qwertyell

Starting the season with Valery, Djenepo, Elyounoussi, and no recognised striker wouldn't be a great endorsement of our transfer window.

Historically, that should be the game you're most pessimistic about - we've only won once on day one in about a decade.

Understandable. Although these pre-season prediction articles are by and large only good for a laugh at their superficial knowledge of what's going on at any club outside of the top six. In the Telegraph yesterday, their Southampton expert (from the Ugly Inside no less) predicted Thierry Small would be our breakthrough player this term. He's on loan for the season at Port Vale...

I don't think a striker is the last part of the jigsaw, though. I hope it isn't viewed that way, in any case. Who's creating the quality chances for them? We've still got the same rubbish, plus some guy from Scotland with worse goals-and-assists per game numbers up there than Elyounoussi managed - and he's shite. How have we solved a calamitous defence that shipped 135 goals in the last two seasons? And what's going on at full back? We've added bulk to the squad, for sure, but have been operating in the transfer market like a club established in the top 8 trying to build an exciting team for the future to take us to the next level, when we're actually a side on a relegation path that desperately needed big improvements to the first XI that haven't happened. Yet.

Bottom 5.

He started in midweek against Monaco. So that's 55 minutes under his belt after three months out.

Just want us to get through it with no serious injuries. Villarreal are a dirty lot. Even in friendlies - as Wesley Fofana and his broken leg can attest.

Needs to sign a new contract. But he certainly looks a more rounded player than, say, Tella - good technique on him.

Roma.

IIRC Man City took Max Alleyne from us last summer for the same amount: £1.5m.

Wouldn't be the first footballer to be a bit dim.

Interesting...

He scored 8 goals for Middlesbrough in the Championship across 36 games. (Sam Gallagher scored 9 last season, in 37 games.) Might not be "fucking shit", but he's of no use to us.

11 points for DDB, according to an online WP calculator. Need 15 points to qualify. 11-14 range makes you eligible for an appeal to the "Exceptions Panel". 10 and below is a fail. Think Mara got 12 points, and we seem to be pushing ahead with that deal, so it's not beyond the realm of possibility. Hypothetically speaking - no idea who this bloke is.

Seems a bit of a desperation stations after-thought if we're only moving on him now. Leverkusen have been all over him since June. Surely, if we were really keen, we wouldn't have left it so late. If true, of course.

When his broken leg has healed. It's taken longer than expected. Someone on here said he rejoined training last week, so if that's the start of his pre-season prep, I wouldn't expect him to be available for the first couple of weeks - if all goes to plan.

12 points (if that's the actual number - big if) puts Mara in a bracket (10-14) where we can appeal to an Exceptions Panel. The outcome of that could go either way, I suppose We definitely announced him before we were ready to - Bordeaux jumped the gun and we had to follow.

Perhaps the Mara deal isn't as cut and dried as it appears. Doesn't look to me like he meets the WP requirements - only 12 points of the needed 15, according to those websites that calculate these things.

He'll be like most Italians who come over here - in six months he'll be sulking about the weather, the physicality of the league, and pining for his mum's cooking.

Arnau Martinez, 19, RB/CB/occasional LB, is Girona FC's hot young talent. For what it's worth...

Definitely mindful of the SPL being weak enough to even make Elyounoussi look good.

Number 10/winger options remain dire. No point stocking up on strikers if we can't create.

Hasenhuttl's going to be in the mix.

Not certain even one of our signings starts the first game. Perhaps Aribo. It's nice to have some more very promising kids on board, but If we're not improving the absolutely dire first XI, it's just window dressing. IMHO.

Better second half - overall standard pretty dire, though. Aarmstrong should've won the game. The limp penalty is one thing, somehow contriving to mess up a tap in from six yards by trying to take another touch was truly rubbish. What ever did we see in Djenepo? Lavia quite tidy.