Heroes & Villains, the Aston Villa fanzine
Heroes & Villains => Match Threads & Player Ratings => Topic started by: PeterWithesShin on May 03, 2025, 02:26:16 PM
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Never in doubt.
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3 points. Everything else is irrelevant.
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All good.
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Phew.
Malen makes things happen, would like to see much more of him in the run-in.
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Could have won by more had Ollie been clinical and that Malen effort at the end gone in. Fulham were shit as usual at Villa Park. Still massive 3 points.
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Nervy win but a massive win.
We had the chances to make it a lot more comfortable.
Tielemans was excellent.
Onana was good when he came on.
Barkeley was abysmal when he came on.
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Never felt like it would end 1-0, that. But in truth Emi didn't have a serious save to make
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Relieved. 3 points is all that matter as it has been said.
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Massive win but we didn't half labour to it.
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Big win for us. 3 more to go.
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We talk of control but really don't do it well. Should have been much comfortable. Giving the ball away cheaply in defence and midfield almost cost us. But 3 points and a clean sheet...
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Clean sheet,some super approach play. and Pau nearly scores. Good stuff.
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Malen should have been on a lot earlier as Watkins was having a mare.
Kamara is in some worrying form.
Another game passes Assensio by.
SJM and Tielemans excellent.
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Their foul count was probably the most important stat in that game. 17 fouls, the majority being in midfield as we were looking to break is a big part of why we didn't create more
7th is pretty much sealed now so we're definitely in Europe again, now we need to see if we can push into the top 5.
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So, this goes someway in terms of recovery from the Palace debacle, a victory, 3 points, we are on course still and back in the race, if tomorrows games or at least one them goes in our favour we are right in there, it is what it is, we won and we are back in it.
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Big win, keeps things exciting
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Way more nervous than it should have been.
Barkley never passed to a claret shirt after coming on. Was getting Bournemouth vibes.
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that'll do
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3 more of those will do nicely. Really good attitude from the defence I thought - some great blocks from Cash and Digne did well v Adama once he came on.
Onana was excellent when he came on - showed up Kamara a bit whose level/decision-making on the ball was uncharacteristically poor in the final 20 minutes. Barkley seemed a bit out of position coming on for Youri so I cut him a bit of slack.
Tielemans is absolutely unreal, what a player.
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3 points , dull match but who cares .
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The win is all important. I also hope that remains Kamara’s poorest game ever for us.
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Good stuff - great to get the win. Fingers crossed for the other games this weekend.
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Thought it was a strong performance against granted a disinterested Fulham team. Failure to get the second made things a bit more nervy that it should have been. Ollie has missed some shockers this season but that one just after half time must be the worst of the lot. Very good cameos from the subs, Barkley excepted.
Martinez 7 - not sure he had a save to make but much sharper off his line today
Cash 8 - really strong second half, brilliant block on Andersen and put one on a plate for Watkins
Konsa 7 - grand really, needed a rocket from Emery at one stage but barely troubled
Torres 7 - same as Konsa, about as easy a day playing CB at Villa Park that you can get
Maatsen 7 - very good first half, lively as ever on the ball, settled now
Kamara 6 - a bit flat really, I thought Onana was coming on for him. Ok
Tielemans 9 - outstanding performance capped with the winner
Rogers 7 - improved out of all recognition in the second half and worked a lot harder defensively too
McGinn 7 - outstanding really, great delivery for the goal. Very surprising decision to hook him early again
Asensio 4 - his loan is starting to peter out really. Some nice touches but didn't influence play at all
Watkins 6 - nothing wrong with his hold up play but horror of a miss just after half time and missed a one on one later.
Onana and Ramsey were very good, Onana seems to be better from the bench. Digne did fine on Traore. Malen bit of a horror miss too in truth from Rogers cross but unlucky to hit bar late on. Barkley struggled.
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I hope Silva goes to Tottenham he’s a very overrated manager.
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Phew - lovely, and a clean sheet with Pau.
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Job done.
But we made a mountain out of a molehill.
Special praise for Tielemans and Cash.
Onwards and upwards
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Phew - lovely, and a clean sheet with Pau.
But that’s not possible.
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I hope Silva goes to Tottenham he’s a very overrated manager.
Think he has done a great job at Fulham after flopping at Everton somewhat. Has turned around quite a few careers of his players too.
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I'm in a much better mood after that, even if we made hard work of it.
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Our home record this season:
LWWWDWDLDDWWWDWWDWWDDWWWWWWW
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I was house viewing this afternoon and missed the game, had to catch up on my phone. Got into the house with about 15 minutes to go in the game and.....no signal. I was absolutely spewing whilst pretending I was paying attention. FUUUCCKKK. Relieved. Well done Villa.. Did what we had to do.
Anyone got a link to the goal please?
