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It was the Qarabag game for me. Literally started the game with a FIVE GOAL cushion and we still had Burn, Tonali, Woltemade, Barnes playing 90mins. Even the players we subbed on were first team regulars until Shahar after 87min when we were six goals ahead. The number of games is a very valid mitigating factor but Christ we really haven't helped ourselves either.

I'm not sure how accurate the Deloitte figures are but they have a year-by-year breakdown (Deloitte) Commercial income has gone up £113m between 2021 and 2025. Villa's was less than half of that and West Ham have barely managed a third. The problem is the clubs we're supposed to be chasing to be (in the clubs words, not mine) among the top clubs in the world are increasing theirs by just as much as we are and in some cases, considerably more.

No, no, you don't understand, they're just waiting for just the right time to unleash a wave of new sponsorship deals...

Not for long though. Trippier, Burn, Schar, Pope - all either on the way out or likely to see reduced minutes going forwards. Someone 28/29/30 who can still perform for a couple of seasons

I understand why the majority of our business needs to be U25s who are more likely to appreciate in value but seeing Trippier the other night has strengthened my opinion (that I've expressed previously) that we absolutely need one or two experienced pros. That doesn't have to be the dreaded "Premier League experience" but having a player who's been there & done that at the top level can be hugely beneficial to the squad overall.

What would happen if, for example, Chelsea won the Champions League but finished 6th? Presumably we'd then have six Champions League teams, 7th and 8th would be Europa and 9th would be Conference League? I'd assume the same would hold if Villa won the Europa League but finished outside the top five.

Usually, if a manager is deemed to be having a bad season, they don't make it to the end of it. I'm glad we don't look like being that reactionary.

Are you sure? This is what the Premier League site says;

I could be misunderstanding the rules but I thought teams who qualify for UEFA competitions can only spend 70% of their income versus 85% for clubs not in Europe. So not qualifying for the Champions League obviously reduces our income for that year but we can spend a higher percentage of the income we do bring in.

Well in that case we could be fucked regardless. If anything, it disincentivises qualifying for the Europa or Conference League because the additional income is minimal but the drop-off from 85% to 70% is substantial.

Aren't the SCR different for clubs in (70%) and out (85%) of Europe? Rough calculation but 85% of £300m turnover and 70% of £360m turnover are almost identical.

For me, this is the key part. Assuming we don't get past Barca and Man City respectively we're looking at League Cup SF, 5th Round FA Cup & Champions League R16. The league finish will probably end up disappointing (anything below 8th) but overall not a disaster. The problem is - blaming our poor defensive organisation and dull attacking play on a lack of time on the training ground suggests that he can't do both and if he can't then we have absolutely no chance of progressing beyond where we are now. If I was in the boardroom I'd be working on the assumption that he's staying in place next season but I'd want to know that he at least has an idea of how he can get his plan/message across without having week-long gaps between fixtures. I'd worry that even if my DOF managed to put together a solid 25-man squad that they'd still play like a bunch of disjointed strangers because they arent spending three of four days in a row training together.

PSG have asked for their League match with Nantes (due to be played between their two Champions League games) to be postponed. Nantes have agreed 😂

Last 16 tie against Barcelona. What a time to be alive.

The positioning of the "Game on" bothers me considerably more than any of the mag references.

Someone will say Eddie Howe is the first English manager to win the Champions League and @TheBrownBottle will have a coronary

I don't think it's a case of planning for it or not but there's clearly going to be a sizable drop in income between 25/26 and 26/27 if we aren't in the Champions League next season

Saying Howe has the most wins by an English manager in the Champions League isn't wrong, it's just selective.

This is about Villa but may be a rough figure for us assuming we aren't going to be playing in the Champions League next season

We've been linked with him for ages but I don’t know if we ever really pursued it.

Imagine having nostalgia for seagulls and fucking litter swirls 😂

Too late for an absolutely massive Gallowgate-covering flag presumably @Heron?

I think the people running the club day-to-day know what they want to do but I don't think PIF have signed off on anything. I also think that once they do decide to build a new stadium, the process of getting all the ducks in a row will inevitably lead to leaks all over the place because of the amount of people they will need to speak to, show plans to etc.

I could be misreading it but it doesn't look like it's a case of getting the ducks lined up, they haven't actually decided what they want to do yet.

We should want to be in Europe every year. If that means the Conference League then so be it. 1. It helps our coefficient, which I believe gives us a higher share of the prize money in future seasons? 2. We have to learn how to manage multiple games a week. We've shown we can't yet do it at Champions League level so trying it a level or two below that is a start. 3. It's a chance to win a trophy. I don't give a fuck what anyone else's opinion of the Conference League is, I've seen us lift one cup and I want more.