LondonBristolian

Given our shape, I don't think there's really that much of a difference between a back 4 and a back 5. Assuming there are no key departures, I think it is a given that 10 of the players will line up as follows: ------------------------------------------GK ---------------------RCB--------------------------------LCB RWB-----------------------------------------------------------------------LWB -----------------------------CM------------------CM ---------------------------------------AM ----------------------------ST--------------------ST There is then a question as to whether the eleventh player is a deep midfielder screening the defence or a third centre-back. But I don't think the answer significantly changes our basic shape and nor do I necessarily think the answer will be the same every game.

I agree it's a shame. A few years ago I remember the Secret Footballer talking up a teenager at his final club who he felt had the potential to go to the absolute top of the game. There's a general consensus based on the evidence that it was Dave Kitson talking about Callum O'Dowda. It's really hard to justify us keeping him and, beyond the injuries, he has to look at himself as to why he's not delivered on all his potential. But it is a massive shame for both us and for him that he's not become the player everyone wants him to be. It's impossible to wish him well given he has gone to Cardiff. But he now has an opportunity to prove the doubters (and maybe himself) wrong and finally kick on. It's down to him to take it.

I really liked a couple of things from last year (the robin vest and the multi-coloured goalkeeper themed t shirt with images of Bristol on it). The new collection is decent enough but there's nothing there that I'm rushing off to order.

Very glad you haven’t. You can’t put a sign like that near a school. The English teachers will give you a C at best because the rhyme doesn’t quite scan properly. Maybe try “You’ve run out of luck”instead?

Blimey. I expected him to go to Arsenal - not some local team I have never heard of!

Why on Earth have we launched the new Arsenal kit? Is it April Fool’s Day?

I cannot imagine an interview with Gould, Pearson or Lansdown would need to be embargoed. Given it presumably must announce some news that cannot be released yet, and it is unlikely the club will have leaked a new signing, my best guess would it would be an interview with someone who is about to leave the club but that the announcement has been delayed. There is an obvious candidate who most of us fear may be about to announce they are leaving for personal reasons but I’ll wait and see rather than stating a potentially wrong guess and turning it into a rumour.

I went in 2019. What struck me was - passionate though it was - there was a real community atmosphere. This may have been because they were against another Basque team - Alaves I think - but there were away fans mixing with home fans before the game and even a scattering of fans in Alaves kits in the home section. It was passionate but it was friendly too. And the stadium is spectacular!

If we are playing 3 at the back we probably have space for 5 senior cbs plus Idehen or Towler. Unless Pearson sees Pring as an LCB option. Am sure the plan will be to move on Vyner or Moore if there are takers and I feel both Klose and Naismith signing means the writing is sadly on the wall around Baker. That leaves space for Atkinson, Cundy and Kalas in the squad but I imagine Kalas would only want to stay - and we would only want to keep him - if he was first choice. He could well be but that is not certain…

It's an interesting appointment. If it pays off, it could reap rewards. The risk is whether great coaches make great managers. Sir Alex Ferguson really rated Steve McLaren, another former QPR manager, as a coach but obviously his managerial record was more mixed. But all managerial appointments are a risk and this risk seems as sensible as any.

I'm really glad this is fake. Selling people a fake coach trip so they lose out on tickets/accommodation they've spent cash on would have gone way beyond the boundaries of an amusing prank and into just being a horrific arsehole. Wonder if the original story (by which I mean a coach not turning up) is actually real. That's incredibly crap for the people in the photo if so - regardless of what you think of the club they support.

Sheesh. That's really sad. An absolute fixture of football during my childhood. He seemed like one of these players who had been around and would be around forever.

Precisely my thought. Even if these claims were true - and I'm very sceptical of that - they in no way explain what actually got reported on the ground.

The Liverpool fans with the fake tickets had to go on somewhere!

Whether you disagree or not, you can only decide for yourself. It's not your decision what nationality someone else is. For some people, their "main" nationality is the country of their birth, for others the country where they were raised (if it wasn't the country of their birth) and, for others, it is the country their families came from. Some other people feel they have more than one nationality. All those are perfectly acceptable answers and none are in any way "wrong". It just comes down to what someone considers their nationality to be.

Literally the first thing I do when I get a full Glastonbury line-up is work out when Mik Artistik is playing! (Seven times so I'm easily going to catch him). No majorly exciting surprises that I've seen in the line-up so far (I mean beyond what was already announced) but it's a very good line-up on the whole.

I think the conversation about our formation is slightly overstated. Assuming personnel stay roughly the same we pretty much know how ten of the players will line up (4-2-1-2) Essentially it just comes down to whether the eleventh player is 1. a third centre back making it 5-2-1-2 (or 3-4-1-2 if you prefer to express it that way) 2. a defensive screen in the midfield (4-1-2-1-2) or 3. a third central midfielder (4-3-1-2) But all are variants of the same basic shape.

Yeah - I saw that. I am not convinced they will go in for him but I would imagine Aarons’ agent would have an eye on clubs like West Ham and Leicester or maybe even Newcastle as competition and a long term replacement for Trippier. Not sure what the right back situation is at those clubs but I’d imagine that to be the level Aarons will be targeting in his next move…

I think Forest would struggle to get Aarons, perhaps even more so than Spence. I really rate him and reckon he could comfortably get a move to an established premier league team and has an outside chance of getting picked up one competing for Europe.

An embarrassing 14. But no more embarrassing than every other year!

I see Maddison as more of an attacking midfielder - I reckon he isn’t competing for a place against Phillips, Rice, Henderson, Bellingham, Gallagher and Ward-Prowse but rather against Foden, Saka, Bowen, Sterling, Mount and Grealish plus players like Smith-Rowe, Rashford and Sancho. Again, on form, Maddison is unlucky not to be included but, of the six of those players included, I feel Grealish is the only one who doesn’t have a strong case for their own form.

I think the other thing with a world cup or Euros squad is that Henderson may bring things to the table off the pitch. Even if he does not start every game, having an experienced midfield cover who can also provide some leadership to a relatively young squad may have more value than simply his football contribution. I'm not necessarily sure that he'd be in the four or five midfielders I'd pick for a major tournament but - after Rice and Phillips (who has had a season of injury) and Bellingham, who surely merits inclusion - there is a collection of central midfielders who you could make a good case for for the last one or two places. I'd get why people would put Gallagher or Ward-Prowse ahead of Henderson but I'd also get why people would put Henderson ahead of Gallagher or Ward-Prowse.

Surprises are always memorable but I think that, because they stand out, we remember them as being more common they are. More often than not, the last day goes boringly to form. Even Spurs’ reputation of serial choking doesn’t change the fact that they are playing a poor Norwich side and Arsenal are out of shape against an Everton team that have finally found a bit of form. I think it very likely Leeds and Burnley are the only source of potential drama. Even with Burnley’s home advantage, Newcastle are a much better side than Burnley whereas Brentford have been inconsistent at times. I think it likely Leeds will go down but find it plausible that they might get a point and Burnley don’t whereas I just don’t see Spurs or Man City blowing it from here.

Sunderland have three MPs who all play in red. Wycombe have one who plays in blue.

Yeah - I'm not necessarily saying I agree with the suggestion. Just stating a view on how it would work in practice.