Dan

Honestly, it's too big for us. I hadn't realised the costs involved. What's the ground expansion equivalent? It's probably about 75k.

If we're going to lose players to the big teams for peanuts (like when Liverpool took Nyoni and never had to actually pay anything) then it really renders Seagrave a bit useless and I've been one of those who generally defended the building of it. The cost vs the reward are skewed well against us unless we're a top half Premier League side.

And Mosquera not getting a second yellow.

It was eerily similar to England v Italy.

Has it really ended 0-0 gahahahahaha yeeeeeeees

It was one thing being constantly knocked back like a desperate ex by Graham Potter but Russell Martin good grief. Wondering if maybe this is their old tactic of leaking something unpopular so we're less unhappy with whatever shit they do actually turn to.

Things are so abject and hopeless anyway that adding Martin, you'd just have to see the funny side at this point.

We should never feel like this about it. This team is immortal in my head. There's a world I happily turn up to this event. Alas.

He is not capable of fixing it. It's been broken for years and the longer he's here the worse it gets.

Actually wouldn't be surprised if a bigger Italian team went for it. He didn't do 'badly' at Cremonese and it's the sort of move they make.

I'd expect the latter. I expect McCarron will end up being similar and powerless, regardless of if he's good or not.

The Vichai thing is very hard. I think it's somewhere in the middle of him being both fortunate, but personable enough to at least keep it a 'happy' club (can't think of a better way to describe this). I don't think you can describe the whole operation as being that well run because there were plenty of cockups during his time as well. I flip-flop a lot on him. I hear the likes of Pearson really talk him up and think there has to be something to it. But we were definitely pretty lucky as well. He's obviously another level to his idiot son but when I see people say we've gone from the best run club in the country to the worst. Well I don't think we were ever the best run club in the country (we are certainly the worst now).

2024/25. EDIT: I tend to avoid replying to things like this because I know a flurry will have beaten me to it. Lo and behold.

Don't really like that move to be honest. Bristol City are perennially midtable. It's a step up but enough of one to really justify a move I'm unsure. Lincoln are a smart club.

They won't stop for at least another fortnight.

He's already had a pretty awful end of career inflicted upon him and bringing him back just extends it further. I wish he'd left after 2024 really as at least that was 'sort of' a high. I guess he at least finished on 200 in 500. I think what's crap is that if you draw a flow chart of every single thing that happens with us, whether it's players or managers, it finishes on "owner has got to go" every time without fail. Who do I want as manager? Yadda yadda yadda... "pointless until the ownership has changed". At this point I want full pelt pressure on the ownership. Vardy coming back would slightly alleviate that. It's a depressing position to have but totally necessary.

Wonder how many weeks they'll milk this game for to try and distract they're doing nothing.

