NorthCarolinaYellow

He was. Better than some of our CMs but NOT the hero we'd been wanting and NOT a CDM really.

But I think everyone is correct that we'll actually play a 4-3-3 with McLean-Gilmour-Normann in the middle.

To me, we've recently looked our best in a 4-2-4 (or 4-4-2) that featured two largish and most defensive CMs who weren't afraid to tackle and foul: Sorensen + Lees-Melou. I'd go back to them. And then the four featured at least some size + speed. I quite liked the Rashica-Pukki-Idah-Sargent quartet. Idah is out now so I'd go Rashica-Pukki-Sargent-Rupp and have this injuries notwithstanding: Krul Byram-Hanley-Gibson-Williams Sorensen-PLM Rupp-Pukki-Sargent-Rashica

All well said and all very true. It comes to down to money in the PL: it rules everything and we don't have much of it. That said ... with (a) bit better recruitment in prioritizing physicality and (b) trimming a too-large squad ... we might have had enough to avoid relegation.

As always, recruitment is a mixed bag. Webber has a number of great signings on his CV: Krul, Pukki, Buendia, etc. There are also clear duds—as you would expect. We should be somewhat lenient and realize that no club gets it 100% or even close. It could well be too early to judge on some players. We should be patient and keep our focus on the main problem being that MONEY has almost ruined the game. That said ... there are some clear mistakes which now we should be able to point out. I'd list the following as obvious f*ck ups in no particular order: 1. Wasting money and a loan spot on a small, technical luxury player in Gilmour who was not what we needed in CM. 2. Wasting money on Tzolis under the guise of thinking towards the future when the real need is no. Keeping Hernandez would have gotten us the same output and saved ~£9m. 3. Wasting money and a loan spot on Kabak when for the same money we could likely have signed a young, promising CB to play in case of emergency who we could have developed over time into Omobamidele 2.0. 4. Not loaning out Placheta to the Championship to get him more match time at his level. 5. Whatever the f*ck happened with Cantwell. Selling a fairly clearly malcontent Cantwell + avoiding the Tzolis buy + using our loans better and we could have brought in 3-4 players that would have really made a difference. Also ... Once again, Webber has very much overlooked the importance of physicality in the PL: size, pace, strength. We are too small, too slow, and too weak across the pitch. We cannot physically compete and that, to me, is at the root of most of our problems.

A bit cringe, yes, but Peaky Blinders is f*cking amazing! Probably my favorite show.

Not factoring in GD ... here's the minimum points that would have been required for 18th over the last 10 seasons from 2020-2021 to 2011-2012: 29, 35, 35, 34, 35, 38, 36, 34, 37, 37. That's a mean of exactly 35.0. And 33.6 in the last 5 seasons and 36.4 in the 5 before that. The 10 seasons comprising 2010-2011 to 2001-2002 before that? A mean of 36.5 from these minimum point totals: 40, 31, 35, 37, 39, 35, 34, 34, 43, 37. So ... taking out last season not that much has changed despite the perception that the top teams are much better than before. Could 34 do it? Sure ... in 6 of the last 20 seasons it would have been enough. Will it? Who knows. I think Norwich will be much closer than in 2019-2020.

Umm ... the weekend went well for us?? We were never going to win BUT 3 of the 4 alongside us in the relegation fight lost (Burnley, Watford, Leeds) and the other drew 0-0. That's pretty great! People should give up on Everton and Newcastle.

Not only did we only go in with about half a CDM (Normann) ... we (a) had no backup, (b) wasted a loan spot on a luxury player in Gilmour, (c) wasted £10M on Tzolis when we could have kept Hernandez and gotten the same output, and (d) chopped and change tactics and lineups so often we didn't even know what was up or down at times!

I feel as though if Burnley make the drop they'll get mired in 5+ years of the Championship? There's not much there.

Who really would we lose if we got relegated? Cantwell sure but ... Rashica? Will PL or equivalent teams drop ~£10m on him with, maybe 1-2 goals and 4-5 assists? Sargent? I don't see it. Let's even say that Aarons goes somewhere and we'd be looking at this with NO incomings: GK: Krul, Gunn RB: Byram, Mumba LB: Giannoulis, McCallum CB: Hanley, Gibson, Omobamidele, Zimmermann, Tomkinson CM: Lees-Melou, McLean, Rupp, Sorensen, Dowell, Rowe WM: Rashica, Sargent,Placheta, Tzolis, Hernandez, Martin, Sinani CF: Pukki, Idah, Hugill, Dickson-Peters That's ... more than enough to mount a real promotion campaign??

I'd be very nervous if I were a Brentford or Leeds support. So right now I'd say there are 5 in the mix.

Assuming they win this ... Newcastle are 4-3-3 over their last 10. That's good for 1.5 points/match which is above relegation form for any side. And those 3 losses were to Leicester, Man City, and United. They're almost surely staying up. We should just accept it and focus on Leeds and Brentford along with Watford and Burnley.

Truly a shame. He put in, what, 2-3 excellent performances earlier on and has since been almost completely sidelined. So much potential in that lad. It does make it a lot better that Zimmerman is back and available. Reading between the lines there is a nice, upbeat tone to Deano's presser. I think he's enjoying this run and the players are too!

Have at it friends ... 2-1 Norwich. I just cannot help myself!