Dan

I don't think he was ever that bad really. I think he had a pretty good record in 2022/23 (which is remarkable) but then with him I've always felt KDH is more of a first team option rather than our key man. He got more goal involvements last season than I thought he was capable of so I may have to rethink how I see him, but I always had him as a box to box type rather than a creator and scorer which is how he played last season. Lots again depends to me on the new manager which is why for all we shouldn't rush the appointment, we do need to get a bit of a move on and for them to present their plan of who they want to keep and get rid of. If we need to do it by the end of June I don't see the likes of Faes going as he'll be at the tournament and a prospective sale of him would be in response to that me thinks. He's definitely one I'd look to sell though. I've completely gone off him. Reckless player. I'd honestly sooner keep Souttar.

19-1. Fucking hell. Miserable.

I think he's got most of the calls right but the Branthwaite ommission is an error for me.

I'm not saying you're necessarily wrong to think this about a long term option, but who do you think that is, and is there really a harm in getting by for a year or two if that's what he offers? I'll take Crystal Palace for an example - Roy Hodgson came in and kept them up, was replaced within a year and now they're flying. He ultimately served his purpose without being a long term pick. I think we can get too bogged down on the idea that a manager will be there for years. Even Maresca for us, he ultimately came in, had one job, did it and left. It doesn't mean we're doomed for this season. Will be interesting to see who we do go for. Steve Cooper is not somebody I associate with the type of football that I believe our hierarchy want us to play. But I also think they're quite swayed by a good interview as well.

I've been thinking a bit about it and I do probably agree but I don't think it'll take a lot for the knives to come out for him. I do have a bit of a gut instinct on him though that he'd take a lot of stick as first yet end up quite popular here. He was very much liked by both Swansea and Forest fans - that's a trait I've missed in managers. I was quite torn on Maresca but I don't think our fans truly took to him or his style even despite the success. A scenario of Cooper saving us and relegating Forest would be too good to pass up as well. They'd be utterly heartbroken. We've not been all that entertaining for a while anyway I don't think. He seems more adaptable than just simply a bus parking merchant which he has a reputation for but I might be being very kind to him.

Steve Cooper has definitely been in contact. Very torn on that. I think his problem is the obvious Forest connection is going to put him on a bad footing from the off, and I know we've had Morgan and O'Neill go on to do brilliantly here after years at Forest, but it's volatile enough. I'm not sure we need to add him into this. I don't think he is a bad manager though.

The club seem to be quite bitter about this.

I also don't really know of an instance where the manager was approached by a club like Chelsea either in fairness. Victims of a quite peculiar situation, and frankly era in football where managers are getting jobs well above what they probably ought to based on potential rather than pedigree. I don't begrudge him the move although it's quite clear from the tone of the announcement at our end and articles surrounding it that it's really pissed us off. What I think had happened is he'd threatened to leave for Sevilla or Porto but would stay on the basis he was given certain assurances, we gave them to him and then Chelsea offered him the job out of the blue. Would be very intrigued to know what those assurances are. Cannot help but feel they would've actually been for our benefit in the long run. Putting a bit of fire up the board. But of course, as is life, they will all survive it. I bet nothing changes at that level and they'll turn to a manager who will play ball. I reckon they expected that somewhat of Maresca but he had a bit more about him. I'll miss this side of him more than I will his football to be honest. We went from efficient if a bit dull to just being a bit dull, albeit got over the line. I don't buy that no manager would touch us with a bargepole as some want to make out but we are definitely a risk. It is probably going to be somebody out of work or somebody in charge of a lesser club. I think the likes of Potter would consider us too big a risk. I can see a lot of sense in Carlos Corberan. Funnily enough he was the manager I wanted a year ago based on his consistent ability to get respectable finishes in tough situations. I think he can point to more situations of getting above the sum of his parts than Maresca can. He's never managed at this level and this makes him a risk, but I like him. I think his football would be more suited to a team likely to be on the back foot and as well as that - our fans too. I don't think our fans as a collective truly bought into Enzoball even though it got us up. I think Corberan would go down a bit better.

As ever we will be taking the big priced teams in both the Euros and Copa America in the group stages with the intention of abusing Acca Freeze on Sky Bet. I made over a grand doing this in 2023/24 and others have bettered that quite substantially. Take it while you can.

