Tank_Owl2,0

I know thats, fvcking amazing that isnt it, paid fvcking buckets of money for us and asked to take a pen in a playoff semi final against them but wouldnt and now hes a hero there for the 2nd time. What a huge mistake it was signing him.

Unfortunately I don’t see Burnley getting another point to pass L**ds

So long as the manager has the last say and has the opportunity to propose players he think are good for the club I don’t see the issue. However if we go back to only fish in one pool then DC is probably going to have his pants pulled down again.

Hypothetical bloody auto correct. Ah see what you mean MK re Playoffs, I thought you were talking more generally about the season. I suppose another way of looking at it is when you are playing pragmatic/ hoof ball it requires less skill /technique which can be nullified (particularly in one off games) lor if particular players have an off game the game can be hard work, which is what we saw for the most part on Monday. My reflection on Monday was that our midfield just wasn’t performing to the level we have come to expect and the wing backs were pinned back, all suggesting Neil got things marginally better than DM.

Brad Jones, that the right name. auzzie keeper, he was cack, I mean nit on the Ola Tidman scale but sh1t all the same.

🤣

Hang on a minute MK, you talk a lot of sense BUT. Ill admit Carlos's blew a golden opportunity to get into the PL but when he became more pragmatic in his 2nd season he got slated for it by you in particular. Whilst I agree with you on this point I don think it's that easy to have it both ways i.e. one game be fast passing football and the next shithousery of the highest order - unless you have super intelligent footballers with some quality (unlikely in L1). What I suppose I'm saying is Wycombe have played pragmatic football all season and Sunderland have become more pragmatic since Neil arrived, and they stuttered a bit in his first few games. DMs version of pragmatic football is simply to sit deep - a low block. Others have also suggested DM is incapable of getting the team to flex their game but a) it's partly down to the players available and b) partly down to what will work against the opposition. So, if we were playing like Wycombe against Pompey would it have been as enjoyable - I really doubt it, then the following week away at Sunderland - on the basis he can't change the side (which is what he's been criticised for) is the same team going to a) be sufficiently capable of shithousery or b) attacking but not losing the game in the first leg? I guess what I'm suggesting DM is in a no win situation with some of our fans, ie can't change the team, needs to be pragmatic but also need to be playing fast flowing football. I don't think it's possible to the extremes ppl would like.

I know it's hypocritical question but if we had lost on the final day and faced MK in the playoffs do you think we'd be playing in the final?

I'll take you word for it. My attention to it has certainly dipped over the last couple of decades but it certainly feels like they have been lowering scoring tight games over recent times (accepted just my impression). Have there been any recent ones when more than 3 goals have been scored in the 90mins, I honestly don't know but have the feel it just become a foot note for the big PL teams except maybe when Leicester won it (last year?)

Whilst I am interested in what kit we wear I cant say I lose sleep over like some folk do - not suggesting anyone on here. It would seem like the simplest thing to do, i.e. Plan what your lit will be for the next season in advance of it actually starting and yet we continually seem to be revealing it after the pre season has started, just seems a bit odd. I know we have managed to sort it for the Owls in the Park thing previously but it certainly does seem hit and miss, probably DC thinks he can find a better deal or whatever. Anyway, so long the kit involves blue and white stripes (not too thick or thin) with black shorts it's a bit meh after that, the '91 kit is the template for me. As for anyone e.se kit, feck em

Can't recall the last FA Cup Final I watched. I m sure I must have watched one since 1993🤔 However, it's more or less the same fecking teams slugging it out for a dour 1-0 or penalties, absolutely sh1t. I grew up watching the finals in the 70/80s and there is no comparison. The depressing thing is I can't see us getting to a semi final never mind a final for a long time if ever and it feels the same re the PL. Won't be long before we have been out of the top division for 25years. Need to put the gin bottle down I think 😀

If he had he wouldn't be playing in L1. I thought he was poor at first but he got better, probably bc DM insisted he got physically stronger. Whilst I don't think he's the player he once was I think he could be useful in L1 for the right money and a proper pre season behind him. I don't think he was helped by DM chopping and changing. Although you'd imagine he wouldn't have played much if Windass didn't get injured again when he came back after Christmas. TBH I didn't think Windass did much when he appeared in the last few games, certainly compared to the previous cameo appearances he made. As for Patterson he's worth a squad place bc he's adaptable even if he is like a shire horse at times. Kamberi is the obvious one to let go, to be replaced by a young Prem loanee or released player or some of the lower league strikers that are looking for a step up. This is the time to really use the size of the fan base etc to attract new blood.

Just makes me so frustrated when you see Luton & Huddersfield in the Championship playoffs and we are wallowing in L1

Need Burnley to find a win from somewhere cos I can see L**ds managing a point or two from their games although Brighton and Brentford wont be easy

RIP what a tragedy it was.

The ref was awful. I was bloody fuming at the bookings he gave to our players and yet every cvnt in red and white seemed to get away with the same 'offence'. The booking for Hunt only seconds after a tackle they made that went unreprimanded was laughable. I think Cheat is right about the tackle BB got booked for.

