The Fish

You could always just stop wanking?

When do Yorkshiremen actually laugh?

If I'm honest I think the way Man City have climbed to the top of the mountain blunts my enthusiasm for their achievements. There's an air of inevitability about it. Could be why Howe's achievements haven't been recognised as well, because of the ownership, there's an air of inevitability of our ascent. Yes, objectively, winning the treble is a phenomenal achievement, but it's diminished by just how far ahead they are of everyone else. Nonetheless regardless of their strength, they've clawed Arsenal back, they've beaten everyone in their path to domestic and continental cup glory, so far. Trouble is, this is the Premier League Manager of the Year. Cup competitions shouldn't really factor into it. It should really just be the manager who contextually performed best in the league, right?

A hard wage cap is surely quite easily circumvented with larger signing fees, performance bonuses, etc?

Aye it'll keep being used as a bogeyman, until the established elite get all the benefits the ESL without having to leave the CL.

Isn't it his job to assimilate the monster? I think it is fair to look at the performances of last year vs this. Probably more fair to compare two seasons of a manager who's had largely the same side, than it is to compare the team performances of manager who came in part way through this season vs that team's performance in 21/22?

Looks like you've just stumbled on a bit of an al fresco threesome. Two shocked and embarrassed, the third turning away in shame.

After Real Madrid and Barcelona have been taking the piss with their wages for decades, this is rank protectionism. Won't our tax rates mean that it's harder for us to offer similar net wages than it is in more loosey goosey countries?

You're certainly not the Fish. Look, in his role at Man Utd, it's reasonable to think of McTominay as the thumb in the dyke. With Rashford, Martial, Anthony, Sabitzer, Eriksen even Casemiro, as more forward thinking players they need someone who can operate as an out and out disruptor. And when you present a more complete view of his performance this season it paints a rosier picture than you provided; Man Utd are not a hard pressing team, they're 9th in the league for passes allowed per defensive action and yet ST is still in the 85th percentile for tackles in the final 3rd. I'll be clear here, I don't like McTominay, but I trust that if Howe and Ashworth like him enough to pay the expected huge sum for him, they must see something I don't, empirically or anecdotally.

I mean, don't get me wrong, Pep Guardiola is clearly an excellent manager and the challenges he faces are as disparate as they are difficult. However, they've done worse this season by key metrics; Creating and scoring fewer, conceding and allowing more chances. Fewer points too.

Dunno if winning the PL with an expensively assembled side, that you've worked with for years and added a freak of nature to, is really worthy? Forget about Howe for a second, De Zerbi, Emery, O'Neill, and Arteta all deserve huge credit for the way they've guided their less expensively assembled squads, that they haven't worked with for long, without a goal scoring phenom up top.

I love him, I want to watch him play football. But Season Injury from until Days Games missed 22/23 Hamstring Injury Apr 6, 2023 May 5, 2023 29 days 5 22/23 Ill Jan 6, 2023 Jan 9, 2023 3 days 1 22/23 Muscle Injury Oct 14, 2022 Oct 26, 2022 12 days 3 22/23 Hamstring Injury Aug 29, 2022 Oct 5, 2022 37 days 4 21/22 Ill Mar 7, 2022 Mar 12, 2022 5 days 1 21/22 Knock Feb 14, 2022 Mar 4, 2022 18 days 2 21/22 Calf Injury Dec 28, 2021 Jan 5, 2022 8 days - 20/21 Groin Injury Feb 28, 2021 Apr 4, 2021 35 days 4 20/21 Calf Injury Nov 22, 2020 Jan 22, 2021 61 days 11 20/21 Ankle Injury Sep 21, 2020 Oct 1, 2020 10 days 3 19/20 Hamstring Injury Dec 9, 2019 Jan 17, 2020 39 days 8 19/20 Thigh Muscle Strain Sep 22, 2019 Sep 28, 2019 6 days - 19/20 Hamstring Injury Aug 26, 2019 Sep 20, 2019 25 days 3 19/20 Hamstring Injury Aug 12, 2019 Aug 24, 2019 12 days 1

Can't say I saw much of him, but from what I've heard, you'd be hard pressed to find anyone who wasn't

Feels like this season isn't getting the credit it deserves. 19 wins is the most in the top flight since 2011/12 14 draws is the most in the top flight since 2004/05 5 losses is the fewest in the top flight, ever. Only beaten by our Championship season under Hughton in 09/10 68 goals for is the most scored since 2001/02 33 goals against is the fewest goals conceded since 1904/05, when we won the league. +35 is our best Goal difference in the top flight since 1926/27, when we won the league. 71pts is our biggest points return in the top flight since 2001/02. The difference between our pts total last season vs this is huge, 22pts! No team made a bigger improvement. Since we were promoted our ability to create and prevent chances had been pretty poor but look at it now, and we're back to conceding less and scoring more than the league average too; (dashed line is league average.

To be honest, it was Everton's 5-1 demolition of Brighton that kept them up. So, really, Brighton should be docked points for being enemies of football.

Even in the second half, when they introduced Maddison and their other more talented attacking players, we had more dangerous phases of play.

I don't think trying not to lose away at a CL chasing team was the reason they've gone down. Gifting 4pts to each of the other two teams legitimately in the Relegation fight could be one reason, letting Southampton do the double over you is another. Maddison missing a penalty against Everton at 2-1 going into the half time break, was worse than only getting a point away to Newcastle.

Whether Matty wanted to or not.

"It gets steamy in here"

Apart from a fairly standard start, Howe's Shithouse Mags never looked like repeating the kind of season we've become used to;

Not many actually had the stones to make a prediction, but those that did were actually pessimistic.

So many great games, great goals, surprising stalwarts (Murphy and Longstaff both playing way more than I think any of us expected) and some genuinely inspiring displays from Wor Flags. I don't think anyone expected Champions League to come so soon and part of me wonders if we've missed out on some fun 'progress' seasons. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't swap this bonkers season for 2 or 3 years of gradual improvement, but that's because we've had it.