Stottie

If Pickford gets a move to say Spurs, Everton could be in big trouble again next season. FFP means they won't be able to get many new players in. Given how good the rest of their recruitment is, its likely Brighton will find a good keeper and will challenge again. Getting a better keeper could be more of a plus than losing Mac Allister is a minus.

Theoretical question for yous and slightly OT, but if Leicester had sold us Maddison last summer with Dubravka in part exchange, would they have been relegated? Bad goalkeeping is a major reason why they (and as it happens, Soton and Leeds) could not get results and went down. I think Dubs and a signing with Maddison money would have helped them more than Maddison did with that clown in goal. That's even with the good season Maddison's just had.

I don't know how it works, but I get the impression that its better/easier to pay money in transfer fees than in wages. Maybe because there is a wages as percentage of turnover calculation for FFP. Something like that.

I get the impression wages spend and transfer spend are almost different things, not the same "money". In theory, a free player on 200k wages for four years would be the same spend as a 20M fee 100k wages player if that 20M value is likely to disappear in four years, say with a 28 year old. However, it doesn't work like that, does it? The fee gets amortised, with whatever accounting chicanery than involves, and the lower wage means there is no effect on squad harmony or the FFP wages angle. It almost seem to be like the burden of wages spend is a multiple, I dunno, 50% more or something, of transfer spend. Am I right to think that? Does it work like that in simulation games like FM too?

Thanks Smal. Looks like we'll have to get an ex keeper back in and use Anderson and youth players. I can't say I know anything about the youth team, but Bondswell, the lad that played in the last preseason, sounds like he would qualify on that two year thing. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_Bondswell

I suppose the under 21 thing would make a move for Lavia more appealing. Any other notable prospects who tick that "free to register" box? I know little of registration matters, but are we looking at effectively being forced to buy 2 or 3 players who don't take up a squad place? Ashby is still 21 but turns 22 in November. Is he still okay?

I'm still gutted we didn't give Man U more of a game in the Carabao Cup final, probably the biggest disappointment of the season, but other than that don't mind them. I'm well pleased that they are going to finish above the divine righters and shift those glorious European nights at Anfield to a Thursday. I saw on Twitter that after Jota kicking the Spurs bloke in the head and staying on the pitch to score the winner, they still have the temerity to claim VAR has denied them something and have contacted PGMOL to lodge some ridiculous claim. Utterly detestable. Man U are clear winners of random signing of the season in Wout Weghorst. A club that has seen Zlatan, Cavani, and CR7 up top in recent years and that's who they go and get. Completely batshit crazy. They should have just played Harry Maguire there and played for corners.

I guess most of you remember we finished last season with Top 4 form, establishing a base for this season. Anyway, I'd not looked recently, but we're now second top this season in expected goals and expected goal difference, i.e., above Arsenal in both categories. https://fbref.com/en/comps/9/Premier-League-Stats This confirms we deserve everything that has been achieved and suggests a good few of those draws we've had may well right themselves. We'll win them because a decent number of the shots that have been hitting the post should go in. The future's bright!

Fantastic work by everyone at the club. That stat about the only non "Sky 6" clubs to qualify since 2006 (!!) being Leicester (once) and now us in 2022-23 should tell you what an achievement it is. When Wenger was still at Arsenal, mockers would joke about them getting the "fourth place trophy" as if mere CL qualification was some kind of wooden spoon for barely competitive clubs, but it's certainly not that now. The team likely to finish fifth and miss out outplayed Real Madrid in last year's CL final. When Leicester won the league, a much bigger achievement of course, it cost them Kante who left immediately and nearly cost them Vardy had he pushed for that move to Arsenal that was on the table. We're unlikely to sell any key players, and will continue bolstering a squad that still has many Ashley-era players and had a now-closing Ashley-sized hole in youth development. Playing twice a week will bring pressure and new stresses and strains on the squad, but the club is moving in the right direction to deal with them. Let's hope FFP gives us enough wiggle room to consolidate and at least keep the door ajar. Pushing on further might be tricky until we're allowed to put more money in. At the start of the season, I didn't think we'd finish Top 4 (despite finishing 21-22 with Top 4 form) because I didn't think a sustained challenge was possible with players on our wage structure. I'm sure there'll be a big margin of error in the data from Spotrac below, but it'll be more right than wrong. For us to do it with the players we have is a great testament to Eddie Howe and his staff. They've done an amazing job.

