The Prophet

This is the issue. We'll probably regret it going forward, but if Tonali leaves, we're pretty much unable to shift Joelinton.

I didn't watch it myself, but it was quite startling to hear that we played with a lack of intensity again.

Best post in the football forum for about a month.

To be fair, I'd say Ramsdale, Trippier, Thiaw, Botman, Hall, Bruno, Miley, Ramsey and Woltamade are all more technical on the technique v physicality scale. We have some very good footballers.

That's where the rumour has come from and I believe he is a control freak of sorts. That said, Richard Hughes speaks well of him, Ashworth too. He constantly bangs the "collaborative approach" drum. Obviously whether that's the case behind the scenes who knows, but no reputable journo has ever suggested he wants total control of transfers.

No offence taken or out, I was going to have a bash at it, but it'll have to be tomorrow

Does Howe actually want full control though? His soundbites suggest otherwise.

I'm convinced anyone suggesting Mou hasn't watched many of his most recent sides?

Are we talking strikers only? It's been cobbled together by someone who's about to go to bed after a day with norovirus

This is massively off the top of my head so I'm probably missing some obvious ones, but... Tielemans Mac Allister Zubimendi Bernardo Silva Bruno G Bruno F Jimenez

He's the first of the summer signings I've lost my patience with. I'll always back a player who tries, even if it doesn't work out at first, but he seems as thick as fuck. We paid £50 million for a £30 million player to hit the ground running and he kiboshed it by being unprofessional. Now he's clearly completely unable to read the room with recent post-match gestures. Howe might think he can get a tune out of him and peddle him the summer after next, but I'd be very tempted to cut our losses at this point.

He has. We've tried different stuff both on and off the ball, it’s just not particularly successful. Howe not being able to fix the slump is one of the reasons I have a hunch he might walk.

Point taken, but how does switching to 3-4-3 or 4-2-3-1 fix poor box defending, low confidence and injuries? I agree there's a training ground element to it, but I don't think a change in formation is a quick fix.

I agree be gets bulied, lots of that is he's far too honest though. I'm not saying dive like Gordon, but if you don't make it obvious you've been fouled, you'll get nothing. There's been plenty of languid, slower players in the Premier League who've gone on to be a massive success though. They just didn't play in a dysfunctional attack.

It's a bit more multifaceted than it being the fault of one individual. Firstly we've defended the box really poorly this season. While some of that is of course on Howe and his coaches, it's been a season riddled with individual errors, particularly from our goal keepers who've been really poor. As a result, confidence is low and we look brittle as fuck. Then there's the injuries. Long stints out for Tino, Schar, Botman and Hall have meant we haven't had a settled defence all season. Thiaw has been the only ever present and he's had to play far too much as a result of the other a absentees. Finally there's been recruitment. The future planning at the back has generally been pretty poor with Trippier, Schar and Burn all heading into their twilight years at the same time. This was obviously recognised the summer before last, but we decided to pivot from Thiaw to Guehi and managed to piss Burnley off re Trafford. Again there's a question mark how much of that is down to Mitchell, Howe or PSR constraints (perhaps a bit of everything), but it's been a factor.

Nah, know very little about him tbh.

It'd be the Sporting Director's job.

What does "physically equipped for the PL" mean. I'm not being a dick, I just don't understand what is meant by it.

In what respect?

Unfortunately the main men haven't had three weeks on the training pitch.

But there's a greater willingness for patience because he cost circa £15 million.

Pick your shade of shit.

Osula pretty much disproves this.

Meh. Ramsdale doesn't fill me with confidence, but Pope was pretty much chucking one in every game before being dropped.