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Seems likely that a) they were really hoping King would be able to tide us over until the end of the season, b) have spent the last few weeks getting knocked back by people higher up the shortlist, or c) both

Connections Puzzle #982 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟨🟨🟨🟨 🟦🟦🟦🟦 🟪🟪🟪🟪 Not sure I'd have got the purples if they weren't just the leftovers

One that comes up very often on here is people being convinced that in 14/15 it was Top who sacked Pearson and then the subsequent reversal of that call was down to Vichai, rather than the opposite which is what actually (allegedly) happened

Or King's fifth match in charge

Best of luck to him. Hopefully he's perceptive and brave enough to quickly identify the players who can't be relied upon and push them to one side because if there's one thing that I think will almost certainly prove fatal, it's another round of entirely undeserved clean slates being handed out.

Some of this is pretty remarkable. We're all very familiar with "it's not the owner's fault, it's the people that the owner employs and has unwavering faith in" and of course the platitudes about backing the lads, but "WE STAND WITH THE FAMILY" is genuine cult stuff isn't it? Ignore the massive, growing pile of evidence in front of you and trust the family because the family knows what's good for you - we are nothing without the family. ****ing weirdos.

Agreed but it's getting harder with every game they leave King in charge - not even really a criticism of him, he's just visibly not equipped for it. I think the job is currently as appealing as it's going to get and while it's entirely possible the board have been busy trying to make an appointment but there's genuinely nobody interested, I've no sympathy for them if so because it's their incompetence and inattention up to this point that have turned what would previously have been an attractive job into a poisoned chalice.

Wishful thinking probably but who knows, dropping into the bottom three might be the thing that compels them to actually do something. Like 22/23 when everyone could see what was happening under Rodgers but it took us falling back into the relegation zone for them to realise and bin him. That's how glaring and unavoidable the warning signs need to be for them to act.

ChatGPT has no need for paragraphs

I would ask instead what's bad about it? It seems like there are two possibilities: you don't want to receive Mother's Day marketing stuff for whatever reason (e.g. your mum's just passed away and you're not really in the mood for emails telling you what to buy her), in which case it's helpful, or you do want to/don't care whether you receive it, in which case you can look at that email for maybe half a second then forget about it and it's had no impact on you whatsoever.

Pleased to see a Kena sequel, surprised by how much I enjoyed the first one. The one with the megachicken aside, none of the other new reveals did much for me but looking forward to Saros, Marathon and Bond, as well as Death Stranding 2 on PC depending on specs. Underwhelmed by what we saw of Control Resonant.

Not sure about that. He does occasionally deliver a decent cross and I can certainly see the merit in trying to station him further away from our goal, but one thing it's very difficult to do without as a wing back is athleticism - Thomas is slow, weak and looks permanently knackered. I don't think there is realistically a position or role we can deploy him in where he's not going to look totally shit unfortunately.

New five year contract for Daka as player-manager please Top

Parachuting onto the pitch at half time with a big briefcase full of cash, the usual

I could imagine Wagner being a target but given he took a job at RB Leipzig in the summer and has since said he's not that arsed about being a manager anymore, seems unlikely unless he's had a dramatic change of heart. If finishing sixth with Norwich was enough to dampen his enthusiasm for the job then a relegation battle with these dossers might kill it altogether

I've got a feeling they're waiting and hoping we get a good result tomorrow, possibly also at the weekend, so they can justify going with the laziest/cheapest/most "we'll be fine" option available as per usual and just leaving it with King for the rest of the season

58/59 but with loads of the teams not placed in the correct divisions, let alone league positions, which isn't very helpful. I believe white text on blue background = first division, red/white = second, white/red = third and blue/white = fourth

Two clean sheets for West Ham in the league this season, both with Hermansen in goal

Looked good, if understandably a little rusty at times, but the question was never really about whether he's got the quality at this level. Going to need that week in week out from him and I really hope his body is up to it.

In which case you probably have to start attributing it instead to the person who ensures that Rudkin is untouchable, no?

I loved Death Stranding, boss fights excepted. Sure I'll get around to the sequel at some point in the distant future. Had fun with the early access release of Menace yesterday, a steep learning curve for a tactical mind as dull as mine but very satisfying when things go right.

Another way of looking at that would be that he took (and, effectively, played for) a draw from a game we really needed to win, having earlier failed to beat either Everton or Leeds and then to turn up at all for the first half at Fulham. I'm in complete agreement with your second sentence and there were mitigating circumstances all over the shop. I just wasn't impressed by him in his short time here, that's all. I wouldn't be devastated to see him appointed again in a division where he's got a good track record, and I don't think he's the worst option we've seen suggested, but nor would I be particularly optimistic.

I thought Dean Smith, while an improvement on Rodgers in that he actually had some interest in doing the job, was properly crap here. Seemed nice but it was real no tactics just vibes stuff, go out there and do your best lads, you're quick so we'll play you on the wing. Maybe that's the sort of thing we need, I don't know anymore.

I love how in the summary our argument that we deserve a reduced punishment on the grounds of "exceptional cooperation" is right next to the bit about our refusal to provide our accounts

I don't really know what he offers them aside from running about and throwing his weight around like a twat. Pedro might not be the most consistent goalscorer but he's a much better player.