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CrosspoolClarets

The interim manager, and we need one, has to be someone who knows this league and would inspire the players to over-perform. We can then take stock including this person in contention for the future. A half a dozen game new manager bounce would suit us down to the ground. Not sure who that would be,...

CrosspoolClarets

We need 38 points. Simple as that. Same every season as a target but sometimes lower points get lucky.

That is 3 wins and 4 draws or 4 wins, 1 draw and 2 defeats.

Very possible albeit challenging so simply no excuse for not getting behind the lads and roaring them on.

CrosspoolClarets

Lower league player with brief unsuccessful forays into lower league management so knows football but is unlikely to have been around the personality types we have, including the overseas element which brings a different set of dynamics to handle. Tough challenge for him therefore but has handled hi...

CrosspoolClarets

I would expect the wrangling to be linked to when Dyche gets a new job and what that means to his payout, e.g. if he got one in the summer but on lower wages. He would probably want to ensure he doesn’t lose out financially compared to letting his contract carry on, similarly there is no argument fo...

CrosspoolClarets

Re the Gaughan article, we can all speculate if, as many of us said at the time, the farce in Athens alienated some players who remain disenchanted to this day, or, if a “source” is telling us what we want to hear after knowing it is one of the long time grumbles about Dyche. I can believe the bit t...

CrosspoolClarets

First post on this and I’ve concluded that stubbornness has probably got Sean the boot. It has been false dawn after false dawn this season, most recently after Spurs and Everton. Much of that in my view was down to team selections and tactics. Not hard to imagine the board and possibly even some of...

CrosspoolClarets

The problem is that, as others have identified, we have conceded too many (for our style given that we don’t score many). The real issue with that though is that we have done worse defensively against the worse teams. Take Palace downwards - 23 goals conceded from 15 games (my rough count). That mea...

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Great news, 2 wins away from the Champions League. Much more likely route than by beating us so even though they will still be hot favourites on Sunday their minds may not be fully on it, let alone their legs. A win on Sunday cancels out last weekend in one sense, I know we don’t look like winning b...

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Lots of talk about Gallagher etc but he plays in a 3 at Palace - if we are wedded to 4-4-2 we need a machine in the middle. That French chap we were linked with sounded perfect. I don’t think Gallagher has the physicality for our system. We have been below our levels all over the park though, not ju...

CrosspoolClarets

Our “goals for” tally is OK, relative to us normally, the problem is that we have scored them not against the bottom sides so it looks starker, and has probably cost us half a dozen points. The big problem this season though is defence. We have shipped far more than usual, and at critical times. We ...

CrosspoolClarets

Very hard to see WW sticking around for the Championship if we aren’t playing to his strengths now. Things like that could be decisive - look at Mitrovic with Fulham. A couple of players too good for that level and we blast back up. Personally I’d try and keep Vydra too and promise him he would star...

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Today was comfortably Gibson’s best performance of the season which of course has 38 games. Was it against Brentford in that critical home game recently when he had a shocker, conceded two penalties, and vied with Olympiacos away (which of course was him too) for the worst defensive performance I ha...

CrosspoolClarets

In that he has got us up twice he gets a year to do it again, if we drop. After that, if he isn’t gone I am, because it is too soul destroying watching us lose with negativity. Not one save for Krul second half until that late chance.

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Cork should have started on Wednesday but Dyche got lucky, Everton dominated midfield. Today was an obvious one like at Brighton where we had the chance to dominate. Today, Westwood had a great 20 mins at the end of the first half but that was it. Retention of the ball, playing it on the deck and ge...

CrosspoolClarets

No, our best midfield isn’t the worst in PL history.

Trouble is, it is on the bench.

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Win at West Ham it balances this out, otherwise, well, it doesn’t.

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Gone backwards this half. Not had the ball on the deck the main problem. That is the Cork discussion again.

CrosspoolClarets

On the plus side, Westwood has started to dominate the game, and those are words I would never have imagined writing.

Vydra could be the difference today, on at 60 for me.

