Cronky

I think Eddie relies a lot on organisation rather than individual ability when it comes to the back four, so I can understand he doesn't want to risk an inexperienced youngster. Our defending often looks a bit knife-edge at the best of times to me, and given that we don't have a DM, I'm still wondering how we manage to concede so few goals.

Yes, it would be great to have an upgrade on Pope, but there aren't many better keepers around and they wouldn't come cheap. Given our current resources and FFP, I'd say we have other priorities (eg striker, RW) Pope is very shaky with the ball at his feet, but for a tall guy he gets down very well and makes a big obstacle to get past. Keepers have to be decisive, so whether or not in retrospect he could have safely caught the ball, I'm happy that he at least made his mind up and executed his decision well. The problem which then arose was that we don't really have any great tacklers in midfield.

I felt reassured at the end that we'll cope with the heavy load of fixtures and the loss of Tonali. Getting into the top four or winning a trophy will be difficult, but I think we'll continue to pick up decent results. There's a steadiness about this side which bodes well.

I agree. He committed himself to a reasonable decision. All in all, a fair result. And actually a good effort from the players considering we were away from home and had the CL on Wednesday.

I don't know where I saw this, but one explanation was that he started betting on his own team, and then developed a superstition that if he didn't bet on them, they wouldn't win. He doesn't strike me as a typical gambler, but the superstitious type, yes. There's a bit of the air of an anxious introvert about him. Anyway, we've faced much worse than this.

I hate to say it, but Spurs look like the real deal. They just need to keep Maddison fit.

Morally, I think he should lose a portion of his salary. He's not exactly going to be out on the streets, is he? Maybe that form of punishment was part of the plea-bargaining that went on with the Italian authorities. We'll find out soon. As with any addiction or compulsion, he should receive support and empathy, although of course it is down to him to make use of it. The condition shouldn't be called a 'disease' though. A disease comes from the outside and can be cured from the outside ie with medication. An addiction is internal and the cure involves taking responsibility. Often the cure is never entirely complete and there's a painful, life-long battle. Dealing with that challenge can be very rewarding in terms of personal growth though. I don't think he'll find a better supporter than Eddie, and maybe everyone can grow from this. Again, maybe I'm reading too much into this, but watching Sandro and Eddie together on the touchline before he came on, there seemed to be some real communication going on, for once. Sandro seemed to be engaging in a proper dialogue - previously he'd always seemed remote, and a bit out of touch with everyone.

Maybe I’m imagining it, but last night he looked better both on and off the pitch, like a load had been taken off his mind.

It sounds like a great occasion, with KK and Eddie together, but I'm not sure about it being a regular feature. We should be looking forward, not back. In his presser, Eddie spoke about not putting pressure on the players. Really there should be no talk of winning the Champions League. Not at this point.

I'm annoyed at the thought they might win the League before us. I wouldn't swap places with them though.

I won't wish you luck, because I'm a bit jealous, but you're top on merit. I won't deny that.

I don't know. They've got some good players and there's a blend. It's easy to forget that at the time when Conte threw his tantrum last season, they were in the top four. And Postecoglou has the air of someone who can keep his own and his players' feet on the ground. And they don't have the distraction of Europe, which is a big advantage. Maddison is the key. He's always been a class act, but now he's with a team that is usually better than the opposition and he has more time and space, he's creating havoc. If they can keep him fit, they have a chance. I'm ABC - anyone but City. I just wish the Metropolitan media would tone down this love-in with Postecoglou. It's getting irritating.

Late comment on the Villa game. There was an incident where Zaniolo went down after a challenge, which led to a promising West Ham counter attack. He was clutching his head but the ref was pretty sure he was faking it, and let play go on. However, he realised that he didn't have much choice and ended up stopping play eventually. The replay showed that there had been no head contact at all - Zaniolo was just trying to get the game stopped. The ref made sure he served his full half-minute on the touchline. A player who's had serious head contact doesn't roll around twitching away like Zaniolo was doing. The ref had got it right, but the way the rules are now written, it gives players the ability to cheat in that way. As the commentators were saying, it's creeping in more and more into the game. A possible answer is to review incidents like that after the match, and issue a 4 match suspension if the player has been found to be faking. There has to be a deterrent like that because we can't ask refs to take the risk.

And hats off to Roy. At last, a manager who is prepared to give credit where it's due.

Yes. Different personalities, different methods, but the same astonishing capacity to get twice as much from players than you could expect.

Before the 1966 World Cup, the training staff decided to lay on an athletics tournament amongst the England squad, just as a way of keeping them occupied. I think they had in mind doing it as a regular feature, but it didn't work out. No matter what the event - sprint, middle distance, long distance, high jump, long jump, shot put - Bobby Charlton would win. He was a really good athlete. Sadly, yes, he did seem to have a chip on his shoulder. He seemed naturally shy and ill at ease in some contexts. It's said that Munich affected him badly.

Well said, but if I can just qualify what you're saying a bit - the strange thing for me is that 'adequate' no longer seems to do him justice. He's continuing to improve and I no longer have any concerns when I see him in the starting line-up.

Having watched the press conference through in its entirety, I feel encouraged that the club is doing the right thing by sticking by the player. It's neither right nor wise to look for some way of bailing out and cutting our losses. Part of Eddie's success has been to generate good values of team spirit, self-improvement and, for want of a better word, kindness. Difficult though it may be, we have to stick with those values, no matter what the cost. I was starting to have big doubts about the player, as some of you will have picked up. His career at Milan had been erratic, and I was getting a bit pessimistic about how things were developing here. Now that this stuff about an addiction has come up, it's all making sense. These compulsions can really drain a person's mental energy and self-esteem, and there seemed to be some major issue with his confidence on the pitch. It was all looking a bit stuck, but now maybe there's a way forward, even if it may be a more difficult one that we were supposing.

I've just finished watching the second half of his press conference. I found that very emotional. I just wish I was half the man that Eddie is. I really mean that.

Eddie made the point that Sandro is young. That's something I feel I've lost sight of over the last few days. I know he's not that young by footballer standards, or young compared with many of the posters on here, but he's still young in terms of life experience and resources. It felt like a timely reminder from the great man to cut the lad a bit of slack. He's not committed a violent crime or (it seems) done anything that's actually corrupt. His life and/or career shouldn't be ruined by this.

If he hasn't bet on football, then he shouldn't be banned from football. If there's a law in Italy against gambling in general, then he must answer to the Italian judiciary. It's not an issue where football has to intevene. It'd be like banning a player from football for a traffic offence.

Looking carefully at the wording, it seems that Tonali 'may have' bet on football, and there are 'suspicions' that this may have included his own team.

I don't think that's the worst case. It looks like there are other players involved, so it could be a betting ring. Hopefully not, but the signs aren't good.

Mama mia. It's not so much the thought of a ban that bothers me, but the possibility of a long, drawn-out investigation. How Tonali would cope with that in what is a strange country with limited personal support in terms of family and friends, is quite a worry. It could then become a problem for the team as well, and Eddie places great store on openness and a good team spirit.

Hang on till 1862, which is close to the 200th anniversary of the FA. It would be a smart move to include Ireland, because they're more popular than we Brits.