Ready Player One

blanc is a bang average manager, and (more worrying to me) the stories of racism are completely unacceptable for a potential manager of this club imo. what he said was casually and systemically racist, and it says more about the culture in france that he kept his job (a culture that has accepted into the mainstream a narrative of black and muslim national team players being trouble makers), rather than his views being in any way acceptable. of course, some value winning above any sort of morality (including us, as the last manager we hired was literally about to face trial for match-fixing) but blanc isn't the guy for that either (he's not in conte's league even remotely). In case you didn't know: "You have the impression that they really train the same prototype of players: big, strong, powerful … What is there that is currently big, strong, powerful? The blacks. That's the way it is. It's a current fact. God knows that in the training centres and football schools there are loads of them... The Spanish, they say: 'We don't have a problem. We have no blacks'".

Was worried as soon as it became clear he was thinking about next season. Desperately wanted to see him holding that trophy aloft. Desperately wanted to see him back at the Bridge, even if it was just waving from the oppo dug-out. But when you start looking past your next game, that's when you slip up.

Drinkwater isn't so much a back-up, as a player the manager has been lumbered with, doesn't trust, and doesn't know what to do with. I don't know why we signed him, or why he came here. His definition of "back-up" may have differed from the definition of "back-up" he was sold? Regardless; Willian clearly IS unhappy. It's obvious to literally everyone at this point. So what is it? Like you say, he's started a reasonable amount of games. For a back-up. Exactly half his appearances in the league under Conte have been starts. That's OK. Was he promised more? Is that it? You can disagree that he should have played more (although the disagreement pre-supposes that the issue is the player, rather than the lack of attacking spots in Conte's systems); but it sure seems like HE feels he should have played more. FWIW, i agree that Pedro was deservedly in front of him last year, and I agree that if he was more consistently productive he would have forced Conte to play him in the 3-4-3 formation (as opposed to ditching that formation altogether for large portions of the season; moving Willian from back-up in our first choice system, to first choice in our back-up system).

He's probably pissed off because he's pretty much been a back-up for the last two years. He's been openly pissed off all season TBH. I suspect he was promised a bigger role during the close season, because a few clubs were sniffing around; and didn't get it. Either way, he's obviously unhappy at not having played more, and I suspect that his recent Players Player of the Year award was the squad siding with him over a manager who has become unpopular. I doubt he'll apologise because he (and everyone else) know he'll be playing for a new manager pretty soon one way or another. I am surprised so many are painting him as a bad egg, despite his behaviour this season. He was nothing but a consummate pro for us for years. He was the one guy you couldn't fault during the disaster of 2015-16. Even last season, mostly back-up to Pedro, he was a consummate pro. I've heard many criticisms of him during his time here, but not many faulted his attitude or application. This season has been different in that regard. Maybe he suddenly got a big head, or maybe you have to ask why a consummate pro would start behaving like a petulant child?

Probably a little bit of appreciation for him as a guy, and how he was in and out of the team, but still generally gave his best. Probably a little bit of 2 fingers to Conte. I don't know how many players are unhappy with Conte, or his tactics (or both), but Willian has been openly unhappy with Conte. He's had a chip on his shoulder and a stroppy attitude all season...and that culminated with him completely blanking Conte and storming down the tunnel during an FA Cup semi. Which would have been about the time the votes for this would have been getting gathered up. My first thought when I saw Player's Player of the Year was "that's an FU to Conte". Just a thought. Could be completely wrong.

That "conference footballer" scored twice in his last start for us before being shunted off on loan. His goals/starts record was always good for us. Always. He played better for us than every single one of the guys people moan were shunted out the door too soon and not given a fair chance. Every single one. http://www.espnfc.com/player/156479/michy-batshuayi?season=2017

They're both sh*t at crossing. Zappacosta tries it a lot more often though, so eventually he gets one or two right. Pretty much the definition of "what you like". Similar level. Similar qualities. One tries to cross all the time and gets it right sometimes, one doesn't and keeps possession more often.

An under-pressure manager questioning whether the core squad of first team players have the mentality to play for a big club. Fans wanting unproven kids who have shown a few flashes of potential to be given an extended run in the first team over experienced pros who have won it all (and expecting the board to back the manager if he does that), because we're on a bit of a bad run. We've been here before. We know how it ends. At a certain point you realise you're setting yourself up for disappointment.

