Dman

Girona, who are owned by the city group?

Football lost its morality a long, long time ago. If he's a good player and will help us achieve our goals, I couldn't really care where he comes from.

Hes shite. He makes an occasional sensational save, but is unstable and costs us more than he gains.

It would be offset against the cost of the future purchase. Say we value him at £20m, there is a world inwhich we could get half now, half at purchase. Somoene like Ramsdale doesn't come cheap. Especially when Newcastle are desperate for a new keeper.

I'd rather see him on the wing, than I would BBD or Armstrong. He's been playing behind the striker in pre-season, which he's been pretty poor at. Good enough to be back-up to a new first choice left winger, but wouldn't be upset if he moved on.

TBF, we've got Edwards back who is like a new player for us this season.

Obviously it'll never happen and tbh, I don't want it to either - he's burnt too many bridges with his attitude imo. However, can you imagine he decided to knuckle down and become a first team player again, whi didn't quit whenevr the going gets tough.. He and Quashie would be absolute monsters at this level - would suit Still's system to a tee.

From what I've seen, Will Still plays with genuine wingers. Armstong isn't that. He may or may not get goals at this level, if you play to his strengths.. but I don't think we're going to do that, so we need to move on as from what I seen in pre-season to date, he has been extreamly poor.

In which case, we either need to accept chunky a hit on them or face the fact that we're going to have to risk stretching the budget to replace 3/4 players in key areas.

All be it pre-season against lower level oposition and lower intensity than we'll hopefully get come 2 weeks, but I'm really concerned about us this season. Our squad is a complete mess, too many players who either don't want to be here and/or aren't good enough to be here. We look toothless going forward. We need to move in the transfer-window for effectively 3 players to play behind the striker and we need to do it quickly. BBD, Fraser, Armstorng aren't going to cut it. If they are our 3 attacking midfielders come the end of the window we are in big, big trouble this season. Archer has been scoring and will score at this level, but we need to build a side around how he plays, rather than him suiting how we want to play.. which obviously isn't ideal. Downs untested and Stewart looks rusty. Robinson has been our stand-out attacker so far, but he's young and raw - we cannot rely on him. Still plenty of time to go, but I fear we cannot afford a slow start to the season, given the fixtures we have in august / september. Worrying.

I'm not sure, and I'm happy to be corrected, that I can think of a single goal against us last season that was as a result of a "lapse in concentration"

I mean, neither played in England.

I'd say the 2 aren't mutally exlusive. Obviously Ramsdales wages would cause us a problem, but the reason we wont keep them, is because they aren't going to want to apply their trade in the championship.. I don't blame them in a WC year, either.

I mean, obviously he is as he is simply far too good and consistent for the championship. However, playing devils advocate, do we potentially need another anyway? Perhaps someone slightly different in make up - more technical etc. There would absouletly be times next season where we could play fernandes in a deeper role with someone else in the 10.

Mental Manji chatting utter nonsense... who'd have thought it. He spuouts the same crap every summer.

He's be absolutely useless in a high intensity, high pressing side. Much like he was under Ralphs Reign. Too slow & not very athletic get rid if we can.

Falling into the trap of trying to shoehorn the best 11 players into the side. It asn't worked in the past, wont in the future.

Did we have 1 eye on relegation when we signed, Tino, Lavia etc. despite being a established lower mid-table PL side? Or do you think that it could possibly be our business model to sign, what they see as, "value for money". Some work, like Tino, Lavia, Fernandes some don't like Bazunu, Archer, BBD. Im not really sure what your point you're trying to make. After wasting big money the last time round, the club were never going to go out and spunk big sums on a couple of players.

Archer - clearly (at least) our second choice behind Delap. Come off the back of a season in the PL and signed for £15. Clearly a bad buy in hindsight, but one we obviously thought had potential. BBD - looked a smart purchase at the time, again off the back of half a season in the PL where he actually done alright, after some time in La Liga. At the time of purchase, not the sort of player who would have gone to a championship club. Edwards - young, potential, cheap. A no brainer. Wood - cheap, knew Martins style of play. Just because the transfers didn't pay off, doesn't mean they were signed because we we intent on going down.. its just bad business. We were probably looking for value for money after spunking £40m on TP and Sulemana only a season before.. once bitten twice shy.

The only one you could maybe argue a case for is Wood. But even then, he was a bargain, Martins mate and one we wanted the season before...

He didn't help himself though. He was just a wedded to a system, much like Martin - All be it, I suspect longer term Juric's would have been more sucessful for us. I can't help but think back in disbelif that we actually persisted with Aribo at CB (scary that he looked one of the better ones) for a good 3/4 game period. Mental. Had he kept things simple and gone back to basics (like he did for the first 2-3 games), I suspect he would have seen out the season. His Man to Man system was just as bad as Martins suicide ball.

He went back to South America for what, 6 months?

Edwards is injured. He was replaced by Hampton, who was absolutly dreadful and subsequently sent home. I don't think Edwards is coming now? I actually hope he isn't - Fuller has done well enough this season for us not to need another all-rounder. We need a top / middle order bat to help us get scores on the board.

Yeah, he'll do alright there. Will probably be able to pick up some half decent players as well, if the new ownership are willing to put their hand in their pocket. He'll be judged on games vs Celtic and in europe. Both of which I think he'll struggle significantly in.

and Armstrong, Fraser, Smallbone,Wood and maybe even Bazunu (if they can see past his Irish connections).... Christmas come early...?