Redfan2000 - What's your take on the midfield for England? You lauded Jenas in the weekend blog, so how about explaining your thinking regards the competition with, Barry, Gerrard, Lampard, Carrick, Hargreaves et al, all vying for a CM slot? Could Jenas run the right wing??

What do you think of Downing as an attacking winger and his defensive qualities going the other way?

Re the Inter debate, do you think they are truly a great side or just very consistent, unlike those around them and elsewhere? Never mind Rafa's position, do you think Grant will start next season as Manager at Chelsea? Who do you think RA would/could replace him with??

Bobby – I think you can see a significant improvement in Jenas since Ramos took over. He is more composed, chooses his moments to go forward and is much more disciplined. He has a very good turn of pace – something that Ramos likes – and I am betting that Capello does as well.

There is a feeling that Capello will opt for a 4-2-3-1 formation and so in the long run Jenas probably has two bites at the cherry. If he continues to improve under Ramos then Capello may be willing to slot him into one of two defensive midfield positions.

The conventional wisdom has Hargreaves as having a lock on one of the positions but I am not so sure. Hargreaves is an aggressive defender playing in front of the United back four and offers virtually nothing in terms of building an attack or controlling the tempo o####ame.

That is where Barry has a big edge and I think Jenas will eventually be slotted into the second position beside him. In front of them maybe Bentley-Gerrard-Cole. Downing is a natural left footer but overall Joe Cole is a far better player and a better option.

Bentley is a more natural wide player than Jenas and I think Jenas’ more valuable in the middle of the park. For Inter to be regarded as a great side they are going to have to win the Champions League rather than just winning their domestic championship a few times in a row.

Re: Avram Grant, I’m still surprised he was hired to begin with. As for a replacement who knows. It is more a product of who is available at the time rather than who is the best candidate. Naming replacements is a hypothetical exercise means nothing.

CIAO - I'm curious, do you have any comparative data on injury statistics of the leagues (i.e. Serie A, PL, Bundesliga and La Liga). To me, it seems obvious that such career ending injuries seem to occur more in the PL vs. the other top leagues.

Henry14 - What should Eduardo have done yesterday? Should he have not gone for the ball because he thinks (as many others may do) there's a real danger my leg will be broken here. The ridiculous assertion that Eduardo was too fast and therefore that means that’s ok is beyond belief.

To avoid serious injury yesterday someone had to decide differently. Taylor could have decided to not go flying in or Eduardo could have pulled out going for the ball. You have a choice. Which one do you want to influence to make a different decision? For me it is clear. A greater ban in the event of causing a serious injury would make the tackler and the club thinks twice and we would not have had the injury we had.

What’s your take on the way tackling and aggressiveness on less technically play is taken in England?

Gregz - What did U make of the Eduardo injury. (I missed the show).

Bobby – I will try to deal with all the Eduardo/Taylor questions in one response so there may not be a direct match to each specific question. First off on a historical basis the game is far cleaner than it was in the 60s, 70s and early 80s.

That comment is made in the context of all leagues, not just in England. You name me a decent soccer playing nation from that era and I guarantee that we can find thugs from each and every one of them. The same goes for today. Just because one style is more physical than another does not make it more or less illegal.

I would suggest that the real dirty players are the ones that you don’t see rather than the ones you do.

The suggestion that somehow thugs and evil doers are limited to the Premiership does not stand up. Anyone remember the Juan Arango and Javi Navarro incident from three years ago. Or Maradona and the Butcher of Bilbao? Dutch league? A bit of the Matrix perhaps? A Norwegian thug more your style?

Anyone trying to make this a nationality argument is disingenuous at best.

I am not aware of comparative stats on career ending injuries in the PL vs. Other leagues but I doubt that it would statistically significant if it was. It may seem that way because we hear more about the PL than others.

I don’t have anything to back up this assertion but I would be willing to bet that the vast majority of career ending injuries are not caused by fouls but from normal play and physical contact.

So is someone going to suggest that anyone causing an injury with a fair tackle should be suspended as well – according to some comments that would apparently stop bad injuries.

The most intelligent comments about the incident have come from Eduardo – the victim.

I wonder how many of you saw the incident and immediately thought it was brutal tackle?