I have some sympathy for Everton because they were successful in the 1980s but were locked out of European competition due to the behaviour of other English teams' fans. It's likely they would have won or come close to winning the European Cup, creating lifelong memories for their fans. This has has also a lasting effect on Everton's status worldwide. A large part of Liverpool's clout comes from that period. They also have fans who support them because they are named after the city foreigners associate with the Beatles. Everton are from the same city but do not benefit from the same association because their name is "Everton" and not "Liverpool". Liverpool Football Club consistently sell the fourth most replica jerseys worldwide, even pre Klopp when they were a cup side at best. If this all sounds a bit mental and disparaging of Liverpool, on the morning of the 1974 FA Cup final, Newcastle United were historically a more successful club than Liverpool. The way it is now is not some preordained natural order of things.

Put it this way, by saving that penalty, Nick Pope may have cost Sam Allardyce more money than his "Casa St. James" payoff. If that game goes to 2-0, I think we would have lost.

Fabinho still not booked Yes, let's normalize violence toward refs. After twenty minutes, he claimed Klopp would have been shouting at the officials had he been on the touchline. Fabinho yet to be booked btw. Only four fouls so far.

Strong contender for worst commentary of the season.

Mo Salah is joint best player of the league over the past five years with KDB. We can focus on his skill and celebrate how great he has been at dribbling and shooting, or just point out that he dives in pretty much every game. Since he is a skilful man, this also means his dives are better than some other players.

I wouldn't have picked him myself, so massive credit to Eddie for playing Almiron. He didn't get the ol' end product until the dying minutes, but was ferocious in the press and kept them under the kosh.

Tears on Merseyside!

This is true, but we're already close to truly competitive. The main benefit of CL for next season is slightly more money for players. The way the club is being rebuilt, and what's happened at Chelsea indicate that slightly more money for players isn't the be all and end all, and some of it will just be patience for the efforts on facilities, backroom staff, youth setup, and scouting of prospects to bear fruit. The club is aiming for improvement all over the place, not just in the transfer market. All those other areas can steam ahead without CL. I'll be frustrated if we don't get CL, but am not worried about the future of the club.

Still confident here. Personally I wouldn't mind finishing outside the top four if the CL places went to Man U and Brighton. The possiblity that really winds me up, to an irrational level or angst and anger, is letting LIverpool in. All that crappy media fawning to them. I don't need that crap in my living room. It boils my piss. I suspect some of the posts in this thread are coming from the same place. People seem much more wound up about this than they were about losing a major domestic final to Man United. That's for us, a club with no domestic trophy for nearly 70 years.

Almost one every two games. There must have been some in them draws.

I'm still confident, its still in our hands with winnable games left, and am in the "we've blown a fantastic chance if we don't" camp. However, the easiest way to blow a fantastic chance is to have a non-CL squad to start with and be hampered by FFP when it looks like its on. If Tottenham, Liverpool etc. are chasing CL and a bit light, they do not buy minus one player in January. We did, and it was all we could do after years of squad and commercial mismanagement, in a system that is rigged to help established clubs. In spite of this, most of these clubs show contempt to PL and can't wait for a super league to start up. Whatever happens, CL or no CL, they will be disparaging comments from others, so just ignore them.

Everton smash Brighton Man City smash Everton Brighton smash Arsenal

Interesting example of what and what isn't obstruction. A forward doing less on a defender shepherding a ball out gets given every single time. It was a clumsily violent from Pickford, so you could give it for that.

Quality slapstick, like Jim Dale in one of the Carry On films.

Rejoice!

Was Almiron over Murphy resting Murphy? Normally Howe doesn't replace anyone if they are producing.