Hobsons Choice

If we get the first goal we can get something from this. Maybe even a win.

For my part, yes it came from my Dad, in a sea of Baggie supporters, and I'm sure his support rubbed off on me, but the big one that got me hooked for life was my first trip to Villa Park. Just everything about it. It was 30 years ago, and I was 12 but I remember it like it was yesterday. I guess the main influence my Dad had on my support was giving me that moment. If my first game was at Albion, things may have been different. Thank god.

Ooh, ooh, do the 1957 away kit we wore for the FA cup final. Love that one.

I'm calling it now. First game next season will be Burnley away. They will be right up for it, and we'll struggle to get 'owt, as the Burnley folk would say.

These look great. I would go for a little yellow detailing on the home kit myself, perhaps sleeve piping, or maybe on the logo to finish it off, but it is luuurvely.

I watched both games and the gulf in quality was huge (derbies notwithstanding). Whichever Italian team goes through could lose by 3 or 4 goals, easy.

Not if you've redeemed them, right? Or have I got that mixed up?

When I first read the bottom part I thought it was a link to a robot Kenneth Williams.

No, you are right, he's not as good as either of those players in open play, certainly, but I'm not gonna say he's rubbish (see thread title), or really over-rated, because at what he does he's good. He'll be (and has been) great at getting mediocre teams to punch above their weight, because those extra 8-10 goals a season, which he gets consistently, will get many a team out of the mire.

Thought I'd mention that I found the section you mentioned. I was accessing via the 'Multiplayer' option on the world map, but I should have gone onto the 'Sport Mode' section, which as you say is way way better.

Well let me put it this way, using the stats he posted for Soton, if he played for us for the last 2 years he would have been our second highest goalscorer behind Ollie in both seasons. The year before he would have been the third highest. The one before that he would have been 6th, but 1 goal off 3rd. In the championship promotion year he would have been 4th, and Tammy scored 26 in that season. Like I said- good trick.

It's a good trick, tho'.

He'd be good if he wasn't a jigsaw.

Not knowing much about their respective financial or infrastructure constraints, I would imagine that of the Championship sides, Bristol City and Cardiff would be good candidates for takeovers by ambitious chairmen. Bristol especially, as there aren't many successful west country teams. And there never has been. I understand that Plymouth for example have a large Cornish fan base, despite being in Devon. They are crying out for some success in that general area. I used to work with two Cornishmen (excellent folk btw) and they were all into rugby, partly because there was no real option when it came to football. There is a potentially huge market for a successful team in the south-west. Couple that with a City of 500,000 people. If it was me, that's where I'd put my money. High risk, but potentially huge return.

Well there's the smell. Actually, wait that's a bad example.

While I agree with most of what you say, I would argue about Baggies potential fan base (and I can't believe I'm saying this). I'm from the black country, and all my relatives and most of my friends support Albion. My whole family does, really (apart from my Dad, hence I'm a Villan). It's Baggie heartland. It's a much better fit for Yam Yams like me to support Albion, because most from here consider West Brom to be part of the Black Country, unlike Wolverhampton. Most folk I know don't consider Wolverhampton to be part of the black country. If Albion can market themselves as 'the team of the black country', they have a population of 1.1M to draw on, which is an excellent potential base. Luckily they think small time, and keep looking over their shoulder to the east.

I think I just threw up in my mouth a little bit.

Seems odd that someone would buy either tbh. Especially Blues. Taking my snarky Villa specs off for a sec, it doesn't seem a good investment to take over a club, regardless of league position, with crumbling infrastructure (stadium etc). The money you would have to put in to get that sorted before you even look at the playing side of it, it seems to me would mean you would be pouring money into a big blue hole.

I may have been hiding under a rock, but I had no idea until I read the article that he owned a club in the Spanish leagues.

'As ee gorra goo yet?

Does anyone know why there was such a small ticket allocation for Man City away fans?

Good game, though. Tense but high quality. I don't see much CL football, or Spanish league, but I have developed a pretty strong dislike for the antics and bitching of Vinicius and Camavinga.

How was Bernardo supposed to avoid that free kick. He never even saw the player closing from behind?

Also a possibility.

Finally on the verge of completing Subnautica after about 4 years of off and on progress, and a potentially game breaking bug. Thank Christ. Been a long, but ultimately satisfying slog. Just got to do an irritating trip back to the Inactive Lava Zone to pick up something I missed first time around (bummer). I've been holding off getting the follow up until I finished it. If anyone has played it- Is it as good? I don't want to embark on another 4 year mission if it's not worth it.