CB Fry

But we've made gains beyond just bringing in a fee on some of these players. There were significant "net" proceeds from selling Ings because we got a fee and we don't need to fund the salary and bonuses of Danny Ings any more. We don't have to pay him the (estimated) £90k a week that we put in the table, that was firm offer on a contract awaiting signature. So that's about £5m a year right there. Do you think Armstrong strolled in and trousered all that ? I reckon he's on half. So that's at another £2.5 million a year (£10m in four years) on top of the £30m fee. Huge "net" benefit. I wonder who has the higher agent fees, Danny Ings or this kid from the Championship. Who would have had the better bonus plan, Armstrong or the terms in the unsigned Ings deal? The "why don't people understand" routine is nice and cute but forever just looks at hidden cost, not hidden benefit. What about the savings we've made? Why do people "refuse to understand" that?

No, the figures for Leicester were just made up which why I wrote "whoever" and "etc etc". I don't remember what they actually got for Mahrez, it was something like £60m. Wasn't actually making specific point about a specific club. But If you did want to compare, Leicester generally net out as spending what they bring in, as measured in the usual way (fees in, fees spent) unencumbered by the agents costs and oh-but-its-all-in-installments stuff that on this forum we simply must assume. So in that area we are worse than Leicester. And on the pitch we are worse than Leicester because they finished fifth and won a Cup and are good and we are not.

If you ever tell someone how much you bought your house for, do you say the £350k that was your accepted offer, or do you go into chapter and verse about stamp duty and conveyancing costs and the cost of the bacon rolls you bought for the removal men? I think the point is that every other club takes it as read that those kind of additional costs exist. When you see the net spend analysis etc it is at the level of Leicester sold Mahrez for £60m and replaced him with Tielimans and whoever etc for £30m and £15m etc. Agents fees/bonuses etc never ever mentioned because its all the fucking same for all the clubs. We seem to be the only club in the Prem where we can bring in £30m for a striker but can only possibly spend £15m on a replacement and that’s it, or bring in £15m for a centre back and only possibly spend £7m on a replacement because agent fees and removalmen or whatever. Its not a hard concept.

If you pop back here in 2032 I'll be happy to explain it to you.

You can't change the rules because of how someone is doing it.

I think we’ll all look back on this as that time Dr Who starting pointlessly posting shit for his own hilarious amusement (oh, his aching sides) and then got banned.

Have you been in a coma?

Sensible substitution. Try and hold on to the point.

This is our first choice starting eleven now? Fuck me.

I'm just looking forward to a "well, if we play like we did for those first twenty minutes for the rest of the season we'll be absolutely fine" type of performances. 1-4.

Well, we paid £5m each for Bednarek and Gardos both a few years ago and inflation has happened since then. And we paid £18m for Vestergaard and £16m for Hoedt. So thats why I think we should be expecting something similar to replace the front line CB we've lost.

This idea is what is keeping me going. I just refuse to believe this guy is actually the Vestergaard replacement- he just can't be - and we will bring in a "proper" replacement on the deadline as the dust settles. This guy is utility squad meat, he's not the first choice CB we desperately need. If it turns out we're wrong and this guy is the guy, then relegation awaits. Penny-pinching suicide.

This is reminiscent of the time Brian Clough signed Robert Rosario.

When I saw the thread title I thought this was the announcement of a new commercial tie-up with a Malaysian Telecoms company or something. This is actually a player?

I think it might be sensible to calm down a bit on Livramento as well. If he was dreadful vs Everton and there were grumbles you wouldn't have been able to move for people here saying "how dare people write him off after only a game etc etc etc typical knee jerk reaction etc etc". But instead he had a great game and that's it, he's brilliant and that's that. Congratulations everyone in the club, great signing, let's get more kids from big clubs. Pretty much exactly the same kind of knee-jerk reaction as if he played terribly, just the opposite response. That one performance (in my mind he was good for the first half) certainly does not give the club licence just to buy highly regarded kids that aren't quite highly regarded enough for the big clubs to keep them.

Obvious that the deal has a "gentleman's agreement" built into it that is big enough to land a helicopter on. He has another good season, and there is interest, he's gone next summer. But he's not gone this summer, so it shuts up the dins on here for another year.

Nail 'em up I say. Nail some sense into 'em.

OK this is absolute bollocks.

Agree with all of this but I'd make one small amendment just to make sure we get it in the fucking mixer for the big lad.

Just a brilliant comic, easily one of my all time favourites. Saw him live and he was so good. Brilliant on Cats Does Countdown week after week after week. A couple of years ago it was clear something was up - there was a series of Countdown where he sounded different and looked unwell. So not a massive surprise but still a shock. And no age, 58.

If he starts playing regularly it will be like having a new signing.

New Athletic article this morning covering centre back search. Says Nat Phillips is not in the frame but might be if circumstances change (to be clear its a really vague article) A pointless paragraph on Cahill concluding he's not our type. Kabak briefly mentioned as a possible. Really the main target seems to be this Tosin Adarabioyo from Fulham. A bit of analysis on why he is a good option and fits our Young/Hungry/GTI requirement. Lastly no mention at all of Worrall, which in an article that is essentially just a scattergun list it's interesting that he doesn't even make the cut. So maybe nothing there. All in all Sheldon/The Athletic are pretty much just fulfilling their contractual obligation to write a new article about Saints 3 times a week. As a result it is little better than a post on here. You're welcome.

Yes I nearly wrote that too - this is where I get a bit lost.

Just a rebooted Antrimsaint. Exactly the same gibberish about Brexit and "the Tories" and God knows what.

Funnily enough "the majority of the PL" is not you. The "majority of the PL" could not give a flying f**k who gets relegated in any season, ever. Why would they?