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The problem in potentially losing Ndiaye is we're losing one of our few (only?) fun players to watch in the side.

Grealish/Ndiaye together with KDH last season had some nice interplay but unfortunately minus 2 of those players it's all a bit safe and pedestrian. Too many receive the ball and are just happy to retain possession and play it backwards.

My man of the match for us is Merlin. He's a least put some effort in.

So a continuation of the final few months of the season then.

Same players, same man in charge, same result.

Yes it's a pre season friendly, but not being able to score a goal against Bolton and Stoke is a bit meh.

It won't change massively between now and the end of the tranafer window. We've seen this soap opera play out season upon season, decade after decade.

Battle for staying where we ended last season is firmly where I believe we'll be striving for.

New owners same old shite.
Thank god I've something to do next Saturday afternoon.

Trowel wrote: ↑Tue Jul 28, 2026 8:19 pm McNeil in the perfect position to press their fullback high against a ball out from the keeper, and opting instead to jog slowly backwards - lovely stuff.

Mcneil is more talented than he is intelligent. Always been his problem.

We are unbelievably crap at pre-season. Year after year after year crap. Boils down to getting Grealish back on loan and a RB. We need about 4. We’ll be porous in the middle and will go on runs without scoring and winning. Already dreading it to be honest.

MPLS Toffee wrote: ↑Tue Jul 28, 2026 8:31 pm Mcneil is more talented than he is intelligent. Always been his problem.

The lad must be wearing velcro boots in that case.

Absolute turd.

I know it’s pre-season and about fitness, but I saw zero patterns of play whatsoever.

Lol.

That second half was quite terrible.

Thought George was very bright in the first half and Hackney played some nice forward passes.

All looked extremely pre-seasonish in the second half though. Dibling had a nice bit of play and Jake hit the bar but that was about it.

Barry did a great job there of making Stoke's defence look competent.

We need to be 60+ goal team and we are a 40 goal team every single year.

Have to say I’d be amazed if we aren’t in a relegation scrap (again) this season. We feel like that side that sleepwalks into relegation, can’t even tell what we are trying to do and how Moyes thinks this style is going to ever control or win games

Think Rohl getting more minutes at right back is the main positive as well as some minutes for the likes of Aznou, George, Dibling, Hackney

Short term we could majorly do with getting Grealish again just to keep us safe this season

Its all gonna be about how to not concede and hope for the odd goal from situations.

The worst thing is that I actually think that the club is "trying" to rebuild with buying younger players. Last year KDH, Aznou, Dibling, Alcaraz and Barry and this year Rohl, George and Hackney. Problem is that these players are not good enough and that we pay too much for them.

We have used 180M on those players and its only KDH which is an undoubted starter...Recruiting is killing us. I dont think we even have the money to get that right back - and still we should have had one more left back, a dm, winger and striker! Ndiaye probably has to be sold just to get enough money for two of those positions.

But as the optimistic people say - preseason doesnt matter...