SteV

So we beat Ipswich and Palace lose to Villa in the cup and we’d be one point from guaranteed Europa (at least)? edit - although I suppose not quite as Villa could still collapse in the league and win the cup to get the Europa place that way.

There’s also a point in the season where looking at what previous points totals becomes a little bit irrelevant. It’s absolutely a good guide/target when looking earlier on in the season, but once you get to the last handful of games, it’s probably more relevant to look at rival teams and their fixtures and likely points totals.

Yes

He’s a very solid defender. Pretty shite going forward like, so would be a very different option to Hall/Tino.

Tbf, if they used automated offsides properly and efficiently, it wouldn’t be so bad. Like surely you can just press a button and it says yes or no within 5 seconds. Then the lino gets a buzz in his ear and puts his flag up. Not too much different to how it was, but (hopefully) significantly more accurate. Aye, there’d be a few where it’d require interpretation, like was the player interfering, or has it been played by a defender etc, but we could live with them having to go back and revisit those ones.

Last time we played them at home we scored from the ko too. Where all 11 players had a touch and Perez volleyed in at the back post.

What is the actual point of referees going to the screen for VAR reviews? As far as I’m aware, Oliver is the only ref who’s ever not changed his decision. So one non-change in what’s probably over 100 instances now. Just get the VAR to tell the onfield ref to change his decision and get on with it.

I wouldn’t quite say ‘meaningless’. Aye, they probably prioritise our game regardless, but if they went over there and got turned over, the fans would go (even more) mad, and the pressure would get ramped up even further, so they probably have to give it some attention.

Best thing Disasi’s done for Chelsea since they bought him.

Be handy if they’re not 4 or 5 nil up after the first leg of the Conference semi final and they have to give the second leg their full attention.

Man City have won 14 PL home games in a row against Villa 🤐

Indeed, although I’d still take if it ends 5-1.

Officially relegating these almost a year to the day we officially relegated Sheff Utd.

As others have mentioned, absolutely no need to be shifting either with the extra European games. However, I would like to see us find a way of effectively having them in the same 11, should we wish to.

Chelsea ballot open 12pm TODAY

I think the major difference now (due to finances) is that there is generally such a gulf within the top divisions that no established elite club should should really find itself in the bottom half, let alone close to the relegation zone. It takes incredible mismanagement to get in that situation. And Man Utd are a fantastic example of that.

Tommy Watson getting bewwed apparently.

Yeah, but I suppose they were similar to Leicester in some ways. Performed way above what you would expect, then gradually over the next 2-3 seasons, fell away to end up getting relegated. They are a ‘bigger’ club than Leicester by pretty much most standard metrics like, so going down probably more of an underachievement. Still don’t think it ranks with a club of Man Utd’s size and resources finishing 17th (if that were to happen). Imagine Barca, Madrid, AC Milan, PSG etc finishing one place above the relegation zone.

Did he say that specifically? I just heard him say there was “no further update”, which I took to mean ‘we’re not telling you anything more’.

If Man Utd were to finish 17th, would it be fair to consider this, pound-for-pound, the worst league campaign in a major European league in living memory?

An emergency PL meeting followed by a new rule banning the loan of players from the Saudi Pro League.

By paying out about half a mill a week to do so. Gamble hasn’t worked if they don’t make CL. *I will say that in the position they found themselves come January, it was probably a ‘sensible’ gamble, but doesn’t necessarily equate that we would be in a similar position. *And I’d also say that Emery’s coaching methods lend themselves much better to loaning players than Howe’s does. Emery tends to do a lot more trading of players, and swapping players in and out to suit particular games. Howe is more about coaching players to be able to do what he wants (probably generalising significantly in relation to both of them like).

Tbf we should have put Brighton away in the first half of the league game and although the cup game was much more even, having automated offsides rather than the lines, quite possibly did us over with the Schar goal. Understand the apprehension given our most recent performances down there but it’s not as tough a game as some seem to think IMO.

They’ve messed it up then. He was definitely safe before this weekend, just like Joelinton.

Is Delap carrying a knock or are they not starting him because they’re down and he’s pissing off?