egg

Wow!! So the players should self manage because they've been playing for years? That's 'total bollocks '. I've read some nonsense over the years on here, but that's up there.

The belief that managers don't make a difference is something that I've never heard before, and will probably never hear again. Football is far from a level playing field in terms of players, it's the managers/coaches/tactics that can (to some extent at least) make the difference. You've only got to look at our club to see the reality. Poch comes in, improvement. Ralph came in, improvement. Jones comes in, we look even more shit than before.

We've spent £4m in compensation on Jones and his crew, and god knows how much paying off Ralph. Whatever was in the pot will have gone down.

That's so wrong. Players need to understand the shape of the team, player movement, set piece defending, set piece attacking, what the opponent's are likely to do, etc, etc, etc,etc,etc. Not do much better with Pep 😂

It's naive to think that China and Iran will be concerned about sanctions. In addition India will buy as much oil as they can. The west are dependant on two of those for much of the world's manufacturing so are boxed in sanctions wise against them. I appreciate that you want to believe that Russia will run out of money and ammo, but it's just not the reality.

For those calling for Lyanco in midfield. Please remember the Jack Stephens experience. It went as well as predicted, and about as well as a Lyanco experiment would.

Iran will supply them all day long, and I have little doubt China too. They have the currency of oil and gas to fund it. People have been saying for ages that the Russians are all but out of hardware, but that's nonsense.

Yep, and inevitably it'll happen. It's naive to think that the West/USA will fund this forever. Russia won't gain huge amounts of ground, and Ukraine won't push them back to pre 2014 borders. There can only be a diplomatic solution, and despite some saying that there shouldn't be compromise (morally I agree with the sentiment), the harsh reality is that there's no chance of peace without some.

The issue the west has is that it barely batted an eyelid after Crimea - carry on regardless on oil and gas, let's enjoy your world cup, etc. Russia will see Crimea as a given, Ukraine obviously won't, and the west either need to row backwards or throw Ukraine under the bus on it. No easy solution, but the west will run out of appetite to support Ukraine militarily at some point.

Ha!! How do you see it ending Whelk? No compromise and leave them to slug it (with Western support for Ukraine) until the bitter end? Or something else?

Delight

You've mooted compromise, but seemingly say that the Ukrainians can't compromise. Something has to give.

Indeed. We do it - all cool. Others do it - barbaric.

Very much my experience. I liked the feeling so much I've stayed stopped.

Which top 6 side would sign him, and play him? I honestly can't think of one. The issue I have with him is that he needs a bit more time than top players need, thus he tends to slow the game.

I don't get non alcoholic drinks. Alcohol is usually consumed for the effect, and the taste is a secondary thing. When I drank, I never drank a alcoholic drink because it was more refreshing and tastier than a soft drink. Now I don't drink, I choose the drink that I prefer the taste of - a chemically beer with the alcohol taken out has no appeal whatsoever.

The whole war was unjustified western interference based largely on wmd bullshit. Civilians died in it, and the fall out was/is immense. It's a discussion I cba to get into though cos I can see that we'll be going around in circles.

Compromise never involves one side backing down completely. One absolute certainty is that the war will continue if Russia and Ukraine both insist on getting the 4 annexed areas plus Crimea. Whilst Ukraine shouldn't have to give an inch (literally) the reality is that something has to give on both sides - that's the nature of the beast.

Really?? I won't waste my time mate.

Matter of opinion mate. We smashed it up because we felt justified in doing so.

The issue is where there can be compromise. Crimea seems a given, but Russia will need Ukraine to cede more to come to the table. A ruler and a pencil are needed, but there needs to be a willingness to give and take which I don't sense is there at the mo.

We did ok in Iraq.

It's a battle on various fronts. Part of that is absolutely about grinding down the Ukrainian people. No sense having battlefield scraps in a cold winter when you can smash a country up, and the morale of its people.

No. The train of thought is that badger's metric of success (territory gain) will not be a metric that will cross the mind of a Ukrainian in Lviv or Kyiv (areas which will inevitably stay in Ukrainian control) without water or electricity in freezing temperatures.

Agreed. Caleta-Car should be our first choice CB. Experienced and a talker. Caballero gets in by default for me - Bazunu needs taking out of the firing line, and McCarthy is McCarthy. We need a proper clear out and an injection of fresh blood. The problem is that we have to many players that aren't good enough for us, it for anyone else who'd meet the wages.