thunderball

All about heart and passion now, if anything WBA have the home voice advantage, but we should have the legs

Ominous

I’d put Kodj and Albert on for Green and El Ghazi after 10 minutes.i just hope Mings keeps it disciplined, that could be a disaster. McGinn is a walking yellow card too!

Ref is going too far the other way. That fourth official looks a self important cocky prick

Taylor, El Ghazi and Green need upgrading. Especially Taylor.

Wow, I want to believe too, but am concerned about Leeds. We have the talent but can’t afford another off day like Saturday, everyone needs to turn up and perform

WBA have to attack us on Tuesday, that means it will be much more like the last 20 minutes where the game is more expansive with more gaps. I would like to see Hourihane and Green start and exploit the gaps, if we score then bring on Whelan and Albert in the last 20 minutes if we really have to. Attack, Attack, attack suits us best both home and away in this league, the PL might be different but we have generally superior personnel or at lest the match of most opponents.

My position exactly: nearly but not quite due to personnel. Smith has a way of playing that demands good technical discipline, fitness and hunger. Jack has it and has matured enormously this season; McGinn has most of it but is like Milner - drive and energy with the ability to score a goal; Hourihane has come on in this last quarter of the season, he now rarely goes missing like he used to and the last two games he was a driving force and very busy always wanting the ball and looking for the pass. Lansbury should also be in this mould but we haven’t seen enough. I feel our wide men are not offering enough, despite improving and promise. I would love to see a couple more options in the middle wide: speed and direct, or trickery just to give us options. I think Smith would play 4-3-3 if he had two more dangerous players in the way Sterling is, offering width, speed, energy and goal threat, they would compliment Abraham or Davis.I think Maupay could play this role. But these are the expensive players everyone wants. Re Taylor, he showed his short comings yesterday, how I longed for Amavi yesterday.

Do away goals count in the tie?

Still a lot to do though. Hasn’t realised what a physically big team they are.

We’ll take that, a shame about that goal conceded. We looked much much better after the subs, we are much better when we move quickly and stretch team, we don’t do well with too much time to think.

Thank you

Just want Gayle to get a second yellow to cap this off

Yes! Hourihane has been on it from the second he stepped on the pitch

Urgh. Taylor is poor today

Really not very encouraging so far. Is it time to start worrying?

Grealish needs to look for free kicks around the edge of the box. Swap Whelan for Hourihane and look for triangles and free kicks

I’d swap Adomah for Kodjia, see if he can spark it up a bit given he is the most unpredictable. We have lost our mojo.

We are playing like we did at Wembley last year, we forgot we had to try

A good bollocking might help at half time

McGinn is the only one showing drive and desire

Little movement, little energy, players running into dead ends. Taylor and Elmo not been great offensively, Albert looks a busted flush now. DS needs to roll the dice, they are making this defence look the best in the league while it’s the exact opposite.

Get green on for uncle Albert, we need to shake it up

FFS we are taking so much time on the ball. Elmo slows it down every time