Taylor flying into the tackle – pure hyperbole. Taylor was slow, he was late and he caught Eduardo. A fraction of a second either way and Eduardo rolls off the tackle or Taylor brings him down, a free kick is given and Eduardo plays on as players do countless times each game.

With a game played at the pace of the modern game it is impossible not to have some mistimed tackles and unfortunately bad injuries are going to happen now and again. Bad injuries have happened for years and they will happen for years to come and you are not going to find that they are restricted to one league, one nationality or even bad tackles.

As for a player going into a game worrying about a broken leg - he should not playing the game.

Gregz - Do U see Wenger parting ways with Van Persie because of his constant injury problems. What do you make of Carlos Vela? Better as a winger or striker?

Bobby – I guess your definition of constant injury problems are a bit different than mine. He’s been at Arsenal four seasons and the first year he was almost exclusively on the bench.

He injured himself scoring against Manchester United last season and then he’s been injured this season – is that constant?

Maybe someone can explain to me the upside of releasing a player who has yet to hit his prime and has the potential to be one Europe’s best goal scorers? My latest view of Vela was at the Under-20s last summer and he was not very impressive. On last summer’s showing he is nowhere close to being ready to step up.

Frenchking2012 - What do you think of Walcott? Could he do a Ljungberg after Pires (Arsenal best player in the 2001-2002 season) was injured by Dabizas. I remember Freddie scoring 6 or 7 goals in 8 or 9 games and he was the one whose run and later shot gifted Wiltord with an open goal at Old Trafford.

Walcott score 2 great goals Saturday and for once was dribbling rather well. I think he needs to step up because the Bendtner -  Ade duo doesn’t work, and we won’t have RVP back for the Milan game (maybe as a late sub if we are down 1-0 in the 75th minute).

Bobby – Not a hope. Ljungberg was an experienced club and international in 2001/02, Walcott is still a young boy. The expectations of how quickly Walcott will mature are way over the top.

Flashman - When it comes to assessing ar5ena1 games, you dig in like you were Cronkite covering a moonshot. Very thorough. So why no coverage of William Gallas snapping a head valve and kicking the advertising boards and stomping off and throwing hisself down at midfield and having a right old sulk? The UK media have ripped him soundly and clamoured for the club to get rid of him. Why no coverage?

That said, you could have drawn attention to Spurs' Pascal Chimbonda chewing up clock time with his selfishly slow walk-off after being subbed at Wembley.

Bobby – If you can persuade our producers to give us a three hour show then I am hopeful that we could fit everything in. As it is I get told to wrap it up when I am going over and so I have to do what I am told. Sometimes bits get in and sometimes they don’t.

As for the media clamouring for Arsenal to get rid of Gallas - clamouring? Really?

Alberta_Man_United_Fan - What is it with the officiating in the Prem lately? Missed offside calls, ref's missing incidents were one player puts his hands on the face of an opponent who responds, only to get turfed?

I am amazed at the appearance of bias from some game officials in the calls that are and are not made! Kicking at a players heal when I played resulted in a card, not a lecture! (Arsenal-ManU).Then this past weekend Man City had a player sent off for doing that same thing.

As a youth coach and official I tell all the kids, if it is in the rule book it will be enforced! The best way to stay out of the book is to play a clean game. Professional referees do none of us minor coaches any favors by selectively enforcing the rule book.

Immediately after the Arsenal-Man United game I witnessed three such kicking incidences in the games that I officiated in. When did the standards drop for officials?

Bobby – I can’t disagree with you on the incidents that you bring up. However, I would not limit the comments to the Premiership.

Zuco2 - What do you think about Reading football club? Last season, they had a perfect year finishing in the top 10 and narrowly missing a UEFA cup spot. This season, they are winless in 11 games. They are in the relegation zone and they have one of the worst goal difference records in the Prem. What is wrong with them??????? Have any idea???

Bobby – At the risk of stating the obvious they can’t score goals and have let in far too many – a recipe for relegation trouble normally. Second seasons in a higher division are traditionally difficult.

It is interesting that last season a number of fans pointed out that Wigan had made too many changes to the team that had done very well during its first season in the Premiership and hence their problems.

Steve Coppell made few changes and that has not worked out either. Lita, Doyle, Long and Kitson have to start scoring goals and scoring early in games as well. The two goals in the last seven games have both been last minute consolation goals and they have yet score a goal in the first fifteen minutes of a Premiership game this season.

