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Reply | Madsen
at 22:27 22 Oct 2025
This is the development that is so positive. None of us would have believed a stat like that just 2 months ago, let alone this time last year. The CM we’ve wanted for years. |
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Reply | After Many A Summer Dies The Swan, Swansea Match Thread
at 21:56 22 Oct 2025
After he came on we immediately created 2/3 good chances and actually managed to string some passes together. MOTM is probably a stretch given Madsen was pretty good all game, but he is technically and tactically our best player (imo). |
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Reply | After Many A Summer Dies The Swan, Swansea Match Thread
at 21:45 22 Oct 2025
Shouldn’t be that close. Varane, Chair have to be scoring. If I was Swansea I’d be saying no idea how we haven’t got something from it.
Chair MOTM contender from 25 minutes on the pitch. One in the eye for the “Chair doesn’t get in this team” brigade - he’s clearly still our best player. |
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Reply | Left wing/Right wing English clubs
at 13:07 21 Oct 2025
On this topic, enjoyed Millwall fans ‘keeping politics out of football’ by booing players taking the knee followed by singing about Keir Starmer. |
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Reply | The October Issue - Patreon Podcast
at 13:58 16 Oct 2025
Couldn’t agree more on the admitting mistakes points. Just show a bit of humility early on in ‘the process’. Not even a principles thing, just buy yourself some time / credit. Especially when many of the areas as eloquently described by Simmo are showing positive signs.
Real own goal. |
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Reply | Possession, nine-tenths of the problem? – Analysis
at 10:29 14 Oct 2025
The whole “we’ve looked at the most successful teams of the past 10/15/20 years and determined a 4231 possession based, high press game is the best model” is generally a bit flawed. Don’t think Cruyff or Sacchi were looking at historic tactics to make their decisions about tactical set ups (unfair examples but historical data can’t be your only measure when the best in the business aren’t focusing on it).
Whether it was planned, by accident, or some crisis talk moment, happy with a return to pragmatism. After a decade of plan B is do plan A better, which even our Warbs was part of, glad the sport is waking up to the idea of adapting.
Personally the principles side of the game model is really welcome. But those principles should be above tactics (play young players, play with tempo, buy to develop etc) not defining a managers game plan. [Post edited 14 Oct 10:31]
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Reply | Julien Stéphan, I mean, come on...
at 15:50 5 Oct 2025
Would add that it’s not as big a driver of first team decision making as we think it is.
Understand what Hunter is getting at as there has clearly been a huge shift post Cov. I just don’t think, when it comes to first team matters, the ‘game model’ is particularly impactful on how JS decides to shape up, make subs etc. His job is to win and improve our players, the u11s can learn about principles.
Nourry’s biggest mistake, beyond the absurd ‘competitive advantage’ contract cloak, was going so hot and heavy on this game model stuff. Entire discussion now exists because he has repeatedly (unnecessarily) focused on it.
Either way, this form, and JS’ general demeanour since Cov, is a welcome return to common sense - for any on the pitch matter the manager knows best, and should be left to do his job (which he is doing very well). |
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Reply | Stephan stands by team selection after QPR draw and gives Clarke-Salter update
at 16:32 3 Oct 2025
Ignoring all the condescending, narcissistic ‘copy’ you love to write on here (he’s an editor did anyone know…) that is not a contradiction. I think we should be rotating our squad, even if doing so reduces the quality of the 11. It is the lesser of two evils compared to seeing our best players unavailable through overuse.
I’m sorry if that logic is too complex, maybe you can find your holier than thou thesaurus to spruce it up to your divine level. |
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Reply | Stephan stands by team selection after QPR draw and gives Clarke-Salter update
at 16:25 2 Oct 2025
I get the sentiment - pick your best team to win the game in front of you. But if we’d played another game with the same starting 11 as previous 4 games and Saito pulls his hammy are you genuinely telling me you’re not sat here lambasting the manager?
The championship is a slog and the reason teams like Burnley / Leeds can get 100 points is that they have 25 genuine first team players at a good level who can come in without any drop in quality. We do not have that good a squad, and when we rotate its in hope of no drop in quality not expectation.
I think he’s right to rotate. The alternative is the Steve McClaren crash of 2019, flogging 13 players until they drop. The fact the players being rotated in played poorly isn’t on the manager, the tactics/gameplan is but having a go at him for just rotating is off the mark imo. |
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Reply | Oxford Utd Reflection
at 11:43 2 Oct 2025
Without wanting to dredge up the consistency debate - a good team at this level puts them away in second gear. We are not yet a ‘good’ team. We cannot win games in second gear. Is there anything else to say |
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Reply | RND
at 10:07 2 Oct 2025
Or, radical thought, a lot of fans trust a coach with a lot of experience developing youth players to decide on his pathway rather than fans who think dogmatically playing 19 year olds no matter what is the answer?
As others have said this is a weird obsession, especially when he’s doing the same thing with Morgan and Kolli without any memes getting created. |
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Reply | Oxford Utd Reflection
at 09:33 2 Oct 2025
Late to party - but last night showed that our squad is still not strong enough to make 6 changes and retain the level. Going to need more sales and reinvestment to get to that point.
Still think the sides we’ve had since the Warbs team would have lost last night and on weekend, so baby steps.
I think we will probably be around where we are (10-14th) for a lot of the season, and content to just not be anxious about the table every week. People can shout “standards” all they want - our standard for the last 4 years is 16-24th so this would be an improvement. |
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Reply | Could this be the most open Champ season for years...?
at 14:52 1 Oct 2025
No 100 pointers in this league. I reckon we might see one of least spread tables come end of season (reckon could be as low as 35 points from 1st to 24th, mid-80s to 50), which would be some turnaround after 25 points or so separated 3rd and 6th last year.
Depending on your persuasion that is either very exciting or very worrying.
Edit: 1st-23rd (for a moment forgot about SWs impending doom of admin). That aside though [Post edited 1 Oct 14:55]
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Reply | Consistency
at 10:24 30 Sep 2025
Football cliches klaxon indeed. Basically the top 3/4 of every division and bottom 3/4 of every division are consistently good or consistently bad. You can swap a discussion about consistency for discussion about quality and end up at the exact same place.
A nonsense topic perpetuated by the talking heads on soccer Saturday who don’t have original points to make. |
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Reply | The unicorn stays a bit longer
at 14:22 23 Sep 2025
Yeah unless we’re talking about a deal with a heavily weighted appearance pay packet, this isn’t a good call for me. Appreciate we will never know that so a bit of a nothing statement, but we need to learn as a club that, with our budget in the modern game, we need players who are available. JCS being the best CB in the treatment room is no good to anyone.
They’ve learnt some lessons from last year, but deals to Frey/Hayden/JCS in last 12 months don’t suggest to me that they’ve yet understood the best ability is availability. |
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Reply | Who misses out - best team v best plan
at 14:16 23 Sep 2025
Totally agree with Nix’s second paragraph here. It’s not up to the board to decide who the projects / sellable assets are. Nourry can buy the players (and I think on the whole he has done a good job on recruitment) but he can’t tell you who is going to be worth the most money in a year or two. That’s for the coach and the market to decide. If he/the board is involved to that degree it’s 4 year plan, banter era stuff. Living in hope it isn’t. |
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