Abacus

I thought the same. It was a marginal handball, but it was one. Just. If they're on one hand showing the rulebook and that VAR then corrects a factual error like a marginal offside, also in that case without asking the ref to look again, then that's how it's supposed to be used.

Not a great game - we played OK in parts, but haven't really clicked into gear yet and so in general I'm pleased with the points on the board so far. I do think a lot of our problems start at the back. Defence sat a lot further back when Dubravka was playing last season, with no Pope to come out and sweep up and so we lost a lot of our previous shape. Even with him back, I don't see us pushing much further forward and I think that may be due to the personnel playing in the back 4. Which is why I think a comfortable ball playing CB is the most important position to strengthen in - for cover, and for the balance of the team. RW would be great too obviously, but that would be my order of upgrading.

Good skill by Isak there

How's that going to cheer them up? Let's get these beat, and then they'll go away and complain somewhere else instead.

This writer is Alyson Rudd, a Liverpool supporter who has been complaining about the Saudi takeover since the start, written innumerable similar articles wishing bad luck on NUFC, and some of the most dreadful and biased match reports every time she covers us, frequently barely touching on the match at all in a way that makes sense to anyone who actually watched it, and preferring to talk about PIF instead. Quite frankly, you can ignore her articles for what they are.

Could have done with a better defender. Derisory.

He has been tremendous for us. I mean, absolutely immense at times. If he really wants to go, however, I think he's earnt the right to. This might not be the right answer for club finances but I'm sick of thinking about those. I'd be inclined to let him go with a nominal fee and with best wishes. Which is also why I should never run a football club, you may correctly argue.

You're both wasting a fortune. I've simply stayed in the UK but wound my watch forward 3 hours.

Or, if true, it could be to soften their fans up for a sale.

It's going to busy last week and a bit - Chelsea are going to have to move on a lot of players, so hopefully that kicks the market into life

Not sure if the recent silence re Guehi is a good thing or not, but I'm tending to think it is. We haven't tended to give up on our reported targets in the past and if we haven't in this case then I'd prefer no noise about it. I'll still be delighted if we get him, at whatever price the club thinks is right.

Well, then, I've probably gotten it completely wrong. Just my take at the time. What was yours?

Well then, here's one. I'm not convinced about Eales. I think we've lost something with Staveley going, but aside from that I keep going back to that soft soap documentary where they were all filmed talking about how the amount of money spent makes you successful. When challenged on this he deflected and said we had a secret weapon in Howe, who could make us overperform, or words to that effect. It felt to me like the manager was being thrown under the bus there. I do not think it is a viable strategy to buy anyone you can afford and then just expect Howe to turn them all into world-beaters. And then after that, I didn't expect Eales to recently come out and say that he could concentrate on what he's good at, i.e. training players on the pitch, instead of being a key part of decision making, which he was before. Then again, I've had a pint and been watching traitors on here, so my threat sensors are probably still on high alert. As for transfers, let's buy whoever Mitchell scouts if that's our system now. I've no doubt the club are trying their best on this, so I'll wet the sheets if and only if the confetti goes out of date.

Correction to what I previously said about a negative article - it was Martin Hardy and I've mixed them up.

I enjoyed watching Parish and his daft Falloutout Boy hair clearly lying in his body language when first asked the question about the bid.

If Schar knew the whistle had gone, he wouldn't have cared less by later being barged over (another foul anyway) and so wouldn't have reacted like that. Whether you agree with the sending off or not, this is all on the ref for making a mess and losing control of the game.

I read his last ridiculously negative column about us pre season, and changed my mind on him.

Get him down the Fanzone, singing 90's bangers on the table. He'll be up here in a flash and paying us to move.

I'd hope that from the moment Parish did that interview, we were more actively looking to bid for other players, or have done already, with a less leaky club. Shame if he wants to join, but such is life. Even if we'd signed him today, he wasn't playing tomorrow. We tend to go back to targets we like anyway.

Think you're being generous.

It seems that the club are open to offers, but also to keep him if they don't suit either party, which all seems fair enough. He's solid enough and works his socks off. I think the frustration just comes from wanting the club to be able to progress faster, which then translates on to player x or y player who won't suit longer term where the team want to be. But that longer term was always going to take time and need patience. Hope he pops up with another cracker if he plays tomorrow anyway.

I agree with the point made earlier that Almiron allows Trippier to come forward and create assists, where he has outperformed. Might be the same with Livramento which is one reason I think some of the criticism he gets can be a bit OTT. Team game and all. So if he goes and we replace well, then great. But if not, it's hardly some disaster to me, whereas being short in defence seems a bigger risk. On the price - we're conditioned to thinking he's worth what we want, but that's a good offer from an MLS club. It doesn't mean it's all he's worth in the wider market. Anyway, I look at our squad for the start of the season and I'm quite relaxed. There's time to let things play out.

Yep, looks like as well as trying to get a better bid or other interest for Guehi, they're playing us off against Fulham. I expect these things happen all the time, just not so publicly. But, I don't know, maybe sometimes resorting to public comments is a sign you're in a bit of trouble.

'Any more bidders from around the room? Going once, going twice ...'

Fair point