Holmes_and_Watson

Cars

That's exactly what I was trying to say. Can I just copy and paste your post into mine? 🙂

Lots of points to think about there in your post. As young as they are, ABK has been a significant upgrade. Lavia has also made a real difference. The club were wrong in getting shot of Romeu, just when we finally had a chance of having quality and depth in that position. I rated Forster, but Bazunu hasn't been terrible. Not as good, but not a disaster. So some definite improvements. The likes of Edozie, Larios, Mara and I'd add Small there have improvements to make. But there's talent in all of them. I see them as being bought in to replace that absence of academy graduates pushing the first team. We've Doyle, Dibling, Edwards and Ballard coming up behind. Hopefully that's going to close that issue of not producing first team players. Elsewhere DCC, Aribo and AMN are decent squad additions. Their age means we're not only focussing on kids. It's the missing attacking midfielder and striker that turned a very good transfer window sour. From posts here, that was more Semmens than SR. Brighton, Brentford etc improved over seasons by employing a number of transfer strategies, keeping costs low. We've had a few years of stagnation before this one. We've clearly been addressing a number of areas, but had a howler at the one we all,including the manager and club, knew we needed to fix most. I agree that the standard of teams has gone up. While we were paying for Man City kids, decent experienced players were being bought elsewhere. A number of players I liked moved for decent money. But nothing wrong with picking ABK or Lavia over them. We are going to need quality attacking signings. They are going to have to hit the ground running. Hopefully the new manager will be working during the break to get ones fitting his tactics in as early as possible. I imagine there will be a lot more oversight on Semmens this time round, if the posts were accurate. Without mega bucks, we're going to be in that bottom pack, trying to outsmart our competitors to get some success. Further up the chain, even Liverpool are looking for new owners to sustain their aspirations. Brighton, Brentford are already well down their paths so it is a challenge. The new manager is more of a Potter signing than a Emery one. Could we have got a higher profile manager in, who could show the players what to aspire towards, with the risk they can't get there? Or is it better to have someone develop a long term ethos of the club (and across others), building from where they are, but at the risk of setting the sights too low, or on short term sell ons? We've sent with the second option, in keeping with Ankersen's views. We know Jones has been on the radar for some time, so can only hope it works.

Or stale manager out, and new guy in with a tactic that could push JWP forward up the pitch, and to a cracking second half of the season after a nice break. 🙂

Liverpool's data analytics team didn't cover Luton. So we'll have the element of surprise. Mr Jones tells the squad he couldn't give a stuff about automatisms, releasing all that talent that had been there all along. Lyanco starts and, along with AA and Che actively target world cup players. The fear of injury allows us to sneak a 2-1 victory, with Stu being vital. Klippety gets sent off for being a tool after moaning that his players falling over should always be a free kick. Controversy at the end when a tear is seen in Mr Jones' eye. Is it a Ralph tear of joy, or just one of laughter at the antics of Klippety?

Southgate was asked directly about JWP. Southgate said that "frankly" be was just behind the ones he picked there. Not in the same role as Phillips, as Garrett posted. Gallagher singled out as being a forward moving midfielder, something Southgate though there weren't many of. You could read that as a JWP related comment. Southgate also made sure to mention Madison's set pieces. Being part of a nose diving team at the end of last season, and not much better in this, won't have helped. Ralph's defensive approach this season, won't have done much to show off JWP's strengths either. JWP doesn't offer a clear advantage over the others to claim a place. Henderson is probably the exception, but I can see why Southgate would want that experience, and big game mentality in the squad.

Stable

It's a good song, but with all the other negativity, I didn't think one about running off with his wife was going to help. 🙂

I wondered where all Ralph's motivational posters would go when he left the club. 🙂

Welcome Mr Jones

As many times as it takes before you just give up in exasperation probably. 🙂

Doctor

From January 2020, when it was reported that Extinciton Rebellion were in a police guide on extremist groups https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-51071959 Because when resources get tight, and everything falls apart, it's important to know which side of the fencing you're going to be. 🙂 Small beans compared to new threads being started that would fit nicely into any number of others though. 🙂

I had started a "Cat In" campaign in my household not 5 minutes before you posted! Admittedly, it's due to it raining outside and his fur getting wet, but happy to combine goals. 🙂

Jones left the club, in difficult circumstances, at the start of 2000. Seems a bit pointless, and late, for a protest now.

Yup. It's not something posters here would do. Mind you, it's not something posters here ever get an opportunity to do... 🙂

He's getting in some early practise. 🙂

Repeat

Cardboard

Swear

It's a fair point. I'm not over the fee for David Hirst. 🙂

River

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