No. Improvement is not the only path for a young player. Some will. Some won't. And no manager who needs success in the here and now in order to avoid paying with his job is going to trust highly rated potential over proven quantities. That's why all our managers do pretty much the same thing and play the proven quantities the majority of the time. Which is what makes it pointless bitching about the players who don't make it here. We buy players as commodities. We don't have a plan, or a first team pathway. We buy loads of promising young players. Then we send them out on loan until it's make or break time, dump them into the first team squad (probably already unhappy at being a player of that sort of standing who doesn't know what their future holds...while their agent is in their ear telling them about all the clubs who want to make them first choice) and it doesn't matter if the manager needs players with those qualities or in that position. They just got to the point where we couldn't keep loaning them. Play them or lose them. That's a justification for something happening. Not saying it doesn't happen.

Yes. The way we sacked a manager 6 months after he won the league and another manager for finishing 2nd the year after he won the league is definitive proof that we show our managers a lot of patience. Silly me. I'm not really interested in your (or anyone else's) personal opinions on every player we let go TBH. I'm more saying that we are buying a lot of players and letting a lot of players go, we have been doing this for quite a while across multiple managers, and the reason youngsters are getting lost in the shuffle is not the managers', but the shuffle's. Take Musonda. He is seemingly unhappy at not playing. If that situation doesn't change he will agitate for a move, and we will sell him. Is it inconceivable that he could go to Germany and do somewhere near as well as KDB? IMO no. Is it inconceivable that he could then get a big money move off the back of that form like KDB did? IMO no. Would there be a similar amount of handwringing if that were to happen? IMO absolutely. Would any of that make Conte wrong for not picking him right now? IMO not even slightly. And FWIW I don't think the board are trying to avoid this churn of players either. I think we encourage it and plan for it. I think that flipping players for a profit is part of the goal when we do these deals. If it wasn't we wouldn't have three teams worth of players on loan every season. We can't play them all. So what else are they for? And FWIW I think these players know that too, and part of what makes joining us attractive for a young player (along with the fat wages, best training facilities, loans to get you football) is that we are unlikely to stand in your way when you ask to move as long as we see a financial return. There is no point getting hung up on it, because you are going to see a lot of it.

The biggest clue, for me, is the way we sack managers as soon as they stop winning. Even if our managers aren't told it, they are well aware of the reality of the club. That's your opinion. Thanks. But, just like those who "always knew" KDB was going to be a huge star, and those who "just know" that Musonda is going to be a huge star, the chances are that none of those 3 will make it at the club, even if you think they could make it in your opinion. One has already left in fact, and the other two are on loan. Not because they aren't good enough to ever make it here (I think every player I mentioned was good enough to make it here in some capacity), but because we are churning young players, and we have been doing it over multiple managers. So maybe, just maybe, it's not the managers. And that's the point I'm making.

And just look at the way Mourinho treated Matic. Shunted him out the door as a free makeweight in another transfer, and had to spend £20m plus to get him back. Danny Sturridge too. Mourinho booted him out the door and a couple of seasons later he was one of the top scorers in the league. Imagine the difference his 21 league goals would have made for us in 2013-14. Damn you Mourinho. And his recent behaviour is the worst. In the 2016-17 season he gave league starts to zero players under the age of 24 until the Watford game after the league was won. Typical Mourinho win at all costs attitude, never thinking about the future. And look at the promising talent he's forced out of the club just this season. Ake, Chalobah, Traore, Bamford, Solanke, Atsu...and seemingly the next will be Musonda, Kenedy, Zouma, RLC, Brown, Aina, Abraham, Boga...either rotting on the bench or in the shop window on loan. Damn that Mourinho. What is his problem? Or maybe...just maybe...when a pattern like that covers multiple managers...the issue isn't the managers? We buy loads of prospects, and tell our managers they need to win at all costs or face the sack. So they don't play the prospects and the board sell them rather than having their value drop.

