Dan

No chance at our place although to be honest this time around, no issue for me.

It is overkill. Sooner we move to subscription the better.

Some clubs just don't have it in Europe do they. Arsenal cough cough.

For me only if I see some genuine imagination. He's so brazen about his stubbornness that you cannot possibly back him for anything other than blind faith that he will make necessary changes. Use a different system every now and then, and stop tolerating and accepting abysmal performances while others who could do no worse are frozen out. I fear this weekend is another of the same system, Faes and Daka in the side and another flat performance. Results are more important at this stage but if I see the identical set up again, even if it yields a win I won't be even 1% more assured that he should be here next season. The acceptance and repetition of what's being served up is unforgivable to me - for somebody who when he got here said he wanted to make us a "demanding club". Very disappointing he's gone much up the victim route. Think this of sports journalism in general - I try and keep who I listen to now almost single handedly to people who don't have a clear agenda. So for example if there's a podcast with people on it whom are say "Manchester United club correspondent" I just switch off, at least in my head anyway. What's the point of listening to controlled narrative. Balague is at this point pretty much a salesman of Maresca. Actually thought he came across very well on BSLB when he was on it, but I don't think he's looking as reassuring here as he thinks he is. People lose context when they're discussing us this season. We're off the back of one of the most extraordinary underperformances ever to get relegated. Promotion should be a bare minimum and nobody should be seriously lapping up outshooting teams like Plymouth and Millwall.

Was pushing all of the myths about that season. It's quite funny how much they cling onto a run of about 5 games which we got more points from than they did anyway.

My post was more a general point about their performance last night in that they handled it exactly how I've wanted us to many games this season. We've won loads of games, but we have made a lot of games tighter than they needed to be and I think it's entirely self-inflicted limitation. Bit of a red flag to me how many they're scoring compared to us as well. Ironically the only game we scored 3 in the first half this season was at Southampton. I think this side was capable of doing that more often.

Bashed him enough on here this season and this is no clamour for us to have appointed him, but Martin and Southampton producing that first half - even when we were doing well how many times did we have the game completely sewn up that early? Complete assertion of dominance and exactly what we should've been doing more often. They've probably left it that bit too late, but you can't discount them from 2nd, possibly even 1st at this rate.

Correct. We are as well placed as any side I think ever to get promoted. On a par with something like Newcastle in 2010. Failure to do so would be abject underperformance.

Xabi Alonso is pretty exceptional though, I don't think there's shame in being behind him.

It is a pretty mad situation when we can be 1/7 to win the league yet 75% of the site wants him out and I'm in that bracket as well. I think we're going to just about get away with this and get over the line, but he's showing some bordering on unprofessional tendencies of late with the stubbornness. It isn't stubbornness to stick to one style of play, it's to stick to one formation and the same personnel every time over and over again no matter how many times it's being proven it could do with a bit of a shake up. If I'd seen even the slightest bit of imagination from him in recent weeks I'd have a bit more sympathy, but he's just doubling down over and over again. I swear being an understudy to Guardiola doesn't mean you just bookmarked one of his many systems and you'll run with that for your entire career. Shake things up a bit. Stop tolerating the performances of players like Faes and Daka (and arguably a few others who could have no complaints of being dropped). The harsh reality as well is it took a staggering, once in a generation level of underperformance to see us relegated. The bar for this season was extremely high.

Got to laugh at Sunday - one of those where the underdogs did 'too' well, not only did most of them take the lead but loads of them held on for the win, meaning the accumulator win eluded me. Six attempts and no winners, from three landed underdogs as well. Liverpool must be about the best team you can have in this. They go behind what feels like every game and they're obviously going to be at a big price. I've always been anti cash out but I don't really see a load of harm in using this method to just get a quick winner on the freeze as well. Naturally the offers they'll make you will take the piss. My mate needed Chelsea tonight for £130 and was offered £88 when they were 1-0 up!! Although my god he was lucky. He'd used all his freezes and somehow got away with it on both Villa and Palace. Ridiculously lucky. Infact how the **** has he not only done that but managed to avoid the obvious acca fillers of Arsenal, Liverpool, Rangers, Inter and Real Sociedad - all of whom didn't win at about 1.20 or shorter that's disgustingly good luck.

We are probably going to get away with it. I'd not be one bit surprised if we contrived to come 3rd on the final day though.

It's the first time ever where I hope it happens at a game that doesn't involve us. It's really, really wasted on us in this situation. I don't even think I'd bother sticking around for any post match.

He'll pick the same side near enough. Remember the comments he made when he joined about Leicester becoming a "demanding club" and he tolerates this.

I get twitchy the minute I hear the trendy buzzphrases coming out.

Yep. Funny isn't it.

Think we've an outside chance of going down. We'll retain the bottling mentality with a far worse side.

Cooper can do better than this.

If that part was true we'd be in a better place.

We're uniquely bad I think. I remember going to Wolves in October 2022 and the south bank was belting out songs against their Rudkin equivalent. He was sacked the following Monday. They survived and we didn't. I wonder what % of our ground could name who our director of football is.

Should be sacked today for sure. These people only care for 'image' and 'rep' though so no chance.

Plymouth's fans were genuinely excellent.

Do the decent thing and leave.

I honestly have hit the point where I find that preferable to this. Give us our medicine. Get these out at any cost.

It will typify everything about this shipwreck when we lose to a Norwich side that we beat comfortably twice in the league.