markavfc40

In fairness I chose to make my point about the amount of injuries we have had (without 40% of what would be considered our best starting 11 for pretty much the whole start to the season) and the 5 players we have brought in needing time to settle/gel with what Emery wants from them and with their new team mates, after our defeat in the week. I have always felt that the inconsistency in performance was due to the above and that given time it would come together. For what it's worth I am in no doubt there will still be ups and downs. That we will still go to tough away places like Newcastle, Liverpool and even Legia Warsaw and get beat. That we will at times look out of sorts. One year on though from being relegation fodder, still with some big players out, still trying to integrate new players, and just the fact that overall we are under a manager who has been here less than a year, who is still building his squad and implementing his system, I'm happy to ride out those highs and lows safe in the knowledge that given time days like yesterday when we do click will become more frequent under Emery. In fairness I'd expect everyone to feel the same under a manager that has presided over a remarkable 2 pts per game in his first 32 league games in charge.

Under any other England manager of the last 40 odd years I'd say he was nailed on for a well deserved call up to the next squad. Under the happy to contradict himself every 5 minutes prat we have in charge now I am not very confident.

I got to be honest with you mate given the direction of travel of the Tory party over the last few years if I filled in a questionnaire and it had me aligned with them, and reclaim, I'd either be wanting the questionnaire checked for legitimacy or getting myself in front of the mirror and having a serious word with myself.

He is doing a great job. Take into account that he has been without 40% of our best starting outfield team for pretty much the whole start to this season (Mings, Moreno, Ramsey and Buendia) then that great job becomes a remarkable one.

As I said in my post that you quoted. Hopefully today will have gone some way to convincing you of that.

Wow what a first day for Europe. Rahm getting two eagles in the last 3 holes is the stuff of legends.

I am not really too sure there have been a few poor results unless we now think we have gone from relegation fodder less than 12 months ago to now thinking we should hardly be losing a game. Our league return from 6 games has been as good as I'd have hoped for. In fact probably a little better as I'd have probably taken 2 points from away games at Newcastle, Liverpool and Chelsea. We'd have expected wins from Everton, Burnley and Palace and we deservedly won them all. In the cups we have blown Hibs away in two games, narrowly lost our toughest away game in the Europa group to Legia Warsaw and been beaten at home in the league cup against a fellow Prem side. All the above has happened whilst Emery has been trying to integrate 5 new players and having been without 4 of our best 11 starters for pretty much the whole of the season. I think given that then losing some games should hardly come as a surprise should it especially losses in two of the toughest away league games you can face. I also think that inconsistent performances and looking disjointed at times should be expected given the injuries we have and the handful of new players being integrated. I see this period as similar to when Emery first arrived and it took time for it all to click and for us to gain some consistency. In his first 12 league and cup games we won 5, drew 1 and lost 6 and then it really came together. Getting Ramsey and Moreno back down our left side will be a huge boost and having Carlos to take some of the workload off Konsa with little drop in quality of player will give more in depth strength in that CB position. Then we have Torres, Diaby, Zaniolo and Tielemans all top quality players who have between them started 13 league games for us so are still to fully integrate and get in tune with what Emery wants and with their new team mates. I am in zero doubt that under Emery, just as happened last season, that given a little more time, it will again all click and come together.

According to that article in the Telegraph then we would see out this season with them which, given what @NurembergVillan said yesterday about the amount of time it takes to produce a kit, would make sense that we couldn't change mid season.

I think judging him on what he has done for us is jumping the gun quite a bit. He hasn't started a premier league game for us yet. He was poor last night but so were plenty of the players around him, including a number of players that we consider part of our best 11. Let's give him a little more time.

The team Emery picked tonight was more than good enough to have beaten Everton. Six of those who started tonight will start on Saturday, nine of those who started the 2nd half will start on Saturday. It wasn't selection that cost us that game, it was players under performing all over the pitch until the last 20 odd minutes. Why that was the case I don't know. Perhaps, as seemed the case against Legia Warsaw, we went into the game almost expecting to win and perhaps the fact we had won 10 on the bounce at home contributed to that. I do think some of us need to take the injuries we also have into account. Moreno, Ramsey, Mings, Buendia are all starters in our best 11 and they have played about 40 mins this season between them. Those players being out, and Carlos, with the heavy amount of fixtures we have had, including players being away on international duty, has put more of a burden on the rest of the squad and I think it has shown at times. It is what it is though and whilst I am disappointed to lose tonight overall Emery has presided over a decent start to the season and perhaps we'll look back on tonight as a blessing in disguise in the grand scheme of things. Roll on Saturday.

@NurembergVillan great videos Rob. Cheers for explaining it all in layman's terms

You've described successful multiculturalism in your first definition and failed multiculturalism with your second. I think for the most part in the UK the first is correct although a lot of right wingers have tried to make it seem otherwise to try to convince us the brown person who lives down the road is the cause of plenty of our woes. The Tories are just playing that game now as they need someone/something to blame for the mess they have made and damage they have caused so they create straw men. Last week it was the environment. They are lower than shark shit.

