SNSUN

I'm not Dusan's biggest fan, he does come across as petulant, but it's a bit harsh to wish one of our players away (let alone to that lot up north), who has done little wrong since he's been here. Granted he didn't have the best of season's last season, but he was an assist provider for a team that didn't have a natural goalscorer for much of the season. If he is sold, fair enough and I'm sure we'll bring someone else in, I do feel he's replaceable - but in a team with Gabbiadini up front he could be excellent, like he was with Pelle.

This is funny stuff and RAWK is a good read at present, but it's also a huge statement towards clubs that feel they can bully smaller teams. We've dug our feet in, slapped a £70 million tag on his head, effectively grown a pair of testicles from previous summers (as we're in a better position to do with players on longer contracts) and Liverpool have effectively used underhand tactics to get what they want. Makes you wonder why they've made a statement though, effectively admitting guilt. Surely it'd be wiser just to keep quiet? Anyway I still think VVD will go, perhaps even to 'Pool (especially if that's actually his preferred destination), but surely we'll get most of the money we're looking for now. Other clubs that like to be vocal in the media (West Ham looking at you) will be a bit worried tonight...

Premier League should deduct 'Pool 31 points. Then 8th really has got us into Europe! If Puel really has gone, I'd like to see us hold off selling VVD until the new manager had been appointed, whoever it is. Selling key players hardly makes us look good to potential managerial appointments.

Meh, VVD is vastly overrated, error prone, and injury prone. Good Riddance. Besides which we'll only go and sign someone for £15 million that'll be worth £100+million in a season or two's time. These reports smack of "Empty vessels making the most noise" to me. Whatever VVD is claimed to have said, his contract is with us, it's long term and unless Liverpool reach close to our £70 million asking price they're getting the big stiffy. Besides, whatever happens happens. We can be annoyed by it or be happy with it, but there's little any of us can do about it. Just hope the incomings are decent. Doesn't he look happy in a City shirt though!

I've accepted he'll probably leave but for £40 million to Liverpool would have been gutting. The new figures of £60-70 million to City would be a lot easier to deal with. At least the club has tried to show some balls this summer due to the players being on long contracts. Part ex players is an interesting idea, there are some decent players at the big clubs not getting game time. (Like when we got Romeu from Chelsea.)

As a team that only plays one striker, Gabbiadini, Austin, Long and Gallagher should be enough. Sell JRod. I can't see us briinging in a striker, but I can see us possibly bringing in an attacking winger-type for one of the spots in the 3 of the 4-2-3-1 that can also play up front...like Redmond only with finishing ability. (Another Mané I guess is my point.) It's the defence that will need the surgery after departures this summer IMO and we're still a DM light.

Ok, here goes as had a few minutes spare... Outs: VVD, Bertrand, Tadic, Gardos, Rodriguez. Forster/McCarthy/loan GK/Lewis Cedric/Pied/McCarthy Stephens/Yoshida/new CB/new CB New LB/Targett/McQueen Romeu/Hojbjerg/Clasie/Davis/Reed/New DM JWP/Boufal/Redmond/Sims/New AM/Hesketh Gabbiadini/Austin/Long/Gallagher/Seager Obviously there's a bit of 'worst case scenario' with the outs, but it's all open to interpretation. VVD is the one I'd love to keep but I just can't see us turning down big money. In my scenario, as long as the "ins" are of good quality, I don't think we'll be that much worse off. One of the new CBs will be ready to go, the other will be young but with good potential. I wondered about bringing in another striker, and letting Gallagher go back out on loan, but I don't think we'll see that much movement. What I worry about most is another poor summer of bringing transfers in that are not of the same quality of the players that leave, like last summer. We need to get it right this summer, I think West Ham will bust a gut to improve, and Leicester will too.

That's us, Brighton, Bournemouth and now Huddersfield all in the Premier League that were fighting it out in League One just 6 years ago! Great stuff. Huddersfield the better team too, Reading very dull. I have a lot of Reading supporting friends who won't be happy tonight...

Well that's the "cheap" managerial option available, given we'd be paying nobody but him to join. He'd be a decent fit too, young, ex-Saint, good manager that got a rough deal at Swansea. I hope we're looking at better still, but I'd not be unhappy with him. Off topic slightly, I read an article that said we were linked with Graham Taylor when Branfoot left. That true?

Bestest ground in League Two we'll have.

Bring in Brendan Rodgers then promptly sell all our key players to Liverpool for the lols I'm not fussed who our next manager is necessarily, I just want the decision to be made within the next fortnight, so we can concentrate on building for next season. Someone exciting would be nice though, much like the way I felt when Koeman was appointed.

Tuesday (23rd) lunchtime, 1pm-2pm. But it probably won't be. We'll drag it on far too long, take too long to appoint a new manager, and leave signings until too close to the start of the season. Selling players however, that will happen pretty quickly. I'm aiming to avoid the media as much as possible this summer. I'm always hoping to be surprised though.

