The Smiths - Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now

Although I love Big Mak's enthusiasm, do we need another big galoot who doesn't score?

New Order - Fine Time

The Stone Roses - Mersey Paradise

Saw both Fontaines DC and Maximo Park here in Munich over the last week or so. FDC just get better and better - more polished, better songs and a bigger production. The only downside is as a result the venues get bigger! Maximo always deliver - I loved their first 2 albums but I think they dipped after that - but still some great songs albeit fewer and further between on their newer stuff. Still great live though.

Fair enough, it wouldn't have surprised me if it was knee-jerk but they seemed to have planned it a while ago after all. I agree that I would choose an Englishman IF (and it's a big if) they were on an equal footing to a foreign candidate, but it would be foolish to stand by that and appoint a piss-poor candidate (eg Lampard) just because they are English.

I don't think Tuchel was close at all until the Greece debacle, and Carsley subsequently folding and cowering in front of the press. You give the job to the best candidate irrespective of nationality IMO - my top choices would have been Klopp or Pep but accepting those were both unlikely for various reasons, Tuchel is about the best available right now. I think the FA would have waited for Pep had he made encouraging noises to them about taking over next summer, so I can only assume they've sounded him out and he wasn't keen so now Tuchel's the man.

Men against boys this. They are a thousand times more up for it than we are.

Also Brittain - ok going forward but absolutely gash defensively. Can’t argue with the attacking reinforcements but the defence has been sadly lacking for years and is League 1 standard.

And that’s why for me it was a massive mistake to not get a decent CB in. Keeper was the nbr 1 priority and a CB not far behind. Hyam and Carter are very, very average - if we’re relying on them to be our first choice pairing we’re going to struggle.

So fast forward 21 hours and although we got Cantwell as opposed to a random free - who while if his head is in the game is a good player, clearly has temperament and motivational issues - it played out almost exactly as predicted. Jury’s out for me until we see what tune Eustace can get out of the squad. Also think not strengthening one of our big weak spots - CB - might come back to haunt us.

Or up front.

Past experience means I am setting my expectations based on this exact scenario. Then anything else is a bonus and my day isn't ruined.

He’s been absolutely shite all season. Why does he keep getting picked?

As the great Brian Potter once said - "I want to moonwalk son, but life's a shithouse". Think you're gonna be disappointed.

Tied to Pickering.

JRC is not a wide player as long as he's got a hole in his arse. He may as well have been sat next to me for all he's contributed out there. Awful.

We've had a summer of it under bloody Southgate and it looks like Eustace has been taking notes....

Honestly I don't trust any of that defence - all bang average.

Unless those new signings are to be quality first teamers then that squad has relegation struggle written all over it. Pears is a liability, Pickering is L1 standard, that MF is weak and those forward players are either completely unproven or bang average.

Keeper is the number one priority for me. If we keep Pears as number 1, we basically start the season on -10 points.

Unfortunately there are no English managers at the level of some of the foreign candidates mentioned - if there were then of course that would be ideal and they might be preferred - but there just aren't. To deliberately choose an inferior candidate just because he's English would be daft - the FA needs to at least be reaching out to the best managers around irrespective of where they're from, and if they're keen but the timing doesn't work, waiting for them to become available. Or are you seriously telling me that if Pep or Klopp said 'come and get me' to the FA, you'd still prefer to go for a Potter or a Lampard?

So based on your logic no English club that wants to win the Prem should ever appoint an English manager because not one has ever won it. Gotcha.

Howe - I'd be OK with, but will the FA want to spend 5m to prise him away from Newcastle? Potter - Harry or Brian would probably do a better job - no thanks. Carsley - we've been down the promoting U21 manager route and still haven't won anything so no thanks. Would leave him in charge as interim if needed though. O'Neil - way too early. Lampard - fuck no. Same for Gerrard or Rooney. Fact remains, by FAR the best candidates in terms of experience and achievement are foreign (Klopp, Poch, Tuchel, Ange, Pep). If the Pep thing is true and we have to wait a year, let's do it. Same with Klopp - if he's willing to entertain the idea but in a few months - wait. Put Carsley in charge until they're ready. Don't appoint a second rate option just because they're 1. English, and 2. available now.

This. No pace, no movement, no energy. A dogged determination to stick with underperforming players, or trying to shoehorn players into the team based on name not form for way too long. Not taking a fit, recognised LB. Not playing with any real attacking intent until we went behind. Sitting back at the wrong times. Shearer had it right - we played 'well' for 30 minutes against Serbia, and the first half against the Netherlands - so basically 75 minutes out of 690. The rest of which was turgid. I think Southgate reached his ceiling the moment Luke Shaw scored in the 2021 final. In terms of progression it's been at best static since then.