Odear

Dzeko best player on the pitch.

He won't refine his craft but he shouldn't play as many games. This good run won't last forever, not at his age. We need someone who can compete for that spot with him. At his age? 30?! Think of every dominant central midfielder the PL has ever had, they all went to 32/33 easily before the downturn. I’m not saying he’s on a par with the Keane’s etc but a few seasons of this would have him in the same league as the best central midfielders we’ve had at our club since the 90’s. Can he replicate the form next season though. That’s the risk.. he’s playing like a 20m+ player “at the moment” If Rafa stays then I think he’ll keep faith with him.

Can he refine his craft further over the summer and improve or will he be sacrificed if we bring someone else in?

The vibes are the same. You’d expect it to be more positive after the income from this season and next, but no. It’s going to be a long summer of discontent and the atmosphere around the club will be toxic if Rafa leaves. I think he should. The club obviously see that final year as something else they can sell or be compensated for as opposed to something they can build from. To stay and work under these kind of restraints is harming his career as a top manager. He’s done enough for us.

Man Utd. I think they could shift Pogba on, not sure who’d take him for 80m though.

We’re such cheapskates.

I think Rafa wants the lanky chap from Portugal this summer. Which of course we won’t be able to afford. Slimani looked ok in the very brief time he was on the pitch. Not great against Everton but didn’t get any service whatsoever. I still for the life of me can’t think of anything he’s done that Mitro wouldn’t have been able to do. (Including kicking someone)

It was just a bad day. Passes going all over the place. The unfortunate thing is that clubs seem to have figured out if they give us an equal or majority of possession we rarely do anything with it. We’re set up for counter attacking football, if a club sits back we have no plan for it.

A consortium which is treading water with a club in the conference with a shitty 2k seat stadium have suddenly become ambitious? It doesn’t add up. The fans will think this is their new dawn but once the realities set in that they’ve lost a very wealthy owner who could easily have kept them as a stable PL club if he wasn’t clueless. This new crowd? They’ll try to run it sensibly but what if they don’t get out of League 1 first time? It seems like a massive gamble for a group that could be in way over their heads. Ellis might also have deferred payments on the debt if the club meet certain conditions (i.e PL money)

Shelvey doing everything he can not to go to Russia

Diame has been shocking today.

I suspect he may not gel that well with Ayoze. Simple solution and have been saying it all season. Stick Merino in at no.10 During that one on one situation, Merino wouldn’t have panicked, seen the pass and just made it. That way we don’t have to disrupt a midfield pairing that’s doing very well. I like the look of Slimani but not at 21 million.

Did someone spray the pitch with WD40 for the second half??? We didn’t deserve that tonight but gotta take chances and not leave it in the hands of cunty referees.

Is Southgate there tonight? He was supposed to be.. that’s why I thought Shelvey has been poor, trying to hard to impress!

Lascelles doing well. Wonder if Southgate has noticed?!

Never going to be attractive against an Allardyce side. Everton do have some decent players. They should be all over us if they could string some passes together.

They’ve been marginally the better side. Both sides will be knackered in the second half, both working very hard. Everton’s tactics are basically hoy it over Dummett or Lejeune until one of them makes a mistake. We should improve second half.

Oster shooting kids with a bb gun. Chris Brown sex tape. Aye, how old was that girl in the sex tape? 17? She was a hairdresser iirc

We should have a few days of laughing at them but then just stop talking about them altogether, because they really don’t matter in the greater scheme of things. Lock this thread and let them fade from memory. That will hurt them more to see how irrelevant they are now.

I’m beginning to wonder if Chelsea will sell him at all. If they are willing to negotiate, it would be smart to get this one done quickly as if we get 20m+ for Mitro, clubs will try and fleece us.

They ran straight down the tunnel at the final whistle, bar maybe 2 or 3 of the older players. Cowardly really, they don’t want to be there. But they have big contracts which they probably won’t get elsewhere. The club is fucked. There’s no way this same or similar group of players is going to suddenly become cohesive. Worst case scenario is that Short abandons them. They go into administration and get a points deduction. They could well do a Leeds on it. How many years now since they played in the PL?

Lovely. That horrible club can wander in the sewers for an aeon now. ?

Any manager would be daft to take the Arsenal job. It would be exactly like the Fergie hangover at Man Utd. Rafa wouldn’t falter like most but for a manager like Dyche, it would be career suidice. You go in after the guy that goes in after the guy who tries to replace Wenger, not directly after. Just ask Moyes. One week you’re shooting for the stars, next thing you’re managing Sunderland.. Rafa will stay because he loves us.

The only player I want to succeed more at our club is Mitrovic. Would be great if he started to realise his potential with us.

If Rafa gets 80m+ to spend on Kenedy and a few strikers, I’d happily put up with Ashley for another year or two.