Dan

Go on the transfer room and search for breakthrough prospects. You might be a tiny non-league club with no real infrastructure or scouting beyond 50 miles away but rest assured there are wizards from Tajikistan ready for the call.

Don't think that's entirely fair on Maresca to be honest although I get the point. I suppose you could also flag up the Sensi deal as well which he wanted. In fairness to him though, he was delivering, certainly at that point anyway and I don't think he ever came here on the premise that we were going to stick around in the league and rebuild. He then left before we could really judge what he would do in the long run, plus I think he's very much a cog at Chelsea rather than calling all the shots. I'd be fascinated to know what he had in mind for the summer of 2024 - which turned into a complete and utter shitshow and basically everything since has been a total shambles.

It's a knock-on effect from the short-termism that the manager, or maybe even his bosses originally chose this season. The entire 'rebuild' had no conviction about it whatsoever, as fully expected under this regime. They're a very easy example to use because of how well they are doing this season, but Sunderland took exactly the approach we should take now. This left them in a position where they were financially sound enough to be able to go up and spend big money. The absolute peak we can achieve in our current state is the bottom three of the Premier League, and that isn't remotely likely either.

It's a painfully boring discussion because it goes in circles but... We are very unlikely to be promoted this season. Not impossible, but very unlikely. We are in a financial mess, one that is very likely to land us a points deduction, one that is quite possibly responsible for a situation where we have not paid staff on time. Therefore we need to make more prudent financial decisions. Therefore Nelson, who has been no worse than Vestergaard and no worse than Faes, should be given more leeway because he is the only one of them that has a chance of being any use if by some miracle we are promoted, the other two have proven they are not up to it. He is also the only one that could potentially command a big fee that goes a way to fixing the mess we've put ourselves in. The only situation where Faes and Vestergaard should be prioritised over Nelson for this season is if they are playing well enough to get us promoted. This is quite obviously not the case. This isn't even to do with youth players as such. I think if he was fit I would probably have Okoli in the team over Vestergaard as well, for a similar reason, though I'm less convinced of him than I am of Nelson, currently. This is really not that complicated. I am going to be biased towards him, and give him more leeway, because he has actual potential to be of use to us where the other two have basically none in the long-term, and are frankly not delivering it in the short-term either. I would also replicate this scenario given our blatantly obvious non-promotion for Aluko and Evans. All we have done in the last couple of years especially is make short-term decisions where we harm ourselves in the long-term, without even achieving our short-term aims either. The absolute worst of both worlds. So yes, Nelson should get more leeway, very obviously.

This is the player. That's my director of football. I'm not even scouting South America and he's got knowledge of France, Greece and Cape Verde. There is just no way we should be finding this player. I mean great that we have, but it just wouldn't happen.

No I tend to agree. We were the highest scorers in the league, had the most shots, most chances created and it was with around on average 7 of my first 11 from the 2nd tier (which admittedly absolutely walked the league). We're good but shouldn't be... 'that' good. We'd to away to AEK and we'd have treble the amount of shots they'd have for example. I'd have been happy if I'd finished 9th in that season and even more so after losing my first 4 games and yet if I'd beaten Olympiakos in the Championship group, which we weren't that far off doing, I'd have actually won the league. My tactic really isn't that special either I don't think. I actually think it has been slightly patched on this update based on the games I've played so far since. The 'greyed out' issue still exists but that's been a problem for years. I've played four league games so far and have drawn with a newly promoted side away, drawn at home to Aris (last min equaliser for them), beaten AEK 1-0 and lost 5-0 at Olympiakos (revenge eh). This feels more sort of in line with our ability level. AEK and Aris games could've gone either way, we should've beaten Panserraikos and the 5-0 was harsh but we were definitely second best as well, while last year at Olympiakos I got a red card in the first half and held them to a quite comfortable 0-0. In a quite weird way I didn't mind the 5-0 loss because it will actually make it rewarding when we are decent and at certain points last season, particularly some of the absolute drubbings and outplaying of 'bigger' teams it had started to feel less like we were playing well and more that it was just a bit broken. There's a fine balance and on early evidence it feels like it's been improved, but we'll see over time. It's too easy to sign good youngsters. So Nanders is here on loan for the year, a free £4.6mil made off him and I've just basically managed to get somebody just as good from the Brazilian 4th tier on a free simply through the transfer room. I have a very average director of football and he's bringing me borderline wonderkids for free. It's great but it should not be that simple as around the 20th biggest club in Greece.

My mate came up with the idea a couple of years ago and it's given a bit of a new lease of life tbh. I think it helps that I usually can get into Europe fairly quickly and then it just snowballs. Loads of leagues I've not touched yet as well.

Sheffield Wednesday - nearly failed to win a game that was harder to not Charlton - win that probably 10% of the time, fluke Birmingham - not loads in it, effective Swansea - similar to Birmingham Norwich - thought we were the better side over 90 but did take a long time to get going against completely abject opposition Stoke - similar to Birmingham/Swansea Derby - first half the best half all season, second half unnecessarily high drop off, but deserved win over 90 Ipswich - similar to Birmingham/Swansea/Stoke and carried by absolute wonder strikers So most of them I thought were even games we won by virtual of individual quality rather than good coaching or organisation. No clean sheet in 15 games backs that up. The two games we've been well on top were against the bottom two - both of whom we caught at a very good time as well. Only game we've dropped points in where I thought we were actually the better team was Coventry, bizarrely. It's complete tripe. This is a bottom half team.

That's incredible hahahahahahahaha I genuinely thought you got him in because he nailed it with how well he can write up a loss. What's the next game he's on and why is it Sheffield United?

I can see us getting a couple of decent results in the next two, our entire season just feels random. Rest assured the next calamity is never too far away so fully expect us to get hammered on New Years Day.

He's the only one of that back four I can tolerate us starting in August 2026. I mean I'd say January but we all know that's virtually impossible under this lot.

Wonder how many of our fans had "da da da da HOOPS" in their dream last night.

If the author is decided before the game rather than after then that is objectively hilarious.

Think her reputation probably goes up each passing day she's out of this shitshow.

Terrible yesterday, bigger black mark than the Huddersfield game for me. But what, you want Faes back?

I still think Ward is worse but he was also doing it at a higher level in a more important and potentially costly position so every chance it's that.

He's been bad lately but Ward is the worst player we've ever had. It isn't close.

Turned it off at 2-0. Would've likely left at 2 or 3-0 if I'd gone. Would take Mike Ashley over this dickhead.

I'm obviously banned so my decision got made for me a while ago but I don't think you could pay me to go to that Watford game.

Remember arguing with a few clowns on here defending the bullshitting about attendances a while ago (like as in they actually think being lied to is acceptable and I'm the problem for not being). The fact they feel the need to is pretty telling. And yet this is a club with actual potential which it's never going to get close to realising until this owner sells up ****s off back home. Hopefully there's a savvy person out there who sees it and invests in it.

I just cannot believe there's a worse regular starting player in the division. There just can't be.

I've always had sympathy due to how it's happened but it's a perfect illustration of our situation that he's still here. Any ruthlessness at the club and he'd have been in Turkey 3 years ago. We're probably stuck with him a little while longer because we only have one Aluko and Thomas is the far more egregious excuse of a footballer that needs replacing first, but he's done now, pound for pound what we get back isn't close to satisfactory. Shake hands and let go. He's done.

That game really does expose how bad he is. Just absolutely damning. Humiliating.

Actually think the performances are very consistent. Results are very mixed but performance is 4/10 virtually every game.

Should be the end of this manager. Won't be though as they can't afford it. Pound for pound this is the worst run club in England.