I mean I made my assessment and have since been on the end of several claims including the use of claimed facts to disprove my assessment. If they answer is wait then my assessment was valid and the fact unknown. We can wait and see.
Very well put and especially the third paragraph. NUFC have been seen to be a very poor club for a decade and a half before the new owners came in and we are turning it around very quickly which will be seen by a lot of players peaking interest. This years European exposure will also help get players excited to come - even without CL football next year (if we don't make the top 5 this year) players will see the atmospheres on nights under the lights at SJP and be wanting to get involved. That exposure along with the vision and strategic plan we can put to players will do our chances of signing in demand players no harm at all. Not saying Mbappe is suddenly going to turn down Real Madrid next year but there are plenty of others out there who'll be thinking they want some of what's going on here now and in the future.
Precisely (although the term is piquing interest, if I may be the vocab police). We have so far to go, but have already closed a lot of the distance, in terms of finding new talent to blood into the team. Livramento's cameo appearance really whet the appetite and whilst Hall didn't quite hit the same heights, he's under excellent tutelage. Likelihood is we'll never be buying Mbappe - instead the focus will be on discovering our own Mbappe. I look at Man City and their spending for many years was so clever and sensible (with the odd turkey, but they can afford that). The prices paid fo Kompany, Aguero, Fernandinho, De Bruyne, Bernardo, Mahrez, Haaland and many more were ridiculous value. They can then structure salary in line with commercial - and we'll do exactly the same stuff. We sort of already are - buying best of British who in time will then qual for HG - Lewis Hall is one of those. We're already getting real talent - that Minteh looks really decent, and is only 19. Three defeats on the bounce had me worried - the feeling was we weren't evolving, Burn/Murphy/Almiron had reverted to type, etc. But the slide has been halted and we now have real belief. I see a lot of fans saying Isak is the best striker in the league at the moment. Tonali will get better. Then we have returns for Gordon, Willock, Joelinton, Botman and - to a lesser extent - Barnes. Honestly, I'll be surprised if we don't make top 6.
His assessment is that a top four finish looks tough. Few disagree. He has faith that we will fail in the task. Some are more optimistic, but most are waiting to see and are not arguing a finish outside the top four as being an unlikely outcome, so there is no real friction in the points of view. His stated evidence that we are already 'falling away' from the top four this season - on a pure results level, demonstrably inaccurate. All together, a fairly predictable and slightly botched attempt, on this occasion, to manufacture a pedestal for himself to preach (attempt wind-ups) from. It's all good fun though, and he's enjoying the ride to the top with the rest of us, along with the exploration of fresh new wind-up opportunities in the post MA age.
Peaking interest! please log in to view this image I hope we are looking at Moukoko - 18 y/o, 60 apps for Dortmund (only 1799 mins though so really 20 full games) in the Bundesliga and has 12 goals and six assists. Looks to have lost his place this season but the kid would do well with Isak to learn from. Minteh looks Mint, eh? Sorry I had to. Seriously though when you look at our U23's we are going places and it's only going to get better.
