Jonas

The best format was probably the original - which they go back to in the latter stages now and where people generally say business picks up - effectively proving as much. The league/group format was all but admitted to be and generally construed as a cynical cash grab - more games, more money for the big teams instead of early knockouts - rather than an enhancement from a footballing perspective. The arguement for and against was two big teams meeeting in the early stages - the perilous nature made the games massive but a big team goes out. Depends what people would want.

It was the most bored I'd been at a football match or maybe ever as it wasn't 'the footballs boring' boredom but the generalise type and it was tortue to have to sit it out instead of doing a crossword or some housework or something to break it up. Last time I remember feeling bored despite many bad matches was one of the two games against Boro in 90/91 - and this was our 2nd Champions League home game. -

Would have much rather they hadn't lost tonight. They'll need something now.

and Rob McDonald

Just done it, got Ginola in 3. My favourite ever player so don't know why I went Barnes, Hislop 1st and 2nd

I'd be looking forward to a Europa league game more than domestic games at the moment nevermind CL. The Kyiv game in 97 with nothing to play for is the only one I haven't had a buzz for, even then looked forward to a nothing riding on yet still out of the ordinary game.

At least I'm looking forward to this, even if misguided and just the placebo of it not being a league game. Never really know what you're getting in European games, they could be better or worse than expected. The two games under Dalglish were abominations. Wasn't for us but that was because our arse was on the line throughout. Think 94-99 was probably the sweet spot. Before that the group semi-final stage didn't really work either.

Think anybody outside of a relegation battle should be beating bottom of the league shite away at this stage of the season (when its clear they're relegation shite) and being disappointed not to. For fellow relegation battlers it can be a meh result.

The standard is deplorable and should subconsciously be part of the show like it was, people's opinions that you actually valued. There were two stand outs from the 90s John Fashanu for being not very good (short lived run) and Ian St John for being absolutely gutted we beat Dinamo Zagreb. That combination of not being very good and biased is standard now. You used to have to have some aptitude with either enthusiasm generally or love of the game, be a big name or have footballing or general intelligence. Sins aside Andy Gray and Big Ron were brilliant, the rest included Don Howe, David Pleat, Liam Brady, Bobby Charlton, Graham Taylor even local ITV regions had Barry Fry and Lennie Lawrence. It wasnt just some random former player that preferrably is a wanker performative or otherwise like now for the bants, crash Tv and clicks.

Needs freshened up even just for the sake of freshening up (like the France window under Pardew). If that's not motivation or need enough we are also on the fringes of the latter stages of the CL

The first three of those have much bigger better squads that we are forbidden from constructing ourselves - is the simple answer. Villa, could argue they're playing dick around games in Europe but I've said earlier that we were playing like this right from the start.

Stand by comments in August. Window was poor. Mostly because of PSR. And this summer will probably be worse - losing players (that people will say are rubbish now) and hoping the scraps the cartel haven't spotted or don't want come good). Got an Interesting response to that last opinion of "I do not see that at all. Not at all. Much more cash available most likely and Mitchell in the job for a full year."

Also we were playing like this before the genuine fatigue. The reverse fixture, Leeds and Bournemouth in the first month of the season.

Joining the criticism now. The apparent attitude going into these games and subsequent performances and the lack of conversion of being the better team has gone on too long now and there has to be something that can be done about it that isn't materialising if its even being acknowledged.

Dull, wet, demoralising, flat, January afternoon of a game.

Frank at Palace next year. Probably a decent fit as both parties have shot their bolt and know they're going nowhere and will kinda like it.

That'll be the sustainability and organic growth they speak of being bullshit

Didn't need to read that given their next home fixture

Since they moved to that ground their overall record must be woeful. Seem to lose inordinately and the natives perpetually restless or revolting. Who'd have thought building a 'wall' like Dortmund, but filling it with a watered down version of the same people they had before wouldn't work?

Whilst Sheffield Wednesday are basically just fulfilling fixture obligations waiting for the relegation that was certain from the start to be confirmed.

Never wanted him. A mate went over to the unveiling, can see him on some of the footage near the Milburn steps, chanting "Kenny, Kenny, Kenny" can proudly say I couldn't bring myself because I hated his Blackburn teams to a perhaps irrational degree and thought he'd be the bad fit he turned out to be. Would have accepted the pragmatic defensive mindedness for trophies and like people said part expected it (additions of Hendry and Flowers might have just about done it) but all we got was the pragmatic defensive mindedness. Got behind him at the ground though (from Ashley17's video the other day. ) . Wonder if the fog that night, that didn't effect us in the slighest, was the reason the mackems only got 15,000 at home to Arsenal.

That's the narrative but its just not true and his job here doesn't deserve the cop out. 17.4m 97/98 (nearer 20m if we include Hamilton), 13m for 98/99. Easily competitive with anyobdy's and comfortably more than Wenger spent at Arsenal winning and defending a double from being behind us, Its not even far behind Manchester United's spend. There's an arguement he brought money in - made a small profit (like £1m) in 97/98 and lost 11m in 98/99 (so he didn't even do that) Even so KK probably broke even building that team in 95 (Venison, Mathie, Robinson, Cole, Drysdale, Fox, Neilson, Sellars paid for Shaka, Barton, Huckerby, GInola, Ferdinand, Gillespie) so it could have been done far better. Everything else totally agree with

Our XG conceded to goals conceded must be comfortably one of the worst. Certainly feels that way. And perhaps the opposite at the other end.

Read on here the other night that the window benefits the smaller clubs with smaller squads

Thought FFP/PSR was supposed to bring transfer spend and wages down from being obscene. So we sacrified ever seeing new teams at the top and dreams so clubs including one with 115charges can drop half a bill in a year whilst others that can do likewise aren't allowed to. Didn't see that come a million miles off.