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All a bit dull but I'll take that.
Despite the nervousness at the end, they created little and Emi might has well have had the day off. Going forward we looked a way off it although Rogers came into it in the second half more and the subs, Barkley aside, looked to breathe a bit of life into us.
Though Maatsen and Cash were excellent, McGinn at the heart of most of the good stuff but Tielemans outstanding, a great performance.
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Our home record this season:
LWWWDWDLDDWWWDWWDWWDDWWWWWWW
Gogogoch
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And that Juventus D was really a W
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I love Ollie and I hope we keep him, but I can't think of a striker who misses so many good chances.
I can think of plenty that would never have got into the position to miss them, mind, but still.
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Thought it was a strong performance against granted a disinterested Fulham team. Failure to get the second made things a bit more nervy that it should have been. Ollie has missed some shockers this season but that one just after half time must be the worst of the lot. Very good cameos from the subs, Barkley excepted.
Martinez 7 - not sure he had a save to make but much sharper off his line today
Cash 8 - really strong second half, brilliant block on Andersen and put one on a plate for Watkins
Konsa 7 - grand really, needed a rocket from Emery at one stage but barely troubled
Torres 7 - same as Konsa, about as easy a day playing CB at Villa Park that you can get
Maatsen 7 - very good first half, lively as ever on the ball, settled now
Kamara 6 - a bit flat really, I thought Onana was coming on for him. Ok
Tielemans 9 - outstanding performance capped with the winner
Rogers 7 - improved out of all recognition in the second half and worked a lot harder defensively too
McGinn 7 - outstanding really, great delivery for the goal. Very surprising decision to hook him early again
Asensio 4 - his loan is starting to peter out really. Some nice touches but didn't influence play at all
Watkins 6 - nothing wrong with his hold up play but horror of a miss just after half time and missed a one on one later.
Onana and Ramsey were very good, Onana seems to be better from the bench. Digne did fine on Traore. Malen bit of a horror miss too in truth from Rogers cross but unlucky to hit bar late on. Barkley struggled.
For once, I agree with every word and every score.
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Completely forgot we were the early kickoff today so missed it entirely. Good stuff, might try it again.
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Always rated Jimenez and think he would be good addition to our front line.
Defence played very well, SUE was apoplectic with Konsa at one point aside.
Clean sheet
Several very good chances with better finishing the win would of been a lot more convincing.
Tough game next (maybe the toughest of the 3) so we need to build momentum.
Minimum of 7th and conference league established so not all bad. 12 other teams would love to be there.
Onwards and upwards
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Phew - lovely, and a clean sheet with Pau.
……despite Pau
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Fulham didn't create anything of note, but we made it a more nervy atmosphere than it should have been by not putting away the good chances, especially when it was 11 against 10.
Some players were very good - Tielemans, Maatsen, Cash and McGinn (presume he was just tired, as I've no other idea why he was subbed). Others like Asensio, Watkins and Kamara, were less good.
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Not one of our best, but a vital 3 points and a very welcome clean sheet, Fulham never really troubled us. Tielemans was outstanding as was SJM, no idea, why he was subbed.
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Phew - lovely, and a clean sheet with Pau.
……despite Pau
Not sure if your being serious or not, but Pau was good as he so often is
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Not one of our best, but a vital 3 points and a very welcome clean sheet, Fulham never really troubled us. Tielemans was outstanding as was SJM, no idea, why he was subbed.
More than likely the stat people advise he is approaching the red zone- it is foolish to ignore
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Not one of our best, but a vital 3 points and a very welcome clean sheet, Fulham never really troubled us. Tielemans was outstanding as was SJM, no idea, why he was subbed.
Agreed. Not sure how Bronte managed to only give him a 7.
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Malen should have been on a lot earlier as Watkins was having a mare.
Kamara is in some worrying form.
Another game passes Assensio by.
SJM and Tielemans excellent.
Bang on, exactly as I saw it. Kamara has done wonders since returning from injury but is now looking fatigued, hope he can just keep it going for three more games.
Special mention to Barkley, who was woeful.
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Not one of our best, but a vital 3 points and a very welcome clean sheet, Fulham never really troubled us. Tielemans was outstanding as was SJM, no idea, why he was subbed.
More than likely the stat people advise he is approaching the red zone- it is foolish to ignore
Perhaps but he has been taken off early quite a bit recently. Ramsey played well when he came on but McGinn was on fire.
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3pts is all that matters today.
Few notes from me
- Why is Unai constantly hooking McGinn early. Head and shoulders the best player on the pitch today?!
- First to comment when Matty Cash fucks up, but thought he was excellent today.
- Maatsen slowly looking like the long term Digne replacement we'd hoped we were getting
- Kamara looks totally off it. Passes not reaching their man, getting caught on the ball constantly.... Were it not for Barkley coming on, Bouba would have won the prize for worst midfielder today.
