samjp26

Chris Samba vibes

I think with buying/paying to take youth players from other academies (Carney was from Northampton), we have to be realistic in understanding some of the better talents may be then pinched from us just as we pinched them in the first place. His brother can’t get a game in the SPL for whatever reason, so I can’t see another team taking him with Carney as we did, however it is an option I guess if he we were to move abroad to help him settle. I really like him and he’s got a lot of talent, the most out of our younger lads IMO, but it seems this whole contract situation has stifled his development. If he signed and got his head down I have no doubt he would be utilised better with the first team, but Gerrard isn’t going to do that with a player that plans to leave, and rightly so too.

Pretty certain he’ll stay here, I imagine we’ve made big promises about the summer window to him - he’ll want great players around him.

Your second paragraph nails it, it’s like a nice introduction and a nice outro but everything in between is actually really distasteful and sneery. Any team in the PL would like to have Coutinho. I’m pretty sure if Pep had him in his squad he would be used. He’s a world class player, to pretend otherwise is a blatant lie - the only truth is that pretty much only teams in the PL have the finances to obtain such a player. Who cares I suppose, I just thought it was a really odd article.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2022/mar/12/magical-misfit-philippe-coutinho-may-have-found-unlikely-home-at-aston-villa Weird article. Basically says he’s found his level, can’t press and isn’t as good as JG

I think Buendia is very happy to be learning from one of his idolos

Definitely, that goal reminded me of the one Benteke scored against WBA

Grealish is nearly 27, I don’t think anybody would bay an eyelid if he returned in 2 years at the age of 29.

You’re just being silly, the point is we just don’t let him retire. Ever.

We’ve had him walking backwards chewing gum at Old Trafford and now he’s doing the Bielsa crouch at Elland Road. Absolutely shithousery

When he retires I hope we retire the goalkeeper position because I don’t wanna see anybody else between the sticks ever again

Solid game again, well done Mings . Him and Emi have some hilarious back and forth they’re like a married couple, shouting in each other’s faces one minute and cuddling 2 minutes later.

Definitely killed our European chances and could have easily killed the season, but I think we’ll finish 9th/10th which is progression nonetheless

We literally have Barcelona’s £150m Brazilian number 10 playing for us and the shit blows my mind every time I see him touch the ball

Looking like Emi Martinez MK II from Arsenal’s angle. What a steal, mad to think he’s only just turned 27, his market value has already tripled from his few showings at the very least. Shrewd signing indeed

It’s refreshing to see a manager who tried something, got it wrong (for now), went back to the drawing board and tried something completely different. There is clearly a way Gerrard and his coaches ideally see us playing but right now we can’t, so they’re adapting, which is a great sign for things to come.

I think this will be the route - and if he does well in the Championship his value will be much higher both on the pitch and off of it. We’re trying to get some of the best academy players from up and down the country, and beyond, and finally we seem to be doing it with a business brain. Look at Chelsea, they have made an incredible amount of great business decisions - with selling players on eventually, loan fees, and a whole bunch of players being good enough in the end to compete at the very pinnacle of football.

And if we sell him for £40m or whatever was touted RE: Atleti, it will have been good business either way. Top signing, top player.

Solid game today, some really good jockeying/marshalling of defenders

He needed that, hope it gets him firing!

Played to our strengths, good game management also - good job Stevie G!

Buendia dropped and no midfield changes baffles me. I hope he just needs a rest, but without Buendia we have no real press from the front

He actually did say it

You lot are some haters ffs

Way too early to be calling for his head, however an actual defensive midfielder is clearly key to how he wants us to play. I think if we are to say "this is how we want to play", we need to target the correct players to fit the roles and actually succeed in bringing these targets into the club. Bissouma was evidently our number 1 target, Bentancur another top target, the latter went to Tottenham and the former it seems we wouldn't pay what they asked for. I completely understand not wanting to get shafted by clubs in regards to fees and such, but if we only have a select amount of targets we need to pay to bring them in, otherwise we are left in the situation we are in now which is asking players to fulfil roles that they simply can not. I have no doubt that Stevie G and his coaching staff are forward thinking with what they want to do, how they want to play etc. but as things stand we don't have the players to meet the demands and if the club aren't prepared to pay above and beyond for the players required, we should be looking at going back to the drawing board and changing the style of play.