Cronky

I'd worry a bit if he managed to persuade the medics that he was able to play by next Tuesday. I don't think you can recover properly from a sprained ankle within that space of time.

I think he'll go to Chelsea, simply because they will better any offer that is made to either the club or the player. And march me naked through the streets and throw excrement at me, but I don't think we need him because we have Longstaff.

None of the big six has sold or loaned us a player since the takeover. Possibly coincidence but they are part of a cabal and they have a significant financial interest in keeping us out of the picture.

Moukoko looks a bit similar in profile to Kuol, although obviously he's ahead in his development. Re the plane, maybe we're just bringing him in for a look round, trying to sell the club to him.

I was born in Newcastle, but we left when I was 6 months old. The family moved around a lot, but eventually we settled in Manchester when I was 10. I had the option of going for Man U or Man City, but decided on Newcastle. That's a choice that I've occasionally regretted, but not now. Looking back, I think I was proud to have come from Newcastle, because with all the family's travels, my Mum always said that the people of Newcastle were the kindest and most helpful that she came across.

I do get emotional when I see that. This man has re-written the book on what's possible. Yes, there was a large overall spend, but we had to pay over the odds for some players (esp Wood), we couldn't raise funds by selling anyone, and started from the point where it looked like we were going to go down with about 20 points. I still don't quite get it. There's very little pace in the back four or the midfield, and none of the midfield are good defenders as individuals. Half the team were there before Howe took over. But somehow we're in third place, and on the way we're playing, it's no fluke.

I would see that breaking up the rhythm of the run up is just a way of making it difficult for the keeper to time his dive, by making it difficult to anticipate when or how the taker is going to kick the ball. Bit like shooting towards one corner of the goal while looking at another, or swerving the body to make it look you're going to pass an opponent on one side, and then going the other. It's an extension of the skills, feints and tricks on the ball which are a normal part of the game, as far as I'm concerned. As for the mind games, I don't expect professional sportsmen to be saints, but it can go too far. Referees have to have some sanction. It also shows disrespect for your opponent. At the end of the day, it is a game that we're playing and it's unhealthy if we completely lose sight of that. What goes on in the professional game filters down, and children and young people need to be shown good manners and - to coin the old phrase - good sportsmanship.

Good. I guess a yellow is only really effective if you're prepared to issue a second one. I can't wait for the fuss when that first happens.

I'm fine with the kicker stuttering their run. As far as I know, it's not against the laws and I would see it as part of the taker's range of possible skills. I think it's only when the taker actually stops completely that the law is infringed? I just think putting the kicker off is getting out of hand. It all seems to have taken off after Krul successfully put a couple of opponents off during a penalty shoot out during the 2018 World Cup. And the trouble it seems to work. Issue a yellow, and then a red if necessary. That would stop it. At the moment, refs seem powerless.

Yeah, I think in practice if a player can't run the injury off fairly quickly then it's not going to happen at all. If movement is still impaired after 5 minutes, the player should be subbed.

hmmm... it's this grey area between gamesmanship and cheating. I think deliberately introducing another ball on to the pitch is crossing that line tbh. I can remember Simeone doing something similar a couple of years ago. We're not the only ones who do it, but keepers trying to mess with a penalty taker's head seems to have gone a bit far. Refs need to start introducing yellow cards.

It’s going to be very difficult to find a CM who is both quality and availabile. Neves would be great but Wolves would be mad to let him go. We could go for one of our younger development targets but we need someone who can step in right away. Jorginho would be good, but the big 6 aren’t inclined to sell to us I think

I am so pleased for Sean that Shearer highlighted his performance today, and in particular the way he praised his passing. This lad is not just a workhorse who covers the ground. I looked at the player ratings after the game on the BBC website, and he'd been voted our worst player, by some distance. That is just plain daft. It worried me that a young player who has found his form might see something like that and get discouraged. Anyway, I'm sure he'll have got a real boost from Al's comments.

If Bruno is going to be out for a few weeks (which seems likely), then we really only have Longstaff for that CM position. Shelvey is unavailable, Schar isn't really a CM for the Premiership and Anderson lacks the experience. If we lose Longstaff now, we're in trouble. We either have to bring forward one of our longer term targets, or (more likely) bring in an experienced player to deal with the situation.