- On that subject - Ross Barkley. I think it best we part ways in the summer. Absolutely horrendous display when he came on today. Terrible.
- Thought Asensio was a little better than recent games, but still not the player from January. Jury still out on whether we risk another Coutinho style signing with him in the summer.
- Unai - STOP TELLING THE PLAYERS TO SLOW THE FUCK DOWN! We have 3 games left with a week's rest between each game. We are a much better side both on the pitch AND in the stands when we're attacking at pace. Take those bloody shackles off, PLEASE!
On to Bournemouth..... and COME ON LIVERPOOL AND PALACE!
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We’d be 5th now had we not conceded that fucking late goal at Man City last week.
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Picking Rogers (running on empty at the moment) and Asensio (a better impact sub) for this game was a surprise, to say the least. This was a perfect opportunity to pick Malen and Ramsey to support Watkins. Whilst we should have been further ahead at halftime today, had the starting team been more ambitious we certainly have been.
Kamara was surprisingly awful.
Maatsen and Tielemans were excellent.
Not sure what Malen has to do to get a starting role.
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Post match quote from Marco Silva:
"They were wasting time every single time and that showed how difficult it was for them."
Seems to have overlooked Iwobi running 10 or 20yds to stand on the ball everytime we got a free kick to prevent us taking a quick one.
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Re Tielemans being subbed.
He seemed to be limping as he came off. Moments beforehand he was 50/50 for a through ball, but didn't seem to have his usual pace.
Got a great ovation from the Lower Doug Ellis as he stepped off the pitch.
One comment - when Onana came on and Tielemans was pushed forward, his passing opportunities seemed to diminish. Is that because when playing more as an 8 he's got more places into which he can place a pass: vertical balls into the box, diagonals out wide, or link-up passes with other midfielders?
When he's further forward, he's got less of the pitch in front of him - reducing his forward options.
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Picking Rogers (running on empty at the moment) and Asensio (a better impact sub) for this game was a surprise, to say the least. This was a perfect opportunity to pick Malen and Ramsey to support Watkins. Whilst we should have been further ahead at halftime today, had the starting team been more ambitious we certainly have been.
Kamara was surprisingly awful.
Maatsen and Tielemans were excellent.
Not sure what Malen has to do to get a starting role.
Rogers was excellent, second half in particular.
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I know it goes against the grain but much of the dip in our form is down to Kamara, who has gone from a world beater to a dead beat in the thinking of an eye.
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Twinkling.
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Twinkling.
Agree he has looked very ordinary.
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Re Tielemans being subbed.
He seemed to be limping as he came off. Moments beforehand he was 50/50 for a through ball, but didn't seem to have his usual pace.
Got a great ovation from the Lower Doug Ellis as he stepped off the pitch.
One comment - when Onana came on and Tielemans was pushed forward, his passing opportunities seemed to diminish. Is that because when playing more as an 8 he's got more places into which he can place a pass: vertical balls into the box, diagonals out wide, or link-up passes with other midfielders?
When he's further forward, he's got less of the pitch in front of him - reducing his forward options.
It's funny as Tielemans best football for us last seasons was as a 10. Space obviously a lot tighter in that part of the pitch. Maatsen had gone off by then so he didn't really have many options out wide.
There were some cracking passes put through by our players today. Cash played in Watkins, Rogers for Malen and I think it was his ball again for Watkins. Can't remember who put Malen through. Really should have been 4 or 5 today.
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Picking Rogers (running on empty at the moment) and Asensio (a better impact sub) for this game was a surprise, to say the least. This was a perfect opportunity to pick Malen and Ramsey to support Watkins. Whilst we should have been further ahead at halftime today, had the starting team been more ambitious we certainly have been.
Kamara was surprisingly awful.
Maatsen and Tielemans were excellent.
Not sure what Malen has to do to get a starting role.
Rogers was excellent, second half in particular.
He got better but surely he needs to be given some respite. We have the strongest squad for a while and yet Rogers seems to be a must-pick. Both he and Asensio would have been better as bring-on subs today.
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Picking Rogers (running on empty at the moment) and Asensio (a better impact sub) for this game was a surprise, to say the least. This was a perfect opportunity to pick Malen and Ramsey to support Watkins. Whilst we should have been further ahead at halftime today, had the starting team been more ambitious we certainly have been.
Kamara was surprisingly awful.
Maatsen and Tielemans were excellent.
Not sure what Malen has to do to get a starting role.
Rogers was excellent, second half in particular.
He got better but surely he needs to be given some respite. We have the strongest squad for a while and yet Rogers seems to be a must-pick. Both he and Asensio would have been better as bring-on subs today.
Rogers was awful against Man City and Palace but he justified his selection today, don’t think there is any point in resting him at this point in the season. Agree on Asensio, I’d like to see the energy of McGinn and Ramsey from the start for the last three games.
