Ronnie Whelan

Without sounding like one of those jackasses with the "....will save Liverpool millions" articles, I actually think that there is a fair bit to be encouraged about going into next season. Gakpo is a player. He is going to be terrific for us. Jota is a poor man's Fowler yes, but he is very good. A proper pre-season and he will be a big player for us next season. Him and Robbo are pretty much the only snides in our team - we need a few more like that. Diaz is a class act. Can't wait to see him get a run in the team. Mo is Mo. By his standards a mediocre season, but next year in a more fumctioning team, he could hit 30 goals. Nunez is a funny one. I like him in a lot of ways. I just don't think in a league where you need to be getting about 94+ points to win a title, we can afford to carry him. I'd like him to be given a little more time and I hope he can make it here. My concern is that you nearly have to fit the system to suit him, whereas say someone like Gakpo has the game intelligence to adopt. That game intelligence is what we need in our new signings. Macca is a class act. If it's a done deal, it's a great bit of business. Mount isn't world class, but he is a very good player. He works his bollox off and can play. New players with a hunger could really galvanise a squad full of quality - shite season but these are lads that have had 3 incredible seasons out of 5 and I'm reluctant to include 20/21 in there because so much went on there with injuries and we showed serious hunger to get third. Really encouraging to see Virgil say that he is excited for the season. We march on.

AZ should get the book thrown at them. Disgraceful stuff and credit to the big unit for keeping the scum at bay. However, have to laugh at the West Ham fans *like all the other Ingerlund types* who cry when anyone puts it up to them, after they probably spent the previous day wrecking a city square. I don't see too many helping out the Big Unit, but I'm sure there is multiple Danny Dyers telling the world about the big battle they had with facking thousands of tooled up Dutch lads.

Macca would be brilliant here. He's a really good player. Probably the level below world class but I think he has the potential to get there imo. I'd love him here. As others have rightly said, we just need very good players and not necessarily De Bruyne level players to be back on track. One of many at Brighton I'd love here. Caicedo and Ferguson are going to be huge players in the future. I really like watching them - if we don't make top 4 I would love if they made it. Don't get the hate for Mount. He might look like a Tory voting Essex Boy, but he's a very good player who is perfect for our system. He's homegrown too.

That crossed my mind as well. If Arsenal lose, they could understandably finish the season poorly. A young side that did so well but deflated is a recipe for a few defeats. Leeds not winning last night and Leicester still having a bit of hope was good for us as well.

Tonight feels huge. This is our hardest game left imo. We win and I'd be confident we can win all the remaining games. I expect the Blueshite to give Newcastle a very tough game. If Newcastle win, I can't see us catching them. If they lose, their arses could get a bit flappy. I'd still settle for a draw and hopefully down to seven points with some nasty enough fixtures coming up.

If we win all our games, then I think we can. Problem is that we can't afford to drop any points. Think the Mancs might stumble to top 4 with their injuries, so it's probably Newcastle that offer the bit of hope for us. Being honest Brighton are a fabulous team. Bad luck and wrong decisions have stopped them being 10-12 points better off. Ferguson is out for a while but they have multiple terrific players. I think they will drop enough points for us to catch them if we win all our games, especially if they make the cup final, but I wouldn't be sure.

Haha beautiful. Jesus, FSG have the national media nearly talking about us like a solid midtable club regarding transfers "they're careful and don't tend to splash the cash without thinking it out" etc...like we're fucking loaded and one of the biggest clubs in the world, not Brentford. We could easily bring in four world class players this summer. If we bring in Tchounemi and another high quality midfielder, I could accept that. Far from perfect, but by our expectations, a really good window.

Great post that. Being honest, that is the crux of it. There are plenty of players that massively improve us. As I said what will annoy me if we don't sign Bellingham will be the bullshit excuses churned out, but if we got 3 really good players in, I'll be very happy. As you rightly say, Bajcetic made a big difference on the others and his ceiling could be very high. I know Mount plays with those horrible bastards, but I think he's a very good player if he came at the right price. A 7/10 player but that's okay if the rest of the team is in good nick.

I really like Bellingham and the poor mouth routine pisses me off greatly. We're one of the wealthiest clubs in the world. We should be able to sign Bellingham, Caicedo + one more in midfield and even Gvardiol or the South Korean kid from Napoli for defence in one window if we really wanted to. Problem is that FSG are shrewd cunts. They like winning, of course they do. However, they will believe that spending well this summer rather than a gigantic outlay to have us back challenging for the title is enough for them because they'll gamble that Jurgen gets us back in the top 4 which is their golden goose. It's great the development of the stadium but again that's shrewd investment for them because it's developing the asset for when they do fuck off. My gut feeling is we spend big (for us) this summer - Bellingham and punts or Caicedo/McCallister (or their ilk)and better quality mix of players. They will recognise what is needed within their parameters and will realise their yearly top 4 jaunt is at risk. The pr machine will really spin it and rightly or wrongly signing the likes of Caicedo will excite us. If we did sign Bellingham, they could probably bring in Ronald McDonald and Donald Duck and a lot of fans would see it as a boss window. Anyhow, I'd nearly bet the most unheralded signing we make will be fucking boss. It will be the kind of outlay that gets us back in the top 4 and in the right season if City weren't at it, we might challenge for the title like Arsenal this year.

