Cronky

That was heartbreak, but following football means you get the highs and lows. We came within a hair's breadth of an incredible result. Osula has some potential, but he needs to develop his football brain. As for Gordon, will he ever learn?

Chris Sutton is one of those pundits who consistently manages to be both obvious and wrong in his comments. How predictable was it that the first time Gordon missed a chance, he was going to say that Isak would have buried it.

Gordon is so prone to those rushes of blood to the head. We looked good for the first half hour, but when the pace inevitably dropped, we lost the initiative and Liverpool started to build attacks. I'd be tempted to bring on Ramsey for Barnes sooner rather than later.

They have improved, but I think there's still a lack of leadership on the field. Fernandes seems to waste too much energy getting angry with referees. At one point in the second half, they seemed to completely lose heart. Fulham were just walking the ball into their penalty area.

My top five, based on the last year, and the degree to which they are over-achieving on the resources available to them - 1. Howe 2. Frank 3. Iraola 4. Slot 5. Moyes Slot is difficult to rate, because that Liverpool squad is so good. Pep seems to have lost his way a bit. It looked like he was about to leave City, and then changed his mind. I wonder about his mindset.

Until half an hour ago, I hadn't heard of this player. However, after a quick glance through his Wikipedia page and a youtube compilation, I pronounce myself in favour. He seems to have come good over the last two seasons, and his experience should help. He doesn't look very quick, but he seems strong and can finish with both feet. That'll do me.

I thought they looked a lot fitter than Arsenal and won most of the midfield battles. Casemiro in particular seems to have shed a bit of timber. Arsenal looked to me like a team that had already peaked and were lacking belief.

I think there were signs today that he's getting there.

He looks slow and very awkward in possession, but somehow he gets away with it.

That Villa team still looks strong. I'll be happy with anything we can get today.

It looks like Villa are in a bit of financial trouble with PSR. That incorrect refereeing decision against Man U in the final game has probably cost them dearly. Of all the players we've been linked with in the summer, Ramsey is the one that I feel most pleased about. I think he's a very good all-round midfielder.

I came to the game late, and there were problems with the feed which meant that I didn't see all that much of the game. However, what I did see of Harrison Ashby in centre midfield was impressive. On that showing, I'd definitely have him in the squad.

I'm getting really fed up with all this gloating that's going on in the media and with rival supporters, every time one of the Big Six intercept a transfer of ours. I'd love it, love it, if we could stick it to them this season.

Are you talking about Fabrizio Romano?

£80 million is more than his worth, but from what I can see, that's too much for Sesko as well. I think it's just Chelsea's initial bargaining position. The main difficulty may be persuading Jackson to join, and leave London and his 8 year contract. I think the main problem with Jackson lies between his ears. The ability is there, but he seems to lack composure. That can be worked on, but the supporters will need to cut him some slack in the early stages. If we get on his back the minute he misses a chance, it's unlikely to work out.

This is a very good point, and I'm as guilty as anyone about getting worked up. You wouldn't believe that there are still over 3 weeks to go before the end of the window, and we've already brought in reinforcements for two of the weaker areas of the squad. The Isak issue has made us angry, and perhaps some of that anger is being displaced unjustly towards the club.

One of the least palatable lessons that I had to deal with in life was that people do not always behave well when large amounts of money are at stake.

It would have been great to have done all our business by now, but there's still over 3 weeks to go before the end of the window. Let's not start wringing our hands just yet. I really don't know how any club is able to gauge how realistic their targets are until they try. What we've learned is that, despite the considerable progress that has been made on the field and on the player development side, we still are unlikely to win a transfer battle with any of the big six. The reason for that is not because the player wasn't impressed with whoever was doing the DOF job, or with the training facilities, or with the stadium. They were offered more money and / or a perception of a better chance of success. Nothing's changed. Isak, Bruno, Gordon, Livramento, Hall and Tonali were not wanted by the Big Six at the time. It seems that this is the pond that we still have to fish in. In fact, I've got half a mind that us going in for a player now actually provokes a reaction from the Big Six. Maybe that's paranoia. We're the club who has a record of messing up, and that's the narrative that the media want to perpetrate. Failure makes for a good story, and that's why it's being pushed that we've not made any signings because of supposed problems with the people who do our recruitment. I get the way the media operate, but why do we as supporters have to join in with the chorus? Is it helping?

It seems that we're still not able to compete with the Big Six when it comes to a transfer battle. They pay higher salaries and have a much better track record of success. Jackson is a talented player who would benefit from good coaching. He represents a bit of a risk but we have no choice but to continue gambling if we're going to progress.

Ummm..... just watched another video of him, and maybe I was being a bit harsh. I hereby withdraw the Nunez comparison. Yes I know - - big time.

Thank you for that.

I think Shearer should have kept out of it. He doesn't carry any authority, but he's an important figure around the club whose views are noted and potentially influential. If the club is adopting a hard line, this is very unhelpful. Shearer's views tend to be rather unoriginal and lacking in imagination. And why the hell has he chimed in with the chorus that says that the window has been a 'disaster'. It's not over yet. There's still a month to go.

I wasn't sure whether he was going to turn up at all, so I'm taking some encouragement from this. The timing seems right - I imagine he'll meet with Eddie tomorrow, with the possibility of joining the squad on Wednesday when they all regroup. I think the main power-axis at the club now is the Eddie - Yasir relationship, and they're both agreed that he won't be leaving this window. Isak's reaction is impossible to predict, but I think they've reached this decision and are prepared to deal with whatever consequences arise. And FWIW, I think they're doing the right thing.

He looks more promising than Cordero to me. Great change of pace and direction - let's keep him in the squad.

Hmmm… I’m not aware of these self-righteous pundits giving the same message to Brentford and telling them to surrender their player.