christ

It’s either us or Chelsea.

The most sustainable and effective way to address the gap is ensuring better distribution of money down the pyramid (something the PL are currently implacably opposed to). PSR doesn’t address the gap.

The rules as they currently stand are just the flip side of the same coin. The only choice is whether there’s an artificial financial disparity created by PSR, or whether there’s a real one by having the richest owners be able to spend the most. It is absolutely shit, don’t get me wrong. But there’s basically little difference.

It would be grimly amusing if rules that were introduced in haste to stifle our ability to grow were so flawed that they ultimately resulted in the PL having to settle with Man City. Ultimately the entire thing stinks to high heaven. FFP/PSR has been a grift since the moment the ESL lot realised they could use it to fuck the rest of the league. City broke the rules to gain a competitive advantage. Fuck them all (but I would very much like an outcome that best suits us).

I don’t think there’s been a more Ashley signing. Cheap and shit. The footballing equivalent of a Donnay tracksuit.

Intensely relaxed about this. Of the three clubs in for him we’re head and shoulders above in terms of what we can offer from a career progression prospective. If he decides to go elsewhere it would say a lot about his character, and suggest he’s probably not a massive loss.

You’ll have to show your workings, because every available stat suggests you’re talking shite.

£3m for a couple of exhibition games is worth it.

No benefit, apart from the £3m we got?

Bowen would be great. DCL would be entirely dependent on the fee. That said I think this is paper talk bollocks.

Turned it off at FT and had no idea it went to pens until I opened N-O

We’re bringing on FM regens.

It’s like watching a match at the Stadium of Light.

It’s like Who Do You Think You Are. Commentators giving us rundown of everyone’s family tree.

I’d say 10, because Berrada tapping up people when he himself was on gardening leave using an INEOS email address seems pretty slam dunk.

Would’ve loved to see Tindall and Karl Kennedy swapping notes.

Might even be the first time he’s seen it judging by his face.

In the brief window he worked for us Ashworth managed to sign a gambling addict who was subsequently given a ten month ban, tried and failed to agree a new contract with Bruno (until the higher ups intervened), tried and failed to agree a new contract with Joelinton (until the higher ups intervened), and then rounded it all off by letting the club know he was being tapped up because he was apparently oblivious to our IT policy. I trust this ‘hub and spoke’ model of management he loves is probably pretty effective when the right people are involved. However, when you couple all of this stuff with his very dodgy handling of the Mark Sampson case when he was at the FA he comes across as a bit of a boob. Tony Bloom’s big spreadsheet football wonderkids has a lot to answer for.

I don’t think Dubs ever shook off the rust. The second and third goals against Man United were appalling pieces of keeping, but there were examples of those littered throughout the seasons. As time went on we got a bit better at masking the more pronounced issues - like trying to play a high line with a goalkeeper who gets vertigo coming beyond his penalty spot - but Dubs is done.

I remember back panel debates on old incarnations of this board before Ashley had even taken over

No idea why people assumed we’d be getting something completely bespoke tbh. Seems a massive misunderstanding of what ‘elite club status’ means, which is that we’ll get drip fed a load of Originals-style branded merch for people to waste their hard earned cash on and the final kit itself will likely be of a marginally better quality than non-elite clubs. For what it’s worth I think the shirt looks fine. Prefer it if we didn’t have a back panel but that’s the only bit I really feel in any way strongly about. People always get wound up about minor detailing and it’s basically forgotten about once the kit is out, being worn and we’re winning games.

I hope you killed their dog.

Gladly fucking bin it off just so i never have to talk about it ever again.

12 months ago we would’ve said the same about right back. The club is clearly willing to do deals for players they see as representing good long term value even if they don’t address an immediate need.

He’s got great command of his box and he’s one of the best ‘sweepers’ in the league. He is shite with his feet though, I will give you that.