I'm in agreement re DM. Have I got reservations? Absolutely. However, a change of manager presents a risk in itself. In his support, he knows the league, he knows the players at the club, so should know what we need to improve, he appears to be able to attract good players and with that and a more stable situation I'm hoping that might mean we can get some better loanees for next term. On the negatives, I think he tactically seems out of his depth at times (btw Alex Neil has more experience but hopefully DM will have learnt something), his tinkering for no apparent good reason with the first 11 has seemingly caused more difficulties than it solved at times, there are consistently weaknesses to the team, e.g. conceding from set pieces and late goals. id give him to January, by which time you would hope DC will know whether we are in with a good shout or is history repeating.

Proper hero back in the 80s. I hope he can be looked after properly and made comfortable as the horrible condition gets worse.

Eh? I don't think I was commenting on BB I was commenting on the acidity of your commentary. As for BB he's far from perfect but I think he has come to care about the club. He has been irritating at times in his time here particularly when he was given the freedom by some of the gimps we've had as manager. I think BB has been 100% better since DM has laid down the role he wants from him this season. He's still been a pain with the corners, let someone else have a go at times, been a captain doesn't mean doing everything all the time. Finally the over flicking at times when a simple pass or lay will do, but he'd be playing higher up I suppose if he didn't have these faults. Anyway, I'd still have him in my team in L1. Am I a fanboy, no, just a football fan that wants to see my team do well and if a properly harnessed BB can do that then great.

Strikes me we are all broadly saying the same with a few assumptions about offers from Championship clubs which you have to assume will come. Id be surprised if we didn't get some silly offers (low ones) and maybe some realistic ones. Thing is selling any of them isn't going to plug the hole in the finances. However, unless any of the outgoing are prepared to take lower wages, e.g. Luongo, I think most of those signed in the Championship will leave - like we saw last summer. Id love to see Dean come here but a, I suspect other Championship teams will be interested and b, on balance I'd prefer to find a L1/ L2 or Prem cast off for Lowe wages that is younger and wanting to develop, e.g. like when we got the likes of Whelan, Brunt etc. Assuming players are going to stay fit but FDB, Byers and Adreniran have the legs and some guile for the majority of games if complimented with intelligent Stikers and wing backs. I'd like BB to stay if he's committed to the cause, to the extent he has been this season. To be fair to him his fitness levels have been very good this season.

Is that the best you've got. Standards are dropping Reesh.

Obviously I want us to get to the final but god help us having to play those anti football fookers. I get the play to their strengths blah blah blah but kinell it's more than that, it's the antics the time wasting and General poor sportsmanship. When Wilkinson was in charge we had an honest bunch of hard working footballers that couldn't always compete with the silky skills of some but we didn't resort to the kind of shithousery we see these days - maybe we should, but I don't even recall Wimbledon doing that, just honest to goodness tough tackling, hard running and launching the ball into space. Whether its us or Sunderland that get to the final I hope the ref gives them no nonsense officiating. By the way I think on a pitch the size of Wembley with a vociferous support against them (us or Sunderland) I think / I hope they find it's a whole other proposition compared to their win against Oxford.

I admit I left after extra time against Uddersfield in 2017. I just knew it wasn't going to go well bc of who was left on the pitch. I somehow expected FF to miss If it goes to pens tomorrow it will depend on who's left on the pitch again if I stay, I know what a snowflake. I just really hate seeing us lose. If we have Gregory, Windass, Johnson, Byers and Bannan on the pitch well piss it, but I somehow suspect at least 2 of those won't be. As others have said it's a tough one to call and I somehow think it won't be sorted in the first 60mins, although I'm not resigned to extra time either. If the crowd gets behind the team I really do think it could be the difference. I think with the probable change of Hunt for Palmer the rest will be the same - subject to fitness of course. If we go one down early-ish we need to stay behind them because I do think we are capable of scoring 3 against them, we did it before, why not again even if it is a playoff semi final. As we saw against Pompey and some of our other games since Christmas the likes of Gregory can score out of nothing.

I don’t think anyone would deny last night was disappointing including the players and staff. However coming away at 1-0 isn’t the end of the world. I think DM was beaten by the more experienced manager and the tactics of Sunderland. In the post match interview AN said his tactics had been changed. Having said all of that and as some have said we lost the game bc of a mistake even if we did ride our luck at times. In hindsight maybe we would have been better off playing CP alongside LG last night. Sometimes when we play a team that has got a big centre half group like Sunderland did LG is better as the foil to someone like CP, neither of our strikers got much joy. I do think that was partly down to our wing backs and midfield weren’t high enough up the pitch though to make the runs that LG and SB feed off. I’m not sure we can say BB wasn’t fit last night. He may not have been 100% but I suspect it’s more down to how we and they set up and how they planned to nullify BB. I suspect they expected him to play. As for Monday, we will need to be a bit more positive but I’m not sure we need to do anything over and above how we approached any of our home games since the turn of the year. In fact if we do it could be our downfall. Bringing Hunt in would seem likely but the rest would seem to me be about tactical choices. The SB or JW choice seems to be a tricky one. Would DM spring a surprise and bring in CP, I doubt it. I also wonder whether Gibson is fit enough and worth starting instead of Hutch. Although he wasn’t even on the bench yesterday, you could look at that both ways though, ie he’s saving him given the time between games (to change out Hutch) or he simply isn’t fit enough - he’s not been brought on in any of the recent games. Its still all to play for and we can do it, but I think it’s 60/40 in Sunderland’s favour. I guess we’ve got to hope we can only play better than we did yesterday and with a good backing like against Pompey even if they score first it’s all still possible.

2-0 is recoverable, but they'll need to score next. Twine needs to turn in the next game.