Miltonaggro

I think my preference would be to have not been relegated, with a secondary option of auto promotion at the first attempt (the Sport Republic option). That combined with the Pompey Scum going into administration, during which process a litany of corruption and depravity is discovered ensuring that they have to relocate to Surrey as the Maritime Dons.

It's clearly an attempt by the 'Sad Fucks' collective on here to destabilise the CoT.

In terms of not swapping the current position with 'this time last year' - exactly this time last year we were three points from 16th place in the Premier League. Had Sport Republic proved remotely capable in making their duo of managerial appointments and expensive signings in January 2023 quite a few of us would swap our current position. Success this year is promotion, and the Board have said as much, so long term 'sad fucks' not getting out the bunting quite yet, is actually not that surprising.

Bet Barnsley's Ladies absolutely love turning out in this masterpiece:

West Ham have first dibs on that next season...

I was biased with Koeman as my favourite player as a kid. Fancied myself as a ball playing centre half and my Dad, who had been a decent player, said to me watch this young lad who has just broken into Dutch team at 19, he's mustard. Koeman's time for us as a manager is about as near as you'll get to the upper echelons of the McMenemy era for those too young to have enjoyed it. High tempo attacking football with proper footballers in key positions, playing with a tempo and belief that anyone we played was fair game. Right club at right time for Ronald and us.

A traditional cracker!

Yeah, was seen much more as a continental style coach, I always thought he was a complete bell end. Bond was big mates with McMenemy and like LMc a pragmatist.

That's a really interesting comparison, though hopefully not prophetic. Allison was always vaunted as the 'next big thing' a thoroughly 'modern' coach with a pedigree from the 'academy of football' but seemed to get found out as a legend between his own years very quickly. Struggled everywhere apart from Palace in the season we beat them in the cup semi (75-76) and a later season at Sporting Lisbon in Portugal (finishing third in a three team league). When Strachan talked about propaganda football he probably had Allison's teams in mind.

Over a nice leisurely Sunday lunch today a very strong, perhaps irrefutable, inside source confirmed our incoming kit manufacturer for next season. Next time will start lunch earlier and attempt to winkle out the design.

Glad we don't have to endure this kind of shit anymore:

The sculptor Auguste de Bourneville works entirely in chocolate. This gives his work great fluidity, especially during the summer months. His 2023 work 'Pensive Jack Grealish' (below) is considered a high calorie masterpiece:

I blame Gary Lineker.

When the realise we are just below Columbus Crew, globally, they will be shitting bricks!

The brown and black stripe are in the rear gusset of the shorts, pink and blue front pouch or non-pouch, and the holy verse replaces the players name on the back of the shirt. It is genuinely, stunning and brave...

I agree, Johansson will get snapped up by a bigger club in the summer 100%. Great all rounder.

We are good, but we'll never be Columbus Crew good...

Good call, but I wasn't there to here the crunch and yelp for that one. Around that era I recall rumours of Jimmy Case laying out Jones in the tunnel at Plough Lane after Snatch had tried to take the piss out of his hearing aid, hope that was true.

I was level with his kung fu kick on Barmby at White Hart Lane. I genuinely think that was his career highlight.

We are in jumpers for goalposts territory here, but the one clear smell I remember from that era was a wall of Deep Heat when the players ran out and at every corner. The cup win in 1976 gave us ten years of positive momentum and we played some beautiful passing football, but with an intensity that is incredibly rare. Remember Steve Williams reminiscing and saying that it was a side that would keep fighting to play football and for one another right until the final whistle.

Big Dave Merrington had an eye for a player...

Is there a big reveal that Ali turns out to be Kamaldeen Sulemana's dad?

Chris, re-watch some of those games on the Big Match Revisted on ITV Player. You want to see class, intensity and team spirit - we were very spoilt.

Exactly, cheers CBF. Back in the early 80s when the likes of Forest, Ipswich and Saints were capable of genuinely upsetting the 'big clubs' I remember it being used as a common label applied by journalists when they could write and speak English. Provincial as opposed to metropolitan, peripheral perhaps - a semi insult