midds

They'll probably go on and score 4 now I've said it but they just don't look dangerous in any way shape or form. They're not creating anything. They're just dull, blunt, predictable and static. It's awful to watch as a neutral, can only imagine how shit it is if I supported the hideous cunts

Love love love? Love it 3 times? Tri-love. Trefoil

Odds are now only 12/5 for Arsenal to qualify 😬

They appear to have won the World Cup tonight, fair play

I feel like that should be their motto tbh. Get that shit translated into Latin and pop it the collar on a new fourth shirt

Dos dos

After everything we've seen and heard over the last 3 years I defy anyone to say we're just happy to sit and not actively push the club forward. Every single thing that's happened has been to try and drive the whole thing onwards and upwards, they've made mistakes but the intention could never be called into question, on and off the field the club has grown and we're still a long way behind some of the competition, that's down to the restrictions which are out of our control If we could spend money then we would always choose to do so. That fact no-one has come in strongly suggests that it's because we can't not because we can't be arsed. The board will be just as frustrated that we can't spend and invest but I can almost guarantee it's not because the ambition is lacking, it's the limits that have been imposed on us. They need to be cut an awful lot of slack tbh

Unforgivable is a bit ott? They're an excellent team and an early goal changes the whole dynamic of the tie

Feels very much like we're in 'clearing the decks' mode. Anyone not playing/contributing or nearing the end of their contract is fair game and I'm not against it at all. We do need a squad and we need bodies but if those bodies aren't really good enough then there's little point in keeping them around. We need to raise funds from players giving little/nothing, we have no choice. Mitchell will need to be smart this summer but we need to move them on before we can do deals. 14 in the League, 2 (maybe) in the LC, 2 or 3 (maybe) in the FAC, it's already February and we have players coming back too. It'll be an interesting and pivotal summer

For those of a nervous disposition you can get odds of 5/1 for Arsenal to qualify. I'm just saying, I don't make the numbers up, I'm just passing it on

He's a horrible snidey little cunt. I'm not one for wishing injuries on normal players across the board, that's shithouse behaviour but him I'll make an exception for. Perfectly happy to leave a foot in, smash someone from behind to try and perpetuate this utter myth that he's some kind of 'hardman' or equaliser or something like that. He's a dirty little cunt and I sincerely hope it's a really bad one, there, I've said it.

Wouldn't touch Rashford with a bargepoll. He's 27 and looks like he's just given up on the sport, this is essentially his last chance and signing one more big contract. I've got a feeling he'll bust a gut for 3 months, trigger the deal, sign the contract and go back to his lazy ways of the last 2 years. I don't think he gives the first fuck other than sitting on his mega-wage until he officially retires aged 33

Loathe to criticise him but at times he does seem a bit "same again lads?". Formations and personnel do seem a bit automatic and I get it so some extent - why change a winning team? The honest answer is that if you play the same players in the same formation repeating the same patterns of passing etc then you become very predictable very quickly. I get the logic, I get the continuity thing but you cant just keep on turning the handle and expect opponent after opponent to just succumb purely because the last 4 or 5 have. It's not a massive pop at Howe but predictability has been a common theme. Love the bloke but change it up from time to time eh? Offer different questions to the ones they've been training for the last fortnight? They know what's coming ffs. Mix it up

We need to start playing the game unfortunately. Flipping frees for £15m within 6 months is now just good (financial) practise, in the olden days of building squads then it would be seen as lunacy but with the regulations written the way they are then all bets are off. Nothing is too ridiculous, everyone is for sale at all times, everything is there to be monetised, young kids who have played their whole life at the team of countless generations are passed around like $10 whores. The evolution of the football team is now merely the sideshow to the accountancy grift now. Money has won Lloyd Kelly going to Juve barely makes a ripple is this utter shitshow.

Do you deny that? "no" "NO" Thank you, Mr, Peter, Baxendale-Thomas

Let me guess - he's worth at least £25m?

The right move at the right time for all concerned. Pleased he'll get a chance to play but I'm also pleased we managed to get a moderate chunk of money for him so we can move on and improve. We need to try and do something similar with another 4 or 5 if possible

The socialising I get 100%, I'm just saying the before and after are best done away from the ground in the pubs and bars. The stadium is purely for the match for me, not about the food or drink or bets on the game in the kiosks etc. The stadium is for the match - the socialising is done elsewhere. I get there's an overlap if you sit with your mates in the ground though, I'll allow it

Still can't understand the idea of the actual football match not being the sole focus of the whole day. The idea of people going to the match in the first place only to then spend loads of the time drinking on the concourse, smoking/vaping, stuffing their fucking faces is completely alien to me. The match is the only reason I'm there. I'll arrive just before kick off and I'll leave soon after the final whistle as that's my only focus. I appreciate if you're in corporate then it's a different matter completely. I also appreciate young kids might need a bit to eat or drink but can't understand why grown adults go to the match only to miss lots of the match, it baffles me. It's none of my business, they've paid their money but I'll never understand any of the logic behind it

No it was on sky after the game. He's in the studio listening and giving his thoughts. I wouldn't have heard it had it been on TalkSport. But he kicked off about Ange and you could almost feel the host recoil a bit as to how critical of him he was being. Then he just let him rant and he piled in on him in a way you don't normally hear on sky.

Anyone hear O'Hara having a sustained pop at Ange yesterday? I'm not his biggest fan but it was actually nice to hear a pundit actually speaking their mind and giving their honest opinion of the situation without being frightened of not being invited back again. Normally the pundits are so bland and safe that they're not even worth listening to. They're shit scared of offending a player or manager that they give the predictable, diplomatic answer every time. This bloke tore at him for 10 mins and never once seemed to give a fuck about being controversial or overly critical, he spoke like a fan who'd just had enough and it was refreshing to hear.

See ya Ange. Can't be losing 6 pointers at home having taken the lead first. Don't think he'll see Tuesday

Confident there will be either zero or absolute minimal punishment if they've breached it. They're above their own rules, they simply don't apply

What does Karen Carney bring to any game she's chatting about? Not picking on her because she's a woman either, plenty of blokes just as vapid.

To flip a free transfer for circa £20m (ish) in 7 months is remarkable and I'd do it in a heartbeat. Krafth and Lascelles are on the way back and we've only got 23 more games this season if we make both finals. It's exactly the type of thing Chelsea would do and we'd all stand back and applaud their smarts in dealing with PSR. Anything decent - do it. He's far from irreplaceable