Norm wrote: ↑Sat Feb 22, 2020 7:24 pm
I have a couple of questions in general if anyone wishes to respond - if not, no foul but I'm just curious.
I see so many comments about streams being taken down by 'spies' who may have joined our membership for the express purpose of obtaining any such links from us.
I also note a couple of comments about these 'strangers' wanting these links and we're giving them the info.
I also see links still being posted openly on our game coverage threads where anyone can pick them out without any effort.
I would respectfully make the following suggestions for everyone's evaluation and implementation/rejection -
1) We never put an open stream reference on a game thread but keep it to ourselves until asked to pm the info.
2) Only send it to members we personally know and not to people we've never heard of.
In connection with (2) watch out for fraudulent new members with names like '1954white', 'gassa', 'Irish Iain', 'Norn' and so on (It has been tried on a couple of non-soccer sites I know)
If such a 'member' gets the hump if you don't send them the details, ignore them - we're not beholden to frauds.
Just suggestions - do as you will.
Ian, I've been a little curious about your use of 'FC' too - does it indicate a 'Free Cick" please?
No offence to anyone, just the ramblings of this upper-middle-aged fart!
Its worth a try.
The fact is you dint even have to havecan account to view the content on this site, so posting game links isca sure fire way to have them closed down.
And yes Norm. FC = Free Kick.
' "Football is about the people and the players,” he said. “Then there are those who will mingle in the middle: the coaches, executives and journalists. That last group represents the worst part about football" Marcelo Bielsa
MY grandparents were in London some 85 years ago and attended the London premier of one or another of the Marx Brothers' films. As usual, Margaret Dumont was playing the rich widow and Grouch was chasing her money.
At one point, Groucho gets up on tiptoes, leans over the and peers down the front of Dumont's dress and says, "Why there's gold in them thar hills!"
My grandparents cracked up, but they were the only ones in the theater (theatre) to do so. From behind, they heard a woman whisper to her husband, "They must be speaking pidgin English."
1964white wrote: ↑Sat Feb 22, 2020 9:47 pm
Another dominant performance with the usual amount of the chances going astray. We got there in the end with a individual goal from our talisman Pablo.
Positives
Pablo's goal.
Pablo running the show in the 2nd half.
The victory required & three points.
Another clean sheet even though we made four positional changes with the substitution of Phillips.
Won the game without Kalvin controlling the game from the back.
Kiko's save in the final minute.
Ayling, Dallas & White played well in two different positions.
Negatives
Missed chances, not clinical enough. We just can't finish teams off!
Phillips injury (hopefully not too bad).
Ratings
7 Casilla 7 Ayling 7 White 7 Cooper 7 Dallas 7 Phillips 7 Costa 7 Klich 9 Hernandez MOTM 7 Harrison 5 Bamford Subs 7 Alioski n/a Shackleton
Question that’s been on my mind. Would you rather have Bamford as he is now, excellent and necessary cog in the overall team methodology, or lose that aspect of his game and have him only as a Mitrovic type? Yes the latter gives you the goals, but the chances diminish if you lose what Bamford brings to the team. It’s a real conundrum for me; I presume Bielsa has concluded his team game trumps his lack of goals. Which is all well and good if others in the team chip in with a few, but they’re just not doing it are they? A difficult one.
1964white wrote: ↑Sat Feb 22, 2020 10:18 pm
Was much more evident today
So frustrating when you see other championship strikers banging them in from all angles
Paddy isnt a natural predator and the sad fact is that despite all his tracking back and his link up play, he cant be depended on.
Despite 6 points in the last two games Inam seriously nervous about our ability to kill teams off.
' "Football is about the people and the players,” he said. “Then there are those who will mingle in the middle: the coaches, executives and journalists. That last group represents the worst part about football" Marcelo Bielsa
1964white wrote: ↑Sat Feb 22, 2020 10:04 pm
Bamford frustrated the hell out of me today
He just doesn't seem to anticipate balls coming into the box
Why pass the ball to a player who is heavily marked when he has oceans of space to run into the box or even shoot on sight.
Instinctive strikers would be taking many of the chances that comes Paddy's way, look how Watkins smashed one in for Brentford today or Mitrovic's goal last night. Bamford doesn't score those type of goals, certainly not on a regular basis!
Bamford never gambles with a run into the box. He is as slow as a carthorse. His anticipation is zero and as a result our attacks on many ocassions lose their cutting edge.
Bielsa has a real job on his hands now Roberts and Kev will never start a game at this rate.
' "Football is about the people and the players,” he said. “Then there are those who will mingle in the middle: the coaches, executives and journalists. That last group represents the worst part about football" Marcelo Bielsa
John in Louisiana wrote: ↑Sat Feb 22, 2020 11:08 pm
MY grandparents were in London some 85 years ago and attended the London premier of one or another of the Marx Brothers' films. As usual, Margaret Dumont was playing the rich widow and Grouch was chasing her money.