On the bright side they do not have a particularly difficult run in over the final eleven matches and frankly if they can’t get enough points from a softish schedule then they deserve to go down.

A question from atleti_female " are there any similarities between Leeds' relegation slump and Nottingham Forest's relegation in 05/06"?

atleti – A good question. I would say that when Forest were relegated in 1993 it was looked upon as the end of a typical cycle albeit a cycle that had, in the case of Forest, been more successful than anyone could have imagined. You have to take into consideration that between 1963 and 1993 only Everton, Liverpool and Arsenal had spent the entire time in the top flight. The likes of Manchester United, Spurs, Chelsea and Leeds had all been relegated during that period. Forest bounced back only to be relegated again in 1997 and it was after that they dug themselves into a deep financial hole.

Forest spent a lot of money on some very bad players especially when David Platt  was in charge. There was a spell with Paul Hart as manager when they looked as if they were going to rebound and at one point they made it to the Championship play offs only to lose in the semi final. Good young players were sold – Jermaine Jenas and Michael Dawson come to mind - and lacking resources their play deteriorated and then they dropped to the old third division.

The Leeds problem was a lot more complex although money – or the owing of it – has been the overwhelming issue. Leeds “business model” was based on spending – or borrowing through various means - gobs of money on players (normally young players who would improve) in order to establish the club as a major force in England and Europe and to then reap the massive financial rewards. The assumption was that if things turned for the worse then the players could be sold and the money spent – or the money borrowed to buy the players – could be recouped.

It all started to go wrong the season they reached the Champions League semi final only to lose to Valencia. They overreached and failed to finish in the top four in the Premiership that same season and so missed a CL spot for the next season. Although the Bosman ruling had come down in 1996 the full ramifications took a number of years to filter through the system and it was around 2001 that clubs began to fully understand that the ruling meant a major change in the way that they needed to do business. Instead of paying large fees to a club they could wait for a contract to end and then get the player without a transfer fee – e.g. Sol Campbell to Arsenal from Spurs. The other possibility was to pick up a player for a mere pittance of a transfer fee if they were in the last 12 months of their deal.

Essentially Leeds was operating on a model that considered players as assets that at least held their value and hopefully increased in value. The reality was that with the exception of a few of the very best players, fees paid for players became sunk costs and in most cases players were actually depreciating assets. Interestingly the only case I can think of when the Leeds model actually paid off was in the case of Rio Ferdinand who they made a significant profit on after buying him from West Ham and selling to Manchester United.

Leeds situation also included the infamous Bowyer/Woodgate alleged assault on an Asian student that went to court. Then Manager David O’Leary wrote a book that included significant comment on the case and a lot of Leeds fans and observers believe that O’Leary’s decision to sell his opinion undermined morale in the dressing room and so began a death spiral. As clubs realized that Leeds were desperate to raise cash the more they hedged knowing that the longer they waited the lower the fee became.

Even with new ownership Leeds has been unable to break free of the debt monster. While maintaining some of the highest – if not the highest – ticket prices outside of the Premiership the debts that remain have essentially crippled the club. Last season Leeds came close to regaining a Premiership position but it proved to be a false dawn. Now life in League One beckons.

henry14 - l am so shocked by how Tottenham are doing and the way they brought in players in the summer l thought they were going to somewhere close to challenging the top five but they seem to be a shadow of their former self. The way l see it is that the summer of last season, they bought good players in Lee and Stalteri who were quite effective and efficient to their season, this time around l think they bought for the fun of things. They lost a creative deep lying midfielder and l am shocked that they went on to add an extra striker, to have four strikers which l thought was unnecessary , at least they should have sold one, l am still shocked to why Jol bought Asseu Okkoto and Chimbonda when he had Lee and Stalteri, Full backs who do not help in winning a lot, when they could have gone looking for a central midfielder with some vision, l think the team from last year has been altered in a number of positions and l find it difficult to see them anywhere close to fifth, because l can not see them beating ordinary teams as they used to do. I have a feeling that like as you said time and time again on the big show that a lot of teams that reach that 5th place tend to get ahead of themselves and somehow fall. What so you think. I knew that Michelle was a Chelsea fan, Jeremy is a Manchester United fan. l wanted to know which teams do Mitch, Carlos and you support respectively.

bigdavedisaster - It’s not so early anymore and Spurs seem to be absolutely lost when it comes to finishing scoring chances and I believe the culmination of this was seen after the Jenas miss against Liverpool. You could feel the air come out of the entire side. What I first thought was simply pressing to hard to be in contention for that "top five" spot is not so slowly turning into a crisis of confidence. Do you think Jol needs to simply find a starting side and stick with it and hope that the goals come? And where has Keane been? He was a terror last year and a shadow this?

