The College Dropout

Beckham is slightly under-rated. He was a fantastic player in his day. Not as good as his celebrity suggests but like.. closer than he's given credit for. Same thing with Rice. He's not worth the 100m+ quoted. But he's the real deal. Fergie would've been all over him. Modric - if you swap him out of Croatia & Real Madrid, which players would've done more or equalled his success with those teams? IMO only the very best of all-time. He's surpassed the Scholes, Xabi Alonso, Kroos etc. and has carved himself into a unique immortal of the modern game

College football don’t pay the men out on the field who are risking their mind and bodies. Awful.

I like those quotes from Howe. To get into 6-8 we’ll need to see a small exodus of players.

Agreed. I think our investment will warrant higher than 10th.

I also think the type of football we want to play makes it harder to get into the top 6. Spurs did it gradually with signing young but potentially really classy players. Leicester only did it with a 20+ goalscorer and ended up with a quality squad. West Ham have got in the mix with the Moyes spirit and some genuine quality.

I'd be thinking they want to do a classier version of Ashley. If they genuinely want us to be a Chelsea, Liverpool, City - we'll need to at least finish top 8. 10th means we're behind West Ham, Wolves + someone else outside the top 6 which really isn't good enough.

Probably a positive that we've been blasted without scoring when facing any genuinely good teams. We're not remotely competitive. Too slow at the back. Not enough mobility or technicality in midfield. Not enough quality upfront.

I don't but he does suffer from fitness/stamina issues. He looks a big lad and it's not all muscle like Adama either. He doesn't have the capacity to do the running (including sprints) some of the top players do. Yesterday was his best game in some time. He could've passed earlier a couple of times for great chances but should have had one assist at least. Don't blame him too much for the 1st goal.

He's been worse in front of goal than expected. And I wasn't expecting much.

I might keep him around the squad as a dressing room enforcer. Handing out the beats for motivation like he did Diame.

It’s been almost 4 years of Ragnick, Ole and toxic Jose. The 2 managers they’ve hired of legitimate repute. Won some trophies. Not that wages and other issues aren’t relevant. But managers and upper management issues have been the source of their issues. If they hired Conte or Klopp whenever they’ve had the chance they would be doing considerably better.

You’re deluded.

Yes it does. He’s totally unqualified for the job.

Let’s aspire to the model where a league has a damn near monopoly on the entire professional sports. Don’t most major American sports make young men perform the sport at university for no money? all them franchises. That move City.

All of them.

Aye 40m from them tbf. This is true. i thought it’s not in his game but his overall fitness and stamina could be an issue. Salah, Sterling etc. make that run constantly. ASM only makes that run when he knows it’s the only decent option. Even at a top club that run is only found 3 times out of 10 but they know to keep making it. I don’t think ASM is physically capable of doing so. The lad could do with losing some mass. Also his quotes are worrying because he’s blaming others rather than looking at himself.

He’ll achieve more in his career than ASM I’ll wager.

So nobody? I’ve long thought we would do well to get 35m for him. 30 is fair. At 25m I think a queue starts to form as the cost / benefit shifts in favour of the buying club. ASM is 2 years younger. But his output is similar to Trossards. if ASM is worth 50m, Raphinha is worth 90m.

He's not good enough on the ball to be nothing other than a stop gap in that position.

Joelinton isn’t good enough to be here longer than 12 months unless as a squad filler. Same applies to Shelvey. joe is just too limited on the ball. Shelvey is too limited physically. Would like at least one of them replaced this summer in the first team.

Defensively seem organised but also partial to conceding. Look decent going forward... but always lacking goals. Maybe lacks a bit of personality or character.

Nobody is buying ASM for more than 35m.

No he’s right. Ole would’ve done better. Ralf hasn’t been a football manger for a decade prior.

Something soft about Potter and that team.

I’d rather they stay up and pay bigger fees. Raph @ 30m becomes a no brainer for at least 1 top 6 side.