jackflap

The only side I could see Bruno realistically moving to is PSG. Barca haven't the money for that type of signing and Real have a previous of talented young midfielders, I don't think we'd do business with any PL sides. Hard as it'd be to see him go I'd be all for it if we saw some murky sweetheart deal between the Saudi's and Qatari's where he moves for a massive sum, like the Saudi bid for Mbappe last year.

Yeah problem is City are able to bully teams into selling players for below market value because they're such a draw. They're never involved in bidding wars, the player will make it clear they want to move there and the selling team will have no option but to do business at City's price or risk keeping hold of a player who ends up downing tools. They pretty much have the system gamed at this stage.

I'd sell Murphy and keep Almiron unless we get offered something silly for him. Murphy is too limited and only really plays one way which doesn't wholly suit our style of play anyway. An impact sub role suits Almiron to a tee. He'll bust a gut any chance he'll get and isn't likely to sulk on the bench. He's also willing to roam around the field and get on the ball from deep so would be another option in midfield if we're chasing a game.

Howe sending a message to the board bringing on Dummett and Ritchie

Needs an option outside him, with Burn there he has none.

Pawson is such a weak ref. Never even a foul and he books him.

Joelinton and Bruno's combos have been mint. Love how purposeful Joe was when he got the opportunity. Big contrast to Longstaffs timidity, time for lads to stand up.

I imagine the Guirassy link is bollocks but the release clause is cheap, he plays for Guinea and they've got Senegal and Cameroon in their group so wouldn't be favorites to progress and he hasn't played in the last 2 weeks because of the winter break. We do look in need of an injection of energy that players in dire need of a rest and players just back from a long term layoff are unlikely to give us.

Saint Maximan. 3 years ago I thought he'd be somewhere like Barcelona now. Remember seeing Rabiot with PSG in the Champions League a few years back and being totally convinced he'd be the best CM in the world.

Bruno in that role which is his best puts a greater emphasis on the balance of the rest of the midfield and makes Big Joe a must in there. Miley for all his talents doesn't have the physical profile yet. Leaves us short creatively with Longstaff needed in there as well for his running but unfortunately that's what Tonali was signed for.

Wasn't advocating bringing Minteh back but if they like the look of him and think he could contribute next season it'll make them less likely to make a move in this window. Realistically if he were to come back in January he'd be very unlikely to feature much barring of the bench. Had we made the Europa there'd be an argument purely for numbers but with none of the injuries season ending and a lighter schedule in the New Year it'd be a waste of time. That's a rare loan move that's actually worked out well so be a needlessly hasty move. The time to bring him back was a month ago when there was a bit more to salvage but the loan agreement and his injury made that a moot point.

Think if we go for Phillips it'll be a straight loan no obligation which City wouldn't be too keen on. May be one we'll have to wait until the end of the window for when City's options are slimmer and they may relent. Would imagine that they'd like to sign someone at RW too who'd also be an option up front but that feels like it'll go the way of the quest for a midfielder last January. A shortage of realistic options and a reluctance to sign someone for the short term when we do have options there albeit limited. Plus Minteh is lurking in the background, maybe they like what they've seen of him. I do think Barnes could work well on the right more so than Gordon. He's an intelligent footballer, technically decent and a relentless runner. A lot of our work down the right is derived from good combination play and he's probably our most trustworthy and decisive player in good attacking positions capable of finishing off either foot which is 2 more than Miggy at the moment.

In fairness I think the ball was going out for a corner when you see the angle from behind the goal but the way he's been playing you'd have every reason to expect the ball to end up in the net

