Chewie

Had a epiphany as couldn't watch the game or follow it at all.. But around just after 10 caught the score. Two nil away to Ipswich. Our lad up front got the goals. Reminded me of growing up, waiting for ceefax to refresh, then for final score to start on grandstand. No access to who was playing, who was playing well, whether the game was amazing or lousy, whether it was a high press or midblock. Of course everyone who went to the game knew all that, yet I'm also given to believe that in those glory years there were lots of times we were great, and there were lots of times we'd get a 2 nil win in a game that no one would remember. No micro dissection. Just ceefax and then James Alexander Gordon letting me know if we won. There was no less angst about the result, but much less minute by minute angst of forming a view on every piece of action of the pitch. It was definitely an easier way to consume football. Did Liverpool win? Get in...

Gets weaker when you see them standing up

Has it all slammed then. Good riddance

Jurgen.....

Iraola was pretty strong on signings, plural We've royally fecked this up

Tuna in later

Tis alright.. We're so fast at this transfer lark it's hard to keep up

Identity is our intensity. It's like the very best of klopp, but in a clever twist, inverted.

That was yesterday. Today we're selling keepers and in a bidding war with Al Hilal for various last minute targets as part of our long term strategic plan

has the Sporting Director / DoF worked at any big club? I can see how and why it works at clubs who position themselves very astutely to scour the world for talented young players, bring them through, coach them, raise their profile and then sell them on. But at the very, very top level, are there examples where it has worked really well? That Txiki lad who was brought into City for Pep.. that seemed to be more of a partnership and they could buy whoever they wanted anyway. And then a year before Pep leaves he left, so so much for the DoF being there to ensure continuity and long term development / planning. the only time the suits worked was when they worked for Jurgen - and challenged him - and together they got the absolute best outcome we could ever have hoped for. But if the mandate for Edwards and then Hughes appointed by him post Jurgen was to build a strong, long term vision for the football club, management staff, player recruitment and long term strategic planning and development, it's failed miserably. The quality of the squad that Jurgen stayed on one year longer than he hoped to in order to leave us in the best possible place has regressed significantly. We won the league. That should never be a footnote or an incidental achievement. But we won the league with what he left us and because of the leaders he left us. 24 months on and we've owners who are planning their exit, the head of global football is gone, the Sporting Director is almost out the door having seriously weakened the squad, we've sacked a title winning manager, and look scarily unbalanced as a team. The regression is painful. the hope is that Iraola is cut from the same cloth as Rafa or Jurgen. Gotta feel for the guy.

Presume that's a typo 'not too weak'? Cos it's deffo too weak for me

To replace McAllister yes..

Good to see we've wasted no time in bringing Jacquet down to our level

Maybe they just want to get shut

He's gonna need more than a little patience if he wants to come back for good

seen enough of Frimpong to think... ??

So this is the Camara referenced a gizillion pages ago.. I thought it was just a daft joke about bringing back the mighty Titi given how poor we are up front.. I'm suddenly aware of the jokes to be made here... continue

As in, being snarky cos we're not or being itk about something happening.. Or just applying logic that we will/have to sign a midfielder without the years of experience here on the forum to know better

If at this stage you mean Gary I'm willing to consider it... ...meanwhile back in Hughes HQ... tick tock, tick tock... not long now to get things ready for the removal van (he'll prob not bother to pack the fax)

..... my cover is blown...

Our defensive options, for better or worse, (and it's probably worse) won't change this week. Araujo and Gomez are RB cover till we get Bradley back. Munoz is industrious, quick and showed flashes, but looked to me like he plays very direct with his head down and whilst providing cover, will probably be quite limited. He looked like a slightly more experienced version of Ben Doak. Rio cannot be one of the 4 in a 4-4-2. He's just not ready and it's not fair to ask him to be ready. Unless he is absolute worldie of an attacking talent (i don't believe he is) the reality is he's not going to become that player playing for us. He's 18. He needs games. If he was to play in the Bundesliga for 2-3 seasons and get 60-90 appearances under his belt he'd be the summer windows of 28 or 29 big money signing. He needs to be 5th-6th choice for us and accept learning on the job, or go somewhere else to be 1-3rd choice. He shouldn't be that here. I reckon Iraola might have to do what Rafa did with Stevie for a season. 4-2-3-1 but play Dom as the right sided player in the 3. He can play Wirtz in the middle and rotate Barcola / Gakpo / Isak on the left and up front. Play Nyoni or Macca with Grav in the 2 and try and build a base from there. The likes of Munoz can come on for Dom and he can become whatever we need him to be - drop back into the two, replace Wirtz. We need as many strong, physical adults on the pitch as we can get right now. We look so insipid.

Virgil was imperious but then he was playing behind some combination of Henderson / Milner / gini / Thiago alongside either a fit and in form Gomez or Matip and flanked by Robbo and Trent. He's 3-6 years older than those years and every single replacement for the aforementioned players is worse. This Virgil is not as good as the Virgil in those teams, and this team is not half as good as those teams. He's going to look bad even if he's not as bad as we're making him look.

Bald men! Can't edit the post anymore it seems

This could end up like two blind men fighting over a comb... They've both disappointed - enormously. Personal view, Wirtz is not powerful or imposing enough for this league, but at least had a spell in a series of games last year when he contributed. It's a low low bar relative to expectation. Second personal view, Isak has proved it in this league but imho has shown nothing for us They've both been rank rotten

Read the rest of the post. Isak, for us, is not quality. He's been an absolute dud