Wanderers v The Delusional (Mackems)

[mummywhycantieatcrayons]

Exactly. I'm a big fan of Muamba, but you've got to laugh when people say things like : "Muamba is actually also more of a threat going forward because he has the pace and the engine to go beyond a man."

If he goes beyond the man it certainly ain't gonna be with the ball at his feet. For all his virtues (superb at harrying and tackling), he has to be one of the worst on-ball players I've seen at the club.

Glad to provide some light relief at this time, but I didn't actually mean with the ball at his feet! Ok, it's easy to use the example of his one goal, but the QPR example of him being able to push on and get beyond play and find some space is what I have in mind.

And, at any rate, everything is relative, and this instance my comments are in relation to the pretty low regard I have for Pratley.

Nobody will find archive material of my asking for Muamba to be dropped - for me, we're overrun too often and he makes that less likely. One of the first names on the teamsheet as far as I'm concerned.

[thebish]

Muamba should be dropped - he's fecking useless! Coyle out!

[Mixu Fattypieman]

Saturday was so depressing because there just seemed such a gulf in quality between us and Sunderland. Thats Sunderland. NOt United, not Chelsea, not City. Sunderland.

Sure they have more money to spend than us and thus are always likely to have more quality, but I don't think for a while I've noticed that there's been such a gap in quality between us and team that compete in the same area of the table as us.

It was midfield and upfront where it seemed so marked.
Lets face it our midfield was made up of 3 free signings and in terms of quality, that seemed evident. I've not seen much evidence of Premiership level quality and ability from Pratley so far. Petrov and Eagles are both light-weight unreliables. And Reo-Coker has been the best of a bad bunch and is good enough at this level but he lacks the dynamic, 'grab thegame by the scruff of the neck'-type qualities.

If we are low in quality we need to make it up in terms of commitment and organisation and whilst the first wasn't missing on Saturday in my opinion, the 2nd was.

[boltonboris]

Can't be arsed to check back through the thread to see if it's been posted. But somebody photographed Boyata in a protective show. Apparently he's got ligament damage to his ankle after that shite 15 yard Jussi pass.

Probs looking at 4-6 weeks.. So that's ace

[Sponge]

Can't be arsed to check back through the thread to see if it's been posted. But somebody photographed Boyata in a protective show. Apparently he's got ligament damage to his ankle after that shite 15 yard Jussi pass.

Probs looking at 4-6 weeks.. So that's ace

Superb. Bet he's really enjoying his time on loan.

[Armchair Wanderer]

Can't be arsed to check back through the thread to see if it's been posted. But somebody photographed Boyata in a protective show. Apparently he's got ligament damage to his ankle after that shite 15 yard Jussi pass.

Probs looking at 4-6 weeks.. So that's ace

Superb. Bet he's really enjoying his time on loan.

Steinsson back in? Or Bibi on the left and Robbo on the right?

Does Pratley keep the ball better than Muamba? From what I've seen he seems to do a lot of recycling without much attacking or defending.

[TANGODANCER]

We'll need Muamba to sit on Rossiky. He's a dangerous little fxcker when on form. Biggest problem with Arsenal is their almost frightening mental ability to know when a defender is within two feet of them near the box and go ariel. Either do that or deliberately run at a defender at mach speed when they've no chance of getting the ball and do Olympic class triple somersaults.

[P.O.S.]

We'll need Muamba to sit on Rossiky. He's a dangerous little fxcker when on form. Biggest problem with Arsenal is their almost frightening mental ability to know when a defender is within two feet of them near the box and go ariel. Either do that or deliberately run at a defender at mach speed when they've no chance of getting the ball and do Olympic class triple somersaults.

I prepare to eat my words big time, but Rosicky's turned into the biggest non-event of a footballer Ive ever seen. He was brilliant at Dortmund and early on at Arsenal as well.

[mummywhycantieatcrayons]

We'll need Muamba to sit on Rossiky. He's a dangerous little fxcker when on form. Biggest problem with Arsenal is their almost frightening mental ability to know when a defender is within two feet of them near the box and go ariel. Either do that or deliberately run at a defender at mach speed when they've no chance of getting the ball and do Olympic class triple somersaults.

I prepare to eat my words big time, but Rosicky's turned into the biggest non-event of a footballer Ive ever seen. He was brilliant at Dortmund and early on at Arsenal as well.

Bloody hell mate - some of us are going tonight... couldn't you have kept that to yourself until tomorrow?!

[Tombwfc]

I've always thought Muamba and Elmander were good and said so on here plenty of times, am I allowed to say so now?

