Cronky

I think the problem is that there are so many ways of falling foul of FFP, and so many different circumstances, that a consistent formula for working out punishments is impossible. As an example, Everton tried to reduce their stated overspend by saying that they could have sued a player for £10m but decided not to because of issues with the player's mental health. That's not a situation that's going to arise very often. Whatever its flaws, I'd rather live in a football world with FFP than without. We get focused on the way that it makes it difficult for new owners to break into the big six, but its main purpose is to protect clubs from owners who take undue risks and then leave the club high and dry. I'm not sure there would be quite as much hostility to FFP on here if we hadn't been taken over by wealthy owners. Let's face it, there's a tendency for football supporters to define what's 'fair' in terms of what happens to be in their own club's interests.

Anyone with sympathy for Everton should read this - https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/other/reckless-spending-and-player-x-inside-everton-s-bitter-legal-case-with-the-premier-league/ar-AA1k6Olu

Having just read the case against Everton in detail, they can count themselves lucky not to get relegated. The claimed £20m overspend was what was left after a series of spurious accounting devices were applied to a much larger figure. Basically, it seems that they tried to bend the rules in order to avoid relegation.

It's a bit more lenient than I was expecting really. They've still got a good chance of avoiding the drop. An appeal can usually mean a longer ban, so I suspect they would have taken this on the chin, were it not for the possibility of being sued by the relegated clubs. That could be plenty serious.

My favourite quote from Arthur Hopcraft's 'The Football Man' - 'Past success is only briefly a glad memory - it quickly becomes an accusing finger'. Obviously it's ridiculous for anyone now to question Eddie's position and ability, but he has raised expectations by his own success, and that does carry dangers for him. I don't doubt that the vast majority of supporters will continue to have faith. If I have a worry, it's more to do with the owners. I hope they appreciate the scale of his triumph over the odds, but that's an unknown factor for me. Our players are continuing to over-achieve in a staggering manner, but do they see it in quite the same way? The media loves to blow up any hint of crisis and conflict. That applies to all aspects of the news. 'Things are going well' does not sell newspapers.

To me, Werner looked like a player better suited to continental football. If he’s not doing well in the Bundesliga that’s even more of a concern.

Roy of the Rovers, February 1971, I believe.

The fixture list for the second half of the season looks a bit easier, and we should have players coming back around the New Year. We could finish well and momentum is very important. It's a matter of sticking this difficult period out until the injury crisis sorts itself out. Another striker and midfield player in January would help too.

I was excluding games where I had a prior emotional commitment (ie The Toon, England) For thrills, spills and all round entertainment, that just beats the lot. PS - 32 shots, 19 on target. My case rests.

OMG. Possibly the best game of football I've ever seen.

Yes please. An underrated player, and he's just what we need right now. I think he needs Eddie too.

Yeah, I've revised my opinion a bit. For all his limitations, he has that street wisdom which gets him out of many difficult situations.

I wasn't expecting Miley or Hall to start. Bournemouth are quite a physical, athletic side so it's a very bold move. I was expecting Trippier on the left and Tino on the right. On reflection, Miley probably is the best option in the circumstances. The old adage about being old enough if you're good enough is about to be given a real test. Go for it, lad.

Spurs look like winners here. Against Chelsea, even when they lost Maddison and Van der Ven and were down to 9 men, they still managed to look good on the ball. They've got good players who move the ball quickly and confidently.

Do it. We need a third striker. I'm not sure of his best position, but he looks more of a striker than Gordon. And besides, when we play Gordon as a striker, we lose that ability he shows from a wide position.

What I remember about him is that, for a big, strong lad, he was very quick. He was an exceptional athlete and sound enough technically to have had a great career. The basics were there, but as soon as he'd made it to a certain level and he'd secured that contract, there was no need to put in any further effort, as far as he was concerned. If you stop going forward, you go backwards, and it looks like that journey never stopped. The sad thing for him is that he'll never know how good he could have been.

He was a major talent, I do believe that. But the minute he got that 20K a week contract, he was a lost cause.

Pre VAR, I don't think those handballs would be given, mainly because it would be difficult for the officials to spot with any certainty in real time. You're bound to get more handballs in the penalty area, with the crowded space and frenetic movement, but those two factors also make them difficult to see. On the other hand, I think those handballs would probably be given in other areas of the pitch, if they were spotted, and the player had gained an advantage. So there's a bit of a problem. We may have to accept that there's bound to be a bit of inconsistency in the way the law is applied.

A fatal flaw, if so. I had started to wonder about that. He's a bit chunky for a keeper.

The way it's worked out Man U could still easily get through - their chances are far better than ours. They seemed to be writing them off last night. They're only a point behind second place, and they have two games left. They could easily get something from Gala, who I don't think are the greatest, and then they're at home to Bayern, who are already through and who won't field a full strength side.

True enough, but football can be peculiar. Until the second goal went in, we were never completely out of it, and if that header by Joelinton had gone in...... hmmm... It would have been interesting to see how things would have gone from there.

They won a lot of the physical challenges and were technically better. Disappointing but it's early days in our development.

A big problem with the way in which VAR is being assessed is that the views of players and ex-players (ie pundits and managers) are getting too much attention. If they do understand the principle of a 'clear and obvious error', they often seem to forget it when they start piping up. And so many decisions are a matter of opinion. Thinking about it, a lot of pundits not only don't seem to have experience of refereeing, their grasp of the rules seems quite shaky. The skill-set required for a ref is different from that of a player. The idea that things would be improved if more ex-professional players became refs is fanciful. Becoming a top-class ref entails a long apprenticeship and involves a mindset that is quite different from the fiery competitor. There are some honourable exceptions here, notably our guy and Postecoglou, and I know that managers are under pressure, but really they should button it more. In the long run, I don't think they're doing their teams any good - it ends up as a distraction and a downer.

That's interesting, because I haven't seen him shout many instructions from the touchline, like managers tend to do. I've often wondered whether that behaviour is more to do with the manager's anxiety rather than any great help to the players. What Ange might lose in terms of individual coaching, he might gain in terms of giving his players some confidence, and not distracting them. Staying positive with 9 men was impressive, and you could have easily come away with something. I did wonder though whether a more together side than Chelsea would have closed the game out a bit sooner, with that high line. Sterling messed up a few situations, Mudryk looked a bag of nerves, and there was generally a lack of leadership. They look like a side that's only just been put together, despite their individual talents.

That Spurs performance showed the value of staying positive no matter what. They also look quite a big side. They were winning a lot of the 50-50 balls and outmuscled Chelsea. Postecoglou has got them in a good place mentally. They'll be there or thereabouts.