Rice is top class. Wharton is a classy player but too early to say that, he cant be compared to the best midfielders. Mainoo im not as convinced on, certainly not at the moment. Gallagher bang average. Trent is such an attacking threat but playing in a midfield 2 (or midfield at all) is still alien to him, seems like if he gets the nod its based on what in theory he could do in there rather than what we know he can in the absence of anyone standing out next to Rice.

Listening to the football ramble podcast, the reaction has been very negative in France to the draw. The English media is obviously focused on the English team, it isnt an agenda. You are right that Friday means little. But our concerns dont come from that

It perhaps is in that people judge it and our chances based solely on those brilliant attacking talents. Those players arent overated, they are excellent. When there are areas of big weakness. Its a brilliant front 4, one quality central midfielder then mainly around that its the unfit or the untested. Some of those players you mention would be nowhere near other big nations either. Sterling isnt a regular for Chelsea, hes past it and gets booed by his own fans. White would be starting if it werent for a fall out.

True, but I dont think there is any chance we got anywhere near to the figures you mention. Suppose we will never know.

As @KentExile said, he likely was paid off. Even if we only pay £5k a week it is still a saving for them. You say there was a few quid knocking around. I know Fleck didnt cost a fee but Venkys blocked any permanent Maguire deal because they wouldnt spend.

There was clearly a personal issue but there was also clearly instruction to reduce costs as much as possible as was evident all season so probably a bit of both.

It is hardly unbelievable that in a season where the cuts got gradually more and more aggressive, that we loaned out a senior player to save money. That being said, there was maybe a personal issue with Tomasson thrown in. Im still not having that Fleck came in on big wages. We had no money.

Where did it say that? Doesn't make sense to me considering the owners were so tight fisted in spite of the incoming millions.

People have said he was on 15-20k. No chance.

Need to stay well away from Fleck. Would be a desperate move from a desperate club. I dont buy the talk of big wages, I think people have seen those stupid online lists taken from football manager and often out of date. He was in the cold at Sheffield United and likely paid off so theres no way he came here on a similar wage. That being said, anything spent on an old player who was once very good at this level but has since had his leg broke twice and a plate put in which held up for 17 minutes before a kick ended his season is clearly a waste.

Even if you think that, and my personal opinion is as ive said that he is good, certainly not at the elite level. Do you agree that the current version of Guehi ie having been injured for months and completing only one game on the last day, cannot be seen as a very good defender simply because he isnt fit enough? Our defence on paper might be reasonable, the current one though with such a lack of fitness across the board becomes a huge liability. Id say Holland have the best set of defenders in the tournament. Van Dijk, De Ligt, Ake and Van De Ven. Germany also have Tah who has been key for Leverkusen in doing an unbeaten domestic double. International football isnt obviously like club football where you cant be lucky with fixtures because you play everyone twice. You look at Eriksson for example, I don't doubt that he underachieved with a better all round team than we have now, but he went out to Brazil and then Portugal twice on penalties, all in quarter finals. Big nations. With Southgate, the knock out games he has won have been against Colombia, Sweden, Germany, Ukraine, Denmark and Senegal. Only Germany there are opponents that would come close to being on par and at the time they were not the strongest, prior to a current uprising of younger talent. When he faced Croatia, Italy and France he came up short. He can navigate knockout games against weaker teams which does warrant credit but he cant set up against the big teams. You also seem to pigeon hole managers into being English or foreign which is unfair. The failures of Eriksson and Capello dont reflect on foreign managers as a whole.

Just think, Nixon will have been no doubt teasing his disciples in advance over some juicy gossip. That gossip is a player in our retained list down as in talks to stay might stay, a talented youngster might leave (they all do) and there may be more delays and confusion getting staff together. Thrilling.

