someone who shouts and moans on the pitch. But every single one of them are mentally strong. Greig, Gough, Ferguson, Weir, Butcher etc, all very different men and players but they were mentally strong and focused on winning above all else. Tav and Goldson whatever you think of them as players are simply not cut from the same cloth.

Potatoes potatos tbh it doesn't matter for this season. If the fenians fuck up and/or we can pull a rabbit out of the hat by winning at the paedodome and we win the title then no-one will care. Even if we do somehow win the league we still need a major restructure imho.

So why not play Sima as a 9?

Three at the back if Ridvan is out. Sterling in Central midfield. Sima on the left not right and Silva in the middle before Dessers or Roofe. For a start.

Yes I agree to a point but pre injury Sima looked pretty good on the left. Since he's come back we have played him exclusively on the right where he's done very little. That simply does not make sense.

There's no energy in the middle. Play Sterling there. Try a back three to include Balogun who has been our best CB at times this season but now can't get a shout. Rather than have Sima and Silva wide right and left respectively. Put Sima wide left where he was very effective pre injury and Silva in the middle. With either McCausland or Wright on the right. None of the above is perfect far from it but it's miles better than what we just witnessed.

Because we were overrun in midfield. This and the last game is on the manager. If playing a wide game isn't working for whatever reason we need to win the middle of the park.

Play him in midfield. Not wide right. Give Sterling the RB slot as his to lose.

Yes but the manager has to cut his cloth accordingly. If they players are too shit to effectively play his preferred system he needs to adapt.