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Admiral Nelsen

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Everything posted by Admiral Nelsen

  1. Definitely - but it was a fair criticism that as a team, we were letting in far too many soft goals from crosses. You couldn't put all of that at Raya's door, obviously, but it was definitely an aspect of the game that he needed to work on. We didn't get enough money for him though, and replacing him with Walton for a season was a poor bit of business.
  2. I'm fairly sure we do have a pretty decent sell on, actually. I forget how much exactly, but not a trivial %. Even with a year left on his contract I can't see him going for less than £20 million in the mad world which is modern football, so I'd say we'd be in line for a couple of million most likely.
  3. I hope that your original team is at least slightly off, in that I really don't want to see Brereton starting. First XI players elsewhere by all means, but he's the player (with Ayala for different reasons) I'd wrap in cotton wool. I hope you're right about Dack playing though. I know you shouldn't push your luck with players who are coming back from such bad injuries, but equally he's needs consecutive games to have a chance of getting back to the level that he was once capable of.
  4. Sadly, I don't think we've got a chance of that happening. He's not starting, but he tends to come off the bench plenty, so they won't be letting him go unless they bring in other options first, I imagine. Even if they do, it'll probably be to whoever can stump up the most wages, so I think a few other Championship clubs will be in front of us in the queue. This is all before whether Armstrong himself would be open to coming back.
  5. Must admit that my view of JCH was pretty heavily influenced by his record at the start of last season. There was a decent spell where he couldn't hit a barn door, so ending up with double figures in a relegated team is not a bad return at all, and surprised me a bit. I still wouldn't advocate him as a BBD replacement though.
  6. I think C is the clincher. Were we looking nailed on to finish midtable, there's still a decent case to sell even if most of the money just goes towards the balance sheet. As it is, we're probably about 8 wins or so (with a few draws thrown in) away from securing a play off spot, and you just can't see us getting that without Brereton.
  7. Probably best for all parties. I'm sure there's a player there which is much, much better than what he's shown so far, but how can we justify giving him the run of games that he probably needs based on his performances so far?
  8. Very close to the team that I would play, but I'd have Dolan in one way or another. Still a fair distance from the finished article, but he's been quietly productive when on the pitch this season. Deserves to play in games like this one.
  9. I remember Wigan fans singing his praises before we played them away this season. Apparently he absolutely ruined them at Fratton Park when they played their last season. No doubt that he has badly disappointed this season, but I still suspect that there's a decent player there that will show some ability at some point. I just doubt that it will be with us this season.
  10. I wouldn't mind Edun playing. Pickering has a tendency to pick up injuries and we're stretched at full back as it is. Garrett too did okay against Sunderland too, so I'd be happy enough with him getting some gametime. Maybe not starting given the amount of competition we have in midfield.
  11. I wouldn't be against bringing in another CM, but whoever it is would need to be some player if it was to be worthwhile We're already in a position where a player like Buckley or Adam Wharton aren't even getting on the bench when everyone's fit. All of our options there have their weakness, but I think that's pretty par for the course at this level.
  12. I wouldn't advocate going into our shell, but I think a back three (which needs to include Walker) could be a good option for this one to be fair. Goes some way to neutralise their strengths and our weaknesses. Deny Mbappe the space he really wants, put another lightning quick defender on his side. Invites us to try and get the ball from back to front a bit quicker with space for maybe Rashford to exploit. Their defence, and to a lesser extent their midfield doesn't worry me, but then again they'll be saying the same about us. I think what you said a couple of pages back about this being a game that we'll win 2/5 times is about right for me. Really it's a shame that this is a quarter final, as you could argue we're the best two teams left in the tournament.
  13. I think he's really effective on the ball. He just looks like he shouldn't be! He creates a hatful and rarely gives the ball away. My point is that he's always been a bit inelegant and relies more on clever movement than pace, so I think we're seeing Harry Kane being Harry Kane rather than England picking an unfit player.
  14. Difficult one this - I think some players become so associated as the 'good' player for a non-elite team, that they eventually become in danger of being overrated in a strange sort of way. I'd put Okocha in that category. Obviously brilliant, but people knew it. And he probably got the disproportionate amount of the credit for what was a generally very strong Bolton side. As much as I loved MGP, he was similar in that he was a quality match of the day player whereas some of our others went under the radar. Dembele is a great shout. Fabulous player.
  15. Tongue slightly in cheek, doesn't he always look a bit like that? He's an amazingly productive player, but he's always looked a bit clumsy and untidy on the ball, even though the end product of his passing is top drawer. He's never really had pace either. So far to me he's just looked like typical Harry Kane.
  16. I don't think a team containing Bale, Ramsey and Allen have the legs to press us like the US did. They'll be well up for it, but we should have too much. Wouldn't have started Rashford. I rate him and I'm glad he has rediscovered some form, but I feel he only really warrants his place against teams who will give him space to run in behind.
  17. He was indeed free. We signed a load of players around that time for less than a million (the Axe, Zurab, Samba) but I think Nelsen was a bosman. An amazing free - but not quite in the Brad category for me (Moran was slightly before my time). Also played a massive role in NZ going unbeaten during a World Cup campaign in a group that included Italy. I remember Sky used to do player ratings around that time, but basically never awarded 10s. When the Kiwis drew with Italy, they gave Nelsen a 10 with the one-word caption, "Heroic".
  18. Cause and effect - foreign managers aren't going to be winning the World Cup if the best teams have only ever employed managers from their own country!
  19. I can get that if the idea is to keep him fresh for the latter stages. Otherwise... That said, I think we'll convincingly beat Wales tomorrow. Their important players can't put in a physical performance like the US could on Saturday. The World Cup has just come a couple of years too late for a lot of that squad.
  20. Agree that those two are the ones with 'unblotted' copy books so far. I still think the the tournament is wide open though. No team stands out to the degree that Spain did around 10 years ago, for instance. Or even France last time for that matter. Randomness and taking your chances are seriously underrated factors in knockout football, so I'd still give all the teams you mention a better than fighting chance (possibly not Belgium after today).
  21. Very close to my view. I really like the off the pitch stuff that Southgate has done to change the feeling around England. He seems to deal with the players very well, says the right things, etc. But - and it's a massive but - there's very little evidence that he has the tactical nous to get the most out of the talented squad available to him, or that he can react when things start going against us. His record in tournaments is far more chequered than some admit. We lost three games in 2018, and were taken to pens by Colombia. Flat track bullies in one of the most fortunate runs to a WC semi that you will ever see. He deserves more credit for 2020, but there too I really believe a different manager makes us more likely to beat Italy before pens.
  22. Spain look handy, but then again they have the potential to be flat track bullies with their style of play. Their game against Germany looks like it should be a humdinger now. Even a draw might effectively knock the Germans out if Japan win well against Costa Rica.
  23. 100 percent. They were a hair's whisker away from knocking out Belgium in 2018. You'd obviously back the Germans against them more often than not, but it nothing like the same as yesterday.
  24. The VAR decision genuinely took the shine off what was an excellent performance for me. Obviously 6-1 bs 6-2 doesn't make much difference, but is this what we can expect as the tournament progresses? If those sorts of calls are going to be made in the knock out stage you might as well award the World Cup by drawing lots.
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