Recent content by Plain Speaking

We are ranked 6th in the PL for goals from set pieces, Arsenal in first place have almost twice as many set piece goals. IMO we should be considering an upgrade? We should have the best coaches you can get. We had 18 corners last night and should have done much better with them. As regards...

I agree with most of what you say. However penalties are not 'just luck'. We didn't prepare properly and it came back to bite us. Onwards and upwards!

You are right he missed a small number of things that you have listed, but overall he wasn't too bad. We have had much worse. I don't think the ref was deliberately bad, or corrupt, he just couldn't notice everything. Remember Lahoz? He basically cheated us against Liverpool, disallowing a...

When you consider what's at stake, what was prepared for, practising penalties was clearly not enough, maybe you might expect the 8th and 9th penalty takers to be so unconvincing, but not the 2nd and 3rd ones! Surprised Rodri didn't step up? And with RM's inside knowledge of Kovacic, why was...

Ederson did save one today, and showed Bernardo and Kovacic how to score one under pressure ;-) Today it was mainly our penalty takers that let us down. There should be a dedicated set piece coach that gives this proper attention, it's amateurish not to prepare properly. RM clearly knew which...

The ref wasn't to blame mate, we have had much worse. Pep is a brilliant manager but a cant understand why him and his coaching staff don't prepare better for penalties. It's a big oversight imo.

Before penalties we played well and bossed the game. However we are incredibly unprofessional in our approach to penalties in general. Most of the team should be capable of putting a decent penalty out of the reach of the keeper. Fail to prepare, prepare to fail sadly...

It wasn't meant to be a dig at Walker. He tries to be a brave leader. As I was saying in my post I have been influenced and persuaded to play myself in an 'important cup game', when I should have rested. It's up to the medical staff to advise. A tweaked hamstring can easily go again, unless...

With respect to him he's not the brightest, and may enthusiastically volunteer to do something stupid. Sometimes player's need to be protected from themselves. As a keen young player I strapped up an injury for an "important cup game" and ended up totally rupturing it, to be out approximately 6...

Important we keep 11 men on the field. They will be looking to go down easily when through on goal to get the red card/penalty.

Hopefully this should be a link to Stefan's latest interview on FFP on Talksport:

It's not the juggling of the ball that will decide if he starts. A full out sprint against Vinicious might recur that hamstring, unless it's fully recovered. We did pretty well in the first game. I will be delighted if he has fully recovered but imo we shouldn't gamble if he's still got an...

Is there a link to rewatch the interview do you know? Keep up the good work!

I get RM would be a perfect game for him but imo if he's not fully recovered you should be saving him for the semi final/ final. Hamstrings can easily recur. We don't want him out for the season.

Our medical staff might need to protect Walker from himself and curb his enthusiasm to play again? We must be careful we don't bring him back too soon. Seeing Sinisterra on MoTD, carried off for Bournemouth today with a similar injury. He's had a whole month out with a minor hamstring injury...