Cf

The fuck was that

Get in!! We've deserved that.

Good by Thiaw and Pope, saves Botman's blushes there.

Good dive that.

Bright start this. Nice to see multiple players including Woltemade in the box for a cross there as well.

Because Woltemade passed the ball to Murphy on the right to setup the chance whilst Joelinton drifted into the box from the left.

Hall RB?

As pathetic as it was that was a red card. Either a straight red or a yellow + yellow for dissent.

Is not be happy starting the season with Barnes as first choice LW.

Not sure about this. People like to throw the term "Eddie Howe player" around and to me Gordon is the textbook definition of one. He looks at his best when his work rate is high but technically I don't think he's great and he lacks end product. Maybe he can do something abroad but I think he'd be found out at say an Arsenal or Liverpool. On that basis I'd be very happy selling him to one of them for top dollar.

Based on his form this season should Gordon even be getting many world cup minutes?

I suppose the question is more interesting if you exclude the unpleasantness. Just from a footballing point of view is he worth £50m + his wages + injury record? I think the answer is no.

Yeah fair. I guess my point is I don't really see it as any different from any other transfer window. There's money to be spent - is it spent well? Obviously losing a star player makes that harder so it's more notable when done well.

What length contract did they give him again?

If you were looking into the future this time last year this would be a ludicrous question but who is spending £80m on him at this point? He's not looked match fit all season, suffered a broken leg, and now is out with a long standing groin issue. That's a massive amount of money in terms of fee for the risk involved and that's not even getting into his wages.

And we kicked on post Mike Ashley. In this case by spending money the club wasn't otherwise spending rather than recouped by a transfer fee. That was the start of our ascent. Clubs have good and bad transfer windows. It was bringing up Liverpool as an example of doing things right when arguably by comparative standards they've had as bad a season as us.

Liverpool kicked on this summer with their transfer activity? Ok, I know you don't mean this summer there but the point remains a club you've just quoted as spending wisely have also spent a summer spaffing money up the wall in the wrong positions.

And it should be noted that in terms of squad cost/wages we are at and about the top of the midfield pack but below the cartel and on that metric our league position is disappointing. But that's where I bring the gruelling fixture schedule in as mitigation which has been done to death.

Was coming in to say something similar. I do wonder if his future is further up the pitch. He's so good on the ball that he almost feels wasted at LB. Half the time he gets the ball out of defence by beating his man and I just think imagine he was doing that at LW instead. We also want more control in midfield and he's technically good enough to help deliver that. I wonder if next season we perhaps see new RB/LB, and Livramneto at RB/LB depending on which position we are able to fill with quality.

The money spent argument also completely ignores the absolutely hollowed out squad we were left with from the Ashley era. No-one is doubting we spent money but we started with a relegation squad.

Fuck off Villa.

I suppose one silver lining of this whole fiasco is between him and Wissa they've shown how you can easily fuck yourself over by trying to force a transfer by going on strike.

Don't think he could complain at a red there.

That's an obscene stat Sky just put up about Man Utd not losing at OT in the league when up at half time since 1984.

As shite as GK has been for us this season at least we don't concede goals like that.