2 hours ago, Phillip said:

Contrary to popular opinion, the food sucks in Japan, and the cost of living is super high.

Though I do love me some soba noodle (served cold on a bamboo tray).

Agreed. I was so disappointed with food when we visited, it was nothing like I imagined it to be.

Once we sat at a table and woman gave us raw fish on a small plate as part of the service. No, not sushi or lovely salmon, it looked like a fish was gutted and whatever was pulled out of the fish, served onto a plate.

I tried it, I couldn’t chew it enough to swallow it. It was rubbery and horrible.

And then we got charged for it, table service if I remember correctly lol.

Apart from the food, Japan really is a great country. Best people in the world and of course crazy cities like Tokyo, and beautiful and peaceful places like Kyoto. We hired a bike and rode by the river during sunset.

On 04/04/2025 at 08:08, nonotnowjim said:

The ultimate backhanded compliment.... next you will be telling us she has a good personality....

Ya beaut, I laughed a bit too much

16 hours ago, Bebe1980 said:

Without wishing to be unkind the thing Jackson lacks is a Footballing Brain.

He's good at hounding the back line of the opposition and taking the ball towards goal...

But then he has to make a decision. Too many options:

"Hmmm... where do I put the ball ?"

"Hmmm... maybe I should try to hold it up and wait for another player ?"

"Hmmm... maybe I should take on the keeper ?"

"Hmmm... the coach says, when in doubt, play it backwards ?"

Etc,

And then the moment, as Ruud Gullit (those were the days!) would have called it, is lost 😁

This is like me when I’m in the crisp aisle in Tesco, and I end up coming out with Pringles

5 hours ago, Phillip said:

Contrary to popular opinion, the food sucks in Japan, and the cost of living is super high.

Though I do love me some soba noodle (served cold on a bamboo tray).

Oh how I miss the Cooking with Phillip thread. Boring matches aren't the same without it.

3 hours ago, Valerie said:

Oh how I miss the Cooking with Phillip thread. Boring matches aren't the same without it.

That was a long long time ago, Val. I am older and not-so-much-wiser now. I have not made a pumpkin pie in about 3 years after all the negative comments on the CSR back then.

Though the old lady and I had crab cakes for dinner with a couscous salad!

7 hours ago, Phillip said:

That was a long long time ago, Val. I am older and not-so-much-wiser now. I have not made a pumpkin pie in about 3 years after all the negative comments on the CSR back then.

Virtual criticism can be traumatising, but stand up for yourself! "Hands off my pumpkin pie!"

We can all agree on pie surely.

On 04/04/2025 at 17:22, axman2526 said:

Ah this is what lack of practice does to someone.

Jim was at an elite level as a critic, the best the Shed could offer. Now his dormant period has reduced him to pedeling stats and uttering a few words, while @Ukraine Bolt has taken his crown...sad times...

See what I mean?

Coming on 12 hours after the game and not one single word uttered by @nonotnowjim in this thread.

Maybe that time in Japan has seen Jim become a man of deep faith, filled with love, peace and forgiveness.?

Perhaps it is this therapist he mentioned, maybe she has helped him to no longer recline in horror at the mere mention of Nico?

Could it be that losing his crown to UB was too deep a wound to come back from and has seen him raise the white flag and bend the knee to the new king?

Or maybe the unrequited love has finally been returned and he and Nico and living happily ever after?

19 minutes ago, axman2526 said:

See what I mean?

Coming on 12 hours after the game and not one single word uttered by @nonotnowjim in this thread.

Maybe that time in Japan has seen Jim become a man of deep faith, filled with love, peace and forgiveness.?

Perhaps it is this therapist he mentioned, maybe she has helped him to no longer recline in horror at the mere mention of Nico?

Could it be that losing his crown to UB was too deep a wound to come back from and has seen him raise the white flag and bend the knee to the new king?

Or maybe the unrequited love has finally been returned and he and Nico and living happily ever after?

The loser had an air shot from 2 yrds out. Missed the ball completely.

That swipe at air alone tells us we need - and no amount of defending from the fanboys will change it. Nothing else needs to be said.

I find it quite amusing that some of our fans were shouting from the rooftops for the fraudulent donkey to play - a player who hasn't scored in goodness knows how many games, and hasn't found the net since mid december.

19 minutes ago, nonotnowjim said:

The loser had an air shot from 2 yrds out. Missed the ball completely.

That swipe at air alone tells us we need - and no amount of defending from the fanboys will change it. Nothing else needs to be said.

I find it quite amusing that some of our fans were shouting from the rooftops for the fraudulent donkey to play - a player who hasn't scored in goodness knows how many games, and hasn't found the net since mid december.

