Europe_93

Liverpool owe us 3 European Tours. The fact that Everton are the unusable turd of the premier league shows how unfair football is when you consider how their lack of application cost us in 85

In 85 we got relegated with 49 points, a staggering 13 wins & 10 draws. If you look at the league tables now, points and goal differences from past you can see just how the league has become the haves and the have nots, sort of 3 or 4 mini leagues emerge within the premier league itself. What that really means is the league is not compteitive. That can't be argued when teams lose 3 games on the spin at home 5-0 or more. It is only going to get worse. I'd be more than happy if they created a European soccer league - so long as they don't let those teams play in a national soccer league, it's pain enough to see the big 6 field reserve teams that batter everyone in Carabo Cup / FA Cup and perenially take all the final spots... If you wanna go, off you go!!! We need to sort out financial fair play - and have a much more equal distribution of funds, control ownership input and probably have a wage cap or a maximum salary cap for teams - relating to the league rather than the club, big clubs don't really want to do this, they have the money this is their advantage. What we have now is a joke, a team that can spend half a billion in a transfer window - how does that ever equate to financial fair play.

Like what you did there 😂

I understand that, but if we write off this season instead of pushing it does mean we will lose Sara / Rowe / both in the summer, and thus likely be weaker next season. I wonder what the upside in waiting is, does it mean that who Knapper has in mind is a slam dunk...

I do wonder how much influence Knapper has been, i.e. interesting that we have tightened up defensively since he arrived. At the AGM it seemed that Attansio had money to spend if required in this window, so I do wonder why we haven't. We have demonstrated at full strength we can be a match for most in the champioship, but under strength we struggle, which would indicate this window was the time to take a risk (we will sell in the summer and be worse next season one would imagine). Also there seems a misalignment in that Wagner doesn't want to lose anyone from a bloated squad and has said so in press, whereas we have shifted Forshaw, potentially Placheta - which flies in the face.

Rovers - 1-1 draw and out on penalties, as we bench key players for WBA game, and then aren't able to turn around the game.... WBA - 1-1 Leeds lose by about 3 goals

Agree that's the key position and ideally supports the releasing of Sara to attack - Declan Rice could transform us into play off contenders. But I I'd rather spend the money on a manager.....

Seems like a no brainier… brought is as striker competition/ cover didn’t play consistently when the main 2 were out 🤷‍♂️

I watched him for a season at Newport, they were quite entertaining at that time with Ollie Cooper, Baker-Richardson and Dominic Telford…. He was really good, reminded me of Madison in that he always looked to make something happen. I always thought he’d be good in the champs but wonder if he would have the pace and power to be premiership. Not the holding player we need, as others have said…

Imagine if they sponsored the River End 😜

I don’t see any proven players that would be able to come in and hit the ground running wanting to sign for a manager that has to odds on to lose his job before end of the season. My fear is the decision has been made to prop Wagner up with good signings, making him look better than he is so to speak… why worry, well I just don’t think Wagner has the ability to take us up… so we risk spending on symptoms rather than addressing the route cause. In the summer we went experience now it seems youth, and for the next manager what then? The only coherent policy is to improve the squad you have. But window by window overall we are set to become weaker, money dictates. The only thing that bucks that trend is a good manager at this level. The outs will be really interesting. The ins are only likely to be players unproven at this level, possibly some good loans.

But VAR have called it as OK? Not sure you can then subsequently ban him - unless you meant the officials

The merest of contact, but it is a contact sport.... I think it is the rule that needs looking at because it encourages this 'excentuating behaviour' i.e. the winning of a penalty. The rule should be changed (if it isn't already) to something like 'the player fouled him' meaning either deliberately fouled him, or accidentally made contact with enough force as to stop the player getting the ball. Bit ambiguous I appreciate but next thing we'll have is 'I felt his breath on my boots'...

I hear you and think this to some extent too, but I would hope that the rhetoric to Knapper is more "take your time and make sure the next appointment is the right appointment". They must see that our current CEO / manager is not delivering. Attansio is quietly influencing the octagenarians, I suspect if he were in sole charge things would be different, but making sure he is not rocking the boat too wildly - it sort of demonstrates he sees this as a long term project.

Dimi is aligned to the way Wagner wants to play - high full backs, but his defending is not the best. I don't think McCallum is trusted by Wagner, and Placheta is a square peg in a round hole at full back. The situation is symptomatic of where the club finds itself, not quite the quality required, but struggling to afford better.