This is good

On 21/09/2025 at 22:14, The Rising Sun said:

I've known for ages that with our transfer policy we are not looking to become and stay as a top club.

But that said, it doesn't mean we have to suffer this dreadful, soul killing football . Rooney said last night that Chelsea fans must be disappointed with our 2nd half, all our possession was side to side and across the pitch. He's correct. No point in everyone on here going wild about our "exciting" players when the manager is determined to put them in shackles and make them play a dull, pointless possession based game.

I thought Leicester fans were absolutely wrong about Maresca when we saw some great displays early last season . But now it's clear that the football they complained about is exactly what we are being tortured with now.

Every manager who play structure ball offensively always end up playing this turgid ball. Sarri, Pep, Arteta, Maresca.

When it works as we saw in early Sarriball and Maresca ball, it is amazing. I was very impressed how easy we can get the ball between the line to jackson/Palmer and the amount of space we got offensively.

But when opp found a way to stop, it become very 😴😴😴

On 21/09/2025 at 23:11, Gol15 said:

He's not really doing that and there is no excuse of the pre-season, it was the team's pre-season and it was done accordingly so that is not an excuse.

These matches are not important now only because you have the benefit of not knowing the future but if Maresca fails to get any results from the upcoming matches and loses heavily to Liverpool this period could very well be massive.

It's not massive at all because 1) the board know that the squad is still too young and not ready for a title challenge and 2) they know, or at least I hope they do, that they made a mistake in not buying a top GK and at least a top center back.

IMHO, Maresca is as safe as he has ever been here.

Losses in Munich and at Old Trafford are irrelevant in September. What worries me the most is Lavia's fitness and the center back area. From my understanding, Lavia is healthy for some time, but not match fit. If the medical staff apply the same plan as for Reece James and it works, then it is ok. A fit Lavia is class and would transform the team. But if he is back and once again out for months after barely playing for two weeks, then I guess there is no need to hope for a miracle anymore and must move him next summer.

As for the center backs, it's a tragedy we've come so far in assembling a very good squad with class full backs and top midfielders and attacking players, but have a crooked Fofana at the back and two other bang average ones in Chalobah and Tosin.

Probably hoping Tosin would gel with Colwill though with Colwill being out we are forced to use the injury prone defenders to step in for a match or two. The gelling didn't happen in the summer so we have Chalobah being our most reliable.

You can bet the keeper was one of those they considered changing yet thought after CWC to give him a second chance.

On 22/09/2025 at 10:52, Backbiter said:

Grimsby.

Mickey Mouse Cup and a long penalty shoot out. On paper it’s a loss but not a form indicator that suggests we “should” be beating them at their place.

14 hours ago, BS66 said:

Mickey Mouse Cup and a long penalty shoot out. On paper it’s a loss but not a form indicator that suggests we “should” be beating them at their place.

No, but them being total sh*te for the last two years is.

Other than Villa on the final day last season, the only other home games they've won in the league this calendar year have been against teams who were either relegated or promoted.