Dan

I wanted him in the summer. Depressingly though if we don't go up I don't even think he'd come. I think you're looking more in the Cifuentes sort of bracket at that point. Our advantage will have largely been wiped.

I don't see him starting next season here regardless of division I don't think. He's on a hiding to nothing.

Correct. Remember the lies about the buses for that game too. The kind of thing you get away with when it's going well on the pitch and less so when it isn't. I wonder how much more contemptuous the club actually was last season towards the fans or whether it just seemed so due to how bad we were on the pitch.

At some point in the Rodgers era probably, although that was a bit of an illusion. The Puel era was dour but that was probably our only period post 2015 where we've gotten it consistently right off the pitch in terms of transfers and whatnot.

It's Top at this point. I don't demand that everything runs swimmingly 24/7 as that isn't realistic, but when you allow a culture to manifest where nobody seems to ever be held account for anything then I have no sympathy. The day our fans distinguish a difference between Vichai's ownership and Top's ownership will be a good one. It's time our fans collectively face the unfortunate truth.

That's a great point - hadn't even thought of that. These lot are scarily bad. Even if we get through this are we seriously trusting these same people to get things back in gear?

I think at this point now it's black and white with Southgate. I think it's either win the Euros or go. Highly doubt the FA see it this way though.

Increasingly just have a bit of a hunch this is all quite a bad fit. So he's a very dogmatic manager of whom we don't have the nous, or by the looks of it money to support in this dogmatism. If we go up we will need work doing to this squad that we aren't going to be able to do.

I'd back Mourinho in a tournament more than I would Southgate. I can imagine Mourinho's style now is more suited to tournament football than leagues - his time at Roma seems evidence itself.

What about everything else? If it was going to be tricky then why not have an alternative lined up?

Because it is ultimately sport rather than business. If the entire method is about making money rather than aiming for success then the game truly has gone. Leicester aren't going to be profitable in the Championship either and nor should the aim of Leicester be to be profitable. Prudent, and sensible with our money absolutely but the aim shouldn't be a huge bank balance, it should be sporting success. The league whether we like it or not has been a success and believe me I say that as someone who loathes plenty about it.

I still don't think any sensible club should cave in that much on such an important thing as recruitment but I get how it happened. I think they vastly overestimated Rodgers' ability, although again, I can see why that happened. Some of it I can forgive, but the fact they waited that long to sack him kills any sympathy for me.

It went pretty much as feared - but once again I have to stress the responsibility comes from above them. They overlooked his bad track record. They didn't stop them wasting money. They didn't put an end to it when things had clearly gone to pot. Effective recruitment is so vital particularly to a club like ours who don't have the abundance of resources others do yet we cut a corner on it and thought there would be no consequences. Find it truly remarkable how Rodgers can have that first 8 months here, win a trophy, get into Europe twice and still probably come out of it a net negative.

Out of his depth yet under no pressure. Despise what this ownership has allowed to become the norm at this club. ****ing embarrassing.

Too many of the bigger clubs in Germany aren't ambitious enough. I'm all for making money via sales and reinvesting but Dortmund are surely at a point where they have to try and properly challenge Bayern rather than be a feeder club. I think you should sell and reinvest until you're in the Champions League and then start really going for it. Too many German clubs just never quite get to this level. I'll be interested to see what Leverkusen do in the summer.

I think if the entire thing went bust and it started again, then we'd have to go for this kind of model. You get quite good TV money in the Bundesliga now too, so it isn't like the teams are going to be left behind forever. I do think there's a world where the league gets a bit stronger. The problem is the Premier League has been too big a success for it to go down this route. It would have to reform in this state upon it going bang, which I think PSR in its current state would actually do. They will fix that before it actually happens though. Some of the big clubs in Germany have a lot to answer for. Dortmund especially in recent years. Fair play to Leverkusen on this season but you do fear next year will just be a return to a Bayern cakewalk as Leverkusen have been picked to bits and Dortmund continue to trip over themselves.

I just don't really get the tunnel vision we had on this signing. It was obviously tricky but why did we leave it so late and why wasn't there an alternative lined up? And if it's as simple as we have no money, then why was it ever a consideration at all?

England just don't win things. It's just our way and it pretty much is that way until it isn't. This tournament really is shit or bust for Southgate surely - I really do think at this point it should be as black and white as win the trophy or go, and I also think if he wins it there's a case to leave on that too (although I'd understand him staying). You just know though if England lost in the semis or final, hell even the quarters if it was to a decent side that the FA would see that as enough of a reason for him to stay, and this in a nutshell for me is why England don't win. I don't know how 2022 for example was dressed up as being anything other than par or slightly below par.

England really do have a good chance. Just don't trust Southgate to not blow it.

The fact we went and played in his tournament after this was a total embarrassment.

Oh I just meant beat Bristol City and hope that Leeds drop points, therefore it would be time to go Rudkin, I mean time to go Top!

No, but baffling that anybody can support him at this point.

And by a few accounts even he was practically begging for it when he realised it was the least damaging thing for Brand Brendan.

Me after Leicester 2-1 West Ham, May 2023.

Time to go Top.