Dan

SELL SELL SELL

It's definitely better. If nothing more he's just exposed those above him even further.

No chance. Rudkin's here until Aiyawatt goes.

Played another season. I think I've become a bit obsessed with that Mustermann's ideas and he does series based on five seasons. I thought about calling it a day after this but I won't just yet. It went very well on the whole. Not totally without fault. But it was good. A repeat 2nd placed finish. I made an optimistic aim to win the Bundesliga in year five. That is partly contingent on Bayern not being an absolute machine, and unfortunately, they are. But the gap definitely closed. They got 3 points less and we got 2 more. We also managed to finally avoid being fisted by them in a game, with a 2-2 draw at home. We also went out of the Champions League in the same round. Ourselves to Lyon in a genuinely awful collapse, the only real black mark of the whole season (well that and losing at Heidenheim). We beat 10 men 2-0 at home before collapsing 4-1 in France and were out. A shit way to end what had been a really good campaign, where we'd been unbeaten at home, the highlight being a 1-0 win over PSG. Also added Bochum's first ever trophy, winning the DFB Pokal. We had a very kind run. The tournament opened up massively with nearly all of the usual suspects falling before the quarter finals somehow, leaving 12th placed finishing Werder Bremen the next highest ranked team left in the competition at that stage which was remarkable. That and being drawn at home in every round was a massive help. It was Bremen we beat in the final, 2-0 and total domination. We still only have the 15th biggest wage bill in the division so it's going bloody well considering. Very much making incremental improvements to the team rather than any drastic overhauling, which is quite satisfying but at the same time I wonder if I am conning myself out of doing that bit better.

It's all quite built on sand with Martin. I think a lot of the praise at the minute is because there was such a consensus of being anti him when it happened so there's a bit of overcompensating. But I agree with everything you've said. I don't think he will prove a hit with our fans in the long run and it will not take a lot at all for people to turn on him. Particularly in this league. It's kind of similar with Southampton fans. He got them promoted and look at the way most of them talk about him. I don't remember them ever being that bought in with him. I think this will be even worse here.

I'd be interested to know which seasons. There's a common myth on here (not saying this is you) that we had a crap set of pre-season results in 2015 and it isn't the case. Only one I can think of off the top of my head was 2013. I do remember us losing at Northampton just before the season kicked off, it was pretty toxic, as was the first half at Middlesbrough on the opening day. The worst I can remember is 2024. I've never been so certain of relegation before a ball was even kicked.

I think we're unfortunately lumbered with Thomas and Choudhury regardless. The signs on the outgoings are better for sure but we are still less than half way through what we should do. Vestergaard, Winks and Ayew all gone is at least a good starting point for the dressing room morale.

He's an Oxford fan with scars from what's happened to them in the past but he sounded very concerned about them last week. They've only got two years left in their stadium as it's been sold to housing developers, keep getting kicked back on their new stadium and their owner failed to do what's been said here. They could be in the shit.

And to be honest, of the incomings, I'm still not seeing much of one either. Time may prove me wrong. But until that's fixed I'm not going to be heaping praise just yet.

I run my own sweepstake and one of the awards is the worst discipline so I am keeping a bit of a track of it. I scored it based on 1 point for a yellow and 3 for a straight red. Obviously 2 yellows and red is 2 points. It'll come as no surprise that Argentina and Paraguay ended up the top two. I think they very purposely went lenient on cards in the early rounds after the debacle of the opening fixture. I still find Paraguay going cardless against France completely extraordinary.

I think you've seen an upturn in player sales which is good to see. We seem to be getting some better deals going out. But I am finding some of the praise a bit grating. This isn't a dig at McCarron but it shows how successfully they've reduced everyone's expectations. This is more bringing us in line with what most clubs are capable of. It sums up how unbelievably hopeless Rudkin was. We also need incomings as well.

Got the winner but runner up nowhere near even though they did go out to Spain. Actually unsure who had the most reds - think it was South Africa? Paraguay came close if nothing else. Iraq joint most conceded. Not my best effort. Not my worst. This came very close.

We've had a few losses as favourites but never wins as underdogs. I think Argentina in 2002 might've been the last game England won as a bookie underdog in a tournament. Including everything I can think of only two others - Spain away in the nations league, and bizarrely, last night against France.

Yeah we were favourites and rightly so. Germany have been pretty terrible since winning the World Cup in 2014 and we were at home.

Five trophies in ten tournaments for Spain. What a great era for them.