DuncanRG

Let me know if I'm reading this wrong. Are you suggesting we sack Puel because his press conferences are boring, and saying this would be a brave thing to do? You'd have to be thick to think it's the sole cause of our problems, but you'd also have to be thick to pretend it doesn't contribute.

And, crucially, don't let the astonishing highs we've had in recent years make a downturn look like the end of the world.

What part of improvement for six consecutive seasons doesn't constitute progress? We may not push on again this year (though I said the same this time last year) but laying into the people who have carried our club from League One to Europe is utter, utter madness. It drives me mad, this. Get angry about the signings, criticise the manager, even call for his head if you think the time's right. But what do the owners of a football club have to do to win people's respect? What more could they have done over the past seven years to prove that, even if things go wrong sometimes, they know what they're doing? The remarkable success they've delivered has given some of our fans a noxious sense of entitlement.

Yep. Another good reason to get a striker in - fire the squad up and get some belief back. It can when you play three games in six days, including two games in three, no matter the rotation. We can't treat this as if we've lost on three consecutive Saturdays. Getting out of the congested fixtures won't fix our problems but my god will it help. Shame the last flurry of games involves a League Cup semi-final.

Exactly this

This rather ignores the fact that Puel has changed the way he plays during the season. Not sure what the better way is for our players, either. The team needs to play better but I'm not sure Puel defies common sense.

These tend to be the people who can't stand watching football unless the ball is literally in the opponent's net or we 'get into them'. We really don't need language like that around here, mate.

Putting the academy manager in charge of corporate communications really was an error.

What's a common sense manager?

I'm sure they'd have been interested if we'd won 3-0. That's how this works, right?

Of course it's a realistic aspiration. It would be far bolder as a prediction, which some people confuse it with.

He deserved credit. His influence on he defence was there for all to see. Sadly there's a chance recent mistakes might affect the confidence he usually transmits.

He's out of form. That's it.

Absolutely. Spurs were good but we weren't capable of competing in midfield and were lucky not to concede more. Some of our defending was all over the place, though you can forgive it to some degree when you're chasing the game a man down.

Schneiderlin will be on at least £100,000 a week at United. Our top earner, Van Dijk, reportedly earns £70k. Bringing Schneiderlin in on that money absolutely would upset the balance, not least with our many midfielders. That's where the gamble lies for me - we've got a good thing going with Romeu and upsetting that is potentially dangerous. Not sure how he can be fresher after two years on the bench and with injury problems, either. He might well be a raving success at whatever club he goes to though, and I hope he is. Unless it's Everton.

There will be a relegation clause of some sort, I'm sure. But if we were interested in him I expect we'd have had a go when Spurs sold him back.

It's not something players normally say. The fact that Hojbjerg has moved from one of the biggest clubs in the world gives it some credence as well.

Everton are paying Lukaku £200,000 a week?! Crikey. That answers the question someone posed on here the other day about whether they could outspend us.

Koeman was dishonest. He said he was staying then left - and with a record of criticising money-chasers to boot. Pochettino just dodged the questions, which is the right way of going about it if you want to leave. He's a good guy and so is Koeman, but the latter did not treat us well at all and deserves stick for it.

Bertrand's in the dodgy nude suit

How is there no risk in spending £15m+ and more in wages on a player who's hardly played this season, could bring psychological baggage with him and risks unsettling one of our players of the season? You're free to make the case but the risks must be considered.

Good interview with Virgil in The Times, but nothing revelatory on the transfer front. Says he has ambition, like everyone, but that he is very happy at Saints, an "amazing place to be". The reporter says in his copy that "This is no come and get me plea". http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/e7e24132-c947-11e6-89fb-efb68b0c62ff

I wasn't singling you out for that. But why would someone let the way they interact with friends be dictated by football fans who are still angry about a transfer from several years ago? It's not like he's showering him with praise two days before the semi-final.

You're talking about the old system. If we still played with two holding midfielders then I'd go after Schneiderlin for sure. Now we play with one, and that's Romeu.

He's well out of our league. He's played a fair bit under Pep, who I think went with De Bruyne against Arsenal for defensive reasons. But hell, if City are really desperate for Van Dijk then we should definitely try! Indeed. I wouldn't be happy to sign Fonte if I were an Evertonian.