2032/33 - possibly the final one. It started by being hit with the classic FM situation where you've stuck a clause in a players contract thinking over time you'll get rid of it before the vultures find it, only for them to grow a bit too quickly and have no interest in signing a new deal by the time you realise. This is what led to Igor Jovanovic departing for Saudi for just £2.9mil. But money isn't a huge issue for us, we're in a good place. He's replaced by TSC's Muhidin Vehabovic for £1.1mil. Also joining are experienced Aleksa Terzic who Zvezda have let go, a new first choice goalkeeper in Slovenian Lan Jovanovic after I controversially let my existing first choice Mateja Premovic go on a free. The pick of the signings though was Ukrainian Roman Fedorchuk who had just averaged 8.00+ in the Ukrainian 2nd tier. Another winger, which admittedly we have probably too many of already, but he was too good to leave. This season we're straight into the Champions League play-off thanks to Serbia's improved position and we're given a very generous tie of either Beitar Jerusalem or KI Klaksvik of Faroe Islands. I'm fully expecting the former only to my amazement find Klaksvik had pulled off the upset. So between us and the Champions League, we had a Faroese side. We'd dispatched the next best 14-2 on aggregate last season so I wasn't too concerned although I did think these can't be 'that' bad if they've knocked out Beitar. I was wrong. What on earth Beitar were doing I've no idea. 1-6 in Faroe Islands and a fully changed XI won the 2nd leg 3-0. The Champions League is coming to Vrsac Belgrade. We are finally beaten in the league courtesy of two late goals at Zvezda. 43 games. Not quite matching the 57 Zvezda themselves managed from October 2017 to April 2019, but some effort. We make our Champions League debut away to Club Brugge. It was meant to be wasn't it? It couldn't have been much better. Both teams miss chances but we take one and get on the board immediately becoming the first Serbian side to win an away game in the CL proper since 2025 (I'll be honest, when looking this up I was disappointed it was this recently), before being thrown straight into Lucy Bronze's Monaco - who deems Vrsac "an easy opponent". It was pinned in the dressing room. To be absolutely fair, we lost the game, but it definitely couldn't be described as 'easy' for them. I'm definitely keeping mental notes of who is and isn't disrespectful to us during this run, and she is to be joined by three time Premier League and two time Champions League winning Mikel Arteta in the next game. An 'easy opponent' for his Arsenal side. Once again, we go down to defeat, but once again, we absolutely leave it out there. It's a genuinely great effort managing a 3-4 loss to them, joining the illustrious Luton Town side of Rob Edwards in 2023. But then came the real test for us. No not Real Madrid, not Barcelona, but Dinamo Jug in the first round of the Kup Srbije. I've stressed to death the cup situation, but this is a team we did go out to in 2026 in disgrace. I did rotate, thinking that if we were to fumble it that I would regret it, but no issues, a 1-5 win. The league campaign is going very well, too. News filters through from Smederevo that Zvezda have fallen at the first hurdle, which is brilliant news. Then the lambs are sent to the slaughter. Our first trip to one of the real iconic grounds of world football. Inter and their newly appointed Pep Guardiola. Do I play a relatively aggressive game to try and unsettle them, or do I park the bus somewhat. I feel both leave us very open to a battering. I opt for the aggressive game and am nearly punished early doors. By the 25th minute I concede we're not really making any threat to them and we're just waiting to concede, so I revert to the defensive 4-4-1-1 tactic. By hook, by crook. Honestly. **** knows how, but... I feel I've cracked the game somewhat and the wins particularly in the league are very much normal service. But not very often do I get a result where I'm actually cheering it at full time. This was mammoth and up there with my best ever result. Extraordinary. Guardiola was even respectful of us before and after the game and this is always a concern with him as he does tend to have a thing for praising absolutely rubbish teams who bend over for him. But this was a man of class. Be less like Lucy Bronze and Mikel Arteta, and be more like Pep Guardiola. Admittedly Guardiola the only one of the three who did lose to us, so that may impact things. With that result we've conjured out a genuine Qarabag-style chance of a play-off round, with home games to Feyenoord, Marseille and Leverkusen all to come. Zvezda become the first team to avoid defeat at the inventively named "OFK Vrsac Stadium" with a nervy 0-0 draw. Zvezda, to their credit (I guess?) are actually pushing us this year and a genuine title race has made me think with the upgrade in facilities, extra money, and no guarantee that I win the cup that I might actually stick this out a little longer yet. Feyenoord repeat their trick of last season with a 1-3 victory at our place, and admittance from me that we're probably not going to go through. I think 10 points is about the baseline to qualify and we're on 6 points with 3 games left. The second round of the all important Kup Srbije pits us at home to Novi Pazar, recently relegated and like most relegated teams in Serbia, struggling in the 2nd tier. This should be a cakewalk. But I'm not naïve to this anymore. No problems. It's a 4-0 win and progression to the quarter finals with only Partizan, OFK Beograd and Radnicki Nis of the top tier making it this far with us. This simply has to be it. Then it's Marseille, who've hit a shocking bit of form losing 6 games on the bounce in all competitions and an inquest following a 1-0 loss at Auxerre. This is a real opportunity, one that we look set to blow as they get an early lead. We do peg them back quickly but Emegha puts them back in front after half an hour. N'Tamon equalises with the last kick (header) of the half. The second half is a pretty rubbish game. I reluctantly think a point is probably going to be enough but it'll mean beating Leverkusen, who aren't doing too well themselves. Bayern are another kettle of fish to Inter and I think we'll be slaughtered there. But then... An extremely efficient display from us and the last 15 minutes locked down with relative ease. 3 wins from 6 in the Champions League. This is an absolutely great effort no matter how this ends. We end December by pummelling Partizan at their place, seeing their manager sacked. Quite how he lasted this long is beyond me - they're absolutely atrocious. When I said Zvezda had created a title race. Well they sort of did, but they've completely fallen off again with two surprise home losses giving us a huge cushion. As for the Champions League. I think we still need a result off Leverkusen personally. Especially given they're one of the teams chasing us. I think if we avoid defeat to them we might just do it. But it's been another very good season. The league and cup have gone to plan but the Champions League has been superb and genuinely miles above expectation. I'm sort of expecting them to top my budget up in January. The signings have been decent, especially Fedorchuk who has been terrific. The new striker has been a bit disappointing and neither him or Bubanj have been as good as last season, so I will probably get another in January. Things are great now though. It's a well oiled machine and I'm actually more likely to stick out another year than I was before, but we'll see how it goes.

They're so inept it feels deliberate.

And Legia Warsaw when they were bottom of the league. And Slavia Prague over two legs without scoring.

This is the opportunity cost that is forgotten about. This Palace side is no better than our side from 2020 time. If we'd kept that up somewhat we could've been well in contention for this sort of thing.

The lack of drop outs have really exposed the depth difference in the PL and other leagues. I'd be surprised if it ended up being 3/3 as PSG are far better than Arsenal IMO, but you can see a repeat next season. Will be backing Brighton to win this competition and wouldn't be surprised if one of the English three won the Europa as well.

These lower leagues are generally just totally duff. Got to probably loan your way to the top tier for things to ever really take off.

Leicesterford City is actually not a bad save idea. I've done South Africa but it was on the pentagon and straight into Kaizer Chiefs so there was no proper building job. I really enjoyed a lot of the other continents' Champions Leagues.

Brilliant stuff that @shen I tend to find once you've hit a European league phase off the back of no backing that everything else becomes a bit easier and I've no doubt you'll have these as the best team in Belgium in the long run if you stick with them. Update does look a bit smarter I think. Don't know if I'm seeing what I want to see though.