AGM_72

Wonder if we might try to loan Cortes again next year, but with a purchase clause if he manages to play a certain amount of games. I liked what I saw of him, but would be reluctant to pay based on that small amount of games he played. Another loan, but with a more concrete option to buy might suit Lens but still protects us if he ends up injured again.

His playacting was bad against the scum but I don't know how anyone could watch it and think it was a dive.

Solid performance from the big man today. Deserves to keep his place.

Solid enough performance. Another 6 tests to come.

Can see the flaws in the centre of the park and look disjointed going forward. Still, something to build on. Some decent spells and could have added to another with better decision making/quality.

I think he's given a foul on Johnson before that incident. Could be wrong but there's no way that's not a pen. So it has to be Hoilet jumping into Johnson

Ach I think that one's slightly different. I'm not giving up on it, but I understand the sentiment. Everyone's been burned by these players before. To drop points 4 points across this week before we get right into the hardest run of fixtures naturally kills the belief of a lot of people. You have to hope the players have some left, but there's not been much evidence of that in the last week.

Say it all the time but people can't call the players losers and shitebags while also saying cups don't matter.

Both things are true, IMO. His absence has had an impact, both as a player and simply as a left footed left back. It's clear the structure of the team is completely fucked, but it wasn't great against Motherwell either. Replacing Ridvan with Borna who is on his way out doesn't work as he's leaving and clearly not at his best, and using Sterling there leaves us unbalanced. All of that said, we should still have been able to see off the last two opponents.

read the other day that we actually score above average. Around 4% compared to average of around 2%

I'd disagree on the first point. Have posted many times how much I agree on the second point haha.

Aye, that's fair. I'm just not sure across 90 minutes how much that matters. I guess it is the anxiety of how they'll be remembered/perceived for bottling the league games, as opposed to choking against Benfica. The latter is something that will be sooner forgotten. As I said, and as I've been posting elsewhere, I agree on the fear/poor mentality point. Just think it's not true to suggest there isn't high expectation in Europe.

Wild how many people wet the bed over this shit.

I generally agree with the pressure argument but I'd disagree on low expectations being the reason they turn up in Europe. For me, most of us inside and outside the stadium expect and demand to win at home in Europe - almost always, regardless of budgets. Away from home it might be slightly different, but I think there's just as much expectation on a European night at Ibrox as there is domestically.

Still a question mark, according to Clement.

The problem was there with Gerrard, but I'd have to disagree with that. There's a difference between controlling the tempo, as Davis did in his two spells for us, and not taking responsibility by playing safe, risk free passes. A Davis type player is something this side sorely lacks.

Because the board went for a "safe" appointment who knew the existing squad with the idea that he would get the best out of them/return them to their former levels (see: Kent, Morelos, Kamara).

It might look like half arsing it but it's not. It's because they freeze. They can't make the correct decisions and they can't make them quickly. So they end up with this lethargic passing from side to side that looks half arsed. Usually the passes are a yard or two behind the receiver or bobbling around so that they have to check their movement to receive the ball. Makes it easy to stay in shape and shuffle around for the opponent.

Will probably be the team if Yilmaz/Diomande are fit.

Be some laugh if someone asked him about the comments in the pre-match presser.

This has been the case for nearly 3 years. The midfield has been a disgrace since Seville and the fact we sold Bassey and replaced him with Ben Davies, and have managed to bring back Balogun for a second (mostly injury plagued) spell is disgusting negligence.

Think someone said earlier that the last two performances in particular looked like something you'd see when a manager was on the brink of the sack. Sums it up perfectly, it's baffling.

Shame because I was ready to be proven wrong about him, stats for PSV and Anderlecht suggested we were getting a different player to what I'd seen for Wolves but he's not done anywhere near enough. He's not done enough to justify keeping Sima out of his strongest position and he's not done enough to justify acting like a brat when being subbed.

Leadership group that fails to lead isn't fit for purpose. There's plenty who need to go but it has to start with senior guys who fail to take responsibility on the pitch. Tav, ironically, has probably shown the most leadership through the amount of times he's bailed us out with goals. But it's clear as day he shrinks in the face of adversity and that cancels out the positives of a goalscoring right back. It clearly infects his general play and decision making because he's been woeful since Motherwell.