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LeedsCityRam

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  1. Funny how situations can develop for the greater good. Losing Collins away at Exeter felt like a real body blow to our promotion chances at the time but picking up Dwight Gayle could well be the catalyst this side needs to secure promotion. There's so much I like about Gayle - he is still very quick & mobile, he's always competing for balls with centre halves & as others have mentioned, seems happy to play with his back to goal and bring others into play. I didn't really expect the latter but it's enabling him to be a complete number 9. His finishing is still top drawer - 3 very different goals so far & shows his variety - one fantastic leap & header, a scruffy scramble inside the 6 yard box & last night's sublime touch & finish from a whipped in ball 25 yards away. His mentality looks to be spot on too. He looks furious when he scores, like a man with a lot to prove & celebrates wildly when others score & when we won the penalty last night. Have also seen him berating team mates (Mendez-Laing against Port Vale I recall) which highlights his winning mentality. Just goes to show the fallacy of quality players only being those who cost massive fees or wages. As Rooney's ragbag bunch of free transfers in 21-22 proved, there are a lot of quality pros out there who can be extremely effective as part of a unit. The way Gayle has already combined with Barkhuizen & Mendez-Laing is fantastic & bodes really well for a strong end to the season. Brilliant bit of business by the club & love that he's enjoying being here.
  2. I'm certainly not confident - Bolton are a good side & our record in big, defining games is not good. By contrast your recent point away at Barnsley suggests a team that are capable of getting those crucial results at the business end. From our perspective, its imperative we don't lose but the prize of a 4 point gap if we do win is massive & would I believe set us up for a top 2 finish. We've improved recently since we've finally put suitable players for a 3-4-3 on the park and new signings Gayle & Adams have given us an added dimension - my hope is that improvement continues with a signature performance against your boys. I do hope you go up at the end of the season, just not at our expense. Like Bolton as a club, good support/history & you've been through the mill in recent years - got a lot of time for your manager too.
  3. Very happy with result & pretty happy with performance. Tore into them early on & were by far the better side throughout...thought tempo was good & caused them problems both wide & through the middle. Main gripes were a) conceding from their first effort on target & b) continued inability to keep the ball/slow the tempo late on which gave them ascendancy they didnt deserve. Thought Adams was excellent & another strong display from Barkhuizen. He absolutely rinsed their left back with about 15 mins left for a chance that Waggy missed & unusually for TB, stayed on for full 90+ mins. Coming into form at just the right time. Had to laugh at the plastic away fans for whingeing the ref was biased against them. They got exactly what they deserved for their anti-football & penalty was beyond dispute. And singing 'f*** the EFL' after the constant soft treatment they've had from that repulsive organisation compared to us is proper spoilt brat behaviour. They are an odious little club who hopefully will disappear to League Two to keep fellow plastics MK Franchise company. Best atmosphere for a midweek game I can remember for a long time. It does make a difference. Bring on Bolton 💪
  4. Would be disappointed if it wasn't an unchanged side - lots of positivity about the line up so makes no sense to change it unless we're forced into it by injury. Warne is also the least likely Derby manager in recent times to change a winning team so strongly suspect we will be unchanged. Reading are not to be taken lightly given the quality they have (and that the EFL continually wave through for them to 'buy' despite their ongoing financial incontinence) - they're also not clear of relegation yet & probably fear another points deduction before the season is out, so will be highly motivated. It will be a tightly fought contest & I would like to see us dominate the ball throughout like we did first half on Saturday but with a better final ball. Getting them chasing the ball will tire them out & also conserve our energy after Saturday's effort - definitely don't want to see us camped in our own half looking to hit them on the break. Lots of quality options off the bench if the game is finely poised after 60/70 mins - any sign of fatigue from Saturday's exertions & we have to be proactive with getting subs on the park.
  5. Derby 2 Blandest club in Britain 1 FRGS Gayle
  6. Yes, no coincidence we look much better with Barkhuizen back in the side. Get the sense his languid, slightly disheveled demeanour masks his true quality & workrate in the eyes of some. He is significantly better than Kane Wilson in that role...a genuine final third threat & likely creates more space for Gayle & Mendez-Laing with being on the park. Another crucial part of this well balanced team.
  7. Very much how I feel, I don't want to get carried away either but as soon as I saw the line up last Saturday I thought 'that potentially works very well' and the evidence is starting to mount up on the pitch. The team looks very well balanced with plenty of attacking options & defensive cover - the inclusion of Adams & wing backs with real menace has improved us massively. And whilst I don't imagine Gayle would be Warne's ideal number 9 (in comparison to say Michael Smith), he has given us a real cutting edge, changed our delivery slightly to being more accurate/ground based & works very well in tandem with our wide men. Our problem this season has been posting dominant home displays & the next week will tell us a lot about how 'all-court' this system is. What I particularly liked about yesterday was how we played first half - kept it on the deck, moved them around & dominated territory. It was only some wayward final 3rd balls & reluctance to shoot (and a duff offside call) that stopped us converting our dominance into goals & that tells me it is a system that could be equally effective at PP. Could be a defining week ahead - Reading are a perennial pain in the backside with some good players who will make it difficult & Bolton are a direct top 2 rival with all the occasion pressure that will bring. Two games I would ordinarily expect us to struggle in but if we win both, I'll be finally thinking top 2 is definitely on.
