Mjvilla

Can you tell me with full confidence that if, instead of going down he flags it to the ref we see the same outcome? Yes, you are

Isn't that pretty simple? The lower you are in the table, the more amateurish defending you tend to see? And Vice-versa? We are inconsistent, but we are not going from surviving by a scrape to top 6 in one season. We are a slow build. Piece by piece, we are getting there. Smith has been integral to the whole damn thing. We didn't defend well, we looked extremely tired. We don't have the squad to cope with key players playing 200+ minutes internationally, all across the globe. This is part of the building process. There is such speed to jump and look for fault in defeats. We are not accepting them, we are accepting we are a work in progress and there's going to be bumps in the road. Smith has proven lots of people wrong, time and time again at this football club. I trust him to continue to do that, because he's given me no other reason to think different.

I absolutely cannot do that. But the post I originally quoted, you said and I quote 'alioski isn't changing any outcome'. You're now changing the argument to he had to go down clutching his face, feigning injury to get the player sent off. Which is the argument for the retrospective punishment. Kind of backing up everybodies point really.

Not really. He's gone down with the full intention of making it seem as bad as possible to try and get an opponent sent off. Hes feigned injury, by staying on the floor clutching his face for 5 minutes, in an attempt to make the referees mind up for him. Which he has done. You cannot move your head towards an opponent, no matter if you hit them hard or gently caress the opposition's head. It's a red card offence. Here, he didn't even gently caress the opposition's head. It was that soft. It's playacting and feigning injury. It should be punished.

Just went back randomly to page 500 and found a quote from myself criticising someone for saying he is a poor man's Barry bannan. A poor man's Barry bannan!! Going back can be quite fun!

Just noticed we have a new reaction. How long have we had this?? 'shocked' I like the new addition.

I know we've had our disagreements, differing views. But this is why we watch, enjoy, hate, discuss this game so much... For that feeling when your side gets a good result. Glad to see you enjoyed it tro!

I didn't say you were referring to me? The comment made suggests you think it's your way or the highway. You're right and everyone else is wrong. It's hard work and stopping the opposition and if anyone else disagrees then why don't they see it? Like I made in a post today, I agree that hard work is a good basis. But so much more is needed. Sheffield United losing 7 in 8 is absolute testament to that this season. The best teams work hard but then have the attacking ability in the correct balance. We, like most other teams outside the top few, are trying to find that right balance. Hard work only gets you so far.

Lambert done it back to back. Would I swap Smith for Lambert? No! Would I swap Smith for wilder? No! Part of a managers pedigree is found out when the going gets tough. Can they do something different to survive? We found out Smith can last year. Lambert struggled although I will add circumstances didn't help. Wilder has to do something to survive now. Can he? That's the key question. 1 point from 8 games is an awful return. Leaves him needed probably 12 wins in the next 30 or 10 wins and a number of draws. It's going to be a big ask.

You've talked about things that irk you somewhere tro, well, heres one that irks me. The patronising arrogance of that comment.

Aston Villa P6 W4 D0 L2. 12 PTS Sheffield United P8 W0 D1 L7. 1 PT Sometimes you need more than hard work to achieve. Does Wilder have another plan other than hard work to get Sheffield United playing? Hard work and graft is a good starting point, but you need far more than just that. You need flair, creativity and quality amongst other things. We are clearly trying to find the balance between the 2. When you compare the Leicester game versus the Leeds game for example. It's not right to criticise Smith, not yet. For me. You bang the hard work drum all the time TRO, fair enough. I do get it. But Sheffield United are testament to how far hard work on its own gets you this season. It doesn't make wilder a bad manager or Sheffield United a lazy poor team. They've scored 5 goals so far in 8 games. To me, it screams Sheffield United needing to find a way of adding a bit more quality to attacks to edge them over the line in those tight games. Can wilder do that? That's his new challenge.

