Thiago Alcantara

[TheHowieLama]

He is a master sushi chef and we have had him out back flipping burgers.

[Joey8FrogsLegs]

1 hour ago, stringvest said:

I think he's consistently been our best midfielder.  He's constantly won the ball back, and used the ball effectively most of the time.  The other thing I like about him is he's always making himself available for the pass.  I think he's really good, and once the team is set up properly, he'll show even the doubters what an asset he is to the team.

Couldnt agree more. 
 

Football is all about opinions, but some of the criticism in Thiagos case has been ridiculous. The ‘slow and ponderous’ thing a good example. I have hardly ever seen a midfielder hitting passes first time as often than he does. He very rarely take more than two touches, and in general moves the ball very quickly.

[Duff Man]

1 hour ago, stringvest said:

If you're talking about launching the ball over the heads of our midfield to Salah or Mane, then no.  If you're talking about playing forwards through the midfield with creativity, managing the ball intelligently, setting up chances for the forwards, winning the ball high in midfield, then he's the best player we have for that.

Tbf, I reckon he's probably the best at that launching the ball thing, too. I think what I was referring to, though, was his ability to do what Gini or Hendo do, given I assume he'll be taking up one of those positions when Fabinho is back in the holding role.

[TheHowieLama]

4 minutes ago, Duff Man said:

Tbf, I reckon he's probably the best at that launching the ball thing, too. I think what I was referring to, though, was his ability to do what Gini or Hendo do, given I assume he'll be taking up one of those positions when Fabinho is back in the holding role.

He was brought in to do the stuff Gini and Hendo can't do.

[Duff Man]

Just now, TheHowieLama said:

He was brought in to do the stuff Gini and Hendo can't do.

You don't say.

[sh#t waffle]

Or do you.

[VladimirIlyich]

2 hours ago, KevieG said:

We only got a small glimpse of the Fab Hendo Thiago midfield, v Everton away this year, and it looked very very good. Hopefully plenty more to come

Gini was also great last night but wont be part of that quartet for much longer. Hendo seems to be picking up more injuries also. Jones is ready to step up but Shaq has been shite for ages. I'd forgotten about Oxface and Nobbly because they place so little.

[3 Stacks]

1 hour ago, TheHowieLama said:

He is a master sushi chef and we have had him out back flipping burgers.

Great analogy. 

[El Rojo]

@Codeneeds to do up a spreadsheet on who our midfield three have been this season. 

[SasaS]

But can he do it on a cold rainy night in Wolverhampton?

[Jairzinho]

1 hour ago, SasaS said:

But can he do it on a cold rainy night in Wolverhampton Wetherspoons?

 

[AngryOfTuebrook]

14 hours ago, Halcyon Days said:

I was thinking about number 3 all game and not just for Thiago. What a difference it makes to the teams overall momentum and confidence. Fuck Mike Riley and his gang of cheating anti Scouse cunts.

Not sure if I imagined it, but I thought there was one point early on when Thiago tackled a player  - cleanly and fairly - but hesitated very slightly, waiting for a whistle. 

[Bjornebye]

Crouching Thiago, Hidden Alcantara 

[Halcyon Days]

4 hours ago, AngryofTuebrook said:

Not sure if I imagined it, but I thought there was one point early on when Thiago tackled a player  - cleanly and fairly - but hesitated very slightly, waiting for a whistle. 

Not surprised, he’s been scarred by the best league in the world. Honestly just sack our refs and get the foreign lads in, sick of the cunts

[an tha]

12 hours ago, Halcyon Days said:

Not surprised, he’s been scarred by the best league in the world. Honestly just sack our refs and get the foreign lads in, sick of the cunts

Did he does his 'disbelief' and 'i'm innocent' face?

 

Really wish he'd knock that shite off, i am sure it influences refs the other way.

[dave u]

1 hour ago, an tha said:

Did he does his 'disbelief' and 'i'm innocent' face?

 

Really wish he'd knock that shite off, i am sure it influences refs the other way.

 

That isn't what influences them. The badge on the shirt does that.

[stringvest]

21 hours ago, Duff Man said:

Tbf, I reckon he's probably the best at that launching the ball thing, too. I think what I was referring to, though, was his ability to do what Gini or Hendo do, given I assume he'll be taking up one of those positions when Fabinho is back in the holding role.

He can do the stuff they do, that's the easy bit.  It's the difficult bits where he will show his real value.

[Duff Man]

5 minutes ago, stringvest said:

He can do the stuff they do, that's the easy bit.  It's the difficult bits where he will show his real value.

Think you may be doing Gini and Hendo a bit of a disservice, there, but obviously hope you're right.

[Moo]

55 minutes ago, Duff Man said:

Think you may be doing Gini and Hendo a bit of a disservice

Just a bit.

[s(k)aturation]

1 hour ago, stringvest said:

He can do the stuff they do, that's the easy bit.  It's the difficult bits where he will show his real value.

 

I'll give you this, Stringy, you stand by your convictions.

[Manny]

Agree that it helps that the referee wasn't a total cunt. I'm fed up with the "death by 1,000 cuts" style of refereeing we see in this country, where we're held to a completely different threshold for a foul to our opponents. When we fire the ball into Mo or Sadio, defenders are constantly in their backs, grabbing them, pulling at them, tangling their legs up - and nothing's given. It just totally shuts down our attack as they drop deeper and deeper to get closer to support and away from their marker, but means when they turn they're fucking miles from goal with defenders everywhere. Meanwhile, we try and press to win the ball quickly when we lose it and the referees give a foul when opponents are so much as glanced at, which means the game just gets broken up and they get a breather and a chance to reset.

 

There was a move a few minutes before Brighton scored which illustrates it - one of their lads barged Bobby (I think) off the ball aggressively and Kevin Friend does his self-important chop of the hands to indicate no foul. He runs up the field and Gini returns the favour on the same player. Friend instantly blows his whistle and they've got a free kick in our half from an identical incident that went unpunished 2 seconds earlier.

 

The useless cunts seem to just ref on narrative. Burnley are aggressive? "Yeah well how else are they supposed to compete?" We press high? "That's out of order, don't you realise you're better than them, you shouldn't have to resort to fouls! And it's not like good honest shit teams to dive, is it?"

 

Precious little to do with Thiago but he's not our sharpest lad in the tackle so he's the one who's fallen foul of this shit the most.

[The Guest]

Sometimes you wonder does Dave still read the forum.  He doesn’t comment as much as he used to etc but then you see any time a refs are mentioned he’s there, waiting in the shadows, ready to lay the smack down on any post which doesn’t point out that they’re corrupt anti Liverpool cheats.

[Arnaud]

16 minutes ago, The Guest said:

Sometimes you wonder does Dave still read the forum.  He doesn’t comment as much as he used to etc but then you see any time a refs are mentioned he’s there, waiting in the shadows, ready to lay the smack down on any post which doesn’t point out that they’re corrupt anti Liverpool cheats.

I guess his chief of staff is looking around for him.

[VladimirIlyich]

9 hours ago, Duff Man said:

Think you may be doing Gini and Hendo a bit of a disservice, there, but obviously hope you're right.

Stringy is a Hendo hater and always has been. Any chance to have a dig at Hendo is taken. Its a shame Firmino wasnt as quick off the mark!

[Halcyon Days]

11 hours ago, an tha said:

Did he does his 'disbelief' and 'i'm innocent' face?

 

Really wish he'd knock that shite off, i am sure it influences refs the other way.

I pull the same face watching our games this season, bent bastards.