Danny

Mostly it’s a pretty good squad with wide variety. The likes of Dunk, Colwill, Tomori, Guehi, Gallagher, Eze, Maddison, Nketiah and Wilson are good inclusions, gives the squad a boost and allows us to build pathways for players who haven’t been included that much so far. The team I expect to see and players in brackets I’d like to see: Pickford Walker - Dunk - Maguire(Colwill) - Chilwell Henderson(Trent) - Rice Saka - Bellingham - Grealish Kane

Phillips is our only other defensive midfielder…until we produce more we’re just left with Rice and Phillips. Maguire is the only experienced centre back at international level in that list.

I'd rather pour cement down my ears than listen to that podcast in general, so not listened to it, but I do know his club selections he made on there would likely push you off him. But as a player you will struggle to find anyone that will work as hard as he does for the team, doing defensive work, dropping in and creating for others, whilst also being able to bag the goals he bags. Plus he's guaranteed to score penalties which any big team would want. For a club like Spurs he's going to score 20-25+ goals a season, so the price is fair within the current market, more than fair actually, but if you're looking to benefit from undervalued markets then yeah you'll go a different way.

Toney is perfect for Spurs, Arsenal, Chelsea and United. Will be interesting to see what happens in January, hopefully we can get a bidding war going with clubs desperate for goals from a centre forward.

Cos of his politics or as a player?

Normally some of the acting is a bit…shit. But this makes me laugh haha, he could genuinely be in the film and it wouldn’t look out of place

Yeah Bissouma looked so good, completely refreshed. In fairness half on the windup with Vicario, wasn’t that bad but he does seem like a potential liability waiting to happen. Would not fill me with confidence looking at him lol. Data approach is interesting, it’s so easy to get wrong and I wouldn’t think of it as a “like Brighton and Brentford” either. Both owners made their money in gambling by predicting outcomes better than the bookies, that in itself provides a different outlook in the game compared to someone that might come from a general perspective. On top of that all of our information is created in house and kept in house, no one will have the data that we or Brighton have because it’s specifically created by the owners and the companies they’ve created. Whereas if you are using shared data then you are competing with other clubs in the league which reduces the advantage that data can give you. On top of that you need the perspective to be top down, what Levy might hold dear isn’t necessarily what the person in charge of your analytical approach will. Everyone has to be on board at all times, completely shared fundamentals. Got any info on the change? Would be interesting to read about and see what you’re doing different.

@Storts how long is Bentancur out for? Him, Maddison and Bissouma looks like it might be sexual. Reckon you’ll sign a #1 or persist with the panic buy?

I got 2 minutes into the Newcastle doc on Amazon before switching off, just hearing Shearer's voice was enough. The sports washing going on at Newcastle really isn't going to go away.

Joshua always fights well against bigger fighters so not surprised he got such a brutal KO. But to be expected against Helenius

Yeah and it must be strange having someone just force a camera in your face. But the caption made me laugh lol

Yep, meant 4 but was thinking 2 teams!

I think it’s fair to say the league is weaker, there’s a clear dropoff between Bayern and anyone else. The only reason there was a title race last season was because Bayern were so bad. Make no mistake without Guardiola City would not be this dominant, but Bayern can change manager at will and still dominate. If you look at Bayern and Dortmund’s points tallies last season they were closer to Man United and Newcastle than City and Arsenal (taking into account they play 2 games less also). I personally think it’s fair to say there is more strength in England between 2nd and 6th/7th and beyond that it’s probably about the same. But just cos a league is stronger does’t mean the leagues aren’t comparable, or that the Bundesliga is in anyway “shit”. In fact stylistically the leagues are more similar than say La Liga and generally if someone does well in Germany they are likely to do the same in England. But I don’t think Harry Kane will go up against as many high level players in Germany as he has in England, Kane is literally an example himself of how strong a player you can find in a team that finishes between 2nd and 7th in England.