It makes no sense that we would table a bid, then brief the world we are moving on to other targets. Brighton and others know we have money to rinse us. To be fair, they know we do anyway, but they'll be thinking we have a little left over of what we hoped to get Bellingham for and they'll take us as near to that place as possible. I smell bullshit. Not saying we sign him, but makes zero sense to let it play out like that.

They are very smart how they opetate. Some collection of talents there. Got to be honest, I really like McCallister so if we are in the mix to sign him, I'd be happy. Caicedo is terrific. Would be a force of nature here.

Yeah Derby and Nottingham really have a serious attitude to us. Villa as well. I was genuinely happy for Leicester fans when they won the league, but after hearing their shit, it's probably the last time I'll be rooting for another English team. I mean I like the current Brighton and Brentford teams, but I'm sure their fans would be the exact same. Fuck 'em all!

Haha I know from your posts you hate them, but he was probably the only Southampton fan I ever spoke to bar being there for aways and then you aren't really talking to the locals.

Yeah absolutely it won't. The funny thing Longo is that back when Hillsborough happened, the country was a very violent place and football especially so, yet I would wager a very small segment of fans would see fit to mock death back then. Mad thing to say but within that football hooligan era, there was decency, be it Mancs working on the trains letting you off and laughing when they caught you bunking or the Cockney girls throwing you a free brekkie after missing the train home. Now they'd leave you in the rain or be delighted to call the old bill. A lot of these fuckers now are probably college educated and have good jobs. Football allows these knobheads to unleash their inner beast because a Tory government gave these little jumpstarts a platform to piss on Asians, Blacks, Irish etc and of course the old Scousers who are fair game for middle England. I think we stand out because we are so un-English as a club - the Blueshite used to be as well but now they play the Uncle Tom role. To be fair, I never get the sense the Red Mancs lose too much sleep over England, but I think to all these little Englander clubs they despise us for that. Got talking to a nice Southampton fan on holidays who told me he likes us because of the 70s and 80s but we'd be second most disliked club after Pompey with a lot of their fans because of booing the anthem etc. A lot of people believe what they hear so just go along with hateful shit told about Hillsborough, just like they would about Brexit, or ethnic minorities.

I'll never defend what the Mancs do because a sizeable minority of their support are vermin, but I can at least acknowledge we played a part in the rivalry becoming toxic. Chelsea were always utter scum and from living in London for a bit in the 80s, they had special contempt for us and Everton (hillarious that mostly younger blues now want the pat on the head from clubs like Chelsea and City they used to piss all over for being good little Scousers). Absolute shithouse of a club compared to Arsenal and Spurs back then. What bugs me is all the other clubs, be it Leicester to Newcastle to Sheffield Wednesday use Hillsborough to get at us. I mean I hate the banter culture, but I can see how the Steve Gerrard song might pass as funny to oppossing fans. I'm so happy that nothing happened to thr Geordies, but I have memory of them singing the always the victim ditty, so at least this might act as a little reminder to them and other fan bases that it could have been them dealing with a tragedy.

Haha! It was a bit of a David James vs the Mancs in 1997 style clusterfuck.

Yeah I agree. He looks incredible. You know what the Mancs might be better off getting him rather than Kane - hopefully they get neither. Hard to picture paying more than 30 million for an 18 year old, but he has the look of a sure thing so you might be right that is conservative.

Wonderful time to be a Red when half of the Brighton (and a good few Brentford) players you would love or gladly have here. Problem is that these clubs are loaded. It's like Serie A back in the day. We want Caicedo or McCallister and it will be top dollar. That shit hot kid Ferguson who is barely 18 would probably be 30 million already. Brighton have the top clubs right where they want them.

Funny enough I thought of Kelleher going there when he did that. Don't know anything about him but he picked a bad game to make a mistake in.

What about Dortmund? Even if it brought down the price of Bellingham a little or ideally a two year loan as s little sweetener for them. He gets to go to a huge club and gets big experiences domestically and in Europe playing in one of the best stadiums in the world. They get a potentially outstanding keeper. We get to see if he is worthy to be Ali's ultimate replacement.

Get in Blueshite.

Haha Jesus shows how I lost count. Half nice not giving a shit about City going four up against the dross after 35 minutes. He's a machine in fairness.

Agree he should have left, but if he's a boyhood Spurs fan, that is easier said than done. Secondly, on paper, after Pochetino, they got in two a list managers in Mourinho and Conte that would have made him think about staying.

Yeah he would be a great Benzema replacement. Another thing, if he went there, he might get a little bit more rest week to week which would give him more longetivity. Being honest, if I was Pep, I'd sell Haaland to Real and buy him. He's a better fit for them - yeah I know Haaland is brilliant and will get 40 odd goals this season.

Have to say Kane is a brilliant player. Can only imagine how good he would be here, or how brilliant he would be at City or Real. If the Mancs get him, he'd be a huge signing for them. Haaland is a brilliant forward, but imo Kane is a much better all round player.