I think Trent will start if the squad numbers are anything to go by. The group should be comfortable, especially now the stupid format means that most 3rd place teams go through. Our group doesnt look too difficult. Denmark and Serbia look to have quite aging teams, and the likes of Mitrovic and Milinkovic-Savic are good players but are playing in Saudi Arabia so wont be as sharp.

There isnt, but equally you put the big teams in front of a defence full of half fit players and theyll be licking their lips.

We have no director of football nor seemingly any scouting department. Throw in the usual Venkys delays and I suspect we will be waiting a while.

It isnt, he was really poor, especially after injury when to be fair he might have been rusty. He maybe got lucky that his big errors (3 examples, a stupid backpass at Leicester that Vardy surprisingly missed and 2 attempts v Sheffield Wednesday to protect the ball out of play where the attacker managed to pinch it, once they hit a chance over poorly and the other he got into a mess and fouled) weren't punished as clinically as Hyam. But even before his injury, he was crap.

That individual performance was as bad as probably has been since since Duffy scoring 2 own goals and getting sent off. But as a whole season, both had very poor seasons especially compared to their previous season. Like I said, might be a few factors why the following is as it is, Hyam had that one particular shocker, he was apparently a dick a couple of times, he was the one in the weird selected fand meeting who mentioned the booing and of course the fact that he is captain. But I definitely feel that Carter has got away with his share of criticism because of the dislike people have developed for Hyam. People still talk about Premier League teams potentially being interested in Carter and dont really mention how he was a liability last year. I dont see Premier League teams wanting him especially as its not like hes an emerging 20 year old to be potentially loaned out. Both need to improve massively as they were the season before. I think Pickering is best as left back in a 4 but if we play a back 3 he is certainly no wing back. And if he plays at centre back it has to be in a 3. So they approved it but said hide it amidst an unrelated article as although we are happy for people to see it we dont want them to see it.

If Elliott Jackson genuinely had information from the club and authority to share of a decent budget. It wouldnt be a random line thrown in at the end of a seperate article. It would be at least a main story, and more likely an opportunity for a good PR story in the press. Immense is a bit far, and that is not enough. McFadzean is a pensioner who needs 2 alongside him, so that means that beside Hyam and Carter, we only have a kid from Crewe.

I think Carter got a bit of an easy ride in that Hyam was criticised a lot for a poor, injury hit season and Carter wasnt really. Maybe because he isnt the captain, is younger and obviously Hyam has been a dick once or twice and had one particular stand out shocker. Carter made loads of mistakes last season and was arguably just as poor. Obviously both can do it at this level, and talk of selling either is stupid considering how thin the squad is, but big improvement needed from both.

Guehi is a good defender, not at the very top level though, but good, when fully fit. He cant possibly be anywhere near fully match fit, neither can Stones and neither certainly can Shaw. That might well be a decent defence if they were, but they arent. And you cant afford to use tournament matches to bring a player up to speed, never mind 3/4 of the defence, and I suspect that along with a poor manager may cost us.

Im not doubting that Southgate is a huge worry but I think people look at our world class attacking players and focus too much on that, you are always up against it in terms of winning a tournament with our defence. France and Portugal might not have the same level of world class attackers (they do have some great players themselves mind) but they have more rounded teams. Possibly Germany too. Holland have the best defence but the opposite problem, average attackers. Chilwell? He is indeed very injury prone and not very good when fit.

We have 2 senior fit centre backs. Unless someone tempts us with decent money which they wont, we need him and one or two more. Im not his biggest fan but hes not as bad as you seem keen to suggest. Had a good season and a poor and injury interrupted second season.

2 small cameos and 1 start after months off injured. He might be fit ie injury free. He cant be anywhere near match fit and totally sharp. Chilwell is shit and again, was injured.

And we will be packed full of attacking quality but with as poor/unfit a defence as ours is, we will always be vulnerable v top teams.

Why are you asking people what theyve heard about the budget. Only 2 days ago you were insistent that we do have a decent budget as theres no way the LT would suggest it without club approval.