Sunglasses Ron

20 years on, the seats have gone pink and those things will be dragging along the ground.

We can’t afford to take that chance surely?

One hopes that this may be a warning to others in the future. It’s not like things have turned out bad for Ings but, as you imply, I very much doubt Aston Villa was on his list of destinations.

Is it unreasonable to think that Armstrong was our target on the basis that Ings would possibly stay until the end of his contract? Am hoping we've now upgraded our search to a more substantial signing rather than assuming the worst (that we've messed the transfer up).

Will it though? By all accounts, it sounds like the 'right offer' would be a ridiculous sum (like north of £50m).

Very much agree with this. How many of us were honestly happy we had Ings just 2 years ago when his impact was pretty low in his first season IIRC.

You’ll be back!

Is that your opinion or a fact? 🤔😃

Didn't help that she thinks it's Tuesday today 🙃

This is going to be INSANE!

In fairness to him, I think most people lose their edge when their heart is set on something else. Doesn't mean he's isn't trying IMO. This is why it's important to sort Ing's future out too, I don't think the current situation is good for either party so he needs to sign up or move on (if there's a buyer).

I'm in the optimistic camp too. Think we've done pretty well at balancing the squad out so far and pleased to see the back of several that were surplus to requirements (and on chunky wages). Still plenty of work to be done, and there are a few clouds looming above us, but I generally feel we are in better shape than we were 12 months ago. I expect this optimism to remain until at least 15 minutes into the Everton game 🙂

I guess time may tell! Always been fascinated with how the world of football has negotiated its way through the ever-evolving world of employment legislation!

I guess if it's a contract thing then he would have little choice but to rejoin whether he wanted to or not. Freedom of movement is a bit of a moot point as he effectively has none for the next 5 years anyway (he couldn't just walk away from Saints). Let's face it though, if he is a hit then he won't be looking to stay with us, so returning to Chelsea would seem very attractive to him you would think?

Trust me pal, insane probably doesn't quite cut it. By all measures, this is a signing of biblical standards that has shaken football to its core. If you don't believe me then read the article about it on the BBC website!

Fodden for me!

Great post @TWar and I love your use of the term 'our 9-0 risk '! Let's hope they can get this down to only 6 or 7 next season 🙂

Yeah, sounds a descent prospect but I'm not rushing off to get a shirt with his name on it. Probably much better than a costly loan for Williams if true though. 👍

I hope you’re not saying that a player can be of use primarily because he wins set pieces. Next you’ll be saying players should also be picked because they’re good at taking them 🤔🙂

Very true. MLT could easily have left too, sounds like his ex wife intervened when a contract was practically signed. Dodd and Benali were both great for us, but probably were never given the opportunity of a meaningful step up from Saints. I wouldn’t begrudge JWP a move to Villa to be fair (if the money was right of course). It is a step up at this time and he’s been a great servant for us.

Yeah, we were given a false sense of security by MLT, a true maverick and a real unicorn amongst footballers. Definitely expect JWP to go if Villa up to ~£35m, there’s no way he’d stay due to his love of the club.

Of all our players over the years, I’m hoping he’ll be the one who doesn’t flip like a burger... ... but then I probably thought the same about Lallana.

Some really great posts here. Having read through them in detail, I'm actually feeling more optimistic about the coming season than I was. I think the club have generally done well shifting out the majority of the remaining unsellables, bringing in some emerging talent and trying to deal pragmatically with the Ings situation. It's definitely a distraction, but at least we have a player good enough to create this headache in the first place. I'm sure Brighton, for example, would want to be faced with the same problem.

Yup, pretty much sums he up as the complete cow pat of a signing that he was for us.

Grown up Callum Davidson looks more like young Neal Shipperley than grown up Neal Shipperley does!