At one point, Groucho gets up on tiptoes, leans over the and peers down the front of Dumont's dress and says, "Why there's gold in them thar hills!"
My grandparents cracked up, but they were the only ones in the theater (theatre) to do so. From behind, they heard a woman whisper to her husband, "They must be speaking pidgin English."
Margaret Dumont was the greatest "straight guy" ever because she never got the joke. An unwitting comic genius if you will.
"A mind is like a parachute, it doesn't work if it's not open"
Credit to Reading for actually trying to play football and come out and play.
Far to often they got a free run at the defence, didnt like that.
Also one player went off in KP, because of that MB decided to move 4 or 5 players around, not a fan of that and his lack of faith in anyone outside of the core group worries me.
Ben White had his best game at dm but that many changes could easily disrupt a team.
Costa and Harrison starting to find some form and Pablo showing that but of class he can won it in the end.
Irish Ian wrote: ↑Sat Feb 22, 2020 11:22 pm
Bamford never gambles with a run into the box. He is as slow as a carthorse. His anticipation is zero and as a result our attacks on many ocassions lose their cutting edge.
Bielsa has a real job on his hands now Roberts and Kev will never start a game at this rate.
Not sure I’d call him slow, as when he gets a head of steam up he can shift a fair bit. What he lacks is explosive acceleration, which is his real undoing given the game is played in such a small area. You need that instant acceleration to get away from opponents, and Bamford simply doesn’t have it.
rab_rant wrote: ↑Sun Feb 23, 2020 7:42 am
you don't need to kill teams off all you need to do is win 1-0
Sent from my SM-G903F using Tapatalk
Nope, you win the game, bring on the subs, rest the players needing a rest. Get some minutes into those needing minutes.
Either that or you leave yourself open to Swansea, Forest, Derby etc who have mugged us late in the game.
Our forwards need to get it together.
' "Football is about the people and the players,” he said. “Then there are those who will mingle in the middle: the coaches, executives and journalists. That last group represents the worst part about football" Marcelo Bielsa
Besides the goal keeper it seems that Bielsa chooses the bench to have
2 defenders Casey Douglas
2 midfielders Shackelton Alioski
2 attackers Roberts Augustin
That is the pecking order at the moment, and barring injury or suspensions it does not leave much room to squeeze in Poveda who looks destined to remain in the U23 team.
It was said he left Citeh because he was demoted from the first team. I wonder how he now feels about his role at Leeds?
Just sod's law for the lad that he arrives and we have no injuries that would shift him up the pecking order and give him his chance - however I am sure he is higher up on our pecking order than he would have been at City.
Cjay wrote: ↑Sat May 17, 2025 4:23 pm
I've pretended to support a team that's been crap for most of my life as part of a long term plan
Victor_Notts-17 wrote: ↑Mon Jun 01, 2026 7:03 pm
Did you post them because there's something wrong with your brain
rab_rant wrote:Besides the goal keeper it seems that Bielsa chooses the bench to have
2 defenders Casey Douglas
2 midfielders Shackelton Alioski
2 attackers Roberts Augustin
That is the pecking order at the moment, and barring injury or suspensions it does not leave much room to squeeze in Poveda who looks destined to remain in the U23 team.
It was said he left Citeh because he was demoted from the first team. I wonder how he now feels about his role at Leeds?
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And there lyes another problem , because if Bielsas insistence with the same 11 , of those subs 5 of them have very little game time all season. Yes they have had injuries but if they're fit they should be playing more than a few minutes each game. It is no good to anyone for then not to be playing more each game. IF Bielsa thinks he can do this in the PL he will be sadly out of his depth and a job in no time. He is getting by at the moment JUST ABOUT ! Only time will tell if it will work in this league but he seriously needs to change IF we go up.
Irish Ian wrote: ↑Sun Feb 23, 2020 8:59 am
Nope, you win the game, bring on the subs, rest the players needing a rest. Get some minutes into those needing minutes.
Either that or you leave yourself open to Swansea, Forest, Derby etc who have mugged us late in the game.
Our forwards need to get it together.
That is the conundrum though when we have a narrow lead, do you bring Bamford of and bring a fresh striker on who will hopefully get you a goal to secure the win. Noticeable that at 0-0 v Swansea Bamford was taken off and Nketiah brought on and similarly v Derby at 1-0 up. Against Cardiff we were 3-1 up when Nketiah was brought on for Bamford. I wasn't surprised that Bielsa decided against the striker change for the latter stages when we just had the 1-0 lead, yet Bielsa had made the Bamford change against Bristol City and 5 minutes later Wells had his great chance to equalise.
It shows just how a small change can backfire. You also have to look at the couple of matches when Bamford didn't start - 1 match we conceded 4 (v Birmingham) and the other match we were a shadow of ourselves until Nketiah was subbed at half time against WBA and we then bossed the second half.
