SteV

What’s the alternative?

Aye, the punishment is the punishment. The fact that you happen to have been caught just as you were about to play a massive money match, is effectively irrelevant.

Obviously that’s clearly the best solution, but depends how logistically possible it is.

I think everyone probably realises it would be a fairly ridiculous situation - but - what are the alternatives should we need a different ground for a bit? Mackems is just impossible. So, outside of going somewhere near enough as far away as Murrayfield, we’d be going somewhere with a massively reduced capacity, which obviously creates a huge headache. Whatever they decide, there’s going to be a very unpalatable side to it from the fans pov, although we may just have to accept we need to suck it up for the greater good.

FFS

Sunderland is impossible. Fewm would be off the charts. Boro is a possibility I suppose. Too small really (although maybe needs must) and whilst the local mutants probably wouldn’t be particularly happy about it, I don’t think that’s quite the deal breaker it is with mackems. Don’t see Leeds being much more convenient than Murrayfield tbh, and again, a bit on the small side.

You’d assume/hope that it ever became reality (probably won’t) there’d be significant provision made in the way of charter trains between Newcastle and Edinburgh. Hour and a half to Edinburgh, then another half hour or so from Waverley to Murrayfield. Hardly ideal by any stretch, but as others have said, there really aren’t any viable alternatives.

Assuming Tonali is out given what Howe said post-West Ham.

2-1 - Osula and Bruno

Craigy Boy in his element sticking the boot right in.

Manager seemed like a right shifty prick. Deserved IMO.

Livramento’s had a poor season this season in terms of injuries, but that’s off the back of the two previous seasons, across which he played about 80 games. People are far, far too quick to write players off as being ‘injury-prone’. Look at Calvert-Lewin, derided on here when we were linked, as being likely to spend more time in the treatment room than on the pitch. Played virtually every game for Leeds this season. Anyway, regardless of that, I still think we probably need to sell Tino if he’s not signing a new contract. And if it has to be to Arsenal, then so be it.

Ah, so it is! I’ll delete!

Also seems fairly wild picking Richarlison over Joao Pedro going off this season.

Made the Congo WC squad.

I think there’s possibly still some PTSD from seeing him commit some absolutely horrendous misses like the one at Birmingham or the one at USG. FWIW I think he’s seemed a fair bit more composed in this recent run of games. Still a whirlwind, but he’s managed to just pull it back from being completely frenetic, which is definitely helping.

Does it not defeat the purpose of improving your squad in order to qualify for Europe, if when you do so, you then have to weaken it? *appreciate it’s never that black and white, but you know what I mean.

Well, I’d class it as not completely unrealistic, as opposed to realistic.

I’ve added a poll to Season Tickets thread on the Ticket forum for people to record their pot number. We probably all know the majority will be Pot 1, but let’s get some votes and see if it gives us an indication of anything different.

If anyone’s a fan of passive aggressive cockney fume, I highly recommend the West Ham Fan TV YouTube channel.

Spending more because you’re not in Europe is just a false economy really though. You spend more, but then when you qualify the next season, you just have to reduce your costs by more in order to comply. Really, unless your aim is just to stay up, rather than try and get into Europe, you should work to the UEFA figure, rather than the PL figure.

We turn Fulham over. Liverpool batter Brentford. Chelsea (having lost to Spurs) are 1-0 up in the 98th minute, when the mackems get a penalty…

That was probably the best we’ve functioned as a team with Woltemade playing in that position (small sample size obviously). Although somewhat hard to judge given West Ham were a shambles until they made the early sub, and not really much cop after that either. Feel like Eddie is desperate to find a role for him in the team, but obviously not at the expense of how the rest of the team performs as a result ‘accommodating’ him.

You were in a very small minority if you were of the few! Tbf it would have been a monumental risk. Minteh had never played for us, or in the PL, and Anderson, while showing really big promise, have never really stood out in his limited opportunities for us. Meanwhile, Gordon was coming of the back of a really, really impressive season. I don’t think any club would have chosen the Minteh/Anderson option in all honesty.