The optimistic viewpoint....

[RedOrange]

I think the CL is done, we won't win in Turkey and personally I'd rather not drop into the EL - would rather have extra time on the training pitch

I'm still confident we can get something out of the league campaign. Once back to full strength we'll be OK

Good draw in the FAC and we'd have a decent shot at that too

With all the adversity, this feels like a good season to drop out of the cup competitions altogether and bin off a few older players that we won't need for squad depth as a result. Casemiro and Varane are players for whom Saudi clubs will pay good money, and we could take the savings and buy a new centre back who'd be integrated into the team over the second half of the season rather than the first half of next season.

 

[Gandalf Greyhame]

I feel Liverpool away is the defining fixture coming up.

Another collapse at Anfield and I think it's too difficult for ten Hag to come back from that.

I dont think it should come down to a single result, but it likely will.

This. Liverpool have this habit of thrashing us embarrassingly enough to get our struggling managers sacked. If they score 5 or more again, EtH is gone.

 

[Gandalf Greyhame]

The Liverpool game wont make or break ETH on its own , I don’t understand why you are looking that far ahead TBH.

Whether the Pool game is 1-0 or 6-0, the games leading up to it will determine how important it is to put on any sort of show.

Accepting a 5-0 or worse again would be normalizing for both the manager and the players because clearly it means that this leadership has no desire for revenge from the last time round, and the manager has no standards or consequences for not treating our most important rivalry with the competitiveness it deserves and the fight which fans deserve.

Given how this season is gone, I'm fairly confident that another thrashing here will be enough to give EtH the boot. I hope he and the team know his job hinges on keeping the Anfield scoreline respectable.