ClaphamFox

This is grim. Two current PL players - and one manager - are under investigation for sexual or domestic violence. The allegations against the manager include unlawful sexual intercourse with a 15-year-old girl. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-67508310

An atrocious performance against the worst team in the division. What else can be said?

I thought so but maybe I was mistaken

Has anybody managed to locate the game on Now TV?

It's clear that refs need to be trained so they understand that being asked to review an incident on the monitor is just an opportunity to see it again - they still have the freedom to decide either way. This should be obvious but most refs don't seem to grasp it.

How many instances have there been of a ref being called to the monitor but deciding to ignore VAR and stick with his own decision?

“Tom is completely fit,” Maresca said. “He is already training with us for many weeks. The only problem with Tom is that he needs to be patient and continue to work. He’s a striker and we have Jamie, we have Kele, and we have Pato (Daka), who’s not even joining us in the squad, so it’s complicated. Tom, he has to continue in the way he is working. We’ll see. Tom probably because of his age, he has full energy. He can help us off the ball a lot because he works very hard. On the ball, his finishing is very good. But it’s just a matter of time with him.” Not 100% conclusive, but it doesn't sound like Maresca is preparing to throw Cannon in from the start...

Lots of people have called for it. Maresca's comments in his press conference yesterday would suggest it's not going to happen tonight, though.

VAR is not going to be disposed of. There's no way they're going to turn back the clock to when refs were allowed to make horrendous decisions on the field that weren't corrected even though it was immediately obvious a mistake was made. Not a chance. But it clearly has to work much, much better. I've no idea why the VAR decided to intervene last night, but it would have helped if his discussion with the ref was broadcast live, as they do in rugby, so that at least the crowd understood why the decision was made.

The VAR official who made the penalty call last night has been removed from duty this evening... https://x.com/SkySports_Keith/status/1729801026083946771?s=20

We're not going to. It's clear that the way the team starts games is very much part of Enzo's plan - keep possession, be patient and wait for openings, and then step up the intensity if needed in the second half. It's working - we're top of the league. Maresca is not going to suddenly tell them to play at a high tempo from the first whistle, not matter how much we'd like to see that.

He came across brilliantly in that interview - articulate, intelligent and thoughtful. His diplomacy when repeatedly asked about his experiences under Rodgers was also impressive.

It's probably fair to assume that Cannon won't be starting tomorrow...

Yes.

We were a very awkward member of the club and that won't be forgotten any time soon. I can see many countries being very wary - and it would only take one veto. I'm also not convinced that we'd vote to rejoin, irrespective of what current opinion polls say. As Jon the Hat says, the terms they'd offer us would be very easy for a 'no' campaign to argue (however deceitfully) that rejoining would mean sacrificing our sovereignty. This notion of sovereignty seems to be particularly potent in our country - the reason we left the EU in the first place was that many of our fellow citizens were persuaded that remaining in it massively restricted our independence as a country (although hardly anybody was able to explain how). I'm just not sure we've changed that much culturally despite our tanking economy and disintegrating services, etc. Our best hope for rejoining the EU is a clear long-term generational attitude shift. That may happen one day, but in the medium term the single market/customs union may be the best outcome we can realistically hope for.

Eventually rejoining the single market and customs union is plausible, I think. But rejoining the EU itself would be a much harder sell, both to our own citizens and to the rest of the EU. I really can't see that happening any time soon, if ever.

The real story is buried towards the bottom of this article: Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey has said the UK's economic outlook is the worst he's ever seen. Grim. I suspect some Tories are secretly relieved that that they're going to lose the next election as it will be Labour's mess to deal with... https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/bank-england-governor-warns-tough-28171508

By this I assume he means we’re going to try to be a bit quicker and more direct when we get into good attacking positions. Which will be nice.

We wouldn’t have done if we saw any promise in the player, as Wolves clearly do in Voice. No club would.

Yes, parole - my mistake. However I don’t agree that 11 years is a long sentence for what he did. He deliberately killed a woman who was hiding from him in terror in a bathroom. I’d say 25 years is more appropriate for that.

Take charge of the situation!

You wouldn't play Ndidi if he's fit?!

Oscar Pistorius to be freed on bail after serving just seven years of his sentence for murdering Reeva Steenkamp. SEVEN years for murder. Incredible. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-67518501

Gosh she were the purdiest l'il thing I ever did see.

If it's Choudhury, our ability to play out from the back will be significantly compromised. I do hope Maresca has a cunning plan to compensate for this.