Analysis & Ratings

Good morning.

Difficult to know quite how to approach this.  I can’t even fake incredulity over a season that was such a joy that has turned into, well …an ingrowing toenail. 

The soundtrack to the build up of the game itself wasn’t so much the cheery humming of Chas & Dave, more Arry making a series of backhanded confessions about his frankly unforgivable behaviour.

He admitted that Levy & Co. plus others at the club thought he had been distracted by the England business. A backhanded way of acknowledging many of us want to kill him for abandoning us. He told the Independent that he hadn’t got it because he was too outspoken. A backhanded confession he has a mouth approximately 2437 times larger than his brain. 

Trawling through Arry’s post match comments since Fabio resigned and the singular theme that has emerged is the one of ‘luck’. Luck has conspired against us. We were ‘unlucky’. We ‘battered’ ’em yet just didn’t get ‘the break’. 

Now don’t get me wrong. I can understand when at the fun fair you chuck a ball at a coconut and miss. Bad luck! But to wheel out the absence of a rabbit’s foot, the fact that you forgot to throw salt over your shoulder whilst wearing lucky pants whilst reciting the Lord’s Prayer backwards after a dozen games doesn’t stack up.

The saddest thing is watching our cracking squad being mismanaged by a dithering, deceitful and demented Pearly King with a button eating disorder. 

Walker is now our free kick specialist, right winger and occasional right back. 

On Danny Rose, he’s thick, for sure, but far from the villain in of the piece. Those that Tweeted abuse at him ought wind it in. There has to be line drawn between letting off steam online and what you say and do in real life. I don’t go to games and boo. I go to scream, sing (after a fashion) and shout the lads on. 

And on this subject. Will those of you with such a huge hole in your lives that feel the urge to try and police what people type online …kindly naff off? You’re holier than thou garbage is giving the rest of us who are balanced and normal a headache.

‘Patience!’ ‘Get behind the team!’ ‘This is the best we’ve done in 47 years!’ If you genuinely want to release these upbeat emotions, then buy a bloody ticket and spare the rest of us the religious zealot spiel. Nobody who enjoys free thought is with you. We don’t need policing.

The game was predictable enough fare. At one stage we counter attacked, yes counter attacked to find seven Villans in their penalty area …not including Given.

Tactically Arry screwed up yet again. In a nutshell he waited forever after Rose was sent off and then when we desperately needed a goal, he brought on Scotty Parker. Three at the back was the answer, but he’s too obstinate to even consider it.

The Fulham game could well turn out to be the Tea Time of The Long Knives.

 5.009 Shocking goal. He didn’t even move. 

 4.000 Guilty of being too gormless to wear the shirt. 

 6.999 He’s largely just what the Dr. ordered.

 6.876 Took his goal well, otherwise a commanding shift.

 4.003 Good at running, but also frequently outwitted by sheep. 

 7.234 Does the job of four men every game.

 6. 564 A bit wasteful, a bit not quite at the races, 

 7.001 Better, not worth £40m yet but looking sharper.

 6.345 If you stayed on the left son, you’d achieve much more.

 7.145 He’d do a lot better with Kyle and Bale playing in position.

 7.212 His first touch is routinely iffy. Come on Ade, sort it out!

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