CanadaSaint

Nice, but United would have to ditch 2/3 of their squad, including Ronaldo, to play Ralph’s way.

I get that JWP is not very creative, and it can be frustrating, but he’s a good 8 or 9 out of ten for pretty much everything else. He’s also become a solid leader on the pitch, and we lose him at our peril. Right now it looks like there’s depth all over the park, with players able to adjust their role to suit the situation. Tella’s looking like a fast-developing S. Armstrong apprentice.

There you go. fit wasn't for Gabby we'd be heading to Huddersfield next week.

I think you're right. Ralph is quick to forgive ineptitude from the senior pros but quick to punish mistakes from the younger ones.

Longy misjudged that - he was onside. 😂

Exactly. I like Ralph but I find his "my way" obstinacy infuriating at times.

In almost every "man short" situation I can remember, including both 9-0's, Ralph has left two striker-type players out there. I've always struggled to figure out why he would opt to do that, and dismantle the heart of our midfield.

I fear that the capricious football gods are brewing up an Obafemi winner.

We need to aim a few long ones at the centre circle and leave Broja to take it from there.

To this day I have a clear memory of meeting up with my 71 year-old Dad after the game (he was in the seats, we were in the Saints end) and his words were "You can take me now, Lord, you can take me now". And with Cambridge doing Newcastle, perhaps the magic of the FA Cup is coming back.

Valery was gradually working is way back into Ralph's good books, despite some reservations, but that might remove him from the reckoning. No big problem with the second yellow, but I think refs need to be a bit more tolerant before showing the first. With good refs a word in the ear is just as effective as a yellow, and it doesn't spoil games.

My stream's a bit behind. Channon's looking dangerous.

Any streams for those of us outside the UK?

Pleased to see that. His aggressive running has the potential to replace what we used to get (and badly miss) from the now-unreliable Stuart Armstrong, although he obviously needs more maturity and greater composure when a chance comes his way.

And another worthwhile thread goes off the rails with off-topic jousting that will end up with it disappearing up its own arse. We are the Moussa Djenepo of web forums. Thanks to tajjuk for pointing us back in the general direction of the goal.

I've already said I'm not expecting any fireworks, so there was no suggestion of chucking money around, but I specifically referenced a keeper. Eighth seems like a pipe dream but it's hard to believe that we're only seven points away from it with all the crazy shit that's happened this year - especially the second half capitulations

I doubt it’s lost on them that we’re only 7 points away from 8th, so it depends on what their aspirations are.

They seem pretty shrewd, and I’m sure they know that that finalizing this just as the window opens creates a higher level of expectation. If they’re not willing to do something they would probably have waited. I’m not expecting fireworks but I think it’ll be smart squad improvement. I also suspect that part of their due diligence involved time on here, so they’ll be well aware that a keeper is a priority. 😂

Not just for our sake but for football’s sake, I really like what seems to be going on here. It’s always good to see the rich, arrogant, self-entitled behemoth get its ass kicked by the little guy whose success comes from prudence and ingenuity. Brentford have been such a breath of fresh air, and I found a lot to admire in Midtjylland even if it was our ass that was getting kicked. We can really start punching above our weight as well with Ankersen involved. It’s about time the rest of us found an answer to the Marie Antoinettes of the Premier League.

This is the critical question for me, because that loan is a major FFP constraint for us - a dollar spent on interest is a dollar that can't be spent on players and club improvement. I'm happy it has finally happened, but I'd be even happier - and more optimistic - if that loan is gone from our books. https://www.sportsadda.com/football/features/financial-fair-play-uefa-football-explained "What is counted under the Financial Fair Play regulations? To comply with the Financial Fair Play regulations, the Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) stated that only a club's outgoings in the area of transfers, employee benefits (including wages), amortisation of transfers, financial costs and dividends will be included."

It's the only explanation I can think of for the 125 million/200 million disparity in the "price paid" stories. It also makes excellent sense of the goal is to make the club better able to fund a higher quality squad without throwing crazy money at transfer fees.

One of the biggest opportunities out there for clubs like us comes from the profligacy of the big clubs. They hoover up talent, especially young talent, much of which is very good but not good enough. The transfer fees aren't big but the wages have been a problem for us, especially with the loan swallowing a lot of our viability. I don't expect big-price transfers but good young talent and older free agents. I'm hoping that Semmen's comment "we're much better placed than we were yesterday" means that the loan gone.

From what I remember it was a high-risk interest rate - like 7.5%, which is way above regular corporate loan rates. That throttles the club's finances and probably plays (negatively) into the FFP equation. It also places major pressure on wage bill affordability which is why I mentioned free agents. But lenders don't usually let you pay out early without some penalties.

What I want to hear is that they've paid off the loan outright, if that's possible. That would transform the finances of the club, and pave the way for some quality signings - not necessarily paid transfers but free agents whose contracts have expired.