5 hours ago, nonotnowjim said:

The loser had an air shot from 2 yrds out. Missed the ball completely.

That swipe at air alone tells us we need - and no amount of defending from the fanboys will change it. Nothing else needs to be said.

I find it quite amusing that some of our fans were shouting from the rooftops for the fraudulent donkey to play - a player who hasn't scored in goodness knows how many games, and hasn't found the net since mid december.

Think the Club missed a trick in Jan, and I can’t really take the club serious. They could have signed Mbuemo for £50m in Jan, he was 1yr left + a club option for a further year. He provides genuine competition upfront for Jackson, and allows you to move Neto permanently to the left. He has 16 league goals and 5 assists, at 25yrs the right age, and would have upgraded our forward options. Instead they spent all Jan trying to buy Garnacho & Tel.

2 hours ago, ducavis said:

Think the Club missed a trick in Jan, and I can’t really take the club serious. They could have signed Mbuemo for £50m in Jan, he was 1yr left + a club option for a further year. He provides genuine competition upfront for Jackson, and allows you to move Neto permanently to the left. He has 16 league goals and 5 assists, at 25yrs the right age, and would have upgraded our forward options. Instead they spent all Jan trying to buy Garnacho & Tel.

Good player - but not convinced he is the striker we need.

But he isn’t the donkey fraud - so would have taken him.

3 hours ago, ducavis said:

Think the Club missed a trick in Jan, and I can’t really take the club serious. They could have signed Mbuemo for £50m in Jan, he was 1yr left + a club option for a further year. He provides genuine competition upfront for Jackson, and allows you to move Neto permanently to the left. He has 16 league goals and 5 assists, at 25yrs the right age, and would have upgraded our forward options. Instead they spent all Jan trying to buy Garnacho & Tel.

Mbuemo would have fallen on the Werner/Nkunku sword. Trying to shoe horn an attacking mid/second striker to play as a target man 9 on his own.

5 minutes ago, Ukraine Bolt said:

Mbuemo would have fallen on the Werner/Nkunku sword. Trying to shoe horn an attacking mid/second striker to play as a target man 9 on his own.

Spot on. His strength is powering in from the right. Hell of a boot, too.

8 minutes ago, Ukraine Bolt said:

Mbuemo would have fallen on the Werner/Nkunku sword. Trying to shoe horn an attacking mid/second striker to play as a target man 9 on his own.

Understand where you are coming from UB, but a key difference is the power and strength Mbuemo has over those two, and Jackson.

You don't see Mbuemo being shoved off the ball easily, or failing to contest balls in the air. IMO Ivan Toney should have been the centre-forward we went for.

38 minutes ago, Ukraine Bolt said:

Mbuemo would have fallen on the Werner/Nkunku sword. Trying to shoe horn an attacking mid/second striker to play as a target man 9 on his own.

He isn’t just that though; he has played consistently as a CF in the absence of Watkins, Toney & Wissa. Played 6x as a CF this season, and has 4 goals.

He is probably the best we can do as our SDs aren’t serious. Whoever they buy in the summer will be a backup to Jackson, when we are screaming for an upgrade.

7 minutes ago, ducavis said:

He isn’t just that though; he has played consistently as a CF in the absence of Watkins, Toney & Wissa. Played 6x as a CF this season, and has 4 goals.

He is probably the best we can do as our SDs aren’t serious. Whoever they buy in the summer will be a backup to Jackson, when we are screaming for an upgrade.

he's almost always played in a two with either Wissa or Carvalho.

He's 5'7, not what we need leading the line imo.

9 minutes ago, Ukraine Bolt said:

he's almost always played in a two with either Wissa or Carvalho.

He's 5'7, not what we need leading the line imo.

I agree. If you look at any of Mbeumo's highlights videos this season, all of them will show that his best moments come from him playing similar to Palmer's role last season or as a second striker.

Mbeumo is not what we need up front - but he would be better than the Donkey.... so I would take him, even knowing that he is not the answer

Thought this was funny!

Just now, Richard P said:

Thought this was funny!

Maresca was right. We have been miles better since Jackson came back. So important to the way he wants to play.

Anonymous, other than missing an absolute sitter that would've probably given us a comfortable home win.

Not scored in 11 now. The lad for Ipswich, Hirst, looked better, had a great strike that went just wide, don't think Jackson has ever struck the ball that well.

He would be 3rd choice for me, like when we had Ba or Loic Remy.

41 minutes ago, just said:

Maresca was right. We have been miles better since Jackson came back. So important to the way he wants to play.

Perfect striker.... A dream. Wish we could clone him.... 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