THE CONCRETE ROUNDABOUT (TCR)

Bellingham is pretty good.

It's absolutely frightening how good this kid is. He's got everything you could ever want in a midfielder. I genuinely think he's the best midfielder in the world right now, possibly even the best player altogether. And he's still only 20!

I'm going to Wembley for the next England friendly against Australia next month, and I'm absolutely desperate to see this guy play.

Just hope Southgate isn't in charge for much longer and we can hire a manager who'll allow all the players to play with the shackles off. Jude, atm, is coping well. But long term, I worry. He's got so much potential to run games from back to front and play expressive football. Southgate is an absolute wimp.

_________________
"It's not about hoping this little moment will change our momentum, its about our daily actions and courage in everything we do.. We've got to stop believing in fairytales"

- Graham Alexander, October 2023

I've defended Southgate a lot over the past few years, as the criticism he's faced has ramped up. I still believe he's done a really good job overall, but it feels like he's now run his course. I'm 99% sure he'll go after the Euros, whatever happens. If we flop and get knocked out early, he'll obviously go. If we play well but lose in a semi or final, he'll go because it would be clear that's his ceiling that he can't overcome. And if we somehow win he whole thing, I'm certain he would just leave with his head held high.

I've got a lot of respect for the job that he's done, and I think a lot of the criticism he's had has been slightly over the top. When he took over, just winning a game at a tournament felt like a big deal. Now, if we don't win the whole thing, its seen as a disaster. That shows how far we've come.

Oh Dear

Russell Martins current team, Southampton, are losing 1 - 4 at home to Leicester, this coming on the back of the 5 - 0 spanking at Sunderland last time out.

15 highly enjoyable minutes left

Oh dear, what a terrible shame...

Sheffield United doing well this time in The Prem...

_________________
For those that like that sort of thing, that is the sort of thing they like.

Good showing from Newcastle in the first half against PSG, 2 - 0 up and deserving to be

Good Lord 3 - 0 Newcastle

Not exactly a shock, PSG are absolutely gash

_________________
"It's not about hoping this little moment will change our momentum, its about our daily actions and courage in everything we do.. We've got to stop believing in fairytales"

- Graham Alexander, October 2023