Ric Flair

Didn't they pay about £40m for Evanilson?

Of the out of work managers Niko Kovac or Roger Schmidt would be my standout choices but experienced managers with a track record for fast results but don't always want to stick around (not a bad thing) I'd see if Rudi Garcia or Lucien Favre would take it for 18 months. Both got great track records promoting young players too. But the one who I think might fit this squad is Kasper Hjulmand, could see us being interested if we did want a new manager. Whether he'd be any good domestically remains to be seen.

This squad doesn't have the individual talent of 2022/23. That relegation is one of the biggest failures in Premier League history. The current squad under any manager who can in the short to medium term effect the combination of team spirit, tactical nuance and good man management will keep this squad up. The squad of 2022/23 was a top 10 squad, which needed a shake up. The squad of 2024/25 is a bottom half squad with masses of Premier League experience, some quality from key areas but a manager with serious question marks over their ability at the highest level. A decent manager gets this squad around 14-15th, possibly higher. Only have to look at Marco Silva in 2022/23 at Fulham.

That is quite the take

Wow

The PL don't dish out the points deduction. It's an independent commission don't forget.

Yeah was nasty. We definitely got away with as much as Arsenal did yesterday.

Tuesday night I think

If you are efficient attackers and crap defenders then you focus on what you're good at, it's nonsensical to do otherwise. However, I don't think we are defensively poor per se, but he's picking defensive line ups but either not instructing them to be defensively disciplined or he's not capable of coaching them to do so. Either way it's a recipe for disaster. The stats don't make for good reading either. There's very little to be positive right now, what's frightening is we've actually got more points than our output suggests we should have. It's no coincidence our manager is a master at failing to win football games. He's statistically one of the worst Premier League managers for quite some time that's managed longer than a season at this level. Imagine going to Arsenal and picking a very defensive line up and then this positional pattern happening? It's suicidal. At least pick players who can take up those positions and hurt the opposition, we're towards the bottom in nearly every attacking metric, except for scoring goals from very few chances.

Those who still believe in him, out of interest were you still of the believe Shakespeare could turn it around in October 2017? and if so do you think that was the wrong decision to sack him? If Southampton win tomorrow we're pretty much in the exact same position when Vichai pulled the trigger. Albeit a couple of games more.

I need to try and verify this but I think somewhere around the 80th min, so we'd have been about 10 mins with an advantage.

Agreed. Skipp should have gone as well though so I can't ignore thr likelihood we'd have had precious little advantage for very long anyway.

Plenty of luck went our way yesterday for us to even still be in the game. We then required every decision and outcome to be perfect and it never is.

In Maresca's defence every time Alves worked his way back to full fitness and he was in the reckoning, he then got another injury. Not giving him any minutes vs Blackburn though was shocking.

Don't agree with this at all.

One of the best performances from a keeper I've seen in many a year

No major surprise but one thing is abundantly clear, our defensive block is not disciplined at all. Major gaps in the banks of 4 on two crosses for the goals. It's powder puff stuff. If you're going to set up like this, which is logical given the opposition then there's an expectation that you can do it reasonably well. We can't and haven't which is why there can be valid criticism for that 1st half. Welcome 15 minute relief now for our fans. Enjoy it.

Very nearly had to put Alves or McAteer on the bench. Must have been a really stressful 24 hours for Spaghetti Hoops.

Fatawu's defensive stats are off the scale. Complete myth he's not disciplined. He's the perfect winger for dinosaur managers.

Got a good reputation. I wouldn't read (excuse the pun) anything in to him coming here meaning Cooper is bullet proof. But it's no surprise the club are trying to aid this current regime in being a success, however concerned our fanbase is right now.

I want to see crimes against trying to play football today. I remember once disrupting a whole game of 5 a side at Hinckley Leisure Centre by hoofing the ball in to the caff up on the balcony every time I got the ball in goal. That's what I want to see today.

I want to see the bastard lovechild of Tony Pulis and Winston Churchill today

Only way he does if we guarantee him 1st team football when he turns 16 and that as soon as we're able to offer proper terms a salary thats comparable to what any of the big 6 would. Some will favour 1st team football at a younger age knowing they stand possibly more of a chance of making it.

Like it was vs them in the home game the year we were relegated. Pretty sure at half time it was the lowest registered xG in PL history.

Isn't it automatic detention every day for a year if you leave your boyhood clubs academy to sign for one of the greedy 6?