JB

**** **** sake Ollie!!! This is going to be Chelsea all over again!

Brilliant football from us but an absolutely disgusting miss. Got a horrible feeling that that’s the game right there

JPB can certainly pick a pass. What a ball that was to El Ghazi.

If we weren’t relying on two really out of form full backs to provide the width and final ball, I think we’d be much better off. Formation change and one or more of Bailey/Traore/Buendia needed pretty urgently.

The bias of referees and media towards the current top teams makes football really **** hard to watch sometimes.

Couldn’t really ask for much more. Midfield three, Mings and Konsa all fantastic. Watkins is such a good footballer. Channelling Grealish with some of his close control, ability to hold the ball and beat a man. So unlucky to be behind. Excited to see Bailey (hopefully) brought on second half.

Chelsea defending really well but they’re having to. This is the best I’ve seen us play for ages. Can’t believe we haven’t scored. Expecting a sucker punch just before half time

We’re still well in this. Poor from Tuanzebe but we’re looking dangerous going forward. Midfield three have been really good so far.

I think we’ve been decent! Look well-balanced and as if we’re actually playing with a midfield. Ramsey and Luiz making a difference. We’re well on top but final ball letting us down and not much service to Ings until the (brilliant) goal. El Ghazi has been awful, though. Needs taking off.

Actually, I think saying our line up is weak is getting a bit carried away. Look at the spine - one of the best keepers in the world, England’s first replacement centre back, a Brazilian international Olympic gold medalist midfielder, the best player from the championship last season (with better stats than Grealish) and one of the best strikers in the premier league over the last few seasons. Yes, there are a couple of potential weaknesses and the bench doesn’t look great but add Konsa and an in-form McGinn into the mix and we look one of the better 6-11 mini league teams IMO.

Newcastle’s 11 makes me feel a lot better. Ours looks far stronger IMO. Big game for Luiz. I reckon he’ll be right on it and we’ll win.

I was thinking about this the other day - it’s actually quite depressing that supermarket-bought fruit and veg is such a watered-down, bland version of the real thing. 10% of the real flavour, at a push. I had some of my in-laws’ homegrown new potatoes and tomatoes recently and they were **** delicious. I’m not usually a big veg guy but the green beans were another level again - like a completely different food. Supermarket ones are rank but I couldn’t get enough of these. So much taste to them and about four times the size. I pretty much loathe every mouthful when I eat shop-bought veg so I need to pull my finger out and start growing my own.

I know we’re not exactly short of a few quid but I genuinely don’t think I’d take any pleasure in supporting Villa if we ever ended up like them. It’s like they’re playing with a cheat code that not only builds them up to what should be untouchable levels but also pulls up the ladder on their potential rivals. Yes, they’re exploiting the lack of regulation to their advantage but it’s just not sport.

I get the idea of not letting sport affect you too much emotionally, and it doesn’t usually, but this is a gut punch. He’s pretty much the reason I started watching and enjoying football again. Add in the homegrown, ‘one of us’ factor and the idea of him leading us on an upward trajectory and it feels like it was a once in a lifetime type of thing. I’m going to lie, I can’t help resenting him now. The memories are tainted. He’s taken the easiest, most soulless route to the top but **** hell, I’m going to miss him.

I’m not convinced he/they will. Will he look as good when he doesn’t see as much of the ball, as not everything goes through him and he’s not passed it on demand? Of course, it could go the other way and he could take things to a new level with better players around him. Either way, I won’t know as I won’t be watching him play for anyone else.

There was a brilliant post in here earlier about how this is not actually an ambitious move. It was spot on IMO. It’s a cheat code for soulless trophies and, sadly, the most boring move possible for the most exciting player I’ve ever seen.

I’ve just finished a play-through of it. I had it on the Wii and really didn’t like it at the time. Nothing to do with the controls - I just thought it wasn’t very good. So much so that I wasn’t sure whether to get it for the Switch. But I could remember almost nothing about it so thought I’d give it another chance. I’m so glad I did. I’ve absolutely loved it. Don’t get me wrong, it’s far from perfect. It’s got lots of issues and takes some getting used to post-BotW but tackling dungeons again was so much fun that I’m considering playing it again straight away.

Really enjoyed the first half. There wasn’t much action in the 22s but couldn’t take my eyes off it. (Biggar’s dive was a low point, though.) Second half was utterly turgid. We didn’t even threaten to play any rugby. Really terrible, terrible spectacle. Back three were horrendous under the high ball and there were a fair few other shocking performances.

YES! So much better in the second half. Some huge performances in that last 40 - Lawes, Vunipola and Itoje in particular. Got very, very lucky with a couple of decisions, though. How Hamish Watson didn’t get at least a yellow, I’ll never know.

Very frustrating so far. Boks being horrible words removed as usual. We don’t have enough horrible, nasty bastards and are really lacking explosive ball carriers.

The way this game has been going second half, it’s made for Jack. We’re desperate for someone who can hold onto the ball in Italy’s half and relieve pressure on the defence. Seems so obvious.

Prem final was a reasonable game. Rob Baxter a seriously class act post-match.

If it wasn’t bad enough that Jack didn’t start, this is exactly the sort of game that’s crying out for him.

Imagine being a football manager and not picking a fit and available Jack Grealish. Lunacy.