YoopEyes

Fantastic stuff! One of the great Wembley days tbh. Felt confident from the start and that pitch, in those conditions, was always going to be too much for the physical, “squeeze the opposition” style of play that Salford use on their own patch. If you give Norburn & Robertson room & time on the ball, they’ll punish you. If you have a rejuvenated and confident Jones running at you and having time to float passes around, you’ll struggle. Defensively Salford were all over the show and simply couldn’t cope. Anyway, L1 is a different proposition with some quality teams in it. We need to look at strengthening the squad and trying to find a bit more genuine pace in the ranks. I’m not sure that all of yesterday’s match 16 are up to L1 and we may lose the 2 loanees, for starters, of course. Still, onwards & upwards. We are promoted with momentum and confidence and the coaching staff appear to be learning, quickly, on the job. Yoop Eyes.

Well, I guess you are likely to get more votes for having 2 outstanding games than 36 “steady” ones - and I vaguely recall Aljofree having a “stormer” early season but genuinely can’t remember the game itself. I agree that Macari has been a stalwart and has frequently been a contender but he’s been eclipsed because one of Iorpenda, Mc Donald, Platt, Jatta and Tsaroulla have usually attracted the bulk of the votes. Same applies to Palmer, tho’, quite frankly, that is astonishing. I voted fir him once only. The number of votes for Palmer does actually surprise me greatly, given that there are generally only between c 7 - 15 votes for MOTM on here. He just hasn’t been all that good for most of the season, indeed he’s missed c 35% of it.

Salford have Oluwu, Cesay and Graydon who are a cut above. Yes, they also have some big blokes at the back and some physical presence in midfield. Nmai is a useful prospect. Overall, they are highly organised and effective team who seem very difficult to beat - they completely outplayed Grimsby twice, despite the close scoreline and they beat us when we should have salvaged the draw we’d fought for. This is a far bigger challenge than Chesterfield tbh - they are a far better side than them. Until the Chessie games, I had little confidence of us beating anyone other than Grimsby in the play offs. Now we’ve given ourselves a shot at it - and we have better creative players than they do, plus we have Norburn & Robertson who will compete with their “engine room”. However, the most significant factor for me is that we have found a defence resilience and balance and we are robust enough to compete all over the field. We are a team who move the ball at pace (without Palmer!), like they do. They will struggle to cope with that and they get in all sorts of trouble when opponents run at them, like Luker and Iorpenda will. This could be cracker - unless the temperature affects it. Yesterday’s game was a terrible advert for the C’ship, 2 very ordinary teams, and I guess the weather may have played a part. Still, I think we have more to worry them they have to worry us. Consistency, organisation & confidence are the main weapons tbh.

I thought we’d sold over 21,000 up to yesterday. Add another c 1,000 in the various hospitality areas…… It may have been anecdotal and not official but U’d be surprised if we don’t match 3 years ago tbh.

I think Platt, McDonald & Iorpenda were very close on my list - McD probably top. Grant wasn’t too far behind and Tsaroulla 5th. Not sure I voted for anyone else, maybe Palmer once. Very impressive to see such a long list (c half the squad) & some strong contenders. It’s only a small sample of voters but it still reflects the overall contributions made by the group. Very few, if any, passengers in most games.

I think sales are continuing to go well tbh. Hospitality is selling well on level 2 and the better seat sections are only being released as the cheaper ones sell out. Crazy policy to me - we booked hospitality straightaway in case the best seat sections didn’t go on line. Thousands of people, like me and everyone I know, want to sit on the side, not behind the goal. More than happy to pay whatever it costs. Don’t panic, there will be min 25,000 Notts fans in the day, no danger.

What do you disagree with? It’s a fact that you can, legitimately, “spy” on opponents up to 72 hours prior to a game. Why would you bother - as it’s pretty pointless? It remains a fact that, as such, any half decent solicitor, let alone a KC, would crucify the reasoning of the disciplinary body involved. They’ve made a complete Horlicks of it tbh. I’m no longer in the legal profession but I would have taken this case on in a heartbeat. It’s a fact that there are negative consequences for various fan bases and for Hull. It’s a fact that Boro lost - they have no legitimate claim to be reinstated. If beaten sides are going to go on & win competitions then any sport is heading in the wrong direction. If you throw Soton out - Hull are promoted, end of story. Losers gaining advantage after they’ve been knocked out of a competition is a nonsense, in anybody’s sport or language. It’s all about scale, balance and identifying the offence, its severity and its impact. If you add in the fact that any film or photographic evidence was destroyed it rather negates any practical “impact”. The decision is simply unfair and unjust and should, rightly, be over turned in any Tribunal or due legal process. It probably won’t be in this case because it would cause even more turmoil and admin issues. I would presume that Southampton will seek damages accordingly if they remain so badly wronged.

