Bethnal

Yeah, you’re right here. The problem we had was compounded by an effective and high press, so there were very few out balls at any point. Lots of passing around the back, then stretching the play before being pressed and losing the battles. The diagonals weren’t plausible for us because there was no height and little accuracy in the first place so nothing came off. . Ben’s tall-ish but not that aerial. Szmodics, Dolan and Vale cannot do anything aerially. I’m not sure if Vale can do much at all at this level, which is a shame. As a result we did play into their hands, lost the ball a lot in the middle and we’re constantly playing catch-up.

Pretty much exactly what you want to hear from him in this position.

Honest assessment with time to digest how shit we were in that final ten minutes: beaten in midfield, two on their three was never gonna go. major mistakes in starting Vale and Dolan, I don’t think we’ll see that again for a while, although you can forgive it based on how knackered players will have been. Trav worked very hard but was fighting a losing battle. Same goes for Ayala and it could have been far worse without him. Phillips isn’t the second coming, as it happens. If we’ve been sussed in the fourth game by Paul ‘Shoot’ Ince then we’re gonna need quite a few plans. It’s a learning experience and it gives JDT a lot of leverage in terms of getting Broughton to hurry up with signings. Not one to place blame with him as yet but if he doesn’t close deals this week, I will wonder what exactly he’s currently up to. A shocker, abject, embarrassing to some extent, but not by any stretch the end of the world. It only matters what we do on Saturday as a response.

Game over. We’ve offered nowt. Limit the damage, bollock them, learn the lessons, move on.

Absolutely MIA for the set pieces, which is unforgivable in a side that lacks height as this one does. As a centre back, you have to be a magnet for balls in the box.

If the Spurs DoF is watching, I don’t think he’ll be impressed by Phillips at all. Looks way off a starter level. Paul Ince has correctly identified that Reading can bully us and they’ve done that so well, you have to give credit to unsettling us and getting their supporters onside and behind them. We have to hope they’ve blown themselves out and come out second half with their foot off the gas, having to rely on their youth subs. Can’t be playing out from the back as we have, it’s not working. Pen them in and make them play long. Pepper their dodgy keeper. Vale off and immediately out on loan. I’d wait five or ten for any more changes.

This is an absolute travesty. We should be at least two down. Reading look like they have an answer for everything.

We ought to be keeping this kind of thing Privet.

Don’t ruin it!

Would love to share your optimism and I genuinely hope you’re right.

Gut says both will be gone quite soon, despite Lancs Live reports on Phillips. It’ll be a big shame if they go before 27th August that they don’t get an Ewood farewell.

I’d assume news of Spurs sealing Phillips means personal terms are agreed and the small matter of how much they can get away with paying for him is the only hurdle. It’s a done deal, basically. If he does leave, he’ll be straight into development squad and it’ll be a long slog to get out of that and into the first team. Eyes will be off him and I think he’ll cycle through his deal. He could end up doing well via L1 or Championship loans but would need to either smash a Premiership loan spell or leave to progress. Can’t really argue against money and the various additional perks clubs of Spurs’ level can provide (accommodation for him and family, car, various other furnishings) if they really want a youth player. Agent will be looking to increase the base salary value of their player, which is roughly their job. It’s not ideal but it’s how everything works. Premier League is essentially its own Super League now. No downwards solidarity payments of any note and rampant opportunism on youth players that become profit centres in their own right.

£15m is a good fee, but I don’t think they’ll let him go for that, even as all-cash. I think it will likely have to be £20m + add-ons. And honestly, fair enough. I appreciate the contract aspect weakens a negotiating position, but if someone wants to buy your absolute best asset from you and you can still make use of it, possibly to your enormous benefit, you keep the asset until your price is met. Especially so if you aren’t desperate for cash, which we apparently aren’t. It’s impossible to negotiate with someone who doesn’t want to negotiate, believe me I’ve tried. If you want something and they won’t negotiate, you either pay their price or you make do elsewhere. Too much cash in football to be getting shafted on our best asset, he’s easily a £20m player, even on less than a 12-month deal.

Hope the recovery work today has been effective, although if they had a day off after the effort yesterday, I wouldn’t begrudge them. A week’s rest and I’d be expecting a cricket score against Reading, but it’s tough work busting a gut in heat like that then doing another 90 minutes 75 hours later. If the next two are draws, I wouldn’t be too disappointed.

Yeah, I’d think maybe DC United, though. More of a pal of “Wazza.” Sad story, really, but he’s probably done at any seriously competitive level. Maybe Italy, but even that seems a push.

My feed’s gone?

Fortunate to be ahead, but we’ll take it. Teams have identified Pickering as the weak link. Hasn’t stopped a cross all game. Need genuine cover there or to try Tayo longer term. Ash Phillips looks distracted to me. Lot of adrenaline at play, I guess, but hopeful half time calms him a bit. We can comfortably play on the break in the second half. One more is a heavy wound, a third is fatal, just like Swansea.

Anyone else’s stream skipping and glitching? (I know it’s early, but I usually have it on while I potter about)

Basically far too early to go off anything at all, so the below is conjecture, but I’ll have a go anyway… I think Bruce is done at this level and I’m optimistic that JDT’s focus on adaptability and planning will find Bruce wanting. Bruce just feels like a bit of a dinosaur Part of me expects a cagey opening, with them trying to keep hold of the ball, trying to sow a bit of unrest among the fans. Another part of me expects us to fly out of the traps and hit them early. It’s the fact that either is possible - and difficult to predict - that is encouraging. If we carry confidence into this and the crowd can help the team along, I see us winning 2/3-0. Bit of misfortune or lapses in concentration and we may struggle to a draw.

Bizarre watching Burnley, I’ll admit I haven’t caught anything live before now. The press has been poor, especially against ten. They’re unfortunate with one or two chances, but on what I saw, they didn’t deserve anything. Think Kompany is another one of those managers with ideas above his players’ stations.

Purely going off what I’d seen online and comparison with the Morton delay. Conjecture to judge how thin they view themselves at CB.

Joel Matip is apparently an injury doubt for Liverpool, so you’d imagine they may end up delaying this move.

“We could be men with Ven”

I don’t want to say this (or for it to happen) but the thought just occurred to me… BBD to ManUre? They’re apparently looking all over the shop. As a wide forward he might not exactly fit what they’re looking for, but it’s just crazy enough to fit into their basket case logic.

Having slept on it, the Martin comments just become funny. At a very basic level, our team was much more capable of executing our tactic than his team was capable of executing theirs. He’s asking players that aren’t at the requisite level to play a style that tends to work best for the top-end clubs, because I think he’s more interested in increasing his profile than actually delivering anything. Genuinely deluded to think that because he likes watching City, Pep’s Barcelona and Spain, that he can plan, execute and deliver the same thing in South Wales and I suppose 15th last season and losing your first home game 3-0 this season is testament to that. Good luck to him, I suspect he’ll need it.