Hazbro

Got to see him (much older ofc) at Dennis Bergkamp’s testimonial.

Also got to see Thierry’s forever hero in that game, Marco van Basten.

And of course Philippe wrote the seminal work on Thierry’s career, who was my forever hero.

Funny how that all ties together.

Fine with it? He’d fucking love it.

Hurzeler’s full of shit (we average 44 seconds on corners, and Brighton only average 7 seconds less, the hypocritical cunt) and is almost as big a knob as the crook who owns the club, whose nickname on the poker circuit is apropos, the slimy git.

Them. Absolutely them. Fuck Chelsea.

Tbf Palace have always been a bit of a second team for me, think it’s bc of Wrighty tbh.

Especially when us doing so isn’t costing us anything whereas they basically threw away Champions League football to do it.

I definitely wouldn’t mind being mathematically champions for that West Ham game late in the season…

Imagine we drop points in a dead rubber game for us that also sees Spurs relegated…

Spurs are in HUGE trouble if they don’t beat Palace now. 1 point off the others, still have to play Forest, who will fancy their chances of getting a result there, and West Ham have winnable games.

Imagine if they get to our game with us already mathematically champions?

Hilarity ensues.

I cannot see them beating us. Just can’t. Pep doesn’t see it either or he wouldn’t have gone 10 men behind the ball so quick against us. They were 1-0 up, gifted to them, and he doesn’t push for a second or to make them stronger on the break. He chickens out bc Mikel has him beat mentally.

Think that one is actually our most winnable. City can’t beat us. We saw that the Emirates. Get an early goal gifted to them by a defensive error then go 10 men behind the ball to defend it bc Pep knows Mikel has his number head-to-head. Can’t see us losing to them.

Think we go there and win actually, have all along. It’s the “lesser” games that worry me more bc I maintain the only team that stops us is us.

MLS’s future is in midfield, either with us or someone else.

Think they could drop more than that to be honest, if you’re including our game bc I’ve always thought we’re gonna go there and win, been one of the most confident predictions I’ve made all season. They don’t scare me 1-on-1. At the Emirates we battered them and they turtled like cowards.

Monumental but I wouldn’t say that with a 7 point gap and City still have nine games. But if we can keep this going to Etihad? Then we can look back and call this night monumental. Being able to go there knowing even losing wouldn’t be fatal? Monumental.

HUGE night.

I like Hincapie and definitely see why we might want him, especially if we want to try Eze on the left again (bc then you need the overlapper and hopefully Eze provides some of that chaos you miss without Cala) but a fit Cala is an amazing player.

Agreed, I do think we miss some of his chaos energy when he drifts into those central pockets, the half space position he tends to take up.

Yeah, I don’t mind Norgaard coming on after an hour if we’re ahead tbh.

West Ham are shite. It’ll have the fire of a derby but there’s a reason they’re down there and Brighton aren’t.

Everton and Bournemouth are tough opponents, but it’s at home. Look at Brentford at home (comfortable win even if people didn’t think it was) v away (hard fought draw). Sunderland too.

Depending on how we do in the first leg we may even be able to rest one of them for the second leg at home against Leverkusen. Norgaard’s featured considerably more in Europe than domestically.

Pretty happy with the lineup. May have gone Cala for Hincapie, just based on his relationship with Martinelli, but other than that I think this is the right team.

I’m seeing a lot of people wanting us to rest Rice or Zubi and I don’t get it. They won’t play at the weekend so they’ll get rest.

Can’t rest them for this. This is our second hardest league fixture left (bar City away) and the others don’t even come close.

Not sure we have any choice. Can’t take Brighton away lightly. We’ve got better games to rest them for coming up.

Of course not…

Because that would make him a cunt…

Oh wait. Nvm.

That’s true, I’d forgotten the ban would apply to the cup games. Still, 5 should be a minimum really, managers have gotten 8 games for far less serious comments. Doubt he’ll get that many though. Watch it be 3 or a fine.

Trossard played centrally most of his career? That’s incorrect. He’s played more games wide than centrally in his career. Nelli is at his best centrally very *late* in moves, but that’s different to build up. I didn’t say it was mutually inclusive. I said they were signed to complement each other.

lol, that’s fair. I like the position Leo takes up, he’s a very smart footballer in general, but I think his passing has developed the way it has bc of him usually playing wide and it’s a struggle for him to adapt to central areas needing a different approach. He does it ok, but Eze would be better.

I also add in the timing of when he was bought. He was bought when Havertz was out. Now that left us just Gyokeres and Merino as CF options with the only other player who had played there for us before being Leo. Imho the idea for Eze was to allow for Leo to be used as a false 9, if required.

Final ball is the issue with the drifting for me and has been ever since he’s started doing it. He takes up great positions, but the ball is poor. He has a tendency to fire in his passes whereas someone like Eze probably gets proper weight on them.