Huddersfield have been absolutely terrible. But also what played into our hands is they played 4 at the back which we always do much much better against than three. And honestly not having Douglas in the team makes a huge difference. He's just so weak defensively and no pace. Bell has his faults but he at least has recovery pace. I would really love to see a breakdown of our wins and losses against 4 and 3 at the back. I really think when you look at it we will have had a playoff season against back 4s but a relegation season against back 3s. Maybe I'll just sit down and work it out by scrolling through whoscored, if no one has a way to figure it out from a website or something?

I think Dowdens statement has killed it to be honest. It can't go ahead if the government says it will do everything it can to block it. Boris has obviously immediately identified this as a hill to die on which is smart politically. Resonates with all his populist, traditionalist, anti globalisation positioning. The 6 PL ESL clubs now need to figure out how to row back. Humiliating.

I really can't see what options the PL, La Liga, Serie A and UEFA have apart from to seriously sanction all the clubs. The short term financial costs are worth it to "stamp on it" like Neville said. Any sort of accomodation undermines the principal of competition that runs through European football. Everton, Villa, Newcastle, Leicester, Leeds etc are not going to accept being locked out of Europe forever. It's going to be scorched earth.

Had a think about this. It only really makes sense if the 12 are willing to get thrown out of their leagues and start the ESL as a regular league competition. That would explain why they are looking for 20 clubs... Plan A = PL, La Liga, Serie A accept the new format and they play ESL as a group/knockout midweek Plan B = PL, La Liga, Serie A reject the format and they play ESL as a full league tournament on weekends.

I think this is seriously on the table. As is all the players from the 12 clubs being banned from the Euros. It's such a huge transgression that the other 14 clubs in the PL and top Championship clubs will be getting together wondering if they should just kick them out for a season.

It's really hard to see who will be for this to be honest outside the owners. It seems such a monumentally stupid idea that has 0% chance of succeeding which makes you think some other angle is at play here. Reckon it could be about extracting more concessions from UEFA in the new format CL. But it could have the effect that UEFA decide to call their bluff.

Gut feel from me is they have misjudged it and the fans will be happy to go to war with the clubs. That fight has been brewing for a long time and this is just the spark it needs.

If he goes on a winning run now, which is standard practice for him, it will suddenly look a lot more plausible for him to stay. Venkys have shown they are disengaged so will pick the simple option. Reckon for him to be certain to go we will have to lose three of the last four. I can see Mowbray winning three of them and Venkys leave him in place.

I suppose it's about definitions really. I would say world class is you are set apart as one of the very best in your position, and your pretty much consistently brilliant. All through Rooneys career there were a lot of forwards who were at a similar level or better than him. Just playing in the prem while he was playing you had Henry, Nistelrooy, Bergkamp, Drogba, Aguero, Van Persie, Suarez all at a similar level imo. If United lost Rooney they could replace him with someone like that. Ronaldo was irreplaceable. If it's a very broad definition then I suppose Rooney would get in. But then so would dozens of players across the world at any one time. Ps. Anyway don't take my word for it. Ferguson took a different view and only said he had 4 world class players in all the time he was at United (Spoiler : Rooney isn't one of them, and not even cited as someone who should have been included by those who challenged him) : https://www.football365.com/news/ferguson-world-class-man-utd-cantona-giggs-scholes-ronaldo

"World Class" ahem... Very very good player. But not world class. World class is Ronaldo (both of them), Messi, Zidane, Xavi, Iniesta, Maradona, Pele, Euasabio etc. Rooney 1 (or arguably 2) levels below that.

Ah I thought he did? Maybe just recommended him?

Tugay was absolutely world class imo! Was a critical part of a team that came third at a word cup. How he ended up at Rangers then us is a bit odd. I think maybe he wanted to stay at Gala and it took Souness to persuade him to leave.

I just watched back the full 90. Definitely out best performance in a while. Hit the woodwork 3 times, dominated the ball. It's ridiculous we didn't win based on the chances we created. But then again we gave away the second goal for nothing and looked brittle on the rare occasions Cardiff did come forward. We could easily have lost. So I guess watch the full 90 as it's good to see us actually play some decent football. But also you won't learn anything new as it's basically the same approach.

I stand corrected - https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/explore/public_figure/Prince_Philip_Duke_of_Edinburgh Went looking for some data and yougov had 97% of people knowing who he was off a recent poll.

I think you'd be surprised. A good chunk of the population will only be aware of him as the subject for gags about saying the wrong thing at the wrong time... That's what he has been primarily characterised as in the media for decades. Many won't know who he is at all (not that I think he would be bothered at all by that) as he has kept a purposefully low profile. Anyway, not wishing to hit a dead man when he's down. Just making the point the culture needs to move with the times, and this feels a bit out of step.

Does feel like the level of coverage of Prince Phillip's death is out of step with how much regard he is felt by the country.... I think a lot of people have no real idea who he was, and many only a vague impression. Seems a decent guy who did some good things some mistakes. The TV takeover etc seems a bit over the top.

Can't believe we're playing 433 against 3 at the back again. Madness is to keep on doing the same thing and expect different results.

What's really alarming about it is if Nyambe is going so are probably JRC and Rothwell. That's three of our most promising players gone, which combined with the long term injury to Dack, Armstrong probably going, and loanees going back puts us in a really really really difficult season next year which has relegation written all over it. Another reason to get a new manager in immediately - get him to sit down with them and persuade them to sign. Though I suspect at the root of it there is zero budget so maybe a new manager wouldn't be able to do anything either. Getting the real heebie-jeebies now. Can see the wall we are going to crash into in the distance. Could be Venkys have just decided screw it, what will be will be.

The club don't really have any choice but to sack him given the form. Must be going at some point. As an aside the current situation is a really common occurrence for Mowbray isn't it? 2 years or so of decentish results then falls off a cliff. At it's fundamental level seems to be a combination of lack of resilience in the squad and lack of practicality of tactics. Means when his teams start getting beat they really struggle to turn it around. Fair weather team you could say....

Well on that note I can hardly blame him, I would do the same. Who wouldn't? Venkys need to fire him, that is how it works.

One bit of good news - were on 46 points not 40!

Hard to disagree. When the motivation has gone it is so hard to bring back. The squad looks demotivated, but - and this is such a rare thing to say about a manager still in a job - Mowbray even more so. I honestly think hes just waiting to get sacked. Mowbray and Venkys are playing a depressing game of chicken.

Literally amazed Mowbray is still here. There were quite a few saying he was unsackable but I put that down to hyperbole. Really looks like he is. The way Bournemouth play might help us. They are pretty open and likely to play 4 at the back. Given that we might look half decent and scrape a draw.

Didn't watch the game, but basically sounds like most of the season. After Wycombe got battered at Ewood by Rovers Ainsworth did a bit of research. Switched from playing four at the back to a back three and - as everyone else has this season - totally nullified us. I can't believe we are now in April and this basic issue has been obvious since early December but we are still ploughing the same furrow. It's so predictable. I'm a bit alarmed we are still trying to play 433 when it clearly isn't working on any level.

Yes - Grealish would have been different. Also Sancho could have provided some genuine width which we lacked. What I found very odd is we have a truly outstanding aerial player in Calvert-Lewin and the game was begging for crosses to go in as Poland were so deep. But he came on close to the 90th minute. We had Kane messing around near the half way line, no one in the box, it was odd considering that option. I think we are going to need to be more direct if teams sit deep with 5 strung across the back. C-L should be a big player for us when we need to change up.