There are a few changes that should be nailed on. Olsen in goal, Lenglet and Chambers at the back, Dendonker and Tielemans in the middle. Ramsey, Bailey and Duran as the forward 3. I think with those changes, regardless of what Everton put out, will mean we are still good enough to win. A midfield pairing of Dendonker and Tielemans would have played together for Belgium a number of times at a time when Belgium were ranked the best side in the world and Ramsey/Bailey/Duran will cause any team problems.

Firstly mate let me say I really feel for you and good luck for Thursday. It could well be that the worry about your health could be what has brought on your wife over reacting to an argument over the kids. It doesn't excuse her reaction but I am sure she is stressing out and really worried about you and whilst it doesn't seem like a compassionate way to react it may be that she is struggling to cope with the stress of it all and is looking for an escape from it. I am sure if that is the case though give it a day and she will come to her senses. All the best mate.

Totally agree. I think even a couple of tight ones that weren't flagged today had they have resulted in goals and gone to VAR would have been shown to be off side. Our defending was excellent today and we played the high line very well.

I think this is the most promising thing about our start to the season is that I don't see us as being anywhere near up to full pelt yet and certainly defensively we are still gelling and getting over the loss of Mings. The great thing is that the person who will be most drumming home that, despite the good start, we can do much better performance wise is Emery himself.

I think that is a little unfair. You imagine that team on Thursday and replace some of the players with Mings, Carlos, Buendia, Ramsey and Moreno. Or even just 2 or 3 of those starting. We have a very good squad. During the game the other night the commentators continually mentioned how strong our squad is this season. Unfortunately though that squad has been missing, for pretty much the whole start to the season, four week in week out starters in Mings, Emi, Ramsey and Moreno. On top of missing players through injury we have also been trying to bed in five new players. I think in the forward positions you can get away with introducing players more quickly but defensively, where partnerships and understandings, which are crucial in that position, take time to build I'd imagine the intention was that Torres would be introduced slowly over the first few weeks of the season not be elevated to first choice starter within 30 minutes of the season starting. You then throw in the fact that Carlos has started only a handful of games for us, is just back from a long term injury, and is now out again, and that Lenglet is just through the door, then I don't think it should surprise anyone that defensively we have looked a mess at times. I am under no illusions it is going to take time for things to click and we get back to the consistent level of performance we showed in the last third of last season. Just as it took time when Emery first arrived for us to achieve those consistent levels. I am though supremely confident we will get back to those levels of consistency and the reasons for that are simple. Firstly we have a very good squad of players and secondly we have an excellent manager. All that is needed now is time for those new players that have come in to build understandings/on pitch relationships with their new team mates, and the manager to drill into them what he wants, and for us to have a little more luck with injuries which hopefully is happening with Moreno, Ramsey and Carlos all back. Give it a little bit of time and we'll be fine.

I think we are seeing what a huge miss Tyrone is, not just his ability but his leadership and organisational skills. It is early days though. Torres and Lenglet are barely through the door and Carlos is not long back from a very serious injury. They are all quality players, along with Konsa, and I am sure under a manager like Emery things will eventually click. It would have been nice had they had time to get up to speed and build relationships with Tyrone alongside them though.

We were poor and played as if we thought we could just rock up, go through the motions and win. Hopefully it will be a huge kick up the arse and we won't be so complacent going forward. For what it is worth I still think we'll win the group, which is the bottom line that matters.

There's a good 4 or 5 million of that 17 million who feel betrayed by the charlatans and grifters that conned them into voting for Brexit so if they do go with that headline they'll be preaching to a much smaller net.

I love this attitude and it pretty much mirrors mine and my wife's. I saw may dad never properly retire and die at 60 and I saw my mother in law never reach retirement and die at 55. Even though I was only 28 when my dad died I think it has shaped my thought process especially the older I have gotten (I'll be 50 in a couple of months). Whilst I have got a decent pension to look forward to I never for a second see it as a given that I'll ever actually get to see it and enjoy a retirement so very much live for now. Like you we have embraced travelling and have never got less than 2 or 3 holidays booked and always have something on the horizon to look forward to.

I'd agree with this. Godfather 1 and 2 I've probably watched 15+ times over the last 35 odd years and if I switched the TV over now and one of them was on I'd be pulled into watching it. They are classics and up there in my top 20 films I've ever seen.

I'm sure that is what they will do. Any company, or individual for that matter, making decisions based on their being a Tory government come start of 2025 is living in cloud cuckoo land.

That is lovely mate. It is something many of us take for granted but this post makes you realise how lucky we are. Enjoy the game.

James O'Brien sums up Sunaks bullshit a treat.