TWar

That's fine by me. We need to beat out two teams to make europe and for me that is Wolves and Spurs. Everyone else can keep winning.

100% agree. Bielsa played a really unique style and you can't really get a manager who will come in and replicate it, what they need is someone to build something new but that takes time. In the interim they just needed to either stick with Bielsa or to bring in a tried and true relegation specialist like Big Sam to just see them to the end of the season. Maybe Marsch will surprise me, Lage certainly did, but I really think this is a very dodgy move.

Trippier also will cost quite a lot more I heard somewhere. If Newcastle stay up I think they are due to pay another £20m or something for him.

Maybe, but I think he'd been there a few years and had been pretty good for them. This fella was sacked after less than half a season in his first job in a big league. Not sure he has the pedigree for the prem just yet.

Was very poor at RB Leipzig, very risky appointment imo. I'd not be very happy with him as Ralphs successor as it stands.

Well they beat Brentford, Villa, Everton and Leeds. To teams of that size a £100m window is big big money. If they routinely dispatching top sides then it would be impressive. But with that sort of investment on top of an already expensive squad you'd expect them to best a couple of relegation threatened to mid table cloggers all of which on dreadful form

Calling Trippier an "aging right back" as your review after how good he's been... Either way, can I ask you, who made the signings and are they good signings? Seems Howe's biggest strength is spending a tonne of money to secure lower mid table prem finishes and getting wanked off by people who like to paint him as a plucky underdog. This time he's managing despite being backed by a literal state. Very impressive.

It's pretty sizeable, for us we could use it to break our all time transfer record 4 times. £100m might be a sensible (although still on the high side) sum of money for teams like City or Juve but for a team competing where Newcastle are it is huge.

They spent the most money europe. Chatting on and on about the two signings you don't think aren't great doesn't change that. And this was on top of an already very expensive team.

Literally the most in europe

They spent the most money in europe and are now doing better, they really weren't before then. It's pretty simple... Whoever did the signings (probably not Howe) it wasn't deft scouting to notice Trippier et al. were good assets, everyone knows that, they are just rich as fuck as they are owned by a state.

If he had no major impact why would they bring him in? Tbh I reckon Ashworth knew he was off and was working with them on the sly as he is still under contract. Cant prove it but for me I don't think you bring in a new DoF months after spending that sort of money when he has clearly been lined up for a while and he gets no say. Seems unlikely to me.

They brought in some fella who was the former DoF of celtic on a short term deal to do their Jan business I thought?

We forgetting about La Liga winner and England International Trippier? Also I thought you were saying Howe spent well, now you are saying they didn't get any quality from of the biggest January spend in europe. Make your mind up...

That small club spent an absolute fortune both getting up and in the prem. Which is more relevant than whether you think they are a big team or not. Also we've done the Howe conversation, it's not changing by the fact he can scrape a couple of wins together when he signs top players for big money, like most predicted he would. I reckon there isn't a single manager in prem history who has at no point had a player hail their impact in a club commissioned media puff piece. Maybe someone who managed like 5 games. Ralph was asked about Bednarek doing a similar thing the other day and basically said "ofcourse he gave a good answer, I'm his boss!" If you are genuinely impressed by the "player X hails impact of new manager, says he has been great" then I have a bridge to sell you.

I really hope Broja and Chelsea realise that under Ralph he is a lot more likely to get great than rotting on the Chelsea bench and do the best thing for all parties and sell him to us for a good fee and a buyback.

Player sucks up to current manager in media puff piece, stop the presses...

I never said he was crap at spending money. If anything some of Bournemouths signings (Danjuma, Ramsdale, Solanke) have had a pretty big upturn in form after him. I said he had a lot of resources with a decent expensive squad and got it relegated.

Howe doesn't spend the money, they have a DoF

That's what happens when you sign almost £100m worth of players. Notice there was no upturn in form after Howe arrived until the Saudi money came flowing in...

Meaningless stuff from Chelsea. He didn't have any real role in running Chelsea anyway, now he just officially won't have any role in running them. He still owns them and they have a massive debt to him, its all just for show.

England could make a decent 11 out of just right backs Walker (played in goal for City once) Justin Wan-Bissaka Trippier Livramento Trent Maitland-Niles KWP James Tavanier Lampety Bench: Godfrey, Ben Johnson, Ayling, Baldock, Clyne, Kenny, Ward, Fredericks, Chambers

Being good at hold up play is more than just being strong and having a good touch, you need to be good with your back to goal. You need to be able to bring others into the game after receiving and holding the ball. You need to draw pressure and then turn under pressure to continue the attack. I haven't seen him be particularly good at those aspects. Broja seems much more comfortable running on to balls. Or receiving it in quickly running at defences or getting his shot away. Che on the other hand has superb hold up play.

Long way off Europe but we were a much longer way off in January so never say never.

Rooney was certainly who came to my mind. Also recent players like Foden and Alexander-Arnold who have been phenomenal at times.