  8. Excellent performance, excellent result & with results elsewhere, a brillant day. Whilst its fair to say we didn't trouble the keeper too much first 45 mins, I was really pleased with the display. Got the ball down & played some smart stuff, Bristol were very much second best even though the ref was allowing them snidey little trips & then responding to any home crowd noise with decisions their way. The offside goal was a fantastic move, such a shame Gayle (?) strayed slightly. Sibley & Ward again made the 3-4-3 very potent...I enjoyed the football. Second half we reverted to our typical away style as they picked up the tempo & we just picked them off. 0-3 probably flattered them given the chances we missed. That front 3 of Barkhuizen, Mendez-Laing & Gayle looks so dangerous on the counter and some great decision making/finishing from all 3. Good subs as well, Korey Smith added a measure of control as they were building up a head of steam & Waghorn kept up the forward press intensity. Well done all. Massive 2 games coming up but keep that line up & level of intensity and we won't go far wrong. COYR 💪
  9. Probably also worth mentioning that other bubbles (Dotcom Bubble, 17th century Dutch Tulip Bubble & 18th century South Sea Bubble) lasted 2-3 years...Bitcoin has been here 15 years, has survived price collapses & come back much stronger every time. As you rightly say, it has outperformed any global asset by some magnitude & there is a reason that US authorities are seeking to regulate it properly for corporate investors. Wouldnt worry about the cynicism though, dont forget there were plenty of 'wise' folk in the late 90s who thought the internet was a passing fad & would die out 😆
  10. I agree its unlikely we'll ever lose the 11 point record but Sheff Utd are very fortunate there is another team struggling just as badly pointswise (Burnley). 2007/08 was such a strong division & we were so much worse than the 19th best team hence the total. We also had a manager who seemed to be sabotaging the squad from the outset in some strange power game with the board. A perfect storm. As others mention, the way we rallied around such a poor team was different class & won us a lot of respect from Prem clubs & media. Am really struggling to think of a fanbase that dial up their support when times are so grim...we saw similiar in 2021/22 when in administration. Probably why the 'entitlement' accusation has so infuriated me this season, like we're not ever allowed to demand success even after such a garbage last 20 years.
  11. Yes, definitely some systemic risk there considering how volatile BTC can be, the fresh availability of ETFs & loose regulation. Although most consider leverage & crypto to be a pretty bad combination, 2004-08 proves that if big banks/institutions can see ever higher profits, they'll take crazy risks to do it. In the short term that could send BTC price rocketing but wouldn't rule out crashes (and financial market contagion) either if a couple of institutions over-reach.
  12. I wouldn't see BTC as the solution in itself to fiat money insofar as people using it directly to make everyday purchases etc. It is primarily a store of value or digital gold and private investors are currently using it in the same way many use high value property or fine art to store their capital. It could conceivably become a reserve currency in the future though, to which other currencies are pegged. There is significant global discomfort at the USD reserve currency status & the undue influence the Fed has over the global ecomomy. An independent alternative is what China, Russia, Gulf States & BRICs are pushing for and other than gold, there aren't any other obvious alternatives. Strong rumours abound that some sovereign states are starting to privately stack BTC reserves in preparation for a Bitcoin Gold Standard (El Salvador of course have been very public with this). Big banks & investment companies are posiitoning themselves for future developments also, they will have the inside track on where this is all heading.
  13. Agree. My biggest issue with Sibley has been a heavy touch & inability to protect the ball well enough...two traits which really limit his ability to play in what many would deem his favoured number 10 position. By contrast at LWB, he is coming onto the ball so touch isn't quite as vital as if he were surrounded by defenders & he still gets plenty of opportunities to join the attack (both in counter attack & when we're dominating territory and possession). As you rightly say, his defensive work has improved a lot since start of last season. Although yesterday wasn't the sternest test, I thought the balance of the entire team looked good & that this formation could work equally well home or away. Sibley & Ward can be potent attacking weapons when we're making the running in games and our front 3 are well marshalled but are solid enough defensively to turn us into an effective 5-2-3 if we're under the pump & punish teams on the counter. My biggest criticism of previous iterations has been the use of Nyambe & Elder at wingback who offered little to no cutting edge going forward. If Warne is adamant about keeping 3 at the back, I reckon he should keep with this first XI to build cohesion & partnerships around the field for these last 10 games. I'd love this to be the spell Sibley finally clicks again (leading to a contract extension), there is definitely a player there & it would be sad for him to depart with his peak being his first 10 games in 2020.
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