Think he needs to be taken out of the side for his own sake, his head is clearly gone, he almost stuck the ball into his own net under zero pressure yesterday. Couldn't think of a worse own goal had he succeeded. Problem is we're in a funk at the minute. Parts of the side that used to operate like a well oiled machine have broken down due to players been injured, not 100% or out of form. The axis of Trippier, Longstaff and Almiron has particularly suffered and has only served to highlight the technical flaws in Almiron and Longstaff. Biggest priority is getting Trippier back on form but having somebody in front of him who's a liability on the ball isn't going to help. Two examples from first half yesterday bear that out. First one is Almiron having the ball on the right with Trippier overlapping. A simple pass would put Trippier in an excellent position to get his head up and pick out a man. The type of scenario that we were profiting off early in the season. Could've led to a much needed assist for Trippier, 2-0 and a different game. Almiron contrives to overhit the pass, Trippier can only dig out a cross on the stretch and the chance is gone. The other one is the first Forrest goal where Trippier is left completely exposed defensively by Almiron playing the perfect pass to launch a Forrest counter attack. We've seen before as well how poor form can really hang over Miggy with some of his goal droughts. The sooner he's taken out of the side the better as it's likely to get worse.

In fairness Gordon was supposed to be the solution to that.

That's been coming from Almiron, he badly needs to be taken out of the side and reintroduced gradually off the bench if necessary. I don't care if it's Lewis Hall or whoever. You can't expect fans to pay to watch him. You can hear the crowd is getting increasingly frustrated but don't want to jump on his back but that can only last so long. He's absolutely toxic at the minute.

If Livramento isn't fit that's fair enough but considering how out of form/on their feet Gordon and Almiron are I was hoping a bit more energy might come from somewhere else in the side. Don't think Burn there will help Gordon much especially without Big Joe or Willock who like operating off the left.

I'm hopeful of a signing or two but wouldn't be at all surprised if there's none. So far it feels like all our signings are carefully considered and not reactionary. We were in a similar situation last season when we let Shelvey go yet we powered through. The fact as well that none of the absentees are season ending* and the workload will significantly decrease after the New Year makes me think they may not consider it worth it. Personally if Phillips is available and willing on a strictly loan basis I'd do it primsrily as insurance cover for Bruno. Any sort of extended absence for him is unbearable to think of and Phillips fits the mould better than our current players to alleviate that.

Sorry if mentioned already but I wonder if the obligation is on an appearance basis and like Griezmann a couple of seasons ago he needs to play a certain amount of minutes for it to count. If ever there was a game to give him a decent run it was today.

He's shown great progression this season to the extent that he's one of our most consistent and important players. Still very much a work in progress. I like how he receives the ball on the half turn inside and his first touch is usually very good and allows him to use his pace to get away from the opposition. When you watch him often he is a bit predictable when he receives the ball but his pace and tenacity means he's still very effective. I think he still has room for improvement with his final ball and finishing when coming inside. The chances against Everton are an example of that. He also needs to develop a trick to exploit defenders that overplay him cutting inside. Look at the mileage Son has gotten off a simple stepover for example. For me he exemplifies the way Howe has improved the team and the players individually, he focuses on players innate strengths and how to maximize them first and foremost. Half the team last season were historically bad the year before yet lost only a handful of games all season.

When Botmans back the first thing I'd be inclined to do is give Schar a rest. It's like a whack a mole game at the minute though. Burn comes back then Trippier picks up a knock/suspension. Isak returns and then Gordon goes down. Timely in a way but be nice to be reassured rather than fretting looking at our bench.

Thought when Burn came on for Trippier we were playing for a draw. Howe probably knew the players would be emptied after 60 mins. The longer that game went on the more goals we were conceding. We'd lads who'd played 12 hours in the last month defending against lads who'd barely played an hour.

Gutted but a little relieved to be honest. The prize money from qualification would've helped with FFP but any sort of run in Europe would kill us in the league IMO. Cast into the group of death, cursed with injuries, decisions cost us points and we still brought it to the wire. But the character and spirit that'll be forged from the experience will push this team onto another level. Get the bench back and get a bit of rest into the players legs and they'll fear nobody in the business end of the season. They'll feel robbed by fate of knockout European football and be running around with a bag of chips on their shoulders.

Would be shocked if we did a deal for Phillips with an obligation to buy involved

The issue isn't that Phillips and Bruno are both "6's” rather that's the whole idea. Our midfield is fine as it is though a little short creatively. However resting Bruno simply isn't an option for us as we've seen when he's been out, but neither is asking him to play twice a week every week. That was the point of signing Tonali, a player that can theoretically play instead of and alongside Bruno.