Edited June 25, 20251 yr by Scott Harris

Palmers coaches before Enzo Maresca were: Pochettino, Pep Guardiola and Enzo Maresca. Not 100% sure Enzo Maresca's tactics are the sole reason of his declining goals output. For example that Conference League final..can't be sure of course but I am pretty certain Maresca didn't go over him after the game and said "nice one Cole but don't try anything on your own in the future. Just stick to the plan." Cole needs to learn to take matters into his hands in the right way in games.

Cole is a young lad and I am sure there are basics in Maresca's football everyone needs to learn. Same goes to Pep's teams. Cornerstones of the footballing idea they have. Every coach has them.

BUT his goals involment has dropped and it is a bit alarming. I am sure Enzo's football and where we are as a team has something to do with it, why woudn't it. I am sure Cole doesn't mind his output dropping if we keep winning games. Enzo just said in his last presser or the one before he'd prefer to have 4 players scoring 10 goals each instead one scoring 40. Which is what every coach in the world would naturally say.

On 26/06/2025 at 10:04, evissy said:

Palmers coaches before Enzo Maresca were: Pochettino, Pep Guardiola and Enzo Maresca. Not 100% sure Enzo Maresca's tactics are the sole reason of his declining goals output. For example that Conference League final..can't be sure of course but I am pretty certain Maresca didn't go over him after the game and said "nice one Cole but don't try anything on your own in the future. Just stick to the plan." Cole needs to learn to take matters into his hands in the right way in games.

Cole is a young lad and I am sure there are basics in Maresca's football everyone needs to learn. Same goes to Pep's teams. Cornerstones of the footballing idea they have. Every coach has them.

BUT his goals involment has dropped and it is a bit alarming. I am sure Enzo's football and where we are as a team has something to do with it, why woudn't it. I am sure Cole doesn't mind his output dropping if we keep winning games. Enzo just said in his last presser or the one before he'd prefer to have 4 players scoring 10 goals each instead one scoring 40. Which is what every coach in the world would naturally say.

Maresca is not 100% to blame - but I believe his tactics are a big part of it. There was an in-depth analysis football a couple of months ago - that set out very clearly, in an evidenced way, why this was. In short, almost all of Palmers goals and chances during his red hot streak came from transitions - framed as "chaosball" in the video. They were all either from set pieces, counter attacks, or by winning the ball high up the pitch when the opposing defence had not had a chance to settle.

Marescas system and style simply does not create these same opportunities. It is far too slow and far too risk averse (he would probably argue "controlled". The trade off is that Cole is not getting anywhere near the number of chances, and the ones he does get are not in the same circumstances (against a defence in panic/transition) - meaning the opportunities are not only less frequent, but also less dangerous/clear.

As ever in life - balance is needed ..... and this team does not have it. It is far too negative/sideways/backwards/risk averse.

He actually looks like he has lost weight in the ridiculous conditions. And he didn't have a lot to spare.

12 hours ago, dermott said:

He actually looks like he has lost weight in the ridiculous conditions. And he didn't have a lot to spare.

Some Europeans get gastroenteritis when they visit the states. Some mild to severe. I think that may be a reason.

On 29/06/2025 at 22:47, Sconnie Blue said:

Some Europeans get gastroenteritis when they visit the states. Some mild to severe. I think that may be a reason.

Bound to happen when you go from eating organic food to radioactive slop

26 minutes ago, Ukraine Bolt said:

Bound to happen when you go from eating organic food to radioactive slop

You ain't kidding !

"The FDA's restraints on food ingredients are limited and relatively feeble, especially compared with those in Europe, a KFF Health News examination found. There are at least 950 substances in our food that are not permitted in Europe, according to one expert's estimate, and chemicals linked to health concerns show up in hundreds of products that line the shelves of American supermarkets."

Cole Nike Ad 🤣🤣

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DLmJYBaqIi3/?igsh=enMxc2hxMjRzbG16

11 minutes ago, El regreso said:

Cole Nike Ad 🤣🤣

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DLmJYBaqIi3/?igsh=enMxc2hxMjRzbG16

surprisingly good....

On 29/06/2025 at 22:47, Sconnie Blue said:

Some Europeans get gastroenteritis when they visit the states. Some mild to severe. I think that may be a reason.

Indeed Reece suffered from it and weren’t a couple of other players in hospital due to it.?

3 minutes ago, terraloon said:

Indeed Reece suffered from it and weren’t a couple of other players in hospital due to it.?

I would imagine as its typical. A lot of stuff in our food that is banned in most countries.

His goal was classic Palmer - he makes football look easy when it comes together. The players around him are better than in prior seasons - will lesson the focus on Palmer and his impact will be massive for the team, yet again.

Is this for real? Nike - Have you or someone you love been skinned by Cole Palmer.....

Edited July 6, 20251 yr by PhilH930

I agree with Palmer that Jackson should have assisted (tried at least) him on that one chance but his reaction was over the top. I think both players suffered from not scoring. Jackson is under a massive pressure by the new guys but strangely Palmer seems to have an obsession over scoring. The game was pretty much done at that point.

Palmer's frustration with Jacko in general was probably visible there as well.

7 minutes ago, evissy said:

I agree with Palmer that Jackson should have assisted (tried at least) him on that one chance but his reaction was over the top. I think both players suffered from not scoring. Jackson is under a massive pressure by the new guys but strangely Palmer seems to have an obsession over scoring. The game was pretty much done at that point.

Palmer's frustration with Jacko in general was probably visible there as well.

