Frederick

Haven't seen them yet this season but Sunderland's start seems typified by Aiden McGeady, the definition of an 'on his day' player. I suspect Grayson would take bouncing around the 9th to 14th bracket for the next few months, unenthralling as that may sound to a fan travelling back from a shellacking at Barnsley, before finding a better groove. Regarding the assumed arrival of McCormack: such is the might of the all-too-real Villa curse that I wouldn't be too surprised if he ended up being a bit good again in different colours (notwithstanding a terrible loan spell to Forest last season). As for us, no major surprises except the delightful emergence of Keinan Davis. Played quite well against Norwich but have otherwise bored/mildly disgraced our way to the international break. In no way convinced by Bruce, now, tomorrow or yesterday nor Terry, who's been rubbish so far. Elmohamady exists only to answer the question 'what if Alan Hutton were Egyptian?'

Well, the honeymoon after scraping past Colchester in the Carabao Cup is certainly over! Before kick-off I couldn't see a goal for us today, I just didn't dare expect such a resounding whooping. Same soft centre, same 'it's been a horrible one' aw-shucks post-match Bruce remarks, same unnerving sense that we're a long way off from figuring this league out.

Finished this yesterday, incidentally. It's really bloated and runs out of energy quite quickly but it's not without a certain charm.

I don't see a plan with Hogan at all and if there is one they certainly forgot to tell him what it is. I'd love him to come good but he seems to want link up play and fast feet and that just isn't our way. Bundling one in from the ensuing anarchy of an Alan Hutton insurgency is about the only way any of our lads can score, unless you're Kodjia and you wisely choose to ignore the other hopeless buggers and do it all yourself.

Even by Bruce's sub-neolithic standards, chucking Chris Samba upfront during the first game of the season is beyond the pale. 45 to go!

Early August is upon us, dare I ask if there is an appetite for fantasy football among the brethren? It's the only way us lower league fans stay in touch with the razzle dazzle upstairs!

Saw that Sunderland have been linked with Elphick and McCormack, both wholesale calamities that we need to bin immediately. Can't see a deal involving the latter that doesn't involve taking a deep financial kick to the nuggets but it would honestly be worth it.

Not sure the barrage of junket interviews from YouTube is particularly necessary.

Glenn Whelan, Big Chrissy Samba and Mo Elmohamady: yep, that's a Steve Bruce shopping cart if I ever saw one. Jeff Kenna and Clinton Morrison better stay close to their phones!

Everton aren't nursing the petty cash box these days, that's for sure. Paying fifty big ones for Sigurdsson would certainly be an overblown way to secure 7th for another year. As for the Wayning talents of Rooney, like many a Brazilian, he flew too close to the sun one too many times. The body, if not the hair transplant, cannot tell a lie. I'm not sure the role of impact sub is necessarily going to work in the autumn of his career but for Ref Hounding and Linesman Cajoling I still believe the spud faced veteran can deliver the goods.

We're nailed on to play Chelsea in one of the cups, which means enduring a lot mawkish pre-game/in-game/post-game pantomime. And they'll whoop us, obviously.

So much for being a stalking horse Bruce'll talk about the leadership he brings, how he'll teach the other lads, how he's a born winner but the reality is a very old, very expensive player is coming here for one last payday and not for the first time. Even looking passed his utterly odious antics throughout the ages it's a hard one to reconcile. Footballing wise, for all the trouble we had last season, we didn't ship many goals and to me, he's looked a shell of his old self for a good long while. I can also easily imagine him getting crocked early on and simply disappearing from view and all of this being forgotten very quickly. Who knows, maybe he'll do well and even score some goals (even bloody Schmeichel scored one for us, one more than Joe Cole). And hey, we 'trolled' Birmingham City, which'll play well to the 'bantz on soshull meedya' contingent.

Exit potential buyer, enter Simon Grayson. My gut says this is a good appointment, he did some very solid work at Preston and weathered the Leeds storm much better than most. I don't believe he will be phased by the scale of the challenge, I just hope he gets the support he will need.

Even aged 6,342 and even as he was getting more and more accustomed to the Fulham bench he was probably still a few injuries away from the England squad.

This Fulwell73 consortium had better embrace reality quickly and distance themselves publicly from Blaggy McDonkeyface, even if in fact the whole thing is codswallop.

Take a break, buddy.

Murky times, can see why McInnes seemingly gave the club a pass, even if Aberdeen's best case scenario is finishing 20 points behind Celtic and getting stripped of their best players in exchange for pennies. Is there fan consensus on which consortium they want?

RonaldGO? As the old saying goes, life, death and La Liga stars not paying taxes.

So Brucey plays a round of golf with John Terry so naturally good old Sky turn it into some nonsense, while in reality we continue to haggle over Glenn Whelan. And to think the Confederations Cup is still to come!

Hello, Peter Bosz. I never saw Ajax last season, consensus seems that they forgot to show up for the Europa final but were otherwise a fun, dynamic proposition. More importantly, will Villa sign Glenn Whelan?!

Oofa, not a flattering thumbnail.

I'd say it's been in the cards since about January or so. I see lots of stories are citing the bus attack response as the catalyst for his exit but I genuinely believe this would have occurred regardless (though it certainly didn't help). I'm very sad because I think he's been very good but he's always been known as a meticulous and often impossible character to deal with, dating back to his Mainz days. No idea what his next move is but I should think he'd do well. It looks like Lucien Favre is on his way in, which would be a solid enough choice. I'm a firm 'no' on Paulo Sousa....or Paul Lambert.

YIPPEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!

As we noted in our chat a month or so back, there was really no substantive upside to Short saying Moyes was going to be staying come hell or high water. At least he's gone without a payoff and done so quickly but one has to wonder if he'll ever sit at the top table of football management again. Where next for the lad, Qatar? Leeds? Scotland? Who would you like (tolerate) to see come in?

In a game of hype and hot air, I think it's fair to say that Tony Adams: Our Man in Granada delivered everything that was hoped for and maybe a tad more. Next year could we crank the party up another notch...Joe Kinnear to Leganes?