SecretSam

I agree, we need someone to battle through. I appreciate this season was always going to be a struggle, but there seem to be precious few signs of light.

He's had health issues, the club's a mess, no money, possible points deduction, we'll have to sell our young talents...plus fans are unhappy...will he just say "stuff this" and jack it?

ArsENAl?

Pearson clearly has a longer-term plan in place, there's a real structure behind the scenes (medical team, scouting, coaching) and you can see the genesis of a concerted effort to bring the youngsters through. But I think we need to be realistic - City are not a 'rich' club any more, not compared to the parachute clubs. We will sell this summer - it could be all 3 of HNM, Scott and Semenyo. Likewise, as @Davefevs and others have said, Kalas and Bentley may be off. That won't generate huge fees, but should release wages. The key is what is the plan for using that money, or whatever proportion of it is made available? I think more signings like Atkinson and Tanner make sense. There's little risk there. And with many clubs in lower divisions cash-strapped still due to COVID and so forth, there have to be opportunities to pick up some decent players. Certainly, the experiment with signing tried and trusted ex-Leicester stalwarts has failed - none of King, Simpson and co have really made an impact. Back to the 4 pillars? (Or was it 5?)

What on earth are you on about?

It's not the size that matters, etc

you sunk my battleship!

Yes, relatively, in winter it can get chilly at night.

Qatar is tiny, and it only really has two cities. Well, Doha and a town. The rest...is dust. ...and the vast majority (85%) aren't even from Qatar.

Plus - it's what people see of us, it represents who we are. It is a literal visual representation of our team, so yes, it really matters.

Me - we get bespoke kits. No more Star Trek horror shows.

oops Yes, actually

Six year deal signed - I think it's good news, we get decent kits and they're unique to us, no copy and paste templates (remember the Star Trek kit??) New Hummel deal

Tuchel could bail out of Chelski any day ?

Yes, 100%. Sorry, my post probably sounded callous, but I was thinking in economic terms.

Is Baker OOC in the summer? Assuming Klose stays, that's him, Kalas, Cundy...I would assume Vyner and Moore will move on. Towler I think needs a loan to L1.

:laugh: at first I thought that was the HPC! Lad has a bit of a temper, doesn't he? Barton will be on the blower no doubt.

I have no problem with the Toffees, met a few of their fans down the years and they've always been pretty decent. But as a club, they are a mess. Reminds me of us a few seasons back when we went down. Unbalanced squad, inexperienced manager, turmoil off the pitch. Don't think they'll go down, however; but I would be surprised if Lampard was still there at Christmas.

Oh dear, how sad, never mind Abramovitch frozen, Chelski sale on hold

Bobby Reid. Sold for £10m a season after most people would have happily let him go for £300k-£400k. Swings 'n' roundabouts.

Hope he didn't dive into that like he does most challenges

I've really been impressed with the Hummel kits, would be disappointed if we went back to template designs.

The improvement in players like Scott and HNM has been a major plus. And he brings out the best in older players, too, look at how well Weinmann is playing.

I've had my doubts but he really does seem to be turning us around. This summer will be massive, though. Credit to the club for sticking with him.

Make your mind up, Darren, either you like it there or you don't ?