I really liked Palmers reaction tbh. The game is never dead and having a winning mentality like that doesn’t allow those around you to drop their standards, the issue there was unfortunately Jackson’s standards are already the lowest in the club (U8’s included)

17 minutes ago, evissy said:

I agree with Palmer that Jackson should have assisted (tried at least) him on that one chance but his reaction was over the top. I think both players suffered from not scoring. Jackson is under a massive pressure by the new guys but strangely Palmer seems to have an obsession over scoring. The game was pretty much done at that point.

Palmer's frustration with Jacko in general was probably visible there as well.

It's far from the first time Jackson has gone for glory ignoring players in better positions. Palmer wasn't after glory, it wasn't about ego, there was a golden opportunity to seal the game 3-0. End of.

Just now, dermott said:

It's far from the first time Jackson has gone for glory ignoring players in better positions. Palmer wasn't after glory, it wasn't about ego, there was a golden opportunity to seal the game 3-0. End of.

And when Jackson makes an assist some people will tell he is not a proper striker as proper strikers will want to score themselves.

11 minutes ago, evissy said:

And when Jackson makes an assist some people will tell he is not a proper striker as proper strikers will want to score themselves.

Never ever seen that written or heard it said.

Not sure what everybody thinks but I feel like Palmer has gotten to that stage where I’m not even worried if he doesn’t score or assist for a while.

He’s gotten to that stage where he is unquestionably world class and has nothing to prove.

8 minutes ago, dansubrosa said:

Not sure what everybody thinks but I feel like Palmer has gotten to that stage where I’m not even worried if he doesn’t score or assist for a while.

He’s gotten to that stage where he is unquestionably world class and has nothing to prove.

Thought this for a while. He adds value every game. His role isn't to be our top scorer.

3 hours ago, dermott said:

Never ever seen that written or heard it said.

Just more of his gaslighting bullsh*t.

If there is one positive to take from the latest Jackson wrong decision last night, it's that it was clear to see that the supposedly "laid back, sh*t happens, yeah so what" personality of Cole Palmer is actually all bo**ocks. And that on the pitch he has the competitive, professional, want to win attitude that all top players have to have.

Booting the post and verbally letting Jackson have both barrels. Top bloke. Deserves a round of applause. If only Maresca had a big enough ball sack to do the same.

4 hours ago, just said:

If there is one positive to take from the latest Jackson wrong decision last night, it's that it was clear to see that the supposedly "laid back, sh*t happens, yeah so what" personality of Cole Palmer is actually all bo**ocks. And that on the pitch he has the competitive, professional, want to win attitude that all top players have to have.

Booting the post and verbally letting Jackson have both barrels. Top bloke. Deserves a round of applause. If only Maresca had a big enough ball sack to do the same.

After the game, Palmer didn’t speak. He didn’t need to. His eyes followed Jackson like a sniper’s scope - calm, patient, lethal. The missed assist, the wasted 3–0 moment, the way Jackson went for glory and missed the target like the donkey brained amateur that he is - Palmer burned it into his memory. Not just as a betrayal, but as proof. Proof that Jackson needed correcting. Palmer would make him pay.

That night, Jackson’s car wouldn’t start. When he popped the bonnet, it exploded in glitter and red paint - his entire windscreen sprayed with the words "PASS THE BALL." He laughed it off at first. Mistake.

He woke up the next morning in a dark room, wrists bound, ankles shackled. The air was damp, metallic. The walls echoed with the faint sound of his missed shot - looped, slowed, distorted into something monstrous. In front of him was a TV, and on it: Palmer.

“You had one job,” Palmer said. “You ignored me. Now you’ll learn the cost of your shell fish ness.”

The chair he was strapped into began to tilt backward. Cold water poured from above - ice water - freezing, relentless. The senegalese sulkers muscles locked up, his breathing shallow. Then, a hatch opened below and rats were released, crawling over his soaked legs, sniffing, scratching. One bit. Palmer’s voice returned: “Pain sharpens judgement. Let’s see what it teaches you.”

When he came to, he was in a different room. Shirtless. On a treadmill. A VR headset strapped to his face. The simulation showed a constant 3v0 breakaway - Palmer wide open - Jackson holding the ball. He was forced to run it again and again, always making the wrong choice. Each time he failed to pass, an electric jolt shot through the handles. His heart pounded. The smell of burnt skin rose. Palmer watched from a perch above. Eating popcorn.

Next came the boots. One was filled with broken glass. The other with boiling deep heat. He had to choose which to wear for a mandatory “light jog” around a treadmill lined with coarse sandpaper. Every step shredded him. Palmer stood at the finish line with a clipboard, saying nothing, nodding.

The worst part wasn’t the pain. It was the silence. No rage. No shouting. Just Palmer, clinically cold. Calculated.

In the final chamber, Jackson found a football placed on a pedestal. A sign above it read: “Last chance. Make the right choice.”
Palmer appeared behind him. He pointed to two mannequins: one dressed as Jackson, the other as Palmer. A gun sat on a table.
“One shot,” Palmer said. “Either forgive yourself, or pass to me.”

Jackson aimed the gun. He paused. Then turned, trembling, and fired into the mannequin of himself.

The lights shut off. The door opened. Palmer smiled.

The next match, Jackson didn’t look up once. The moment Palmer moved, he passed. Even from the halfway line. Even when the goal was open. His face was blank. His legs bandaged. His mind, broken.

Palmer patted his shoulder gently.

“Good lad.”

Half of the nonsense around palmer having a poor season stems from poor players like Jackson making poor choices ..

In the second half of the season because of the chances we missed we rarely scored the first goal early or at all.. notwithstanding all the assists he was robbed off .. everyone knows when you are 1-0 up you have lore opportunities to increase your tally and we never had that..

now yes palmer also missed a few chances but no one can do it on their own.. with a Pedro and an inform Neto I think he will score and assist much more.