Staffs Fox

They’ve sold Maatsen to Villa, Hall to Newcastle and Gallagher is on the verge of going to Atletico but that won’t make them complicit with the rules. I have read that if the three deals they have close all go through they’ll have 50 registered first team players and the PL squads are 25 (exc u21 players). I think it’s fair to say they’ll be a fire sale going on pretty soon

So what if 3 years ago we were aiming for European football and top half finishes?? At the end of the 2012/13 season we lost in the cruelest fashion to Deeneygate in the Playoff semi final, 3 years later we won the ****ing Premier League!! My point? 3 years in football is a bloody long time and we are no longer a top half PL team. Due to shite management on and off the pitch we are where we are and for where we are this signing makes sense. We have to be realistic. Yeah Brighton seem better managed but we have a Premier League and FA Cup in the past 8 years, would I swap places with them?? Would I ****

Why are people assuming that this signing means Alves won’t get a chance? We play 40+ games a season are we really expecting 19 year olds to be playing week in week out, for 90 mins? We need depth in all positions and this seems a no brainer. I do not give a shit about developing other clubs players if he helps us stay up. This season is going to be a slog, we know it is and the financial stranglehold the rules have out around us are ensuring it is just that. If by some miracle we stay up then hopefully the stranglehold can be loosened somewhat and we can start spending the cash we have but are not allowed to spend. Until then we’ll have to make do with these types of signings

To be fair to them they did say ‘Top Clubs’ and correct me if I’m wrong but didn’t we get Winks from Spurs? Dont think it counts

Absolutely love the guy and one of the best players to ever wear our shirt but it’s a no from me. If it was on a free then I’d maybe consider it for a one or two year deal but £20m for a majorly injury prone 33 year old on massive wages, could be a total disaster

Yep! The only saving grace we have is that this will surely be Southgate’s tournament so most this generation will get to play the majority of their International career under different management. Saka, Bellingham, Foden, Rice, Trent, Palmer etc all have many tournaments ahead of them. Kane, Walker, Trippier and maybe one or two others are in last chance saloon but ah well. That said, who the FA get in is another matter……

Whilst he wouldn’t be my first choice that is downplaying Cooper’s achievement quite a bit! They were rock bottom after 7 games having had their worst start in their history and then when he took over they only lost another 6 in the remaining 38 games to finish 4th and win the playoffs. I’d say that is very impressive

If it is Cooper I’m pretty happy with that. No doubt Potter would have been the bigger statement of intent but let’s be realistic, our squad as it currently stands is not where it needs to be to fully play how Potter would like and we might need to be more pragmatic. Also 12 months ago Cooper’s stock was sky high. He performed a miracle getting Forest promoted having taken them from bottom in the same season and had a fantastic reputation beforehand. It ended poorly at Forest but it can happen to any manager. I’ll fully get behind him and the team and it also gives him 2 months to make his stamp on the team. Also how extra sweet will it be when we beat them at the City Ground

Is it just me who isn’t really bothered at all if this goes through? I’ll always be grateful to Enzo for getting us back but let’s face it, it would have been a catastrophe for us not to be promoted with this squad. His style of football is nice, if a little predictable but I reckon in the premier league it’d be found out very quickly and this seasons Burnley comes to mind. We just don’t have the players to play like Man City at the top level. It'll be very interesting to see who the club go for should he leave

My prediction for the 7 which will be dropped before the final squad Trafford Quansah Shaw Dunk Toney Grealish Maddison

I have a few of the remake retro shits that the club sell and the sizing is all over the place! I have the 85 and 86 away shirts both in a medium and they’re a nice snug fit. Then I got the 95 third shirt in large so I could wear it over a jumper or hoodie during the winter and it’s absolutely massive!!😂😂 I could wear it over my coat and it’d still be big!

