Kid Icarus

Wouldn't be surprised if this or something similar was the reason PIF pulled out like. It's always felt like some external geopolitical event like this is what would make that happen since it happened with Chelsea.

Standard RM being unspeakable cunts

Amazing that.

Are there no good 'keepers? You see so many goals fly in that are nowhere near the corner.

Textbook RM if they somehow win now.

Doesn't count if you can't remember.

Harry Kane: Riverdance

No.

Would you think Mourinho would want those players? Do you you think Mourinho would want any players that aren't the ones he specifically wants? Honestly, I swear people don't have a clue what he's actually like in 2026. He goes to clubs, demands the players he wants, gets some but not all of them, whinges about it, fails, then leaves the club with aging players on high wages.

Emery really was only better while in the CL last year when they made loads of January signings to deal with the load - something that we should have done as well imo. Not convinced that the Europa or Conference makes a great deal of difference to the likes of us or Villa when we could (without wanting to sound arrogant) beat teams playing in 2nd or 3rd gear.

Neither of us will ever know for certain, but tbh I think the evidence suggests it could have - especially when you look at the way in which Ashworth worked to get Tonali or even Isak - Barella smokescreen out of nowhere, then got Tonali done within a day or so before any club could react, the Isak deal all done super quickly - vs us in the summer, endless leaks, taking ages on deals, countless times other clubs got wind of what we were doing and then stepping in.

The whole thing was odd. Knowing that the CEO was leaving and doing nothing about it, the DoF leaving and the contigency plan being to hand it to 3 people with no DoF or CEO experience and saying 'you do it' Reuben has to take some blame too, he seemingly only got involved from the Sesko signing attempt onwards.

It could be lies, but it also says he was pushed aside by Mitchell... So even if its the truth, has nothing to do with Howe or Andy Howe.

Brought in to deal with incomings last summer - the context for which is absolutely crucial. The way that and the whole set up we had is spun like we weren't a CEO and DoF down at the time is why it's so obviously disingenuous on its face.

"A sporting director got binned off cause he didn't get on with him, his nephew has been bought in to help, he has been able to sign players he has wanted." You're telling me that's not a description of a chain of events in the summer? If you want to criticise Andy Howe coming in in the first place, fine, but you'd be doing so in the face of ALL our signings since he's been here, not just the ones in the summer gone.

You are. "His nephew was brought in to help" like it was a case nepotism on Howe's part. Andy Howe, who has already been here for years, was tasked with being part of the makeshift recruitment team because that was PIF's no-CEO and no-DoF contingency plan - the end. That's what happened.

Stop lying then. If you're going to critique Howe at least premise it on the truth instead of utter bollocks that didn't happen.

It really is incredibly frustrating to see what happened in the summer framed in a way that is just flat out wrong (and imo at this point deliberately disingenuous) and keeps having to be corrected day after day after day.

I'd blame xG

Proper shame that.

None of what you're saying there is controversial, I don't think anyone would disagree with that. What they and I would disagree with though is the claim that Iriola is a step up from Howe.

No, you've misinterpreted what the discussion is. Someone asked if there are any example of managers being backed, finishing mid-table and then the next season going on to be successful. SBR was cited as an example of that. No one said anything about being backed more than anyone else, no one said anything about Howe not being backed. They are both arguments no one made.

It matters because on one hand we have: actual proof at that level. And the other hand we have: 'well he might prove himself, we don't know! Look at all these other managers!' Which would be fair enough on its own, but when the argument that's being put forward is that Iriola is a step up from Howe, is flat out mental. Honestly man.

Yeah and he didn't say that non-PL experience was invalid, he was saying that he's proven himself at this level in the PL whereas Iriola hasn't yet. You've taken that and strawmanned it into one where he's implying that non-PL experience is invalid.

Sorry, I just think this is a completely non-existent argument so I'll leave it there. I've already made my point that SBR wanted players out and wanted players in and he got both, which to me is him being backed. You have your argument and if anyone else wants to believe it that's for them to decide.