when_you're_smiling

To be fair, I think the ‘wouldn’t be that bad’ comments were at least partly because the belief was he would still would want to be elected for a second time, but then nobody would be daft enough to vote for him for a second time. It would have blown people’s minds in 2016 if you told them he’d encourage insurrection in 2020 and then still get voted back in four years later.

This and English cricket has no patience for leg spinners and letting them develop. It takes years to master it and because of how difficult it is, you will give up boundary balls more often than other bowling styles. Ahmed’s not the new Shane Warne…but he’s still younger now than Warne was on his test debut and he was a freak (for want of a better word). There’s plenty to come from Rehan.

Watching this in Croatia. The commentary reminds me of watching the Queen’s funeral. And as I write that he suddenly gets excited ‘Kovacic….Kovacic…..KOVACIC….KOVACIC….oh no’.

I know it’s a long international break, but it’s not that long. And that’s even with Faes in Saudi Arabia!

This bit is interesting in comparison with how everyone talked about Vichai being often around the changing room and always chatting with the players and staff.

It’s been said since about 1995 that ‘there’s too much money in football’ and the ‘bubble will burst’. I was beginning to think it might never happen, but maybe this is the start where it does begin to eat itself. A slow dirge of clubs suing each other.

Given all the stuff that went off before the season, I don’t think it’s been a bad season. We had the shite luck with the overseas signings just weeks before the season started. Some of the bowling attacks we’ve fielded have been worse than some of those we had in the second tier. And yet still only were relegated thanks to a somewhat dodgy points deduction. Yes the T20 was shite. No hiding from that. We’ve had a lot going against us, and that’s even before the financial disparities, but still making our mark. Thanks lads, but let’s build on it and not revert to the dire times of previous.

Punishment. ‘You’re so shit you now have to play kids football’.

It is weird we always seem to have it in for the left back. Even Chilwell and Justin James were being barracked before they left and told they frequently they weren’t good enough. Obviously Fuchs was well loved, but obviously winning the Prem helped with that. Bruno Berner, but he also won a league and would be hated now as he was signed over 35. I do think Thomas is particularly kept in for his crossing into the box. He’s about the only one who even attempts it.

Well done all on the support. It was immense. The small margins were against us at key times today.

I didn’t want him, but was prepared to give him time. I also don’t think our squad is anywhere near as good as people on here think. But if you don’t win that game, then it’s unlikely you’re winning more than you don’t this season, so you aren’t getting promoted. The risk/reward ratio is just ridiculously skewed against you. It needs a complete rethink already, but then we probably all knew that in the summer and it didn’t really happen. Just just a rethink of someone going back to fexking basics would be a start.

If you’d told me we’d win more/the same amount as Surrey this season before the start I would not have believed you.

Still need to get through the new ball. There will be twists and turns.

Gates get shared 50 per cent and they thought they’d finally get a big cheque even if drawn away after just about scrapping past another League One side at home in the last round.

According to the BBC, the players were told of the deduction at lunch yesterday.