Like it or not Bamford is integral to the system although it would be nice if he went on another scoring run.
Cjay wrote: ↑Sat May 17, 2025 4:23 pm
I've pretended to support a team that's been crap for most of my life as part of a long term plan
Victor_Notts-17 wrote: ↑Mon Jun 01, 2026 7:03 pm
Did you post them because there's something wrong with your brain
BGwhite wrote: ↑Sun Feb 23, 2020 10:22 am
And there lyes another problem , because if Bielsas insistence with the same 11 , of those subs 5 of them have very little game time all season. Yes they have had injuries but if they're fit they should be playing more than a few minutes each game. It is no good to anyone for then not to be playing more each game. IF Bielsa thinks he can do this in the PL he will be sadly out of his depth and a job in no time. He is getting by at the moment JUST ABOUT ! Only time will tell if it will work in this league but he seriously needs to change IF we go up.
Sent from my XT1032 using Tapatalk
Point is Bielsa has started with easily our best XI over the last three games.
Augustin & Poveda are obviously not ready
Those on the bench are inconsistent types as proven when they have started a game
weasel wrote: ↑Sun Feb 23, 2020 10:28 am
That is the conundrum though when we have a narrow lead, do you bring Bamford of and bring a fresh striker on who will hopefully get you a goal to secure the win. Noticeable that at 0-0 v Swansea Bamford was taken off and Nketiah brought on and similarly v Derby at 1-0 up. Against Cardiff we were 3-1 up when Nketiah was brought on for Bamford. I wasn't surprised that Bielsa decided against the striker change for the latter stages when we just had the 1-0 lead, yet Bielsa had made the Bamford change against Bristol City and 5 minutes later Wells had his great chance to equalise.
It shows just how a small change can backfire. You also have to look at the couple of matches when Bamford didn't start - 1 match we conceded 4 (v Birmingham) and the other match we were a shadow of ourselves until Nketiah was subbed at half time against WBA and we then bossed the second half.
Like it or not Bamford is integral to the system although it would be nice if he went on another scoring run.
Indeed Bamford won three defensive headers with Reading corners, I know he didn't hold up the ball as well as he generally does yesterday but if we take Paddy out of the team who is capable of playing this role?
Paddy frustrates me to hell in front of goal, I always have in my mind when he screws up that the likes of Wood, Beckford & Becchio who have played in the championship would have done so much better!
Irish Ian wrote: ↑Sun Feb 23, 2020 8:59 am
Nope, you win the game, bring on the subs, rest the players needing a rest. Get some minutes into those needing minutes.
Either that or you leave yourself open to Swansea, Forest, Derby etc who have mugged us late in the game.
Our forwards need to get it together.
We've brought on subs in previous games this season, lost our rhythm & screwed up!
I did the analysis with the Bamford/Nketiah substitution earlier in the season and it showed that When Eddie was on we improved the result 6 times and worsened the result 4 times and it gave us a net of plus 4 points - so whilst overall the results gave us a slight improvement it wasn't a huge margin and no guarantee that in some of those games that we wouldn't have improved the result had Bamford stayed on as Nketiah only actually scored 3 league goals so in the 6 occasions that the result improved 3 of those times wasn't because of Nketiah scoring. For all the plaudits Nketiah got he only managed 3 goals and at the point when he went back to Arsenal Bamford actually had a better goals per minute ratio.
As a team we scored every 45 minutes when Nketiah was on the pitch compared to once every 60 minutes when Bamford was on the pitch. The major difference though was the goals conceded as we conceded every 60 minutes when Nketiah was on the pitch compared to conceding just once every tow matches when Bamford played. Now obviously it was a small sample size and the 5-4 Birmingham win made a huge difference to both goals scored and conceded when Nketiah played but perhaps that game summed up the problem perfectly that Bielsa has. Does he tinker and hope that the rest of the team starts scoring again because the really noticeable thing from the Birmingham match was that 5 goals were scored but Nketiah didn't score.
If you took the Birmingham game out of the equation then we actually scored slightly more often as a team with Bamford on the pitch than with Nketiah on the pitch yet still conceded far more (1 per 80 minutes compared to 1 in 177 minutes with Bamford).
The main thing still is that we need goals from the team rather than just the striker. We have scored just 7 goals in the last 10 matches - 4 for the team, 2 for Bamford and 1 own goal. Even if Bamford had say scored at a rate of 1 per 2 matches it would still have taken our team tally up to just 10 goals in 10 matches.
Cjay wrote: ↑Sat May 17, 2025 4:23 pm
I've pretended to support a team that's been crap for most of my life as part of a long term plan
Victor_Notts-17 wrote: ↑Mon Jun 01, 2026 7:03 pm
Did you post them because there's something wrong with your brain
