Owen Beck has got it all. It’ll take something to unseat Andy Robertson, but Beck can play at a full level higher than this, no problem

Still think it’s not a relegation squad, but this was a very poor performance in the main and it’s concerning that so many out in that bad of a performance. A point would have flattered us. Players looked tired, but I’m not sure how they can be. ACD looked good, JRC is a valuable player when he’s on it, Pickering’s days with us should be numbered, as should Hyam’s. Sympathies with Carter who is not a natural, modern full back but struggled manfully, which can’t be said for a lot of the players today. Lots of work to do to recover, luckily there’s another meaningless international break to do so.

Don’t think we deserve to be behind, but it was a poor goal to concede and especially so after the couple of decent chances we hadn’t put away earlier. Letting them in has got their tails up and they’re in good form, but Whittaker aside (proper player that he is) I don’t think Plymouth have got anything we should be particularly scared of. As it is, they’re being allowed to play their chosen style and we don’t have much of a response. Mentality issue rearing its head early this season? Let’s hope it’s only a blip.

If there’s any team capable of losing to Plymouth, it’s us, but I honestly believe Rooney’s out of a job at Christmas. Most teams should be beating them handily. That journey from Sunderland is enormous, it will have come into play.

Played football myself this evening, as it was an obvious banana skin for the recent form. Coventry are a really bogey team for us. Sounds like the smart move, in the end. As someone who heavily doubted Eustace last year and has probably been proven wrong by now, I’d suggest that a rainy night in the abject shithole that is Coventry is probably prime for an off-night. Plymouth is a tough one with the travel but a big opportunity to batter a really poor team and manager to get back on track. One loss doesn’t make a meltdown, we all have off days, write it off and move on.

That’s a horrendous decision. Very fortunate

I generally skip past your posts as it is, so all good.

Nailed-on we get a red later. Ref didn’t look like he wanted to give that, fully expect him to “even it out” later. Some weird refereeing in our games at the minute.

Very probable that in line with his mantra of “you earn the shirt you keep the shirt” which he has been hammering in club media, that he simply can’t take the shirt off Yuki or he’d undermine that principle. Not saying that Yuki doesn’t deserve the shirt, just commenting - and all that’s been commented on at any point - is the fact that we’ve been punting it up to 5’11” Yuki when we’ve got 6’4” Gueye in the bench. So far, that’s had no results. If we are capable of getting the ball out of defence and play the ball to feet up top, I’m fine with Yuki starting. We weren’t doing that. Again, either being wilfully obtuse because you had a weak premise of an argument or your entire focus is “who has scored more goals” which is also fine but entirely reasonable to disagree with as the only metric. Either way, it’s tedious and we’ve created the square root of fuck all so far, so has the tactic been vindicated yet?

Really good tackle to be fair!

Excellent point, well made, as ever.

Gueye has 5 goal involvements in 7 (should be six, his ball to JRC against Derby didn’t count due to a minor deflection) and Yuki has 6 goal involvements in 8. The argument here is that Gueye has a physical presence up top that Yuki doesn’t. That’s more useful in earlier stages of a game where we’re being pressed higher and having to go long from Pears. You’re either being wilfully obtuse or you’re not very informed on this, both are fine, but they undermine your argument entirely.

Yeah, exactly. Yuki is an excellent sub option for the final 30, when the game’s likely to be more stretched and balls are coming to feet. Pears punting it up to Yuki while we’re being pressed isn’t an effective tactic.

Would appreciate insight into the tone of the meeting. Seemed from the minutes like it was quite confrontational, but I’m conscious of a bias against those running the club currently. They’re either utterly daft or disingenuous, with some of the things they’re saying. I don’t think the daft stay in situ for as long as SP and SW have done, so I know where my money is.

Can see where the Saka comparisons come from, albeit a level or two off. Looks promising! Really great day for it, enjoy your afternoons in the sunshine, days like these are worth celebrating!

10/10 for Eustace, today.

Excellent performance from Ohashi but some crucial and heroic defending earlier to each goal really makes a difference and gives the platform for Yuki. Very pleasing stuff

Magic finish. What a signing he’s been so far

Not too bad a half. Bristol a bit out of sorts, we are looking alright generally. A few trying a bit “too” hard, which isn’t so much a criticism as it is a comment on things not quite pulling off. Beck, Carter and Travis having good games, Dolan very active and playing a bit simpler today, but not quite in it. Think Ohashi one that’s guilty of trying a bit too hard, perhaps needs to let the game come to him second half. Overall: pleased.

Parker’s done well in the Championship, but with extremely well-put-together squads and money. Looks like the American Experiment they’ve been under has hit a wobble and the thing about Americans is they hate losing to the point of error. If there’s even a remote hint of conflict over there, it could boil over into a real mess and I don’t think their fans are quite hip to that. It’s not going to be the mega-money Kompany team and I think there are a lot of players in that team that wanted out on Friday. Delusional is the correct term. I think they believe they’ll walk this league and I also think it’s not going to work out like that. Ideally, they have a December meltdown and get humbled at Ewood. Cantwell gelled into that team with rotation and refinement of process, I think they could get their arses handed to them.

If the job’s too hard for them, maybe they shouldn’t be doing it. I think the profile of individual in officiating is so mismatched to the task. Pencil pusher drips. There should be outreach for more former professionals to be doing it or for a much better profile to be developed. Today, the ref was the same one who bottled giving Bournemouth a penalty against United last season. Just a weak character. The opposite of what you need in a high-stakes game like today was.

Agreed. He’s definitely not worth the kind of money that he reckons he is. Did anyone come in for him this summer? A year left on the deal and nobody came in? He needs to knuckle down and deliver this season.

We’ve really dug in since the red card, encouraging to see.

The unfortunate truth underpinning the minutiae of this match is that - as a team - we are not playing well. Not handling the occasion, touches are poor in the key moments, bad decision making. Dangerous number of yellows. A little more fight than last time, but we look petrified.

Fully agree