The Fish

And it's the responsibility of the better team to break through the pragmatism of the weaker side. If your side is so one-dimensional that you can't change things up when teams don't afford you the time and space to play your pretty passing patterns, then that's on you. Sure we can complain when a team is kicking lumps out of Bruno and/or time wasting, but it's up to Howe and the team to find a solution. If they can't, then that's a weakness other teams will exploit. Barcelona were praised for their incredible passing play, but they could sure as shit mix it up if they needed. Instead of Liverpool moaning about our time-wasting at Anfield, they should be praising their own team for digging out a win against a difficult opponent.

Seems to be a focus on the biggest transfer, but the quantity of big signings you've made and the wages you've paid has undeniably accelerated your rise in a way that shook the established top clubs to the core. There is definitely an effort to stymie the progress of clubs not already in the accepted elite, and I don't doubt that other teams have conducted business in less than honourable ways, but I do think that Man City have used similar dark arts to get the players they want. It's hypocrisy from the likes of Real Madrid and Man Utd to criticise after they've been the beneficiaries of the nautghtiness, but I guess you ( and we) will have to be held to a higher standard.

Our record in evening games; Brighton 7 played, 10pts Newcastle 6 played 13pts

That and fucking guitar bores.

I'm impervious to you shits. If I wasn't, don't you think I would have flounced by now. But no, I've seen off Stevie, J69, Craig, Ant and I'm sure plenty of other pearl clutchers. Impervious, because I'm better than you.

Fish admitting his idiocy, in Gif form. Alex trying to be mean, as per FUCKING usual.

Not the brag you think it is.

Pretty big if, isn't it? They've got a huge squad, on big wages, and not much FFP wriggle room, right? Everyone knows they need to sell, so nobody's going to pay the going rate for their saleable assets, and nobody's going to pick up 100% of the wages for anybody going out on loan.

The only way I can see Rice coming here is dependent on 6 things; Man Utd empty their chest for Kane Man City get Bellingham Arsenal go for Caicedo Liverpool can't afford Rice We get CL Rice wants to come

I wouldn't be surprised if they go after Caicedo again.

I was just trying to come up with a change to the system to deal without Bruno. AS PER THE REQUEST OF @PaddockLad You argumentative piles of human trash.

For you, just a drink. Now go fetch me a nice tall glass of shut the fuck up

Our defence hasn't been as miserly in the last few games because of the lack of Longstaff and the diminishing performances of Bruno due to injury. Burn is being isolated and overrun. They need help, either by Longstaff's return and Bruno's recovery, or by changing things up.

Listen here, you giant furious ballbag, I obviously meant it the other way like this; Isak Wilson Willock Joelinton Almiron Targett Burn Botman Schar Trippier

Yeah, I'm not paying attention to a Leicester fan who's called in to TalkSport. Come on Wykiki, you should be better than this.

Just as an option, we could try a 5-3-2, try to replace Bruno's assurance and defensive awareness with sheer volume of effort? Targett Burn Botman Schar Trippier Willock Joelinton Almiron Isak Wilson This way you'll always have 3 central defenders, one who can step out into midfield to help, or move across to support the fullback. Whenever one of those 3 midfielders joins the attack, there are still 2 who can hang a little further back, better placed to either break up play, or provide an outball if we win the ball back? I dunno, it's difficult when Bruno + Longstaff aren't available. Miss one or the other and you can make it up in the aggregate. Both of them? Yeesh.

There's insufficient control in that midfield, the two Joe's first instinct is to attack, neither have the defensive discipline to successfully shutdown Brighton's midfield and both have a tendency to beat one man then drive forward. More often than not, that results in losing the ball or at least being dramatically out of position in the transition. I'd play Bruno against Brighton, but replace him with Longstaff in the starting line-up for Leicester. Anderson is a good option from the bench, but he's not yet ready to carry the responsibility in such an important pair of fixtures.

It's very close, if you ask me. Maddison has the benefit of Premier League experience, English, and may be cheaper.

Quick browse of their board's thread about him and the conversation appears to be trying to work out if Maddison is trying so hard because he wants them to stay up, or just that he's playing for a move.

And he's the kind of player we need. He's young, technically gifted, hard working, higher ceiling than the players we have, English (for home-grown rules) and creative as all hell. I don't subscribe to the idea that teams who've performed badly can't be cherry picked for good players. It's like JWP at Southampton, they're deservedly going down, but JWP would be a good signing for a whole stack of teams in the PL. Or Pickford from Sunderland e.g. LOL Just Kidding, Pickford is turboshit.

Yeah, Brighton is the only match I'm worried about. Only because it puts pressure on the next two fixtures. I'm entirely confident we'll beat Leicester; last home game, under the lights, they're shit. If we beat Brighton, the atmosphere against Leicester will be celebratory, if we don't beat Brighton it'll be insistent. Chelsea away on the final day, if we've already secured CL, will just be a big ol'party.

You do one then, billy big bollocks.

Lad on twitter does a good deep dive

Mad Dog however,