Steve Earle

Yet further confirmation, were any needed, of the eye-watering levels of incompetence in our club's boardroom. Any semi-professionally-run club would have insisted on a 'it's a very handsome bonus for you for keeping us up, the flip-side of which is we release you without compensation if we go down' deal. As we did, presumably, with Dean Smith.

No World Cup is ever going to come close to Mexico 1970! For 95% of FT users, I apologise - but do ask your Dad or Grandad...

It's unlikely but not beyond the bounds of possibility that Man City will be found guilty in respect of the 115 FFP charges they face, and that their punishment is relegation - in place of the club finishing 18th...

Finishing above Ipswich might yet be much, much more important than that. ⚖️#mancitycase

From the BBC @davieG ? Some joke scores there. Elanga had Thomas on toast for the whole first half. Vardy was mostly crap. McAteer was McAteer. Ayew was much better than him and in the first half at least, offered more than Bilal. The game, against tiring opponents, was changed largely by Buonanotte & Monga. Luke Thomas MOTM, FFS!

And that was after an edit?!?

Like you I’ve zero confidence in the club’s ability to do anything right, except by accident.

I agree. But why would we sell for £25m when his value is only going to increase with more experience?

Don’t think it’s unrealistic to hope he gives us one season in the championship. He’s far from the finished article and wouldn’t be for any PL side next season. Unless someone throws £40m at us, I’d say keep.

🧐

Add the relegation to the third tier and I've now seen ten relegations in 59 years of watching this club, so one very six seasons! No wonder it doesn't hurt any more (though the 2022-23 one did and still does)!

Oh myth off, Debbie downer!

😅 My seat is virtually opposite the directors box. My current plan is to leave it empty all next season in protest. Unless of course there’s major change…

Two great pods (Northcroft & the GOAT). It’s awful but plainly true that with the current trifecta in charge, only blind luck can save us from yet more misery. I’m just about done with football* anyway, like Jord, but the leadership of our club, two dreadful managers & the least likeable playing squad we’ve ever had has done more than anything to push me there. *I can just about tolerate international football (though there’s too much of that, and the tournaments get more bloated every four years) and lower league footy. Might spend more time on ‘doing the 92’ next season than at the KP…

I’ve not been since January, despite having had a season ticket for over 40 years. I won’t be going to the last two home games either. Fully expect Vardy to miss the Ipswich game, like yesterday’s penalty chance. This ownership/board/management/playing squad has done something I couldn’t have imagined at any point in the last 60 years: they’ve killed my interest in the team.

Fixed that for you. JJ is one of those (cf Ndidi, Vestegaard) who've just been here too long...

The cost of sacking him, just maybe? It’s a lesson our club refuses to learn unfortunately. £4m release clause for Corberan? No way! £10m to sack Cooper & team? Ok then…

Who knows? But I suspect we’ll be lucky & no one will offer us enough of a profit to make it worth selling him this summer…

Stolarczyk New Free Transfer GK Bausor Ricardo Coulibally Nelson Souttar Okoli Coady Thomas Aluko Skipp Braybrooke New CDM Cartwright Fatawu Monga McAteer El Khannouss Alves Mavididi Ayew Evans New ST New ST New ST being the obvious problem. Vardy has to go, so, surely does Daka. Evans might be a decent second or, more likely, third choice striker. I’d expect him and Ayew to cover third striker between them. Whatever budget we have has to be invested here, and a starter in MF

Did Evan play?

JJ is one of those who, though he’d be great at LB in the Championship, has just been here too long. He has to go, for his sake and ours. Ndidi ditto. Vestegaard double ditto.

You’re right that Enzo was initially approached after Rodgers was sacked. But I’m pretty sure I remember reading a piece by a connected journalist (was it Tom Collomosse?) that said Scott Parker was seen as a specialist ‘get-out-of-the-championship’ manager, and was their first choice at the start of the summer?

One omission from that sound analysis is that Maresca too ‘fell into our lap’ after we were turned down by Scott Parker!

It has been ever since Brendan left…

Love this team! And I’ve no idea who Aluko is! But at least there’s no Faes, JJ, Coady, Vestegaard, Kristiansen, Winks, Skipp, Ndidi, Soumare, Ayew, Vardy or De Cordova Reid. Mind, what has Luke Thomas done to upset @Ryy?