Holmes_and_Watson

Noticed the Beeb reporting the Athletic have reported it on their any old rumour cobbled together by others, to save them having to do work, gossip page.

PSV Eindhoven director Marcel Brands has said Leeds made an offer of £30m plus £11m in bonuses for Netherlands winger Cody Gakpo, 23, last summer. (ESPN - in Dutch)

No doubt putting it out there ahead of January window, to drum up some serious money. But shows what we were bidding against in the end.

Major

I only saw from the end of the first half on. Newcastle took their chances. We had a few, missed them, and it took a clever bit of play from Perraud to score one. Being critical, AMN was a yard off to block a shot, they got one as we pushed up, and a better, more powerful keeper might have got a hand for the fourth.

Subs made en masse, as if they come in attacking job lots, and Ralph was just making another frustrated point.

Newcastle looked the better side by some distance. But had we taken our chances...

Just caught the tail end of the half. Mo's miss at pace, after a really good move. A wasted looking delivery from JWP. Stu looking involved in a lot. I'll read the comments later, to see if that was our best couple of minutes or not. 🙂

A bit of confusion round here. The traditional terrorist supporters had their fireworks ready, and a bonfire particulary packed with effigies, thanks to the revolving door at number 10.

Then the Just Stop Oil, modern activists, came along and poured soup over it all. Nothing would light after that. 🙂

1 hour ago, Maggie May said:

Marsch in!!

When the Saints go Marsching in, has a good ring to it. 🙂

13th for me. The monotony of option 1 would wear me down. I'd have hope of us grabbing a winner from 2-2 than change from a defensive tactic, when 1-0 down.

If it's FIFA corruption, then any tournament for decades could have been avoided.

If it's corruption on the part of the host nation, there's probably not a host nation you couldn't have pointed to right from the start.

If it's horrendous foreign policy that dictates entry, there wouldn't be many countries turning up.

If it's dehumanising working conditions, lack of health and safety and many other practices, step forward any number of sponsors and all the attending countries who were happy to turn a blind eye, over the decades.

If it's LGBTQ+ rights, where no one should host a tournament where it's criminalised, then that would have ruled out the first in Uruguay (decriminalised 1934) and England (decriminalised 1967) for a start. Not that long ago.

All very depressing. But certainly not a case of shrugging shoulders and letting it pass.

FIFA have indicated that future tournaments will be looking at rights as part of the process. Probably with a sigh of relief that they've gotten away with such large scale corruption. They've a lot more to get rid of too.

Hopefully, there will be loads of exposure to the practices of all involved.

Hopefully, it will be incredibly uncomfortable for them all and that it continues long afterwards. That should include the facilitating sponsors and broadcasters.

You never know, as the teams line up, they'll all turn to each other with rainbow armbands and give each other a LGBTQ+ supporting kiss.

I've no plans to watch much of it. But I didn't have plans to watch the Euros this year, and really enjoyed nearly all of it. I generally enjoyed the Euro 2020, the year before, having got drawn in. There have been tournaments, that have mostly passed me by. If I catch the early ones, then it builds momentum/ becomes a habit and I'll see more.

2 hours ago, CB Fry said:

Hardly the biggest issue with the whole thing but it's a real shame that an entire generation of kids - say 12 year olds now - don't get a proper world cup summer.

I was 12 nearly 13 for for Italia 90 and it made a huge impression on me.

A summer of making a world cup planner, getting all the squad details, and the felt tips for completing it. Along with a Panini album and recreating the matches in the park between games. A little bubble of football heaven.

Detective

Dog

Show

Rewind

Strike

Euro show on the radio said that Lopetegui has had offers from two Premier League clubs. Coy on the one that wasn't Wolves. Went onto say it's very much Wolves as favourite, as they are really keen to get him, once personal issues are resolved.

Can't afford a fart joke now. 🙂

Like the rest of you, we'll sacrifice one of the local tourists we caught in the summer on the stone altar, so that our local forest deity will throw her light into the sky to begin to regrow our world.

Reads up...

...   hang on... is it just us...

🙂

39 minutes ago, Tom & Gerry said:

Yes a very fair article. I don't think there is a right or wrong in this. It's only right to sack Ralph if his successor does better and we've had plenty of bad ones. We once had a manager who in his first 4 seasons finished 20th in the top league then 13th,  6th and 9th in the second division and we kept him for 12 seasons. Mad, bonkers , how could you ever get high up in the top league like that. Well he did. His name was Lawrie something.

I know times have changed and I'm not suggesting Ralph stays that long, just illustrating the point that whatever you do is a gamble 

I was just imagining Ralph telling some of the personalities in Lawrie's teams all about Automatisms 🙂

Madness to expect to keep 2 players happy in a squad game, where they'd both get lots of minutes, with 5 subs allowed, on Premiership wages. I'll be wanting a striker next. I don't know how all those other clubs seem to manage it. 🙂

Set

It would be unrealistic, and possibly counterproductive to expect Lavia to start every game.

Then there are the games, where you'd want an able replacement to bring off the bench. Not just for Lavia either.

Then there are the games when you'd want the option of a three in there, with a combination of the strengths of both.

It was always clear that Diallo wouldn't work in there. Nor does JWP. A number have been clear that it's not AMN either.

Holiday

I remember something hinted last season, when he was in good form, that he may be looking at new pastures in the near future. I took that to mean that negotiations on a new contract had either broken down, or he was using the statement to push for a better deal. For me, all the wanting to go home stuff came after no new deal came about.

With Lavia such a good prospect I think the club were more than willing to accept offers for Romeu, as they were a number of players as they sought to reduce the wage bill. I got the feeling Lavia wasn't signed to sit on the bench. That might have been made clear to Romeu as a way of incentive to leave. Lavia started really well. But negligent to not have back up. I don't think the club tried to have both in the squad together.

As for his legs having gone, most of the squad should have been moved on then. They nearly all looked like they were shot during that run in. Romeu at least had an excuse as he expended loads of energy in that position. Another reason why proper cover should have considered this season.

A naïve move from the club, focussing too much on their master plan and not enough on what the impact would really be.

I had no idea the cost of glossy supplements could derail the economy. 48 pages doesn't seem that much. 🙂

11 hours ago, The Left Back said:

I'd love to read your reviews of various Hitler speeches in the 30s.

 

I don't recall saying I agreed with anything she said. Bit early to be pressing the big red H for Hitler button. 🙂