Sidg

Trying to remind myself that my mood will lift and I'll get carried away the second we make a signing because this is absolutely depressing.

Changed the starting XI after the best 60 minutes of the season, only to change it back at HT when, shockingly, that was revealed to be a bad idea. Quintessentially Howe. Characteristic. Sorry, but the sheer volume of baffling decisions that very predictably turned out to be wrong has been STAGGERING this season.

This set of results man, FUCK OFF. Only way this day could get worse is if Isak gets a second half hat trick off the bench

Fuck off

Counting on Bournemouth to beat them in the EL next year if trends continue. And we rolled over for them fucking TWICE

I can't watch - what's the logic in changing the starting XI after the best performance of the season?

A poor result after a cruel glimpse of a turnaround is the defining narrative of a miserable season. It has happened time and time again. Fulham 3 - 1 Newcastle.

Think they're after a couple of CMs to replace Casemiro and Ugarte (who hasn't left yet but sensibly isn't in their plans). Tonali probably still an option for them, but there's a big market.

Hope has absolutely earned his nickname, but in his defence, he also earned his money last summer. As Edwards continued to insist that Isak wasn't for sale, No Hope was adamant that we were after Sesko and Wissa, all but confirming Isak was gone weeks before he actually left. He beat the German press to the Wolte link. I remember that day vividly. I also took a screenshot, and in the most Craig No Hope way imaginable, he buried the incoming transfer scoop of the summer in a paragraph that began "But here is the problem".

Baffled as I am by certain individual selections, you only need to look at Liverpool's hilariously bad season to understand the importance Tuchel is placing on balance. The back-up selections in attacking areas are worrying over the long-term, mind. It's not just the ageing CF position. Our wide options looked great a few years ago, but now, with Grealish and Bowen finished, it's starting to look bare.

As funny as it would be to finish higher than them in their best season in years, a season so bad for us that many supporters wanted Howe to pay for it, we really don't deserve it. Our pathetic and unforgivable displays in the derbies should make the difference in what ultimately is a mundane "battle" between midtable sides. I take no pleasure in that, obviously. I think they'll get the result they need. Chelsea are shit.

Completely agree. We have a young-ish CB pairing with experienced back-up. Waiting a year allows us to both prioritise other positions and perform a very thorough analysis of the Burn/Schar replacements.

I Dennis Wise'd him last night. An almost meritless way to look at a player, yes, but he looked better than that El Mala I see getting so much hype. El Mala looks a Gyokeres battering ram, this Pardo lad seemed to have much better feet.

PSG concede quite a few for such a great team, whereas Arsenal are excellent defensively. I'm going for 1-1, PSG to nab it in extra time.

Next season is such a massive opportunity. Arsenal are one of the worst teams to win the PL. Liverpool are unbalanced, in a half-crisis. Carrick is the Jacob Murphy of managers. City might be walking into a Moyes at Man U-shaped abyss. Even if Alonso is as good as we think, Chelsea's squad is poor. Villa's squad is ageing. Not saying we can win the lot with a great summer, but it's the best opportunity to ascend in ages and ages.

Good news for any PL relegation contenders next season. Southampton have looked one of the better Championship sides in recent memory under Stephen Merchant.

Villa kit is regrettably nice. Why can't we have a nice collar?

Add me to the list of "First player I'd sell given the reality of SCR, and in a heartbeat at that". Was one of our best players during our best season, but lacks availability to a shocking extent. Also, pocketing Salah in the cup final feels significantly less like an achievement given Mo's decline since. I don't like playing the "didn't fancy her anyway" game, but this is the least bittersweet bit of transfer business imaginable.

I've started pretending that Osula cost 65m. Makes me feel better.

Maresca replacing Pep reminds me of Moyes replacing Fergie in that there's a "he's close enough" surface-level logic to it. Hopefully this fucks City up for years and years to come.

Changing my FPL name to Aztec Camara if we get this over the line.

We need to trade more intelligently. This might be a purple patch. Players in that sort of form - Osula now, Murphy last year, Almiron a few years back - is a bit of a Howe Era trend. You just never know. I'd keep him under ideal circumstances, but we live in an SCR world. As good as he's looked of late, I've seen him hit the corner flag with a shot against Villa in the cup and miss the ball completely against Arsenal away.

No idea what the club does, and I won't blame them either way. New contract or 40-45m sale. A weirdly luxurious position for us. The problem is that he's the only CF asset at a time when we need to start trading. The thing with Osula is that he'll get at least one chance per game. He's a handful who always makes something happen.

Woltemade goal and a glimpse at a new shape that might save next season is better than Spurs going down.