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That was the best Cash and Rogers as a combination on right have played I reckon. Rogers was flat in the first half but thought he bullied Robinson in the second.
On Asensio - not really sure what the point is anymore. Definitely should be on bench v Bournemouth anyway.
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Well, that was much harder work than it needed to be.
Tielemans and Maatsen excellent. Cash and McGinn very good. Malen, Kamara and Barkley a bit off it. Everyone else fine.
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Always rated Jimenez and think he would be good addition to our front line.
He was very decent. Albeit in a "work hard and be annoying" way rather than looking like scoring.
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Another one. Nil.
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Quite comfortable really. Solid defe size structure and shape.
Maatsen disconnected from the back four on an occasion, zooming up trying to play an offside, Pau could have dealt with a bouncing ball better early in the first half and Konsa gave the ball away cheaply second half that led to a turnover. That's about the sum total of any possible defensive grumbles.
I like the different dynamic Maatsen's nutty pace offers on the overlap. Pau passing exceptional to split a crowded midfield.
Actually thought our approach play was very good and the scoreline totally flattered them.
I do like Malen's immediate access to pace. Very quick to accelerate and should have had a few, as should Watkins. Harder to miss with that chance at the start of the 2nd half.
Fulham should have been down to 9.
Nice clean sheet, job 1 of 4 done.
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There was a moment when konsa got caught in possession in midfield and Fulham had a good break from it, mainly due to Konsa pissing about and overplaying instead of passing.
Emery went apoplectic.
It looked like he might storm the pitch and give Konsa a kick up the arse.
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There was a moment when konsa got caught in possession in midfield and Fulham had a good break from it, mainly due to Konsa pissing about and overplaying instead of passing.
Emery went apoplectic.
It looked like he might storm the pitch and give Konsa a kick up the arse.
Me and him both - it was very ponderous.
Overall, it was controlled but we were a bit sloppy. But got the win, which was what was important. I think Onana and Malen did particularly well when they came on.
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Mention to the Fulham fans - while there weren't many of them, they seemed good in voice and humour. And pretty much all stood and clapped through the half-time remembrance.
Which you'd expect them to do, because most people aren't twats. But then again, some people are twats, and they weren't.
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I did chuckle that within 2 minutes a bloke two rows in front of me stood up and absolutely berated Rogers for a very slight missed pass. I imagine his stress levels got pretty high.
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There was a moment when konsa got caught in possession in midfield and Fulham had a good break from it, mainly due to Konsa pissing about and overplaying instead of passing.
Emery went apoplectic.
It looked like he might storm the pitch and give Konsa a kick up the arse.
Konsa is often guilty of just expecting a FK to be given and stops playing. If I was a referee I would not look favourably on that in all honesty
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If I was a referee I'd be biased as fuck towards Konsa and everybody else in a Villa shirt.
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Thought on the whole ref was pretty good today. Bassey should have gone, but for the most part he let the game flow and was pretty balanced.
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Special mention to Barkley, who was woeful.
To be fair he has not played much competitive football for about 4 months.
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Post match quote from Marco Silva:
"They were wasting time every single time and that showed how difficult it was for them."
If that makes him feel better and makes Spurs pick him as their next manager fine. We got the deserved points.
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There was a moment when konsa got caught in possession in midfield and Fulham had a good break from it, mainly due to Konsa pissing about and overplaying instead of passing.
Emery went apoplectic.
It looked like he might storm the pitch and give Konsa a kick up the arse.
Konsa is often guilty of just expecting a FK to be given and stops playing. If I was a referee I would not look favourably on that in all honesty
Yes, diving as a means of defence is commonplace and Ezri is one of the worst for it. Ironically, if you compound the foul play with a deliberate handball after you fall over, you always get the free kick.
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https://www.skysports.com/football/video/12606/13360586/aston-villa-1-0-fulham-premier-league-highlights
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A really tense, tight, anxious win.
After last Sat it was never going to be anything else and that's fine.
A win is a win.
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How many games this season now where we should of been out of sight yet leave it hanging in the balance . Watkins x2 criminal misses and malen one too.
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How many games this season now where we should of been out of sight yet leave it hanging in the balance . Watkins x2 criminal misses and malen one too.
no more than any other team with scapegoats?
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agree with most of the comments
although i thought Kamara wasn’t as bad as is made out, the first point of delivery in front of the defence he saw a lot of the ball and a lot of play was going through him especially first half
your bound to give the ball away a bit when your involved all over the pitch as much as he is
He certainly wasn’t woeful In my opinion
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Not that many, and conversely we gave up very few clear cut chances so whilst it felt tense because it was 1-0 we were pretty comfortable.
