The current Italy pool of players is better than around 2015-2017, which was masked a bit by an excellent defence and Conte squeezing every last drop out of what was overall a limited group at Euro 2016. Obviously it's not a patch on the team stacked with legends of 20 odd years ago, but that's the case for a lot of countries. That Italy team would be the best national team in the world if it were playing now. They did have a few injuries for last night, players that would surely have started (Bastoni, Chiesa, possibly Raspadori). Despite that Mancini got the starting eleven wrong IMO - and is possibly running out of credit after the Euros win. Picking a 35 and 32 year old to start at CB, none of which are even experienced internationally, is pointless when you've been talking about a rebuild. You may as well still pick Bonucci. It'll be Bastoni and probably a promising youngster called Scalvini there going forward, but there were still other options for last night. Tonali should be ahead of Jorginho now as part of the midfield. Pellegrini is out of form, though nice little through ball for the goal, whereas Gnonto is always a handful.

I had a look on there yesterday. Two of the first posts I saw suggested putting 'a screen up in Preston' and taking 7k there to watch the game instead (I've no idea either....) and the other mentioned putting a big screen up in a car park somewhere. Strange bunch to say the least.

Ten years ago today.

Coventry dropping points is very good. A win for us tomorrow night and we’ll still be in a strong position. God knows how anybody could concede 6 to Blackpool by the way, QPR are a real mess.

It is. But surely there's no way anyone can think Gallagher's performance at Stoke was worthy of Championship team of the week? He scored, but was otherwise ineffective.

Good news about Sunderland winning. We know that they're no threat to the top 6 with Mowbray in charge, so keeping Norwich three points behind us would be great.

Utd-Fulham will have to be Sunday (Utd playing on the Thursday before), which will make City the Saturday yep.....but yeah you could be right about the trains being a factor. Can't be long until they announce it can it?

Could have been much worse. Just wanted them at home when it was clear we were last two. Come on Rovers!!

I'm in a similar position. Going away the Sunday morning so I was first gutted the derby was moved to Sunday, then delighted last night meaning it'll be moved, but now I'm dreading missing an FA Cup QF....which could even be against that lot after all. Get that draw done tonight and the dates/time sorted (preferably Saturday 18th for us) asap. Oh and come on Fleetwood!

Get in!!!

Cannot believe he missed that. No need to try and get it in the top corner.

A depressing list. And if people have forgotten Chris Taylor from that era, how about Paul Taylor?

They wouldn’t have made the final if it wasn’t for this 👀

How has a dolloper like Waggott managed to work in football for 30 years? The mind boggles.

Can tell they're winning a few games this season.

Whatever people may think of JDT and our overall performance levels this season, he can point out that he's had us comfortably in the top 6 (mainly top 3) for most of the season. He'd rightly then expect to be backed going into January and with the team needing strengthening in a couple of key areas. What he gets is one player on loan and then the O'Brien embarrassment. Yep, anything can happen now then it'd be back to desperate managers on the scrapheap being the only ones that'll be prepared to put up with how badly we're run.

The only successful 'wide target man' (player role name nicked from FM) I've ever seen was Mario Mandzukic. Apart from that time Hughes successfully stuck Santa Cruz on Evra. So no surprise that Sam Gallagher wasn't up to it.

Get in!!

No Morton! Having to constantly swap between Vale and Gallagher shows how desperate we are for a striker though.

He jointed Twitter today and has 0 followers, so not very. I would be surprised if he joins us though.

You've won every home game since god knows when and all that stands between you and the QFs are two League One teams 'ont Turf'. You'll be automatically promoted at a canter, so I'm sure a winner like Kompany will see this draw as a massive opportunity.

As somebody who can't make the derby now it's on the Sunday, I was actually happy (felt wrong though) they have a winnable fifth round tie should they get through. That was until I saw Sharpe acknowledge the possibility that they could keep the derby on the Sunday and play the FA Cup QF midweek instead, surely not.....

Our wage bill must be a lot smaller now than it was say two or three years ago - we had players like Holtby, Downing, Evans, Johnson, Armstrong, Lenihan, Mulgrew then that would have all been on a decent wage. But they've in the main been replaced by players like Buckley, Carter, the two Whartons, Brereton etc stepping up plus a couple of penny pinching loans each season. How small can the wage bill actually get???

If we played Brighton at home they'd beat us around 5-1 like they did Middlesbrough and it'd be a reminder of a) what we were, they're similar to us 2005-2008 and b) how far we've fallen. Bit like when West Ham hammered us at home a few years ago. Not for me thanks.

Have thought before actually that, even at his age, JDT would be better playing himself upfront over Hirst, Vale and lately Gallagher.