Makis

Then we are doomed. We are not going to get 25 points more this season if we let in three or more goals every match. Better start checking where Championship teams play for the away trips. No buts or ifs, if no-one can fix this shambles that's the only thing that will happen. Unsworth is blatantly not up to the task.

So we will be relegated then? Let's just stick with Unsworth because there's no point in spending money on a new manager.

Still someone here who thinks Unsworth should be given the job on a permanent basis? This defence wouldn't cut in the Championship, and Unsworth has zero idea how to fix it.

I'm not even sure if EU laws allow throwing city money at a project like that. Hang on...

Gana!?! Schneiderlin needs to be sold in January but we must have watched a different game if you think Gana was the second worst player in that team.

Don't think we can recoup our money from Schneiderlin. Mirallas was cheap enough but Schneiderlin cost around 25 million. Doubt French clubs are willing to splash that much.

Pete, mate, you are embarrassing yourself.

Costa was even worse, 38 shots outside the area and just one goal. Sanchez also has a worse conversion rate. Here's a table with all four: http://www.squawka.com/comparison-matrix#premier_league/2016/2017/harry_kane/819/641/856/47/p|premier_league/2016/2017/romelu_lukaku/641/641/897/34/p|premier_league/2016/2017/sergio_agüero/819/641/564/0/p|premier_league/2016/2017/alexis_sánchez/819/641/1581/0/p#pass_completion/goals_-_outside_area/shots_outside_area/shot_accuracy#total But I'm sure Pete will come up with some other silly reason next.

Ah, seems like Pete is bragging about player spotting. How many did you get wrong? Probably 90% of the punters think they are good at spotting players. They saw a player ten years ago once or twice and they happened to play well and that player actually has had a good career -> I'm a real talent spotter, me. The players he also thought were great but never got that good has been long forgotten.

You mean other strikers don't take them?

Nope, he had a very high conversion rate in the league as well. http://www.eifsoccer.com/articles/conversion-rate/ 36th: Harry Kane (14/15)18.8% 11th: Harry Kane (16/17)Kane also comes in for his second inclusion, with him only just missing out on the top 10. Kane often gets abuse for being a “tap-in merchant” and a “penalty merchant,” traits that provide a shade of doubt to his goal scoring credentials if you believe them to be true. He has, with a conversion rate of 27.5%, scored 19 goals so far this season.

Funnily enough Kane had the highest conversion of the top Premier League strikers last season. https://www.premierleague.com/news/405447 This season he's been quite unlucky, hitting the post several times. So just how shite do you think Aguero is?

My opinion is exactly the opposite. The problem with giving all footballing power to one man is what happens when that guy leaves? He signed all the players, possibly with the assumption he's not going to be here for long. Why should he care what sort of team his successor inherits? He could well be in the opposite dugout, after all. He will also have picked most of the backroom staff so most of them will leave as well. So a change in manager, either by sacking or by him simply moving to pastures anew means that there's a huge rebuild project. And because the average time a manager stays at a club in the PL these days is two or three years there would be exactly no continuity. Wenger and Hughes are the only managers who have been at their current clubs for more than three seasons (Hughes was appointed in 2013). And only Pochettino has been for three years, every other appointment has been in 2015 or later. Oops, sorry. Some of the teams that haven't been in the PL for long have had a manager longer (Hughton 2014->, Dyche 2012->, Howe 2012->). Point still stands, on average a manager doesn't stay very long at a club.

It's not about pressing but about trying to deny Lukaku from getting a chance to run with the ball & shooting. If DCL gets the ball 30 yards from goal with space defenders aren't too concerned. If Lukaku does the same he is very much capable of creating a shooting chance. And I don't know why you keep harping about Lukaku when it's far from the only issue in the squad. How about you try addressing them?

Not sure Lukaku would have done that but Calwert-Levin just isn't good enough yet to start every game. A clinical finisher would have scored more goals. Main problem is it's very hard to come up with a lineup with the best players that makes sense. How do you cram Rooney, Sigurdsson, Klaassen (he was a big buy so we can't just throw him under the bus), Davies, Schneiderlin and Gana into the team? Never mind players like Vlasic and Bolasie (once he's fit). We have four central defenders, sure, but it has been clear Koeman doesn't trust Holgate there. Williams was not a good signing and Jagielka's decline has been obvious. And Baines shouldn't be the only first team left-back at the club.

I was expecting him to build a balanced squad, not a totally lopsided one like it is now. He's had two-and-a-half transfer windows and we don't have a top quality striker and only one good CB. And still no cover for LB and preciously little pace in the side. But we do have about a gazillion attacking midfielders, none of whom look to be able to dominate a match.

Kroenke offered to buy Usmanov's shares: http://news.arseblog.com/2017/09/kroenke-turns-the-tables-and-makes-bid-for-usmanovs-shares/

Gana has not been good? Jury's still out on Keane but I think he will be a cornerstone in our defence for years.

I imagine the scene from Kingsman with all those exploding heads if this transfer happened. https://youtu.be/E1jf2hOkec4

How big does this striker need to be when 6'3" isn't enough?

15 million. There's another yardstick when you hear a price and think that's madness. Remember Burnley paid 15 million for Woods then.

Think this is still a rumour, he doesn't play for us yet?

As he should.

Well, Barry is leaving so I wouldn't be too surprised if we sign a CDM.

Sandro is young, too.