The College Dropout

That's a given.

Ifs buts and maybes. But in a parallel universe where Isak is happy to stay- we sign Etikite, Mbeumo, a good CM, Thiaw, a quality RB/LB - we could’ve done serious bits this season. If we didn’t lose anyone but had a window like the one last time. A Tonali level winger. A Barnes level CM etc. we do amazing things this season. We needed one more quality window. Alas

I’ve got no confidence we will sign so many great players. I’ve no confidence we have an actionable plan to execute to get to the top. In any case I’ll enjoy the ride. But I was excited before - now? Less so.

Probably more games too. Dunno don't care enough to look through the numbers. But would be semi interesting to see

Definitely not. And nowhere near the depth. Like nowhere near the depth.

It's 10k average attendance per game - no? 19 games. 10k attendance per game. £15 a head - no?

I'm braced for selling the best players of the best team i've ever seen for us as an adult. I'm braced for those players being replaced by a different team than the team that broght them in. A team with no track record at this club. In what feels like a different project to the one that the best players signed for.

If i was told there were 2 players that have gone for £50m+, I wouldn't have guessed Wissa. AWB stood out though.

Was pap in the play-off but at least Congo won

Plan A: Kane Gordon Bellingham Saka Plan B: Whoever (Bellingham an option here) Rashford Rogers Palmer Would have Bowen in the mix too. Maybe Eze. Don't see the need to take Foden at all. Not shown anything for England - ever. Had 1 month of good form for City in almost 2 years. Saka has always played for England so would start him. I'd take Palmer but his place is questionable. Needs to show more - positional flexibility is a bonus. LW is wide open too. (haven't watched England in a good while)

He's a good manager but one that falls out with everybody

Eg we can use it to break even on big money flops (amortisation wise) but not to turn a profit

Tonali and his agent will know what to do to get the transfer over the line. It does require a club to be super interested and there's no guarantee of that materialising. I remember Ruben Neves and Martinez doing "good byes" - Martinez even stopped playing and transfers not materialising. Man U opted against Martinez at Villa's asking price for someone else and Neves never caught enough interest. Same can happen to Sandro. I'm braced for the worst mind.

Ashworth was here to sign Isak, Gordon, Tonali, Hall, Livramento etc. The emergency a transfer window and the Ashworth era brought us our success. we pivoted from Ashworths strategy as soon as he left by renewing Joelinton’s contract. Even Mitchell had an era - it was just terrible and short.

I'm talking post Ashworth/Staveley. You'vne mnamed Ashworth/Staveley era signings.

This is where a DOF is meant to come in. If we think Anderson could become as good as Joelinton, even in 2-3 years. You let Joelinton go at peak value and build on Anderson and co. But we've not had that and been very short-term thinking with transfers and poor at selling he club ever since Ashworth left.

That requires a conveyor belt of talent - we had one 2-year span of just signing hits. Point 2: The point was already proven with the Isak saga. We lost the war before the summer even started, the club just had not realised. Unless the WC changes things, I think this summer it's Tino & Tonali. Think Bruno has a big decision to make but he would give us another year - makes a move easier for him anyway with a lower fee and I get the feeling he wouldn't force it as much as the others. A good World Cup could see more leave. Keep saying it - this team has had its peak. Can we build a second team? Who stays as part of the transition? We've damn near wasted 2.5 years of squad building. We haven't added a cornerstone player since 2023.

Losing Isak was a hammer blow to us on the pitch and the entire project. It initiated the end of this teams cycle. I expect us to lose star players season on season now from this team. 1-2 this summer and then the next when it’s a basically a new team.

Really interesting observation. Think we saw it play out a bit when we played Barca. Narratives really impact future decisions. Yamal is a proper football darling. Successor to Messi’s crown. Breathe on him too hard = yellow - can’t endanger the next Messi. He doesn’t have to appeal to referees all the time, the decisions come. Then he commits a lazy cynical foul, one that should cost him and his team and he gets away with it. Another youngster would be called ‘immature’ or just poor play but Yamal is given the grace. He plays the Next game and destroys us, reinforcing the next Messi narrative. Opposite with Vini jr. far more leeway to kick him. So he complains - that complaining leads to a reputation - one that allows more kicking of him than another star player. Size often plays a big factor. Woltemade isn’t a physical player at all but he’s so big, half the physical interactions are deemed fouls. Conversely, Man City’s midgets could commit cynical foul after cynical foul.

Last summer proved players don't need to go through that rigmarole.

That offer might not come btw

KDB, Beckham, Trent - all did the same. It’s the strikers job to get on the end of them. He’s Xa is still double his actual assists I think meaning players are getting on the end and missing.

This phase of the project ended with Isak leaving imo. Most of the rest will leave too imo. This season is enjoying the fumes of that era and trying to build a new one. Question is can we go again? Build a second team? Last summer wasn’t promising.

Massive. Even Gordon, Schar. Tough tough players to replace. Even a prime Pope. For a club that has never had it so good. We think replacements come easy as if we are Liverpool or Chelsea.

They need to be able to do all of that at a really high level to replace Tonali though. Prime Jorginho can do all of the above but (1) Tonali overruns him more time anyway (2) does that even suit a Howe midfield? currently Mainoo does all of those things. But at their best Sandro just bullies Mainoo out a game. That level of player would be wanted by elite clubs. Thats essentially Bruno G. I don’t think 2 Bruno’s work for Howe. And finding the next Bruno is a gold rush. On paper Tonali is a lot harder to replace and improve upon than the reality.