I'm so glad that we've got Venkys, if not we'd definitely have gone the same way financially as Derby and ended up in a similar mess.

Who are FLW quoting? Because they never push out original content

Dolan was our worst player in many games for the first three quarters of last season - I lost count the number of times I was shouting for the manager to take him off. He played badly and looked lazy. Then the last time I saw him play was the away win at Luton when he worked his socks off all over the pitch after we went down to 10 men. He looked a different player So what brought about the transformation? With his contract running out and the prospect of a lucrative move the answer isn't difficult

https://t.co/GE3HYVpHKk

Football is played 7 days a week with staggered kick off times on Saturday and Sunday. It isn't that difficult to fit in 5 live games with his club's meticulous planning. For example 4 games over the weekend in Spain/Portugal or France/Germany are not unusual. Video matches are 2 days a week ar the club's training centre. It's all highly professional and the player reviews are succinct and brutally to the point (have seen some of the 'older' reviews which no longer relevant). It's a different world.

That doesn't sound unreasonable. An acquaintance of mine was a scout for a Prem team. He was always somewhere, be it at home or abroad. Same with another pal. He scouted players 16 and under for a different club. He'd spend his weeknights travelling the length and breadth of northern England looking for players other clubs had missed. Then writing up reports on each player he liked.

The thing about that back 4 was that it was set in stone. There is so much uncertainty now. Left back is a real problem, Lewis Skelly has been fast tracked and isnt totally convincing and Hall again is a bit of an unknown. At right back, you are replacing one of the very best full backs in the world at the time. Trent is the obvious option there but Walker at his peak could neutralise any wide man, although his continued inclusion is unwelcome. Im not convinced that any of the back 4 can be fully confident of being a starter next summer and thats not a healthy position to be in. And its not because we have loads of quality.

I think Wharton's injuries cost him. He wasn't really fit all season and was out for Tuchel's first squad selection. As has been commented in his own thread a rest this summer will do him good as he hasn't had a break for a long time.

It's looking like Southgate's trusted back 4; Walker, Stones, Maguire, Shaw is no longer. Replacing them is no easy task. There is plenty of talent available at both full back positions so that should be easy to fill. It's central defence that needs solving. Guehi was excellent (1 slip aside) at the Euro's. Left footed Colwill looked like Maguire's long term successor not too long ago but seems to have plateaued. Konsa is steady away without being van Dijk. Branthwaite is "unproven" (i.e. not at a Champs League playing club). Who's left?

Hahaha

Great bit of hyperbole, there!

I wouldn't say he is pretty.

Similar to Ennis, I was absolutely startled at how slow he was.

How does one physically get to see 5 live matches a week? Unless several of them are on a park pitch? Is your younger relative CONSTANTLY on the road, reviewing video footage from hotel rooms as he (or she) hops from town to town?

The Dutch journalists said he was one of the better players in the league who had been phased out during the second half of the season because he'd made it clear he was leaving.

Has anyone suggested that they wont support him or that they dont wish him the best?

We were on an upward trajectory, we're regularly reaching the latter stages in competitions, it's now expected. I know coaches can't go on forever, but the transformation he's overseen since he came in a credit to him. I heard a former player on 5 live this morning, he said that the England shirt is weighing heavy for players, it's something we haven't seen for years. We don't want to be going backwards.

Even more depressing than Rovers.

Of course unlike the plethora of players that have been given a go over the past year or so, Wharton would need to be actually given a chance.

Dutch journalists were saying Trondstadt was a strange signing when he was brought over. Ultimately stats aren’t great if he is a winger but give the lad chance and don’t write him off. We seem to do that with everyone the club brings in recently. Regardless of the penny pinching owners we are still supporters and should wish him the best.

I like Beck but hes missed a lot through injury and once a layoff like that happens its at least a 50% chance the same happens next season. Pickering already is injury prone in that role so id be hesitant to go back for him.

The idea would make sense to get a manager proven to win trophies in order to get over the line. Southgate built a base on team spirit but came up short whenever he came up against a good team. Problem is, that platform isnt necessarily there, the squad of players has now regressed and is not at the level of previous tournaments. Much of the base and the foundations have aged and are over the hill now. You are left with a sub par set of defenders People mention the likes of Wharton, Branthwaite, Lewis Skelly, Livramento etc as players coming through but they are not top level players, yet anyway. Wharton is as close as any but unproven at the highest level. It feels like we are between generations/cycles of players with The mess at the end of yesterdays game saw maybe 4 players who all want to play in the same position all crammed in similar to what Carsley did. All of our best players do the same things in the same position. We are miles away from the levels of the likes of Spain.

They will be.

How can you say results were going backwards when his last tournament result was to finish runner-up? You can make all the subjective performance criticisms you like. But, objectively, results were as good as 2018-2020.

Lack of pace was Rhodes major failing. The first time I saw him play I thought he must have been playing with an injury.