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Reply | Gaffer on Stoke game
at 14:43 28 Mar 2025
Who are we to be told, Clive? Just turn up and pay your £20.
Oops, wrong bloke. |
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Reply | Charlie Kelman’s Leyton Orient
at 10:51 28 Mar 2025
Exactly. You have to give him opportunities next season. His profile is what we’d be clamouring to sign in the summer. In this instance, he’s already out player.
The contract situation could mean he walks for a free in a year but none of us actually know what the length of his deal is. |
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Reply | View from the outside – Column
at 23:02 26 Mar 2025
Great first half of the article, Dorse. Loved it.
Not sure I reach the same assessment in the second half though.
I think there is an awful lot of risk about this summer’s transfer/signing activity. I feel we’re closer and perhaps more likely to become an Ipswich, who shuffled around this league for f*cking ages under McCarthy going nowhere before eventually dropping down.
I don’t feel it’s “good” today, I feel it’s a bit “meh”.
The togetherness could be there, indeed, it’s on the table to be grabbed hold of, if only Nourry (and Hoos) would bloody realise it and change tact.
Instead, I suspect Marti will leave in the summer (mutual consent), most of our defence will leave, we’ll sign a load more U25s from the continent, and start the next season having doubled down on “the strategy” with some no-mark yes man as head coach bowing to Nourry’s whim.
Overly pessimistic, possibly. But whatever. |
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Reply | Oh dear Joey
at 22:51 26 Mar 2025
He was a f*cking awful passer of the ball, dreadful at set pieces and criminally overrated by many.
The only reason he was a Premier League player was because of his mouth and because he ran about a lot earlier in his career. |
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Reply | Oh dear Joey
at 17:46 25 Mar 2025
Quite possible too. Horrible situation for her to be in, in addition to being kicked in the head.
He’s always been a wrong ‘un, and our fanbase should have never chanted his name. |
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Reply | Oh dear Joey
at 17:04 25 Mar 2025
Or perhaps she’s a victim of coercive behaviour and domestic abuse and was too scared to say otherwise. Or perhaps not. |
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Reply | England 🏴 v 🇱🇻 Latvia Match Thread
at 22:14 24 Mar 2025
I think he’s a bit frustrated with the lack of game time he’s had over the last 12 months. You cannot tell me Bowen is a better footballer than him. Likewise, Gordon. He might be fast but Eze is so much more technically gifted. I also think he might be a bit frustrated at Palace. He’s had a stop start season and his career hasn’t taken off how it could have done. I fear a Zaha situation for him.
I love him, and he’d start for me in this England squad. Saka on the right, Eze on the left, Rice and Bellingham in the middle with Palmer at 10. Think they are our best attacking and technically gifted players. But it won’t happen. His game time will be limited. And all the while he’s at Palace it’ll be harder for him to put his case across as he’s not playing in Europe, and not playing for one of the big clubs in the Prem.
He needs a move this summer. |
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Reply | England 🏴 v 🇦🇱 Albania Match Thread
at 21:20 21 Mar 2025
Boo. No Eze. Foden was very poor. Rashford poor. Not really sure why Eze is in the squad if he’s not one of Rashford, Foden or Jones’ back ups. Hard luck if he sees him as Bellingham’s back up. |
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Reply | A turn of Frey's
at 16:40 17 Mar 2025
Hold on here. Mehmeti is comparable to Chair, and Twine likewise. They aren’t genuine forwards, they’re attacking midfielders/wide forwards, like Smyth, Chair, Saito, Dembele.
Let’s compare like for like here.
I don’t disagree with the broader point. We are miles behind the upper mid table on centre forward options. Completely agree. It’s been stark since last summer and I couldn’t believe we only went in with Celar and Frey as forwards, not counting two youth lads. Surely we cannot do the same again?!
Just not sure those Brizzle players are the right comparison. |
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Reply | "By far the most challenging season of my career!”
at 15:26 17 Mar 2025
As ever, Bri, the crux of the issue is reached.
Is it the right thing to do for the club?
Personally, I think that depends on whether your focus is the short or long term and what you personally think is best for the club.
If you were to think that the CEO or DOF was a danger to the long term fortunes of the club (due to a combination of things), and given too much freedom will take us down, split the fanbase, jump ship as soon as a bigger role emerges elsewhere, and leave our finances in a dangerous place, you might feel compelled to speak up “for the good of the club”.
Of course, you might be wrong in such an assessment! And as we rocket into the Prem, you’ll look silly. But none of us can see into the future and know that now. So it’s hard to judge, isn’t it? I think there are a lot of people holding that peace at the moment in a way perhaps Lassel is not.
Is it helpful? Depends entirely on your perspective.
The facts remains, a highly popular manager has outwardly said this has been his hardest year by far in football (mad comparing to last season!!), and this same manager has not been present at a fans’ forum or allowed to do a proper sit down interview like previous managers with the likes of Clive. |
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Reply | "By far the most challenging season of my career!”
at 15:09 17 Mar 2025
Hahaha.
Gazza, I know it’s hard to believe but I don’t think you’re right on this.
Believe it or not, but Nourry has his own initialled tracksuit and I understand is often at the training ground. From what I have heard he is FAR more DOF than CEO. What is clear is he is doing both roles. He has said so himself. |
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Reply | "By far the most challenging season of my career!”
at 15:05 17 Mar 2025
Devils advocate here but isn’t that an odd stance to take?
You’re effectively saying “I’d rather not hear something that doesn’t align with my existing opinion unless you can evidence it, even though I know you can’t publicly evidence a source if you happen to be ITK.”
It’s tantamount to “I don’t want to hear any opposing thoughts”. Do you ask people giving positive opinions to evidence them with inside information they have heard that show it was down to him?