100 or so prem minutes for 1 goal and 1 assist. 5 cup starts for 4 goals and 2 assists. I think he's done pretty well, not just in terms of stats, but actually played pretty well. Especially the first couple of weeks of the season. First game off the bench assist for the winner. Second game off the bench scored the equaliser. First 90 minutes 2 goals (and should have been 3 but for an incorrect offisde iirc). That sort of start buys you more chances, not less, but Conte pretty much stopped playing him. After the Arsenal game and the change in formation he has been completely phased out, just getting the odd couple of minutes here and there. Costa has been great, and Bats hasn't deserved to start in front of him, but he's deserved more time on the pitch than he's been given.

Saw a post recently criticising Cahill for making "mistakes you don't notice". The little positional things that aren't really glaring, but they are there. IMO Luiz made an absolute ton of those against Leicester. Wrong side, too tight to his man, not tight enough to his man, ball-watching, wandering off from his position. There was even a moment where he tried to control a long ball first time as it was coming over his shoulder, missed it, and left (I think) Musa through. Defenders don't do that. He just doesn't think like a defender. I hope Conte can drill that sort of stuff into him. Other side, a few glorious long-balls. Could easily have had two assists. None of our other defenders are capable of that sort of thing. His athleticism is another level to our other defenders too. Maybe to everyone else on in our team.

I'm not fan of Ivanovic, and we should seriously have been looking for an upgrade after last season. But...this isn't really true. Luis and Bertrand would probably be better now, but at the time they definitely did not make the defence look better. Our best back-four was the one that played, and the one that got us the title. And Baba was actually worse than Ivanovic during the worst season Ivanovic ever had for us.

I think, maybe, the difference of opinion is down to whether you think Cahill is taking Rabiot into consideration or not. If you consider that it is basically a 3 on 2, and the man with the ball is heading away from goal, I think Cahill not chasing him to the touchline makes a bit more sense. A) Once Azpilicueta is goal-side of Rabiot, Cahill takes up the left-sided centre-back position and gets level with the outside corner of the 6 yard box. It's basically what Terry does all the time. Nothing wrong with any of that. B) I think the guy who has the time to get out a deckchair is Di Maria. Look at the time he has to pick a pass. Ivanovic and Kenedy are just standing off him, in a position where a simple diagonal pass left or right can (and did) take them completely out of the game. No midfielder is anywhere near him and no midfielder is tracking Rabiot. He has all the time in the world and a choice of which easy pass to make to cut us to ribbons. I agree with you in general about Cahill, he's bamboozled by elite talent, and he's too reactive. But there is loads wrong with that particular goal, and he's the least of it. Not that I want to make a long tangent out of it. Just saying what I see. If you don't see it, that's fine.

In general what has been written about Cahill here has been true; but for that goal he is the right sided Centre Back and the deepest defender and should not under any circumstance allow himself to be dragged out to the left touchline with no cover. That is especially true as Cahill following Ibra would have left an easy pass to Rabiot who would have been one on one with the GK (Cahill even points at him, "why the hell is no-one marking this guy?") either from the initial pass or from a quick square pass by Ibra. Chasing Ibra out to the touchline regardless of anything else is exactly what David Luiz would have done though. If you want that, he's your guy. High risk, win the ball first time or look like a mug. Cahill takes the safe, reactive route, maximum amount of time, longest route to goal, make the opposition do something special, leave yourself with no chance if they do. Neither are top class, but they are very different in how they approach defending. You look at the goal, and there are 4 defenders between Ibra and the guy who scores, in a line, and one ball cuts them all out. That is where the defending is unacceptable. The ball goes within a foot of 4 defenders and the keeper and none of them get a touch. Azpilicueta is the one who does especially badly, as he has much more time to react, and lets Rabiot run off the back of him. That is downright bad defending. And although Courtois isn't at fault there, the crab-walk he is doing (and does) leaves him flat on his heels for a ball that it is far from impossible for a better positioned goalkeeper to get too. He should be resetting his body shape and positioning for the potential cross earlier.

It was primarily: GK: Beasant/Hitchcock RB: Clarke/Hall CB: Sinclair (player of the year), Elliot/Lee/Johnson, LB: Donaghy CM: Townsend, Newton/Spackman RW: Wise LW: Stuart CF: Harford/Cascarino, Fleck