benjii

Also, for the record, WBA are a stark illustration of the lack of quality outside the top few in this league. Basically, this year's Leicester. An awful side to be in the top 8. It's a shame we've had a stop-start season because at our best we could have been up there fighting for sixth / seventh again.

I think Ox is a quality player but he needs a run in a consistent role to build his confidence. Arsenal are a team on the wane which isn't helping him either.

How can Arsenal defend zonally about three yards out and leave the West Brom centre backs being marked by Ramsey and Ox. ****ing insane. Apart from Sanchez they were crap on the ball as well. Too many very average signings catching up with them. If Sanchez leaves and they appoint the wrong manager you could see them having a few years outside the top four.

Not sure if there would be that much interest in Barkley. All the top 6 have similar but better players.

I think it's obvious to everyone that the move wasn't for beneficial footballing reasons. It's a backwards career move. He knows that and it hurts him, hence all the attempts at justification going on. The real reason as obviously long-term earnings because we didn't want to offer an even more lucrative deal to an old player. He had someone willing to better it and they were willing to pay us a high fee. So it's good for everyone on that basis and I don't see any need for recriminations. I think he's just a bit gutted that he's gone from playing for a progressive club and winning the European Championships to playing for a club on the wane. What he really wanted was a lucrative move to a "top" club.

Yeah, but it balances all the times the refs are out to get Man U. I bet on balance Man U are really hard done by. Poor old Man U. As an aside, I enjoyed Conte's post-match comments that Man U have the best squad in the league. Nice subtle way of sticking the boot into Mourinho.

I think your recollections of the Dell may be based on several decades ago? I started going regularly in the 90s and there was pre-match music. "On a Rope" by Rocket from the Crypt seemed to be a particular favourite and I think I remember a bit of Haddaway as well. Anyway, as the teams lined up in the tunnel, the introduction to One Vision by Queen would play. Jason Dodd would run out and boot the ball in the air when it moved from the intro bit into the actual song. So, if the atmosphere has dwindled it is probably down to the lack of terracing, rather than any soundtrack over the PA.

Ah, right. I didn't know they had gone bust. Or "buuust" as the French say. Thanks.

The tannoy (or, rather, PA system: "Tannoy" is a brand name; it's like "Hoover" when people mean vacuum cleaner. Aha!) is not too loud. It was too quiet. Now it is audible.

I should also note, those figures in the quoted table are reflective of cash-flow. So if a fee is to be paid in instalments you will only see the instalments actually paid (and so, again, you would expect the figures to be less than the full transfer value). The remaining instalments should show as assets on the balance sheet, not in the P&L.

No, of course they aren't inclusive of wages. He's talking ********. The column shows actual money received. So not contingent payments that might form part of the overall value of the transfer and not sell-on fees to other clubs. Logically, it must be less than the sum of the individual transfer values.

The fees received column is net of sell-on payments so won't reflect the actual transfer values. We must have paid a reasonable sell-on whack for Lallana, Lovren, Wanyama and Mane, I would have thought. Maybe Schneiderlin too, considering how little we paid for him in the first place!

Right Saint Fred.

But that's not how we played 4-3-3 at all. We played it with five lines. *------*------*------* ------------*----------- -------*----------*------ -----*---------------*---- ------------*-------------- The difference between that and our diamond was whether the central forward was in a "number 10" role, supporting two wider strikers or whether the central forward was a striker, supported by two wider players. The point is, our diamond and 4-3-3 were variations on the same theme, both with five lines. Now, in our 4231, we play more like four lines. Basically, we have made it more simple.

Gabbiadini will be here next season. Obviously.

How was Cashew?

Christ, I've just had more of a look round their website.

For the fashion conscious and cutting-edge amongst you, I present MustTryHarder's Gents 2017 collection: https://mustryharder.com/gents/

Foster is retired too internationally, I thought?

This is a work of quite some stature.

Coach Zoran and his African Tigers is good as well.

Forever Pure - about Beitar Jerusalem and our old pal Arkadi Gaydamak. Was on iPlayer but probably not any more. Must be somewhere on t'internet!

"Targeting a return to the Championship by 2019"