Apparently Chelsea are NOT interested in triggering Olmo’s £50 release clause. I really don’t understand our thinking. We sign lots of incredibly average players for huge sums of money, but Olmo isn’t good enough? Sanchez, Kepa, Disasi, Badiashile, Sarr, Casadei, Kellyman, Sterling, Mudryk, Lukaku - they’re all good enough. But Olmo?

comment by T.J (U15973)
posted 2 minutes ago
comment by Superb - the Director's Cut (U6486)
posted 1 hour, 2 minutes ago
We have a lot more to worry about Spain than just Rodri. Lamine Yamal, Fabian Ruiz, Dani Olmo and Nico Williams are all in excellent form and any one of those can kill the game.
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Been very impressed with Fabian Ruiz, class player.

I do worry that they'll dominate the midfield against us and we're already a team on tired legs.
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I don’t know the point of bringing a squad along if Southgate wasn’t prepared to use them. Palmer, Eze, Bowen, Gordon, TAA, Wharton, Toney, Watkins - none of those players are tired. Play Bellingham and Foden for half a game each. Play Kane for extra time if necessary, but use Watkins during the first 80 mins to exhaust Spain’s defence.

England will most likely bully that Spain team.

comment by BlueJ2 (U4630)
posted 15 minutes ago
comment by T.J (U15973)
posted 2 minutes ago
comment by Superb - the Director's Cut (U6486)
posted 1 hour, 2 minutes ago
We have a lot more to worry about Spain than just Rodri. Lamine Yamal, Fabian Ruiz, Dani Olmo and Nico Williams are all in excellent form and any one of those can kill the game.
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Been very impressed with Fabian Ruiz, class player.

I do worry that they'll dominate the midfield against us and we're already a team on tired legs.
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I don’t know the point of bringing a squad along if Southgate wasn’t prepared to use them. Palmer, Eze, Bowen, Gordon, TAA, Wharton, Toney, Watkins - none of those players are tired. Play Bellingham and Foden for half a game each. Play Kane for extra time if necessary, but use Watkins during the first 80 mins to exhaust Spain’s defence.
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Yup we have a fresh squad and we're going to need to use it against Spain. If we go at them with fresh players then we have a good chance. If we start the same players who have already played six tough games this tournament then I fear that Spain will run rings around us in midfield. We need to go for the jugular against them and get at their defence which is there for the taking.

comment by Superb - the Director's Cut (U6486)
posted 6 hours, 21 minutes ago
comment by Sheriff JW Pepper (U1007)
posted 40 minutes ago
Cole to start on Sunday....
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He should but he won't.
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Think he's grown well into his role as a substitute. Why change things?

comment by Tu Meke (U3732)
posted 3 seconds ago
comment by Superb - the Director's Cut (U6486)
posted 6 hours, 21 minutes ago
comment by Sheriff JW Pepper (U1007)
posted 40 minutes ago
Cole to start on Sunday....
----------------------------------------------------------------------
He should but he won't.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Think he's grown well into his role as a substitute. Why change things?
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Because he's way more than just a substitute and we're clearly better when he's playing.

We've had to come back from a goal down against every team in the knockouts stages so far. We've rode our luck so if we think this same Houdini act is going to work against this Spain side then we've already lost.

We played well overall against the Netherlands though. Unlucky to be a goal down I'd say. I think Palmer is an ideal substitute, quality young player to lose a threat against tired legs. Would be lunacy to throw him in to the starting line up in a final.

*to pose a threat

Yeah, I don’t have a problem with Palmer being used as a super sub. He is clearly reveling in that role. My frustration is watching Southgate keep players on the pitch who are clearly exhausted. Whether that’s Saka (early on in the competition - he’s looked much stronger in the last couple of games), Foden, Bellingham or (most obviously) Kane. We’ve got some great players on the bench - I wish he wouldn’t wait until the last possible minute to make changes.

Yeah. Kane has looked completely a shadow of himself this tournament, I was screaming for Toney to come on earlier yesterday. Sir Gareff chose Watkins late on though and it proved to be a masterstroke.

It's not been perfect, but who cares. We are in the final.

comment by Tu Meke (U3732)
posted 53 minutes ago
We played well overall against the Netherlands though. Unlucky to be a goal down I'd say. I think Palmer is an ideal substitute, quality young player to lose a threat against tired legs. Would be lunacy to throw him in to the starting line up in a final.
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Lunacy is a strange way to look at it. Palmer has easily been one of our better players even if he hasn't played as much as he should have. His impact as a sub has been good, his impact as a starter could be even better.

I think we were quite lucky against Holland, we got a soft pen that initially nobody thought was going to get awarded. And we've had the easiest draw we could have hoped for into the Final.

Just because something has just about worked against lesser teams that doesn't mean it's going to work against a significant step up in opposition against Spain.

Palmer has easily been one of our better players even if he hasn't played as much as he should have.

===

I really don't know how you've come to this conclusion, so I'm just going to assume Chelsea bias. He's tried things that haven't come off in previous sub apps, but it did last night with his assist.

