If it's the game that might secure the league, you have to watch it (I have vivid memories of watching Chelsea v City in 2020). For something like this, nah, get as far away as you can.

The Branthwaite injury meant the "last two" windows were actually just one long one. We did 2 subs, they did 1, then we decided to also do the LB switch before the game restarted.

Feels like something he can do, but just isn't very interested in.

You *can*, sure. But would Bayern shift their existing and established golden boy and working tactics so that a new signing can become a key focal point?

I don't think so - they likely plan to carry on as they were, but with additional Wirtz stardust from the left. Which isn't as exciting for him.

Munich's problem was that they wanted to fit Wirtz in around Musiala, who is a lone 10 and who was well established there. Remember this was before they bought Diaz & Musiala got a season-ending injury - so Wirtz would have probably been pitched Diaz's position/used to cover Musiala occasionally

I'm broadly with you on that - certainly, it feels like that's what was bought for. But we can't really know who instigated that. All reports suggest that Slot selling his vision to Wirtz was a big part of why he chose us over Munich - but they wanted him to play LW, so that can't be the pitch!

I'm not claiming it *worked well*. But yeah, the idea was absolutely for him to become a key player. And conceptually, there's a lot of similarities between that contract and the one Gravenburch signed recently.

I kind of think that yeah, that's the idea. Gakpo got his new contract last summer, at the age of 26, to keep him here until he's in his early 30s and at the same time his main competition left the club and he became the de facto starter.

I think you've completely misread my post?

I was replying to your comments on Gravenburch - the only reference to Slot was to point out that the club's support of Gravenburch will IMO exist regardless of if Slot is manager next season or not.

Based on the size and length of contract he signed this season, the club (not just Slot) clearly don't agree with you. Things can change, but the club will want to see that wage on the pitch for the next season or two at least.

My feeling if Slot stays is that we'll buy this summer for the latter. But then we still won't really know if a fallow year working towards that was always the plan, or if they were planning to change the approach (expecting to see more 2 up top) but then got cold feet.

Isak injury means I'm still really unsure if the plan was "here are 2 top strikers for a 4-3-Wirtz-2, width from FBs", or if he's supposed to still be playing 4-2-3-1 /4-3-3 and has just been left really underequipped.

If they are planning to play with wide forwards, left Slot with 2 + Rio for a whole season and then sack him for underachieving, it will be looked back on as astonishingly harsh regardless of results. I'd weirdly be more OK saying he's failed to move us on to a 2 striker system if that's the plan.

Well that can just get in the sea immediately please.

Yeah. Like, I have reservations because SNL is the textbook example of how UK and US humour differs, but complaining about it being a sketch show is wild.

Well, 2 up...

So just to be clear the FA rule is that Emi Martinez is strictly forbidden from promoting betting companies except for every time he puts on an Aston Villa shirt

And particularly when visiting Wolves. I've been amazed how little I've seen it considered that this will have been one of the most emotional games of the season

It's genuinely great, with a lovely pro-union thread in the story mode too. For a while, it was my go-to "switch brain off and relax" game, but I left it too long between playing and lost the muscle memory, so need to commit to another playthrough soon

Hardspace: Shipbreaker gets you to this point pretty quickly. You start off cutting bits of ships off at random, but it's not long before you start to have a plan for each type of ship, a pretty good idea of how much you can do in a day and all the dexterity needed to do it.

Stinks of a narrative to me. Think you might find yourself getting Rory in for a chat about this in a few weeks!

Are we just accepting the narrative that our first goal was a set piece goal? Set piece was defended, Grav plays a through ball, Ekitike slots

Just a shame that only two of the losing teams got a player sent off, poor commitment to the bit from Spurs & Forest

Not just shit at being a vaguely passable excuse for a human being, turns out he's also actually just shit at knowing how football works.

I was horrified after they came round for the third time and then went "Good stuff, we'll see you again in about 9 months". Like....so we're on our own now? That doesn't seem right!

Surprised he could find his way out of Williams pocket to complain about it.

LFC fans and pundits all seem to assume they're trying to play like they did under Klopp and failing. It's a completely different approach, particularly when things aren't going well.

My absolute favourite category of (advice column generally, but especially) AAM letters are when someone writes in going "confirm I'm right please" and the columnist goes "Nope, absolutely not, what are you on about?"

In isolation, no. But the answer to our problems could feasibly be "put our most in form midfielder back in midfield".

And if Ramsey had been given his minutes and was looking like a passable RB (think Nat Phillips level), that could lead to better balance elsewhere.

Of course, as with any youth player. But if he'd played him, it could go either way and we *might* have a viable RB option that means we don't have to have our POTY playing out of position, messing up an offside line and getting sent off. As-is, Slot had ensured he doesn't get the choice.