CrosspoolClarets

I’m being boring but been saying for weeks - 38pts, 38pts, 38pts. That’s 4 wins 2 draws 3 defeats. A point per game over the season normally stays up, anything less needs luck and relying on others which is very stressful for us fans and definitely the players. It’s like playing matchplay at golf, y...

CrosspoolClarets

Watford draw is ideal, keeps them under us and Leeds catchable.

But I’ve said for weeks that we need 38 points no matter what. Still feel that.

CrosspoolClarets

Worth noting that in those 9 games we played Chelsea, City & Liverpool as well, so now we've got our toughest fixtures out of the way every possibility that we can at least maintain that form over the rest of the season. We also had Spurs and Man Utd as well, OK we won Spurs but it was another top ...

CrosspoolClarets

That “notsosupercomputer” had Everton to finish on 40 points which isn’t going to happen. Some really big differences in just 8 weeks to those predictions, but I’ll take 17th for us.

CrosspoolClarets

Wout reminds me of Teddy Sheringham. Likes to drop deep, not physical nor the best header for a big man, good with the ball at his feet, tidy finisher. Sheringham as we know was some player. One who needed Shearer or Cole ahead of him. Wout is the same. We have to build around that next season if we...

CrosspoolClarets

He looks like he is determined to leave in a way that will see him fondly remembered, unlike when he left Brentford. We have 3 or 4 players that probably surpass what our rivals have in those positions, certainly Tarky, Pope and Cornet. Maybe Mee too. I rate Pope far higher than Pickford, who instil...

CrosspoolClarets

All funny but before we get carried away they have two home games, United are rubbish and Leicester don’t have Vardy. Let’s see where we are then. Everton aren’t down yet.

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We rarely lose when he plays. That’s a very good quality to have. To shoot ourselves in the foot twice and still win shows what he brings us. Keep him fit we have a chance.

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Pope - 7 solid with a couple of distribution wobbles Roberts - 4 unfortunately looking like his touch and awareness aren’t for this level Tarkowski - 10. Top, top quality. Major part in two goals and colossus at the back. Far better player than some in England squad. Collins - 8. great finish and so...

CrosspoolClarets

Some very good points above, and on the last page, the relevance to today is that even a fading Cork is closer to our peak seasons that whatever else we have. Cork’s stats this season are better than our average but even then are deceiving. He has played Man City home and away, Man Utd away, Liverpo...

CrosspoolClarets

I agree about Mullen needing support of a different kind and on that example we have to be careful not to be judge, jury and executioner for Stephens. I don’t condone this kind of offence one little bit, but there are all kinds of reasons why he could he done it, some which would have my sympathy, s...

CrosspoolClarets

What’s the current fascination in society with making products worse not better? We have shrinkflation, we have dodgy tat made cheap elsewhere in the world, we have fewer post offices, fewer banks, fewer traditional pubs. Now we have ‘Sky’ becoming, well, ‘Not Sky’. They’ll have to rebrand themselve...

CrosspoolClarets

What’s changed? Defending down our left side bas been mentioned. Pieters must return due to that. I’d also add: zero goals for us in the last 10 minutes of games, 18% of goals conceded are in the last 10 minutes. Not like us. More generally, 40 goals conceded is a big reason why we have drawn 12 and...

CrosspoolClarets

It’s all in our favour on Wednesday now with two key Evertonians suspended and Mina still injured. Then we factor in 24 hours less rest (something that has stuffed us more than once recently, and, come next Sunday, may do again, so we are due a turn). We need to stay confident and remember that rath...

CrosspoolClarets

The way Brownhill was rampaging forward today can (and did) cause problems against lesser sides. We need to get back to the side that played Brighton and Spurs. Certainly the midfield and attack. Cork and Brownhill are better on current form. I fear for us if Westwood plays midweek.

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Southgate is Dyche’s alter ego. Good team rapport, not the best tactician, plays very defensive, likes his favourites. The trouble is that unlike Dyche England have possibly the best forward players for decades yet we sit two men in front of a very poor back four / five and this results in a turgid ...

