I'm afraid we deserved that

[Peter]

I know you're right; all that money for a parking meter rather than a striker, says it all. Which consequently makes your second point even more baffling. In England "controlling the game" always meant the same as "time-wasting". We like our centre forwards to have the ball, not our centre-halves or central midfielders.

But we don't have any centre forwards.....

I like our midfielders to have the ball but I like to see them do something with it. Not shove it to their right, retreat 5 yards and then take it back, stand there, roll their foot over it, look both ways and then shove it 5 yards to their left.

There are other ways to control a game. We'll get there, but we are not there yet.

[redgunamo]

But we don't have any centre forwards.....

I like our midfielders to have the ball but I like to see them do something with it. Not shove it to their right, retreat 5 yards and then take it back, stand there, roll their foot over it, look both ways and then shove it 5 yards to their left.

There are other ways to control a game. We'll get there, but we are not there yet.

But that's what midfielders DO! They love it and they'll do it for ninety minutes together, plus stoppage time, if you let them; if there's no strikers there to stop them.

I suspect "getting there" might coincide with us acquiring an international superstar goalscorer (one way or another; Eddie will do).

[Peter]

But that's what midfielders DO! They love it and they'll do it for ninety minutes together, plus stoppage time, if you let them; if there's no strikers there to stop them.

I suspect "getting there" might coincide with us acquiring an international superstar goalscorer (one way or another; Eddie will do).

No, that is what bad midfielders do. Good midfielders kick people, start fights, pass forward, make runs. Basically, they are like Patrick Vieira

Or they pass somewhere. Could be anywhere, but please god let it be somewhere!

Unless they do that, there is no point in having a striker. He will be stood there moaning (which is what most of them do anyway).

You know those diagonal runs Havertz and Martinelli were making at Burnley and West Ham? They were making them for half an hour last night but the pass never came. So they stopped.

Some players are good at doing nothing. We just don't have many of them. Most of our guys want to play the game. It is like trying to get Mick Jagger to stand still on stage. It comes with age