Deacs

Great result

Shit referee

Watched my boys U/15 side play this morning (I’m from the land down under). They have started to play some basic but effective football. Moving the ball quickly into space, working hard to create/find space. Simple passes to a player facing the right way not into a congested area in the middle of the pitch because they didn’t know what else to do with the ball. Like I said basic but effective. Towards the end of the game it struck me how little of this I see in the premiership now (not just us) the gap between the top and the rest is massive and the fear of losing (or being relegated and the associated loss of revenue) is stifling football. Relevance to this topic. Just play football!

I know it’s a big ask. It’s not like they’re professional footballers…

We’re two points clear with two games in hand and we play three of the teams below us. Getting a point or both back on appeal shouldn’t be relevant. We just need to play football!

They certainly wouldn’t do any worse. We only have to not lose to Forest, Luton and Sheffield Utd and we’re safe. With Dyche in charge we’re losing those games.

Like you say, it’s a tough game and I don’t expect anything from it. For that reason I wouldn’t play Onana this week. Plenty of winnable games coming up and I think we probably need 6-7 wins to guarantee safety so I wouldn’t take any risks with his fitness against City.

8.30pm down here. I’ll be opting for something other than coffee.

It’s a shame, I thought today would be ideal to kick on from a good performance in mid week. I still think we will win today but I look at the starting line up and think we’ve missed a trick.

Isn’t Patterson on the bench? I would have liked to see Garner stay central as he’s by far our most creative/composed midfielder.

We’ll have missed all our targets just after the window shuts for sure

I’d love to see him get a run at centre back in a settled back four, in a team that has some sort of defensive structure. Which hopefully we will have next season. If he doesn’t perform in those circumstances then move him on.

Natures way of telling you to have a lie down. Don’t fight it

Might be his most important team selection so far and it looks like injuries and poor form are going to make it a nightmare. We all have our own ideas on who should start and what formation we should play. Hopefully whatever line up he chooses, play with the intensity and passion the situation warrants. It’s been said elsewhere but we need to let Bournemouth know what type of an afternoon they’re in for, right from the first whistle.

You sound just like my better half