Mbrooks0811

Every now and then I'll come back to this game and do a playing binge. Recently saw they're releasing a 4th one...I think I'll be buying it.

I can't snap. My version of "snapping" involves my ring finger and thumb instead of my middle finger and thumb. If you're more than a few feet away from me you can't hear my "snaps."

What do you mean by this? I ask because it reminds me of how I feel like I'm drowning when I try to wash my hair while in the shower but not when anywhere else.

Yeah, they watch matches in Addison/Far North Dallas. I just moved back here from New York so I'm not too knowledgeable about where there might be other crowds watching matches. I'm gonna ask around and see if I find anything. I'll let you know if anything worth while comes about.

Welcome to the site. I'm in Dallas as well. Haven't been active lately, but saw someone giving a Texas introduction and thought I'd drop on in.

Mine as well.

Last time I skipped class to watch the match. This week I think I'll just stream from my laptop.

Someone may have already asked this, but I'm too lazy to go through 30 pages to find out. What makes this year's speculation any more substantive than the speculation every year since he left? Or is this just because it's fun to speculate about the return of the "Special One?" (Which I agree, it is very fun)

A number of things are disconcerting to me, mainly: 1. I don't even feel much after a loss. That's a dangerous sign of apathy, and things have gotten bad when you're past being upset about your team's performance to the point where you just don't care any more. 2. I don't even know how to explain our performance under Benitez, which worries me. I literally have no idea what's going on with the squad. This is going to be a painful second half of the season. Possibly more painful than the first.

While our team has some issues not only tactically but mentally, I can't see us finishing outside the top 4. This is due more to the fact that the other teams competing to be in the top for (Arsenal, Everton, Liverpool...,Tottenham) haven't been on the best form. Maybe I'm too optimistic, but I have to believe that if the FSW doesn't will this team to top 4, then the players themselves will.

My question is how are we supposed to ignore issues in midfield when it's egregiously apparent that our team, in the midfield, crumbles under pressure from opposition (including lower level opposition)? Throughout the past few seasons we've shown an inability to control the tempo of games when we want, and this has resulted in, in my opinion, other teams dominating us on the ball and dictating the terms and tempo of the match. It's true that, looking at the long term we're going to have to make sure we have a solid back four and I think you'll find opinions across the spectrum on the current quality of our back four (I think we're fine, but we don't maintain intensity like we should). However, it's hard for me to overlook our inability to control the ball under pressure.

I would like to fall asleep and wake up in May.

I'm not trying to be combative, but how did bringing on an attacking player when we were already up 2-0 make sense? It's true that Mata needed to come off, but that doesn't mean you replace him with someone who isn't good at defending the wing. Rafa's tactics confound me. When we're down against Swansea he makes a like-for-like defensive substitution, but when we're up 2-0 against Reading with 3 minutes plus extra time he subs in two ATTACKING players?! The Rafalution is here, ladies and gentlemen. Let's just hope we can make it to the end of the season without any serious damage. Jesus Christ that was awful.

It's been recommended to me by my mentors that I do more "outside reading" on areas that interest me professionally, so I recently picked up Regulating Wall Street: The Dodd-Frank Act and the New Architecture of Global Finance. Definitely nothing to write home about, and it's nothing I can talk about at a weekend party...but it's interesting in some strange way.

My biggest concern after we got rid of our midfielders (for unexplained reason) has come to pass. If we're looking at getting another midfielder in the January transfer window in a timely fashion (i.e. while Mikel is at the ACoN) we're going to be force to pay a premium, which is unfortunate. I guess we have a few options to recall players currently out on loan...