awbb

I get your point... but I think you need to re-evaluate how we should view ourselves. The expectation from on high is that we should be out-performing our top 10 budget, after all...

Another issue is that I get the feeling that Tinnion, in particular, overrates the academy products. Many interviews over the last few years where he mentions ‘got even better ones coming through’ and we may well do, but the idea that we can just throw teenagers in and be successful seems fanciful, since only 1 player has ever really done it in the second tier in the last 30 years. Obviously, for him, the development of these players was the be all and end all of he role at City. Now it’s just a part of it and it’s understandable that he might have a bias towards those players, even if it’s not really correct, and may pass that bias up the chain and give those people the impression we are better than we really are. The classic is the question of whether Idehen or Araoye are better than Andy King as a Championship centreback? Possibly, but if you’re lacking nous, experience and leadership elsewhere on the pitch as it is, then possibly not.

As far as Lampard goes... It's a legitmate opinion to say he underachieved at Derby, bearing in mind the players that he had and the fact that Derby were living well beyond their FFP means, but as a rookie manager he made the crapshoot that is the play off final and lost to Aston Villa, who were an absolute basket case for much of their time in the 2nd tier but were just about getting it together and with the advantages they had, couldn't have been a complete shock. His first season at Chelsea was largely a success, I would say, as a fairly disinterested observer. Given no money, I think they may have been under embargo, so was forced to use the Chelsea academy prospects. The start of the second season, with some fairly hefty spending, I am pretty sure he had them top after the first couple of months but then the wheels well and truly fell off and it's fair to say, he didn't appear to have the skill/gravitas or whatever you want to call it, to turn it around, including reports of rifts over transfer policy and falling out with players. Everton were a mess and had been for years, they over spent with Ancelotti and were paying the price. I don't really hold his failure there against him. He went back to Chelsea where he achieved 1 win in 11 games as caretaker. Chelsea had an overrated, unbalanced and mercenary squad (still do, IMO) and I suspect the issues that he left the club with just a couple of years before were still relevant. I suppose, what I'm saying is I suspect he could be a success in the right place. I suspect it won't be here, but then I would say that about anyone coming here now.

I don’t believe for a minute believe he’s been relieved because of results. And I don’t believe that any incoming manager will be held to those impossible standards. So long as the forelock is tugged and required access granted, considerably more rope will be granted.

It’s fairly obvious PPs should be ditched for payments to assist with player wages only, with caveats regarding player ages, contract lengths, any refused transfer offers, whether they are Club grown and so on. It would still be free money and a huge advantage, but ultimately the original rationale of PPs was to ensure your club doesn’t immediately hit the wall because the owner can’t afford or loses interest on relegation. Now they are already an advantage too great to have a competitive league and the new rules would just end English club football as any sort of meritocracy at all.

If you can bear it, Waze is a phenomenal app for avoiding traffic (where possible). It’s sent me on some wild chases through the lanes on occasion! Always got me to where it said it would on time though.

Apart from the fact that he said that he ‘Isn’t some kind of dinosaur’ in one of his first interviews for us, I don’t think I’ve disagreed with anything he’s said said since. He IS a dinosaur but it has nothing to do with his persona, training or tactical acumen. It’s purely down to the fact that he was a bit of a cult hero of mine when he played for Middlesbrough as I had several friends who were Boro fans and they referred to him as ‘Dino’ Pearson. Why? I couldn’t tell you, though I do recall that there was a picture of him looking menacing with his arms bent and wrists broken. Far from the usual and tiresome ‘camp’ cliche, he looked like a ******* T-Rex!

Looks like they are doing a new podcast called "The Rest is Football", pretty sure it's Lineker's company "Goalhanger" that is producing it. Richards and Shearer are still the main guys with Lineker on it, so presumably MoTD Top 10s won't be making a return. Seems like they are pumping out a couple of episodes a week, one where they talk about the football and one where they answer listener questions.

Plymouth absolutely remind me of us in 2015/16.

There is a nice symmetry between the multiple efforts to build Swamp Castle and the Sags effort to build a new ground.

He’s always wanted that, despite the losses, cut-backs and then allowing the wage bill to balloon again. I remember vividly a picture of SL standing in front of a projected image of Concorde with the caption ‘Passion versus Finance’ on it at a talk on how he envisioned the club should be run. This was probably in the very early 2000s and before he became a billionaire. The desire for the club to be self-sufficient has always been there. However, he’s a realist, after all he let GJ increase the wage budget after he got us within a gnats whisker of promotion. If you’re going to back someone, they would seem the obvious person, but as we all know GJ couldn’t forge anything with that investment and we couldn’t sustain those losses. The second time he did it was with Ashton who brought a lot of money into the football club while we generally improved our league position as the wage bill increased. Obviously he allowed it as the transfer fees were covering it. Then we ran out of valuable players to liquidate and COVID happened. Unsustainable losses again, regardless of our FFP position. You’d know better than me, but FFP can allow clubs to go for it, having 2 years without too much loss allows significant investment in the 3rd year. Managing that years afterwards is hard but not impossible and I got the feeling that was his indication.

Saudi to the rescue! Again!

I'm more worried about that mug. The destruction that could be wraught on that would be something to behold.

Our CEO was presumably the man that negotiated the deal that got Bolasie to Everton and Wan-Bissanka to Man Utd. I'd say he probably knows what he's doing. And if Scott stays, happy days. As far as progression goes, the only way I see Scott becoming anxious is if he misses out on U21 selection, though I think the next squad announcement is likely to be after the window slams shut.

I think virtually every fan and pundit would probably go for that, me included, but Stokes clearly works on the principle of utter trust in the players - the calls for Leach to be dropped was a classic example. Stokes ignored them and Jack slowly realised that he had the ability to be a Test-class spinner thanks to Stokes' unwavering belief in him. As a result I would be very surprised if Bairstow was dropped for Old Trafford, despite it being the Ashes and theoretically series we have been building to over the last 13 months. The bowling pack will need to be shuffled again though, so who knows what left-field choice might be dragged up.

Absolutely. Last time we were in the final throws of sorting out some previous profligacy we got relegated and were an abject embarrassment.

Forgive me @Silvio Dante, but as we all know; Nige doesn't run over dogs, he fights them. Which probably upset this Dilks fellow even more.

Not here or the big European leagues, certainly. But the way FIFA elections are organised with the power in Europe being worth no more than any other continent it’s far easier to please those countries with the promise of money and influence than the already wealthy. Which is why FIFA have become little more than a front to generate as much income as possible, since that, in my opinion, is what the majority of FAs around the world actually want and why Infantino has made very little change to what was happening under Blatter. Integrity and Human Rights be damned. Money is what matters and part of that is getting the big European clubs and the big international teams to play more in FIFAs primary tournaments.

I can’t think of a more crucial summer for us in 30 years. It’s a massive undertaking that is extremely easy to get spectacularly wrong (The Magnificent 7 being a calamity in point (apart from Alex Russell)). The fact I really like our senior management team that will be taking us through it makes me even more nervous as I am almost as desperate for them to succeed as I am for me as a fan!

Huddersfield inexorably dragging us down to their level, where they hope to beat us with experience… and a very lenient referee.

So, the player on the right? Is called Free Transfer? How much did you pay for him?

Nothing to see here.

Pep’s petrified. 1st team keeper on.

It’s fine by me.

Dare I say, Eliasson like? ?