ClaphamFox

This obsession with Burnley is massively overdone. Yes, they went down while trying to play passing football. But in recent times, Brighton, Fulham and Bournemouth have stayed up while doing the same. There is no evidence that playing more direct football is more likely to succeed in the PL, as Sheff Utd and Luton found this year. Last season, all three promoted teams got relegated playing different styles; the season before, all three stayed up. Enzo obviously has a preferred way of playing, but he has shown he is capable of using tactical variations within that basic philosophy - we won several games last season playing on the counterattack, for example. There is no clearly no guarantee that Enzo will succeed playing his way, but this ridiculous focus on the example of Burnley while ignoring many others is bizarre in the extreme.

Enzo is extremely driven and has a very clear vision of what we need to do to re-establish ourselves in the PL. There’s no guarantee we would get that with a different manager. I’m surprised so many people seem so blasé about the prospect of him leaving.

Just had a glance at oddschecker. They’re showing odds on more than 50 contenders for the Chelsea job and Enzo’s name isn’t even on there. It would be the ultimate left field appointment.

He's 26 and has spent his entire career playing in the Russian league. If there was any truth in this, I'd start to feel very worried about next season. Thankfully it's probably just another typical Football Insider nonsense rumour.

No surprise. He will be remembered fondly for his excellent attitude and his flashes of brilliance, but it's probably the right decision. All the best, Yunus!

Not that it necessarily means that much, but on the WYS podcast last night Rob Tanner said that he thinks the club plans to sell Daka, keep Cannon and buy a new striker who is good enough to be our number one choice up front. In other words, our strike force next season would be *new player*, Vardy and Cannon. He also said that he thinks the club wants to keep KDH for at least another season.

I agree, but the situation should never have arisen. It occurred because somebody decided to let a boy run in a girls' event. That was unfair on everybody involved, including Aayden Gallagher.

I first saw the PTT rumour on here around the same time as I saw a number of 'leaked' images on twitter etc of kits that looked very realistic and had PTT as the sponsor. So either these images were mocked-up by people who visit this website, or the PTT rumours come from elsewhere and may have some truth in them. Jeez I'm looking forward to the opening of the transfer window - endless discussions over (probably baseless) transfer rumours are infinitely preferable to endless discussions over (probably baseless) kit rumours...

With even worse spelling and grammar, presumably.

He was superb in that 0-0 draw at Newcastle in the penultimate game of the relegation season. Next season we're likely to have to defend deep against strong opposition much more frequently. He might come in useful then.

I agree. In addition to the attributes you list here, I see in McAteer an absolute determination to be the very best player he can be. He just comes across as being 100% committed to turning himself into a very good player. I hope we give him a little more time to show he can become that with us rather than let another club reap the benefits.

So are we back to FBS being the sponsor again? If so, was the PTT rumour put out as a scare story so that people would feel relieved that we're 'just' being sponsored by an online trading platform rather than an oil company?

Poor weather conditions, difficult terrain to navigate, an old aircraft and - possibly - poor piloting. A combination of some or all of these is overwhelmingly more likely than a clandestine operation from a foreign power. Less interesting, perhaps, but much more likely.

It sounds like the helicopter may have been old. The below is from the BBC’s live feed of the story: “The cause of the helicopter crash is not yet known - but Iran has a poor air transport safety record. “This is at least partly the result of decades of US sanctions, which have severely weakened its aerial fleet. “President Raisi was on board a Bell 212 helicopter, state news agencies said. The model was made in the US and could not have been sold to Iran since the 1979 revolution. “Previous ministers of defence and transport, as well as commanders of Iran’s ground and air armed forces, have died in plane or helicopter crashes. When reformers led Iran's government, they aimed to modernise the country's fleet of aircraft by negotiating a deal with the West that would see sanctions lifted in return for limiting Iran's sensitive nuclear activities and allowing in international inspectors “However, these efforts stalled when President Donald Trump withdrew from the deal and reimposed sanctions. “Reformers were subsequently opposed and mocked by hardliners, who insisted that Iran could rely on its domestic industries and foreign allies to improve aviation safety.”

Our back-up plan in case we don't end up selling KDH for whatever reason?

£3-5m for a young defender with 68 PL appearances to his name is very cheap. I suspect the club will gamble that somebody will be interested in him at that kind of price, which would of bring us a useful little sum in pure profit.

We have the option to extend his contract by a year, which would enable us to sell him (assuming we can find a buyer).

It is entirely true.

Hence why we will definitely be in the market for a forward this summer.

Have you watched Leeds play in a pressure game recently?

Who could have predicted that trying to surgically implant an elite football league in a country with zero football culture wouldn't work?

Where has he said this?

Blimey... https://x.com/BBCBreaking/status/1790732541290311831

That depends on the cost. At £20m I'd agree; at £10m I'd say he's worth a punt. Players develop at different stages of their careers. Some burn bright early on and then fade; some are late bloomers; others are consistent all through their career. Maybe Szmodics is a late bloomer? He wouldn't be the first. Vardy didn't really come into his own until his late 20s; ditto Ian Wright and Ciro Immobile. It happens.