Besides, people do love to inflate the ability of players who can't play or aren't playing (Sam Ricketts was our second choice right back getting torn apart by Victor Moses when he got injured, since then on here he's become a first team starter in three different positions), but I don't think it's happening here. You don't have to think Muamba and Elmander are Makelele and Eusebio to think that they'd probably make it into our team ahead of the likes of Davies, Pratley, Reo-Coker or even N'Gog.

[lovethesmellofnapalm]

I really hope i'm not wrong here- but i strongly believe N'Gog to be superior in every way to Elmander.
Muamba - i have always liked and defended him on here several times.
The thing is no two central midfielders that we currently have fit are good enough as a two - we need three in there.
and given that LCY and (cough) Taylor put better shifts in than Petrov and Eagles (though i think Eagles has been ok so far) as wide midfielders then i doubt even Holden and an other would/will be enough.
4-4-2 is a busted flush

[P.O.S.]

We'll need Muamba to sit on Rossiky. He's a dangerous little fxcker when on form. Biggest problem with Arsenal is their almost frightening mental ability to know when a defender is within two feet of them near the box and go ariel. Either do that or deliberately run at a defender at mach speed when they've no chance of getting the ball and do Olympic class triple somersaults.

I prepare to eat my words big time, but Rosicky's turned into the biggest non-event of a footballer Ive ever seen. He was brilliant at Dortmund and early on at Arsenal as well.

Bloody hell mate - some of us are going tonight... couldn't you have kept that to yourself until tomorrow?!

Im just setting you up for a wonderful exhibition of football thats all!

[CAPSLOCK]

Shame he seems like a Davies-esque goal threat..

What leads you to that conclusion?

[boltonboris]

The fact that whilst he's been playing he's managed about 3 shots.. One of them went in and it was a good finish.

Granted, he's been getting shite service, but he never seems to want the ball in a dangerous area. He come looking for it from the midfielders 35 yards out. That's a confidence thing.

He wants the ball, cos he'd got ability. But he doesn't want it somewhere he might balls up a chance.

[Eborted]

Did someone just say Pratley was superb on Saturday??? Wait a sec...We were over run in Midfield by fecking Sunderland!! The 2nd half ranks up there as one of the shitest performances I have ever seen. We offered absolutely nothing.

In my opinion the main problem is the centre midfield. We are getting swamped, we were extremely lucky against Wigan who gifted us everything. I'm jumping on the Muamba band wagon despite being one of the best players off the ball I have ever seen grace a Wanderers shirt (he's shite on it mind but if he has someone with him who possesses that talent then were alright). Every time he has a bad game he is dropped and pointed to as the fall guy while Pratley and Reo-Coker manage to keep there places despite being turgid every week. It's not hard to see where are problems lie especially since the other ingredients in our team managed to do a half decent job last year. Pratley was a fecking substitute for a championship team last year, albeit a good one but still, he offers nothing apart from effort which at this level isn't fecking good enough.

The defense was great on Saturday and if it wasn't for them it would have been embarrassing....Cahill said something along the lines of how he wondered why our goal was always under siege. Messrs Pratley and Reo-Coker hold your hands up. Admittedly Eagles (who btw will never be a good consistent premiership player but at least gives us something) and Petrov who has been the fall guy for the general spectator despite being our only player with an ounce of creativity although is again admittedly shit off the ball were fecking turd as well but the central 2 I assure you all are the main villains of this piece.

[Gail Platz]

I saw the article by Cahill as well Eborted, I was quite surprised with what he said, shouldering some blame because I thought he played out of his skin on Saturday. Him and Wheater were getting battered in defence and it was only a matter of time before something was going to give way, and their 2nd goal was clearly Robinson's fault who was miles out of position.

He wasn't helped out by Reo-Coker who I thought had an awful game on Saturday but he's not been too bad for us so let's hope that was a one off. However, I do agree with Pratley and I really struggle to see what he brings to the side, other than slowness. He looks like he's on the moon, everything is in slow motion with him and he'd lose out on a loose ball even if he was 5 yards in front of an opposition player.

[Prufrock]

I've heard it all when Robinson is being blamed for their second goal !

[CAPSLOCK]

The fact that whilst he's been playing he's managed about 3 shots.. One of them went in and it was a good finish.

Granted, he's been getting shite service, but he never seems to want the ball in a dangerous area. He come looking for it from the midfielders 35 yards out. That's a confidence thing.

He wants the ball, cos he'd got ability. But he doesn't want it somewhere he might balls up a chance.

Sounds very much like Anelka to me

Anyway, labelling him Davies like is just cruel

When he's kneed a couple over from 3 yards, come back to me


And, don't pretend you don't know me next time I speak to you

[boltonboris]

Was that at Wigan?

[CAPSLOCK]

Haha

Shhhh

It was your better half that gave it away