80

Yeah, our squad might be nigh on identical this year, but you'd have to think there's a good chance it'll be unrecognisable next season.

Would be nice to just pay all our first team squad an additional £2m a year each to ensure we breach the limits and then hand it over to the PFA to deal with. "Look at what you could've won without PSR"

Vlachodimas too apparently, and I'm sure there was at least one other...

Amazing isn't it.

If you told me our scouting database was secretly being held to ransom by a crew of Russian hackers, I'd believe you.

Fair enough, but I have heard people romanticising what might have been with Mitchell in completely unwarranted ways. He's not the focus of my ire regarding this summer, that goes higher up, but on the balance of evidence he deserved to have his arse kicked, not greater authority.

I certainly do. That said, I'm not really following other clubs closely and I'm under the impression it's only really last season's top 4 plus Man United who have significantly strengthened. Our travails might be blinding us to the fact the corrupted PSR system has sucked the life out of 3/4 of the premier league's clubs, who now either can't or don't want to improve their standing, meaning we'll have an easier time then we expect. Maybe we're already part of the cartel and we just don't know it yet, and a tragic season we lament for years means finishing 6th. Success.

Show me the interview with these kids explaining they were persuaded to join by the overtures of Paul Mitchell, and I'll take this seriously. We were already well underway signing kids, both domestic and foreign.

There's a guy about 5 posts above you running cover for him, to be fair.

There essentially weren't any transfer windows in those happier, more functional times, mind.

Can't disclose the source but I'm aware they're still actively drawing up concepts. Looks like they're going for a round badge style after all, had one recently sent through to me:

Surprised more people aren't wanting to buy into this one being true, as it would be hilarious if so. 1) Man United are reduced to Ashley-level 'we tried' moves 2) More evidence of cartel clubs coordinating to block our progress 3) Sesko's people see us as the real prospect for the future

For a year it would, but the usual PSR disclaimers about paying for future years apply.

Yeah, I've laughed at a few people thinking Bruno is going to be playing the arm around the shoulder nice captain role. I'm not sure that one will come naturally to him.

Including those he's been closer to in the past?

Maybe... Or he's playing the game to avoid fines and similar actions?

Yep, I'll give Ashworth that - better than Mitchell

It's worth considering, but it's much harder to get away from the idea that Amanda was the straw that stirred the drink. I don't see Ashworth and Eales being all that much more dynamic.

There's a lot of ifs and buts attached to our leadership right now, but if we are going to keep steadily climbing upwards, these are going to be growth moments for us. Learning to take pride in the club's achievements whether all the players in the team are consistently nice to us or not - because the club is bigger than any one of them, in a way that honestly it wasn't for a long time. If we're strong enough to make them win games for us when they don't even want to be here then that's a sign of our health.

Re: Watkins and Wissa, to get CL I think we need Top 4 and that feels highly unlikely at this time. An additional CD and CM required at a minimum, both first team quality.

Him to sign for Bournemouth

That feels like the real Anthony Gordon talking. All makes total sense, boil lanced, let's go.

Agreed. And so without a recourse to court, you might seek satisfaction another way.

Well, the proposition of my hypothesis was that it was current board members who had shaken hands on him going this summer. But also I don't really agree with the idea that if you work for a business, and an owner of that business makes various agreements with you before unexpectedly selling up and shipping out, that you aren't entitled to feel the ongoing business should honour those agreements. De facto you might be stuck, but I'm not going to call it immoral if someone wants to take proceeding action accordingly. But yeah, the leading idea is he's a total arsehole and/or far less intelligent and able to regulate himself than anyone had realised.

Yeah, I'm not inclined to fully jump on Isak at this time for this reason, although I can understand why many would. There are several potential ways of understanding what's gone on and it's not really worth my while spending much time speculating about it due to the lack of info - just have to watch it play out. There's a strong chance he's just an utter utter cunt, a solid chance we've broken multiple promises around selling him this summer, and a non-zero chance he's got a nephew with a grenade strapped to his neck in a Stockholm ghetto.