ClaphamFox

He's finally switched from sounding like he believes he's staying to the kind of euphemistic answers managers give when they know they're leaving. Surely just a matter of time now...

That is simply not true. Plenty of us liked it.

I suppose what it all comes down to is whether you expect them to completely ignore the lessons of the past few years and carry on making the same mistakes that have led to this horrible mess, or accept that their previous approach has failed and try something different. I understand why many people believe the former, but I’m trying to convince myself it’s the latter - with mixed success.

Bobby Sands went on hunger strike when we were in the bottom three of the old First Division and died a few days after our last game that season, when we were duly relegated. Heartbroken he was, poor lad.

Doesn’t he describe himself as the ‘most hated man in Leicestershire’? I think he knows.

Only one of those makes sense.

The man don’t give a ****. The question is, is this because: a) He knows he’s leaving; or b) He knows he’s staying and doesn’t have to prove anything to keep his job?

That would be my assumption, yes. Highly unlikely to be zero.

You would hope that there would be a relegation clause, which would enable us to do it soon. But hope can be a dangerous thing...

For about six months. He has a link with them, sure, but it's been a little overstated by some people.

Jurić sacked as soon as Southampton are mathematically relegated. If the same thing doesn't happen with us, we'll know the intention is to keep RVN next season.

I’m never going to eat an omelette again. Just in case.

I love that you actually counted them out 😂

The Russell Martin derby?

Of for the love of God it’s a just a rumour from ALAN NIXON. Please don’t give it any credibility!

Alan Nixon is a rumour factory whose produce is mainly cheap counterfeits - it’s quantity over quality with him. The fact that he may have got something right about us once does not change this.

I drew a sharp intake of breath when I first saw this story, then I saw it was by Alan Nixon and I immediately relaxed.

Where did the club state that our ambition was to finish in the top six this season?

If he knew he was leaving, why pick a fight with Winks over his commute? What would be the point? Maybe that was about stamping his authority over the squad ahead of next season?

You may well be right. The only thing that makes me question this a little is the way he’s talking in press conferences. Usually if a manager is asked about his future and he knows he’s leaving, he will give a diplomatic, non-committal answer such as, “I’m too focused on the present to worry about that” or “I’ll sit down with the chairman at the end of the season and decide”, etc. But when Ruud is asked, he will talk very specifically about the young players he intends to bring in and sounds very much like he genuinely expects to still be with us next season. And if you add into the mix that the club is clearly briefing journalists that the plan is for RVN to remain, then I don’t think it can be ruled out.

It would not surprise me if that is still currently the plan.

A common complaint among Everton fans was that Dyche had a strong preference for ageing workhorses over exciting young players. The likes of Ayew, BDCR and Coady would be the first names on the team sheet if he managed us.

Russell Brand charged with rape: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0457d02e9go

I’m with Ruud on this one.

During his first two seasons we played some of the best football I've ever seen us play. Admittedly, it did go to shit after that, mind...