joey_big_nose

Yes.... We seem to serially line up players then everything falls down when there is the final sign off from Venkys . We haven't managed to commit to a fee since the trouble in India kicked off (apart from O'Riodan?) so Im not counting on anything until we see them actually play a game...

So I reckon Gueye is straight swap for Gallagher and Ohashi for Sam Szmodics. So good we have found replacements but we are ultimately standing still at best. We still need 1 x CF, 1 x AM, 1x winger, 1 x CM, 1 x CB, 1 x GK....

Ha good point! Guess Oddschecker have a bug... looks like Rovers are 4th favorites for the drop.

He's scored 31 goals in 91 games in the Belgium top division so to be honest is actually got a better record than I was expecting.... Also his current club paid EUR 3mill for him a year ago apparently. https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/makhtar-gueye/profil/spieler/606849

I think in previous years the thread has got kick off way too early, but I think most neutral onlookers do have us in the relegation battle this year. We're around 5th favourite for relegation.... So a very reasonable topic to raise. I don't think we have ever gone into a season in the Champioship in the relegation top 5 favourites? Even when under Coyle etc.

Hedges like JRC is a good player at this level.. Issue is between them we will be lucky to get 40 games a season. Sigurdsson also injured very frequently. If we go into the season relying on them to start regularly we will only have ourselves to blame when we free fall over Christmas.

We're definitely a midfielder light even with Buckley - we only have Travis, Tronstad, Buckley, JRC. Minimum we need is five. Unless we count Garret but I wouldnt include him in five starters at this stage as he really struggled last year. Also with Szmodics going we could well see JRC and/or Buckley moved up to number 10

Yeah, I think so.... If they are looking for an exit probably now is their best shot. Wharton, Szmodics, Raya money means maybe £30M in one summer. Only a small dent compared to what they put in. But could take that and just go. Hard to see when they would next be able to get such a good return.

Is Hyam definitely losing the captaincy? Would be a big move and one I am a bit surprised by as ex-Coventry I thought he was quite tight with Eustace? We don't really have any players who stand out as a captain. Probably the ones who would be the best fit personality wise either get injured too often (JRC) are about to be sold (Szmodics) or will not start enough game (McFadz if he signs). Could give it back to Travis but is his head in the right place after we told him we didn't want him? I am sure he will be looking for a move. And will he actually play every week - I think so now we with Eustace but not totally sure. Tronstad, Hyam etc are too quiet in my opinion. It's getting very precarious now.. our leaders are not really good leaders, but even they have contracts that are running down and probably their commitment to the cause is ebbing away.

Szmodics was 26 and had only scored 60 goals in 220 appearance's when he joined. So it's not that big a difference. I wouldn't say those stats are particularly worrying personally.

It must be something like this... Where they don't have to take a hit on their balance sheet until they sell us. Only thing that explains their bizarre zombie handling of the club (enough to keep the club alive so day of reckoning does not come, but trying to keep things at a minimum within it)

Such a random link that it sort of feels like it could be true.

Pretty good - Southgate got paid about 40% more than Deschamps which is mad if you consider what each have won...

He's too attacking for me... Great entertainment but doesnt set up teams to win in my view

I tend to be one of the more optimistic posters but this does feel particularly grim at the moment.

I agree that it will be Howe. Maybe small chance it will be Potter. But I don't think it will be anyone but those two.

Yeah statistically that we still haven't had an English manager win the premier league after 32 years is insane. I am actually struggling to think how many English managers have qualified for the Champions League? THis list from 2022 is pretty amazing. Over 30 years of CL only eight English managers have been in charge of a CL game... https://www.90min.com/posts/every-englishman-manage-the-champions-league I mean there is something really f***ed up about that? How has that happened? Probably the biggest factor is that we don't export managers to other countries, which then I guess links back to English people not being comfortable learning languages. And that you get paid more for lower down clubs in England so no need to move for money. And that English clubs have the resources to bring in the best global talent. But still it's an absolutely mad stat....

I'm not against a foreign manager, but I do also wonder if a short term club manager is a good idea. Most of the best international coaches over the last 20 years have tended not to be club managers dipping into a bit of international management. They tend to be people who are part of the international setup long term. Would Tuchel, Klopp etc commit long term to the England job? I have my doubts. Potter or Howe might. I think to be successful as an international manager it's a multi year building job shaping the team and the style.

The biggest positive to the tournament was Guehi. Centre back has been a real problem position for us but he looks top class. We can put centre half to bed for a bit, and foucus on who plays left wing which is our biggest issue by far. We never fixed it.

I am a big Southgate fan, and think he's unarguably England's second best ever manager.... but if the idea is we need a new philosophy and identity etc surely putting him in a director would be the wrong choice? If we are going to change (and I think we should) then we need to commit to the change? Hanging onto Southgate in whatever role would not make sense imo.

I think England are going to continue to struggle whoever is appointed... How does he fit together Belligham, Foden, Palmer and Kane? Cant drop them as if he does gets bollocked for not picking the best players by media and fans and the slightest adverse performance causing a epic meltdown, but if we play them we end up with a team with four number 10s and no width or proper striker. Its Lampard, Gerrard and Scholes all over again....

Really dont think thats true, Spain have players as good as ours. Theyve consistently been excellent through the tournament. The team of the tournament will be mostly Spanish players. The Spanish manager I think might pick Walker, Bellingham and Stones from our squad into his XI but thats it imo. Kane wasnt fit and he needed the pressing Kane cant do anyway. No way is he taking Rice, Foden, Saka over his options. Im not saying England have bad players but saying we have better players than Spain is daft.

Id say they have a squad about as good as Englands but much better ballance in terms of how their top talent is distributed across the positions. England really suffer from having all their best players wanting to play as number 10s. Yamal, Williams, Rodri, Fabian and Olmo are such a balanced set of players to work together. Whoever comes in as manager needs to find a way to get that balance, and will need to drop big names to get it.

But it is quite new to regularly get that far!

Hmm I do think we do quite significantly overrate our own players... How many of them would Germany, France, Spain take off us? No more or less than we would take off them. Its a decent squad but no better than those teams imo. We're acting like we should win it with the players we have and I just have never seen it. Were in the conversation but to win it we need not only good players but a well balanced effective system.We haven't found that.