Pilko

Probably worth a final look at him ahead of Hendrick with him being younger, on lower wages and having had a more productive loan spell (admittedly at a lower level), whereas we know Hendrick is no good at PL level and he couldn't even get into a flagging QPR side and make a difference.

WBA's players must have a headache with Brucey clapping the lap times & Agnew constantly clapping on the sidelines like a monkey with a miniature cymbal. Who was it on here who called Agnew "perma-clap"?

See your point but consider an entire season of 40+ games. Without Botman you're only a Schar injury or suspension away from one of those clownshoes lads at the back, and let's face it, he loves an injury or a suspension. We more or less didn't win a game until Lascelles and Clark were banished (and yes, I'm aware the new signings and bedding in period of Howe were major factors too) I'd much rather Fraser or Miggy made 20-30 starts than either of those two make 10 starts at the back, put it that way.

I don't agree, Lascelles & Clark were such utter liabilities last season that they needed pushing as far down the pecking order as possible, they were costing us basically a goal a game minimum due to a rick or just general poor positioning etc. Fraser and Almiron (and S Longstaff) might have been very patchy with their form but they weren't impacting us negatively anywhere near as those two at the back were.

"Sunlun's going down and the Mags are going up" in 2017 most probably.

Aye. We played plenty competitive games against sides from lower divisions and he made a complete meal of nearly all of them. Rochdale (League 1) - 1-1 draw away, took replay and near enough first XI to win 4-1 Oxford (League 1) - 0-0 draw at home, pissed away 2-0 lead in replay to force extra time & bailed out by late ASM wondergoal WBA (Championship) - 3-0 lead but hanging on in the dying seconds to avoid an equaliser Blackburn (Championship) - Created one chance in 90 mins which we scored, heavily outplayed by their second string (he even admitted as much afterwards) and reliant on Mark bloody Gillespie to keep us in the game Morecambe (League 2) - won 7-0, they had a red card after half an hour - the only one he didn't make a pig's ear of Newport County (League 2) - trailed for 80 mins, late equaliser and had to rely on pens to get past them Also in three pre-seasons he managed to oversee defeats to Preston (Ch), Stoke (Ch), Middlesbrough (Ch - 5-1) and York City (Conf. North), all with more-or-less first choice teams.

Weird that Matty Longstaff got a game despite supposedly being in the "bomb squad" with Clark, Gayle and Hendrick. No sign of Fede or Manquillo either.

Seemed like loads of them kicking around mid-late noughties; Dempsey, Lewis Holtby, McBride, Bocanegra, Beasley, Friedel, Howard, Guzan, DeMerit, Onyewu, Donovan, Bobby Convey. Hardly any in the PL now by comparison.

Might be a situation where you have a club captain and a team captain, think Everton did it with David Weir when he wasn't in their first choice backline.

One thing I've noticed more recently and learned to retrospectively hate is the way he refers to his long career in management but can't even recall how long he's been stealing a living for. He'll get asked about the latest (and frequent) difficult patch of form and say something like: "Well you kneuw, I lean on my experience. When you've been going for twenty-odd years, or worreva it is like I have, you learn to keep on bashing away" or "Look, some of the things flying around have been disrespectful. Ah'v managed 400, 500 odd games in the Premier League or worreva it is and you lot think I don't know how to run a warm-up. It's nonsense"

Should be guest of honour at the Forest match really, get him on the pitch at half time and celebrate his time with us.

Wonder what that young list of questions lad is called? Should get Graeme Jones on for an interview and I'd expect we'll find out sharpish.

I think he'll start the season in the side but likely be phased out by the end of it, especially if we sign another centre mid.

Currently touring clubs and venues down south doing "Barrioke" which is exactly what it sounds like, tenner a ticket. Would hope Mustang Sally gets an airing (with no microphone, he doesn't need one). That said if he brought it up north I'd definitely go

Buzzing about this. Feels like a real statement & we're getting a hell of a spine to the team (Pope, Botman, Bruno). A hell raiser forward and we'll be class.

It's missing Kell Watts as well, he got on as a sub in the season closer at home to Liverpool.

221, pretty pleased with that. Most notable ones forgotten were Didi Hamann and Andy Griffin, most of the rest were probably lads who made >15 appearances.

Must be waiting for us to send Burnley the £10m via Papal.

I reckon no more than £2m for Woodman, probably a lot of it clauses based around appearances or Preston getting promoted.

Can't help but think Ekitike is represented by Darren Lamb - phone unplugged, masturbating over the pen with the nude lady on it and telling Ashworth that he should sign Barry from Eastenders to play up front instead because "he's so versatile".

Think £10m for Pope would be good business. Dubravka has been unchallenged for no.1 since the day he started, either he plays better due to some real competition or he is replaced by a good standard PL keeper who in turn is being kept on his toes by Dubravka. Woodman and Darlow can get gone, keep Gillespie until we can find a Carson/Rob Green/Lee Grant style 3rd choice solution, or until a hell-raiser comes through the academy.

I'm fully on board with this, me. Seen him have the odd good game and that but people talking about £100m and that are on smack. He's like a more mobile Mark Noble.

Any Derby fans who think they know better than us and have managed to create themselves a narrative where Ashley owning them is a good thing deserve him tbh.

I hope that tit scrapes together the cash and buys them. Would be hilarious

We've gone from having a winger play there for the best part of two years to having an experienced, strong defender with some attacking ability and a decent fitness record. It's a hell of an upgrade.