ClaphamFox

He completely ruined Boxing Day two years ago when he scored against us, ran to the West Stand and stared right into my eyes as he pulled this horribly smug face. So it’s a no for me.

In that top pic, has he just realised he forgot to turn the iron off before he left the house?

Ward has only been number two so far this season because Stolarczyk has been injured. Now that Stolarczyk may be available again, previous 'actual team selections' have no relevance.

I think they'd struggle to make such a move if the fans were clearly against it. The government would likely get involved and the pressure on them to relent would be enormous. Politically. I just don't see any UK government standing by and allowing a foreign owner to rip one of our big clubs out of domestic football against the wishes of the club's fans.

This is where there is potential for a major conflict between the owners of the big clubs and the fans of those clubs (I'm referring to those who actually go to games, not just want on TV). Would an American owner of a PL club consider leaving the PL to join a European or global super league? Very likely. Would the fans of that club want to give up domestic football for a global exhibition league with zero jeopardy and very little scope for away travel? I don't think they would. The PL needs to make it clear that there is no option for the big clubs to have their cake and eat it. If they want to join an effective closed shop, fine - but if they do they cannot continue to participate in domestic competition. It will be interesting to see how they try to sell that to the fans.

Well, Soumare is back. It would be great to have Ndidi too, but even better to have Winks.

Ruud will also be aware that Stolarczyk was Hermansen's number two last season. Plus, he will have seen both of them in training. The only reason he'd choose Ward would be if there were any doubts over Stolarczyk's fitness, which seems unlikely as he played 90mins on Monday for the development squad without any issues.

I don't see how they could appeal the charge, but I suppose they might appeal the punishment if they think it's too harsh. Would any ban be suspended while the appeals process is taking place? I have no idea, personally...

If Wolves appeal and the FA decide the appeal is a frivolous one (which it might given the very clear evidence against Cunha), could that not result in a harsher punishment? Might it not be better for him to admit he was in the wrong, apologise and plead for leniency?

The ease with which opposition teams stroll through our midfield, and the amount of chances they then create, would suggest that the number 6 position is a major problem for us despite the fact that we have several players who can apparently play there. The fact is, we don't have enough quality in that position and this could have very grave consequences if we don't do something about it.

Of course they do! What kind club would sack a manager without a replacement already lined....oh.

I missed the game yesterday due to parenting responsibilities and haven’t yet found the courage to watch the highlights. How many of the three goals Ward let in were clangers by him?

Buonanotte dropped for refusing to play against Brighton. Ruud’s livid about it, I heard…

Skipp starts (despite apparently not travelling)…

O-1. Vardy brace.

Without a knee brace already. Fit for Saturday?!

Maybe we should form a support group?

That would be fantastic. But given than none of them have even made it into the first team squad yet, I don't this scenario can be relied upon....

I agree. But I think we have clear problems in central midfield that probably can't be resolved with the players we currently have.

If you just look at the number of CMs we have, you're right - it doesn't make sense to acquire another one. However, if you consider how easily other teams get through our midfield and how many shooting chances they then create, you might come to a different conclusion.

That it’s actually ‘Nights in White Satin’, not ‘Knights in White Satin’. I had previously had an image of heroic figures on horseback with lances, except dressed in white satin instead of suits of armour. Feel a bit underwhelmed now 😢

You’ve analysed it in much more depth than I did before my casual observation! I take your point and largely agree. I might make a case that Ayew has made a difference (notwithstanding his awful performance on Sunday) with his late goals at Southampton and Ipswich. I also think Skipp will turn out to be an important player for us. But yes: it’s true that our squad was already much more experienced than those of the other two promoted clubs. However, going back to the comment on MotD that prompted my post, I’m feeling increasingly reassured by the fact that we have a few more seasoned pros in our squad than some of our rivals. It might just make the difference at the end of the season.

They love Hamza up there, don't they? Almost as much as they 'love their football'.....

But this is exactly what I'm talking about - our squad is full of players with PL experience, not just the first team. So we can bring on the likes of Ayew to score late equalisers/winners, Skipp to give us more heft in midfield (and chip in with a very useful pre-assist for Vardy's goal yesterday), Reid to get us an equaliser, etc. Four out of our five subs yesterday had a lot of PL experience, and two of those four were summer acquisitions who directly contributed to our two goals. I'm sure Ipswich would give anything for some experienced players to help them get over the line in games rather than consistently drop points in the final few minutes...