I've read, pretty constantly over the last few days, that various players shoul be dropped. I've read Cash, Mings, Targett, Mcginn, Barkley, Trez, and Watkins at various times and by various posters should be dropped. We've won 4 out of our opening 6. I'm glad some of you lot aren't our manager, I really am.

What's your opinion on this @villalad21, you were adamant he would've been a brilliant signing for us. With him in this squad, I honestly don't think we would be so closely knit as we appear to be.

Sigh, another dig at Smith. Leeds were just so far off the pace they showed against us, it was incredible. Lots of defensive mistakes, giving the ball away all the time, aimless long balls. They weren't even under pressure from Leicester. They were unforced errors. Leeds looked knackered after about 15 minutes too, something you could not level at them against us. Jack Harrison was on his haunches after chasing a ball down the left hand side. After about 15 minutes. They weren't sharp, they didn't press as well, they were second to most things, losing individual battles. None of that happened against us. leicester did nothing special yet they picked Leeds off at will. Using mainly 2 players, vardy and Barnes. It was one of the most dramatic negative turnarounds in level of performance from one game to the next I've ever witnessed, from Leeds. I was sure they would come out at 100MPH in the second half, they were brighter and sharper but still not on any kind of level they played against us. And they created absolutely so little. The whole Leeds performance was typified by bamford. Lazy, ineffective, error-ridden. Who'd have thought we would say that about Leeds?

For me, we gave chance after chance away against Leeds. We could've lost about 8-0. We were so so poor. Southampton had 4 efforts on target in the game and they all went in. All top corners or excellent finishes. That really doesn't happen very often. We created more. It doesn't matter what minute they were created in. You can use excuse after excuse for us playing decent: like the opposition being tired. For me, if we had won that game 3-2, no one could have complained. First half wasnt good enough, no chance. Look at Leeds last night, they were hopeless first half and went 2-0 down. They created very, very little after that. We did. We created lots against Southampton and could've score more than 3. Would you say Leeds didn't have the fight? IMO, the 'we have no fight' narrative has been in your head for a long time and you're waiting for a bad result to mention it. Since almost day 1 of deanos reign. There HAS been a overreaction 100%. I've read that the 'owners won't put up for much longer of this'. After everything he's achieved, if that's not an overreaction in your eyes, I can't help you. You've protected previous managers on far less than that.

Everton were absolutely awful for 2 consecutive games. They showed nothing. Leeds was poor, but today we played well second half. Actually won the second half 3-1. Deservedly. Still positives to take from today. Everton can walk away from today's game with no positives. Not one.

So, we can only play well when the opposition's energy is gone? Or when the opponent's play into our hands? If what you put in bold is the case, how did Southampton keep a clean sheet for the final half hour against Everton, when their energy had gone? Absolutely ridiculous claim. Listen, were all frustrated, but just a couple of weeks ago you said yourself that you hoped there wouldn't be an over reaction to a bad performance or 2. Well, here we are, a couple of poor performances, and the over reaction is mind boggling. The Leeds result was far more worrying than this.

Would you say the same about wes?

Bit of a freak game really. 3 shots on target, 3 goals against. Not surprised by the mindless over exaggeration however.

Darren England rec, don't know much about him. As an aside, have we had Kevin friend since the palace away game last year?

Where I live would be a lovely seaside town if it wasn't for the bloody Welsh!!

Do you mean Struijk, the centre back who played centre back against wolves? He is doubtful. Cooper is doubtful too.

And of course, before that, International Superstar Soccer. The game of choice from when I ver first started playing games. Memories.

But none of this is what @Kiwivillan said. He said paraphrasing 'teams don't spend £40m on backups. What PL team does that?'. In answer to his question, Liverpool do. A team he said, in that very post, don't. They paid £45m on a backup. Whatever mitigating circumstances are or reason behind it. For the right here and right now, Liverpool spent £45m on a backup.

You think Liverpool paid £45m for Diogo Jota and he's going to start ahead of Salah, mane and firmino?