MrBlack

If we don't take advantage early on we always then start the second half slow. What is it about half time that sends us to sleep. If we don't score past spurs it's a sad indictment on our attacking play as everyone scores past them. Tiredness setting in from midweek I guess

**** sake

Somehow I'd managed to miss that they were playing . And yes, you're right. But still 4th v 5th also worthy of a mention

Weird not to mention that spurs play us though, in what should be the match of the weekend given the relative positions and implications of the result. It probably isn't a conscious ignorance of us, just a fact that we've been nowhere until the last 14 months and so there's no real wider interest in us. Have a run of 4 years in the top 6 and we'll be talked about like spurs.

They aren't. They do have a lifetime of success and expectation that will affect referees impartiality though and give them decisions other clubs wouldn't get. They've also been luckier than those other clubs you mention.

It's irrelevant for European clubs. Uefa's rules are based on your spend as a percentage of your turnover, which is by far the bigger limiting factor for clubs like ours outside the scum 6.

How do man united always manage to find a completely detestable forward. Going back to Cantona they've always had a forward that's a complete prick in their team.

They are i belive. The striker is supposed to run in a continuous motion.

They've not been in form for a while so was always optimistic that they'd miraculously find it for a one off game. Didn't expect them to get a hammering though. That "guaranteed extra place" the media seem convinced we'll get starts looking pretty shaky when it comes down to 2 clubs winning their tournaments (and even us winning ours). Yes, Liverpool, Man City and us are favourites, but we could really do with West Ham overturning their loss next week.

We frustrated me. A very painful watch. In fairness I think the frustration was mutual for both sides, but painting it like we stopped them from playing is quite untrue.

I think the refereeing performance last night highlighted that we're dealing with a different issue in the PL. The standard of the referee was atrocious but it was clear there wasn't any bias in his actions. Just pure inexperience and erroneous decisions. He wasn't helped by his linesmen either, but he got things evidently wrong with no side particularly favoured. In the PL, I feel the decisions regularly tend to favour one side.

I really want us to win this tournament. Emery deserves to have a trophy lifted in front of the villa fans. I'd be going full strength tonight. Subs made early to rest players for Sunday, but get on the front foot. Show all the players that we're now taking knock out rounds seriously and banish some of the complacency we've had in the earlier rounds.

But a huge difference if they don't get the champions league. Not in any single year, but they do it for 2, and then 3, the business starts collapsing.

Much like the Sheffield United non-goal didn't dictate our fate, that won't dictate QPRs. There was time left in the game and QPR went on to score an equaliser anyway. Would they have carried on pushing with a point to lose if a penalty had been given and assuming it was even scored. There's then the fact there's nearly a third of the games left this season. It was a terrible miss by the officials sure, but dont think the impacts go wider than the game. I'm sure without VAR they've had other decisions go their way this season. I'm more amazed the QPR players who were closer didn't seem to spot it, so not sure how the officials were meant to. Things like this are why VAR was brought in, but the way it's operated doesn't help, because the bias and incompetence still plays a massive role. I'd be happier going back to the pre VAR days and just automating offsides and using current hawk eye goal line tech.

Poetry in motion isn't. Very Berty-esque.

Why is Pep leaving Haaland on in a truly dead rubber? Do we reckon he's demanded to stay on to try and set a champions league scoring record? Would he have that much power?

Owners should be allowed to self fund the going rate for shirt sponsorship if they use it to support a registered charity. NSWE put the money in, its treated as profit, and we can all forget gambling exists. How they'd govern what's a fair amount would be the issue.

I'm sure Emery said it was different. But also that is was minor.

What's with be kits being released mid season this year? I don't recall that ever being a thing before? Edit: and I don't include our practice of releasing kits in September because of incompetence in the above.

Take a chance in that sense is different in that it means more give it a go. Try your luck. What's the worst that could happen. Similar to the ABBA take a chance on me. In footbal terminology it does have its own meaning, and should really say converting a chance. When the commentators use the phrase of a team not taking their chances it could equally be used to describe a team squandering opportunities to shoot (a la the arsenal of old that tried to walk it into the net) as well as a team having a number of one on one's that the striker doesn't put away (be it saved, blasted over, or placed wide). I've never really thought about it, as it's just always meant a team not scoring as many as they should have to me, for whatever reason it is that they haven't. I'm sure in the Luton match I thought to myself "We're going to regret not taking our chances here". And it wasn't any particular miss, save, or wasted good position... just the collection of attacks we had that made me feel we should have been more than 2 up.

As per @Tom13 but also, Digne adopted it as his post match tunnel camera interaction it during our record run of home wins. I feel like after our run ended it should have run its course, but seems its restarted for any win now.

Very unlikely.

But what I mean is McPhee can't really be blamed for their team having more tall players than us. Maybe he can be blamed for putting Kamara on Maguire, but if he puts Carlos on him then it just leaves Hojlund free of a respectable marker instead. I'm not sure there's much more we can do with the personnel we have for the first ball. I feel like there is more he could do for anything after that. Agree with most of what you're saying though, and yes, Mings is a bit factor in us having to come up with other options rather than just "win the first ball".

How many months after "it will be unveiled in a couple of weeks" are we now ? You'd think someone that experienced would know not to over promise. Especially so in an area that he knows nothing about. Surely we're at a stage where Adidas need our final badge to start preparing next year's shirts, if not already way past it?

I dont think the physicality (or lack of) can be blamed for the entirety of our defensive set piece woes. A number of the goals we concede at set pieces are from the second ball after it's been won by the opposition. We seem to switch off or immediately try and vacate the 6 yard box after the first header is won, leaving the opposition acres of space to exploit. McPhee should be coming up with something to prevent those types of goals as we've conceded 5 or so like that recently.