Abacus

Yeah, it was a media own goal at the very least, even if he wasn't speaking on behalf of the club at the time. But hey, I'm not here to make fun at your club's expense on this point. Not least because you could probably count on one hand, if even that, the number of clubs' fans who would in majority agree with the views of their owners through their history.

Yeah I saw that, was making a hilarious joke about the billboard. Club's actual statement seemed fair enough.

That the club statement?

I'm not sure where the PL ready players or PL proven thing came from - was it directly from Howe himself or something that was implied on here? I genuinely don't know, honest question, either one might well have been from Howe. I suppose not to be too semantic, if it's PL ready that's a bit different from proven though. The first one doesn't automatically mean players already in the PL, which proven would. Just instead someone that can hit the ground running as a lot of our imports have proven able to. Like I say, I'm just not sure where it came from or the meaning behind it. Not questioning that it's best to be exploring wider markets even than just from Europe, though.

Two routes to Europa, either the league or the Cup. If we squeak past Villa, that's the route I'd love, as risky as it is. And if not, fewer games at least to be able give it a tilt there. But in future, until we have a squad that can compete, we might have to think about sacrificing one or both domestic cups when in Europe, however much I've loved Eddie taking them seriously since he took over after years of us hardly trying. As for the CL campaign - let's just see how far we go now we're getting to the more exciting bit. Hopefully we get past Qarabag and have a couple more memorable games later along the way, anything else is a bonus.

I'd love Europa next season, either with a great league run or somehow through the FA Cup. Either of which would make this a great season. And let's also scare a few teams in the CL this year for fun while we're at it.

You might be thinking of James Dyson. As far as I know he hasn't committed a crime such as taking charge of Manchester United.

Only reason I didn't like Spurs was Redknapp and then Levy. Oh and of course the whole ESL plan to ruin football entirely.

Yeah, like when we'd have multiple keepers on the bench two years ago, so I have some sympathy for Frank. Maybe CL has been a bit of a curse for them for a squad that wasn't ready for it. But I also remember when we played Man U in the midst of a crisis and won - even our reserves stuck to the plan.

It was odd watching them yesterday but almost no-one was running off the ball, just incredibly static. I get that they have a lot of injuries but the team shape is on the manager. I reckon they'll get a caretaker manager in for the rest of the season - they only really need a couple of wins to be safe - then maybe Pochettino in/after the summer?

I feel that both Elanga and Ramsey stepped up for him today. He looked delighted in the press conference. He makes a team, this manager.

Very good today, always causing problems for them in the first half in particular. More of this please!

Could well have won that by a lot more. Looking forward to a quiet thread here tomorrow.

We won the heck out of that game.

Just me that's quite positive about this one then? Man City away in a tie that was almost already lost is one thing. But even though they are decent Brentford at home was a bit of a kick in the pants so I hope / expect to see a bit of a reaction here.

Agreed that with hindsight we should have got Isak away. Even if then other clubs see us a club with money burning a hole in their pocket. That said, I think that if either Wissa or Elanga had been fit and on form consistently we'd also be looking at the window quite differently. Ramsey also needs to show a fair bit more, but that goes for most of the midfield. Howe did say even before the window that he wanted everything done early, but we seemed to be all over the place for the majority of it, and then chucked straight afterwards into a mad run of games. More than half a season in, though, and there should have been time for things to click. CL knockout phases, a cup semi final, indifferent league placing and FA Cup 4th round (as it stands) isn't too bad objectively. In fact it's a mile better than most of the seasons pre Howe. It's just there isn't much faith we'll push on and do much in the remaining competitions this year based on how we're playing at the moment and that's as much on some of some of the existing players as the new ones.

Just say Howe out.

You could always buy a beetroot yourself. It's not that complicated.

On a slightly different note, maybe it's just me but I think he's sounded a little bit flat in recent press conferences. I think this schedule is as draining on him as it is on the players. That's not a criticism at all, just an observation. After the boardroom changes and shouldering all the burden over summer, dealing with egos like Isak's, trying to integrate new players and handle constant press conferences (more frequent because of the schedule as well), I don't know when he ever gets a break. Except when was hospitalised like after the cup. He really needs support from the exec team this summer.

I keep thinking back to that original soft soap documentary when YAR, Eales and Howe were around a boardroom table. Pretty sure it was Eales pointing to a chart showing how money spent equated to consistent league success. YAR glowered at this asking for other ideas, at which point Eales like any boss being grilled by their own boss, deflected. He said something along the lines of "ah yes, but we have a secret weapon" who could get them to over perform that pure money calculation and do better, pointing at Howe. Well. Maybe that's just how I remember it, rather than it being accurate. I thought then, and think now, that Howe was thrown under the bus by him - this wasn't just praise for a manager, it was basically someone with no ideas of their own saying that Howe could over perform the obvious financial disadvantage. I hope Hopkinson has the backbone to point out the realities instead of trying to please his bosses based on a fantasy.

It's a difficult one though. A run of games argument is fair for either striker, but that said, there are so many games that you risk running them into exhaustion at the same time. It would probably help if they were similar types of players so that the rest of the team don't need to try and adapt around them whenever you do need to swap them in and out due to tiredness etc. And then as AJ9 says, it's not as if we have a steady cast of wingers either, each of whom have different skills and variable form. Gordon's injury probably means a mini run for Barnes on the left at least, and I'd guess Elanga has done enough these last couple of games for a mini run on the right over Murphy. Either or both need to come inside to offer options and not leave him isolated - or in Elanga's case run past him to stretch the defence. Maybe.

Elanga looking like he has a bit of confidence - like it

Get it soon ya City! 6-5

Not one to single out players, but Ramsdale shouldn't be playing. No confidence in him at all.

At the time I was all for playing hardball and not letting him go. In an alternate world where we'd hung onto him until at least this January, say (hence the loose link to this thread), I wonder how it would have played out. You'd imagine he would have continued to down tools for at least a while or at the very minimum started the season unfit and off form. It wouldn't have done us much good on the pitch and there would have been a hugely destabilising presence in the dressing room. With Liverpool by then already having Ekitike presumably playing as well as he has I wonder if they'd have been back for him, or if so for as much. Perhaps likely he'd have gone somewhere at some point but possibly for a lot less. I.e. not sure it would have worked out well for either party in the end. That's obviously a counterfactual and we can't know what would have happened. But I'm inclined to make the best of it and move on.