CrosspoolClarets

Easy draw AGAIN for Southgate, all the way to the quarters when France will despatch us.

The England v Iran and USA v Iran in the Middle East should be interesting.

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Cornet the only bright light for Ivory Coast. Got behind White twice in the first half, won at least one corner if I recall. Hard to get much of the ball the way England shield the defence.

Pope looks like extending to 1 goal conceded in 8 caps.

CrosspoolClarets

What amazes me is how fans of both us and Everton have thrown in the towel already. They beat us, they are not far off OK. We beat them and unless they do something unexpected against West Ham (A) or Man Utd (H) we go above them by beating Norwich (we may not beat Norwich, but most others have). The...

CrosspoolClarets

Man City (H) 0
Everton (H) 3
Norwich (a) 3
West Ham (a) 0
Southampton (H) 3
Wolves (H) 1
Watford (a) 3
Villa (H) 1
Spurs (a) 0
Newcastle (H) 3
Villa (a) 0

Points 38. Position 17th.

Got to hope, or, seriously, what’s the point?

CrosspoolClarets

The only thing I would say is that at the Turf City have at least had to work hard to overcome us. There is a half chance of conceding none, or one. We will obviously not be too attacking. Then we have Cornet, who remembers City fondly. My objective is for us to be within 3 points of Brentford with ...

CrosspoolClarets

There is no benefit that I can see from NATO intervening. It would extend the conflict, not guaranteed to save more lives or prevent displacement and infrastructure damage, while having monumental risks. Already a quarter of the population are displaced, the best thing for those people now is to ens...

CrosspoolClarets

I’d have given a pen to Forest there. But maybe the attacker needed to make sure he was brought down.

CrosspoolClarets

Happened to us so many times this season - miss a great chance(s) at one end, then they score at the other. Just from memory we had Brighton (H), Everton (A) a few games in the middle and more recently Brentford, Liverpool and Leicester. We’ve actually done the opposite in recent years, just not thi...

CrosspoolClarets

I’m not sure when the time is, but 11 games to go needing a great run to save our skins - now is not even the time for discussing it. Same with the players - we know some are set to go but need to forget about that for now.

CrosspoolClarets

Lots of panic and despair after last night (I feel it too, as will the players). But I’ve written on here a few times recently that the mindset has to be a points target without looking at other teams. 38 points. As ever. Hit it, you probably stay up, don’t, you deserve to go down. That’s 5 wins and...

CrosspoolClarets

Correct. It's our lack of goals that's killed us. Wasted easy chances. Defence wise we've been pretty fair. We have lost more points from winning positions than we ever have in the Premier League. That’s defence. I take your point, we have conceded about 30 goals fewer than Leeds, but it isn’t how ...

CrosspoolClarets

You make your own luck Forget what other teams have done, or not done Dyche has presided over an awful 15 month's of football where we have gone backwards at a rapid pace Just by playing an old 4-4-2 with an old squad that he has been happy with That’s true in a sense, I agree that life is about pu...

CrosspoolClarets

The irony is, it was yet another Leeds defensive error that cost Wolves the game. We are getting no luck, the only vague luck affecting 3 points was Kane hitting the bar. Not so much the Norwich game, but last night and tonight Everton and Leeds were getting hammered. It will be very, very hard to k...

CrosspoolClarets

Bamford’s plantar fasciatis looks like it has returned. A very stubborn injury, I had it. He’s crying bless him.

Great news.

Not normally one to wish injury on players but we are in a dogfight now and it isn’t time to be too nice.

CrosspoolClarets

I think we are now at the stage of goal and assist probability. With Dwight it is unlikely he will get more than 1 assist by May on current form. So for me it has to be Jay and Weghorst with Cornet wide. Unrelated but that loss of Orsic and not getting Barkley done after he apparently decided to com...

CrosspoolClarets

In that 15 game run from Brentford at home to Spurs at home we got 17 pts from 15 games. Do that kind of run again (which was fairly average with only 3 wins) and we’ll finish on 35 points. That makes Brighton (technically) and everyone below catchable, though more likely it is only Brentford who ma...

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