verlaine1979

Maybe I'm remembering it wrong, but it seemed to me at the time that RM tried really, really hard not to have to play Dibling, but our early form in the PL was so dire that the fans were clamoring for him to do something and the only something we had was Dibling. TD played himself into the starting line up pretty quickly (much like Shaw before him) but it wasn't like we went into last season knowing that Dibling was going to be a key part of our starting 11. If JJM tears up league one between now and Jan he'll probably be recalled and offered to a Championship club. If he does well during the second half of the season he'll either be a strong candidate for a marquee loan to the Champ next year, or perhaps even a decent money signing by a promoted club. As a strategy for building his career at 19 it doesn't seem too bad, all while earning Chelsea money and with the pedigree of probably the world's best academy behind him.

So far Robinson looks to be better than a club like us can generally hope for from the academy - someone who can slot right in and show talent beyond what we've generally been able to afford. Very good moving the ball in tight spaces as he has excellent close control. But Dibling has that and the ability to go past people, which is so much rarer. Still, having another technically gifted player from the academy step right in and fill that position in the squad is not to be sniffed at.

Obviously they were naive and trusting etc. but fundamentally, we all know there aren't really any legitimate ways to avoid that kind of tax. And we all know that if you make use of loopholes and get it wrong, you're fucked. So I have some sympathy, and hope they manage to cut a deal with HMRC that keeps them out of the poorhouse, but really, they got greedy and paid the price. So it goes.

Isnt the point that most of these film schemes in the 90s and early 2000s engaged in dubious shenanigans with borrowed money to create large paper losses that got immediate tax relief and could be used to offset tax on any other income?

Scienza and Jander both look like they strike the ball very well. Been a while since we've had that in the team (Archer hits the ball cleanly too, but he's been in and out of the side).

Why not refer to players by their last name? Especially those that have left the club temporarily. No point evoking a chummy fraternity with someone who doesn't even play for us at the moment.

Since he's being described as an old fashioned winger, how does his reputation compare with Dan James when he was at Swansea?

Jander looks to have quite the cultured right foot.

Archer plays off the shoulder and needs a proper AM behind him looking for that through ball or a hold up striker who can play him in. We haven't had anyone like that in the squad since he's been here. Azaz looks like he plays that way based on his highlight reel.

Time to watch some YouTube compilations I guess.

Why not? Unless you bind yourself to obligation to buy deals, you don't actually have to buy anyone you don't think is good enough for the step up. There's nothing inherently unsustainable about using the loan market. The only thing that's unsustainable is shit scouting, and it remains to be seen if we've addressed that yet.

Surely it's obvious that we signed Downs as a bargain basement alternative to someone like Sargent? 10-15m seems to be our max, even for a marquee signing.

Nobody else in our squad can finish like that, sadly.

35m feels cheap. Unless the other 5 is purely appearance based, we're probably never going to see it.

For the money and his age, Downs should be able to come into the Champ and look right at home. Maybe he's nervous and will settle in a game or two, but at the moment he doesn't have the first touch of a player who is going to turn into a real factor in the league.