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How many games this season now where we should of been out of sight yet leave it hanging in the balance . Watkins x2 criminal misses and malen one too.
no more than any other team with scapegoats?
we have conceded more late goals than any other prem team i believe so its relevant . We should be home and hosed top 4 . Luckily Fulham offered very little threat today .
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But we didn’t concede a late goal, did we?
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But we didn’t concede a late goal, did we?
No. my point was that was what made it squeeky at the end , we missed 3 great chances to seal it and then allowed 10 men to put us under at the end .
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Everybody gets nervous when they're invested. Fulham created absolutely nothing in the last 10 minutes.
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I sympathise with some posters on here with obvious disability that drives them towards finding a negative angle every match. It's not the defence today so let's have a go at something else. It's a terrible burden to carry.
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agree with most of the comments
although i thought Kamara wasn’t as bad as is made out, the first point of delivery in front of the defence he saw a lot of the ball and a lot of play was going through him especially first half
your bound to give the ball away a bit when your involved all over the pitch as much as he is
He certainly wasn’t woeful In my opinion
Agreed.
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Kamara wasn't awful but he did look like he was struggling to play at his normal tempo and it led to him giving the ball away cheaply a few times.
Given he was out for so long it's no shock that his fitness levels aren't as high as the rest of the team but he in particular looks like most of the squad did this time last season where the summer can't come soon enough.
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If he stuck to being just a defensive midfielder he would be fine.
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Quite enjoyed that even towards the end as we invited pressure but carried a threat on the break. And my brother shrugged-off his bad Villa charm, thankfully.
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How many games this season now where we should of been out of sight yet leave it hanging in the balance . Watkins x2 criminal misses and malen one too.
no more than any other team with scapegoats?
I don't think it's scapegoating to mention those misses from Ollie. They were bad ones.
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It’s interesting though to focus in on what goes wrong in a fairly comfortable win. Must make things somewhat joyless.
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Everybody gets nervous when they're invested. Fulham created absolutely nothing in the last 10 minutes.
ESR was dreadful when he came on, was expecting more from him. Fulham weren't bothered at all today. We really should have cut back the goal difference gap between Forest and ourselves a lot today.
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Everybody gets nervous when they're invested. Fulham created absolutely nothing in the last 10 minutes.
ESR was dreadful when he came on, was expecting more from him. Fulham weren't bothered at all today. We really should have cut back the goal difference gap between Forest and ourselves a lot today.
It's a shame we didn't. On another day it's a 4-0 stroll. I thought that ball that went out on the full with Traroe really summed them up.
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It should have been a comfortable win but it wasn't that's the whole point .
And the point was it's reflective of a season where we have tossed points away certainly late in games (the stats will tell you) and could be sat confirmed now top 4 but aren't .
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It's game, what, 54 of the season?
That's what happens when you play so much football.
It seems pretty pointless to be moaning about a match we won, though.
How is a match which we won reflective of a season in which we threw points away?
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It's game, what, 54 of the season?
That's what happens when you play so much football.
It seems pretty pointless to be moaning about a match we won, though.
How is a match which we won reflective of a season in which we threw points away?
Actually, top coaches are renowned for moaning at their teams even if they win. Winners have high standards.
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Ahhhhh I’ve missed it for so long, Tim’s a top coach?
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Regulation win. Should have scored one or two more.
SJM and Youri very good. Maatsen developing into proper talent. Cash had a fine game overall dealing with their biggest threat
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Good to get the three points and a fair few players toiled. Asensio is incredible some games then others has the presence of Joey Guðjónsson.
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Kamara wasn't awful but he did look like he was struggling to play at his normal tempo and it led to him giving the ball away cheaply a few times.
Given he was out for so long it's no shock that his fitness levels aren't as high as the rest of the team but he in particular looks like most of the squad did this time last season where the summer can't come soon enough.
I think Asensio is part of the problem too. He just wasn’t making himself available for the pass often enough, when Kamara and Tielemans were getting the ball in tight areas. Rogers and Ramsey did a much better job of providing an option for an outlet ball.
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Didn't realise at the game that they were down to ten for the last 15 minutes. We should have had enough about us not to be pinned back at home against ten Fulham players. The drop-off from Youri to Roscoe is quite stark and Ollie offers more off the ball than Malen, ditto McGinn v Ramsey.
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I'm pleased with the win and clean sheet but I was nervous towards the end.
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Mention to the Fulham fans - while there weren't many of them, they seemed good in voice and humour. And pretty much all stood and clapped through the half-time remembrance.
Which you'd expect them to do, because most people aren't twats. But then again, some people are twats, and they weren't.
I've always found Fulham fans to be decent sorts. And Franky is a gentleman.
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Saw Emi in the warm-up hitting long passes into the Fulham half (where they were remarkably well-controlled by Robin Olsen) and wondered whether we would use that in the actual game.