On Lassel, has it ever occurred to you that he is perhaps rather “ITK”, and what he is saying is true?
Even if you have doubts, is it still not better to hear these different opinions/insights? It’s a forum afterall.
As I said, I’ve spoken to a few people who are or have had more access into the club, or certainly speak with people who do, and I think a lot (not all) of what Lassel says rings true. |
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Reply | "By far the most challenging season of my career!”
at 12:16 17 Mar 2025
What I found strange is what some people expect ITK posters to post.
Are they going to name their source, quote them verbatim, date it, get a signature? Come on! It would cause that source a huge problem professionally. They can’t.
If someone is genuinely “in the know” either because they work behind the scenes, have had access, or have spoken directly to people who are/have, would you rather they did not post anything or did?
I completely understand a poster’s mindset, especially a QPR fan, in wanting to flag to unaware fans what is really happening. Of course, you can have the Billy BS merchants who make it up to feel big behind an online username.
Ultimately, it’s everyone’s individual call as to which motive they want to believe.
But expecting anyone to give more details than they are is, in my opinion, a bit silly.
I’ve been on this MB for decades, several of you have met me face to face. I’ve spoken to one or two people with access to people at the club this season, they’ve reiterated the same things and told me of others who think the same. If anyone wants my two pence worth, I think a lot of what Lassel has said over the months rings true. |
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Reply | Hoos on Nourry
at 14:50 21 Feb 2025
Nourry is Hoos’ man, so you would expect him to praise him. |
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Reply | Rest of the Championship thread
at 16:17 17 Feb 2025
We need to average 2 points a game for the whole run in, as a bare minimum. 26 points from 13. Gets us to 70 points, which might scrape in. Might not though. There are enough teams above us and on up to 4 points better off whereby one of them will get 22-26 in that spell.
2 points per game is very hard. It’s table topping form. We have done it for one run this season, but I struggle to see us doing it a second time, and when we have to play Sheff Utd, Leeds, and Burnley at home, and Boro, West Brom, and Sunderland away.
It’s a massive ask. We would have to beat Portsmouth to have a sniff. But it’s a very tough run in. |
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Reply | home game vs Derby County
at 16:18 13 Feb 2025
If you want to go to a “home” pub and have some half decent food in the process, go to the Crown & Sceptre but get their early or book, otherwise you won’t get a table. Also it’s Thai food.
Depending on the age of the kids, easiest thing will be to go to Westfield as there are tons of options, but they’re all chains.
If you are foodies, and want to experience an English gastro pub, not full of football fans getting on the beer after work on a Friday night, head to either The Dartmouth Castle in Hammersmith or The Andover Arms or The Anglesea Arms. Food is decent and the beer is good. If you’re American you’ll be able to afford them! All are between Hammersmith and the Goldhawk Rd, and about a 20 min walk to the ground. |
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Reply | In the blue corner – Report
at 13:56 13 Feb 2025
I keep saying this, but during the good run, and for most of this season we have played 4141, not 4231.
We have only played with one pivot at holding midfield. Early in the season it was Field often with Andersen and Madsen ahead of him as the central 2 in that 4. It was a disaster for all their immobility and softness, and Fields weakness at playing it forward to feet.
We switched this up just as the good run began, where Varane went into the single pivot role and Field and Morgan fulfilled the central 2 positions in the midfield 4. Suddenly legs, tackling, energy. They made the whole system work. Field worked well wide with Saito/Chair on the left, and Morgan did likewise with on the right. Morgan was slightly more pushed on, and Field a little deeper so they weren’t a flat two and created angles in the middle. Both got forward into the box (3 goals for Field in this spell), and both tracked back.
I actually think Field was very well suited to this role because he enabled to us press well effectively and on cue. It also meant he wasn’t having to start attacks from the base of midfield.
Against Blackburn, by dropping Varane, Field went back into the role of single pivot. Morgan went into Field’s role, and Chair came in and played the furthest forward. It worked against Blackburn because a) tactically they failed to address our change and new shape, b) Chair played very well, and c) Field did actually pass the ball well from the base. But it was more open.
Against Coventry, Colback replaced Morgan. The issue was a) Chair was poor and never got in the game and gave it away when he did, b) Field played too many hopeful punts and wasn’t cultured enough, and c) when Varane came on he played in the midfield 4, whilst Field stayed at the pivot. It didn’t work. We needed him to swap with Field.
Also worth noting at half time on Tues, our midfield had not made a single tackle yet. Colback and Chair simply nowhere near as effective as Field and Morgan out of possession, but also with few chances created with it.
Having Morgan and Field as the central 2 in a 4141, with a Varane behind, allows them to press with conviction and get stuck in. Our tackle count goes up, we win the ball higher up the pitch, and we are harder to play against. If we’re being outplayed, or dominated, they can effectively drop back into a deep 3 with a low block. With Chair and Colback in this two roles (similar to Madsen and Andersen) they simply can’t press as effectively or commit to tackles without the risk of the oppo beating their press regularly and then marauding through the middle of the pitch, so they half commit.
If you’re not going to play Varane, I’d be tempted to play Colback there, tell him to sit and stay goal side and utilise his passing, and instead have Field do the running, pressing and competing.
Personally, and I might be in the minority, I think the best midfield 3 is Varane, Field, Morgan in a 4141. However, that presents the conundrum of Chair. And, I will be in the minority in saying, Chair wouldn’t start for me. The system is more important than individuals, and so he’s competing for the role wide left. On current form, Saito is playing much better, so should start. Sacrilegious, I know.
This season our performances and results correlate with our tackle count, I believe, more so than anything else. |
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