Bordersfox

Cologne.

Fear not watching England v Netherlands will make you realise why you hate football again.

Likewise. Hopefully Nixon's usual bollocks. Doesn't fit with us signing Okoli. We have plenty of players with Premier league experience. Vardy, Ricardo, Ndidi (if he stays) Coady, Vesty, Winks, Justin, Faes. Surely Cooper must have been told the profile of players we would be looking at when in discussions for the job. We need to be seeking value and potential resale value and you are less likely to get that with PL experience.

Kagliou looks a real player doesn't he

Too late. You have revealed your true self to the forum at last, a hard-left Marxist. Perhaps we could meet sometime for a pint, a cheese and onion cob and a discussion about the best way to bring about the end of the capitalist paradigm in the West?

I don't think even the most ardent admirer of Starmer would support Labour making changes to the constitution to ensure they could not lose power?!

We must he very careful reeling off that old 'there is no money' chestnut. There is a long and rather charming history of outgoing treasury secretaries leaving private, at times tongue in cheek, notes to successors. This note was very clearly one of those meant to be tongue in cheek. The privacy of these notes was respected until David Laws decided to read his out to the press because he was a helmet. As the New Stateman puts it, the whole affair says more about Laws than it does about the state of the Treasury at that time. Not that it was particularly healthy I am sure! A slight digression and not a dig at you personally of course.

I am no huge fan of the 'changed' Labour Party. But as they have not yet been in power for any length of time you and I simply have no idea of their actual competence or honesty. What we do know as you state is that the Conservatives were both very dishonest, corrupt in fact, and utterly incompetent. One of my criticisms of Starmer has been his lack of real, concrete promises in the manifesto. So, what exactly of those promises have you already decided he's not going to deliver? And finally, we've had a FPTP forever, that's how it works. People were offered an alternative vote system in 2011 and resoundingly rejected it. There are many complicated pros and cons to PR but those moaning about FPTP now frankly just sound like your typical butt hurt snowflakes that exist on the right as much as they do on the left. In summary, Labour now deserve, and have earned under our system , the right to govern. So let's give them that chance shall we before making sweeping non-factual statement and posting embarrassing clown memes?

Well done Mark, the very best of football forums. The Eurovision thread alone brings a few hours of joy to my life each year. I also very much enjoy the forum support threads 'why have I been banned'? Sadly there hasn't been one for quite some time.

I also considered this, but I think he put in a good shift last year when fit and that was his final year of contract and in a lower league. Could easily have dialled it in but didn't. Would like to think if he re-signs he will be energised and professional enough to be committed to the cause. Of course, it could go the other way and once he gets a new contract he puts his feet up. But I am going to be glass half full today!

I cannot see his wage dropping, he'll want a nice pay day but I do agree at least it's one less player to fork out for. My worry is his fitness, let's say he signs for three years on a big wedge, has the consistent form and injury problems of the last few years - we are yet again stuck with a high earner we can't move on and still have a hole in the squad. Overall I have mixed feelings about this, one of those 50/50 sort of situations.

Can't wait to hear what Keane makes of this

Well said. I watch a fair bit of league 1 following the wife's team. The idea it's full of ageing reducers out to injure young players is absolute nonsense of the very highest order. Rak-Sakyi is exactly the sort of lightweight who was running rings around players the season before last. He returned to Palace, both legs intact. Even at lower levels it's business and clubs aren't going to tolerate their assets being scythed down week in week out.

You seem like a reasonable poster generally but I think you should possibly acknowledge a couple of things. Firstly, your statement that he hasn't succeeded anywhere is demonstrably not true as pointed out by others. Secondly, can we stop with this 'going got tough and he ran off b0llocks'. You aren't the only one by any means. It's been well reported he came into a toxic environment, to a team that was in freefall and that was being managed by a bloke with horribly, horribly dry lips. He was excluded by a small clique of players. That is a lot for a young man to deal with on top of moving to an entirely new country. Maresca arrives and asks him to play in a new position/role. I don't think it's a surprise, nor do I see it as an issue, that he chose a new start in those circumstances. Wouldn't you? Wouldn't most of us? And he's gone and made a decent hash of it. Is he good enough? I have no idea. But I'm certainly willing to give him the chance to prove he is, if the club and player both decide that's what they want.

@StriderHiryu I was reading this old report about Moder: https://targetscouting.com/2021/02/22/player-report-jakub-moder/ If this is accurate presumably he's a rotation option for Winks (who looked spent by the end of last season), or someone who can play in the double pivot role if we utilise that next season? No way he's coming in as a like for like...

I've been chalked by Nelson, who was a maths teacher, ancient even back in the early 90's. Old school and was not afraid to lob chalk or make you do laps of the school. Thacker was a good laugh when he wasn't beasting you. Was Sandford the dude with one gammy eye, which made it impossible to know exactly where he was looking at any given moment? Or was that McCann. Its hard to remember now. However, who could forget the delectable Dr Nield... Edit I say who could forget but there is every possibility I have misremembered her name. A very attractive science teacher.

Astonishing knock.

Seperate thread for backroom staff mate. Currently nothing confirmed I don't think.

Seriously... this is just not cricket lads 😂

Other than Joyb. But apart from those three minor points - spot on.

Oh dear Starc. Lolzi

I strongly suspect anyone that microwaves bacon is also an inveterate wolfbagger.

Although I first saw that on T.V. many, many years ago it made sufficient impression that I've never forgotten it. Harrowing.

Utterly bamboozled.