Thorpinho

Can't wait to see his post match explanation. Usually says we can't play more open or attacking because of opposition, but here we play the rock bottom team, park the bus and the usual anti posession football. There is absolutely no justification for such a pathetic approach to this fixture.

Jurgen Klopp probably sat at home wondering why Son and Bale haven't been brought on yet.

Be better off giving the lad minutes over Joelinton. Anderson can at least control the ball.

I already hate Klopp this season, but playing the likes of Salah against a bunch of children tonight finally destroys any last shred of credibility when it comes to his whining on about subs and fixtures.

In what way was the o&d test changed?

Can't decide whether Stones has come good, or if Boumsong would play well alongside the absolute beast that is Ruben Dias.

Just glad the diplomatic issues are sorted, as that was the only real barrier to the Mbappe deal.

A lot riding on Watkins. If he comes good and hits a run of form with that midfield behind him they would be brilliant. Thought they looked a little bit lacking in end product tonight, but really good to watch and envious of their development/potential.

It is all guesswork on the arbitration, but a delay being because of haggling or objections from de marco as to the third arbitrator makes a lot of sense to me.

He is 30 years old!? When did that happen lol. Thought he was still a whippersnapper

"High intensity/pressing team with thin squad might falter later in season". Absolutely nothing wrong with the overall point. Pathetic from Leeds fans and their precious ego.

Turkey sandwiches, booze flowing and KDB as my fantasy football captain. Lovely stuff.

Can definitely see him deliberately going all out attack v city, getting destroyed and using it to say i told you/justify his pathetic tactics

In arbitration proceedings and either awaiting a date, decision or formulation of the panel, with a possible appeal to folllow. Not much dead about that.

Where did alli play when he was good? Really we need an actual cm rather than another number 10.

Alarmingly bad again. Zero awareness of time or space on the ball.

Longstaff losing the ball yet again

Is wilson a mad captain pick v fulham? Got kdb, son, fernandes, vardy but don't massively fancy them in their fixtures.

The important thing is we completely write off the career of one of the most renowned young talents in world football after a few games.

Awful 20 minutes. Shelvey is like an oil tanker.

Do we know who? I.e. do i need to drop Wilson from the fantasy team?

So the state of play seems to be this: PIF and the Saudi side believe they are right and that they provided the necessary legal documents that written in saudi arabian law. The premier league don't believe them and don't accept the evidence. De Marco has been instructed in the commencement of arbitration proceedings. That process requires the appointment of a panel of arbitrators, one chosen by PL, one by us and one 'independent' or if not chosen by the FA. The recent difficulty has been the selection of the latter arbitrator. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that rumours of 'progress' surround that appointment, and that if decided will lead to the setting of the date/dates at which evidence will be given and the issue determined. At this arbitration, de marco is trying to say that the o&d test was not done fairly. He will point to ownership models at man city, west brom and crystal palace (i think) and say you don't impose the same standard on them. That standard relates to the nominations of directors, and how those clubs can quite easily have shadow directors but no one ever bothered to check. The PL clearly have a bee in their bonnet though, in desperately wanting to know in intimate detail who runs us. They think the breadcrumbs all lead to the saudi state, which in turn links them to piracy. They then use that to either block it or to use it as a dealmaker. I suspect that the fans consortium angle was backed by us for two related reasons. Smoking out leaks and blatantly accusing pl of corruption is not in the remit of the fair o&d hearing argument or arbitration. But if it works, it helps in the argument over the arbitrator pick and helps expose the inequality between tests or additional evidence of 'extra attention' to our potential board. So the reason no one knows how long this will take is because they either don't have a date or are about to get one. People/journos are hedging their bets on the outcome of the arbitration, and clearly thinking that if it loses we will appeal thus extending the process further. On the one hand we arbitrate quickly and win, deal done. On the other we lose and it goes on and on.

I can't be bothered to look back, but didn't the same journo tout around the idea they wanted it wrapped up by december? I vaguely recall some mention of a "deadline".

Bruce at the Bernabeu, "hows the paella, did you say?"

People go to football for escapism. Caulkin wrote about recently, that feeling of losing yourself in the crowd and the moment. No one goes for memories of 'ooh yes i'm glad the computer told me what happened there'. No amount of tinkering can overcome var's fundamental interference with the moment and so it has to go. I think it can be done in a really positive re-imaging of 'respect the ref', which would be better for kids. EPL needs to go rogue and do it, would be great pr after their big 6 debacle.