Saint Without a Halo

As you are well aware, It was a sarcastic response to your equally silly point that if you speak a foriegn language it is therefore ok to slag you off in another language as you would be non the wiser!

You dont really think that is a serious point do you? The Americans dont speak Korean so I guess they are totally unaware that a crazy dictator is declaring war on them in a silly foriegn language!

It is the same people that hyped up the siginging that are now the critics! I am saying for any 22 year old good player with Gastons pedigree most of the fee is based on future potential than current performance and that is a fact! It is because some fans judge his current performance against the size of the fee ignoring the future potential element that leads them to disappointment . We are buying and bringing on players to develop a team and style of play lets not forget that!

Good, but I have seen many threads such as this one questioning his performances and the wisdom of the signing at this early stage it is most unhelpful to our plans of building a long term team. Patience is needed now more than ever and how do you know how strong or weak a charecter he is? If we dropped any of us into Uruguay at the age of 22 with a foriegn language and culture, are we more, or less, likely to succeed within a good supporting environment or one of continuous critiscism? Particulalry as the expectations for instant performances are enhanced by the size of the fee rather than future potential.

No we were not, we were told he HAS THE POTENTIAL to be a world beater! there in lies the difference!

If one out of Clyne, Shaw, Ward Prowse, Gaston and J Rod doesnt make it that will be an excellent result by our coaches and commitee however as supporters we should try to give them all the best environment in which to develop and help their confidence not pre judge the outcome far too early. What I am saying is given his pedigree to date and undoubted raw skill there is a lot to work with. Does he have the charecter and commitment to develop futher? Time will tell. But to knock his confidence now by getting on his back at an impressionable age because of the size of his fee (that he was not responsible for) will only increase his home sickness, give him more doubts in his ability and ultimately lessen the chances of his success.

And Liverpool got Carrol for 35m and Chelsea got Torres for even more. We dont yet know how good or poor Gaston will be so comparisons with an unknown quantity are futile at this stage. Michu is considerably older than Gaston at 27 (therefore in theory at his peak) so has less room for development. We are buying to develop a team for the future hence Clyne, J Rod, Gaston Gazza Forren etc thses are riskier players to blood in the premiere than known players at their peak or on the way down. However the rewards provided we choose wisely can be much greater for the price going forward (and this seems to be our policy, we should give it a chance to see if it works before ditching the strategy. The alternatives are buying known players at their peak for big money Chelsea style or going for older safer choices within our price range with a much shorter duration plan based purely on staying up. It is not a coincidence that Cortese wants us to play a particular style throughout the clubs teams to attract the best youth and bring them on as well as ensure the majority of our signings fit into a team that develops togther for the future. If and when we stay up we will have done far better than just survive we will have the basis of an excellent young side already blooded in the premiere that plays a good style of football and that seems to be our strategy! So far we seem to be suceeding at it. Long may it last!

Of course there are more who never achieve than those who do that is the way of life in every field! (Darwin called it survival of the fittest ) That is precisely why we employ scouts and a transfer committee to look at a whole list of options and choose those young players with the best likelehood of improving. The fact he was an international for a top side like Uruguay at 21 and that he was impressing in a top league like Serie A at such a young age must have convinced our people that he is worth the price. It is too early to tell if they are right but there are a lot of signs that their is an impressive skill set to hone and work upon as he gets used to the UK and premier league. To constantly put him down at such a young impressionable age will only effect his confidence, which in turn will hinder his development. Therefore it is best that supporters ensure we provide him with an environment conducive to his development by giving him our full support. We could off course cut out the risk of signing young players and go for known succesful players at the twilight of their careers like Harry does and look for some sort of low risk instant response (if you can motivate them to push on rather than hang on for a last large pay day) rather than nurture a team for the future. I know which of those two approaches I would prefer!

You now there is no guarantee it is a matter of judgement by the club and transfer committee! Looking at the glass half full for a change what is the basis on which you challenge our transfer committees judgement by infering he won't improve? Or do you believe you are a better judge of young players potential than our clubs transfer commitee?

We are building a team he is part of the future. Cortese got him and he is good! On what basis do you believe Cortese can find anyone better for the price next time? Would you rather have Carrol or Jarvis? Caroll is 23 and cost 35 million based on potential. Remember with young players you are payting for potential not on how good he is now!

