CB Fry

Jones won one in eight Premier League matches, which isn't 35% of anyone's money.

I'm pretty much ok with this. I loved last season, and it feels like we will be very well placed to actually push for the title next year.

Get the feeling we will be up against a caretaker manager for our cup match at Goodison.

Under Russell Martin we are nailed on relegated. Under another manager it's pretty likely as well. But the way we are being set up is not going to get us anywhere near enough points or goals.

We played away at a team in red and white the day after last years’ summer window closed as well.

Still, Russell Martin is being softly marketed by Sport Republic as a “Golden Hen” coach.

Smallbone and Armstrong waving goodbye to their starting positions.

I think just young and new to this level. And playing a system which is absolutely unforgiving for a young centre back.

That is nowhere near what the post I replied to is saying. Read it back, absolute pie in the sky. You don’t get to say any old bullshit and then caveat it with “oh he’s not there yet”. He’s nothing yet. Just one of an armful of coaches who have been promoted to the Championship.

And we have people on this forum blathering on about how players all over will all be desperate to learn at the feet of Russell Martin. Absolute suicide football.

Jesus wept. There is a list a mile long of managers who have managed to get a team promoted from the Championship. At elite level it's not that special. Russell Martin needs to do a hell of a lot more before he becomes a managerial "brand" in the way you're babbling about.

The final piece of the jigsaw 👍👍👍

Only free agents like when we signed Caseres all those years ago. The main thing we will be doing is selling as other windows (eg Turkey) are open.

I am saying 7/10. Goalkeeper signing is outstanding but beyond that a lot of running to stand still. Apart from the keeper it doesn't feel like we have leapt forward to Premier League quality. If we finish fourth bottom then mission accomplished. Not sure we have the squad to score the goals do it at this point.

I think that is overegging how much we are like that Forest summer two years ago. We're nothing like it at all. There will be a reason why their window in 2022 was a national media talking point/standing joke and ours will elicit zero response from the same quarters. We signed players that played for us in the Wembley final weeks earlier. Forest basically binned off their Play off team and bought new twice over.

Everything Russell Martin said in the pre-match press conferences etc suggested he is going straight into the team. Always a bit of a risk but he's too good to stick on the bench. And equally playing a McCarthy who knows he is out whatever he does today is just as much of a risk. I will be amazed if Ramsdale isn't straight in today.

What a summer the COT have had. Absolutely note perfect 👌

I think someone is still trying to compensate for spending the entirety of last summer going on and on about how JWP was not leaving Saints.

Maybe he could play for both Sheffield clubs. United at the weekend and the other one on one day during the week

Two hours away from never having to read about Danny Ings on here again, hopefully.

I'm starting to worry that we might not get the deal sheets in on time for this £30m striker from Brazil 😞

This is my Last Post on Cornet.

Thanks for the links to Twitter @hypochondriac - really interesting 👍

There is a boring answer to this. He's a massive fan of Manic Street Preachers, wrote their official biography and works with them on various things. I think he is from near where they are from in South Wales. (Of course, Manics supported Oasis at Knebworth some will remember. The Manics do not hate Oasis).

Looks like they did sanction him leaving before the replacement was in the building. There is no announcement on any Arsenal channel of a replacement goalkeeper.