OneMoSalah

We will get shagged by any of the PL sides in the semi finals if we perform like that. Definitely not a good performance. Good result though yes.

Still a bit shite in terms of it only being 10% because it only works out at like 500 tickets for Scottish & English fans in the group games being at that price. Should’ve been a much higher % in my eyes, 25% would’ve been good. I suppose if each of the nations participating get that minimum 450-500 tickets at that prices for the groups then yeah it is better than before but its still quite shite. FIFA as well as the USA, Canada & Mexico are going to make an absolute fortune, like probably be the most profitable football tournament to date, so they should be trying to make it a bit more affordable. I went to Germany for the Euros & whilst it wasn’t cheap, it wasn’t extortionate. Particularly the costs for accommodation, food &drink in Germany but the WC over there is going to be another level for sure.

Still time for us to blow this lead. I mean based on tonight, I think we’ve got Stevie Wonder playing at CB with Badiashile although hes been terrible also (Hato can’t be good at CB either based on Badiashile playing CB ahead of him). Hopefully Tosin off for Trevor. Nope never mind, Trev on at RB 🙄

Absolutely deserved. Like I said before, for the cost of this squad, the level of performance is absolutely pathetic. Someone has to answer for this because it happens too often - be it the sporting directors and/or the manager. The players clearly are not that good (shock horror who’d of thought?!?!?) so in an ideal world, sporting directors need to be held severely accountable. They also hired the manager. Irony is, the Cardiff manager was an ex Man City EDS coach who worked with Maresca so if they go on & win this, he’ll probably become favourite for the Chelsea job 😂

Looks like that goals just gave them even more of a lift 😂 We have got better but still so poor. The cost of this team & to get this level of performance is abysmal.

List is poor but what do we expect? De Zebri is too volatile for BlueCo. 100%. Good coach with huge upside when things are going well but has shown at Brighton he will speak his mind & not bite his tongue when it comes to it. Howe has shown some good things at Newcastle, trophy win & CL qualification but they have also shown the same issues that his Bournemouth side did; can go on poor runs & conceding poor goals too often. Although could argue FFP has hamstrung him also with improving on what they have. Iraola & Glasner would be interesting moves but are they strong enough or just going to be yes men that would let the sporting directors go unchecked? Can they deal with the demands that this club should have? Glasner is an avid lover of playing a back 3 which is probably a formation the sporting directors haven’t built this squad for too. For Fabregas, it looks like he will do very very well but similarly with Rosenoir, who has done alright in France, needs to keep plying his trade and developing as a coach before making a jump. Lower level clubs in Italy & France are a different kettle of fish to what should be a top 4 team. But in all honesty, if we had to, Fabregas would be my preference out of all of those names if he’d be willing to move, even if he is very inexperienced as a manager. I think his career as a player gives him huge respect in the dressing room & sounds like he isn’t a manager who will be inflexible. He has spoke in great depth about trying to take things from all the managers he’s played under & that you cannot just be one dimensional effectively. Which is the polar opposite to what we have now.

How has he hooked George & not Gittens? Then left Buonanotte on? Like Gittens & Buonanotte have been the worst players on the pitch by a mile (thats saying something), lost possession 20 times between them in the first half….. Maresca’s decision making there & in general, how he sees the game is absolutely atrocious.

Buonanotte was brought in because he played for Brighton & under 21. Horrible game so far, Cardiff look miles better than us. Gittens is fucking wank, Dortmund laughing at us.

Tbf looking more into it, it seems the manager has noticed the sporting directors are a nightmare. But so is Maresca - 100% both need to go but the owners will only back one side if it comes down to it, the sporting directors. The argument for this youth based model really bearing fruit is a bit of a joke as well, isn’t it? All it has done really is drastically reduced the wage bill. Unless scraping into the CL on top of winning a trumped up pre season competition & 3rd tier of European football with a £2.5 bn pound squad (should of walked it) is all this mob has aspirations for there needs to be a shift in mentality at all levels. After the Maignan deal not going ahead & not signing a CB on top of trying to force the likes of Felix, Veiga amongst others on Maresca last season - I can see why he feels the need to be butting heads.

Interesting presser after game. Worst 48 hrs of his time at the club so he reckons as people didn’t show him & the team support 😂 Ironic, we finally get a win after 4 or 5 games without one & he comes out with that. Now everyone is talking about his presser & what he could’ve meant as opposed to the win. The guy is an absolute bellend, cannot wait to see the back of him. Moaning about not playing without players due to injuries & suspensions, injuries happen but he can easily stress to the player’s about their discipline record - we had countless red cards on the trot at one point and he said it wasn’t a problem. Seems he wants to be applauded for winning the Club World Cup & Conference League as if they were massive achievements but then he wants to be judged as if he is rebuilding the team. Make your mind up - cannot have it both ways.

This club getting a transfer ban wouldn’t be the worst thing. Save us signing utter dross for a period.

Won’t compete or win trophies penny pinching though - been saying it for seasons now. Everyone at the club seems to think that we’re going to find top quality players we need aged 23 & under on moderately low wages. Guaranteed that’ll never happen. Would paying his salary & bonus demands really have been that bad either? He’s reportedly on 250k per week, that isn’t outrageous for a player of his quality in this day & age. Given his pedigree on top of the fact he has been earning £10m+ a year for the best part of nearly 10 seasons since his Milan days - would anyone really have expected him to be asking for a small contract? Previous regime would’ve paid it no questions asked. Regardless, even if we had offered, no player who has the chance to pick from us or City, is coming here at the moment - but we should’ve been pushing a deal given his availability, quality and playing position ticked all the boxes. Or a competent sporting department would’ve been. Look how immense he was for PSG last season & plenty of big moments for City so far. Not to mention big international performances over the years. Would’ve been worth every penny & more.

Both City & Liverpool been heavily linked for probably a year now though. Would be a great signing for either club. Given our track record, there is no chance we will enter the race given he is; 1) a very good player & 2) over 21 years old. Shame because he would be a instant starter but we spunked £100m on Gittens & Garnacho.

They’ll never go for De Zebri, I know he has Brighton ties but he’d potentially be too volatile a personality for BlueCo. He would want a lot more say than Maresca & Pochettino got in terms of recruitment also. He was extremely critical of Brighton’s recruitment in his second season which led to their desire to part ways with him. Could you imagine dumb & dumber’s egos here if he called them out for shockingly poor recruitment (despite most of their signings being gash)? He has never lasted longer than 2 years at the 8 clubs he’s been at other than at Sassuolo, which is alarming.

Not specifically. His name was mentioned in another thread by other members also. It is 100% a case of ex player doing well elsewhere vs our players (mostly of a similar quality) in the same position are struggling. I don’t think Veiga would be the answer or a real improvement on any of our defenders. Hato also has the same flexibility in terms of positions he can play so his versatility, if it was ever an argument/consideration for some, isn’t something we don’t have either. He is probably on a similar level and has a similar ceiling - which unfortunately isn’t what we need - to the likes of what we’ve already gotten. I agree with some of the CBs you’ve listed as they are top quality, which is what we need. I have been waiting to see if this ownership group are serious enough to go out and buy top top players. For instance we needed a GK & CB, Donnarumma & Guehi were available for less than what it would’ve cost us to sign Garnacho & Giitens this summer. Yet they weren’t serious enough.