Now need Swansea and Leicester to do us favours. Jeez. Puel is surely going...

My team of potential leavers/sales in the summer. Hassen Martina Caceres Gardos/VVD (whichever can hop the best) Bertrand Reed Clasie Isgrove Tadic JRod Gallagher Easily whip Stoke with that team! (Not) Really, it has to be strongest available team please. Forster Cedric Stephens Maya Bertrand Davis Romeu JWP Tadic Boufal Gabs Redmond was poor against United so I'd leave Boufal in. Could easily be a 0-0 today, but we'll finish strongly. 3-1, Gabs, Tadic and Maya.

Redmond in the summer to a point, and Gabbiadini in the winter (arguably a transfer window late) were the hits. The rest have been misses. However Boufal, Hojbjerg, McCarthy, and Pied will all be important players for us next season, one way or the other, so they all should be hits long term. Redmond will only get better too. It was a poor summer window, we can see that now, but in terms of planning ahead it may bode well for us next season. We need a good transfer window this summer, signing players ready to go, which means sorting out the managerial situation one way or another as soon as possible after the season ends.

Top half finish, Without our natural goal scorer for half a season, our record signing for a time after he signed and in January, our left back for a month and our best central defender for months. Without the injuries to key players, I reckon we'd have more points on the board. I know every club has injuries but to have them to such key players is harsh. With the top 6 only getting stronger, and the Everton wannabes pushing for glory, 8th is probably the best we can hope to finish from now on in anyway unless one of those big clubs have a bad season. Yes, it would be nice to play more entertaining, attacking football, but in terms of league placing we're not far off the ceiling, and have done it with a weaker-than-possible side because of those injuries. If Puel goes, he goes - I won't be fussed either way - but I'd be surprised if another manager could achieve a higher placed finish with the injuries we've had. Going forward, the club has to decide whether that top 6/7 is breakable, something only a takeover and major investment can achieve.

one has to go in, surely!

We could actually finish only 10 points behind Everton. (Not sure what my point is but factually correct.) Just had a tenner bet with a Bournemouth fan at work that we finish above them. Easy money.

Put into perspective 8th in the Premier League makes us the 8th best team in the country. And with the Premier League widely acknowledged as the best, most competitive in the whole world, that's pretty amazing stuff. Not to mention doing it with a club of our size in the same league as 6 huge financial hitters. (7 if you include the Everton wannabes.) Granted the football may have at times been dreary, and we haven't done as well as last season, but with a weaker first XI than last season, I think we've done well.

In an ideal world, we'd keep Gabbiadini, Austin and Sam as our strikers, bring one more top striker in, and sell Jay and Shane. But it won't happen like that. I think we'll start the season having only allowed Jay to leave, and will either use Sam as an extra striker or if we're lucky maybe sign another, and let Sam back out on loan. I think Shane will still be here next season. On paper, Gabbiadini-Austin-Long-Gallagher/new Str Looks OK seeing as Gabbi will be the main striker through the season. As long as Redmond is not played in the striker role and we can keep Austin fit for longer (perhaps easier said than done) then I think we will do better with goals next season, assuming we can get the midfield sorted out too.

Good to try the team without the future summer sales playing... Shows how we might fare next season without them. #joking

This is the game that decides whether we finish closer to 8th or 15th. We still have a great shot at 8th and apart from Leicester (who can potentially get 52 points to our potential 51) it's in our hands. (As it stands, if we win all 3 games (!) it's in our hands to finish 9th.) We should be able to beat Boro, they can barely score goals and we have a host of better players. However we've hardly been setting the world alight recently in that department. Nevertheless I think today will be the day we step it up and pick up a win. Win today, and by my calculations based on other team's fixtures, the worst we can finish is 10th.

Funnily enough of all the "jewels" we could potentially sell, Cedric is the one I can see staying. Just a hunch, but he seems happy to be here. I think it's Bertrand and Virgil we'll lose this summer, and the jury (in my head) is out on Tadic. Really hope we keep Romeu too.

Didn't realise MOTD 2 had been renamed the Jurgen Klopp show..... bias as usual. I'm surprised they even bothered with a post match interview with Puel - you hardly saw him in the highlights in comparison. Mignolet handled outside the box, we should have been playing against ten men. A good point. Should give us confidence against Arsenal. As for Fraser, well done. 2 good saves. Always good to annoy my Pool supporting friends.

It's still congested in the middle of the table, five points separating 8th and 15th. We have games in hand on all, and a better goal difference on all but WBA, although we have some toughies still to play. So a simple thread, where do you think we'll finish and on how many points? I have us as finishing 10th on 45 points, goal difference ahead of Bournemouth. (Leicester 8th over WBA)