To be fair to him, United have looked to have poached a few decent youth prospects from other clubs in recent years. The academy market is probably one of the few we can be effective in. Every Premier League youth player seems over hyped these days. A scout who can separate the Becks from the Cosier-Duberry's would be valuable. His knowledge of international markets will always be beneficial. Unfortunately, if he is an effective operator, I'm sure he'll be alienated by the set up here and won't last.

My own experience is football in this country has changed. I always rated myself as a very competent player. I'm 36 now and recently got back into playing 5 a side. Most opposition teams are in their teens or thier 20's. I like to tell myself it's my knackered knees which means I can't keep up anymore. That doesn't help, but in reality the technical level of players in this country has changed dramatically. Everyone is so comfortable on the ball whereas I used to be one of the outliers to 'if in doubt, kick it out'.

Clubs would have bid more. But we sold him in January. You only have to look at the backwards way Arsenal signed Raya to understand balancing the books with PSR is a challenge. If we'd have held onto him until the summer, we could have created a bidding war. It was widely known how many clubs were scouting him. Palace simply took advantage of the financial mess our owners created. They knew we had to sell asap, and were one of a smaller number of clubs who could commit at that moment in time

I don't think anything coordinated will work. The fanbase is depleted and those who remain are likely to disagree on the best course of action. Of those who'd be more willing to protest, I fear the spirit has been broken. Overall it feels as though there is an acceptance that we are powerless. I've seen a lot of people saying boycott and hit Venkys in the pocket. The reality is that, that is likely to happen, but not through some coordinated effort, but as more people reach their own personal tipping point. I forsee attendances dropping off yet another mini cliff edge. It may get Waggott and Suhail sweating a bit, to the extent they may ask the overlords for a bit of funding, but it won't force them out. If they ever choose to sell the club, it'll be because that's what they've decided to do, be it on a whim or some other reason relating to their wider empire. No amount of telling them we want them out, protesting etc will ever influence their decision making process. That's my feeling. The only exception to that could be a word of honesty from Suhail if he is asked a few difficult questions regarding the drop in attendances.

Formation and players selected tell very little of what's being asked of the squad. On the ball I don't think we're a million miles from the style of play we had under Eustice. Although probably a little more direct. It's off the ball that there is a big difference. We used to sit and were hard to break down. 9 times out 10, we'd make the opposition work for a victory. Ismael seems to want the team to press the opposition and it leaves gaps everywhere. Especially when the squad aren't used to this being asked of them. I'm inclined to think Hyam looks more out of depth because we're not compact, rather than him missing Danny Baath (though I do think this rings somewhat true). We may see an upturn in form from what we've witnesses so far, but only once the players are used to the system, and that's likely to be the last few games of the season, or even next season. For me, it shows the incompetence once again at board room level. A very 2 dimensional view on manager styles of play. It doesn't show Ismael in the best light either, whilst I also have worries about how a small squad will cope next season in a system which is more explosive and physically demanding. All in all, it is looking a bit grim.

Not really excited about this game. The line up doesn't look bad, but we are a better team when sitting in rather than pressing like Ismael has us doing. The players have looked uncomfortable with what they're being asked to do. Hopefully there will be a change today or it magically begins to click. It's mad that a win today and we're still there knocking on the door of the playoffs. I really can't see the team getting anywhere near though.

The more I've thought about this, the more I'm disgusted by it. It absolutely has to be a central message at the next fans forum and needs spreading far and wide. A very simple question / statement is required. Given that the top director's salary has significantly increased (by approximately X%) according to the latest accounts, it seems logical to assume this rise is tied to financial performance rather than sporting success, particularly given the club's final league position relative to reported profits. Does this create a conflict of interest, as the club's primary decision-maker appears incentivized more by financial outcomes than by performance on the pitch?

Happy to be corrected but haven't most always stated that Waggott is on circa 300k per year. If that figure is true and not just pulled out of thin air, his salary has almost doubled? The only logical reason I can think for that is the club moving from large annual losses to operating at a profit, and his salary is incentive driven? If true it's disgusting. He's motivated to hold the club back. I'll bet that feeds his reluctance around season ticket prices etc too. It'd be the first hard evidence of those in the hierarchy lining their own pockets at the clubs expense.

We could very easily net ourselves anywhere between £10-20million this summer if Adam Wharton moves on from Palace. Another boost to keep the lights on for an additional year, but we all know it won't make the slightest bit of difference when it comes to either squad investment or retention.

Real Madrid keeping tabs on Wharton

As much as the Eustice factor adds a bit of spice to this game, I can see it being a drab 0-0. A result which helps neither team.

I thought the commentator was being ridiculous when he said the first yellow for Dennis should have been red. He's not high in the slightest. Painful one but contact was made on the top of the Norwich players foot. Second yellow was beyond a joke. How can he be expected to not go for that ball?

Like most, I'm on the fence. One thing worth mentioning is his success at Barnsley was hugely dependent on Daryl Dike. West Brom then spent a small fortune so Valerian had his key man and he ended up never ever being fit. Step forward Big Mak. He will be absolutely key to Ismaels style of play, and if it clicks, we could see some success.

My initial feeling is that Ismael is one of the better candidates based on where we are as a club (the shitter). Keep things tight and a fairly direct style of play. Personally I loved JDT and thought he was the best manager we've had under Venkys. Even so, Eustice was a better fit for us with the style of play he implemented considering all the budget cuts. Ismael feels like a continuation. For the life of me though, I can't see how it's taking so long. Football isn't like other businesses. For starters your work is on public display and a few quick phonecalls and you can find out 50% of what you need to know behind the scenes. We're lucky we pulled a couple of wins out the bag to keep us in the playoff race. Even then, it's Tuesday now. After the surrender at Swansea he should have been announced on Sunday to give a full week with the players. If reports are right Ismael genuinely is our top pick, the only delay I can think of is us haggling over minor details. Doesn't set a great impression of what's to come for the new manager and every day delayed is sabotaging an opportunity for 3 points at the weekend. It's gross incompetence that it's taken this long and is still ongoing.

If the twist is that they still haven't appointed somebody by the weekend, I wouldn't rule it out either.