Babylon

About the equivalent of signing Cottee for half a million all those years ago.

Seeing the one twos, hold ups and runners against Spurs I can see him doing ok. I can see him being there to hold it and feed the runners.

I’m not averse to a few older players so long as they are heavily supplemented by younger players also. A core of English players and a few older heads mixed in with some young and hungry players was Pearsons sort of MO. I’m just not interested in another three year contract. Two years fine.

He’s been tasked with getting premier league experienced players in by the manager, clearly. Percy intimated it and it’s backed up with our signings so far.

Two years I’m fine with, 7 assists for palace last season is a very good return. How we played that second half I can see why we want him. Maybe not first choice and obviously explored other options, but we need more bodies.

The “I don’t know if they did” was aimed at whether the programme contained his usual first game of the season letter to fans.

Probably parked on Freemans common. Difference between leaving 3 minutes before the end waiting between the final whistle adds about an hour or more to my journey home when I’ve parked there.

Who is pretending he's anything, but as with any head of business who is actively involved, the questions and decisions are generally never-ending.

I don't know if they did, but usually, the first programme of the season is his thoughts for the season ahead and things that have gone before. It's one of the few times they say much normally.

The two Steves, Thompson and Walsh... both almost unbelievable in terms of coming back from the dead.

No problem with giving someone a good reception... I think it's just weird for a player of Maddisons profile for us, to be clapped all night long. A good reception and then just let it go.

The man lives 6000 miles away, runs a billion dollar business, and has a heavily pregnant wife. I think that's harsh.

Amazing what can happen if you don't ask a big lumbering giant to play on the half way line.

I’m glad you brought it up, I was sat here reading loads of people saying they should have been out of site etc etc. Yet I didn’t really remember many good chances personally and the stats back that up, both teams created two big chances.

Clap him once… then boo every touch. He wants to beat us ffs

I dunno, I’ve always been a sucker for some graft and effort. We looked organised and not a total mess at the back, and the effort second half properly got me. I’ve known we were second best for years, to many teams. Something just sparked in me that second half.

Because they created feck all really and we gave them a good going over for a chunk of the second half. The injury saved them as we were all over them.

He’s got that Chilwell trempo and legs, he’ll gain us plenty of yards this year.

Matt I feel like we are two peas in a pod tonight

Too late

Can’t put my finger on it right now, but I’ve got a buzz I’ve not had for years. A bit too passive first half, but it’s understandable coming into a new league. Moments before we scored I said to my bro, that we haven’t been bad. We just look a few players away from competing. I still feel that. Some X factor and a different type of striker and I can see us getting a lot more points. That’s boy from Brighton, flipping heck, he’s got a bit of everything hasn’t he. Love it, grit, determination, skill. The gut busting run to get back to defend second half after trying so hard upfront did it for me, sign him up. Cooper… some of echos of a big Nige team there. The man knows how to tickle a the pickle of your older city fan. More please.

Didn't we have a few behind closed doors ones, no idea of the minutes involved in them.

If Rudkin is "Ultimately responsible" for football matters, then she's ultimately resonsible for financial matters. She's on the board, she's CEO she has her name all over the accounts. The overspending has been a decision approved and agreed by all the key people at the club. I doubt the people lower down the chain somehow said "oooops sorry Susan, we've overspent by £100m" and it came as a shock. They will all just be following orders from the top. I think it's obvious what happened, we gambled but thought we easily had the assets to cover off the overspend and we'd be able to sell them off. Honestly, at the time that wasn't too much of a fanciful thought process when you look at where we were and the quality in the squad. What we didn't bank on were injuries, some of which totally wrecked players for a long long time and ruined them as high quality saleable assets. Ricardo, Ndidi and Justin to name three pretty much wrecked by them (we got lucky with fofana). Then we had badly timed injuries to the likes of Maddison and Barnes, who both had injuries problems that were ongoing for a while and would have put people off. Secondly, the running down of contracts. Tielemans and Soyuncu both decided it was time to try something new, and when Maddison got fit and in form, he also got added to the running down contracts list. Thirdly, all our signings flopping from the bit cash spalsh after covid. And lastly, the total capitulation of the teams form and Rodgers throwing everyone under the bus for his own personal benefit. Honestly should have been sacked there and then that summer for the shit he came out with. It was a perfect storm of shitness, and it totally wrecked their idea of selling off assets.