I soon got my answer, as Emi regularly went long to SJM who won and kept just about every ball he received. The defenders didn't know what to do as SJM turned one way then the other and started up attack after attack. Brilliant to watch.
Other MotM candidates were Yuri and both full-backs who had really good games.
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Very simply we need to win our last four games and that’s the first one checked off. Not our finest performance of the season but it matters not. Thought Tielemans was the best player on the park by a mile, what a season he’s had for us.
I’m sure it’s data-based but I’m really not a fan of the early substitution of McGinn trend. We really miss his energy and the general momentum of the team lessens when he’s not there.
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Just watched it again and watching it stress-free makes a big difference, for me at least. Asensio didn’t do much and Barkley was crap - I said to the babby when he came on that he’s a non-entity who just dwells on the ball until someone takes it off him, and so it proved (Barkley, not the babby).
But everyone else was fine. Tielemans and McGinn were magnificent, as was Rogers second half. Maatsen was top notch, Ramsey and Onana were good subs, Malen lively and Digne did well v the bodybuilder. Kamara was decent I thought, I sympathised a little with the criticism I read on here on the way home, but thought he was better on second viewing and made some good, important tackles towards the end when we were a bit nervous.
All in all I thought we played well with some lovely slick passing at times, albeit against not the most challenging opposition. Should have won by a few more.
As for the TNT coverage, it seems that all they want to talk about, prompted by the host, is who can get themselves to a “bigger” club. Load of shite.
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Everybody gets nervous when they're invested. Fulham created absolutely nothing in the last 10 minutes.
ESR was dreadful when he came on, was expecting more from him. Fulham weren't bothered at all today. We really should have cut back the goal difference gap between Forest and ourselves a lot today.
It's a shame we didn't. On another day it's a 4-0 stroll. I thought that ball that went out on the full with Traroe really summed them up.
Too many games like that this season.
Although first world problems when you look at our overall home record since Emery took over in Autumn 2022.
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How right you are about the TNT pundits Percy. What a condescending wanker Ferdinand is.
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Our goal difference tells a story. Poor defensive record and not clinical enough.
Emery's getting absolutely everything out of these players to give us even a sniff of CL.
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A little disappointed that we didn't get that second goal to totally kill the game off but that said, I really couldn't see them scoring anyway. Got the three points which is what mattered the most.
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This should have been our usual 3-0 stroll, but we somehow contrived to make the last 10 tense. That being said, a good day’s work overall.
It’s true that Bouba has been struggling for form (since PSG away?). I guess he and Mings are not on the same fitness cycle as the others, given that he essentially missed preseason, and are waiting for a second wind. Thought he was OK today though.
Asensio is a conundrum. Another one who seems like he is out of adrenaline.
SJM was imperious, as was Tielemans. Ramsey and Onana again made strong contributions from the bench.
I’m not an Ollie basher by any stretch, but when you make public claims over your worthiness to be starting games, you’d better make good on them. And to be fair, he did versus the Jaudis, but not in the game that shall not be mentioned and not yesterday, either.
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Emery has said many times that we are still building, we are financially constrained by rules that mean the teams that built before the new rules have a massive advantage even now. Two more seasons we may be somewhere near what he wants.
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How right you are about the TNT pundits Percy. What a condescending wanker Ferdinand is.
I'd ban the prick from the stadium.
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This should have been our usual 3-0 stroll, but we somehow contrived to make the last 10 tense. That being said, a good day’s work overall.
It’s true that Bouba has been struggling for form (since PSG away?). I guess he and Mings are not on the same fitness cycle as the others, given that he essentially missed preseason, and are waiting for a second wind. Thought he was OK today though.
Asensio is a conundrum. Another one who seems like he is out of adrenaline.
SJM was imperious, as was Tielemans. Ramsey and Onana again made strong contributions from the bench.
I’m not an Ollie basher by any stretch, but when you make public claims over your worthiness to be starting games, you’d better make good on them. And to be fair, he did versus the Jaudis, but not in the game that shall not be mentioned and not yesterday, either.
I agree with your last paragraph. I think Ollie has been a top player and professional for us, and has been a massive part of our renaissance in the Emery era in particular. However, I didn’t like that interview, it didn’t have to be said publicly.
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My nephew's second match and an enjoyable spectacle in my opinion. You're never fully safe with a one goal lead but I think we were the better team and held on relatively comfortably in the end.
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Ollie’s just an honest lad, nothing wrong with what he said. He just wants to play and he believes in himself.
We’ve had too many years with players like Richard’s, Lescott, the fat twat who’s name escapes me who couldn’t get past his gate. More too who didn’t care.
Ollie cares massively and last week after the semi-final, not that there was many fans left, but he was one of the only players to walk right around the edge of the pitch and clap and apologise to us.