The decision is totally disproportionate - for any number of reasons. The severity of the breach has not been properly considered in a balanced manner. Clubs break all manner of rules - some matter, some don’t. Playing ineligible players is a serious offence that can affect a result. Videoing training just isn’t a major concern and has zero impact on a game. Let’s examine the actual evidence; Previous offenders have received far more lenient penalties - Leeds got a £200k fine & Bielsa admitted he did at every game! The rules state it is perfectly acceptable to “spy” on opponents up to 72 hours before a game, it is a relatively minor breach of a rather insignificant rule. No quantifiable advantage was gained - every Club sits and watches endless hours of dvd’s of every game opponents play. That is the critical intelligence data, not some stuff from a practice session. They aren’t going to learn anything significant about set pieces, formations etc - nobody can predict how a game is going to transpire and what situations will develop. Plus, Soton did not win any of the 3 matches involved. Then we cone to the fans - totally unfair on fans who have bought tickets, transport and hotels etc. Even unfair on some Boro fans who now may be away for the B Hol, having lost the semi. Plus, little time for others to make arrangements. The most serious problem for the EFL is allowing an already beaten team to possibly gain promotion. Additionally, Hull now only have 3 days to prepare for a different opponent. If Boro go up there is zero integrity in the game - they are out, they’ve lost, they have no further part in the competition at all. The time to boot Soton out would have been prior to the 2nd leg, not after it. It would have been as equally iniquitous then too, of course. It’s the AFCON decision all over again, absolute madness.

Starting lineup is likely to be the same, dependent upon fitness/injuries. I don’t see the argument for starting with Palmer tbh. This will be a battle against a strong, physical but quick and combative team. We have been far more solid & effective with Robertson & Norburn as a partnership. We’ve overcome Chesterfield in 2 games, why mess about? Both offer more in the opposition’s half too. I’d say Palmer is a steadying, controlling influence once the game is “won” or we are, comfortably, on top. He’s not the man for the first 60 mins at Wembley, and he has “previous”, remember? The only disappointment for me is not being able to find a starting place for Grant. His energy, movement, touch, awareness and skill is tailor made for this occasion. I think he’ll be on the bench but suspect he’ll make an appearance early in the 2nd half.

Agree, very tough call. I’d go for Norburn tbh - hugely energetic, aware and combative display. Solid team display, absolutely no passengers - but special mention to Ness & McD who were both immaculate and Belshaw, Bedeau & Robertson put in great shifts too. What we lacked in passing accuracy and clinical finishing we made up for with grit, finesse, organisation & collective effort. The skill levels of Luker and Iorpenda were very evident. I’d also give a notable mention to Jones, I think he’s been sub par this season, he was superb for an hour. Great stuff.

Thought Cook’s head was going to explode a couple of times! Solid, disciplined display. Generally good all round but Robertson, Tsaroulla and McD were all very impressive. Robbo provided the steel and combative element, Tsaroulla protected Ness and kept Dobra then Pearce quiet. McD was composed and assured, as usual. Others did their jobs, Luker scored with a quality finish & Iorpenda was industrious and positive. Belshaw made a couple of good stops too. Overall, we’ve come away with an advantage and we need to make that count on Friday.

I was reliably informed that actually McD & Ness were actually signed as the main centre backs but both got injured pre season and Platt & Bedeau started ahead of them last season. They were intended as the cover as I understand things. In respect of composure, awareness & positional sense I’d say McDonald is, by a distance, the best defender we have. He’s the bloke I’d build the defence around tbh. Bedeau has been effective as an attacking left sided defender and, after a brief spell where he’s been out of sorts, he looks back to normal. I’d prefer him at lb in a back 4 and do away with the wing backs.

Agreed. If we do get promoted, or not for that matter, we need battlers with talent. On that basis, I’d keep McD & Platt for certain. Not sure about Norburn tbh. I’d probably let Kouhyar & Bennetts go - Maz just doesn’t quite “cut the mustard” and Bennetts is simply too inconsistent. We ought to be able to do better and, with a bit of luck, “can” this fixation with wing backs altogether.

Hmmm. The problem with Salford is that they have Graydon! They demolished MKD’s a few weeks ago and they looked strong, sharp and clinical when it mattered against both them & us. Yes, we chucked it away after seemingly salvaging a point - but that was the difference. In a one off with Salford we’d have to improve, considerably, and they’d have to, effectively, “not turn up”. I don’t feel optimistic about beating any of these 3 tbh but I reckon Grimsby would suit us the best. If, and it remains a very big if, we beat Chesterfield then it’s “game on” at Wembley. Personally, I’d prefer the fishy folk tbh.

We played well at Colchester & the same starting XI delivered an industrious and creative 45 mins on Sat. Absolutely no reason to change for Chesterfield in my view. Over 2 legs it is going to be a huge task - I’m usually optimistic but our failure to turn pressure into goals and our defensive frailties are serious concern. If we get it right we should win but it needs that extra level of concentration, application and finishing. We don’t want to be “out Cooked” again!