Ex Lion Tamer

He probably had help but "gentle" is such an odd choice that it feels like a genuine sentiment

Semmens just said on a podcast that we have money to spend in Jan

He was definitely getting pelters on here but it's hard to dig out the exact threads

A lot depends on how much Moi is earning and what he'll accept to stay. I'd keep him if he takes the right wage

It would be AP Saints, for Amazon Prime

Not going well for Claude at St Etienne https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/oct/18/claude-puel-clinging-on-job-ligue-1-saint-etienne

Yeah but apart from that, why hasn't Ralph been starting him?

Yep, surprised it has passed without more comment really (or maybe I just missed it). It feels good to break the managerial merry-go-round we've been on, even if results have been up and down (to say the least)

2 more games and Ralph will have overtaken Adkins for number of games managed. 6 more games and he'll overtake Branfoot, becoming our longest serving manager since Chris Nicholl

I just came on here to say what a brilliant pass that was. Perfect weighting

Good stuff. Once again our opponents have had an off day, funny that

Why not? I mean, I don't think you can confidently predict it will happen, but I don't see why it can't either. If you get girls playing in schools then the rest will follow

Graeme Jones must have been slacking off this season because they're back in the relegation zone

There was also the dodgy sponsorship deal. But I basically agree with you. Imagine if Gao gave Alan Pardew an eight-year contract! Or tried to rename the stadium. Or got us relegated twice. Or hired Joe Kinnear. Etc etc

Exactly, it has a lot more to do with an emotional desire for a "regular guy" at the top, ideally English, who will speak to the fans and seem nice. Ok Gao doesn't do that, but all that stuff is window dressing. He's overseeing the club well enough, he just can't invest unfortunately

We could also achieve this by getting relegated to the championship, if it's really what you want

For every Pogba there's a dullard footballer though. Some of them are actually dedicated to their careers

I don't think he's premier League quality but I'd take this with a pinch of salt. The author has clearly based it on goals and assists and never watched him play or talked to anyone who has. Only 3 of the 7 appearances were starts and those starts were the last three games so he's building a first team place. How many games did Adams go without scoring for us? Hack journalism basically

Since you ask so nicely, there was an Athletic article about how all the Chinese owners bought clubs to get in the government's good books, only for the government to change its mind. They're now not allowed to invest in their clubs but they're also not allowed to sell at a loss, putting people like Gao in an impossible position. One way or another they're definitely being monitored. That's how it works if you're a wealthy businessman in China.

Yes

Cortese isn't at the club any more because Kat turned off the money tap. If she had allowed Cortese to keep spending and we had hired Ralph then Ralph would probably be doing a lot better with a better squad

Ralph needs to prove himself over the next few games for me, but there's no way I would want Ranieri

Quite

Do you think Gao would be bothered if we get relegated and he loses millions? I reckon he cares just as much as us, if not more

Why would they come to us over Everton?