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How right you are about the TNT pundits Percy. What a condescending wanker Ferdinand is.
Said it many times, he was a brilliant player, although not as good as he thought he was, but there something underlying dislikable about him. Actually more than one.
He is a shit pundit. Woeful
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Our goal difference tells a story. Poor defensive record and not clinical enough.
Emery's getting absolutely everything out of these players to give us even a sniff of CL.
I think you are right here, only the 9th best attacking record and 12th best defensively but we're sitting in 7th with a chance of finishing 5th and Champions league. He is squeezing every last result out of these.
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Ollie’s just an honest lad, nothing wrong with what he said. He just wants to play and he believes in himself.
We’ve had too many years with players like Richard’s, Lescott, the fat twat who’s name escapes me who couldn’t get past his gate. More too who didn’t care.
Ollie cares massively and last week after the semi-final, not that there was many fans left, but he was one of the only players to walk right around the edge of the pitch and clap and apologise to us.
Completely get that and nothing wrong with him being annoyed and saying it to the manager, just don’t think he should of said it to sky sports. It still rumbles on, they were discussing in motd last night. Might be wrong but feels like it creates disharmony when we need to be together for the remainder of the season.
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Our goal difference tells a story. Poor defensive record and not clinical enough.
Emery's getting absolutely everything out of these players to give us even a sniff of CL.
I think you are right here, only the 9th best attacking record and 12th best defensively but we're sitting in 7th with a chance of finishing 5th and Champions league. He is squeezing every last result out of these.
We’ve been guilty of not making the most of chances and that’s not just Ollie. The first half of the season especially.
I read a stat earlier, we’re second behind Liverpool for the most chances created this season.
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How right you are about the TNT pundits Percy. What a condescending wanker Ferdinand is.
Who was the main commentator? He was giving out some big boomer energy.
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The strength of the bench is impressive. Ramsey and Onana both played well.
One minor grumble is trying to crowbar both Rogers and Asensio into the same team. They like to occupy similar spaces and neither offers much threat out wide.
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We are third in the big chances missed stat with 73. For context Newcastle have missed 58. I don't know what they use to constitute a big chance missed though.
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I don't know what they use to constitute a big chance missed though.
Not what you might think it is:
Big Chance Missed
A big chance opportunity when the player does not get a shot away, typically given for big chance attempts where the player completely misses the ball (air shot) but can also be given when the player has a big chance opportunity and decides not to shoot, resulting in no attempt occurring in that attack.
So Ollie's air shot just after half-time counts as one, but Malen launching the ball into the Holte upper from ten yards doesn't.
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Honestly Dave, for me it was a refreshing change from seeing the ball hit the bloody keepers legs again.
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Honestly Dave, for me it was a refreshing change from seeing the ball hit the bloody keepers legs again.
Great post, made me laugh.
Ian, I mostly share your view, but blurting it all out live on telly was naive and (in my view) harmful.
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Ollie’s just an honest lad, nothing wrong with what he said. He just wants to play and he believes in himself.
We’ve had too many years with players like Richard’s, Lescott, the fat twat who’s name escapes me who couldn’t get past his gate. More too who didn’t care.
Ollie cares massively and last week after the semi-final, not that there was many fans left, but he was one of the only players to walk right around the edge of the pitch and clap and apologise to us.
Well said, and - about the game last week - Watkins was let down by the team selection: he had very little ball and very few around him when he did get it.
Having seen the summary from ysesterday's game, he probably should have got something on the Cash pass but was unsighted by the defender (still should have gambled better!).
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It’s not too much to imagine Barkley’s instructions to have been ‘just keep the ball’, I think I counted one successful pass. A quite remarkable cameo from him.
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It’s not too much to imagine Barkley’s instructions to have been ‘just keep the ball’, I think I counted one successful pass. A quite remarkable cameo from him.
I once played the 2nd half in a game for Stan Petrov's over 35's Sunday team, I hadn't played for about 18 months and was out of my depth without that.
Barkley reminded me of my 'performance' yesterday.
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I was surprised by Barkley’s inclusion as he looked totally off it. My mate said I should give him a chance to get into the game. I’m of the opinion that a player who comes on as a sub at this level should be completely ready to perform at the level required.
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Yeah, unless you're four-nil up you can't really be carrying passengers. Do we have reserve matches any more that he could play in?
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In defence of Ross, his renaissance last season was of the back of playing every week and he was never getting that here baring a significant spell out for Tielemans.
I think some players are better than others at picking up the pace of the game from the bench, and he's struggled with it.
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Also in fairness, he was looking a pretty useful impact sub before he got injured. Even as someone who was less than delighted when we signed him.
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Id cut Barkley a bit of slack for yesterday. Last sub on. I doubt he was properly warmed up and couldn't get to the pace it. Not that he was ever the most mobile but he looks nowhere near fit since returning from injury.
