Wolfcastle

Were short in that position for sure. No options really. Could have used a loan, even Minteh would have assuaged me. Got into a bit of an Ameobi-Cisse situation where one can't play every game and so we plug away with just one.

If Milan put in the same display against PSG nobody would be surprised, but its not on against us.

Marseille, although whether 93 is modern debatable.

Got to take that. Was pretty sure we wouldn't be the best team but maybe not expecting them to have as many chances. They deserve to be ahead but that was a scenario I'd like to think was widely anticipated. People would be bitching if the roles were reversed. Just hope we scrape by with a point now we've got this far.

Been a cut above what were used to domestically.

Conceiecao vibes

Everybody else cranking up the music when the time comes? *Please tell me they wont go to commercial right then.

Yes, they weren't too fussed about who won when we played in the champions league on previous occasions apparently, a sort of 'may the best team win' attitude I assume, not at all FTM and bile towards all of our players or anything, because we weren't evil then.

We sung "are you watching Sunderland" (a common chant amongst all fans at the time) when 3-0 against Barcelona. Wasn't like a middling 2nd tier club was at the forefront of our thoughts, it was just the ultimate "f**k you" of that brand of chant and local rival banter.

Used to fantasise about it as a primary school kid trying to get to sleep and even then knew it was total fantasy so could go nuts and have one of their top players playing for us by the time. Just getting in the playoffs that season was asking way too much.

Got the result but still some bed wetting material, so were all happy. Just Milan next.

Today.

Yeah they're not giving this, psychologically the Brentford player down will influence it but shouldn't

Yeah, that's more refined how they prove it is up for grabs

They try to get rid of diving and they bring that rule in makes perfect sense

That's exactly the incident I was thinking of. or Mark Stein diving over Burridge in 89, keepers basically had to take the ball or the forward goes down with contact or dives and a pen is given

Its a classic way of winning a penalty - leave a trailing leg e.g. They'll just see 'contact' and have to give it, cant see the wood for the trees with the lack of common sense and understanding of the game being applied

made a rod for their own back with the disallowed goal classic case of a referee making up for previous error - my as well stuff the three minute pauses and technology and just back to old fashioned shit refs doing ot

You cant not give it after disallowing the goal for something so light.

'give me any excuse to disallow it, any at all please VAR, there must be something'

Think you're right on both counts. Its a completely natural reaction to a pretty poor 0-0 game at home to Brentford but wouldn't begrudge it being dialled up.

I thought the general consensus here was just that. 5th would be a massive result and most had us 5th-8th. Easy to say in preseason but all that's happening is bearing that out.

Coming from a fanbase that struggles to get cheap tickets for their home games when 0 points are required.

I wouldn't be too concerned if I were him, its just yet another business the Saudi's have invested in. You can attach 'sportswashing' to differentiate it from anything else and that's a load of bollocks in itself. Could just as easily come up with 'business-washing' and or 'airline washing' and leave sport off the hook like those industries are now. As is the notion that 'sportswashing' is to hide their human rights records when owning football clubs and hosting world cups is one of the worst things you could do if that's the case (most people in the west knew nothing about Qatar until they got/hosted the world cup) so you have to doubt that's the case at all. Think the most genuine concern should come from people who love the club and dont want it associated with Saudi. The other way I don't think really works. You shouldn't feel any differently about KSA now than you did before they owned a football club. Just my two penneth obviously.

Since were judging on a few games whatever the criticism of Howe should be magnified with Emery rather than have him set as an example to follow. We were well beaten by one good team, freakishly lost to another and lost narrowly at the best team in the world. Emery has played two good teams this season and frankly been thrashed both times.