Sheaf Saint

The difference being that all of the players we have let go thus window have been surplus to requirements, rather than star players we badly wanted to keep.

Yes, we often struggle to beat teams who come to play for a draw. But draws are no good to Fulham and Cardiff right now. They both need wins and will be looking at games against teams like us near them in the table to get them. If either of those teams comes out and attacks us, IMO we will beat them easily with the fast counter attacking that Ralph has got us playing.

Really could have done without Newcastle winning, but at least Cardiff lost which means we can put some real distance between us and the relegation places with a win tomorrow - 6 points and a GD over Cardiff of at least +13, which is worth another point ultimately. Would put us in 14th, a point behind Brighton. Would also finally take us to more than a point a game for the first time this season. I'm confident. Palace have had a few good results recently but if they were so amazing they wouldn't be level on points with the team just above the relegation places. We will be much fresher having not played in the FA cup at the weekend, and since Ralph took over we always seem to do well when we have more time to prepare. Bring it on.

Hesketh was injured when he returned from his loan at Burton and is still recovering. Sims wasn't eligible to play in the Derby replay due to not being registered as part of the squad for the initial game, but I might have expected him to at least make the bench for Everton.

For the cannula where they administer the anesthetic.

More to the point, why on earth would they be 'open' to letting him go for about what they paid for him? Sounds like more agent talk to me.

He may well also have had his head turned by the interest from Borussia Dortmund, so it's entirely possible he might just be phoning it in on the penultimate day of the transfer window. Yes, I am clutching at straws here.

Mané was the last player we had in that mould.

If Japan win on Friday and Maya comes back with a winners medal, then the synopsis of his autobiography won't seem quite so laughable any more... https://www.amazon.co.uk/Unbeatable-Mind-Maya-Yoshida/dp/0008289336

Finished 3-0.

You would expect them to beat either of the other semi-finalists (UAE or Qatar) in the final on Friday as well. When the tournament started I was hoping Japan wouldn't go too far so we wouldn't be without Yoshi for too long, seeing as he was just finding his form again. But we've done alright without him, and now I really want him to get a winners medal. Would be an excellent achievement for him.

Japan currently beating Iran 2-0 in the semi final.

No, that's purely coincidental. I'm sure their finances were Rosie when he left

A couple of years ago maybe. The game has got faster and he has got slower in that time. He has no place in a team that plays high pressing with fast counter attacks, as Ralph's teams do. He's done well for us in his time here and scored some important goals, but he has no future at SFC under the new regime.

Yes, just not at PL level. He's the kind of goalhanger who will do very well in the lower leagues, but the intensity of the PL these days is just too much for him. it's quite obvious he's not up to Ralph's pressing system.

That commentary...

It was a weird one. If he hadn't drawn his right foot away then it would have been a penalty anyway because it was a terrible challenge. But yeah, an odd one indeed.

He hasn't exactly set the world alight at Everton has he.

I don't think this is necessarily a bad idea. He has markedly improved in terms of his defensive capabilities since Ralph took charge, and he showed with his goal last weekend that he can make runs without being out-muscled in the way he always used to. He may not be especially quick, but he's no slouch either and he's the best crosser of the ball at the club. Worth trying out IMO.

I think you are being far too generous to him here. His delivery is consistently dreadful. Never have I seen him put in a cross that looks like it might trouble the opposition defence. They're either rugby-style up and unders, or they go all the way out for a throw in on the other side. I think this might be one of the reasons behind the decision to get rid. Cedric may or may not be a solid enough defender, but his attacking threat is essentially zero, and if we're playing a wing back system we need someone who can put good balls into the box as well as defend.

Let's just wait until 1st Feb before we start bashing the club over this. It's entirely possible that this "don't need to replace him" line is just a smokescreen. If we really are in for this young Danish lad from Genk, we're hardly likely to go shouting about how desperate we are to sign a RB and how much money we've got from the Cedric deal. That would be straight out of the Theresa May negotiation playbook. Yes, the club has got recent form for selling experienced defenders in the January window and failing to adequately replace them. If they have failed to learn a lesson from that then it could prove costly, but let's wait and see shall we?

Think you're forgetting someone, pal

It's because Sala was still the subject of a transfer to a PL rival when this occurred, so it was worthy of discussion in that context. It's an interesting and eye-opening thread, and I think most people are avoiding the Lounge like the plague at the moment due to all the childish nonsense being posted on the Brexit thread. So I hope it stays where it is.

One of which was the Cardiff debacle (which can't be pinned on Ralph, given he only had one day with the squad prior), and another was against last season's runaway champions in a game which he effectively 'threw' by resting several players.

What did we pay for him originally? Was it around £6m? To make a tidy profit on a player whose performances have gone backwards and who only has 18 months left on his contract would be a very welcome bonus.