It's really incredible how Bennett manages to give away free kicks and penalties in dangerous positions every single game

Just the sound from the stadium makes it feel like all the momentum has changed

So.... normal service of one decent half and one crap?

Tbh Bennett has function really well at setting first press from central midfield Edit: and Corry Evans with dinks now

Rothwell and Armstrong randomly going full sprint into press can be effective

Leading after 30 seconds though Edit: typo

PNE defence is in tatters here

Even if Bell is inconsistent I still feel more confertable having a left-footer on left back

From recent form I'm almost dreading the second half performance....

?

Bennett should stop tackling....

Looks like Dack is playing a bit further back. Evans as anchor and Bennett and Dack central?

If you have several leaders you can afford to carry "weaker" members in the squad. Without enough leaders, you're more liable to collapses I reckon

Has Ethan Horvath at Club Brugge been relegated to reserve keepr after Mignolet went there? He was quite highly thought of at a time wasn't he? First language english, fairly young

I've never understood the general fear of losing a match. Most managers bang on about "keeping the points rolling" or "staying unbeaten". Has noone told them that it's 3 points for a win and 1 point for a draw? It's easy maths! If you play two matches and draw both of them you are unbeaten in 2, but you're one point worse off than if you lose one of them and win one of them. In 46 matches, 23 losses and 23 wins is top 10 form, 46 draws is relegation form. Surely it's better to always go for 3 points?

In my opinion "captain" as a thing is largely redundant as a concept. If it was like in Rugby where the ref actually exclusively talked to the two captains with their concerns, then it would have a function. And then I would really give the armband to the best diplomat, and not "the most inspiring individual". A team of 11 professional should not rely on one individual for morale, inspiration and graft. Admittedly some players with leadership qualities would be a good thing, but for that to inspire 11 players you really need more than one player with such qualities, and preferably spread around the pitch. Having one player, in one position on the pitch as a talisman is outdated. Think back to the squad winning the league cup for example. Berg was captain, a good leader for sure, but he had a company of Friedel, Mark Hughes, Craig Short, Garry Flitcroft and Tugay. I suppose Bjørnebye and Andy Cole to some degree also could play that role. Similarly the squad finishing 7th under Hughes: Friedel, Samba, Tugay, Nelsen, Mokoena, Zurab, Ooijer. Now I can only think of Lenihan, Graham, Johnson (not really sure) and Travis as leader types. Lenihan and Travis more as future leader types than current tbh. Downing possibly as a professional to follow, but he seems less of a vocal type.

wth? the ref just spent 45 seconds giving a free kick, and then doesn't add it on to the injury time?

Surely the striker should lurk along the last defender, and not 15 yards back? That kind of crosses is how Man City do it, all be it 10 x better. De Bruyne is a master of early low crosses behind the last defender. Aguero the master at sneaking ahead of those defenders

It's exactly how you should cross. Nightmare for the defence who needs to backtrack

That was actually a good cross. Just Gallagher sleeping, no, hibernating...

I like the throw in routines. Creating space for one player to have time to control the ball

Took 88 minutes to get some urgency...

subs also invisible so far

I'm pretty sure I saw him play in a televised European Cup qualification or pre season friendly match once back in the day. Him playing central midfield for a welsh team (Barry Town maybe?) against a big hitter (thought it was Real Madrid, but can't find any info about it, so guess that must be wrong). Don't recall much about it, other than he shot a mindboggling freekick from 35-40 yards that hit the root of the post (or just outside the post). Tremendous power on the shot. I knew his name because of earlier games of Football Manager (Championship Manager really). Maybe all this was a dream though, as it seems far fetched, and I can't find info that totally matches my recollection. Maybe it was the match they won against Porto in 2001/2002. At least a Luke Staton started that match (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/wales/1467218.stm).

Well.... that was a pedestrian first half...