The Kraken

Why were we trying to sell Lambert in the summer if that was the case? You're wrong, I'm afraid.

I don't think you're ever going to comprehend it, so I'll stop.

It also means that our transfer policy is awry if we spend such sums on players that cannot dislodge the incumbent player, do you not think? Its not as if we didn't have other parts of the team that need addressing. Such as centre back, where we've spent £2.5M and still look weak. that's the entire point which seems to be bypassing some. £7M on a reserve while neglecting other parts of the pitch that really require attention is not a brilliant strategy.

You're really not all that bright if you think that's the point being made. What a shame.

Where did I mention working on anything? I specifically mentioned "submitted"; why have you twisted what I said? Odd.

No-one knows, being as it isn't a formal planning application, its just a pie-in-the-sky concept drawing.

Exactly. And the point is that some clubs spend well, and some less well. Some clubs who spend exorbitant amounts don't get as good results as clubs who spend less but buy well.

I don't even understand your point. We spent £7M on a player in Rodriguez to replace a player we bought for £1M, yet he has failed to do that. That's the benchmark I'm judging him by; I don't know what your's it, but it seems its different to that.

First of all it was £7M, not £6M. Lets get that right. And there's another point. Plenty of us have said that going after predominantly young, up and coming players for your marquee signings is not the only way to go about things. That there was perhaps some logic in instead spending big on a more established PL or top league star, if we were going to spend £12M and pay extremely high wages. So you'll make a decision when they leave, except for some players who you won't wait that long. Fair enough.

What a weak comeback. Dear me. Yes, there have been no expensive defenders ever. Christ.

So what? We're judging on individual players. Clyne, Boruc, Yoshida all cost £2.5M or less and have made a very positive impact in such a cheap side. By contrast, in particularly Rodriguez and mayuka have not. Ramirez had a position created for him and has massively flattered to deceive IMO. If Clyne had been bought and not got in the side ahead of Richardson, one would ask why we bothered spending £2.5M on a reserve right back. The same is true of Rodriguez; we spent £7M on a replacement for Lambert which turned sour and we have a player who has hardly played on his own up front in the 1 of the 4-5-1 the whole club wants us to prioritise.

Whether we can afford it or not is an entirely different subject, so much so that its largely irrelevant. Liverpool spent some £100M+ on players under Dalglish; they could afford it but for the most part it was considered an enormous waste of money on certain players. If you spend the 7th highest total in Europe on transfers then I do expect some sort of return. That's not high expectations, that's just realism. In reverse I expected less from Boruc, Yoshida, and clyne but they've contributed far more despite their relatively modest transfer fees. Like it ir not its how transfers are judged, and our higher value transfers (JRod, Ramirez, Mayuka) haven't had nearly the impact some of our others have had, and therefore haven't justified their large sums spent.

I find it quite amusing. Especially poor old MLG's insistence for the past 18 months that Cortese is in a hurry to get this to happen despite not even submitting any formal plans for approval yet.

Actually it is. If you can point out any other club outside the top 8 who have spent £7M on a player in the last season or two who isn't a regular starting player and yet is considered a success, I'd be interested to hear it. Similarly a club our size who have spent £12M on a player who has had as little effect as Ramirez has, yet is considered a really good signing. There won't be many. The players we have that have come in and done really well have been our lower cost signings. Lambert, Cork, Schneiderlin, Puncheon, Fonte from previous seasons. this season Clyne, Boruc after Christmas and to a lesser extent IMO Yoshida. Ramirez and Rodriguez, the jury is still well and truly out. Mayuka, who knows.

Another good example. Draw up your plans, in up to four stages. Lose your secure business footing (before being relegated), postpone phase 2. Until we actually submit some plans, these are just some pretty pictures with no basis in fact at all. Won't stop some people using them as evidence of an impending build, mind. They're like a concept car design at the Geneva motor show.

Reading have shown the way forward. Draw up your formal plans and submit them to the authorities for approval; that takes time in itself. Then wait until you're ready/comfortable enough to actually go ahead with expansion. Reading have had their plans approved for years. Quite rightly they're waiting until they have a more secure business case before actually going ahead and spending many millions of pounds on a white elephant.

All very sensible Dog Dog, but I fear poor old MLG simply will not listen to such reasoning in this respect and will continue to speculate in favour of a massively rapid construction phase, despite any evidence to support it.

This season has had a new system introduced altogether. Previously we played 4-4-2; this season 4-5-1. Gaston Ramirez effectively had a position created for him, at the expense of Billy Sharp.

What type of hat are we talking here?

I'm not sure what Reading gain from this. In their predicament and with so little time left until the end of the season, there's surely no decent candidates that will want to come in and take them on. I thought the Adkins removal made little sense, given the timing. This is far worse. In any case, I'm not sure what the chairman expects. They have one of the worst squads (if not the worst) in the division, and they spent very little on transfers. And this is only their 3rd season in their history of playing in the top division, so they're hardly an established name. Very odd.

When did I say I wasn't going for the rest of the season? I must have been drunk as I don't remember that.

You made that point about Lallana being undroppable in January.

Indeed. Certainly the poster who replied to you first has changed his tune a little...

For the entirety of his England career Fabio Capello had all questions translated to him in Italian before giving the answers back in English. And Capello was very adept at the language when got here. I wouldn't expect MP to get close to fluency and press conferences in English any time soon.

That's different. Ramirez has had a poor start but he is young and hungry so he is bound to improve. Superstardom beckons.