We could all win a title in Germany with Bayern, not everyone is a record breaker! Kane has listened to me

Quality of the league can’t be that great. Southgate has generally hesitated picking players who play outside of the Prem, you’d think he might now

Bayern may as well chuck a bag of chocolate coins in at this rate

League Positions: 1. Man City 2. Liverpool 3. Arsenal This is the title race for me, but I think City’s late formation change last season will lend to a very strong campaign this season. Assuming Liverpool’s squad stays fit I think they have a frontline that will absolutely batter teams and might even win the league. Arsenal I think will push on from last season but will struggle in the league at some point with the Champions League back, not heavily struggle, but in relation to City. 4. Man Utd 5. Chelsea Realistically this will end up being the race for top 4, I think Europe might be too much for Newcastle to challenge all season in the league. Chelsea will be reborn but I also think a bit soft at times. United I think will probably improve on last season but the Champions League will be demanding with the league too. 6. Newcastle 7. Brighton 8. Tottenham 9. Aston Villa 10. Brentford I think any of these teams can challenge for a Europa League position or Conference. Tottenham might struggle if Kane goes and basing this solely off of one friendly, their defence looked woeful. Brighton and Villa I think will at some point prioritise winning European silverware over league position. Brentford will surprise a lot this season without Toney, I think Mbeumo and Lewis-Potter will have big seasons with Schade and Wissa also chipping in with a lot of support. If we get Brennan Johnson then it’ll only strengthen our hand. Mathias Jensen also looks a man possessed, could be a massive season for him. 11. Burnley 12. Bournemouth 13. West Ham 14. Crystal Palace I think Burnley might do a Fulham tbh and just try and blitz the league with pace and power, full on attack mode. Bournemouth I’m solely going off of the erection that Spanish pundits have for their gaffer, but I did also predict them to stay up last season and think they have more talent than given credit for. For West Ham I think this is the season Moyes goes and his replacement will get a boost out of that squad. Palace I originally thought would go down without Zaha (and Olise) but I think the power of Hodgson, Eze and Selhurst will keep them out of trouble. 15. Fulham 16. Luton 17. Everton 18. Nottingham Forrest 19. Sheffield United 20. Wolves This was a tough pick and in reality it could be anyone. I think Luton stay up, as a club they seem built the right way and that sort of organisation can take you further than you’d think. Plus Kenilworth will be a fortress. At this point I have Fulham staying up but if Mitrovic and Willian go theyre in big trouble. Honestly for Everton this seems the most them they could possibly be, another final day relegation battle that they stay up by the skin of their teeth. If they get a goalscorer they stay up. Forest are running on fumes and his name is Morgan Gibbs-White, I do not rate Cooper and think he’ll get sacked. They’re also in big trouble financially so yeah. Wolves will likely see Lopetegui walk at some point so theyre down too. Feel like Sheffield United relied too heavily on loans and now theyve sold their best player. Top Scorer - Haaland Golden Glove - Pope Most Goals From Outside the Box - kdb Most Assists - kdb Most Red Cards (Player) - Casemiro Most Red Cards (Club) - Forest Most Penalties Conceded (Club) - Sheffield Utd Most Own Goals (Club) - Everton

This is one of those goals where the person who you attribute blame to defines whether or not you can read the very basics of a game of football.

£86m is still below the valuation…those add ons need to be easy to meet

Yeah and with Trent being the cornerstone of that midfield’s creativity, be it from an inverted RB position, they’re going to be a problem. Personally I think they win the league next season, assuming City don’t completely storm it

With Mac Allister, Szoboszlai, Bajcetic, Trent (inverted rb), Jones and Thiago there’s a lot of options in that Liverpool midfield. Bit light defensively and someone like Lavia would help tighten that with Bajcetic. Add on top that there will likely be games where Salah, Nunez, Diaz/Jota and Gakpo play together there will be a real competition for places.

The problem with kits like Udinese and Roma is there's a thin line between a good kit and a kit you'd find a Sunday league team wearing.

Yeah I hope he can have a good season. He should have received more minutes last season, especially towards the end of the season, but he suffered a lengthy injury for the time of year it happened and was ruled out for the rest. Only criticism of him this pre-season is he could just be a bit sharper with the ball at his feet, think that shot was the first I’ve seen of him where everything has just clicked. But his running, dribbling and off the ball work has been good. Goal was against the run of play but it also created a new run of play for us lol. Pre-season matches are so up and down

Lewis-Potter denied by the crossbar, what a screamer that would have been. Baptiste with the second rebound