Yeah, it looked at the time that he should have gone off much earlier. Eddie said that he tends to rely on the player's judgement, but that can't always be the right call. Unless a player can shake a knock off fairly quickly (and Bruno's mobility was obviously impaired for the rest of the half), then he should go.

Despite the missed pen, I didn't think it was a lucky result at all. After the first 10 minutes, we were comfortably the better side and could have had more. I was a bit worried before the game, because Fulham came into the match on good form, but this team just rises to every challenge. And Silva is a rank bad loser.

I'm not in the least bit surprised by that data. That was the best performance I've seen from him, particularly in the first half. He passed the ball quickly, and with positive intent. It's really great to see this previously hesitant young player put in such a confident, all-round performance. Sorry, but so many on here are talking about the performance that they were expecting to see, not the one that he actually delivered today. I think we're going to be without Bruno for a few games, but this lad is ready to step up.

I always thought it was strange that Arsenal would want to spend a huge amount on another wide player. In Saka and Martinelli, they've got the best wing combination in the Premiership already.

I think it's an example of VAR not having a good influence. In order to bring some uniformity, they simplified the interpretation of the law by saying that if the attacker doesn't touch the ball or prevent a defender from influencing play, then they aren't offside. This instance tests that interpretation to the limit, but according to the current practice, the ref and VAR were correct in allowing the goal to stand. Maybe the law needs tweaking to include 'in possession of the ball' which Rashford undoubtedly was. For many years, the law was applied too strictly, and I think it's positive that there's a more relaxed take on it. The classic example of this was the Leeds 'goal' in the 1975 European Cup final- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbgQdT8eviI

I'm not a scouser, but I'll have a stab. They've been in the top flight since 1954, so the vast majority of their fans have never known relegation, and see it as their divine right to stay there. Coupled with having to put up with local rivals who win trophies regularly and who have a worldwide following, that's quite a challenge to their pride. I can remember in the 80s, prior to the rise of Chelsea and Man City, there was a 'big five' of Arsenal, Spurs, Man U, Liverpool and Everton. I imagine that's where a number of their supporters expect the club to be.

They go on about their injury list, but the team they put out was still better than Fulham's on paper. They even had a £60m player on the bench. Potter has already proved his ability as a manager, but I'm not sure how much say he has on recruitment, if any. Chelsea need a leader who can impose themselves on the situation, and I don't think Potter has the standing to do that.

For his size, he looks very strong. He must be made of concrete. And plenty of pace, of course. I've only seen him in two short cameos, so I'm not sure how he is technically, but it certainly doesn't look like a weakness. Like most young players, he's a bit unsure of how and when to get involved, but that should improve with experience. We will all follow his development with interest.

No, but it looks like Eddie is genuinely unsure of his decision. I think he needs to make his mind up soon, if he hasn't already. I can understand the different lines of argument, but my gut feeling is that the club needs to publicly recognise that the player has committed a significant offence. We often say that there are issues that are bigger than football, and I just feel this is an occasion when we have to live up to that. Ultimately, there are benefits in showing we can rise to our responsibilities. Just for one match, that's all.

As people have said, the law will deal with this according to the particular context. More tricky is how Eddie and the club will deal with it. This is a club that is more embedded in its community than most clubs of its size, and within the club Eddie has brought a strong ethic of team work and mutually applied standards. He has used both of these aspects to the team's advantage, but now it feels we have to pay the due price of that. I'm not saying he should throw the book at Joelinton, but this can't be treated as a purely private matter. He is a public figure, a role model, and he appears to have committed a criminal offence. What Eddie can't afford to do is downplay the significance of this out of fear that the team's performance will dip if Joelinton doesn't play. Without pre-judging the court outcome, the player should be dropped at this point on the grounds that the player and the team would not be in the right mindset otherwise.

Just when things were going so well. It's a tricky one for Eddie to manage. He wouldn't want to pre-judge the trial, but at the same time he doesn't want this hanging over the team. I wouldn't play him over the weekend - time for young Elliot to step up, maybe. Then review the situation in the cold light of day, so to speak.