I'm willing to allow both. They are ultimately the odds and that is ultimately a single. I lost again of course.

£10 on that!

WEEKS 42 & 43 Absolutely rank sadly - nobody has won a bet of any kind in over a month. This is the final week of the season. I do apologise for how this has drifted into a bit of a nothing end of season but I have been genuinely quite busy with a house move and whatnot. One last go if you wish. @Lucas and @Pyfish have secured a profit overall for the season. @Machado and @CaaC (John) have their £25 bet left to use if they wish (but no obligation, you are absolutely fine to stick with the usual £10 or even nothing). I think we need a minor miracle to end up in collective profit as we go into the week in our worst position, and there isn't really much to go with bar the Champions League final. You would think such a narrow choice could give us some winners though. This is a reminder for the final week if you do wish to play: @...Dan @Stan @Storts @RandoEFC

Think we need pragmatism. That doesn't just equal 'defensive'. Somebody who will make the most of the tools he has. Somebody who can utilise players who have been cast aside if we're really this far up the shit creek. Can we afford to not use the likes of Souttar for example?

Going to try and get a table update done tomorrow - going away at the weekend and this week is the final of the season, so it's only fair to get something together beforehand. I'm going to shoot for the stars with my final pick. I'm actually staggered at how badly I've done. You can play this for 20 years and you won't beat how badly I've done this season.

Funny how many people fell for the brinkmanship. All the fixture congestion complaints have ever been.

We did lose too many games given our squads relative ability. We finished with a record of 31 wins, 4 draws and 11 losses for 97 points. Strangely though I think if we had a record of 28 wins, 13 draws and 5 losses, which would also net us 97 points, I'd probably have a bit more confidence in a weird way.

The state of Croatia

It is actually pretty mental when you put it like that that they do this. They 100% do it as well. The odds of these teams avoiding each other on the last day every season must be in the millions. They're missing a trick. Makes me laugh how on one hand we're being told this league is ultra competitive yet Man City were declared champions by everybody with a game left against a top half team. Lots of convenient narrative which people will spin whichever way they are persuaded.

How the hell have Bochum pulled that off looks like I'm at a Bundesliga game next season then rather than a 2.Bundesliga.

My gut instinct is it doesn't go well. I think the bad games annoyed me more than the good games impressed me. But maybe I've just watched too much football.

People are automatically negative with England but I don't see any good reason England shouldn't be seeing themselves as a serious contender this time around. I think it will be the usual which is beat everybody we're expected to beat and lose as soon as we hit a bit of genuine adversity. Biggest flat track bullies in football.

I'd say they're a near banker to be relegated. Such a bizarre appointment.

It's strange how you can have a season in charge and still have very little idea on how he will actually do. The jury is still very much out for me. He got the job done and for that he deserves our blessing. But Leicester's ceiling for a Championship side really was as high as you're likely to get at that level given the squad we went down with and I think after such an impressive opening two thirds of the season there was a bit of a feeling of underwhelming at the end of it. What I'm trying to say is I think we very much had the scope to break the 106 points record and ended up quite a way short, losing 7 of our last 14 games. He's still a rookie in management which is worth remembering, but I really don't think this was the move to sack Pochettino for given he had finally started to show something even despite how dreadful most of the season had been. This seems an unnecessary gamble for me. Put it this way, he's won the Championship here and he does deserve our respect, but I don't think there's major upset in our fanbase. Some are but I think a lot are quite 'meh' about it. I don't think many had a great deal of faith going into next season. I hold no ill towards him. There was a time when this would've hurt, but I can't be this vocal about the running of the club and then get funny when somebody deserts it for a job like Chelsea. They have their own issues, but our case really isn't strong either. We've a likely points deduction incoming, have to sell players before we buy, as a newly promoted team. I mean the bookies think Ipswich are likelier to survive than us. You don't turn down Chelsea to stick with that. The thing I'm most disappointed about is that Maresca did seem to be trying to put pressure on the owner to make necessary changes at board level. These are the real fixes at the club and fair play to Maresca on how quickly he sussed this was an issue. But now that pressure has gone, so they will do what they always do - nothing. Status quo protected. Unaccountability wins again.

I think there's a deep ingrained participation award mentality in English football.

That playoff final could not have gone more how I expected it to.