roversfan99

In less than 2 weeks so we better get our skates on if we are to get key players tied down and sign 90% of our squad by then!

It isnt interesting that he hasnt been offered a contract here. Like with numerous other players here, its infuriating. Hes not staying.

One line that people might say is that Dolan was offered a deal was it 18 months-2 years ago. Yes, he may have been. But not a serious one that he has accepted and hes had 2 more seasons since so his justified demands can go up so why havent we bothered to offer him anything since.

Yes he has made mistakes like anyone. No one is saying he shouldnt make mistakes. The issue is how many mistakes he makes.

All keepers make mistakes, all players make mistakes, its always been the quantity with Pears thats been the issue. The last sentence is the sort of lazy shite youd expect Gestede to come out with.

I still think that we can't be sure that Toth is the answer for a similar reason. We had 2 spells, the biggest one under Eustace but also one under Ismael where our defence was so strong that the goalkeeper at the time barely had anything to do.

You put yourself into a position for an easier tie in the last 16 by winning the group, or at least to expect an easier tie. But beyond that you dont.

So why is a player who has just got into the team of the season in the Dutch League and has European football to look forward to, being "offered" to us? Bollocks.

Based on my eyes. I dont think he is a more than decent keeper for a mid table club bringing in above £1m personally. Although theres been a massive overreaction to a kit launch (1 of 3) that had was it 5 or 6 of the squad in it. Means nothing.

We still havent offered him a contract? Wow.

Im sure theres a player who has just been relegated somewhere in Europe that Rudy can snap up on half the wages.

I would actively prefer to have a run as easy as is possible, as you said. Obviously how good any team is, thats totally subjective. In my opinion, the majority of the games we have faced have been favourable, certainly to relative to the stage of the tournament. Compare to the quarter finals we faced under Sven. Southgate regularly showed he could beat teams I personally would consider not to be top level teams. Those teams were the underdogs against us but not without some good players between them, to regularly be able to beat them earns him great credit nonetheless. When we did face a better team, we tended to fall short.

The 2018 team was certainly well below the quality in the squad of the following 3 tournaments. It was arguably Southgate's most impressive work as the first tournament after the disaster at Euro 2016 and it felt like a team playing at greater than the sum of its parts, with the main threat coming from set pieces. But the last 3 tournaments have been built on a base of proven defensive players. Walker and Stones won endless trophies and played huge roles in that, now Walker has lost the pace that was his strength and Stones has had a couple of years of constant injuries and is unlikely to play much next season. Shaw was another important player who is now finished at the highest level. You go from a solid, proven top level defence to a bunch of players who you might say "hes ok" or "he could be really good in x a couple of years" and its a huge drop off. We have lots of really good attackers but they pretty much exclusively want to play in the same position. Bellingham, Palmer, Eze, Gibbs-White, Foden etc. If you squeeze more than 1 in youve got square pegs in round holes. Kane also is clearly physically declining, also wants to come deep and often hindered us at the last Euros. He will still score but as time goes on and he becomes less physically capable, he might become an undroppable burden like Ronaldo is for Portugal at times.

Theyve numerous kits to promote. The likes of Tronstad, Hyam, Carter, Cantwell etc are also missing. Maybe theyll promoted the away kit. Also, no way is anyone paying that for him even if he does go.

Doesnt mean that the decision was correct. I mentioned before about a growing trend of data nerds overruling managers who actually know what intangibles are requires to build successful teams. Xg and the rest of it wont factor that in. I know you will say "but thats how football is now" but I am questioning whether its always a good thing. Wilder is a bell end. I dont get why you are so personally invested in Cleverley to the point where you angrily wish teams that sack him to be relegated and hope he does well at his new club rather than share the ambivalence that everyone else will have.

He was nowhere near the standard, that was evident when he did play. (To all but rigger who will be expecting Dolan to be playing in the Conference next season)

Im talking about from the quarters onwards. Before that, winning your group is a big factor that is in your control. A quarter final against Sweden and a semi final against Croatia. A quarter final of Ukraine, a semi final against Denmark and a final against Italy. A quarter final against Switzerland and a semi final against Holland. The exception was a quarter final against France. Overall, they are runs to the final through no control of our own that we would have absolutely taken before the draw was made. One thing I keep saying is you can be fortunate with the uncontrollables ie the fixtures but also still consider it an achievement. I said that Southgate did well and has a good tournament record, consistently beating decent/good but not great teams in knockout football is still impressive. But as soon as you mention the word luck, it seems to touch a nerve and people see it as an attempt to totally discredit anything that Southgate has done. The whole point stems from comparing different managers. Sven underachieved, Southgate didnt, but you arent comparing like for like when we had quarter finals against Brazil and Portugal x 2 under him.

Merely surprised that a manager who got 92 points in 46 games has been sacked but disgusted and wishing relegation upon a team that sacked a manager who oversaw the worst second half of a season in the whole division.

So we went for a player who isnt interested in a move to the Championship and bid 40% of his asking price? Yep, sounds about right.

a) determined by results that we didnt control! You take the Millwall comparison that was pointed out. It was results that led to them playing lower league opposition all the way to the FA cup final. Whether the draw was pre determined is irrelevant. b) you asked me earlier if it applies both ways and I literally said that Germany in the last 16 after winning our group and also France as early as the quarters were both examples of bad luck.

We do love joining a race. We dont win them when they are a race.

Either way though, it was totally out of England's control. So if England get weaker opposition as a result of games in which they had no bearing on, then it is fortunate. Your problem is your seeing them as mutually exclusive. His tournament record can be good AND he could have had lots of luck in terms of fixtures, simultaneously. I have said his record was good and he still deserves credit for getting as far as he did and beating who he did beat even if most of the time he was favourite (at times considerably) to do so.

Its not about whether we won or lost, but the standard of opposition relevant to the stage of the tournament. Playing France in a quarter final was bad luck. Playing Germany in the last 16 considering we presumably won the group was bad luck. All of the other knockout games I would consider to be favourable draws.

Seems like Wilder is losing a battle that many managers do where it is deemed that data nerds are better positioned to build a squad over someone who has managed football teams for a number of years. Obviously a manager shouldnt select every player but obsessing over data obviously discards the important intangibles needed in building a football club. If it gets the knobhead that is Chris Wildwr out of football for a bit though then im all for it.

He really is covering all bases with that story.