Shak

I hate that I have to follow that guy and read his tweets carefully

Does look like forcing him to join mid season might have backfired on them. The theory is sound, get him in and see which of the current squad he fancies and make sure they can hit the ground running next season in terms of understanding the new system he's bringing with him. Write this season off as a bedding in period. At some point though surely the shite they've been serving up is going to make the current players wonder if maybe this lad doesn't really know what he's doing. Once the players start to lose faith, it's a long road back. I know there will be a lot of changes to the squad but it'll still be a lot of the same players in there next season. You really don't want a situation where you're giving a massive transfer fund to someone who's on a hiding to nothing. Interesting decisions coming up for them, hopefully they make the wrong one

Aye, just the sentence explaining this article is wild. The crux of the argument is that you need financial rules that hand a massive advantage to some clubs because without them it could potentially hand a massive advantage to some clubs.

You can very much see what you want to see with Zirkzee, to an extent that's been true with very few footballers I can remember. Looks so sharp and graceful at times and then like an utter donkey at others

Under Howe if you're in the first team and playing well you'll keep your place generally, even if it's ahead of what on paper seems like the superior player. Dubravka is a good example of this, he's gone from having one foot out the door to starting ahead of a fully fit Pope because he's done well when forced into action. We've seen it before with Longstaff keeping his place ahead of Tonali and just the general unwillingness to have new signings come into the first team. If Miley comes in and plays well in a midfield three with Bruno and Tonali, I think there's a better than decent chance he doesn't give the spot back even when Joelinton is fully fit. Issue is getting that chance. Willock was obviously very poor yesterday but so was the whole team, there's an argument to be made that it would be very harsh that the takeaway from yesterday's game is that Willock blew his chance. I can see Eddie giving him another chance next week in a game where we'll hopefully have a much better foothold in the game. I'd like to see Miley given a run FWIW.

Isn't the point that we could get absolutely fucking massive revenue from new sponsorship deals and then we'd be fine for UEFA's rules as our much higher squad cost would be offset by our much higher revenue?

Good news. I'm pretty sure that Masters and the cartel clubs will drag their feet and make it as ball achingly slow and tedious a process as they can but it does feel that eventually they'll be forced into allowing clubs like us to be able to push on and challenge. Suppose there's a chance that City and the PL strike a deal that gets the City lawyers to back off but it would surely be foolish for City to trust them? Seems in their interest to allow the "Big 6" to be diluted a bit and have teams like us, who'll be a natural ally for them, be up there. Hope we have had the sense to have a number of huge offers knocked back over the last few years so we can sue the PL if the opportunity arises. It's truly, truly shit that this is how football works these days, but it's the new reality and I want us to be ruthless in it.

Sign Bardghji and Gyokeres, go Swedisb as fuck on the whole league.

It just seems like it'd be a shite deal for all parties, from a financial point of view. We'll save a few bob but be paying what you'd imagine will still be a significant salary for a player who will probably gives us ten appearances in the season and will most likely look like a shadow of his former self for them. Meanwhile, Wilson has some name value and could probably get paid a really nice amount for a couple of years from some Saudi club, where the inferior level of play will allow him to play and train less intensely, giving him a better chance of staying fit for extended periods. That all said, maybe he and his family are just really happy here and want to settle down somewhere that they'll be happy. He's doubtless got enough money to live very comfortably so might just be willing to make and play a lot less to have a more stable situation. If that's the case then fair play to him, honestly. I wouldn't want us to keep him unless it's a very cheap deal, though.

Loved this from his press conference. "It's not about taking it on my shoulders. Thursday night doesn't direct me in what I do and think. We're an easy mark at the moment, obviously making a semi-final is an absolute disaster." He's such a petty wanker.

I don't think it'll be the long term plan but the way Willock has been playing recently I have a hard time not seeing it as our best option while Joelinton is out. Burn at LB is obviously not ideal, used to drive me mental at times, but I do think Hall's ability on the ball in CM would be a huge asset versus what we'll get if Longstaff goes in there. Maybe Howe will give Miley a run there but I'd be surprised.

Have those five ever started a game together? We dropping Bruno or Tonali? Or just putting one of those lads at RB?

(Unless it's someone who has done legitimately horrible things, I'll caveat that with )

Being pleased about serious injuries is a bit gross IMO.

Hope we'll see a very strong team, as has been said we have a team who has shown they aren't a pushover for anyone so the goal should be to win this thing. I could see a couple of changes from last night if the staff thinks any of the lads are carrying a knock or are really in need of a rest, but I don't want to see wholesale changes. Team will be buzzing, ride the wave. We've a full week off after this game and then another full week before the next one. Put these tarts to bed in the first half with a strong lineup, then ease off and make changes in the second half.

(Assuming Botman is fine...) I'd like to see us give Hall a run at LCM with Burn at LB and see how it goes. Solves the CB issue. Botman has to come back into the team but Burn has been wonderful all year and doesn't really deserve to lose his place so he moves to his old LB role. This allows us to to back to the system of shifting into a back three when in possession, which has the knock on effect of giving our three midfielders more freedom to get forward as they have three sitting defenders behind them rather than two. The more freedom we can give Sandro to roam the better and this facilitates that. I'd also be intrigued to see a left footed player in the LCM role in that system. Both Willock and Joelinton have previously done a great job of getting wide from that position and providing an overlap but obviously neither of them are much of a threat to get to the byline and whip in a dangerous ball on their left. Hall is a different story, putting him in that spot I believe has the potential to give us a massive boost in terms of our ball retention from the midfield three (something Joelinton is always going to struggle with) while also not really sacrificing much in terms of the width that Hall has provided at LB as he'll still be providing it from that LCM spot.

We could build a retractable roof on SJP and then airlift equipment in to take advantage of the easy access the retractable roof provides.

Turkey seems to be producing some cracking young talents at the moment, hopefully this lad can be another one. Or we've signed him to suss out the place for Guler when he moves over.

What if the A1 was extended to lead directly through the Gallowgate? Is that an option?

Will be extremely fondly remembered by all of the fanbase (apart from a few whoppers, I suppose) I'd imagine. Some amazing moments and was a key part of a team that gave us some great memories.

Endrick and Guler both went to Madrid a couple of years too soon IMO. They're both immense talents but it's so hard to break into that Madrid team regularly and at that age playing every week is so beneficial.

It's 10 initially but will fall to 8 if he makes enough appearances for them.

Man, would have been a real bonus had this guy fucked off.

He went there yesterday, lads.