leffe186

Fabianski is ancient. Cheap English backup for Areola.

I’ve not been paying attention. How many multiple-club ownerships are there in the Premier League?

Thanks for the find.

…and not Mainoo’s progression or Cole Palmer’s progression.

Also feels right at those times when Kane drops back to not have Foden in that space. Kane will have Gordon and Saka beyond him to hit, along with Bellingham motoring past.

The one thing about this result with Gray is that it increases the chance of a buy and loan back which would probably be ideal for everyone. They obviously would prefer to keep him like. We’ve had Rodon on loan there for a while and he’s been excellent. If they’d gone up he’d surely have been bought, but now that’s up in the air.

U21 Final at ours today v Sunderland. All of our defenders are dead so should be a high-scoring one. Guessing we’ll be jet lagged to fuck too.

Next season’s BBC predictions will be Man City, Arsenal and then a dartboard depending upon people’s biases and all the management situations I presume. Put a gun to my head right now and I’d say Man City, Arsenal, Newcastle and then see who’s managing who. Maybe Liverpool fourth. You’re going to have to tell me who had us in the Top Four though. I’m genuinely curious - didn’t think anyone did.

Nobody had us in the top four. Remember why? Just taking the BBC predictions, out of 27 sets of four Chelsea were in there three times. You guys were in there five times, Villa twice. Chelsea were the only team not in Europe even mentioned. They just picked the best teams for the most part. If your point is that missing out on Europe isn’t a guarantee of good league performance then absolutely, but I can see where it might help (and I think I just did). If your point is that people overrate the potential then the actual predictions don’t seem to bear that out, although Copium might be a contributor in a given fan group. I don’t remember if Chelsea were optimistic or pessimistic about the season beforehand tbh.

I think not being in Europe helped us overall, but was a mixed bag to an extent. Our squad wasn’t deep enough to sustain both Europe and the League and Ange clearly still needs a couple of years to make the squad his own. That said, in the second half of the season we couldn’t get any kind of rhythm going because we kept having weird long gaps between games where the odd European tie might have actually helped. Still, it did allow Ange a look at the squad without having to throw kids in (also a mixed bag). And it did avoid the stuff Villa had to face with everyone basically running on fumes at the end. I think it will benefit us in the long run with Ange having had more time with the players on the training pitch. That’s why I think being out of Europe will actually be hugely beneficial for you this year in the League, as long as you don’t lose one of the big guns. You’ve already gone through that stuff and though Howe will clearly want to improve the squad they’ve already shown they can get CL in these circumstances. So for CL - well almost nobody can expect it any more as the competition is even greater, but it’s clearly not ridiculous. Man City (presuming Pep stays) and Arsenal should expect it but that’s it. Chelsea may be in turmoil again, Liverpool will be in transition, we don’t know what Man U will be at all and all three have Europe. We’re clearly still rebuilding, and Villa will have a lot to contend with. I’m also a bit nervous about Palace this year, and outside the first two it feels like everyone will take points off everyone. I genuinely have you in 3rd.

I stand to be corrected on this, but I think actually it’s the Underground and then Overground to the Home Counties. Not many Man U shirts in London tbh. If you’re a glory-hunter you’re Man City, Liverpool, Arsenal or Chelsea.

The draw makes such a massive difference. Some guy on a Spurs podcast was marking the season down based on the Cup performances, contrasting it with Man U getting to the FA Cup Final. Only…our Cup draws were Fulham (a), Burnley, Man City. Man U’s equivalent draws were Bye, Wigan (a), Newport County (a). Every little helps.

Brilliant goal that.

Just can’t see anything other than a win at a canter unless there’s an early red card. The team sheets say it all, really.

Surprised I’ve not heard it mentioned, but the first thing I thought of was that England friendly where he ran around kicking everyone for the entire first half and the ref wouldn’t book him.

Sounded like you guys agreed it was a good idea. Is there another discussion somewhere else where he’s been dismissed? It’s interesting that last Summer we were interested in Tosin and Kelly, and a fair few of us were looking at Barkley too this year. They all seem like good value buys to strengthen a squad.

I don’t think the CL clubs drop in any more.

Lightning ain’t gonna strike twice.

Was up in Muswell Hill visiting my sister and the kids. Walked back to town then taking the bus home. Sad Arsenal shirts everywhere. It’s lovely Two little kids in front of me on the 102 with their Mum, both wearing the shirts with the little “Visit Rwanda” on the sleeves. Hope they have decades of this disappointment and pain in front of them. Being a football fan is so fucking childish

Brilliant goal City.

Ah right yeah that makes more sense

Really not convinced by that. I think there are a lot of good teams around the top of the Championship that didn’t go up and the three going down could all easily stay down next year. Sadly, the thing that might make the difference is who gets which Premier League loanee.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cn007lxjl84o

He dives then it’s deflected too high. Were you expecting him to stop in mid air and fly?

Money, naturally. I’d like to explore the impact of an asteroid on FIFA.