Fabrice29

You’ll need to offer him a new contract if you want him playing in the PL with us apparently so let’s do that and then in October when he’s dropped we can all scoff at the new 3 year contract he signed just like we’ve all done with McCarthy and Djenepo.

Well you’re arguing that these players should be a barometer of how we should build a squad for this summer so I thought I’d come back with something equally as ridiculous. I’m just saying we should aim to be recruiting better potential players than Stephens. You want to keep Stephens because he’s better than Aaron Martin.

‘Right, Jacks in the team this week’ ’Why boss?’ ’Well he’s clearly better than Danny Seabourne was 14 years ago so we’re using him’

And all those were binned off fairly quickly once promoted from memory but hey, if you want to be down the pub pre game in 3 months time debating whether Jack Stephens should be in the team or not and then doing the same thing every other month until he leaves on a free then good for you. I’m personally bored of that conversation, those mistakes, the finger pointing at some foreign shit house and the watching of him duck out of every aerial challenge that comes his way but still somehow convincing myself we need him back in the side because he’s a leader.

He’s consistently not cut in a league now above us though hasn’t he? And in much better teams/environment than our current team or Bournemouth’s but he’s always been meh at best. But hey a good few months at Bournemouth and he’s suddenly PL alumni. Just a massive desperation to fill the squad with players we know are ‘fine’ at best. So exciting.

Not convinced he was ‘key’ and that Bournemouth side played in a very different way to we will and how they will next season but okay he did well for a few months but that’s the point I’m making isn’t it? Did well for a bit but we’ve had him for how ever many years now and guess what…there’s no evidence that continues beyond ‘doing well for a bit’. He consistently does well for a bit then doesn’t do well for a bit, then is drafted back in and does well for a bit before not doing well again for a bit. That speaks volumes to me. And it’s the same for all of them. It’s always the one out of the team whose reputation is improving. That also speaks volumes to me. Whole heartedly agree with the 2nd point btw. Piss poor coaching is a fundamental issue over the past few years.

Couldn't get in the team but yeah good captain. Sold them both a year later didn't we? So that's something to look forward to if we do keep him. Half the price we could get now probably (below post suggests he's out of contract, even better). Just buzzing to have somebody we know isn't very good to be playing for us just so we can lose him a year later. Can't wait!

His inability to win headers, concentrate or effectively mark properly make him an average defender in whatever league you put him in in my opinion (within reason obviously). Have some ambition lad. Stop settling for something you know you don't want.

Not really though is it? Same game, same fundamentals. What are his best qualities that we desperately need now? He's really bad in the air and lacks concentration. Bit of a talker though eh and home grown (barely). Honestly, part of the fun of this club is the hope, the feeling we might be watching a class act in the making. That's all gone with this guy, he's 29 and consistently proven to be lacking. If he can get a move to somewhere he'll be rated for another 6 months maximum then he should go. Good. This is the perfect chance we'll have to reset. Apart from ABK aren't we all bored of watching these guys consistently fail to keep clean sheets? Character ffs. They're all decent on their day, but please let these people all go be decent once a month somewhere else. I think that people have just been watching some of these for so long they've found themselves having to actually rate one or two of them. There is much better players out there, lets recruit some and not have to argue about which of these 5 average CB's should be starting every two weeks.

The desire to keep Jack Stephens, who has found himself out of the side and not good enough shortly after every chance he's been given, is baffling.

Fingers crossed! Whole new revamp needed at CB and CM. No better time to do it. The desire to keep any of these failed defenders (ABK aside who is the most obvious one to leave) is bizarre let alone the claims for one of them to be captain.

If it had already been completed and he was just on a beach then Swansea would have announced it.

Maresca off to Leicester. Let the meltdown begin. Again.

I suspect unlike JWP those are not his only two options though.

Probably but Lavia will probably be nearly double the price of JWP? And you have to get him interested of course.

Alfie House was suggesting Shea Charles from City yesterday.

Well he managed to score nine goals in eight games for Villareal at the end of the season so some of them would have been nice. So not that injured.

Doesn't suit the way Brighton play at all. I'd be very surprised if it's not West Ham now. He's talked up missing European football and they need a midfield refresh. He's not a Rice replacement but they'll have the money to spend and could do with a Noble replacement. Funny to see Chelsea and Poch after Jackson from Villareal despite people scoffing at the idea of us signing him in January.

My overriding memory of that season was really bad strikers. Tadic was unbelievable but rarely got any credit because nobody could score anything he was creating. Just goes to show the difference goals make because the football was decent but the goal scorers weren't.

Man who has seen his mate get some attention and money for weird views decides to join the same platform and share his own weird views in the hope to get attention and money.

Hahaha yeah we were all annoyed when we won 3 games in a week whilst rotating the squad.

It's quite obvious he wants the attention. He's always wanted the attention on social media. He spent years deliberately tweeting things to wind up Liverpool fans and absolutely lapped up the attention he got from it. He'd get a kick out of it, enjoyed the deliberate baiting and enjoyed kicking back with a classic "all I said was this" tweet. The mechanics now are still the same, all he's done is move onto a different group of people, however you've now got the added complication that it's bringing in an income and without it he'd be skint as well as irrelevant.

If you ever find yourself whoring yourself out to GB news and creating opinions and angles to appeal to them and their audience then yes, you’re far down a rabbit hole.

It is, unless of course you’re deliberately coming to agreements that might favour you both tax/other club clause wise. Which is what got Juve into trouble (I don’t actually know the status of the punishment and whether it stood or not as it wasn’t just that issue Juve had) For example, I think City’s lawyers might have some questions when they come to pick up their 20% clause cheque but realise it’s £5 million less than expected and at the same time Harvey Vale is being announced as a bargain signing.

Doubt we’ll be taking players from Chelsea as part of the deal A) That doesn’t happen anymore and B) There will be all sorts of issues with valuation of the players we would take. It’s a part of what got Juventus into trouble. Nice little headline though.