Alex

You can talk about old skool stadiums being cool etc. But when you think about all the new ones built and redeveloped beyond recognition post-Taylor report there’s something not right about Hillsborough being like it is after what happened there imo.

Ritchie’s absolutely finished tbh. If he’s a good character and Howe likes him give him a go coaching in the academy for starters to see if he’s got any potential there. Or he can move on if he fancies playing in the championship Murphy has value as someone who can be what is known in modern rugby parlance as a ‘finisher’ or in old fashioned football terms a ‘super sub’. Albeit a shit one in terms of quality. I.e. he can run about, make tackles and close people down with the degree of intensity Howe wants. I’ve already said he has absolutely no composure or quality in the final third. But he’s come on and done the job he was asked to do several times this season. Ritchie, on the other hand, has barely contributed a thing for ages now.

Not arguing either are good enough but they’re nowhere near a squad place if there are better options. You didn’t offer any better alternatives because there aren’t any

Both should be in the squad tbh. Not saying I rate them but they’re much more useful than Ritchie or Lewis (for example). It’s not like we’ve got better players to take their places

Once Wilson wasn’t in the squad I’d have started Wood. I’d have played Isak too in a wider role. I think they’d have helped each other on the night. I think it was right that Isak didn’t play 90 mins but the plan to bring him off at halftime was too rigid. It’s not like we were 2-0 up. Murphy playing I can live with because he’s done well coming off the bench. Bruno and Joelinton in midfield gives you the degree of control needed then you don’t expose that back four ad much. Easy in hindsight of course.

The Wood fee is simply what his release clause was. Burnley wouldn’t have sold him for a penny less. He did help keep us up but we don’t owe him anything in terms of giving him games. We’ve been unlucky with Isak as he hasn’t had injury issues in the previous three seasons. The reason we signed him is so Wood doesn’t have to play. Simple as. The management know he’s not good enough. He was just signed in exceptional circumstances because the club was in such a fucking state thanks to the previous regime.

I think Manquillo played as well as he can but he’s another one with absolutely no composure when he gets forward

Thing is, we’ve got the ability to be a ‘cup team’. But not in the KK entertainers sense. In the George Graham Arsenal sense. Because our starting XI, particularly that back 4 + Pope makes us so hard to beat. Take that away and we’re nowhere near the same team. Ewerk is correct in that we need to ring the changes in a match like this because the squad is thin but I still maintain Howe tried to be a bit too clever with the changes he made.

He was trying too hard to impress. I think he needs to go out on loan again. You need game time at his age otherwise your peers leave you behind.

That’s a bit harsh. Seeing as they made him play the second half blindfolded

Well done, mate. Fully deserved and you look a very well drilled unit. Best of luck for the rest of the season. You cunt

I thought Wood was awful. He works hard and got an assist but his hold up play and finishing are championship standard tbh. Murphy can come on and contribute to the press ad he’s quick and a good athlete. But he’s got absolutely zero composure in the final third.

Think the problem was trying to play football from the back but with Manquillo, Lascelles and Lewis. Frankly none of them are good enough. I might be being harsh but I think we missed Pope. Their second is a great finish but I though Dubravka made it easy with his positioning.

Class performance by Sheff Wed. Totally deserved that

Midfield as well though. We never controlled the game in the middle of the park. Bruno starts and we win comfort imo

He’s ended up having to bring the big players in anyway. If you start strong and win the tie you can then bring them off

Ritchie would struggle to get in the Sheff Wed side now

Howe’s tried to be too cute with the changes and it’s disrupted things far too much imo

I think talking about killing 25 people is the only thing that bothers me for the reasons already spoken about. Other than that anything that might bring the monarchy down is only a good thing. It’s a massive part of everything that’s wrong with this country

Every Warp release for a while was solid gold

Deaf people do it too 👍🏻

What’s your views on the Sheffield techno scene of the early 90s though?

Btw, Wolf Hall was repeated recently on BBC4 so that’ll be in iPlayer I would think. I thought that was superb.

The French police drama one. I can’t watch stuff dubbed like, has to be the subtitle version for me.

I think I can top that. After the charity shield we got soaked and we were basically standing in the shower fully clothed for several minutes wet (not that I’ve actually tried that). When we got back to the car we had a £100 parking ticket. That and we got stuck in the Oasis Knebworth traffic on the journey home and that added a good couple of hours to the journey.