Cronky

I think there's a recognition on Rafa's part that a bad atmosphere off the pitch with the supporters is potentially going to affect the team. Trouble is, Rafa, it's no good using the supporters to turn the heat on Ashley during the transfer window, and then expecting it all to die down when the season starts.

I think there's probably some truth in the story that Rafa was reluctant to sign a new contract unless money was spent, and Ashley was reluctant to spend if Rafa was going to leave after a year. Either that, or Ashley is trying to prepare the club for a sale. Overall, it's very hard to tell how much players are worth, and the greater use of loans, by other clubs as well as us, reflects that. The Neymar transfer has seriously disrupted the transfer market. I'm not convinced that the big spenders like Fulham and West Ham will get value for money, and despite our lack of spend, I think the team and the squad have improved. The limited budget has actually been used well. I'm expecting mid-table again.

I have wondered whether there's much clear thinking behind all that spending of theirs. If true, this link confirms it.

There's no truth in that, because Rafa has every reason to believe even if he signed a contract Ashley wouldn't release funds. So why not quit, or sign and then quit if Ashley doesn't deliver on his promises. Then at least everything can be brought out into the open. The current stand-off won't get us anywhere.

It does look like there's truth in the story that Ashley won't release funds unless Rafa signs a new contract. If Rafa doesn't trust them, then he should quit now. The strategy of not signing, but hoping that pressure from supporters and the media is going to force Ashley to back down, just isn't going to work. We're in for another meltdown if this carries on.

That's odd considering he's never scored more than Mitro in a PL season. How is that "much much better?" Perhaps there's one 'much' too many in there, but to state the obvious, he's quicker. I don't know that there's much difference between them in terms of strength and technique, but Rondon's extra pace is crucial. Some of the goals he's scored, Mitro wouldn't get in a hundred years.

Rondon is much, much better than Mitrovic. Mitrovic is too slow for the Premiership.

Agree with most of that, HTT. Walker at times showed his inexperience as a CB and isn't that comfortable on the ball. I'm not sure that Lascelles has made a strong enough case yet, and personally I'd have played Cahill, though I know he's not the future. Sterling has pace all right, but that's not enough. He lacks composure and technique on the ball. I'd play Rashford, though I'd recognise that he's still on a learning curve. And well though Trippier played, I think Alexander-Arnold is a major talent and will get ahead of him in time. Southgate's persistence with Young at LB was the one decision that really had me scratching my head. He's not just right-footed, he's very right-footed and only seems to kick with the inside of his instep. But we have good players who missed the tournament, so overall there's reasons to be cheerful.

Good athlete, but a very ordinary footballer. He was a big disappointment and I can't see that anything would have changed.

Well, no surprise to some, my first was 1966. Looking back, I now wonder whether that victory was a double edged sword. It made us think we were better than we were, and put pressure and expectations on subsequent England teams that they couldn't live up to. Over the years, we've made progress in reducing the gap in technique between us and the rest, but that's process is still going on. There is a different feeling about this England side, and I think it's because we've started off with modest expectations and aims which the team can grow from. That's a better momentum than thinking / hoping we're good and then coming down to earth with a bump. Southgate's presence has probably helped, in that he didn't come with a big reputation in club football that he and others were hoping would be replicated. He seems immune to the bombardment of advice and criticism that comes with the job, and has been able to put the kind of protective cocoon around the team that helps the players to keep relaxed and focused. Well that, and the good luck of a relatively easy draw.

Neymar's a great talent of course, but does his ego get in the way too much out there? His first thought often seems to be to try something brilliant rather than release the ball quickly. His decision-making isn't always for the benefit of his team IMO.

Croatia can play can some skilful football, but they completely ran out of steam after the first half. I think I'm right in saying we're a much younger side, and should be able to outlast them, should it come to that.

Suarez had a good game yesterday, often making do with scraps in a difficult, solitary role. For me, he's the second best player in the world, not Ronaldo.

He just looked too slow for that level of football. Again.

I've never been a supporter of VAR, and it seems to me that unless you have very clear rules about when and how it is applied, there's a danger of more and more decisions being referred to it, and the whole issue of a 'clear and obvious mistake' is going to get very blurred. The Argentinian handball might have been a pen, but there's no way it was a clear mistake, and I don't think it's the sort of situation that VAR is meant for. Because VAR hasn't been tested properly before the tournament, we seem to be getting more and more decisions reversed, on more and more dubious grounds. By the time we get to the final, the whole thing could be in a real mess.

For selfish reasons, I'd have liked to have seen Argentina go out, but they were the better side. Nigeria looked athletic, but lacked technique and that made the difference in the end. No-one in the Nigerian side would have had much chance of putting away those two goals. It'll be a fresh start for Argentina now, so I wouldn't write them off.

Or maybe if Rafa’s desperate for money. He hasn't exactly been desperate to play him. I assume he's worried about his defensive abilities or his fitness, because he's been our most creative midfielder going forward.

I enjoyed watching it, with all that old footage dating back years. It really brought out Sir Bob's will power and infectious optimism. It carried him and his teams through many a sticky patch and on to success. There was a lot made of his spell at Barcelona, which felt a little distorting, because he was only there as manager for one season. In truth, his finest achievement was probably at Ipswich, where he took a second tier club to consistent top-five finishes and the very top of the European game. He took the risk of bringing in continental players at a time when that was a rarity in the English game. Such a shame we weren't able to land him after his year at Barca. He should definitely have walked after Van Gaal had been brought in, but I suspect he loved the job so much he was hoping to be able to step back into it, if things went belly-up with Van Gaal. The definitive story of exactly went wrong in his final year with us will probably never be written. There were rifts, between him and the Chairman and between the younger and older players in the squad, but I can't help but feel that the most significant one was the one that gets glossed over - ie between him and Shearer.

I wouldn't take the risk. With us, he was a very costly failure, and that could be to do with the extra pressure of playing for our club.

It's all very well having a go at owners in this situation, but the big, underlying problem is the huge gap in income between the Championship and the Premiership. It puts a lot of pressure on clubs to extend themselves financially so that they can either stay up or get promoted.

Didn't Beardsley already have 49 England caps when we signed him? Unless you're talking about when we picked him up from Vancouver Whitecaps... Good recovery.

Exactly. Beardsley and Bellamy weren't stellar names when we signed them. I know it's much more difficult now, in the age of videos, to pick up an unheralded talent. But this Swedish lad won't cost the earth and seems to have something about him.

Such a weird time to say that. Perhaps 'situation vacant' is a bit harsh. He's the best we have at the moment for that role, and there are other priorities. I suppose I don't think he's quite good enough to take us to the next level. Whenever he runs with the ball, it doesn't look completely under his control. A player in that position needs to operate in crowded areas. And as I said, a really good number 10 can make a big difference.

Looks promising at least. Maybe if he was to shed a few kilos, he could make the grade. We've seen in the past how a player in that No 10 position can make a big difference to a side (Beardsley, Bellamy). Perez doesn't quite look up to it, so it's a situation vacant.

Trouble is, we don't know what Rafa is asking for. If he wants Ashley to dip into his own pocket, then this is a clear message that there's no change of policy there. If he's asking for a more streamlined way of handling transfers, (with some justification), then hopefully that can be sorted.