25 Jan 2026 19:44:46
Super performance again, great watching us now. Still can't understand how Arsenal keep getting away with just pushing every player in on top of the goal line at corners, they have been given goals in our last 3 visits to emirates. I was off my seat for our second and third goals, like the 90s again.

Great credit to Carrick and his staff, we said these players were under performing, but what a difference now. Confidence is high now hopefully we can keep this high level and workrate in our remaining games.

1.) 25 Jan 2026
25 Jan 2026 20:47:33
Football is about balance. Keeping players behind the ball and more balance in midfield is what has made the difference. Bruno still gives the ball away, but he is less of a liability further forwards and his passes and play have more impact. The guy is one of the best 10s around, not one of the best 8s.

Last 2 games have been great. Perfect team selection. We played with a plan and executed perfectly. At arsenal the team really played well across the game. Weathered the early arsenal pressure and slowly took over the game. Players like McGuire, Dalot, Shaw, Martinez, casemiro, mainoo all performed exactly how we needed for the whole game. Martinez was exposed for the two fairly lucky goals for the gunners - but with the ball he was fantastic and really impacts our team. I remember a mainoo give away that put us on the back foot and had me cursing - but all game he and casemiro worked well together to shield the back four and launch our play forwards.

This was an eth team resurrected. The additions of lamens, dorgu, amad and mbueno made all the difference. Solid unit at the back and more assurity with the ball in the front line.

So now to the real challenge, Fulham and other teams lying in wait, will not be so naive to play high lines against us. We will be expected to have possession and create chances against a set defense. Can this team, this squad do enough to breakdown deep lying teams? Can casemiro, mainoo, McGuire and co press the play high and close the space without leaking goals on the break?

Very interesting week's ahead. Hope they can keep this run going.

2.) 25 Jan 2026
25 Jan 2026 20:51:03
Incredible scenes. Brilliant performance, again.

Literally more progress in 2 games than the last 14 months under Amorim’s regime.

Let’s see how we handle Fulham up next.

It’d be travesty if Arsenal win the title playing that type of football.

3.) 25 Jan 2026
25 Jan 2026 21:29:04
I think that's a bit unfair Eric and actually vastly off the mark in terms of progress. We would have won both games with or without Amorim IMO.
We have been making progress from the Eth days and the days before him and the days before that manager prior etc etc.

As the OP quite rightly states, how we handle the Fulham and Spurs and West ham games next is the real test for me, then we can see more progress.

We may even switch out a couple of players to allow us to play a more pressing game, i. e. bring heaven back in for instance.

4.) 25 Jan 2026
25 Jan 2026 22:33:50
Jim,

You think we would have won both of those games under Amorim? We rarely won one game, we won 2 in a row once in 15 months. I liked Amorim but we would not have won both of those games under him, not in a million years. We lost against both teams earlier in the season under him.

5.) 25 Jan 2026
25 Jan 2026 23:01:21
Alright jimbo ?

We would have not won those with Amorim. What we are seeing is a completely different team.

6.) 26 Jan 2026
25 Jan 2026 23:17:21
Utter nonsense Jim.

No way Amorim is bringing on Sesko and Cunha looking to win that game. His record was appalling, and players regressed under him.

Glad he’s gone. Terrible manager for us.

7.) 26 Jan 2026
25 Jan 2026 23:18:17
Ah give it up GDS. Can you not just see that we clearly had improved under Amorim and were very well coached. You can equally then say that Carrick seems to be a better motivator and seems to make better lineup and substitution decisions. You can credit Carrick without tearing down Amorim.

8.) 26 Jan 2026
26 Jan 2026 00:18:48
That’s a cracker Jimbob.

We may have beaten a weakened City but I very much doubt the Amorim team selection and/or formation would beat Arsenal.

9.) 26 Jan 2026
26 Jan 2026 00:59:35
Yes I think we would have won both games under Amorim.
I also believed we would win them both under Carrick, and backed him to the hilt at the bookies too.
My point is we had been making progress, irrespective of the manager, to the point I felt we would have won both games.
So to that end, yes, we probably are. looking at different games, as I had seen the progress during the latter months of Amorim tenure.


Maybe that progress is being accelerated now that we are aying a formation suited to the cattle. Will the club continue the trend towards a 3 at the back approach as they churn through the crap we still have on our books, who knows, that's outside of our hands.

10.) 26 Jan 2026
26 Jan 2026 03:16:22
we lose both games under amorim in my opinion. he would select a different team, different formation and players being asked to play in positions that does not suit them. Its a bit rich to make that statement when we were second best against 10 man Everton, westham, wolves etc etc and just so so poor to watch game after game with the occasional decent performance. I liked the man but the pl is a step too far too soon for him. got tired of listening to him telling the world how the players were no good.

We are not too far and a good summer window will make this team very good. Kudos to Shaw and whatever the club did to get him back from his injury, he is just an excellent footballer in all aspects of the game.

11.) 26 Jan 2026
26 Jan 2026 03:51:11
Keefy we very nearly and probably should have beaten arsenal early in the season, under Amorim.
I really don't know why people cannot give credit where it is due to a manager who ripped the bad blood out of our terrible squad.


What we are seeing now is the fruits of his mental strength to stop the rot.
More work needed. Is Carrick the man, maybe his motivational skills are enough to get him through to the main gig.

12.) 26 Jan 2026
26 Jan 2026 07:20:01
Donred, his record speaks volumes as manager, it was shocking.

Jimbo it was not progress, we failed to beat 6 of the 7 teams in the bottom positions during the months leading to his sacking.

He is gone now, and the team already look like a weight has lifted.

The next 5 games are really winnable and we could find ourselves in an incredible position after this run. I'm extremely optimistic.

13.) 26 Jan 2026
26 Jan 2026 08:23:03
Angel you are utterly simplistic. Your way of viewing things is so myopic. I can't engage with any more on this as you are determined to rewrite history and continue in this ridiculous binary view. You need to grow up fella.

14.) 26 Jan 2026
26 Jan 2026 09:33:08
Don, Jim, you will not change the mind of Mr 32%, but you have read him correctly, I think. Unfortunately, some feel the need for instant gratification, so they fail to see progress and that a complete rebuild takes time. God help Carrick if it all falls apart because the wolves will be circling very quickly.

15.) 26 Jan 2026
26 Jan 2026 15:35:20
Don,

Are you the one that wrote the bit on xG and tried to school everyone who disagreed? Yet won’t just look at facts, we won 2 in a row once in the whole time he was here, we would not have beaten City and Arsenal with him as manager, it’s as simple as that, nobody is bashing him, it’s just facts. your reaction to this is crazy.

16.) 26 Jan 2026
26 Jan 2026 18:21:47
Guys, our squad was littered with oxygen thieves. A lot have since departed, more to go. That was down to Amorim, that is a fact, he did not suffer fools and it was a refreshing change. But he was too stubborn and rigid, I accept that. But to say we did not make progress is idiotic.
Yu can say what you want about the results, and football is a results driven business, he got the boot because he called out the management team, and he was right to do that, Wilcox is a fraud.


He would still be manager if he hadn't had his outburst, that is a fact.
I think he would have won both games, others don't, neither of us know and to state it as a fact is being stupid.
I for one hope that Carrick win the next 15 games, I have stated from the start of the season that we will win the league and believe we are still in with a shout.

{Ed025's Note - say no to drugs..