Mark Albrighton

Just because dog shows are not mentioned terribly often.

I very much doubt Arsenal are catchable. However, if you’re hoping to finish 4th, aiming to catch a side likely to finish in 3rd place isn’t the worst way to go about achieving it.

I hadn’t realised how in the mix for the play offs Norwich are, I had assumed they were in a mid table rut and that would be a definite dead rubber opposition for sha.

It wasn’t quite run around the house celebrating wildly, but it was probably the most I’ll ever cheer a Millwall goal

Luton equalise

Have Leicester decided that in lieu of any major trophies, Reading can keep that 106 points record? They’ve done their best to piss it away recently.

It’s difficult for me to look back and not project how we now know the season panned out onto that I thought at the time. I suppose I could look what I posted at the time, but my belief is I was trying to convince myself we were doing alright. I remember being second for a short time but thinking that this novelty probably won’t last. I often wonder why I (infrequently) return to this thread. On the one hand when it comes to Bruce I’m a little petty and having a little dig at his expense I find mildly amusing. Although he’s out of work, my suspicion is he’s still fairly well insulated and protected by the old boys club, if he was given the something like the Palace job, the usual suspects would be on hand to fight his battles. But I think the main reason is that 17/18 was a rather important season in our recent history. Christ knows what would have happened if they actually had their shit together (that’s everyone, Bruce playing his part but not the biggest part in the wider debacle).

When Villa beat wolves 4-1, we were 4 points off second place Cardiff. Between that game and when we played Cardiff (and won 1-0), we played 5 times, winning once, drawing once and losing three. For comparison, Cardiff had played 4, picking up 7 points (they had lost to Wolves). Looking back, that seems like a real missed opportunity. I remember being incensed about losing to QPR in that mini run, but otherwise my memory is a bit hazy of those games. The teams we dropped points to - QPR, Bolton, Hull and Norwich, none of them finished higher than 14th. It’s quite difficult to gain automatic promotion when you’re bringing one out of twelve points against lower table fodder towards the business end of the season.

Haven’t voted. Don’t know. I’m mainly here for the inevitable annoyance that some managers are allowed to be known by a single name (Klopp, Pep, Nuno) and others are afforded affectionate nick names (“Big Ange”, ”Poch”). Looking forward to the various suggested nick names for those without. Oliver Glasner half full, maybe. Chris “Wild Thing” Wilder. Or Eddie Howe many people have the bosses slaughtered this week.

Sorry to hear that @Follyfoot, I saw the news about it. West Park wasn’t it. There was a young girl murdered there a few years ago.

For some unexpected political insight, I saw two minutes of Celebrity Big Brother the other night (yeah, yeah I know…I promise it was two minutes). Fern Britton was talking to Kate Middleton’s uncle (I believe that’s his name) and Fern claimed that she’s put a bet on that the next Prime Minister will be David Cameron. She didn’t say what odds she managed to get.

I don’t think we’ll sell any of them (the players listed).

I assume it’s a case by case basis, but as a general rule of thumb, is it better or worse for a party if a mp stands down? I know if they’re standing down it’s likely not good, but I’m just wondering how much, if any, sting it takes out of a potential defeat for the party in that constituency. Because people might have felt “You know what I’m looking forward to? Giving Raab a (metaphorical) kicking on election night. That’s gonna be sweeeeeet.” And then he says he’s quitting and people might feel less inclined to give fresh faced Tory the same (metaphorical) kicking.

Bednarek on that for a matter of months, yeah? Not great business, no one is saying it is. I’m saying it’s not Coutinho level bad business. What was the loan fee for Barkley? I seem to recall it being quite high. I’m betting his wages weren’t terribly low either.

With respect, the buyout of Emery’s contract is going to be an unavoidable cost. If you want him, you pay the compensation. The only way that could be levelled at being a stick to beat Purslow with is upon Smith’s sacking, Emery wasn’t employed but Gerrard was still chosen anyway. Paying Rangers for Gerrard, paying him off, yes fine, his doing, his fault. Paying off Villareal in order to appoint Emery, not so much. Also, maybe I’ve missed something, but were the likes of Bednarek on wages that warrant their inclusion with the likes of Coutinho? I dare say someone like Barkley was a bigger hit to the finances all things considered but he wasn’t signed under Gerrard so subsequently he’s not so much of a stick to hit Purslow with. I suppose ultimately the difference is I don’t discount all the previous years credit for a bad 12-18 months.