Bobby – Clearly Tottenham is not enjoying a great start to this season.  The problem is that Jol does not have one problem but a number of them. The fact that Ledley King missed the first few games has not helped either. I do not think that signing two new full backs has been the cause – that should only have added some depth to the squad.

I think you have to look at the midfield as the source of the main problem. Carrick has not been replaced although someone such as Danny Murphy should have been able to pick up the slack. Didier Zokora will come good if he is given a bit of time to settle in. The wide positions in midfield are where Spurs have been caught short. Despite having a herd of midfield players most of them are most comfortable in central positions. Aaron Lennon’s injury has been a major blow and has meant that Spurs have lost that one player who offered them something different. On the other side of the field Spurs have the same problem as last year – no left sided midfield player. That is why Jol wanted to sign Boro’s Stewart Downing. The opposition knows that Spurs pose no consistent threat from wide positions.

As for having four forwards, I do not think you can criticize Jol for that given that all the top teams now carry four strikers. Jol will have anticipated more games than last season – remember Spurs only played 40 games last season – and needed to sign someone like Berbatov. The fact that the Bulgarian is out injured just reinforces why Spurs need four strikers. As for Robbie Keane, there is not the same spark as last season and he does not seem to getting on the ball like he did last season. Spurs will improve but it will not be a dramatic improvement - by the end of the season I expect them to be in an upper-mid-table position.

Carlos supports Braga in Portugal, for me it is Dundee and I do not know about Mitch.

djnima - My question for you has to do with Arsenal's back four. With Gallas an obvious starter and Toure in such great form, who do you think will be arsenal's starting center backs once Senderos is fit? Do you think Gallas will again resign himself to playing LB so that both Senderos and Toure can be accommodated? Also, I am thinking about picking up Rosicky for my fantasy team. Now that arsenal has an easier schedule and need points to catch up to the front pack, do you think he is a good investment? Oh and I know I asked you this earlier in the season, but who do you have in your fantasy line up right now? Thanks for all the time you put into the blog!

Bobby – In order for Arsenal to challenge for the Champions League Gallas has to be in the centre of the defense. Clichy will come back into the team at left back. Djouro and Senderos - when he returns - will get their chance but if you want a first choice back four then it will be Eboue, Toure, Gallas, Clichy. Rosicky is improving every game and I think he is a good investment – if you have the fantasy money. My team has chopped and changed a lot and I liberally move players in and out. Going into this weekend the team is; James; Mellberg, Terry, Campbell, Djourou; Gerrard, Cahill, Arteta, Barry: Johnson, Rooney.

My boys are taking it one game at a time; they are playing against great players; we are not thinking of Europe etc etc.

AlexMorph - About Ronaldo: I certainly think that he should figure back into the Real Madrid side. Cassano has been less than inspiring so far, and I suspect it's only because of his previous relationship with Capello that he gets in the side over Robinho. That aside, do you think that Capello might finally make a stand against Raul and the Madrid faithful? It seemed that against Lyon he was playing as an attacking midfielder to scarcely any effect. Would Guti, who is inconsistent but shows the occasional moment of brilliance, not be better with Ronaldo/RVN playing in front of him?

the beautiful game – Well finally Capello has decided to drop Raul and Beckham, and you could see the huge improvement in the teams performance while they were not on the pitch, but in the 2nd half has soon has the came on the team looked like the Madrid that was their in the 3 previous league games and the CL game against Lyon. do you think Capello will stick to his guns and keep them both on the bench are will he bow to the breaighu pressure and keep playing them both more so Raul.

I as a Barca fan could love him to keep playing them as that would equal Madrid not being much of a threat to us this season because with them both in the team I must say the team looks ordinary.

Usaenglandfan - This Real talk has me thinking. Bobby, you must be asked this now and again, but what on earth has happened to Raul?? I started getting into football around the '02 WC, and from what I understood, Raul was considered one of the deadliest strikers on earth at 26. I've only really seen him in highlight videos, but WOW. What a composed, elegant finisher. And now this? Was it the dawn of the Galacticos era that killed his form? Will it ever come back? The guy's only 29 for gods sake. I'm missing something here...

