Dan

Football with speed. I was quite on the tiki taka train a while ago but I've seen the light - it's effective with the right players but it'll never quite get the pulses racing. I mean does Pep even strictly play pure tiki taka anymore? I think he's adapted it somewhat. In truth I want adaptability. I want a manager who is capable of winning with 70% of the ball and is capable of winning with 30% of the ball, and is happy with either outcome.

I've said it before about him but in our situation can we really afford to just let players like him rot? We cannot keep making signings who don't fit under X managers plans and then keep appointing managers to that same philosophy at all costs. By no means proven in the top flight but I don't remember him being terrible.

Honestly, the peak for me with him was what he did in Sweden, which was genuinely impressive and rightly caught peoples eyes. I don't think he's a poor manager at all, and I think in our situation he'd not be a bad appointment, but I don't buy that it would be this back pages coup either. You're right - inflated reputation. I don't think he'd go down all that well here either. He's not particularly entertaining.

Rodgers let in 5 to that. ****ing hell man.

I've never been able to take Solskjaer seriously as a manager since that whole refusing to park in the managers spot story. I can't help it. How can you take that serious as a manager?

It won't happen but it just means something else shit is on the horizon. This is the softener for whatever it is.

Doesn't reflect badly on him at all given who it supposedly was. Actually makes me want him to stay to be honest.

I'm no Southgate fan but I doubt we go out in the groups. Too big a safety net. Do wonder if we're due a proper shocker of a tournament mind certainly don't look like one that'll win it either.

He's gotten overly fast tracked. He shouldn't be in the team against Serbia. Correlation is not necessarily causation but he's been in a generally dire Man Utd side who concede an absurd amount of shots, his defensive numbers are pretty awful. He's a prospect rather than the finished article. Friendly or not that's an absolutely dire result this close to the tournament, at home. Embarrassing score.

The two were announced together precisely for this reason. This place to its credit does see through this for large parts.

It's absolutely ridiculous. You're right - in a nutshell it sums them up. Even in this sort of financial situation they're handing out a contract like that to a player who has a pretty high chance of being back on the scrapheap within months. Total mismanagement, but then what do you expect from this hierarchy. They've proven time and time again they'll do it and they've proven nobody will be accountable for it. Absolute joke.

Life under Top and Jon Rudkin. I despair.

Never in doubt was it.

Congratulations. I envy you massively.

Think he's got most of the bigger calls right this time. No idea how Maddison not going was even that big a story. I don't think it was even remotely controversial? Branthwaite on the other hand for me is an error. You've already got a bit of a weakness on the left hand side with a lot of emphasis being put in Shaw's fitness. So if he plays the Pep / Maresca system he's eliminated probably the obvious left back / left centre back and, while doing the same if we just play a back four anyway. I don't get that one at all, particularly when he's kept Dunk in who has been massively unconvincing for England. As ever with England under Southgate I think we'll get by everybody we're better than and falter when we aren't. What this probably means is a semi final exit to France. 7 points in the group involving a 0-0 draw with Denmark in the second game.

It's all been very cosy here for years really. We had it good on the pitch so nobody bar a minority ever pulled the club up on anything. Now that things have evidently gone to pot off the field the piss poor fan engagement is finally being addressed. I've real doubts on whether they'll actually address this though. Keep thinking back to Top's statement after relegation and the rhetoric around the points deduction. Self-reflection never their strong point.

Not that interesting but a slightly peculiar one here was being put onto some work experience thing when out of work ages ago that was utterly hopeless, sneaking out of it hoping nobody would notice, remember going home that day and applying for a job, got it, and still there today nearly a decade later so that worked out. Wonder what happens if I don't just sneak out. Maybe I'd have just applied for that job when I got home, but that's nowhere near as fun a story.

Utter disgrace yet totally predictable. Forest the biggest cucks of all going to that level last season and then voting in favour. Shame on us as well. Really do fear we're stuck with this shite forever.

Fantastic post. Agree with every word. I think this fanbase wants quick football and responds to that in a way it simply won't respond to control and possession no matter how hard we try. I don't think it's unique to us though I think we're particularly of this persuasion after 2016. For that reason I think this should be what we look for. I think we'd really respond to a Klopp-lite.

Corberan reminds me a bit of a poor mans Unai Emery.

My gripe with the style is less Pep and more the amount who try and mimic it with a much worse version. I also don't get how few see the success of Real Madrid and Ancelotti and don't promote more playing with freedom which is what they do, with admittedly, superb recruitment and class all over the pitch.

Which will of course be the line given for justifying keeping them all in place. Very convenient get out for them.

Easy to forget he's essentially the club owner.

McAteer going on a Chelsea podcast is wild. How have we allowed that?

He was pretty quiet in the latter knockout rounds and I do think that's an indicator that he's probably not quite ready to carry England to a tournament win but there's no reason he can't get there in time. Vinicius was similar a few years ago and now he's the absolute real deal. Haven't watched enough of Brazil to know why but Vinicius only has 3 goals for them in 28 appearances. Has he just been a huge victim of Neymar? Seems a complete waste of abundantly obvious talent. He's probably my favourite player to watch since Messi.