Dan

It's a continous thing. You're never totally insulated from a drop off. You only have to look at what's happening to Manchester United. Year in, year out they are lowering their own floor and ceiling. You only have to see how quickly Newcastle, Aston Villa, and now (ugh) Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth have gotten good too. Things can change very quickly in football. We've gotten away with it for years I think because we had the luxury of having an elite striker on our books year in, year out. Now he's slowed down the gaps are being exposed.

Yep fair enough. I agree with this - contrary to what some on here say I can take things not being perfect. I don't demand it's perfect every time. It's never going to be. But responses to setbacks are the real difference. You **** up, you make sure you try and rectify it. We allowed one of the most inexplicable ****ups in Premier League history in 2023 and we're still playing the players, and have the person responsible for these ****ups on our payroll. That to me is where I lose any heart, any passion for any of it. This is not a club that is trying.

Strike two for me. Ward plays at Anfield and it's Ruud out for me.

I can't go to games at the minute anyway (the club banned me for something I didn't do without any evidence that I did it - true story) but having seen that XI today I didn't even bother watching. Complete insult to the fans to pick Ward.

What's this referring to? Out of interest.

And not just win something - win a trophy we were only in contention for due to their own previous ****up. We should've made as little a song and dance about last season as possible. No pride in it at all. Like a bus driver celebrating having his bus pulled out of a ditch. Shows how superficial it is - the shamelessness.

Good. Never come back.

Would be a shame if people started turning up outside his wouldn't it?

There are literally none.

All part of the propaganda. The whole thing is quite reminiscent of an eastern dictatorship to be honest.

It shouldn't be controversial to say it. It's plain obvious. Name a single facet of this club that is run in a good way in December 2024. It's absolutely utterly shit. From top to bottom. It's draining. Time's up Top. You've ****ed it up. If you really care - then sell before any more damage is done.

We're Stoke / Sheff Weds in the making.

Years of tolerating shit ***** like this. Make it ****ing vile out there anyone who is left.

They made you want Vestergaard and Soumare in the team!!!!

They're taking the piss out of you.

Pretty miserable I'd imagine

Ward starting for us. When is this club going to get some standards?

Genuinely what's the point? We are so so unserious.

Self-fulfilling prophecy. Got to justify their army of stewards at away games somehow. This is a club that bans people for literally nothing nowadays though.

This whole "this is where we are now" is a self-fulfilling prophecy. We are where we are now because of bad business. Don't do any more!

Would be a very typical signing of us in this day - the sort that solidifies our position as a poor team. We can do better.

It wasn't massive money really - in the context of what we've spent on players since. Faes, Okoli and Skipp all cost more! Atalanta are pretty mad in that they seem to have virtually nobody flop. Convinced they could sign Ward and he'd look like Buffon (probably too far)

It's a huge fumble isn't it. Said it before I was very on the fence so I can't sit here and absolutely blast us for it, but then I do look at some of the equivalent money we've wasted and it's pretty mad we never went for it. He's a comfortable £50mil+ player now.

This is about where I stand - jury still out but it's bound to be. I fear it's getting worse before it gets better though and the Ward pick is a massive red flag. He's got to do something about how many shots we're conceding.

Exactly the signing we should've made in that season. It was pretty obvious from that window they were going to pass us. Forest get a lot of stick but they've really gone out and got it. They don't hold onto dross for years. Just ruthlessly keep trying to improve their team. Depressed to say I'm quite envious.