As i said it's semantics. Every team cuts their cloth accordingly when they're relegated. We reduced spending after the largest outlay in our history....who'd have thought it? We continued spending under Southgate and Strachan. We stopped spending anything of note and started cutting our cloth accordingly under Mowbray. Mowbray balanced the books not Strachan or Southgate.

 

It's really not semantics.  You're talking about something that didn't happen and I'm talking about something that did.  Mowbray didn't balance the books any point.  Do you even know what that means?

I believe Mr Slaven made the point that by not bringing in another forward should we have an injury we would be woefully short up front, and that has now come home to roost, lets hope we can keep Paddy and Britt fit for the rest of the season, poor again from us not replacing Braithwaite.

 

TBF, we did try to sign a striker and were very close to. Fulham nicked him off us. Maybe in the grand scheme of things there wasn't a great deal of chance of it happening with us, the only chance we had is if Fulham had wrapped up a deal earlier than finding out the Anderlecht deal had fallen through. But I doubt there will have been many available who we could bring in for negligible fees/loans.

You right we did, but we nearly always seem to put all our eggs in one basket, Cardiff managed to sign a striker Wolves brought Afobe in on loan, little bit  like the January transfer window 2017, same old same old.

There's no way Pulis will play two strikers when we only have two strikers available TO play.

 

Well that's a problem in itself now.  You'd assume we'll see an extra central midfielder unless Harrison comes in with Downing or maybe even Traore playing off the striker?  The alternative is playing Britt with Bamford off him maybe but as you say would he even do it.  Is Baker still here?  He was supposed to be a number 10 wasn't he?  It'd be odd to see him come out of nowhere to being a key player all of a sudden though.

 

Over on FMTTM people have mentioned Anichebe...

Front four now that Gestede is ruled out.

 

Traore - Downing - Harrison

————Bamford

 

Please TP.

There's no way Pulis will play two strikers when we only have two strikers available TO play.

 

Well that's a problem in itself now.  You'd assume we'll see an extra central midfielder unless Harrison comes in with Downing or maybe even Traore playing off the striker?  The alternative is playing Britt with Bamford off him maybe but as you say would he even do it.  Is Baker still here?  He was supposed to be a number 10 wasn't he?  It'd be odd to see him come out of nowhere to being a key player all of a sudden though.

 

Over on FMTTM people have mentioned Anichebe...

 

FMTTM also have a thread going about 'what are your favourite crisps'....

 

I don't see why there would be a central midfielder coming in, I reckon he'll do a straight swap for Britt and the team will look much the same. Pulis has actually started Britt in a few games in this system and always brings him on at some point... the guy is hardly frozen out. We just won't be able to hit it long as much or as effectively.

Going to call it now, Bamford to finally get his chance up top and he'll fire us into the play-offs and on into the Premier League

 

-------------------- Randolph ------------------

-- Shotton --- Ayala -- Gibson --- Friend --

------------- Besic ---------- Howson ----------- 

-- Traore ------- Downing ------ Harrison --

-------------------- Bamford ----------------------

 

As i said it's semantics. Every team cuts their cloth accordingly when they're relegated. We reduced spending after the largest outlay in our history....who'd have thought it? We continued spending under Southgate and Strachan. We stopped spending anything of note and started cutting our cloth accordingly under Mowbray. Mowbray balanced the books not Strachan or Southgate.

 

It's really not semantics.  You're talking about something that didn't happen and I'm talking about something that did.  Mowbray didn't balance the books any point.  Do you even know what that means?

 

If you'd like to spend your friday afternoon explaining what "balancing the books" means to a stranger, please feel free to go ahead.

 

As an aside though, do you often take a literal meaning of blaise posts in an 'off the cuff' environment?

Kettle crisps cracked black pepper and sea salt.

This will be the team that starts

 

Randolph

 

Shotton

Friend

Ayala

Gibson

 

Leadbitter

Howson

Besic

 

Traore

Downing

 

Bamford

Kettle crisps cracked black pepper and sea salt.

 

Close..

 

Kettle Chips sweet chilli and sour cream

Kettle crisps cracked black pepper and sea salt.

 

Close..

 

Kettle Chips sweet chilli and sour cream

 

I'm with Billy....sometimes partial to a massive bag of cheesy puffs as well.

Kettle crisps cracked black pepper and sea salt.

 

Close..

 

Kettle Chips sweet chilli and sour cream

 

I'm with Billy....sometimes partial to a massive bag of cheesy puffs as well.

 

A classic combination, Humpty, a bag of each and you can’t go wrong.

 

As i said it's semantics. Every team cuts their cloth accordingly when they're relegated. We reduced spending after the largest outlay in our history....who'd have thought it? We continued spending under Southgate and Strachan. We stopped spending anything of note and started cutting our cloth accordingly under Mowbray. Mowbray balanced the books not Strachan or Southgate.

 

It's really not semantics.  You're talking about something that didn't happen and I'm talking about something that did.  Mowbray didn't balance the books any point.  Do you even know what that means?

 

If you'd like to spend your friday afternoon explaining what "balancing the books" means to a stranger, please feel free to go ahead.

 

As an aside though, do you often take a literal meaning of blaise posts in an 'off the cuff' environment?

 

Why would I want to do that when you're clearly an expert on the subject?

 

Literal meaning or any other meaning, Mowbray didn't balance the books as I've explained previously and we only spent money we'd brought in under the other two managers.  Once we stopped bringing money in we stopped spending it until Gibson was ready to go again at which point our wage bill increased by a sizeable amount as did our transfer spending.  At no point before that time were we not making substantial losses.

FMTTM also have a thread going about 'what are your favourite crisps'....

 

I don't see why there would be a central midfielder coming in, I reckon he'll do a straight swap for Britt and the team will look much the same. Pulis has actually started Britt in a few games in this system and always brings him on at some point... the guy is hardly frozen out. We just won't be able to hit it long as much or as effectively.

 

I'm not sure the favourite crisps thread is as relevant to our striker situation as a thread about a player Pulis has worked with before who is out of contract and plays the same position as a player we have just lost to injury for the rest of the season.

 

An extra central midfielder coming in was because he has seemed less than convinced about Britt and only last weekend we switched to three central midfielders albeit this was at Cardiff but it shows the idea is already in his head.  It's entirely possible that you're correct and Britt simply comes in to replace Gestede but I wouldn't say it was nailed on.

Getting back to the game itself winning is massively important because if Hull can get a win or draw tonight we will get into the top 6 due to us having a better g/d than Bristol City who play Cardiff on Sunday at Cardiff's gaff.

 

I mentioned about Boro teasing the fans well that time has come so hopefully we will do what needs to be done, after all we still play both Sheffield United and Bristol City so from this point onwards our top 6 fate is in our own hands.