midds

Not being able to appeal to CAS is the biggest one for me, had no idea that the PL had shut that avenue off. Still think they'll negotiate their own punishment and it'll be fairly light compared to what's being thrown about in the headlines today.

Thought Wilson's 2 missed chances were the turning point but according to xG the free header was only 0.18 and the 1v1 was only 0.12, felt like much better quality chances. Also felt like huge moments in the game and season too.

Great post

I think it's important to acknowledge just how close we are to cracking it here. Had we scored another goal in just 4 of the 10 draws then we'd be legitimately challenging for the title itself. The draws are disappointing but I think it's because we all know this season has been a bit weird and the perfect time to break the top 4 and stay there. No European football this season for us to deal with, Liverpool looking pigshit, Chelsea looking to transform their entire squad but throwing as much money as they can at it, Spurs being inconsistent, Leicester and West Ham falling away badly and Villa having the Gerrard handicap for half a season. Those things won't happen next year and it'll be a much tougher league next year. This, surprisingly, was the year to take full advantage and I think most know it.

You're joking??

Milan derby tonight, if Napoli hang on (currently winning away to Spezia) then the pressure on Inter will be massive

Said similar a few weeks ago, if we start to become predictable then we start to become easier to nullify. Mixing it up and changing formation is a bit risky but to continue with the same thing every week is riskier still. Absolutely not a criticism of Howe but we look tired and a bit blunt atm

Can't grumble about a draw today, thought it was the right result all things considered. I'd have loved to have won it but realistically we probably didn't do enough to win it. Still think that teams may well have sussed us to some extent and are better prepared for what we do now but we need to cope with that for the next 18 games. Having Isak and Bruno available tonight would have been the difference but that's the way it goes. It's another point and let's look forward

Looked sharper than I expected which was nice. Still don't think he's the player we needed but he's definitely a player who I think will fit in with what we've currently got. Once he picks up the pressing tactic he'll be an asset and he'll get plenty of minutes

ASM is struggling badly out there and looks like a weak link tonight. Doesn't help with his style of play that it appears like he doesn't give much of a fuck and/or isn't trying. Not accusing him off that but at times that how he plays and that's how it looks - getting beaten to 50/50s with pace, going down easily, pulling out of 50/50s etc. Needs to up his game or subbing off tbph

The red to Bruno is only highlighting how important he is to us and the lack of quality in CM we have and chose not to address last month. It's not awful and it's just about coping with West Ham but we look half the team without him.

Were they a joy to watch yet again today? Bet they were. Smashed Millwall all over the park 1-1

Dyche is a pretty good fit for Everton tbh. They'll be awful to watch and awful to play against but good enough to stay out of the bottom 6 every year. Problem is that with Dyche they'll never be good enough to trouble the top 8 either. Constantly mid-table. Perpetually average. Lots of perspiration but a lack of inspiration. Until the fans get bored and demand he's sacked in October 2026

So is this cat available tonight then?

They were only ever 2/3 wins away from leapfrogging about 4 other teams tbh. Problem was that under Lampard those wins wouldn't have happened.

I've heard the audio and it's horrific. Regardless of what the police have decided to do with him I've already made my mind up about him and he's an utter cunt of a human being. Charge or no charge, that audio told me everything I needed to know about the type of person he is - he's fucking scum.

Only a 5.5 for me. Happy with Kuol and Ashby, delighted with the amount of money spent - they've backed him handsomely yet again. We've also moved on 2 big squad members saving a few quid in wages and eventual fees too. More than happy with all of that. Still think the Gordon money could have been spent better to enhance the team though and that is my rather big negative. He might be brilliant and I genuinely hope he is but I'd have preferred a different player being totally honest.

They're a joy to watch, entertaining the nation on a weekly basis, they'll be dripping in goals. The pitches they play on will be absolutely sopping

It's like that scene in Moneyball where the deals get done over the phone and the players simply get told where they're going to be playing/living. May be accurate but it's stomach-churning how little of a shit the owners care about the players at their team, just moved around and exploited without a care in the world. It's actually disgusting what they're doing tbh.

Chelsea seems like an absolutely awful place to be. You can go from a big player with a future to becoming instantly expendable within 24 hours, then if someone doesn't buy you you become important again but only if a third player can be brought in/out which means you're going to be sold regardless. Players are just pieces of meat, it's vile

Nah, I'm taking about stopping companies from spending what they want to. The whole thing seems low a huge pile of inconsistent, arguable and contextual nonsense. It's ripe for a big legal challenge to see if it holds up in the courts or it comes crumbling down.

Still think any formal legal challenge to FFP would have the authorities scared shit less. Any top legal team could find loads of inconsistencies loopholes which would blow out of of the water. Maybe I'm being being optimistic with that though?

Chelsea simply buying players to stop others from getting them at this point. Not giving a single fuck about FFP. And why should they tbh? It's toothless and the punishments for breaking it are absolutely shite, almost encouraging teams to take the piss.

It's implied. I'm almost certain that Potter has zero say in the players who have been signed at Chelsea this window, they've been bought for him. Potter is pretty astute imo and this reeks of Boehly pulling rank and buying who the fuck he wants without a single plan of how its going to work. That implies to me that he doesn't trust his manager to choose the transfer targets and given their awful results this season is be astonished if he trusts him in the medium and long term on the park either. All just my opinion though

There's no rhyme or reason to what they're doing but they are undoubtedly signing quality players. Getting it to work under a manager they barely trust is the problem but their squad, on paper, is fucking brilliant tbh.