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I didn't say anything about a lack of effort, but it's clearly not correct to give the owners what seems to be a free pass in all this. They are, after all, the ultimate decision makers.

Hang on, you said 'no-one ever explains how to do better without replacing SJP with a magic money tree'. I see zero proof that Wilson and Howe have been engaged in some long-running power struggle, but plenty of evidence of stasis and muddled thinking from DA gardening leave to RW hire.

You think the lack of communication immediately pre-PM arriving was the only issue in that whole chain? As for financing, as others have pointed out, a market value Aramco sponsorship (eg) could have been done at any time. Obvs, growing revenue hugely another matter entirely.

On a lighter note, realised today is also the 8th anniversary of my last visit to Kyiv's Gazza theme pub. Here I am with @rungeordierun.bsky.social a day after he'd finished dragging several dozen kilos of wheeled vehicle single-handedly from Belgrade (an apt metaphor for following NUFC at times)

You don't think we could have done better somewhere along the way between losing Ashworth and hiring Wilson? That may have had some bearing too, no?

On Bland I couldn't personally say. Jonny I think is a knowledgeable fan who's involved in youth football and knows a lot of people, but is not a journo.

Or because he couldn't stand it up. I'd be surprised, if he's angling for a move to another PIF club, if he's refusing to play. Seems very out of character as well. Could be he's got a slight injury and doesn't want to risk it, of course.

Hope's latest article says he told the club he wanted to go but says zero about him refusing to play.

Depends how they're going to use him, how well he does and how we replace him. Very hard to judge now - if he leaves, it's earlier than we wanted to lose him and for more than they ideally wanted to pay so not sure either club wins yet.

I remember the same questions about KK in 1997, mind. Some 'no Plan B' and 'needs to sort out the defence' comments. One bloke said signing Signori (as briefly rumoured) would be the last straw for him.

Ok, I can see you're a zealot about this. Let's just say you're certainty on more than one issue is not universally share and other opinions are widely available.

Given the the briefing campaign started at 50-55 (remember the Staveley 'promised' that was raised then forgotten), 80 -90 is a huge improvement. But it's all only as good as the replacements, isn't it? Experienced midfielder, CB and FB with the cash?

BBC reporting multiple sources but no big change imo - no bid submitted yet, player expected to cost £80 million. I think he goes IF they get to that figure, but I imagine Howe leaving makes the resolve even firmer to not sell for less than something too good to turn down.

As for the "good riddance" sign-off, feels more suited to the other place, tbh.

I know it's social media but saying "he couldn't motivate" is nonsensical. Perhaps things had run their course by the end of season - I said months ago on here that if I were him I'd take a break but things don't suddenly happen in isolation. We've been a mess for 2-3 seasons higher up.

We all knew he was going to be operating under a lot of pressure from the off this season. Does the new bloke get an easier ride? Or does this just make the mood music even worse? We'll see...

Yes, agree. Ideal timing, if this was going to happen, was May. Feels like either EH has come back and realised he has no more left to give or something he'd agreed to in May has changed (sales?). Don't buy that losing out on a target changed everyhing but maybe it crystallised a few things.

"The cyber bedsheet brigade" aren't going to be coughing up those 5% annual ST increases, are they? Things could go either way, but I'm conditioned to expect quite a bit of turbulence ahead...

It's not having a DoF. It's how the person is chosen and communicated to those in-post he'll be working with. And then it's having the savvy to tread carefully at first while building relationships. Pretty basic stuff. What exactly has PM done during or since his time at the club to impress you?

Let's see what he looks like after a few months in this madhouse.