James

Mine was more a general comment re having to bring in a JRod replacement, potentially a Fonte replacement as well as the players we already needed up top as we are short as it stands. Wrong thread though I realise.

Shame. Another of the team that went on that great run gone. Thought he was pretty decent and really don't rate Cedric but if Puel wasn't going to give him a chance then it's no real loss. As FF says above, how many signings are we planning to make in the last week?! Poor transfer planning really. They can't have been planning all this overhaul of the squad happening in the final week of the window can they?

So, despite all the PR from the club that we were happy to rely on Rodriguez, that's turned out to be BS? Typical. Begs the question of why we were so quick to get rid of Pelle if we are now having to find a new striker in the last week of the window. Doesn't seem a particularly well thought out transfer strategy but am waiting to see where we are on 1 September before casting absolute judgment.

Hoping that Haller isn't our mystery striker but I bet he will be. Would have liked someone with a proven track record in the Prem. If it's to be Haller and Stanicu as our attacking signings then we are going to need to be patient as I expect both will take some time to get up to speed.

Agree, this summer has been quite surreal. Big week for us up ahead, hope we've got a couple up our sleeve. If we haven't it's going to be a long old season!

Will be a big loss if he does go. We are giving ourselves an awful lot to do in the last week. Genuine question, have we in the last two meltdown summers had to replace such a big player this close to the deadline?

Seems to get a fair bit right and is reasonably well informed so I'd treat what he has to say relatively seriously. He has said he still hopes we will convince Jose to stay but that it's 80:20 in favour of him going.

It's probably that Sebastian Haller guy that keeps coming up. Hope for someone better though personally.

Stanciu would be decent so hope there's truth in that. Not sure we'd consider him a squad filler though. Only worry is that he's not particularly big and the Romanian league isn't the strongest.

I mean he said he hadn't heard of any other moves which, given he is the resident ITK, indicates to me there's no one coming in or at least no one close or imminent. I hope I'm wrong but I must say most on here are convinced we will sign someone purely because it's inconceivable/would be irresponsible if we didn't. To be clear, I agree with all who say that we need to sign players and that the sensible thing to do would be to sign at least another attacker. However, the news from the ITKs and the news out of the club via Jeremy Wilson leads me to the conclusion, at the moment, that we've missed out on who we wanted to get and don't have any others in the pipeline. If I'm wrong I'll happily eat humble pie but I do find it amazing that others on here remain almost convinced of a significant signing without a shred of evidence and in fact with relatively significant evidence indicating that there's no one coming.

Don't really fancy playing a Moyes team in a game where, realistically, we need a win to appease the fans. Can see Defoe taking a half chance early and then us dominating possession but not being able to score. Narrow defeat or draw is what I think. Hopefully, at the very least, our transfer dealings will be clearer but the message from Guan isn't encouraging at all.

So Guan says no one else incoming (unless I've misinterpreted). Question for posters like CB Fry, is it still "obvious" that there's an incoming? I'm now convinced our business is done. Disappointed and let down if so.

There were a lot of frustrated fans standing around me in the away end last night. Pretty common view was we need at least two more and the vast majority I chatted to on our (seven and a half hour!) coach journey thought we'd missed the opportunity to use our European status to attract players.

Bit unfair to say he offers "nothing but finishing". That's clearly not true. Has to start with Long IMO.

Scuffed Long shot was our only shot on target. To be fair Forster had nothing to do either except pick the ball out of the net.

Thought Redmond was pretty poor again tonight. So easy to defend against, always picks the wrong pass and gives it away and lacks a quality end product. A top six striker he is not. Hoj and VVD by far our best players, Fonte was decent and Forster couldn't be blamed but the rest of them look bang average. Struggle to see where the goals are coming from.

You honestly thought we looked like scoring? Must have been watching a different game to me. It's weird, I'd have thought one of the advantages of playing a diamond is that you get to play an extra man up top but you sacrifice a bit of muscle in midfield to do it. They way we are playing we are toothless up top and are getting overrun in midfield most of the time. There was one point when Pogba just walked through the centre of the pitch with nobody near him. This formation has totally neutered the players we've got IMO. Don't like the way we are playing at the moment one bit.

So anyone who disagrees with a prediction should be spoken to by the mods? Got it. This forum is utterly ridiculous.

So you get to resort to swearing? Good one mate. I'll say it again, the mods really ought to do something about this kind of thing. If this forum is a place for over the top reactions and insults then it's not a great place to be a part of quite frankly.

"It's obvious because it's obvious" now there's a statement to win a debate if ever I saw one. Might as well have said "it's obvious because I say it is". This forum is becoming ridiculous, anyone that takes a contrary view to the party line gets ridiculed. The mods really ought to do something about it. It is a forum after all, a place for debate but posts like the one above just show what it's come to, essentially, "I'm right because I say so and you're wrong because I say so".

Never said you should. Merely questioning how something can be so "obvious" if you have no evidence to back it up. In any case, let's wait and see where we are on the first. I do hope that you're right.

So, to summarise, you have no actual evidence. Got it.

Completely agree.

I'll ask again, please do explain how it's "obvious" that we will sign someone.

He's a proven Premier League goal scorer. He's about the best player a club of our (or Palace's level could attract IMO).