Dan

£18mil welcome back from your holidays Teflon.

We were so strong in so many positions in 2019/20. Had a good goalkeeper, the centre half partnership complemented each other well, two very good full backs, a really nicely balanced midfield. The only real fumble for me was the Perez signing who was an ill-fit for the role and a sign of things to come. That team in hindsight underachieved only coming 5th.

Good deal. Credit where due. He's been a very good player for us. Not quite Kante, and I'm not quite sure about legend, but he's been a big part of the last decade. Was excellent around 2018-2020 sort of time and rightly touted for a move to the top. Think it's quite a reflection of the way it's gone for a lot of our squad that he departs for Besiktas rather than Bayern. He's obviously dropped off and isn't what he was. I think we've continuously tried to make him something he isn't, constantly fiddled with his position when just keeping him as a ball winning destroyer was where his strength really lay all along. I don't think we've ever quite recovered from his initial drop off. We've never really come close, or even attempted to replace it. The likes of Skipp, Winks, Soumare etc... just simply haven't got anything like the defensive instincts he had in his first few years. He's been part of our drop off so I can't sit here and pretend it was all rosy from day one but he's been good on the whole - he's one of the few of this squad who goes with a blessing. Anyway not a terrible move, gets to play in Europe, the Istanbul clubs are relatively interesting if even not quite the top of the tree.

Makes you wonder how many they've actually banned.

That is quite literally why they do it. Their post relegation bollocks last time was called out so they have instead of taking it on board just decided to do the same and say nothing.

Shows you where their priorities lie - if it wasn't already obvious.

He's been very good for us on the whole, definitely a drop off in the last few years but still think he's probably our best midfielder now even despite this. Been part of enough good times to go with a bit of a blessing, but it's the right time. Find it interesting nobody bothered a year ago for free but after a pretty nothingy year, a year on he's managed to bring in a fee.

Agree - will give him some benefit of the doubt as he (ridiculously) has only been here about three weeks. Really is stupid when you consider we got relegated in April. There are massive flaws in our side. Unfortunately every manager is handicapped by the idiots above him.

Was watching the first half thinking our high energy style might actually suit him. Then you watch that and remember he has the bozo gene no matter what you do.

There's a lot to fix but good signs from him. High press will always win fans over.

Looks like frozen out which is good, do wish there were more we'd do it to.

Pretty good on the whole. Dampened when Fatawu went off but didn't really allow them any good chances to score which is a refreshing change. Nowhere near convinced on the whole but think the manager's showing some good signs.

Same old Soumare there. I might start liking this team when we get the likes of him out.

Bugger off to Forest!!!!!

Actually a really good half. Pleasantly surprised.

He's absolutely ridiculous

Goal purely from a high press. Nice.

Our fans will take to this style a lot more than they did any of the previous few managers. Actually attacking with speed.

It is nice seeing them go straight for it - we haven't done that in years.

Depressing line up. It's somehow even more stale than I feared.

Tells you absolutely everything about Rudkin by the way if that's true - literally the most ineffective player of our side last season and is being shifted for a decent fee because, shock horror, it isn't our cretins in charge of shifting him. Meanwhile at Leicester.

He's too good for that move. He's good enough to get something like Palace - possibly higher.

If we can't get him over Swansea or Preston things are even worse than I realised. If we're serious we'll get him IMO.

More than I hoped I'll be honest.

What sort of crowd is actually expected?