15 Feb 2026 18:08:38
A lot of players were under par and we were lucky to get away with that one. I mentioned a few weeks agp that Buonnotte and Tanaka were poor. Don. t know what's happened to AO and Bunonotte (forgive spelling) is having the the start that Rutter did. Hope he makes the same sort of progress but very lightweight at the moment.
15 Feb 2026 18:31:18
FB has hardly played all season. Not fully fit and not match ready. It will take a bit longer before he is ready to give his best.
15 Feb 2026 21:40:10
I think it easy to see why Gnonto and AO are not first choice. AO is capable of brilliance, but can be very ordinary at times. Gruev is more consistent and dependable even if he can’t reach the level AO can.
I know Gnonto is not a defender, but in games like this, that’s where you can end up, and he’s a mistake waiting to happen around our box.
BA was particularly poor today even if he added a bit of chaos in the second half. Very indecisive and lost the ball a lot.
Still a win is a win; let’s hope for a “easy” draw at home and then we’re one match from a Wembley vist.
15 Feb 2026 21:43:33
I think it’s poor to slag off players who have barely seen any game time this season.
15 Feb 2026 22:34:39
Don’t be ridiculous OP…who’s slagging anyone off? Sharing observations that’s all.
16 Feb 2026 04:32:00
Agree with above. We were poor today but got away with it. Lot of under performers but a few haven’t had much game time. But that’s the point. Take the opportunity to give fake a selection problem.
Funny. Fake. That was an auto correct but hey ho.
As has been noted before. We haven’t got a prem squad depth. Very disappointed with gnonto and ao in particular. Amps made a difference. Through to next round. Hope we don’t get gunners. And hope for home cause we are generally woeful away.
16 Feb 2026 06:03:10
It’s a very easy observation to me that players who have barely played this season and are thrown into a cup game against a team away like Birmingham who will play with an intensity like no other game they will play this season, are expected to play above and beyond themselves.
Not forgetting with half the team changed they are also expected to play seamlessly.
Expectations for players like Gnonto are far too high in my opinion.
Everyone on here complained about Aaronson being selected every game and now with all that game time has come good. Maybe Gnonto would be playing better if he had more game time.?
Not so ridiculous in my estimation Ani4ni.
16 Feb 2026 07:28:13
In defence of OP, FB has already been panned as a waste of space already by a few, based on the thick end of about 50 mins for us, and very few more at Chelsea.
Additionally, both Ao and Willy are, imo, gametime players, who need to be playing week in week out to achieve their best form.
16 Feb 2026 08:24:30
Fb was decent in his first 5 min cameo but not yesterday. So that don’t stack up bright.
He is a highly paid professional footballer who trains everyday pretty much. If that’s his best. No thanks.
16 Feb 2026 10:25:00
Nothing to do with discussing whether a player played or not, performed or not, I resent the accusation that I and others were slagging off players. No one was doing that.
E. g, if I said your posts were wrong or boring that would be like discussing your performance, however, if I called you a moron that would be “slagging” you off. See the difference?
16 Feb 2026 10:47:10
100% ani. These are highly paid individuals fighting for the right of selection. If they are rusty cause lack of game time then they will never make the big 11. Absolute stupidity to suggest otherwise.
16 Feb 2026 12:23:37
Like it or not Aus, there's a huge difference between match time and training, and fitness isn't the major factor. The pace of the game, intensity and physicality can make a match just pass you by whether you like it or not, and "rustiness" is a well used term for a reason, irrespective of pay!
Talk of pay is more aligned with "stupidity" I reckon!
Think you hopped on the defensive bus a bit too soon, Ani.
I don't think anyone has accused you directly of being one to slag players off!? I haven't read it that way, or written anything myself to say it? I was personally referring to other comments in other posts!
16 Feb 2026 18:39:11
Perhaps slagging off was not a good choice of phrase more like unfair opinion when knowing the said players had hardly played any matches and likely played out of position not to mention with already about 6 or 7 first team changes in the team sheet.
You can’t expect these players to be ripping it up in these circumstances and they rarely do.
For me it’s an unfair assessment of these players performances without underlining the reasons why they may have not played a good game.
Those players would be specifically Gnonto, Tanaka and Buenonotte.
My response was initially to Hess’s post.
16 Feb 2026 22:24:42
OP, no one can argue BA doesn’t get minutes and he was poor yesterday; likewise AO is no where near an ever-present but he’s had a lot more minutes than most coming into the team yesterday and was also poor imo. Some of these players are going to get less and less opportunities as we come to the crunch end of the season: I doubt DF will risk a weakened team in the FA Cup, given beating Norwich would put us one match from Wembley.
To be fair to those yesterday, Birmingham was always going to be a tough game; they were already in great form at home and this was their cup final. I still think these fringe players are Important; Gnonto has shown on numerous occasions to come on and change a game.
I think if I was being critical and to provide some defence to these players, is that introducing them 6 or 7 at a time is always going to be an issue. I mean, the whole midfield was “new’ and fresh from injury. We only wrestled an element of control once Amps came on.