Bobby – It looks as if Capello is going to stick with Raul despite the fact that he has played poorly for the last two seasons. Capello is a man with very definite views and he will stick by the players he believes in – it looks as if Raul is one that he believes in. Two goals on Tuesday will not have hurt his cause. On the broader question of what has gone wrong it might be ####imple as losing a step due to injury.

neophyte - I would love to see Ruud and Ronaldo together. That is one of those combinations that you only dream about but never see in real life. Crespo is amazing. He scores goals no matter the league, venue or tournament. I would have liked to have seen him back at Milan teamed up with Kaka again. Did you see him in their last match attacking form the keepers right and just leave the defender looking for his shoes after he had just been "Crespo'd"? Amazing!

Did Reading "win" the game against Man U. or did they just survive. I don't recall any real scoring chances they produced while Man U. was all over them. What are your views on this one? (I hope Reading stays up for a while. They are exciting and counter better than most tenured Prem. clubs).

Bobby – Crespo is criticized by many for the number of times he is caught offside but it is the fact that he pushes right up on the last defender that makes him so dangerous. He may not be the quickest striker but he is brilliant at pinching a half a yard on a defender and his movement across the line is outstanding. He has averaged about a goal every two games, which puts him in the top echelon of world strikers.

While United may have dominated most of the game Reading pushed players forward when they got the chance. I remember a great chance that Kevin Doyle had in the first half but van der Sar stoned him so it was not all one-way traffic. I am taking Reading to stay up because they will score a lot of goals.

SL Red - Wouldn't you agree that Wenger's greatest dominance has been in the contemporary big money transfer game? He has made money on the inconsistent (Anelka), bought stars at a cut rate (Henry), and even taken stars away from local rivals on a free (Campbell). To win championships while keeping the transfer kiddy in plus territory is amazing.

I think someone has been telling me that Crouch will end up a squad player. Looks like its happening with the arrival of Kuyt. Not that I'm complaining.

Question - Now a month in who looks like the best signing of the season?

Bobby – Wenger’s wheeling and dealing in the transfer market is one of his strengths and a major bonus for Arsenal. He picked up Anelka as an unknown from PSG – before he became inconsistent! – and sucked Real Madrid in for a mega-transfer fee. I think it is fair to say that no manager since has got the same production out of the Incredible Sulk. I do not think Wenger has ever received due credit for the emergence of Thierry Henry. At the ’98 World Cup, for Monaco (post Wenger) and at Juventus, Henry was a speedy but limited midfield player. Wenger was willing to pay a lot of money (around $18m?) for a player that no other team was showing an interest in. Henry was no instant hit at Highbury either, as Wenger went about converting Henry back to the central striker he had been as a youngster at Monaco when Wenger was in charge. Wenger has also been aggressive in going after younger players –much to the displeasure of continental teams in Holland, France and Spain.

On the downside, he has also had a couple of failures – Francis Jeffers and Richard Wright come instantly to mind.   However, I am not sure that Wenger has operated on the plus side over his ten years in charge at Arsenal. Certainly he has spent less than Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool but I not sure he has recouped it all. 

Best new signing – I would have to say Andy Johnson,  David James or Sol Campbell so far.

MeanSucka - I wonder if Becks relationship with Capello will accelerate his "big fish in a small pond" move to the MLS. I mean, it probably won't be the same as the Pele/Beckenbauer Cosmos, but I'm sure the Becks/Donovan Galaxy will draw some fans, no? Ronaldo would be the king of NY too, but I can see him going back to Italy.

Bobby – I said on the FSWR over two years ago – as Michelle and Jeremy sniggered – that Beckham would finish his career in MLS. Two years on it now seems almost inevitable.

gregz- How do you think Riquelme's retirement will affect Argentina's chances of winning next year's Copa America and even at WC 2010. I know they have good players but they need a man in the middle of the park to hold the team together. The only player that can fill Riquelme's shoes is Aimar and he strikes me as a person that can handle pressure from the demanding Argentine public. I fear he will retire as to evade the pressure of being the main playmaker, but I hope he will use the opportunity to stamp his class on the world stage finally after a somewhat disappointing WC 2002. Finally, who do you think is the better player Aimar or Riquelme?

