Cronky

He'd stand more of a chance of getting games straight away, I'd have thought. He looks a great talent, but I don't think he'd walk into our first team straight away.

Did the ref forget to put on stoppage time? I've not seen that before. He's not entitled to finish the game early to save a team from further punishment.

I think the formation issue arises because it's easier to see him fitting into a 4-4-2, either as the most advanced player in a midfield diamond, or as a more withdrawn forward, with a free role. That's not how Eddie has been setting things up. Basically, he looks like a player that would do better down the centre, than out wide. I wouldn't question his defensive contribution quite so much. There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with his work rate or his attitude to doing the dirty work - tackling just isn't a strength, but at least he's prepared to get in the way. ASM's defensive contribution seems unreliable to me. Sometimes it looks very half-hearted. Overall though, I'd definitely take a punt, because his passing and his touch on the ball is so good. We need someone who can operate in tight spaces and find attacking players who are closely marked. I'd trust Eddie to sort the other roles within the team accordingly.

What's that thing on his leg?

If we were to only sign two players, I wouldn't want them both to be in midfield. A good left back would make a big difference.

Great to see TAA in an attacking role. I've always wondered why such a fine striker of a ball gets played in defence. Maddison is trying a bit too hard at times, understandably, and not everything's coming off. And still don't know why anyone wants to pay £100m for Rice. So many big clubs are in for him that I must be wrong, but I wait to be converted.

It feels like we're back to the days of us and Spurs competing for the same players. Only this time, I think we hold the advantage.

The PIF were reportedly interested in buying Inter, and given that the club is debt-ridden, that may be the only route out of their troubles. So maybe the PiF have said that it would help if Inter could flog us their best player at mates' rates, to sweeten the deal? Just a thought. We do seem to be punching above our weight with this one.

If Arsenal are after Arda Guler, they have a good chance. They have a good record of bringing young players through, and there's quite a large Turkish community in North London.

Only on the basis of Youtube scouting, but IMO - yes, very. PS - the article was interesting. It suggests that Man U need to move players on before they can buy. Are they in a bit of bother with FFP? Their squad looks a bit bloated with expensive signings.

Yeah, it'd be great to have both. I think Spurs can still outbid us for Maddison, in terms of wages and transfer fee, and we don't want to be jerked around in a bidding war. This talk of him wanting to move to London has been around for a while too. Unless the player is strongly motivated to join us, I suspect we'll miss out.

More on Szoboszlai fwiw. I get the feeling we're front-runners, whereas I'm not so sure when it comes to Maddison. https://sportwitness.co.uk/newcastle-preparing-make-staggering-offer-midfielder-club-will-make-good-use-money/

No-one fancied us to beat Ujpest.

£42m looks like a bargain for this lad though.

Debating the merits of winning the CL or the Premier League reminds me of this old advert - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DX3tnL3lMGs

Saw the last 20 minutes and I thought that Fiorentina were terrible. I'm pleased for Moyes, who I've always quite liked. He's had a long career and it must feel great to land a trophy at last. But the Conference is a competition for teams that aren't good enough for the Europa League, and I'm not that bothered about the Europa League, because that's for teams who aren't good enough for the UCL. A lot of trips to the far-flung outposts of Europe which detract from your domestic form. I'm genuinely dubious about the benefits of qualifying for the other European competitions.

Eddie's has already achieved two miracles in a) escaping relegation from a position where no team had escaped before and b) getting us into the top four. Keeping us in the top four will be another challenge, but one no bigger than the two he's already met. So many times over the last 18 months, I've thought - right, now we're going to get found out and put in our place - but it hasn't happened. This man is writing his own story.

It’s a gamble but I don’t think Spurs have any choice but to gamble. The big names won’t risk their reputations and a ‘safe’ choice like Rodgers wouldn’t excite the supporters. I think the main problem is that it looks like a rebuilding job, and that often means taking one step back before moving forward. The media and many supporters have got their teeth into Levy and it won’t take much before ‘sack the board’ starts again. Spurs have been the most vulnerable of the big six, and it may be that the amount of money going into all the Premiership clubs is going to tweak the picture a bit. The likes of ourselves, Villa and Brighton look like potential challengers now. The guy will need a bit of luck and a good start.

My impression is they would like to keep a sizeable holding but are seeking a partner to provide further investment. Ratcliffe might agree to that. The Qataris won’t, and are fed up with waiting.

Spurs are a big club though. All but one season in the top division since 1950, European football for the last 14 seasons, a huge modern stadium with 80,000 on the waiting list. They're getting squeezed out of the very best players by the others in the big six, and the investment in the stadium has diverted some funds no doubt, but their potential is as big as anyone's. There's been a gap between the quality of manager they've been able to attract and the players they've been able to sign, but as I say, they've had the stadium to consider. Arsenal had the same difficulty for quite a few seasons. No trophies for a while now, but it's very difficult these days to even win one of the knockout cups.

https://football-observatory.com/WeeklyPost425 Thought this was interesting. Players ranked according to their transfer value.

Never complain, never explain. The Royals are not as dumb as they're made out. PS - As Harry will find out when he gets destroyed in the witness box later today.

That does sound like a farewell to me. There's a lot of 'me, me, me' in there. Maybe I'm being a bit English, but all this public outpouring of the heart jars a bit. And frankly doesn't convince.

Arda Guler is the one who really impresses me. Would it help that we have Saudi owners, when it comes to attracting players from the Middle East? Do we have a bigger profile in that part of the world now?

Bucking the trend, but overall has Levy done all that bad a job? 5 out of the previous 7 seasons in the top four. Easy to forget, but with 10 games to go this last season, they were still in the top four. And a wonderful new stadium which should give them a secure financial base for the future. Things have gone tits up recently, but shouldn't Conte shoulder a big part of the blame? That outburst of his was selfish and a real disgrace. My feeling is that, for personal issues, he wanted to move back to Italy, and engineered his own sacking with that in mind. Of course, managers who are in great demand will look at the disaffect between owner, supporters, manager and DOF and look for other options. It's a big task now, but this Aussie will relish it. I don't know much about him, but rising from Australian and Japanese football to this position must take some doing.