Kid Icarus

Terrible argument, not least because it's the same argument you ignore when it's suggested that clubs above us might be looking at Howe. Wenger is a valid pick, the rest, howeh man, no one's taking that seriously when you're picking treble, champions league, big 5 league winning managers. The Robson pick is bizarre as well, he was in the top flight with Ipswich for a decade, finishing in the top 2, 3 or 4 multiple times and winning the UEFA Cup and FA Cup. And Keegan came in when we were bottom of Division 1. I doubt even you would be on board with bringing in an ex-player legend who'd never managed before when the bar to get over isn't survival in the championship, but 2 CL qualifications, a cup win, a cup final, a semi final, 2 quarters etc.

I don't know how else to phrase this. We sold to buy because SBR also wanted to get rid of players that weren't good enough and improve the squad with new players - that was what we needed at the time. Would spending £25m and keeping the players he wanted rid of be the club backing him more or less? We got quality cheap as well remember, Barnard was free for example. Acuna and Lua Lua were good for the price, and we already had a good core that would carry on to the CL years: Given, Hughes, Dabizas, Speed, Dyer, Solano, Shearer. SBR specifically wanted Carl Cort as well, he talks about it in his autobiography. That he ended up being shit isn't an indication that SBR wasn't backed, particularly as he cost more than Bellamy and only 2.5m less than Robert.

What we received is meaningless in the context of being backed. SBR also wanted the players we sold gone and all of it was used to buy the players he wanted. That's by definition being backed.

We spent like £25m and £17m...in 00 and 01 that's nowhere near being very little.

But he absolutely was, we signed plenty of players and spent plenty of money. Net spend in the context of whether a manager has been backed or not is meaningless when the manager himself also wanted rid of the players he had.

The claim is that Howe is only good enough for Bournemouth or Everton. And it's twice. The managers he has poor records against (and it can be argued shouldn't) are much more specific and therefore cherry-picked than the ones he has good records against. It's a conscious choice to make.

For that era nothing beats nufc.com/wiki. Transfermarkt is much more accurate for more recent seasons I think. Like I say though, I don't think it really matters tbh, we knew the squad needed an overhaul, it wasn't a case of players being sold out from under SBR and then not being backed. We sold the players he wanted to sell and bought the players he wanted to buy.

Those figures are wrong, but tbh I don't think it matters. The player trading we did was very much with a view to improve improve the squad, not to make profit. The only players we sold at that time that it was obvious we didn't want to sell and would be difficult to replace/improve upon were Hamman and Domi. We got good fees for players we didn't want: Pistone, Howey, Goma etc. And Robson wanted Cort as well, there's no question about that, he mentions it in his autobiography.

Lovely stuff

Is Dembele good? Think so like.

We did in 22/23, no idea why we stopped the shithousing.

He's giving them absolutely nothing at the minute

They're good to watch like definitely. I was thinking that Liverpool actually remind me a bit of us in terms of how often their midfield seems caught out and empty when teams break on them.

Something feels like it's changed in football broadly at a tactical level like. Couldn't tell you what it is, but I can definitely feel it.

Nearly the funniest goal you'll ever see.

PSG have been quality over quantity in this basically.

Yesssss!!! Hahaha ha

When you've lived a life of privilege, equality feels like injustice. Get fucked you cunts.

Gonna get chalked off, rightly so

Who could have possibly predicted this would happen Never a pen

They kept knocking it up to him to hold it up

I mean I obviously do when the claim is as stupid as him only being good enough for Everton and Bournemouth.

He's beaten him twice and he's the best manager around isn't he? That's what I've been told.

It's hilarious like. The same manager PSG haven't found a way to beat over three Champions League matches.