CB Fry

Lovren can't force a departure either but those extremes of the legalities are pretty irrelevant because of all the reasons and common sense circumstances above. We have sold plenty of players that would have to loved to stay and sold plenty we'd have loved to keep.

What a signing. He was no Thomas Hadjto, that's for sure.

That's him. Who was the alternative? Svensson?

I think the point is, if the club tomorrow morning say to (say) Maya Yoshida "we've accepted an offer from X club" then immediately he is not as happy and settled because we've told him very clearly we don't want him. Sure he can stay and hang around, just like at the opposite end we can force Lovren to stay and hang around, but both of those outcomes are pretty futile.

It's days like this I remember when we'd signed that centre back from Arsenal. Years ago now. Pilchards, previously of this parish, and mentioned in this thread earlier today, had stated 100% that he'd seen the contract signed with his own eyes. Proper ITK Billy big boll ocks. Knew it all, he did. He signed for Reading the next day. I think I made Pilchards cry the following day with my slating of him. (He's a good poster who doesn't post on here any more and you can see why). Innocent times and obviously I have changed since then. And when I say remember, I mean I can't remember the players name. He turned out s hit for Reading anyway.

Jesus Christ.

No, he's just saying we can accept offers and sell him if we want to. He won't have to go but we can engineer a situation where his stay becomes untenable. If Billy Sharp had his choice, he'd play for Saints, he signed his contract with us to achieve that end. He doesn't because we've made it clear he will never play so we ship him out. Danny Fox probably would have loved to see out his contract with SFC. If Lovren was shi t we would do everything we could to get rid. We can "force" a situation in the same way Lovren can to "force" us to sell him.

Can't really see how we can carry off having two "top class" keepers. Not enough games to justify it - would think a, say, Marshall would want to No 1 and that is going to drive Boruc out. Can only see us buying a youngish prospect with a view to them being first choice by the end of the season.

What has he got wrong then?

If Joel Parker is saying it, then it's as good as sealed.

Someone really needs to tell those Man United fans how forward thinking and revolutionary a plain red football top is. I mean, don't they know anything?

:(:(:(:(

Completely agree. Last year's spending wasn't an unsustainable spending rampage, was pretty much par for the course. When Snodgrass is eight mil, then it is highly likely we will bring in several ten million quid recruits, and pretty much guaranteed that at least one of them will turn out to be dogs hit.

Still trying to have that argument, I see. I am one of the most optimistic and supportive of the new regime but even I can see it is pretty obvious that the team that steps out in August will be weaker than the one that trooped off the pitch in May. Doesn't mean we can't do well, and it certainly doesn't need you painfully posturing to make a pitifully weak point. Can we buy buy a decent left back? Yes. Is our whole team/squad in day one of next season going to start weaker than the one that finished last season? 99.9% yes. Even if Tadic becomes player of the season, it's unlikely he is going to fly immediately.

Only a complete moron can't understand what Lovren is trying to achieve. Thankfully, as has been proved plenty of times, you are that moron.

That's clearly not a "flat rejection" is it?

Reheated waffle, again desperate to make the point that these players would never ever have even considered doubling/tripling their wages and playing Champions league if only the club had made a slightly different statement at a slightly different time. And I like the new "why didn't they say" grizzle around our ambitions to play in Europe. Because Les Reed ruined all the bed wetters fun by actually saying it, Prof now is reduced to saying he needs to have said it "more forcefully". Okay then. And no, we had no financial need to sell the players. That has been stated before. Pretty forcefully too. What's the betting the next time Les makes a statement, you'll tear into it?

Probably got that from here.

So if Burnley stated an ambition to be Champions league, Lovren would be desperate for a move there then?

Great news, Steve, thanks. Let's start rebuilding.

Stones has played about 20 games for Everton. We haven't sold anyone remotely comparable. If Stones has a Shaw like season next season, he'll be gone next summer. And let's see come September on Barkley.

There is nonsense on all sides of the debate, but you're right TDD. The team that starts in August will not be as strong as the one that finished in May. Just how it is frankly.

What?

Have a couple of Toblerones to cheer yourself up.

Absolutely this. The Eric Djemba Djemba conundrum - anyone who is sh it for Man U will be good for a team lower down the table, otherwise he wouldn't have been at Man U in the first place. Lets sign him up. Nope, he's just sh it.