Think they’ll get out of it, but it’s so close down there. Two points between 16th and 23rd. Their games against Millwall and QPR are important. If the penultimate game against Huddersfield is also a six pointer then that really could be a nervy one.

I would be (reasonably) interested to know what previous England managers’ records against top ten sides - AND where England were typically ranked during their tenure playing these games. I’m willing to guess that previous records are similarly successful but that England weren’t ranked as highly as they currently are/have been over the past X years (at least I assume England are high up there at the moment, I don’t know).

What I have read in the financial thread is a few people (who I accept know a lot more about these things than me) debate and go round and round in increasingly tedious circles as to what the numbers mean. The fact that there seems to be a debate at all suggests that things aren’t necessarily ****ed. And that the club have suggested they’re falling in line. As I have said, you can level the bad deals at him and then bemoan the financial state we (possibly) are in. But people can also point to some rather good players that have come in while he was here for not excessive amounts, which he would have at least played a part in too in the negotiation side of things (I simply can’t think why a slighted Suso would paint a different picture, no reason whatsoever why he would do so…).

His last season, the 22/23 season. What in particular did he do awfully? Gerrard is already there, so I guess not sacking Gerrard before the season started, that could count. What did he do exceptionally wrong? Are you including the confirmation of Coutino in that season? I remember it being confirmed at the end of season awards. Edit - and the last two years mainly being remembered…that’s down to the individual. I’m sure there are some people who will remember Dean Smith’s final six months as being the “true” face of his tenure than the previous couple of seasons. I wouldn’t be among them, but you know full well that those people exist. I try and keep his whole time here in consideration when weighing up the pros and cons.

But this is guesswork, isn’t it? I don’t think Dean Smith was SOLELY down to Purslow, but he would have played his part. He would have played his part in negotiating some of the deals like Douglas Luiz for a relative pittance. But **** all that because we gave Coutinho a lot of money. We don’t like the Terrace view thing “Oh what was Purslow thinking?!?” But the same people will say “Well Heck must have the backing of the owners to do this…” And it goes the other way too, in the case of Heck, I know. There’s just zero ****ing nuance from some.

But, Purslow gets blame for Coutinho via the Gerrard appointment. Setting up the scene for a Liverpool reunion. Does he not receive credit for Smith bringing in Konsa and Watkins? Setting up the scene for a Brentford reunion? Seems a very similar dynamic to me. The difference is the one didn’t work and the other two did so that would require some acknowledgment that he might have done ok in the latter case(s). Edit - just to clarify further, he was definitely involved in taking a wheelbarrow full of money round to Coutinho’s place, but he definitely wasn’t involved in the negotiation for the transfer fee for Konsa? Do I have that correct?

Out of interest, does he take any of the credit for taking part in the negotiating the (relatively) inexpensive deals for Konsa, Watkins, Martinez, Kamara…? Or is it just the bad deals he’s responsible for? I guess it’s like how he’s to blame for the Gerrard appointment but Smith’s hiring doesn’t count in his favour for some reason.

A while back I was out walking down a fairly quiet street and these two young guys (late teens/early twenties) were walking towards me, one with his music reasonably loud. As they got closer, completely unprompted, the one lad turned the music all the way down while we passed each other. Now, being several paces away from them, he put the volume back up. One for the cheer you up thread really. Some folk will do as they do but are capable of being aware of their surroundings.

I’ve mentioned before, but trending topics on Google and how I occasionally fall for them. I click on the search bar and a drop down of trending searches is offered. These can’t be based on my previous searches, the current ones offered include Malaysia Airlines, some Grand Prix rise at Blackpool Pleasure Beach and Utah Tumbleweeds. I have no interest in any of the preceding. Anyway, and this is what has annoyed me, I see that Debra Winger’s name is trending. “Oh blimey, has she died? Do I need to alert VT?” is my thought. So I click her name. And what is causing her name to trend and convince me to do an internet search for her? Turns out there are several tabloid articles who are expressing surprise that she looks different now to how she looked in the early 80’s.

Everybody Loves Raymond