As I said, he's grown well into his sub role. More of that if needed in the final please.

Tu Meke out here pushing his anti Palmer agenda again

comment by Tu Meke (U3732)
posted 3 hours ago
comment by Superb - the Director's Cut (U6486)
posted 6 hours, 21 minutes ago
comment by Sheriff JW Pepper (U1007)
posted 40 minutes ago
Cole to start on Sunday....
----------------------------------------------------------------------
He should but he won't.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Think he's grown well into his role as a substitute. Why change things?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I'm ok with him being sub as long as he gets half hour

comment by Tu Meke (U3732)
posted 21 minutes ago
Palmer has easily been one of our better players even if he hasn't played as much as he should have.

===

I really don't know how you've come to this conclusion, so I'm just going to assume Chelsea bias. He's tried things that haven't come off in previous sub apps, but it did last night with his assist.

As I said, he's grown well into his sub role. More of that if needed in the final please.
---------------------------------------------------------------------- at least he has the nuts to try things

comment by Tu Meke (U3732)
posted 11 minutes ago
Palmer has easily been one of our better players even if he hasn't played as much as he should have.

===

I really don't know how you've come to this conclusion, so I'm just going to assume Chelsea bias. He's tried things that haven't come off in previous sub apps, but it did last night with his assist.

As I said, he's grown well into his sub role. More of that if needed in the final please.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
I've come to that conclusion by watching our games. And it's not exactly a high bar being one of our better players. I don't think any one England player has been that good in attack. It's not as if the likes of Bellingham, Foden or Kane have been great this tourno.

So do you want him to start up front instead of kane? It's difficult to drop Bellingham for him. Foden, sure I could see him dropped for palmer, but he's better at keeping the ball in tight areas imo.

Palmer just hasn't shown enough in his cameos, until last night (and lets be honest, that was more about the finish from Watkins). he didn't exactly impress in his start pre tourno Vs Iceland either.

His hero-ball style of play is suited perfectly to a sub role imo.

comment by Sheriff JW Pepper (U1007)
posted 12 minutes ago
comment by Tu Meke (U3732)
posted 21 minutes ago
Palmer has easily been one of our better players even if he hasn't played as much as he should have.

===

I really don't know how you've come to this conclusion, so I'm just going to assume Chelsea bias. He's tried things that haven't come off in previous sub apps, but it did last night with his assist.

As I said, he's grown well into his sub role. More of that if needed in the final please.
---------------------------------------------------------------------- at least he has the nuts to try things
----------------------------------------------------------------------

But I think that's the issue Gareff has with him, he'll give the ball away trying something audacious 9 times out of 10, in the hope it comes off 1 time out of 10. Given the lack of structure the team has, I think that style is suited perfectly for when we're chasing a goal late on.

His hero-ball style of play is suited perfectly to a sub role imo.
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Whatever that means. Palmer was Chelsea's best player last season by a country mile and we would have finished far lower than 6th without him. But yeah he's just a super sub lol.

Difficult to drop Bell3nd? Have you watched the same games as me? Apart from 2 seconds Vs Slovakia, he has been more anonymous than Kane.......and that's impressive if you ask me pretty much anyone would be an upgrade on the egotistical brat

You only notice Kane more cos hes just continually in the wrong place! He also shouldn't be starting

. Palmer was Chelsea's best player last season by a country mile and we would have finished far lower than 6th without him.

===

So what?

I think Watkins has more of an axe to grind there given Kane's performances, but Gareff values kane's attributes more i suppose.

Bellingham has still hit 2 crucial goals, and he works well in maintaining defensive shape.

I've been critical of Kane's performances, but you can hardly start Palmer up front lol.

comment by Tu Meke (U3732)
posted 9 minutes ago
. Palmer was Chelsea's best player last season by a country mile and we would have finished far lower than 6th without him.

===

So what?

I think Watkins has more of an axe to grind there given Kane's performances, but Gareff values kane's attributes more i suppose.

Bellingham has still hit 2 crucial goals, and he works well in maintaining defensive shape.

I've been critical of Kane's performances, but you can hardly start Palmer up front lol.
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What do you mean so what ? That proves that Palmer is far more than just a super sub. He was one of the very best players in the PL last season as a starter.

comment by Simon West (U1830)
posted 19 minutes ago
Difficult to drop Bell3nd? Have you watched the same games as me? Apart from 2 seconds Vs Slovakia, he has been more anonymous than Kane.......and that's impressive if you ask me pretty much anyone would be an upgrade on the egotistical brat
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And Foden has been generally poor this tourno. Consider we're six games in and Foden has only turned up for one of those games. Yet his place in the starting 11 seems to be cemented throughout the tourno. The fact that we're in the Final has very little to do with him tbh.

What do you mean, what do you mean? Bellingham, foden and kane could all argue the same.

I don't get the issue, Palmer could very well score the fecking winner in the final. Who cares if it's as a sub?