MadAmster

No me owd, you're just a glutton for punishment 🙂

Amsterdam.... so I should know 😉

I'm heading up to this one tomorrow with another East Anglian Ram. Must be mad but you have to enjoy the good times, eh?

No me owd, you're just a glutton for punishment 🙂

TV
31Vickers: 6 A more than reliable keeper who doesn't have me worried at all. JW rested with a knock. Sensible. I keep reading he had a shocker against Posh. Some even claim PW said so in his post game interview. Saw the game and the interview on RamsTV. JW not at fault for any of the goals and PW didn't slate him
35Nelson: 7 Solid as ever
5Bradley: 6 Couple of early doors slips but fine after that
6Cashin: 7 Few poor passes and some defensive errors he doesn't usually make nut some good tackles/interceptions as well
2Wilson: 6.5 Good at beating players with his twinkle toes control but the crosses were less than average
8Bird 🦅 8.5 Tackles, passes, interceptions. Great assist for the first NML goal. Another, equally good 2 minutes later which NML put just wide. What a run prior to the assist for the 3rd. 
4Hourihane: 7 Less than average against Posh. Much better this game
22Fornah; 6 No mistakes but nothing outstanding either
3Forsyth: 6.5 good enough half but was on a yellow...
20Elder: 6 Almost but not quite, yet.
19John-Jules: 5.5 Has skill and control but he goes down easier than a whore's knickers. Stay on yer feet lad.
7Barkhuizen: 7 One of his better games
11Méndez-Laing: 8 Was everything he hadn't been against the Posh. No idea why but I'll be happy to see this NML for the rest of the season
9Collins: 7.5 Cracking header for the 2nd, a pain all day for their defence. More than useful when back defending
16Thompson: 6.5 Put himself about as Thommo does
 

I always thought all clubs were invited to take part. Just had a look at the rules and one of them says "All EFL Clubs (as defined in these Rules) shall take part in the Competition". I was wrong.

Invited clubs are the under 21s Premier clubs though. 
Maybe we both should pay more attention to detail 😂

Stop talking sense..

70 next month and I'll be there with me Benelux Rams flag and looking towards the kid's pen to see if I can spot yer Utcheter flag 🙂
I say go for it. As someone else posted, it is, hopefully, our last ever chance of winning it so we might as well go for it. We can't start a full first XI because of the rules of the competition. I'm expecting most of the bench from the weekend to start along with Fapetu. Bench a mix of 1st XI and U21's, one of which should be Weston. The kids should be OK as the 21s next game is Friday and the 18s on Saturday so not too close to the Bradford game.
Bradford are currently 14th in L2 so we should win and then we're just 2 games from Wembley and that would see at least 4 of us over for a weekend out or should I say out,out? 

We went  back 3 at the weekend as we didn't have a fit "back 4" RB available with Nyambe away at AFCON. Neither Ward nor Wilson is a proper right back, IMO. That meant we had to go back 3. If Smith was fit he'd have been at RB at the weekend. He's still not training with the squad so he's nowhere near ready to play. I think we will see a back 3 for the rest of this month until Nyambe is back. He will be straight back in as we look far more solid with a back 4 than a 3. 

We went  back 3 at the weekend as we didn't have a fit "back 4" RB available with Nyambe away at AFCON. Neither Ward nor Wilson is a proper right back, IMO. That meant we had to go back 3. If Smith was fit he'd have been at RB at the weekend. He's still not training with the squad so he's nowhere near ready to play. I think we will see a back 3 for the rest of this month until Nyambe is back. He will be straight back in as we look far more solid with a back 4 than a 3. 

The transfer window has been open 3 and a half days and we haven't signed anybody yet 😉
What are they playing at 🙂

Clowes, Pearce, Warne and the recruitment team OUT.

Thick finger typo, Tier 3 of course...

NML needs a rest. He was knackered against the Posh. He's had a good season thus far but against Posh he was ineffective going forward and failed to track his man on several occasions including in the lead up to their first goal. Hourihane needs a rest too. 

It most certainly does  work but it shouldn't be your only tactic and, at times, it has felt like it is our one and only. Mix it up. Play through the middle as well. Invert the wingers and have them cut inside as well. 
Basically, don't be predictable.

It most certainly does  work but it shouldn't be your only tactic and, at times, it has felt like it is our one and only. Mix it up. Play through the middle as well. Invert the wingers and have them cut inside as well. 
Basically, don't be predictable.

NML needs a rest. He was knackered against the Posh. He's had a good season thus far but against Posh he was ineffective going forward and failed to track his man on several occasions including in the lead up to their first goal. Hourihane needs a rest too. 

We saw last season how NML needs to be rested.  He now needs a proper break then a period of being used more sparingly. If Warne perseveres with him, he’ll disappoint or worse get injured  

It seems a lot of fans don't see what Bird does in a game. Let's have a look back at last season. We had a run of around 20 games unbeaten and Bird was focal in that run. Then he was out for a lot of games with injury and the unbeaten run ended and we fell away.
Back in the 70s a lot of fans had similar comments about the likes of McGovern and Durban. As with Bird, you only really appreciate what they do when they're not there.

It seems a lot of fans don't see what Bird does in a game. Let's have a look back at last season. We had a run of around 20 games unbeaten and Bird was focal in that run. Then he was out for a lot of games with injury and the unbeaten run ended and we fell away.
Back in the 70s a lot of fans had similar comments about the likes of McGovern and Durban. As with Bird, you only really appreciate what they do when they're not there.

... and doesn't track back with any enthusiasm. Great talent but has to stay on his feet and get stuck in when "his man" moves forward with the ball rather than let himself get outrun by the man in possession.

Thick finger typo, Tier 3 of course...

I thought he was a better footballer than his owd fella but much less of a physical presence. Take the best of Dad's game and add it to the best of young uns game and you've got yersen a footballer.
Having said that, if we do sign him (unlikely as the story was in the Daily Fail) he'd best get used to oppo fans chanting "your Dad wasn't very good and neither are you" or words to that effect 😉

When we signed him, the club was aware he's be absent during the 2 international breaks in the last 1/3 of 2023.
When he was offered an 18 month extension on his contract, PW and his staff knew, barring injury, he'd be off the represent Namibia at AFCON. Maybe they know something you don't. Maybe missing him for January is deemed by those whose opinion counts to be well worth what he can deliver over the next season and a half.
Maybe PW is happy as it will allow him to revert to his, apparently, preferred back 3.