So your prepared to pay 6m for someone who in your opinion will never come good! Well thats good business isnt it! Lets have this Gaston debate halfway through next season! I remember James Beaties first couple of seasons at around 22 He was in and out of the side and only scored a handful of goals and he only came down from up North. FFS give the boy a decent chance the fee was our choice not his and it is based on potential not current form given his age etc! So if we want good value for our money we should try support and encourage him and ensure we dont drive him away! Even Shearer took a little time to settle properly in his first few seasons with us (debut hattrick being the exception) and he came up through our youth team! Also worth observing how much better J Rod is with a bit od confidence the right position and the crowds support.

Seems their sponsorship is working as everyone has noticed the watches and you are all talking about them!

He actually wasn't that bad yesterdsay if you took away the poor free kicks and he took the goal really well with a cool finish. He is a young player from a foriegn country and a different league getting used to the premiership. Just look at how long Jay Rod took to settle and he only came down from the North! He has the skill is keen, works hard and he will settle what is required is patience and support.

This is exactly why comparisons are so futile as it is not just the mangers capabilities to coach identify and attract players that leads to success, but also the clubs ability to attract players and pay for them. Moyes has had little money available to him at Everton whils De Matteo inherited a big squad full of talented players with European experience some of whom (Terry Lampard etc) saw a last chance of the big one! Poch has inherited a reasonable young squad with room for improvement and is backed with money and ambition by the club lets see what he can do with it. The way big Sam plays is also a result of what we has to work with (Like Pullis) little money and unable to attract top talent (as no one sees them aiming for the top) means a good bet is older more physical players and a long ball game aimed baisically at frustrating the more expensive fluid passing sides. This also means you cannot blood too many youngsters in such a system for fear of reducing your survival chances. This style whilst able to keep a side up and mid table at best is neve going to challenge the top 6. So Horses for courses. There is always of course the Harry model of spending way beyond your means for success, but success in this model, as we all know is fleeting and unaffordable with severe consequences to club survival down stream So in summary to compare managers properly you need to look at where they managed, the players they had and the means available to them to influence change.

In the end all that counts is the numbrer of points gained not the ones lost!

This

In 1978 Southampton Test and Itchen both became Tory seats! Why? not because of any love of Thatcher (who few even knew at the time) but becasue the country was in a complete mess and she was the only candidate willing to tackle the problem!

To have left the country full of inefficient uncompetitive nationlised industries producing nothing anyone wants in the UK never mind abroad and supporting extremely bloated state services on an ever rising level of debt reminds me of some recent European countries such as Greece. She may well have dismantled a number of industries like mining that effected society and a way of life but they were dead and dying anyway. Who wanted British coal (when Polish coal was far cheaper). Leaving the UK as it was in the 70's was never a viable option particualrly as markets opened up to free competition worldwide and Asia undercutting all. She realised Britian could no longer force its antiquated expensive products onto other countries but had to ensure what we produced was good quality value and competitive. It would have been far easier to sit there and do little and hand over a yet weaker Britian to the next PM but she believed "people who aim to be liked never get anything done". I believe Cortese has shown a similar willingness to get on with what he thinks is right rather than pander to what everyone else thinks. Is he wrong? time will tell! Few now remember the pre Thatcher 70's with rubbish in the streets uncollected, the dead unburied, and the international monetary fund bailing out bankrupt Britain " The Sick man of Europe" The Unions ran the government visiting Wilson for Tea and Sandwiches weekly to put forward their wage demands irrespective of the competitivness of what they produced funded on an ever increasing level of national debt. I am unfortunately old enough to remember that. She also opposed the UK's further integration into Europe and going into the Euro (I actually held a very different view on this in my youth and berated her for it) however events recently have shown the wisdom of that approach. Of course she made many mistakes and her policies were rushed through and hurt many however the medicine was necessarry to cure the disease. Also whatever she did, she did it with the best of intents for our country not for personal gain. She was hated by the old school and upper classes as she was a working class woman made good she also opened up previously closed old boy networks to all such as the city of London. So not sure where this class warfare bit comes from! In conclusion I objected to the way comments were made of the dead I would do so similarly for Tony Benn or anyone else irrespective of their beliefs. I also greatly admired Benn for the honest way in which he never departed from his beliefs and the way he dedicated himself to the service of his country as he saw it. So this is not an issue of supporting policies or not, it is an issue of common decency and respect for someone who dedicated themselves wrongly or rightly to the good of Britain above all else. By the way I also disagree about the minutes silence at matches which I believe should be for people who have contributed in some way to football.

Relevance?

My view entierly well put

Not really just disappointed!

Some disgraceful comments on here and a total lack of respect to the dead and her family at this time whatever you may have thought of her!

1-0 defeat

0-0 ht

I know its Man u TV but they aren't half full of themselves