Of course it's the guy that was supposed to sign for us until Sheff United bought him with money they didn't have, getting them promoted, who scores their equaliser. Should have seen that coming.

He's been falling over a lot tbf. Not wise, because the ref is bound to start assuming he's on the con or too soft, which tbf he probably is on both counts.

Can we just end the season now? No need for another 40 minutes...

If you'd have told me a month or so ago I was going to be this excited about scoring on the last day of the season, I'd have had you sectioned! Get in Yuki!!

Sheffield not as laid back about this game as I was hoping.

Ordinarily I'd say Kargbo is a bit too fresh back from injury to start him in a game of this magnitude when we have been in great form lately. But it's Hedges he'd be replacing so I wouldn't be mad about it. I can see how either could be useful here...Hedges as more of a defensive winger when we expect to be in our own half more often than not, against a good side away. But Kargbo for the pace on the counter attack that turns games like this, plus we need to win not just avoid losing as might have been the approach for a game like this a month ago. Still I think I'd start Hedges, and if it's not working out around the 50-60 minute mark, bring Kargbo on against more tired legs so he can cause problems.

If there's anything more sure than that we were going to start winning games again once there didn't look like there'd be anything left to play for, it's that we won't land in 6th place and be left kicking ourselves about every botched result against shit teams. Either we win and results don't go our way, or results go our way and we don't win. Not trying to be negative, just seen this script too many times.

Ahhh it was all going so well there until the part where you said we would have to show a little ambition. Next!

I don't believe Suhail's figure, but yours seem off too. Gueye was mostly reported at about 1.3 to 1.5 million. Toth was touted as being just under a million (I think it was in the region of 800k), Cantwell about 300k and Yuki something like 200k. Add Kargbo and you get more like 3.6 to 3.8 mill. Still not the 5 mill Suhail suggests, or anything impressive, but in the interest of accuracy based on what's been reported.

That seems an appropriate face for him to make in response to that offer.

He has freshly turned 17. For him to have been landing any Championship minutes when he was 16 is exactly the sort of thing that has caught the eye of bigger clubs. Of course they think it's worth a punt when he'd cost them very little compared to next season with proper contract protection and probably a lot more experience. These clubs just hoover up the young talent for peanuts, it barely even matters to them if any particular one makes it, as some will and they cost fuck all relative to their spending power.

Not sure Powell is particularly in the running, is he?

If that's the rationale, presumably they will only be on loan.

I find it staggering to suggest Pears and Pickering are good enough but Dolan isn't, personally. But to each their own.

I didn't see any of it, but no surprise. What did they do?

Shearer was nearly 30 years ago, that's not a valid comparison to make at all. Same for Duff really. Even comparing Jones is disingenuous, the money in the game has changed beyond recognition since then. A Phil Jones would probably have cost about 60 million or more today.

Agreed. I don't think that place suits his personality at all either. Madrid absolutely embarrassed themselves with the petulant Ballon D'Or debacle. Never liked them as a club (always seen them as the Man U of Spain) but that really cemented how arrogant they are.

He might not be as bad as some state, but he still isn't good enough. Downgrading from Baker to him as our midfield cover was a factor in our plummeting down the table. He's also 34 and will only get worse. Absolutely shouldn't be re-signed, we can do better.

Montgomery is one of the lads sent on a short loan. He was recalled to play for us and is looking capable of making the step up next year. A couple of other players have had decent loans, but on the whole I don't think they've gone well and some (Garrett's) have been a disaster. I think a lot have been poorly chosen.

U18s drew 1-1 away to Everton. Our goal from Pates. The match stats skew heavily towards Everton (23 shots to 4, and 8 on target against 2, with 60% possession to them). We sit 6th in the 13-team North league.

Not to mention anyone we spend a decent fee on will want more wages than Dolan.

Not sure about that. Tronstad, Travis, Brittain, Batth. Beck if he hadn't gotten a bad injury from being overplayed. But he did, so I'll say 4 who had a strong claim, don't think anyone else touches them this season tbh. There have been some other good seasons played, but I think those 4 stand a cut above the rest for consistency and how key they've been for us. A hypothetically uninjured Beck aside, I can't make the case for any other player potentially finishing above any of them in the player of the season stakes.

Strange (and frustrating) that in the summer of 2023 we backed out of signing him because we only wanted the risk of a one year deal, not a two. Two years later, we are trying to tie him down for a third year and he's been one of our best players. Might not have been in that relegation scrap if we had signed him a year earlier.

Aye I know. Gives us a bit of protection for a year though (as long as his agent doesn't do what Phillips' did and put a fairly shit clause in) until we can get him on a longer one. Of course, hard to have faith we can handle the contract negotiations these days.

Then I hope we get him signed up to proper terms now he's turned 17!