Bobby –Over the years Argentina has opted for a playmaker around whom everything is built. Maradona, Veron, Ortega, Ardiles, and Sivori have occupied that role or one similar. Riquelme has been the undisputed central figure since his resurrection at Villarreal but that has not stopped him being a controversial selection with some Argentine fans.

Peckerman was obviously a Riquelme fan but I wonder if Basille is of the same persuasion. It might be a case that Riquelme has called time on his international career before it has been called on him. As for Aimar, he seems to be a player whose career has stuttered as recurring injury problems have been an ongoing blight. In comparing the two, I think Riquelme is the superior player with a greater passing range and he is much more robust. 

Quest5227 - What is with Manchester United? They may be winning, but they are playing UGLY football. It is boring and predictable, and only occasionally, do they play intricate, intuitive passing plays. The midfieled don't run forward with the ball, the Center backs stay back, and there is way too much back passing. Take the example of the match against Benfica. They won, but they were not in control of the game. They were timid, boring and tentative. (except for Ronaldo)
Is it time for new leadership at United? New tactics? Or is it the lack of creativity in midfield? O'Shea and Fletcher should be "last 10 minute" players IMHO, not starting for United. The lackluster transfer window activity has much to do with this. What do United do now? Any thoughts?

Bobby – I thought that Manchester United played the consummate away game in Europe – happy with a point and nicked three. It wasn’t pretty but it was effective and Benfica created few chances although they had much of the play until Saha scored.

bmax14 -  Anybody see Sepp Blatter's (FIFA president)comments regarding removal of the shoot-out for WC final? He suggested a replay or gradual reduction of players with a Golden Goal, all interesting suggestions. I don't really like the replay idea as you have to wait another day to see a champion and the reduction of players seems kind of silly. I'm certainly not against PK's but I must admit it's a terrible way to lose a game, especially if you've played well enough to win. However, it's tough to match the excitement of the Pk so seeing it gone from a final would be a bit disappointing. If it was my vote, I'd either keep the current format or provide more overtime with the Golden goal coming into effect immediately (like hockey playoff OT). Allow 3 more substitutions once OT starts if need be but avoid any replay idea or reduction of players.

LosAngelesChelseaFan - Yes. I'm deeply shocked to find myself in total agreement with Septic Bladder, who said: "When it comes to the World Cup final it is passion, and when it goes to extra time it is a drama. But when it comes to penalty kicks it is a tragedy. Football is a team sport and penalties is not a team, it is the individual. He said a replay or gradually deducting players in extra time would be a better solution. "

Now is it possible that this would have the side effect of generating an additional $50m of TV and attendance receipts or am I just being cynical? Nevertheless, I strongly agree with the suggestion. I hate shootouts that only seem inject fear of failure and negative play. For me this overshadowed the last few rounds of play and the final.

Bobby – Please, no one should hold their breathe waiting for another of Sepp’s “ideas” to be implemented. It is just another one of his “50 ideas before breakfast and 51 of them are bad” as a German journalist once described Sepp’s pronouncements. Twenty years from now we will still be debating an alternative to penalty kicks. Personally, I would love to see a return to the days of replays but it just will not happen unless we are magically transported back to the 1950’s when World Cup Finals were largely supported by domestic fans attending, sport TV was in its infancy, and the threat of hooliganism and more importantly terrorism were non-existent. In other words replays were possible in a simpler age but no more.
Games going on indefinitely is also an non-starter given the logistical challenges of transport, security and the inequity of a team potentially playing for three hours or more, winning and playing a team that had only played 90 minutes three or four days before. Lastly but certainly not least – TV would never go for it.

NYCDA - I know predictions made in September in the EPL amount to nothing, but based on what we've seen from Reading FC and their consistent ability to ward off the big-name clubs and come out with points, where do you see them ending when the dust settles in May? While Coca-Cola Championship medalists have suffered relegation in subsequent promotion seasons of past (i.e. last year's Sunderland and Norwich of two years past), could Europe be a realistic goal for this underrated Reading side?

Bobby – I picked them to finish 14th and I think I will stick with that placing. A place in Europe is too much to ask. Just look how long it took Bolton to get there. The only “instant” success in the last decade or so has been Ipswich and we know what happened to them the following year.