Monty13

He’s not had an opportunity to generate that trust. I’ll give him one real transfer window at least and a good portion of the season before I start making any judgements personally. I’ve said repeatedly I don’t think we should sell Kenny. However if it happens I’m going to assume there’s a reason for it and that a broader plan to replace what he brings to the team is in place until I see otherwise. As much as I want to see him stay he’s probably only got a couple of seasons left at most, probably less as a regular starter. You do seem vehemently anti-Knapper without giving him any opportunity which doesn’t seem your normal view is all I’m saying.

We’ll never know. I don’t think we should sell him, I can’t think why we would want to unless he desperately wants the move and it works for us. However I can’t help thinking if Webber was in charge still and if he did move you’d be reassuring us to trust the club on this.

I’m sure he’ll look for other opportunities, why wouldn’t he after his Brewers success, but I’m not sure Attanasio can afford much bigger to be honest, even with others backing, he’s a millionaire playing in a billionaire playground.

Would you have said that if Stuart was the one selling him? I can’t tell if you’re just parodying now.

Think this argument is fascinating, I don’t think you’ll ever get agreement on which players are better, especially across generations. The thing that stands out to me is in my lifetime England have almost always had at least a core of world class players. Players at the top of their game, playing in great teams winning domestic and European medals among other player awards. In my lifetime I’ve also never seen a truly great or successful England team.

Starving now 😂

I agree with what you’re saying, however everything is a balance. I just get the feeling we might be swinging more towards player potential over, but not necessarily at a large detriment of, 1st team optimisation.

Isn’t that a little bit of the point though? Thorup was talking about it’s his job to get the best out of the players available. If Norwich see sell on potential in a signing I see the future as Thorup’s job to work out how to use them rather than him dictating the type of player?

At least you’re honest.

“What created the opportunity for us at Norwich City was relegation. Out of adversity comes opportunity.” Well he’s not wrong.

I don’t think anyone thought you were serious, they just thought it was in poor taste. If you’re going to make a joke about abortion, especially about a baby that’s about to be born (and especially given what’s in the news cycle), it kind of needs to be really clever and funny.

Sad for Foden, hopefully nothing too serious, but will be interesting to see what changes are made.

Shots would be a half decent indication.

I was 6, I’ve no idea either to be honest. But what I have learnt since that time is that points and GD over a three game period can be the same with wildly different performances. Maybe Robson’s team was as bland as Southgate’s, maybe not, but if you’re going to start making comparisons you’ll have to dig a lot deeper in the stats to have a compelling argument IMO. Unless you’re arguing the performance is irrelevant.

Oh god what a truly horrible thought

I don’t think it’s politics, if anything it’s the opposite. I certainly agree with that quote though 🤣

Haha he’s practically his bestie already, Stuart who?

I think people are misunderstanding the problem personally. There’s a popular (IMO baseless) view in the modern day that English culture does not exist, that English patriotism by extension doesn’t really either. The English are one of the most misunderstood people IMO. People look at history and see a country (I know it was Britain) that once had an empire that was the biggest the world has ever seen, of course problematic no desire to debate history, but they miss what you learn about the English as a people from it. Despite that success the English have perpetually viewed themselves as underdogs, and there’s nothing the English like better than a winning underdog. Throughout this country’s amazingly successful history, what do we hold dear and celebrate from a time when nations fought over battlefields not pitches? Agincourt, the Spanish Armada, Trafalgar, Waterloo, Rourke’s Drift, The Battle of Britain etc. These are the events that have transcended time and stuck in national consciousness, we built monuments to them and remember them because of what they represent. English heroes defied the odds, they won when they shouldn’t have. It’s why when Scotland gets so excited about playing and beating England, English people shrug. Yea we want to win but we expect to so it doesn’t have the same passion. I think the favourites thing is a complete red herring. I think what England expects, and never sees, is its heroes defying the odds, just once would do. The English expectation comes from this IMO, I think you ask the majority of English fans we don’t think we’re the best, but we think we are going to beat the best because that’s our folklore and it’s that hope that is continuously dashed.

While I genuinely agree with the thrust of what you’re saying there are a number of valid counterpoints. The fact that we consistently fail to beat the better sides yes should be an expectation setter, but it is also IMO evidence that we do underachieve. For years, while we have been way off favourites, you would expect a team of our level to at least win some of these matches. I’m not sure it was expecting too much for us to put in at least one good performance in that group to be honest, I think you’re at risk of seeing an overreaction and over correcting personally. Our standard so far has been nowhere near good enough and the media are jumping on that. These players play for some of the biggest clubs in world football. Clubs with expectations of success England fans can only dream of. Of course psychology plays a part, it’s probably more prevalent at the highest echelons of sport, but these should be a collection of some of the most professional and determined athletes this country has, weight of expectation is nothing new to them. If a 23 year old like Guehi can get thrown in to tournament football and largely play composed and professionally like he’s been in the setup for years, what’s the team’s collective excuse for being unable to emulate that? I feel a classic England manager trait is to be stubborn in the face of criticism. Every pundit is effectively saying the same thing however polite or aggressive they are being about it. The mix isn’t right, I think we all agree that too, that’s on Gareth.

I can’t wait for us and Italy to produce one of the most boring Quarter Finals in history.

Well done Nostradamus, no one else saw this coming.

Utter dross

It wouldn’t have made any difference but yea he’s been dire.

It’s alright Gordon’s getting a minute guys, genius