The Kraken

Incredible news. MLG was absolutely adamant that we always used to sell out games like this many days in advance when we were last in the Premier League. Villa are traditionally a big draw, too. Wow. I'm literally stunned that MLG was wrong again. http://www.saintsweb.co.uk/showthread.php?39226-Final-season-ticket-holder-number You were correct, of course (predictably) for the Man Utd game. For the Wigan game, and for this Villa game; no, not so much.

If not building around Lambert, Ramirez and Lallana, I'm wondering who we should build around? And who is Roger?

:lol: Nonsense as ever!!

Why am I not Lambert's #1 fan? I was being sarcastic with my comment to you, I of course think he's been (and is) awsome for us. And I don't think we've shown we can do anything with Rodriguez, if I'm honest. Despite spending around £30M this summer I personally believe Lambert is still one of our best players, and one we should continue to build our side around.

You get more room in the Premier League, Turks. Especially against Man City and Man Utd. Everyone knows that. Duh.

I'm not sure what point you're after. I haven't said Lallana should be dropped. #confusing Though you clearly had pre-dertermind RL wouldn't good enough for the Premier League. His 2 goals so far must have been flukes. Bin him out and get someone else in, I say.

The9 is on some desperate charge to denigrate RL7; I'm not sure why yet, but it seems to be his "thing". I'll be honest, I'm not entirely sure myself what point he's trying to prove; other than that Rickie won't cut it in the PL.

:lol: Please wait Twevor. We weally, weally, weally are cwedible. We pwomise. :lol:

Did they concede 14 goals too? Or, when they played at the Emirates, did the concede 6 goals?

You think wrong, I'm afraid.

That's true. For me, it's NA at fault to some extent, but far behind Cortese and Lou Reed as they head the transfer committee. We should have rebuilt our team from the back; we didn't. We built from the front, and (questionably) spent £25M on a forward line of Rodriguez, Ramirez and Mayuka. And I truly believe the Ramirez transfer at the very least was instigated without the consent of the manager. Nigel very early on highlighted other areas of the pitch that needed to be sorted, and they didn't get fully addressed. That's how I see it, anyway.

Good answers. My view is that we either need Gazza to come in to the team immediately and sort it out (I genuinely don't think he can be any worse than Kelvin) or we need an emergency loan keeper. Our lack of quality at left back and our other centre back, well we might have to live to regret that.

Flipping it: do you believe the club got the level of goalkeepers they had previously targeted at the start of the window? In addition; do you believe we got the level of goalkeepers we needed?

Close, I suppose. NA said he wanted a keeper or two. Gazzaniga, is he a true first team player? Who knows, we've yet to see him. Cropper is a development keeper and absolutely nothing more; he has not even been named in our squad (unlike almost every other development squad player) so, right now, is not eligible to play for us at the top level. We also clearly wanted a left back, failed with one, and failed to get another one. Anyone who suggests Shaw is an adequate backup either hasn't seen him play or is living in a dream world.

Yep, I do agree with this. One of my best mates is head of player recruitment for a Championship football club. Yet doesn't have the final say as to who the actual players are that the club should sign, he is more responsible for concluding the deals . Every club is different, so job titles are little to go by. I choose to believe what I've always thought, really. That NA is part of a transfer committee. That he often identifies particular players that he wants. That he often identifies player positions he needs, and that the committee researches and compiles a list of potential signings. And that on some occasions the committee choose to bring in a player without direct initial input from the manager (I consider Ramirez to be one of these). Just as Lowe previously did with Niemi, Cruch, and Delgado. It is what it is.

I didn't know the 3 month thing. As for your last part about both parties not being comfortable with it being in the open: I entirely agree. And, given how things have moved on for both, there's pretty much no value in it coming out now, neither would gain from it. If Pardew writes a book one day then we may find out some form of truth, thoug I doubt by then anyone will really care.

DD, you seem to be exceptionally paranoid today. Nobody is blaming anyone, are they? But here's the whole article in any case. http://www.2ndyellow.com/2012/five-minutes-of-your-time-please-les-reed/

Every day he goes to work is a perfect day.

As Turkish says; how do you quantify Reed's own words? Over-exaggeration? Lying? Misquoted? Fake?

Has it? What were the terms of it? I don't know myself, simply that AP signed one when he left (pretty much by his own admission). I wasn't aware it had expired already.

How do you mean "needed the money"?

3 letters. NDA.

Yep; Adkins coaches the team, Reed is responsible for scouting and recruitment, Cortese oversees that. As they say, FACT.

Spot on Turks. But don't take yours (or my) word for it; here's Les Reed to tell us how the land lies behind the scene: