DMAA

Regardless of whether it can be forced, up until now I think the majority of fans didn’t want a manager change. At least not a clear majority. I think it will be quite clear to the board now that they can’t hide behind that anymore because yesterday has given a few a reality check after they got carried away with a half decent run of results there.

Set pieces are going to keep hurting us this season. Need to sign players who fix that in the summer.

Which is scandalous. We’ve seen enough domestically.

The stats say he’s more of a 10.

Intriguing signing. Only have limited stats available because he plays in Scotland but here’s what they say: - Great numbers for goals and shots - Great numbers for assists and xA and chances created - Involved a lot in the game, lots of touches, loses the ball quite often and not a dribbler - Defensive stats a mixed bag. Great numbers for interceptions, blocks, recoveries and possession won in final third. But very poor for ground and aerial duels, tackles and fouling. All in all it looks a risk well worth taking. The only thing I'd say it's yet another signing who is well below average physically and defensively so we do need to start counter-balancing that with physical players who can help us out defending set pieces. Fernandes hopefully fits into that category to be fair.

He does. I’ve long thought that our Europa League form can’t continue. I thought Gerrard had cracked it by building a team that was solid and could control a game a bit, even out of possession, and was more physical and aggressive than most teams. As those players have moved on and been gradually replaced by a different type of player I have expected the results to trail off but they’ve kept coming. I think the Ibrox effects accounts for some of it.

Unbelievable. It was a tougher set of fixtures than Celtic had.

And breathe! Amazing to get the result and finish 8th. Unbelievable. We need players back and to sort out our tactics though. That was a poor performance and we really rode our luck.

Referee has lost the head and made several embarrassing decisions in a row now. USG play acting at every opportunity too

Would have been a miracle if we’d kept a clean sheet because we have had zero control of this game. Very nervy end to the game now.

It’s about half an hour now I’ve been counting consecutive passes and I think the most we’ve managed is 7-8. Very rare we manage more than 3-4. It’s painful to watch and we are fortunate USG are so bad.

And a second for Man Utd too!

Our ball retention is diabolical. Hard to watch.

Huge money for them if they got that.

They’ll only be turning that down because they will be confident they can get a better offer. They’ll have to sell this window or next. It shows the predicament we have the best young talent though when you have to spend so much for someone who won't necessarily improve your 11 today. It does look like he could be a future star though.

Found some more stats on Fernandes On Fotmob. He has very good numbers for duels won, both in number and % won. Fbref didn’t have those stats specifically and it gives some reason for encouragement.

Small sample size on fbref but here’s my take on the stats: - Pretty good in the air. Wins a lot of headers but loses a good bit more than average too. - Comfortable carrying the ball out from the back. - Good pass completion but a basic passer, keeps it simple and doesn't have much range. - Average defensive stats across the board. Doesn't look strong or aggressive from the stats. Reminiscent of Davies actually with high success % challenging dribbles but very low challenge rate. Basically, he only makes a challenges when he's going to win it. Very low numbers for blocks. Very much a project signing I think.

Clement’s away record is outrageous. 2 wins since February isn't it? This is being allowed to go on far too long.

Difference is Weir had an excellent injury record. Wouldn't touch Evans with a bargepole.

I went on about this a bit during the transfer window. We've almost exclusively recruited players who are below average or well below average for aerial ability in their position. That will eventually catch up with you in this country. And I'm all for a modern style of play. I just think there is a bit of naivety there from Clement.

Have to admit I’ve lost faith in him too. There are mitigating factors for sure, and it’s a bit of a roll of dice whatever we do. Drastic improvement away from home and consistency is needed before I'll change my opinion. Better transfer windows too, though Clement is probably not as much to blame for that.

Well worth watching. What a performance. https://x.com/declan_19/status/1875094613171822727?s=46

Does yesterday change anything for those who’ve lost faith in Clement?

Ah, got you.

It wasn't. It was 2.13. It isn't possible to have an xG of zero if you've had shots on goal.