I’ll miss a lot. If the financial gap wasn’t a huge as it is then I don’t think the draw of the Premier League would be as huge as it is for clubs and supporters , as the actual product itself is pretty shit. VAR being a complete shambles and being the topic of most conversations ahead of the actual football. Ref’s being more high profile than the players, Stupid Kick Off times (say goodbye to 3pm kick offs again) Corruption of the highest order, where clubs who have 115 charges over them can waltz to a fourth league title in a row and the media say nothing. Going to soulless grounds where most fans are day trippers who have paid £700 a ticket to get a jacket potato, programme and handshake from a player who played for the club twice. I am excited for our return to the Premier League I promise😂😂

I am absolutely going to love this final day and playoff campaign knowing we’re safe and sound with our Championship Trophy😁 Whichever combination of teams are in the final should make for a cracking game. Dream scenario for me; Ipswich get automatic promotion. Leeds vs West Brom playoff final West Brom win on penalties😂

Tonight 100%!! Being able to relax all weekend and being able to enjoy the football would be great. Also it’s not like our game on Monday won’t mean anything as we’d still be going for the title. Night game, under the lights, Home team needing to win to confirm their Championship status for next season, a perfect recipe I have a bottle of champagne in the fridge ready to go. Could be a good night

Absolutely spot on. That’s what I always said to anyone who asked how I felt about our relegation. Yeah it was a bit shit but if someone said to me 11 years ago; you’ll get promoted next year with over 100 points, stay up the next season with the greatest escape in PL history, WIN THE ****ING THING the year after, CL quarter final, win the FA Cup but then you get relegated, I’d have snapped their hands off and probably their arms and maybe legs off for good measure! What a journey we’ve had!!

A draw would probably be the best result but failing that an Ipswich victory would be my preference. It’s nice being at the top but the gap to third is the really important bit.

Imagine how pissed off they must be, two of the best starts ever in the championship and they’re still not top. In fact Leeds are a full 8 points behind!

In short, it’s a bloody pain in the arse (well by London standards anyway). As the post above says, Seven Sisters is the closest underground which you can get direct from Euston/St Pancras/King’s Cross. However that is a good 25 mins walk from there to the ground. Whereas my recommendation would be get the Overground from White Hart Lane which as the name suggests is right by the stadium, which can get you to Liverpool Street. From Liverpool Street you should be able to get the Elizabeth Line direct to Hanwell Im sure this goes without saying but it will be bloody busy and overcrowded, so best of luck and hope you make it back in time!

Yes the attendances have been strong so far but I think our fan base are just happy to see us winning and playing great football after the dirge of the late Rodgers era. We’ve made the best start to a championship season ever and there’s a buzz around the place despite relegation. I’m not for one minute suggesting we don’t go up but if we were to get stuck in the 2nd tier (Stoke, Swansea being prime examples after an extended stay in the PL) attendances would likely plummet. I really hope the expansion does go ahead as I think it’d be great for the club and city but I always remember going to Barnsley at home in about 2012 early December and the attendance was around 21k! That was with the current owners and Pearson in charge so it wasn’t too long ago. They’re probably erring on the side of caution until things settle again

It’s not like we’ve rested Winks or Hermansen. With Justin’s injury record it’d be foolish for him to start three games in a week. Casadei needs to get game time if he’s to have any impact at all and Mavididi is well due a rest, as is 36 year old Vardy. The only real surprise is Souttar but Enzo must be wary of their set pieces and crosses. It’s a bloody great team with a strong bench. COYF

My Villa supporting mate messaged me last night and said how poor Tielemans has been and if we’d take him back. I said I wouldn’t swap him for Winks and even though we’re a division below, it’s clear what sort of player Winks is and how it makes teams tick. Couldn’t say the same about Youri. Great thing about Winks, is that we know he can do it at the highest level as well. Having him in the championship is cheat mode to be honest

Yes we are however that’s not to say we haven’t made leaps and bounds in the last 10 years or so which is the point he makes. I remember my mate got married in 2013 he wanted to get me and the other best man a present from our respective teams’ shop (the other best man is a Villa fan). He wanted to get us something drink related, so the Villa fan gets a nice whiskey glass set in a gift box. I end up with something from unofficial from EBay because our club merch was so lacking (well either that or that was his excuse and he prefers the other mate!)😂 Also the badge came off after a few goes in the dishwasher! Ah great present

I simply do not know what to say anymore about the standard of officiating in England. The Media and fans blert on about the Premier League being the best in the world but when you see things like that it really puts things into perspective. That was a top 4 clash with 2 of the best teams in the country but they have people making decisions and ultimately affect the end result who shouldn’t be anywhere near a football pitch. In literally any other job in the world if you keep ****ing up which impacts negatively on your company you get the sack. Ref’s just issue an apology and are given as lightly lesser known game the week after and all is forgotten

Do you think on MOTD we’ll be able to see the lines for that offside because that was proper dodgy. VAR usually takes 10 mins to decide anything yet a very, very close offside is decided in 10 seconds?! Really odd