OhForAGreavsie

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That'll do for me.

I haven't been this excited since Tuesday when CFCW signed Pernille Harder.

I'm sure Frank is going to want energy bunny pressing from the front four.

And the women's team has also signed one of the best players in the world along with one of the most promising young talents on the planet. Feels good.

I hope so.

He was very much second fiddle to Dembele when he was there previously.

I do not believe, and never have, that premium keepers are difference makers for struggling sides. Eden raised our level; I don't think any keeper would, or could, have done that. Premium keepers are cherry on the cake players. When you've put together your cake then perhaps go to town on a keeper but, when you are in a building phase focus the cash where you need it most. A good side with a bad keeper will always outperform a bad side with a good one. In fact the bad or ordinary keeper is invariably overrated when he's playing for a good side. My objection to Kepa was simply that I would not have spent that money on a keeper, no matter who he was. Going with Marcin, then upping the offer for Koulibaly instead could have seen us become a much better side over the past two seasons than we have been.

Even for any of them I think.

Would Marcin be on the bench behind our starting keeper? If no one was prepared to take a decision which, as pointed out at the time I made the suggestion, would have been a radical choice, we could have gone with an experienced short term goalie, and made it clear to Marcin that he was the heir apparent. That would have left us a far, far better situation than we find ourselves in now.

The board is not Marina of course. In the end, I don't believe that even they have been the ultimate decision makers. I have no tangible evidence to support it so I don't throw it around in too many posts but I believe that Roman, and latterly Arkadiy, have decided. That's not to say they initiate all the moves; they will certainly have accepted the advice of others on many occasions. This will have included buying players recommended by others, and not buying some which were resisted by others. One thing I'm fairly certain of is that there is no chance at all that Roman would have given away the best part of playing Football Manager for real, the selecting of the players, to an absolute amateur like Marina. That just makes zero sense. It's understandable to defer to 'expert' opinion but why let someone who demonstrably knows less than you yourself do, make the decisions? I can understand Roman taking playing personnel decisions away from technical staff so he can enjoy making them himself. Causing all of the associated friction by overriding your football people, only to give the power to a complete novice is stupid beyond belief and I do not believe it. No way at all Marina makes player choices for football reasons. I am so ready to believe that Roman has made decisions himself because, if I had his money, that is exactly what I would have done. I would have made no bones about it either. Despite the impression I give on here, I am not a complete idiot however, I would have listened to football people and, if convinced by their arguments, would have deferred to them regularly. Ultimately however the final decision would always have been mine.

We should have replaced Thibaut without spending a penny. Anybody notice who was on the bench for PSG in the Champions League final?

Sorry, I'm a bit impatient about this but it's with the forum as a whole, not you specifically. What evidence does anyone have that Marina makes any footballing decisions? I mean any at all? Until someone shows me evidence, I see no reason whatsoever to believe that Marina decides which players we go for. Which ones we can or can't afford, yes, but which ones we should target on footballing grounds, no. Please boys and girls let's stop regurgitating this myth.

And how do you know that?

Always give credence to the fans who watch the most.

I enjoy the Spurs rivalry as much as anyone. In fact I'd say more than almost everyone, but that doesn't stop me supporting Harry Kane as long as it's May, June or July. On the expanded international season we're talking about, the non-tournament years would become mini-tournaments to qualify for the next summer's main event. A team camp would then be the norm. Whether these mini-tournaments are played home and away as now, or are staged in a host nation, is something which could evolve. Either way, we'd all get our bunting out, stick the flags out of the car window and, covid permitting, fill up pubs and fan parks all over the country. One of the upsides I described as being too good to ignore.

Could we all please stop complaining about the international breaks and do something about them instead. Apart from during the close season, I do not buy tickets for international matches, I do not watch them on telly or listen to them on the radio. I do not engage with them in any way. If every fan did the same, international breaks would be dead and gone by the start of next season. Scrap the breaks, get domestic football over with more quickly as a result, then play a proper international season during what would then be a longer club offseason. Much better for all concerned. Yes, I know there are difficulties to overcome before this could be a reality, but the upside is too good to ignore. In the meantime, ignore is my setting of choice for mid-season international football. If you hate the international breaks as much as I do, please join me.

I want the video to feature Kai at The Bridge having a kickabout with Pernille Harder.

It only means clubs can spend based on what their income was expected to be had covid not hit, instead of what they actually made.

Petr was 22 when we signed him. Edit: I just checked and in fact he was 21.

Good signing for Leeds I think. Glad they're back. Priority game numbers three and four slot nicely into place after one, Tottenham home and two, Tottenham away.

I find this to be a trait with Italian managers in general. It seems to me that they really value experience.

He was really young when he left. So young that he played in the U17 World Cup after joining BVB. Also, to be fair, City had a more powerful squad then than we have now. In other words, a more difficult squad for a youngster to force his way into.

Want to bet? I know you've been watching our squad management approach, we all have, but I don't think you are fully accepting just how committed the club is to its methods.