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Agreed with all. Barkley was a good option earlier in the season. He's played about 30 mins after a long injury. Likely to struggle.
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It’s not too much to imagine Barkley’s instructions to have been ‘just keep the ball’, I think I counted one successful pass. A quite remarkable cameo from him.
I once played the 2nd half in a game for Stan Petrov's over 35's Sunday team, I hadn't played for about 18 months and was out of my depth without that.
Barkley reminded me of my 'performance' yesterday.
Looked to me like he was carrying a good bit of “timber” as well.
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I think we've seen the last of Barkley. He'll go somewhere like Coventry (vomit) if they come up.
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Why is it sometimes when a player has a bad game, we've seen the last of them?
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I think we've seen the last of Barkley. He'll go somewhere like Coventry (vomit) if they come up.
Must be a fair chance he moves on - though a bit harsh to judge him from his few contributions since returning from injury rather than the first quarter or so of the season, when he was looking like a good addition to the squad.
If he does move on - for what, 10, 15 million? - it will have been fairly shrewd business on our part.
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He probably backed himself to be a regular for Villa by now when he signed but it always seemed he would be just an option/decent sub.
I imagine we uplifted his Luton salary quite a lot, I doubt Cov would be able to match it (although maybe Leeds could).
Then again, we want a competitive squad and he at least offers that. He missed a lot of football in his 20s through injuries though, he might just want to play now (hence his time at Luton).
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How right you are about the TNT pundits Percy. What a condescending wanker Ferdinand is.
When Ferdinand and Crouchy came over to do the half time analysis he seemed to get wound up by a fan in the North Stand Lower and with all the dignity and awareness of a spoilt adolescent gave it back about the guy's portly frame. Classless and clueless.
Anybody else see this?
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How right you are about the TNT pundits Percy. What a condescending wanker Ferdinand is.
When Ferdinand and Crouchy came over to do the half time analysis he seemed to get wound up by a fan in the North Stand Lower and with all the dignity and awareness of a spoilt adolescent gave it back about the guy's portly frame. Classless and clueless.
Anybody else see this?
I'm no Ferdinand fan, but that's the kind of response that could endear me too him.
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😂
Yep. If you're giving it out and it comes back...tough shit.
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How right you are about the TNT pundits Percy. What a condescending wanker Ferdinand is.
When Ferdinand and Crouchy came over to do the half time analysis he seemed to get wound up by a fan in the North Stand Lower and with all the dignity and awareness of a spoilt adolescent gave it back about the guy's portly frame. Classless and clueless.
Anybody else see this?
I did, I must have taken a photo of it as it was weird being so close to it and had forgotten it was on tv.Tbh the fat lad was being a dick so Ferdinand did shut him up. I think he sheepishly went to the concessions afters
(https://i.ibb.co/fz6SVrrW/20250503-131841.jpg) (https://ibb.co/fz6SVrrW)
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How right you are about the TNT pundits Percy. What a condescending wanker Ferdinand is.
When Ferdinand and Crouchy came over to do the half time analysis he seemed to get wound up by a fan in the North Stand Lower and with all the dignity and awareness of a spoilt adolescent gave it back about the guy's portly frame. Classless and clueless.
Anybody else see this?
I did, I must have taken a photo of it as it was weird being so close to it and had forgotten it was on tv.Tbh the fat lad was being a dick so Ferdinand did shut him up. I think he sheepishly went to the concessions afters
(https://i.ibb.co/fz6SVrrW/20250503-131841.jpg) (https://ibb.co/fz6SVrrW)
whos the one on the right in a beige suit ? Robbie Savage ?
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That’s the female panel host with the dreadful voice
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I too thought Barkley was awful but I also 5ought he was playing further forward than usual, which didn’t help him.
My players of the match were Tielemans, McGinn and Cash, all of whom were very good. I thought we lost something when McGinn went off though Onana, Ramsey and Malen were all decent.
I too am in the camp of playing Rogers wide to accommodate Asensio isn’t working, and Asensio seems to have dropped off his very high levels for us. I hear on the grapevine that Rogers is furious at being pushed out wide and doesn’t feel at his best out there.
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That’s the female panel host with the dreadful voice
Lynsey Hipgrave isn't it? If it is her Geordie accent has faded a lot over the years.
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If it comes down to GD we will be looking back on so many of these gilt edged chances missed. Watkins particularly has an album full .
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That’s the female panel host with the dreadful voice
Lynsey Hipgrave isn't it? If it is her Geordie accent has faded a lot over the years.
I'm hoping JP was joking, otherwise he needs to go to the opticians.
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Tielemans and/or McGinn for Motm. Fulham couldn't cope with SJM with his twisting and turning and power runs. Special mention for Cash and Maatsen, both in very good form. IM looks like a real footballer.