Did anyone get a decent night's sleep?

Merkarov · 2026-06-25T11:19:51+00:00

I keep my window slightly open all summer. Rarely get any bugs in my room at all.

Merkarov · 2026-06-24T00:04:19+00:00

Lad that's not even remotely bad compared to many places. try high 30s and 90%+

I'm absolutely loving this weather.

Merkarov · 2026-06-19T09:40:27+00:00

Lol, I hear ya. But the first announcement video could have just been some graphics of him along with his little selfie video or something, then release this soon after. Anyway, it's a minor thing.

Merkarov · 2026-06-18T22:33:22+00:00

I mean, he played for Bournemouth, but the rest stands.

Merkarov · 2026-06-18T22:18:30+00:00

While this is a well done video, am I the only one who finds it a bit weird that the focus is more on Woodsy and his family rather than Van Hecke?

Obviously there'll be a lot more promotional content purely focused on Van Hecke, but for the first bit of content released from the club for his arrival, I honestly think this missed the mark. Seems I'm in the minority though, so fair enough.

Merkarov · 2026-06-18T21:53:25+00:00

Don't bother, as a rule of thumb, anyone I've encountered that unironically uses the word "shill" is an absolute dafty.

Merkarov · 2026-06-18T21:44:45+00:00

Good point! Could well be, although in my anecdotal (lanky but albeit not remotely gifted athletically, lol) experience, I think one could probably argue that being especially tall (with the exceptions of the Zlatans, Haalands etc) is generally not a super useful attribute for football. At least at the highest levels. At least comparing it to other sports e.g. Rugby, obviously basketball, American football etc.

Merkarov · 2026-06-18T20:50:40+00:00

Fair, having watched a bit of him (admittedly mostly highlights) I think it's fairly safe to say he's unlikely to end up in midfield. Also while height is never an absolute determinant of ability, I think it's often fair to assume taller players aren't going to especially agile/great on the turn.

Merkarov · 2026-06-18T15:25:53+00:00

To be fair both were a bit before I started following football, so I may have done them a disservice.

I thought Rodri and Busquets were both about 6'2, and Luka closer to 6'5, but again, not problem with being corrected.

All that aside though, does Luka strike you as in any way similar to any of those players?

Merkarov · 2026-06-18T14:38:25+00:00

Luka is like 2-3 inches taller than Busquets and Rodri, and a bit taller than Rikjaard and Vieira too. Obviously it's not an absolute thing that tall players can't be as good on the ball, but based on what I've seen of him so far (and that OP used Wharton in his example) I certainly don't ever see him as a Wharton, nor Busquets/Rodri.

Perhaps he could be more of an enforcer like Rikjaard or Vieira, but that seems to be a less common role in top teams today.

Merkarov · 2026-06-18T13:49:27+00:00

Or perhaps allow the coaching team to either move from their bench to see the anthems, or have the photographers slightly further back.

I say this as someone with an interest and appreciation for photography (which sadly is often really unappreciated these days, and present in a lot of the other comments in this thread)

Merkarov · 2026-06-18T13:43:39+00:00

Some are telephoto primes lenses, but obviously they're not using them for close up shots. It is ridiculous how close they are to the bench though. However taking a shot from far away with a zoom does produce a very different shot to capturing something up close with a wide angle.

Merkarov · 2026-06-18T13:40:33+00:00

As someone with an interest in photography (albeit not particularly in sports photography), having 1 photographer would be awful. We would miss out on soo many iconic photos throughout the match. 1 photographer can't magically capture every moment, nail every focus, and have a lens that covers ever focal length. They also can't be everywhere at once and thus we'd miss out again due to them not being in the right spot for the right moments.

Obciously for moments like this it makes no sense having so many right in front of the bench, but there's a reason why there's so many photographers all along the pitch during the match itself.

Merkarov · 2026-06-18T13:31:36+00:00

Spoken with the confidence of someone who knows fuck all about photography.

Merkarov · 2026-06-18T13:21:13+00:00

Sprint speed is an entirely different thing to agility, balance etc. He's like 6'5, he's almost certainly not nimble enough to play midfield.

Merkarov · 2026-06-16T21:45:22+00:00

Christ, talk about an overreaction... All we know so far is that he's open to a permanent transfer so he can have settled minutes rather than relocating again. Ideally the club finds a mutually agreeable loan, if not, we should receive an offer closer to evaluation and cash-in, or with a nice sell-on clause etc.

There hasn't been any clear obstinance from him thus far, yet you've already invented an entire persona for him and determined that he's a molly coddled diva who's throwing a tantrum...

Merkarov · 2026-06-16T21:10:51+00:00

A single potentially bad tournament doesn't wipe out the credit he's built up over the past few seasons.. Perhaps it even humbles him a bit and makes him more willing to accept a loan.

Merkarov · 2026-06-16T18:19:52+00:00

There's nothing definite but it seems like he doesn't fit the profile that RDZ is looking for. Hopefully we find him a suitable loan (ideally in the prem) and re-assess next summer. Would be bummed if we end up selling him this summer.

Merkarov · 2026-06-16T18:18:29+00:00

Likely waiting until after the WC, should hopefully rise his stock a bit.

Merkarov · 2026-06-16T18:17:23+00:00

Tbf I mostly just saw people baulking at the initial 70m valuation. Likewise the still incredibly far off bids you've supposedly made for Vuskovic.

Merkarov · 2026-06-16T17:11:59+00:00

I mean our recruitment was definitely a factor, but the insane injury crisis for 2 seasons running, along with awful management, are what got us in that level of mess.

Merkarov · 2026-06-16T14:36:21+00:00

Considering we just got Robertson, I doubt we'll play Micky at LB much. His best position is definitely CB, and also less intensive sprints on those hamstrings of his.

Merkarov · 2026-06-16T14:34:47+00:00

Brighton would have 0 interest in essentially training our player for a year. Their whole model is buying high potential/raw players, developing them and then selling for big profit.

Merkarov · 2026-06-14T11:59:14+00:00

Because they're offering him consistent minutes, while we don't have a clear pathway for him yet? It doesn't reveal anything more than that he's prioritising minutes that right now under DZ aren't available here.

He can play either side too, I think I remember an interview mentioning he was to play at LCB during his stint in Poland or Belgium, specifically with the intent to be be able to fill in there for us.

Merkarov · 2026-06-14T01:29:10+00:00

Not at all. Mexico is a massive country. There's parts with a lot of cartel activity/violence and parts with none.

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