Just got back home from the game.

First up what a stadium, 5 minutes to get a pint, massive choice of food compared to the usual fare, quick to get to the toilets which weee spacious and clean. Inside the stadium it looks like a grand football stage. Can’t be a better ground in any sport in the UK. Managed to keep the sound into it too - if, when we develop our stands if they it is a 20th as good I would be very happy. TV screens everywhere too to watch games, highlights clips.

Spuds fans do like to moan a lot though and not very much cheeky chappy cockney spirit on display more moaning chip on shoulder cockney.

To the game. First spuds -
My god they are boring to watch and sit back holding shape and running at half pace for most of the game. Didn’t really pressure us or press us much but when they decide to try the quality is evident. Maybe that is why their fans moan so much. It’s almost as if they want the other team to run out of steam and then take advantage.

We are a side of three distinct dimensions.

With the ball we are good and the movement off the ball is very good - Rodrigo took up some clever positions which you would never seen from TV and creates space for others.

Adams, Aaronson and Roca form a solid, clever proper midfield with lots of energy and running and use the ball well - they play well together too, Summerville was excellent he plays a little like a young Sterling in the way he runs and his balance. Gnonto looked good before he had to go off injured and links with Summerville and the midfield well. Spurs don’t pressure much but we played some good attacking possession football and the first and third goals were well created with Rodrigo’s finishes being very good.

Defensively, hmmmn, we press well from the front and in midfield but we are vulnerable out wide and especially at LB - just fcuking sign a quality LB please and to use Kinnear’s words from the documentary - stop fcuking about. Struijk did some good things but he isn’t a LB and got skinned a few times - if they had someone better than Emerson Royal on the overlap we would have been in a lot more trouble but most of the trouble comes from there.

It is noticeable how narrow we get at the back and how much space there is on the opposite flank which Spuds didn’t really exploit. Cooper just isn’t good enough at this level - he looked error prone a lot of the time but thankfully we weren’t pressed much. It was so obvious what was happening and JM did nothing to adapt.

Every time we went ahead you always had the feeling they would pull at least one back. We just can’t hold onto leads.

Tactically, with the ball we looked good and exciting. Defensively see above - we are a mess and look weak out wide or from corners. All of Spuds goals had calamity defending in common to some degree.

JMs subs make no sense. Roca and Adams were bossing the midfield and Roca looked full of running so he subs him!!!!! We lost the midfield thebln and he reshuffled with Ayling at the back and Rasmus in some weird sort of wide position that made no sense. Rodrigo was clearly flagging at this point and he leaves him on and so are press was less effective and at this point Aarson was playing up top with Rodrigo deeper.

With 1 minute and 40 seconds he brings on Joffey and Matreo Joseph who immediately brought energy and speed back to the press but by which time the game was gone.

Good game to watch apart from the result and we played attractive football. JM is seemingly a nice bloke and speaks a good game but Boris Johnson had more substance behind his policies than JM does behind his tactical acumen. Not good enough if we want to progress.

Rodrigo was decent and took both goals well and worth persevering with. midfield looked excellent at times and we need to keep those players as other may start sniffing around them.

Of the back four Koch looks good but needs good players around him - Struijk did some good things but just play him at CB and sign a LB and if in doubt sign two.

Bamford and Harrison should be bench warmers only.

Fun day out, annoyingly predictable result but we are going to rely on others not properly exploiting our obvious weaknesses.

MOT

Oh and our fans whilst massively out numbered out in the usually noisy shift.