McCormick

Mass hysteria?

A mediocre window has cost us here. Won’t be another opportunity like this for a while, unfortunately. We’ll finish 5th.

We’re ordinary in midfield without Bruno.

Of course Paqueta

Got to be a 5. We’ve weakened ourselves (in terms of squad depth) in a position where we needed to strengthen/add to but added some quality young talent. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed that we didn’t “go for it” with a CL spot up for grabs but I’m sure we have our reasons for not doing so.

I worry about him playing as a 6 for 3 games tbh but can’t deny he’s been so important for us this season.

I’m a mess .

by me or in general ? Happy to die on this hill. We’ve had worse players get less heat than Shelvey did. The dislike for him is disproportionate, I feel. I’m convinced it’s due, in large part, to his appearance.

I’m adamant that if Shelvey had Schar’s face and hairline he’d have been considered a cult hero here.

Shelvey was keeping Bruno out of the side for long periods last season. He was definitely more than an adequate back-up option.

The slower we go the more ground we have to make up. I’m sure FFP hinders us somewhat though, so it may be the only route we can take unfortunately.

Was hoping we’d take this CL push more seriously. We needed a cm (arguably 2) before we let Shelvey go. Going into the 2nd half of the season relying on Longstaff as a first teamer and crossing our fingers that no one gets injured isn’t ideal. Happy enough with the Gordon and Ashby deals but we really need a cm addition for this to be considered a successful window tbh.

I’d take Gallagher now over Maddison in the summer if it ensured we don’t miss out on a Champion’s League spot.

True. But the fact that we need the player now, with hours left in the window, means the price goes up.

50m is “fair” nowadays for a young England international getting regular games for a direct rival. Not that I think we’ll go anywhere near him for that price.